The day dawned clear in Abingdon, but the mountains to the East looked dark and stormy. I wanted to get ahead of the weather so I was moving early. The two bikers I met last night, with their smooth tires and light suits, still hadnt stirred. Damascus was not far, a small and very cute town, right up against Mount Rogers. The mountain remained shrouded in fog the whole time I was there. I eventual Read on...
First settled by the Recollects in the early 17th century, started as a with a small church dedicated to Saint Roch, the patron saint of dogs. Sam told us how each year people bring their dogs to the church to have them blessed.
By the first half of the 20th century, was first, a shipbuilding hub, then the home to manufacturing, retail, and theatre – a street in Qubec City.
During the last h Read on...
It was afternoon before I started driving up the steep grade on Interstate Hwy. 25 from Raton, New Mexico to Raton Pass at the Colorado State line. Just a short distance (about 100 meters) into Colorado was a nice scenic overlook with a good view of Colorado on the main trail of the Santa Fe Trail connecting Independence, Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. The settlers from Missouri would see the Read on...
As a schoolboy during the 1950s and 60s, I was constantly eating mince pies and currant cake. These were baked by my mother in the oven of our Reading kitchen. We were a poor family, and Mum was a consummate housewife who saved money by baking all manner of things: apple tarts (using windfall apples from our back garden), apple crumbles, rhubarb tarts, jam tarts, treacle tarts, lemon meringue (wh Read on...
I mentioned yesterday that the sun was missing and only just visible through thick cloud. I didnt say that the cloud was oddly coloured.
When we woke we found out what that colour was. Sandy. So sandy we could barely see through the motorhome windows as it rained in the night, not enough, but sufficient to deposit a good coating of Saharan sand all over everywhere. This was the same sandstorm whi Read on...
Medellins annual Flower Festival is one of Colombias most important regional festivals. Every year the country celebrates its success and the stars of the show are always the silleteros, who have their very own parade.
The silleteros in the festival are flower vendors. They spend the rest of the year farming small plots of land on the misty mountain slopes around The City of Eternal Spring — Me Read on...
Among the earliest settlers in the Lynden area was a family farm homesteaded in 1883 by Hans Berthusen and Lida In 1944, the entire Berthusen homestead was given to the people of the city of Lynden. It is now a beautiful city park with walking trails, a camping area, historical buildings and markers, and some amazing vintage equipment from the early days of the farm.
We were fortunate to be able Read on...
I need to get up early to try to repack my entire belongings into 1 manageable pack from which to work from for this next chapter of the trip- it takes an hour to create order from the explosion of my stuff from yesterday. Head down the stairs for an early breakfast- it is too early for Marians so sit in the garden for a bit until the kitchen guy is organised. Eggs, coffee, yoghurt, muselei, chees Read on...
(Day 112 on the road) The area south of Medellin is coffee country. My flight from Cartagena put me right in the thick of it, in the city of Pereira. And thus I spent the next few weeks exploring the region, starting with some beautiful hot springs near the village of Santa Rosa de Cabal, before moving on to the hot springs near Manizales. Now, Manizales is one of those Colombias cities which mos Read on...
We have decided that Manchester Airport is the pits! We queued to check in baggage with emirates (1 hour 20 mins) , then we queued to go through security - 3 lines open (1hour 10 mins) 😩- then when we thought we might be late for the flight, the flight was delayed so we waited in a soulless room then finally waited for zone F to board - it was last.. 😡
Ok flight, we watched House of Gucci i Read on...