The Road Trip

Aberdeen to Rockaway Beach

We left Aberdeen fairly promptly. It was a place to stay which was appropriately timed for leaving Seattle in the afternoon. In all fairness, it’s an industrial town as far as I could see. The only seafood restaurant in close proximity was the Breakwater Seafood & Chowder House on Wishkah River which offered an undisturbed piece of Halibut and some greens, very tasty, and washed down with a dinky rose wine. Classy I tell you. Were it not for the driving wind, abandoned harbour, homeless people, and screaming kids it could have been paradise. We stayed at a motel for the evening and then threw our suitcases and backpacks into the back of our Mazda 6 and headed off for the West Coast.

We noticed our first Tsunami evacuation sign on the way out of town. It only dawned on us at this stage that we were on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and it made sense that there would be such repercussions in the case of earthquakes and tremors. It was the first of many signs on our trip down the coastline.

At Long Beach, mapping our home town

We eagerly stopped at the first opportunity, Long Beach and Oysterville. We had expectations of countless Oyster bars lining the Pacific Ocean. Well, there were countless oyster shells lining the Pacific Ocean. Gap in the market there people. They harvest so many oysters I don’t think they know what to do with them, but there weren’t that many glaringly obvious Oyster outlets. 

Oyster Shells lying around in Oysterville

The intention was to head to Astoria for lunch, but I’m pretty glad we opted for “Pickled Fish” in Long Beach because it was pretty cool. Astoria was not as impressive as we imagined. Shortly after lunch we headed into Oregon and after a number of stops to see the coastal eye candy we arrived in a chilly Rockaway Beach. Our accommodation was a lot better than we anticipated. It had a balcony and a pizza place over the road. Little more was required. 

Historic Highway Vist Point

Rockaway Beach to Florence

I went for a run along the 101 and into the neighbourhoods before we headed out. Colin went along the beach. It was extremely windy and much colder than either of us were expecting. We headed toward some spectacular views of the differing bays and shorelines. The roads stuck closely to the coast and offered a number of vista points to stop at. One benefit of driving down the coast from North to South is that pulling over on the right hand side and taking off again is much easier than it was for those heading up. 

Somewhere between Rockaway Beach and Florence

Before we knew it, a day had gone by. We had stopped half way along in a little beach resort and had an impromptu picnic of leftover pizza, Tilamook cheese and crackers and leftover red wine. By the time we arrived in Florence, Oregon, it was around 4pm and we were pleased to set our suitcases down for more than one night. 

Florence has a wonderful little “Old Town” area with a few buzzing restaurants and shops. We opted for the Bridgewater Ocean Fresh Fish House. Oyster shots, angry orchard cider, black bean soup and seafood chowder. Yebo Yes. 

Oyster Shots

Colin came up with the idea of dune riding in the morning in beach buggies. Was super fun. We had to be there fairly early as the wind picks up from noon. It was quite busy and so we ended up with a four seater. We both took turns at driving. I rocked the flat areas and Colin nailed the dunes. After getting myself into a pickle, I was a little nervous of what lay over the other side of each little peak. Rightly so as well. Rolling and damaging both of us was one thing, but rolling and damaging the actual vehicle was of more concern after the list of costs for damages.

Dune Buggies

I took some time out to check out the little shopping area later in Florence. I went into every shop, bought some salt water taffy, checked out the locally printed T-Shirts “Homeland Security Oregon Style” with bears and their mouths dripping with blood. I enquired about a pedicure, which at $30 was reasonable, but required me back later in the day and what with my busy schedule.. I gave it a skip. I also popped into a very cool little coffee roastery selling espresso bean earrings. Oh the temptation. But I’ve read that book before. Very original on the earring stand, rather odd on the earlobe. All that shopping and more took me about 30 minutes. Feeling sufficiently full of Florence, we set up camp for the evening in our comfortable room at the Comfort Inn, drinking Prosecco and tapping away on our laptops. 

Afternoon Champagne

Florence to Gold Beach

I woke up with a banging headache. Evil Prosecco. Unfortunately the headache hung in for a quite a while and was closely followed by a sore throat, tight chest, coughing. It was bound to happen at some point. Nevertheless, we got our things together and departed the dazzling Florence. A nice drive down the coast bought us to Bandon where we finally stopped for a spot of lunch and looking. 

Despite the feeling like the name is missing an ‘R’, Bandon was pretty picturesque. A wooden walkway lined the waterfront, great for strolling along and a seagulls playground. We grabbed some fish tacos at Tony’s Crab Shack and browsed the little curio stores. Luckily we escaped without buying more than the freshest blueberry and white chocolate biscuit I have ever had in my life. 

Bandon Beach and Lighthouse

The stops along the Oregon Coast Highway 101 have a certain recipe. Art gallery’s, curio stores, wooden food outlets and a place to park and look at the ocean. They are all the same, yet completely different. 

Our next stop for the evening was Gold Beach. A fairly non descript, random place which didn’t sparkle or invite you to swim as the name suggests.

I was feeling more suited to the travelling role by this time. I was prepared for any type of accommodation, I had a system going in my suitcase so I knew where to find things fairly quickly. I knew what to take out for one evening and what to leave in, and likewise what the formula would be for a two or three evening stay. Life was becoming simpler. Our biggest dilemma for the day was whether to get dinner from Rays Food Store or Kays Food Store. Oh the stress. 

I can't remember where this was, but it's pretty isn't it?

Gold Beach to Bear River

Leaving Gold Beach was also leaving Oregon and crossing the state line into California. Thank you Oregon, you were everything I expected and then some. All those funny signs you see on Facebook all the time, they come from Oregon. The people who shop at Walmart in Texas? Pretty much on a par with the shoppers at Fred Meyers in Oregon. It is a state full of historic beach towns and jam packed trailers. I am however completely localising my perceptions to the coastline. Inland must be quite something to experience as well and I hope to be back.

We stopped at Crescent City to pop into a visitors centre to see what we could gain on our drive through to Eureka. We were given a tip or two and a map so we eagerly set off to see some of our first Redwoods in the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park. 

Tree lined roads through the State Parks

It was a great drive and we stopped at one point to take a hike which was a 2 mile loop or so. I tied my laces and was ready to set off, just as we walked past a sign at the entrance to the trail. Alongside a large picture of a grizzly bear, was a warning explaining what to do should you come across a bear. Don’t run they said, stand and wave your arms and attack they said. It was the most uncomfortable two minute trail I ever did. 

We finally arrived at our station for the evening which was The Bear River Casino Hotel, just outside of Loleta, in the middle of just about nowhere. The rooms looked good and the prices were low so we had snapped it up a few days prior. It was a nice room and it was a fairly standard casino, the bear statues giving it a slight edge.

Thursday night was $16 build your own pasta night, so we blendid in by taking up this fabulous offer. It was great, and seemed to be a night out for many people in the area. Colin gave the casino a test a little later in the evening so you will have to read his blog for the low down on gambling in bear country - www.champagneinplasticglasses.wordpress.com

I assigned myself to the lovely hotel room for some repairs and maintenance.

Bear River to Fort Bragg

A significant highlight of the entire trip was The Avenue of The Giants which was precisely what was scheduled for this day. We started off at a grocery store, stocked up on some picnic items and headed into the amazing forest. 

The giant Redwoods are truly humbling. I found them to be beautiful and graceful, sometimes growing to 3000 years old, reminding you of how small and young you really are. Just what I needed before my 40th birthday. 

Giant Redwood

The drive through tree’s are quite the tourist trap and seriously overrated. A bit of a waste of $5. We did it twice. You simply can't help yourself. 

The days were cooler and the drives through the forests and along the coastline was just as magical and cosy as I had always hoped it was. We had our moments of misdirection and searching for restrooms, a few coughs and a few laughs. We loved this day and finished it off in Fort Bragg at a Motel called Harbour Lite Lodge. It actually had a view which was marvellous. 

Harbour Night Lights

The town of Fort Bragg is so far from what I ever imagined California to be, but I guess it’s far North and a fairly functional town. We later learnt that you can have a hell of a party there if you know the right people, but it was probably just as well we didn’t. Our Safeway Supermarket dinner did us for the evening and we slept like 1500 year old Redwoods.

Fort Bragg to Clearlake

If Fort Bragg were Ricoffy, then Mendocino is a double Illy cappuccino with chocolate sprinkles. It was the beautiful little Californian town we were looking forward to finding. Every second store was an art gallery or a jewellery store and the cliffs peered over the beautiful ocean with bluer water than I’d seen since Mozambique. 

The Bay at Mendocino

Colin got me another engagement ring from one of the little stores and we re engaged ourselves on the cliffside. We stopped for a coffee at one of the restaurants and got chatting to a dude drinking racehorses (vodka and grapefruit juice). He was just topping up from the night before. He told us how he had painted one of the main buildings in Mendocino and that he was just up from Lower Lakes California after working on a weed farm. 

Mendocino Shops and Galleries

After a blue skied Mendocino, it wasn’t long before the skies started turning hazy again. The fires in California were making themselves known and smoke covered most of the sky. Colin and I were still coughing, we weren’t sure if it was from the smoke or our bout of Bronchitis. 

Driving into Clearlake was an eye opener. It appeared abandoned and very run down. There were signs up along the side of the road saying thank you to the firemen for what they were doing, which was humbling. I held my breath at the thought of where we would be staying for the evening. We’d sort of decided it’s a little better if Colin sometimes booked accommodation without me even looking because I have a penchant for luxury, not for my bank account. On this occasion, he had mostly made the call. Well wasn’t I surprised. The Clearlake Cottages and Marina was wonderful. They left the air-conditioning on for us and there were blinds in the windows. A sight for sore curtain draping eyes.

Clearlake Cottages

A swimming pool and ice machine, with a patch of grass and a view of the lake, was all we needed for a fabulous afternoon. I must mention, that we decided to pop into Safeway to grab some dinner and breakfast goods. I learnt myself a lesson in this store. I wandered the isles picking out some bits and pieces for dinner (microwaveable dim sum you say?) and thinking how odd the folk of Clearlake were. We arrived at the till, and the lady behind the counter was super friendly. After offering us a Safeway card, the man behind us, who was in a wheelchair and sort of run down and half interested, offered to swipe his card for us. We saved $10. How kind of him, and her. They were interested in where we came from as well, so we told them. The lady behind the till said "Oh Gosh, how do you handle the insects over there?". That was a new one.  

Next point of action - apply for a Safeway Card. In America that means, ask for a card and get one. Do nothing else at all and you will save a significant amount of money. 

Sun setting over Clearlake

Clearlake to Calistoga

After a fruit fly infested attempt at a walk around Clearlake (oh the irony), we nibbled on our granola and left for wine country. I was very excited, either that or the cough mixture and wine from the evening before were lurking. 

We wound our way along the curviest road ever and into one of the most charming little towns I have ever seen. Quite frankly, coming from Clearlake, it wasn’t hard to impress us. We parked in a little road and walked up and down the main street as we were a little early for check in. 

Calistoga

The first stop would have to be a wine tasting. They have tasting rooms in town, just in case you don’t want to head out to the vineyards or in case the vineyard itself doesn’t have a tasting room. Huge Bear seemed appropriate so we entered the beautiful old building, awaiting a story behind the name of the wine.  

We didn’t quite know how the tastings worked, but we found out quite quickly that they’re not cheap. That one cost us a few quid and luckily she gave us a two for one pass. We tapped her for as much information as we could for $15. And that’s the lower end of the tasting rate - try $25 each as the norm. Ouch.

You will have to google the story behind Huge Bear, I’m drinking wine in Death Valley and I haven’t got the inclination to explain before I hit the pool. I will tell you though, that the building they were using as a tasting room used to be a bank and it looked just like one of those old school, western day banking rooms with exceptionally high ceilings and a very large wooden door. What a room. 

Huge Bear Pinot Noir

Suitably Chardonnayed up, we grabbed some salads for lunch. It was very warm. We were starting to get the hang of the cooler coastal climate and pumping hot inland heat. Opposite to our KZN climate. After lunch, we checked in and spent most of the remaining day in the pool. Once I have written a bit about Napa Valley, I will post that hyperlink right "here". 

Calistoga to San Francisco

Having driven the Napa wine route, we opted to head to San Francisco via Santa Rosa. Seemed like a nice little town, we only stopped for a coffee. We had to have the car back at 12.00. After eventually finding the hotel and dropping off our luggage, we dropped off the car. 

We then briefly explored the financial district of San Francisco and wound our way to our hotel. I’d heard a lot about how wonderful San Francisco is. I have to admit, at first I was disappointed.

Drinking Dirty Laundry

That’s correct. And I would do it again.

Were it not for Colin having family in Penticton, we would almost certainly never have happened upon this lake-straddled little gem of a holiday town. We really found it to be a special little place. 

There are two main routes in from Vancouver, Canada, which is basically South and North. On the suggestion of the hotel driver from Vancouver, we opted for the slightly longer but more scenic route, being the Northern one. I’m glad we did, because I’ve yet to think of a view more spectacular than the Okanagan Lake on arrival as the sun is preparing to set. Penticton is basically situated in the lower half of the Okanagan Valley between the Skaha and Okanagan Lakes, with a channel joining the two. Thank you Google.

Okanagan Lake

What better use for a channel than to float down it on a rubber tube? Penticton is the “Floatie Capital” of British Columbia, as a street banner so claimed. This was of course, the first on our list of 'things to do'. 

We were met with hospitality second to none, as Colin’s uncle Scott and Marie welcomed us with local beers, delicious snacks, roasted chicken and fresh vegetables. A beautiful site for weary travellers eyes and the first home cooked meal in too long. 

The Family

We set off for the channel in the morning and spent an hour and a half tubing down at a leisurely pace. We headed for Lake Skaha after that to take a swim in the lake and lie on the sand. We were listening to some of the locals and eavesdropping on their summer chit chat. I recalled one man complaining about how he wanted to go on a trip somewhere but that his dollar would get him nowhere. I chuckled, as I thought of our South African Rand, and then I started sweating. Not sure if it was the heat or the exchange rate, but both had an impact on my temperature gauge. 

Penticton Channel

After delicious cheesy toasted sandwiches dished up for us at lunch, we set off to sample some dirty laundry. It’s at this point I should mention that Okanagan is one of the top ten wine regions in the world and its popularity is gaining momentum fast. Scott and Marie took us to the vineyard which had been named Dirty Laundry as a result of its beginnings. Originally, a Chinese man had set up a laundry in that very spot in order to provide a laundry service to the many men working on the railroad back in the late 1800’s. The owner soon realised that there was more of a market for alcohol and female company than laundry, and so the upstairs mezzanine became a bar and a brothel. Best Dirty Laundry I’ve ever tasted. 

Dirty Laundry Vineyard View

Scott, Marie, Colin and I spent a long evening chatting and drinking wine, nibbling on snacks and the most delicious Californian Salad as we watched the sun fade and the full moon start to shine. We spoke of past and present, future and family, travel and stories from home. What a wonderful experience, we were just so sad that we didn’t have more time there. 

Land of Peaches and Ice Cream

We headed back to Vancouver via the Southern route, which was just as beautiful as the trip in, just in a different way. Little towns, winding roads and plenty of green trees. I watched every inch pass by as we drove, particularly in the hopes of spotting a bear. I'm sure no one else does that..

Vancouver

Food. Lodging. Macdonalds. Wendy's. Starbucks. Subway. Lodging. Subway. Food. Denny's. Wendy's. Lodging. Such was the signage en route to Vancouver from Seattle on the I-5. Americans must be well fed and well rested. I'm sure it makes a difference because drivers certainly came across less frantic, from a passenger's perspective anyway. Both Colin and I thought it was a better idea that he drive to start with. Until I had to give him directions that is. My forte I believe lies in keeping him hydrated throughout long trips.

The Peace Arch border crossing into Canada was my first drive-through passport control experience. There was a 50 minute delay or so due to heavy traffic returning from Seattle after the weekend, but it was an absolute pleasure not to have to get out of the car, have everything searched or to have to fill out any forms. The border is also beautifully maintained and so arriving in British Columbia was a most pleasant experience, and it only seemed to get better from there. 

Driving into Vancouver

It was after 4pm when we drove into Vancouver over the Granville Street Bridge and the light of the afternoon was getting to that romantic part of the day which made the streets smile at us. We found our hotel, the Pinnacle Hotel Vancouver Waterfront and dropped off our luggage and then the car. Strolling back from Avis, the streets had quietened down (being an early Sunday evening) and we took in just how clean and crisp downtown Vancouver is. Even the electricity boxes are decorated. We were right on the waterfront which is a local's paradise, not to mention a favourite for tourists, but it's also the type of place that makes you want to put your camera down for a while and stare.

View down Thurlow Street

Our hotel room was marvelous and we did manage to pay a short visit to the gym on the fourth floor during our stay, to work off the Oreo ice-cream sandwhiches I wish I hadn't discovered. 

We walked the idylic waterfont pathway into Stanley Park and decided on a short harbour cruise to sneak a peak at the beautiful city from the water. After a half hour wait to head out, the Captain informed us that there was a mechanical problem with the boat and that we unforunately had to disembark and return later. We requested our money back becuase I'd already mentally spent it on a Moscow Mule from the Cactus Club.

Vancouver Waterfont

We'd driven through a really cool looking neighbourhood whilst trying to refuel our car the day we arrived, so after a little googlevestigation from our king size hotel bed, we came across Gastown and two of our favourite things - asian steamed buns and live bands. Not both at the same place, although I wouldn't complain if I had found such a place. 

We headed into Gastown on Tuesday to Bao Down for a light bite for lunch. The smaller portion taco style asian cuisine was super tasty. We chilled downstairs, perched on our steel barstools and watched hungry people coming in and out and getting their fix. The red brick walls and tattooed patrons set against a jazzy background was the perfect mix while we sipped on our craft beers. 

33 Acres of Sunshine Craft Beer

Afterwards we headed through Gastown to take a closer look at the area known as the design centre of Vancouver, from pubs to houseware and fashion to food. Many shops are below street level with a window's view so you are looking down into stores and studio's with items sprawled over trestle tables, either being invented or sold. The roads are a mixture of trees and lamps, shop windows, signs, bicycles and pubs.

Abbott Street, Gastown

What we also happened to come across in Gastown was the Junkie mecca of Canada it seemed. We later found out that there is a program which the city runs to try and curb heroin use by making it safer and cleaner. The program called Insite assists in the administration of heroin to severe addicts under the supervision of nurses and doctors, in an effort to prevent them from harm or dangerous acitivity. A controversial topic for discussion some other time, but it was incredibly sobering to see a gathering of struggling addicts in the middle of one of the most beautiful towns in the world, one block away from a camera laden crowd of overweight, pink tourists.

Gastown in the evening

Nevertheless, we headed into Gastown the next evening to The Revel Room where Steve Kozak and company delighted us with a feast of the blues. Just when I thought things couldn't get better, I discovered cocktail roulette on the menu which meant a few hints to the barman on taste preferences and he would whip up something unique. I ended up with a freshly squeezed watermelon and vodka cocktail with jalapeno syrup and lime. Best cocktail ever, despite setting me back a solid $13.

Watermelon cocktail at The Revel Room

The next morning we headed off to Enterprise car rental to collect our vehicle which was to take us to Penticton, approximately four hours drive North East. We were very excited to head inland a little, from a fresh 21 degrees max temperature to a warmer 35 degrees or so. So glad I took that jumper along..

Seattle

Seattle. Place of seagulls and no accommodation. I should give Seattle more of a chance because it’s one of the places I was always curious about. Perhaps due to watching countless episodes of Frasier in my youth, but nevertheless, the space needle and coffee culture aspect of Seattle were enticing to me. 

Seattle Waterfront

My first impression of the grungy town, aside from being grungy, was slight panic due to the lack of affordable accommodation on the go. We later found out that there was a huge baseball game on between Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners at Seattle’s Safeco field. It was also the start of Seafair 2015 which is a huge annual festival running over several weeks and the grand parade was scheduled to kick off that weekend, in the middle of the city. 

World travelling note No. 1: look out for large sporting games and annual festivals. I thought I had done that, but due to our rather ambitious itinerary I think there was just too much to investigate and it slipped me by. Spending the night at King Street train station had become a true possibility. 

Steps from the Waterfront up to Pike Place Market

After hours spent at a coffee shop, then the information kiosk at Pike Place and the Visitor centre at the Seattle Convention Centre, we finally managed to secure a reasonably rated room. It was to be a beautiful evening spent amidst drunken baseball fans at The Kings Inn, my first American motel. Sigh. The biggest problem with this, was that I wasn't one of the drunken baseball fans. It was an exciting experience being my first motel, but it was also at this very place that I discovered how challenging plumbing can be for a residential establishment. 

Pike Place Market

Whilst the Mariners were playing ball, the weather wasn’t so much. This does tend to dampen the ambience of a city. We didn’t find the waterfront very appealing, nor so the space needle. It looked out of place, like someone had thought; "We need to build something impressive and tall", and so they did. Perhaps if we’d taken the time to learn more about it, it may have made more sense, but we didn’t. 

The Space Needle

I’ll tell you this for free though, the people in Seattle must be the friendliest folk in the world. They honestly go out of their way, like ‘run across a highway in the rain to give you an umbrella’ kind of friendly. Somehow, people noticed that the pair with flip flop tans on their feet and backpack indents on their shoulders, were foreigners, and they literally poured out information on what we should do. Amidst our happy hour search for the cheapest cocktails we could find, this lovely young lady, eating her Mexican salad at "El happy hour" Mexican bar, just volunteered a laundry of things for us to do. We were surprised, and grateful. We didn't do any of them, but it was really thoughtful of her. 

Police walking the Seattle streets

Another A list mention is the food. The seafood. Oh my, we ate at Lowell’s, as recommended by the couple on the train over from Chicago. Twice we ate there. We shared fish taco’s and fish and chips the first time and a blackened salmon caesar salad the second time. I just drooled on my keyboard again dammit. We should have tried the chowder at the buzzing Pike Place Market, but don’t judge me, I’d eat at Lowell’s a third time if I went back there. RGB, which is Rachel’s Ginger Beer at Pike Place Market also hit the spot in most winning way. The concept was one of simplicity, flavour and colour. Those Moscow Mule’s went down like little Ninja’s twerking in my throat. 

Lowell's Seafood Spot at Pike Place Market

Other than beating the streets of Seattle, we popped into Fremont which was more of a residential neighbourhood over the river, harbour, channel thing. We were headed there to do laundry but also found the troll under the bridge, a statue of Lenin, Fremont brewery, and a meat and potato dumpling place which shared its premises with a tattoo parlour and a yoga studio. 

Luckily we managed to secure a second dazzling evening at the Kings Inn, at an even lower rate. They moved us to the last available room which we don’t think they usually let out. I’ve had better showers with a water pistol. As we weren’t too keen to spend much time at the inn, we hung out on the streets of Seattle watching the Seafair parade. The parade that had it all. It started with a couple of Jesus fans walking up and down the roads with pickets and microphones, telling us how we should fear God and all that. I wasn’t quite listening, I was too busy judging them. 

Repent or you will be in trouble..

Shortly thereafter, this endless river of performances and floats came down the road. Air-hostesses to indian chiefs and politicians to clowns. Oh, that may have been the same float. There were so many it's hard to recall. The giant balloon killer whale and the Seahawks band and drill team were probably the most impressive for me. 

Seafair parade

That was Seattle. It was unusual and interesting. I wasn’t sad to leave, but I'd definitely go back. 

The Train Trip

Having arrived fairly early at the station, you have about half an hour to 45 minutes to board the Amtrak Empire Builder train from Chicago to Seattle. The waiting area is scattered with all sorts of people, older, younger, single travellers, foreigners a number of Amish families. 

We left our large suitcases at the bottom of the double decker train and took backpacks up. Luckily I was super sorted and had a packing cube with the clothes and toiletries I needed for two days. We humans need surprisingly little to get by comfortably. Top of that list is a bed that you can lie down flat on, and a shower with sweet Mary Jesus soap.

We were so comfortable tucked into our little pod which had a space for everything; chargers, lights, luggage, coat hangers, face clothes and drinks holders. The windows cannot be opened, only in the case of an emergency could the panels be pulled out. Having found out there’s no wi-fi, we considered this an emergency, but refrained from defacing the train before it even pulled out of Chicago. 

Roomette on The Empire Builder

On schedule, we departed from East to West on what proved to be a spectacular display from vast Montana fields to the pine trees in Glacier Park. Every American town has a claim to fame, some notably so, being the largest state in the U.S. which is Alaska, or the centre of the Northern continent which is Rugby in North Dakota. Other towns, well, it’s a bit of a stretch and they have to be creative. The sixth friendliest town in the South East, that has three consecutive traffic circles and is home to the world famous banana jelly pork chip. Or something like that.

North Dakota

From Chicago to Minneapolis, the scenery scrolled by our window like a gallery of screen savers. 
Huge silos and old school barns.
Railroad crossings, large fields, houses with no fences.
Postboxes, all grouped together in a line at the edge of the town. 
Landscapes from the Walking Dead, basketball courts, pick up trucks outside diners and camper vans outside houses. 
Expanses of cemetries and even larger expanses of car cemetries. 
Bridges and rivers. Industry and simplicity.

In the midst of the hypnotising display of the US, dinner reservations needed to be made with the squeaky voiced hostess who gave us options of 5.00pm, 5.30pm, 6.45pm, 7.15pm and 8.30pm. Having shared a cold turkey sandwich for brunch, we opted for 6.45pm and made our way through the train passages, bumping left and right, tripping over our flip flops and getting our train legs broken in. 

Dinner was arranged in a way that you sit with different passengers on the train at each meal time. It was actually great to meet various people, all of whom were American and all of whom were on their first train trip of this kind. Dinner was surprisingly good, salmon with baked potato. 

Our first dinner partners were an older couple from Portland; George and Lucy, who had taken the train to spend three days in Chicago to have a look around and were returning to home in Oregon. They chatted to us about Mennonites who are a derivative of the Amish family, but less strict. Mennonites are apparently not permitted telephones, televisions etc. in the home (anything with a wire), but on the more relaxed side they are able to go to the laundromat if the weather is bad. Their children are also not permitted bicycles. When I asked George why, he said because they don’t want their children running away from home. Now there’s a thought. At eighteen, the boys are allowed a year away from home if they wish, but apparently most of them return to their way of life. Not surprising. At the age of eighteen the world must seem a frightful place if you haven’t been exposed to it. 

Montana

Our breakfast people were Rachel and Rachel's Mom, they were travelling with Rachel's Dad and Rachel's Brother as well but father and brother were at a different table because they were quicker off the mark for breakfast. We were interested to hear how much traveling they had done, especially Rachel, who was also fairly upset about the lack of wi-fi. She told us that she was a teacher for religious studies and seemed to be very knowledgeable. I'm guessing half my age, double my intellect. Friendly, and quirky. Rachel's Mom could barely walk and Rachel's Dad, who we met briefly, zoomed around with his wrist held video camera and wore glasses which were stuck together with sticky tape. Rachel's brother was a big fella, a possible fondness for frosty flakes (who can blame him) and judging by the beard and the cap, he looked a little like he worked in a dvd store. video games or adult videos, not sure which. I drastically underestimated the rest of the family so he could well be a lawyer who has a side interest in brewing craft beer on a Sunday afternoon, who knows. 

We told our tale of two South Africans having crossed the stormy water to take on a summer-chasing, world-wide, trip of a lifetime. We told the story a few times, each time we met someone new, and each time our listeners seemed to enjoy it. A woman overheard us one morning and, delighted to hear South African’s, burst out in a short clip of dutch. She met with two very confused faces, and then we caught on. She was trying to speak Afrikaans, but was speaking dutch in a non Afrikaans way. She had been to South Africa on some agricultural tour and had spent a fair amount of time in Afrikaans towns. We asked where she was from and in her thick American accent she answered “America”. Helpful.

After each meal, we would pop back into our little cubicle of wonder. Feet up, laptops out, watching the world go by, writing a little, reading a little, watching a tv show or two, listening to music, falling asleep to the rocking train cars. No wi-fi may have been a blessing.

Wind Farm

It was really good to meet Suzanne and her partner over lunch. They were a couple around our age, one in marketing and the other IT, so we had more in common than most of the mid westerners we came across on the train. Being from Seattle, they gave us some tips and pointers about the destination, as well as their contact details in case we got into a spot of trouble. We hadn’t booked any accommodation, thinking we would do it on the train, but alas, no connectivity. 

I’m a big fan of train travel. The 48 hours was good, but I'm not sure if I would be as complimentary after a longer stretch, unless it were a luxury train with free drinks and bubble baths. We were well looked after, our beds turned down every night and up in the morning. Cookies and ice delivered daily. A weird combination yes, but if you don't think about it too much and just munch the cookie and toss the ice into the wine you bought on board, it's great. Showering was a real challenge, as was walking down the bumpy train corridors with boiling hot coffee. And to think some people travel without health insurance.

Fir Tree Country

I’m struggling to recall if I’ve come across anyone who has been anything less than friendly and helpful these past two weeks in the States. The train occupants, staff and travellers, were so decent to one another, so kind, respectful and gratuitous. The small towns we passed through must raise some good to honest, god fearing individuals. When I say small towns, I mean small. There’s a main road, a gas station, a bar called “Bar” and sometimes a casino called “Casino”. These less than popular outlets are clearly placed near the train lines to keep them far from the reach of the good Christian families and closer to the passers by.

Glacier Park

By the end of the trip, breakfast had run down to bread rolls instead of pastries, two egg omelettes instead of three and only one form of fruit juice. One of the game park rangers was running through the geographical information of the area over the speaker phones and we were glaring out of our windows at the beauty surrounding us. "In this area, there are 16 active volcanic mountains" he said.

Great. May not need to worry about that accommodation in Seattle after all.