We finished off our time in Jasper with a full day of fun. The first part was a ride on the Jasper Sky tram which is a gondola ride up to Whistlers Peak. From the station at the top of the gondola ride there was a further 30 minute walk (longer with 3 children) up to the peak. This was well worth it with the most amazing views along three valleys and amazing mountain ranges arrayed in all directions. It reminded us of how small we really are when faced with the immensity of the terrain.
www.jasperskytram.com/
We descended more quickly and returned down to Jasper. After lunch we headed to Lake Annette for a swim - glacial blue-green water and bright sunshine of course! Returning to Jasper we found a place for tea before joining the throngs at the Jasper Rodeo!
This takes place indoors in the multifunction Jasper Activity Hall. I had no real sense of what to expect, but when the events started we were all gripped! The speed and skill with which horses were ridden was astonishing. The bravery (or foolishness) of the riders was amazing. The precision of Lassoing and tying up the calves and young cattle was extraordinary and the sheer guts of the bull-riders was both alarming and astounding. It set us up for the journey to our current location on a small ranch near Rimbey in Alberta.
This last night in Jasper was lovely. The night sky was dark, so the stars were clear and sharp. As Nicola and I looked up we saw a shooting star and we were sitting out at 11pm in t-shirts next to a blazing fire. Deep, happy sigh.
We then travelled the 5 hours to Rimbey. Eva Ibbotsen accompanied us with her 'Beasts of Clawston Castle' and we listened to all but the last few minutes of the story en route. When we arrived we were welcomed in the most hospitable fashion by both Clinton and Brenda. This couple have built up a haven of peace and tranquility over ten years, The Longhorn cattle they raise are delightful and gentle natured beasts with one almost like a pet to Clinton. The land is very much like Wales or other rural parts of the UK and I feel very much at home and at peace here.
We have so far been well fed, visited a local lake for swimming, tried to ride, but the horse spooked and instead we were treated to a demonstration of horse training and trust-development that was beautiful. Brenda has a gift for this work and seeing her in action with her 'rescue horses' (all of which have come from a difficult background of either abuse or accident) was a real treat. I'm not a 'horsey person' but I recognise the skill and patience demonstrated.
We head off tomorrow for Drumheller and the dinosaurs!
If you want to build a longhorn herd then here is the website! www.canadiantexaslonghorn.com
Saturday, 16 August 2014
Thursday, 14 August 2014
O Canada!
Having found Tamara and Doug (who are lovely - Nicola has been talking about them for years and I have never had the first clue who she has been going on about. Having met them I will now happily sign or write Christmas cards knowing fully where they are going!) we set out on our camping adventure.
We reached Lake Louise uneventfully but (as may surprise some of you who know us well) a little late. This was not our fault (this time!) as there was a big traffic jam just outside of Calgary and we got stuck. A further delay happened as we approached Banff National park and we queued for forty minutes to buy the park pass. Yet more time was spent in Canmore waiting for our delivery of camping equipment. The last straw was trying to shop for 9 people in an unfamiliar supermarket in a different country with 3 boys in tow.
On the way we did stop in at the calgary Olympic site and saw the Jamaican bobsled (featured in the film ‘Cool Runnings’). There was also a Canadian one there and we saw the luge course which is massive and intimidating. Towering over it all was the ski-jump structure which we think was the site of Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards’s finest moment, but we may have the year wrong.
Anyway, once at Lake Louise campsite we pitched our tent and then headed out to play by the river. This led to a late-ish tea and then a campfire. All of the children had had enough by the end and were running on Marshmallow energy and excitement. This made parental duties quite hard.
The next day we headed out on a tour of some principle landmarks of the area. It is not possible to explain adequately how the scenery in this part of the world looks. You can walk for five minutes and take a photograph every 30 seconds of something new and interesting. The mountains tower above you on every side and the rivers and lakes are the most startling turquoise colour (due to rock flour generated by glaciers). I love every step and turn of the wheel.
We saw Lake Louise, whose natural beauty is amazing, but has a massive hotel stuck on the shore. Prince Charles would rightly term this a monstrous carbuncle. Then we drove on to one of the most peculiar engineering marvels devised by man. It looks like four tunnel entrances, but is in fact a spiral train tunnel. The gradient was too great for the trains running through this pass (kicking horse pass) so they blasted through the mountain to reduce it.
Then we went on to Takakawa Falls which is among the highest falls in Canada and a powerful testament to the strength of water to shape the landscape. This was followed by a drive to Emerald Lake which lived up to its name with a deepening of the usual turquoise colour to a greener tinge. This is also the location of the Burgess Shale (which Nicola studied in Geology.) This is a World Heritage site where Mr Burgess (among others) found a lot of weird fossils. We headed back to the campsite for food and (earlier) bed. Nicola stayed up to natter to the early hours while I had a much quieter night putting our boys to bed instead!
The next day we had to say goodbye to the Morgans. Douglas has this thing called 'work' that he has to go to....
Time is running out on my internet session here in Jasper so I'm going to wrap up the next couple of days quickly. I might be able to go back over them another day and fill in details. I might not....
We travelled up the incomparable icefields Parkway to Rampart Creek. This campground has no facilities (except a pit toilet and single tap) and it was fun to be self sufficient for a night. On the way we walked around 5 miles at Bow Lake and saw the falls.
The next morning we were visited by a very curious and bold squirrel who stole parts of Peter's breakfast. Then we packed up and headed to the Athabasca Glacier which is rapidly receding. There are now barriers to prevent access to the toe of the glacier as the river and lake around it are too dangerous! In 100 years this glacier may not be there at all and the icefields are shrinking too. The water supply for Canada is in genuine peril!
We also saw more waterfalls before arriving in Jasper and settling in for the night.
The next day the highlight was a whitewater raft ride down the Athabasca river which thrilled the boys. It was really relatively tame and the next level would have been fine, but we wanted to avoid scaring the children off for life! Jasper is a lovely town and we have hit it as the Rodeo is happening. We may well go along tonight and see some of the events prior to leaving the town.\
Today holds the Jasper Gondola, Miette Hot springs and a trip to lake Maligne. Time's up. See you all soon!
Friday, 8 August 2014
Phew
So we have arrived in Calgary and finally found our friends here. More on that later.
The last few days have been a crazy, fantastic blur of Disney, beach and Lego fun which has left precious little time for anything other than travel, food, sleep and a surfeit of enjoyment. So I'm doing a catch-up post before we head for a time in the mountains with very limited connection again.
So Saturday. Blizzard Beach is a winter themed water park with amazing water slides and pools. Our favourite was the family raft ride, which allowed all of us to ride together and laugh our way down the flume. The rest of it was great too. No sun burning! This was a half-day. The other half was a visit to a supermarket. They are not much different from at home so the children didn't enjoy this so much.... Peter did have a nosebleed and need help which was the most exciting part of that visit.
Sunday we went to Epcot. This park is huge. We covered every major pathway and the boys were totally exhausted by the time we finished. Even with a full day we couldn't cover everything but the park manages again to be different to the other parks. Tomorrowland at the magic Kingdom is like a mini Epcot but the scale of this park is so much bigger. The 'World showcase' part is fascinating and if every country is as accurately depicted as the 'UK-land' section then it is a laughable set of stereotypes and caricatures. It is no less fun for that. The irony of arriving at the UK part just as it started to rain was not lost on us.
There is such a mixture of attractions that it is hard to characterise the day. There are rides and loads to see and do. Captain EO was an interesting diversion with Michael Jackson as the lead in this 3D film from 1986. Weird. Talking to Crush (from finding Nemo) was hilarious. Great fun.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/epcot/
Monday. A day away from Disney. Not from theme-parks though. We headed to Legoland Florida which was an hour and a half south of our location. This park is aimed at a younger age-group so Peter and David had an absolute blast while Andrew was enjoying things, but only really looking at the bigger coasters as worthwhile. The park was much less busy than the Disney parks and one day was just about right for the visit. We were offered preferred access to the rides by a 'model citizen' (one of the staff). I think this is because we asked about wait times and she took pity on us as we had travelled from Orlando. We didn't complain and were able to skip many of the lines that were there.
My highlight was the 'Land of Adventure' ride which is a target shooting gallery with laser guns and moving animatronics. Miniland was also amazing with Lego versions of American cities and Star-Wars tableaux. Andrew loved Project X - probably the scariest ride of all the parks (the only one on which Nicola was absolutely terrified!). Peter loved everything! Nicola enjoyed the Dragon coaster and David loved the Chima ride where we all came off soaked to the skin. This is never a problem in Florida as we were dry in the next half-hour anyway!
http://florida.legoland.com/EXPLORE-THE-PARK/Park-Map/
Tuesday was a second round at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom to re-visit some favourite rides and to fill in some parts we had missed. Magic Kingdom seemed even busier than before and we still didn't manage to get onto Peter Pan or the Mine Train or Haunted House. We did visit the Tom Sawyer island, 'A Small World' (which would give nightmares to some children - animatronic marionettes) and various other displays and rides. We then took the bus to Animal Kingdom so that the boys could finish their 'Wilderness Explorer' book. They are now 'Senior Wilderness Explorers' and the look on their faces when this was achieved is priceless. We also have a favourite staff member who we seemed to follow around the park. Thanks Casey!
Wednesday. We went to Cocoa Beach for the day. This was a beach day and the boys learned to body-board in child-friendly waves. I love the sea and it was warm here. The sun was a danger here and we were all pinker than we should have been even with thorough Factor spf 50 coating. I have realised one of the dangers of aging as my head burned beneath the thinning hair at the back. I may well get Grandad Nicholls's hairline rather than Grandad Belleini's. Ho-Hum.
Thursday was travel day so we checked out of Tropical Palms and headed to... Typhoon Lagoon! The morning at a water-park (tropical themed) meant that the children had something to look forward to rather than the flying and waiting and travelling. This was again lovely. Nicola especially enjoyed floating round the lazy river on an inflatable "doughnut" ring. The flights were uneventful and dull - though the film on the second flight was okay (about American Football - "Draft Day"). The line (see how American I have become!) for the hire car was ridiculous (45 minutes) and then we drove to the wrong address - this led to us arriving at midnight at our hosts (though this was 2am for us having crossed two time zones). The children had given up well before this and were fast asleep. Nicola and Tamara, however, couldn't resist an hour of catching up in the middle of the night!
And here we are at today. We are not camping today as the turnaround was impossible, so that is put back until tomorrow when we will head off to Lake Louise. Tamara is like a Canadian Petra - so accommodating, friendly and wonderful, and we feel at home already. I have loved having a day off with good company. Boys have vegetated in front of a movie with Tamara's girls Sabrina and Julia and are now calmed down and will be ready to go again tomorrow. I think a visit to a local lake this afternoon will be in order.
Our mobile is not working in Canada and camping rarely has Wi-Fi so we may well not be online for a while. Enforced unplugging is good for the soul. Nature beckons. Mountains, rivers, camping, bears. This part of the holiday is mine.
The last few days have been a crazy, fantastic blur of Disney, beach and Lego fun which has left precious little time for anything other than travel, food, sleep and a surfeit of enjoyment. So I'm doing a catch-up post before we head for a time in the mountains with very limited connection again.
So Saturday. Blizzard Beach is a winter themed water park with amazing water slides and pools. Our favourite was the family raft ride, which allowed all of us to ride together and laugh our way down the flume. The rest of it was great too. No sun burning! This was a half-day. The other half was a visit to a supermarket. They are not much different from at home so the children didn't enjoy this so much.... Peter did have a nosebleed and need help which was the most exciting part of that visit.
Sunday we went to Epcot. This park is huge. We covered every major pathway and the boys were totally exhausted by the time we finished. Even with a full day we couldn't cover everything but the park manages again to be different to the other parks. Tomorrowland at the magic Kingdom is like a mini Epcot but the scale of this park is so much bigger. The 'World showcase' part is fascinating and if every country is as accurately depicted as the 'UK-land' section then it is a laughable set of stereotypes and caricatures. It is no less fun for that. The irony of arriving at the UK part just as it started to rain was not lost on us.
There is such a mixture of attractions that it is hard to characterise the day. There are rides and loads to see and do. Captain EO was an interesting diversion with Michael Jackson as the lead in this 3D film from 1986. Weird. Talking to Crush (from finding Nemo) was hilarious. Great fun.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/epcot/
Monday. A day away from Disney. Not from theme-parks though. We headed to Legoland Florida which was an hour and a half south of our location. This park is aimed at a younger age-group so Peter and David had an absolute blast while Andrew was enjoying things, but only really looking at the bigger coasters as worthwhile. The park was much less busy than the Disney parks and one day was just about right for the visit. We were offered preferred access to the rides by a 'model citizen' (one of the staff). I think this is because we asked about wait times and she took pity on us as we had travelled from Orlando. We didn't complain and were able to skip many of the lines that were there.
My highlight was the 'Land of Adventure' ride which is a target shooting gallery with laser guns and moving animatronics. Miniland was also amazing with Lego versions of American cities and Star-Wars tableaux. Andrew loved Project X - probably the scariest ride of all the parks (the only one on which Nicola was absolutely terrified!). Peter loved everything! Nicola enjoyed the Dragon coaster and David loved the Chima ride where we all came off soaked to the skin. This is never a problem in Florida as we were dry in the next half-hour anyway!
http://florida.legoland.com/EXPLORE-THE-PARK/Park-Map/
Tuesday was a second round at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom to re-visit some favourite rides and to fill in some parts we had missed. Magic Kingdom seemed even busier than before and we still didn't manage to get onto Peter Pan or the Mine Train or Haunted House. We did visit the Tom Sawyer island, 'A Small World' (which would give nightmares to some children - animatronic marionettes) and various other displays and rides. We then took the bus to Animal Kingdom so that the boys could finish their 'Wilderness Explorer' book. They are now 'Senior Wilderness Explorers' and the look on their faces when this was achieved is priceless. We also have a favourite staff member who we seemed to follow around the park. Thanks Casey!
Wednesday. We went to Cocoa Beach for the day. This was a beach day and the boys learned to body-board in child-friendly waves. I love the sea and it was warm here. The sun was a danger here and we were all pinker than we should have been even with thorough Factor spf 50 coating. I have realised one of the dangers of aging as my head burned beneath the thinning hair at the back. I may well get Grandad Nicholls's hairline rather than Grandad Belleini's. Ho-Hum.
Thursday was travel day so we checked out of Tropical Palms and headed to... Typhoon Lagoon! The morning at a water-park (tropical themed) meant that the children had something to look forward to rather than the flying and waiting and travelling. This was again lovely. Nicola especially enjoyed floating round the lazy river on an inflatable "doughnut" ring. The flights were uneventful and dull - though the film on the second flight was okay (about American Football - "Draft Day"). The line (see how American I have become!) for the hire car was ridiculous (45 minutes) and then we drove to the wrong address - this led to us arriving at midnight at our hosts (though this was 2am for us having crossed two time zones). The children had given up well before this and were fast asleep. Nicola and Tamara, however, couldn't resist an hour of catching up in the middle of the night!
And here we are at today. We are not camping today as the turnaround was impossible, so that is put back until tomorrow when we will head off to Lake Louise. Tamara is like a Canadian Petra - so accommodating, friendly and wonderful, and we feel at home already. I have loved having a day off with good company. Boys have vegetated in front of a movie with Tamara's girls Sabrina and Julia and are now calmed down and will be ready to go again tomorrow. I think a visit to a local lake this afternoon will be in order.
Our mobile is not working in Canada and camping rarely has Wi-Fi so we may well not be online for a while. Enforced unplugging is good for the soul. Nature beckons. Mountains, rivers, camping, bears. This part of the holiday is mine.
Friday, 1 August 2014
Three Days in Disney
So we landed at MCO (Orlando International) and transferred to our nice shiny rental car. It is a white Chevrolet Cruze. It was parked next to a black Chevrolet, but at the last second I thought it might be best to have a white model as it ‘gets quite hot’ in Florida. We drove relatively successfully to the Tropical Palms resort where we are staying in a ‘platinum cottage’.
Having parked up and unloaded we went for a ride to see how far it was to the main Disney entrance. It is around 12 minutes to the parking entrance where we were able to convince the attendant that we just wanted to tuen round and go home.
This we did after stopping for tea at a ubiquitous American chain restaurant.
The next day was a very early (6.45am) start as we needed to get to the Polynesian Resort restaurant (Ohana) by 7.45. This was a great way to start our time at Disney as we met Lilo, Stitch, Mickey and Pluto while enjoying a lovely ‘Hawaian’ cooked breakfast. The potatoes were particularly lovely.
From there we were some of the earliest to make our way into the Magic Kingdom Park. We spent the day enjoying ourselves immensely. Splash Mountain was the first ride and the big thrills kept on coming as well as a number of delightful gentler experiences as well. Air conditioned indoor rides are often particularly welcome as the temperatures can get into the low hundreds (in farenheit. It is the mid-high 30’s in Centigrade.)
We ate at home that evening and took a dip in the pool before showering and turning in for the night.
The next day was at Hollywood studios. This day was hard work as there was so little shade to be found and the temperatures really did get the better of me. I was in bed and asleep at 8.45 and didn’t stir until the next morning. It was still fascinating however. Highlights were the Indiana Jones stunt show and the Star Wars 4D ride. The backlot tour was also very interesting. Pool and bed came in swift succession. Rather than list every ride we went on here is a zoomable map…
The white ‘sun-repelling car’ was showing 105ºF when we got in with every surface too hot to touch. Air conditioning to the rescue again!
Today we went to Animal Kingdom. This is probably my favourite so far with so many varied things to do. There are animals to see, rides to go on (like Everest which we went on twice early in the day when there was no queue) and we saw the Lion King celebration which was superb. The children enjoyed the Wilderness Explorers badge-collecting trail. There was more shade here than in the other parks which helped too….
And here we are. Tomorrow is a ‘rest day’ where we will probably go to a ‘restful’ water park and try to avoid sunburn.
Oh, if you want reminders of when the blog is updated then ‘follow’ it. There will be a button somewhere that should do this. The blog will then email you to let you know when something new has been added. Photos are proving tricky to upload so we’ll try to put a new batch up as soon as we can.
Tuesday, 29 July 2014
In air Wi-fi!
I'm on the plane!
We are at over 10,000 feet flying from Baltimore to Atlanta and that means that I could activate the free in-air wifi we got with our new mini Chromebook. We switch at Atlanta for the leg to Orlando.
So here's what we have done over the last few days.
Saturday was a lovely day at a swimming pool overlooking a wooded river-bend in a national park. Conowingo pool was great, and we all had a lovely time there - except for Carl who went to work.
The children were plastered in Factor 50 but their ginger skin is not designed for this kind of lovely weather and there was after-sun needed that evening. Lesson learned and swimming tops have been bought for the water parks in Florida. We also bought some spray-on sun-screen that will mean multiple applications each day will be much more straightforward. Thank you Wegmans and Wal-Mart!
Sunday started at the Mountain Christian Centre next to the old Jerusalem Mill. This is a proper 'Mega-Church' with hundreds of attendees across about five services on a Sunday morning. The people there were really welcoming and friendly. The boys went out to children's clubs while Nicola and I went into the service where we learned about Love in the Christian life from 1 Corinthians 13 (Brief summary: it is the best way to respond to just about every situation in life!) The whole set-up is very professional and slick - I particularly liked the table of pastries that was available.
The afternoon was spent with the Woodmans. Carl was supposed to be at work, but he felt terrible and they sent him home. Having a weakened heart means that fluid gathers around your body and causes all sorts of horrible side effects. He obtained a prescription for fluid draining drugs and felt better by the next day. Other than that we just relaxed and planned for Disney!
Monday was a tidy-up and pack day. We went to the mall to shop for shoes - boys feet are now much tidier looking and cool. Nicola found a stationary store and Wal-Mart provided some cooling fans. i'm not sure they will help hugely with the temperatures in Florida (today it is looking like peaking at 32C / 89F).
You are all just about up to date. All I have left to say is thanks to Carl and Petra for their hospitality, thanks to Brenna and Willow for playing so nicely with our boys and thanks to Eden and Ian for setting great examples.
Finally - Have a great birthday Michelle! As I said in the card - we'll be with you one of these years, maybe next year if all the plans come together as they should.
We are at over 10,000 feet flying from Baltimore to Atlanta and that means that I could activate the free in-air wifi we got with our new mini Chromebook. We switch at Atlanta for the leg to Orlando.
So here's what we have done over the last few days.
Saturday was a lovely day at a swimming pool overlooking a wooded river-bend in a national park. Conowingo pool was great, and we all had a lovely time there - except for Carl who went to work.
The children were plastered in Factor 50 but their ginger skin is not designed for this kind of lovely weather and there was after-sun needed that evening. Lesson learned and swimming tops have been bought for the water parks in Florida. We also bought some spray-on sun-screen that will mean multiple applications each day will be much more straightforward. Thank you Wegmans and Wal-Mart!
Sunday started at the Mountain Christian Centre next to the old Jerusalem Mill. This is a proper 'Mega-Church' with hundreds of attendees across about five services on a Sunday morning. The people there were really welcoming and friendly. The boys went out to children's clubs while Nicola and I went into the service where we learned about Love in the Christian life from 1 Corinthians 13 (Brief summary: it is the best way to respond to just about every situation in life!) The whole set-up is very professional and slick - I particularly liked the table of pastries that was available.
The afternoon was spent with the Woodmans. Carl was supposed to be at work, but he felt terrible and they sent him home. Having a weakened heart means that fluid gathers around your body and causes all sorts of horrible side effects. He obtained a prescription for fluid draining drugs and felt better by the next day. Other than that we just relaxed and planned for Disney!
Monday was a tidy-up and pack day. We went to the mall to shop for shoes - boys feet are now much tidier looking and cool. Nicola found a stationary store and Wal-Mart provided some cooling fans. i'm not sure they will help hugely with the temperatures in Florida (today it is looking like peaking at 32C / 89F).
You are all just about up to date. All I have left to say is thanks to Carl and Petra for their hospitality, thanks to Brenna and Willow for playing so nicely with our boys and thanks to Eden and Ian for setting great examples.
Finally - Have a great birthday Michelle! As I said in the card - we'll be with you one of these years, maybe next year if all the plans come together as they should.
Monday, 28 July 2014
Phone number and photo links
We have a mobile number in America. If you need to contact us then you can reach us on:
00-1-443-823-7887
International calls may well be costly, but I have no idea how much!
We are all packed and ready to go to our next destination which is Florida!
Next stop Disney....
Photo Links below!
https://picasaweb.google.com/112189469346441256154/ChezWoodman?authkey=Gv1sRgCNab8_Gugd_dWQ
https://picasaweb.google.com/112189469346441256154/Washington25thJuly?authkey=Gv1sRgCM-HqaWY_Zz8cw
00-1-443-823-7887
International calls may well be costly, but I have no idea how much!
We are all packed and ready to go to our next destination which is Florida!
Next stop Disney....
Photo Links below!
https://picasaweb.google.com/112189469346441256154/ChezWoodman?authkey=Gv1sRgCNab8_Gugd_dWQ
https://picasaweb.google.com/112189469346441256154/Washington25thJuly?authkey=Gv1sRgCM-HqaWY_Zz8cw
Washington DC
Our early start to get a full day in DC was slightly thrown out by an alarm clock failure. I set it for 7.30. It went off just as we were sitting down for our evening meal in a DC Burger King. Oops.
Regardless of this slight hitch, we got away in good time and drove down to our chosen parking spot on Massachusetts Avenue next to the Postal Museum. Washington is full of building work and driving to this spot took about an hour longer than we expected. Children began to get testy towards the end of the drive but when we got going the first sight of the monuments took this away.
First monument: The Capitol building. Even if you have seen this on films, nothing quite prepares you for the sheer size of the structure. There is a ring of scaffolding around the top at the moment, but the architecture is arresting and the statues impressive. As we were a little late arriving we headed straight for the Botanic Gardens. This is a lovely (cool) garden and the children enjoyed looking around the plants. The pitcher plant was a favourite. We then ate lunch on the picnic tables outside of the gardens. It was brilliant.
Then we set off down the mall. This is a 1.9 mile straight walk, but with wandering around it will be 2 miles easily. In 78F+ degree temperatures (26C or more) this is a long, hot walk. Fortunately there are endless distractions on the way. The buildings are massive and impressive, there are museums along the whole length of the Mall and there are public water fountains all over the place.
We chose to go into the museum of Natural History and saw all manner of creatures in the mammal and ocean sections. Time was the great enemy and we moved on quickly when we could have spent the whole day in the one place.
Heading to the Washington Monument we had a great view of the White House and Jefferson Memorial. This set us on the path for the Lincoln memorial which was worth the walk. The statue of Lincoln is enormous and set well back in a shrine-like building. It is as close to being a temple to a Nation that I have seen anywhere. Hugely impressive.
We then set out on the long walk back up the Mall and stopped in at the Air and Space museum on the way. This has replica and real rockets and aircraft. I loved it and so did the boys and Nicola (I think - I was too busy going, "Look at this! Ooooh. Have you seen that!" and so on.
From here it was a dash back to the car and then home. We punctuated this with a visit to Burger King which was by far the boys' favourite thing in the day.
Regardless of this slight hitch, we got away in good time and drove down to our chosen parking spot on Massachusetts Avenue next to the Postal Museum. Washington is full of building work and driving to this spot took about an hour longer than we expected. Children began to get testy towards the end of the drive but when we got going the first sight of the monuments took this away.
First monument: The Capitol building. Even if you have seen this on films, nothing quite prepares you for the sheer size of the structure. There is a ring of scaffolding around the top at the moment, but the architecture is arresting and the statues impressive. As we were a little late arriving we headed straight for the Botanic Gardens. This is a lovely (cool) garden and the children enjoyed looking around the plants. The pitcher plant was a favourite. We then ate lunch on the picnic tables outside of the gardens. It was brilliant.
Then we set off down the mall. This is a 1.9 mile straight walk, but with wandering around it will be 2 miles easily. In 78F+ degree temperatures (26C or more) this is a long, hot walk. Fortunately there are endless distractions on the way. The buildings are massive and impressive, there are museums along the whole length of the Mall and there are public water fountains all over the place.
We chose to go into the museum of Natural History and saw all manner of creatures in the mammal and ocean sections. Time was the great enemy and we moved on quickly when we could have spent the whole day in the one place.
Heading to the Washington Monument we had a great view of the White House and Jefferson Memorial. This set us on the path for the Lincoln memorial which was worth the walk. The statue of Lincoln is enormous and set well back in a shrine-like building. It is as close to being a temple to a Nation that I have seen anywhere. Hugely impressive.
We then set out on the long walk back up the Mall and stopped in at the Air and Space museum on the way. This has replica and real rockets and aircraft. I loved it and so did the boys and Nicola (I think - I was too busy going, "Look at this! Ooooh. Have you seen that!" and so on.
From here it was a dash back to the car and then home. We punctuated this with a visit to Burger King which was by far the boys' favourite thing in the day.
Saturday, 26 July 2014
A couple more days of activities
So we have now begun to do more as we feel rested and ready to go. Wednesday was a quiet morning planning for Disney, then we went to the old Jerusalem village near to Carl and Petra's house.
http://www.jerusalemmill.org
It is in the Gunpowder Falls National Park and there are a few walking trails leading of from here. We set off down-river and covered about 4 miles there and back. It was wooded and rocky with places to throw rocks and paddle. It was also very warm.
Carrying a pack with water is vital because even on the hottest days in the uk you need a drink, but here we need gallons.
Anyway, we scrambled about in the country a bit, saw a very cool covered bridge and paddled in the river.
http://alltrails.com/trail/us/maryland/gunpowder-falls-state-park-jerusalem-village-trail-with-jericho
The next day we went to Baltimore. I am amazed at how expensive everything is! Parking for the day: $28, water taxi: $48, smoothie $4... And so on. I think we are used to small town (sorry Doncaster) northern England prices and the rest of the world operates on a different financial paradigm. It didn't stop us from doing anything we had planned however, things cost what they cost and you get on with it!
So, arrival and quick scout around the harbour was followed by lunch overlooking the Constellation and other ships. We then boarded the water taxi and headed off to Fort McHenry. This is famous as the place where, after a battle against the British, xx wrote a little song called the star-spangled banner.
http://www.nps.gov/fomc/index.htm
The boys got to practice musket drill, which ended with an ironic bayonet charge against the British. We returned by water taxi. The easiest way to explain this is to look here:
http://www.baltimorewatertaxi.com/
This was pretty much it apart from taking a look at the various ships in the harbour, including a submarine. It was warm and a lovely day.
Tomorrow Washington DC.
http://www.jerusalemmill.org
It is in the Gunpowder Falls National Park and there are a few walking trails leading of from here. We set off down-river and covered about 4 miles there and back. It was wooded and rocky with places to throw rocks and paddle. It was also very warm.
Carrying a pack with water is vital because even on the hottest days in the uk you need a drink, but here we need gallons.
Anyway, we scrambled about in the country a bit, saw a very cool covered bridge and paddled in the river.
http://alltrails.com/trail/us/maryland/gunpowder-falls-state-park-jerusalem-village-trail-with-jericho
The next day we went to Baltimore. I am amazed at how expensive everything is! Parking for the day: $28, water taxi: $48, smoothie $4... And so on. I think we are used to small town (sorry Doncaster) northern England prices and the rest of the world operates on a different financial paradigm. It didn't stop us from doing anything we had planned however, things cost what they cost and you get on with it!
So, arrival and quick scout around the harbour was followed by lunch overlooking the Constellation and other ships. We then boarded the water taxi and headed off to Fort McHenry. This is famous as the place where, after a battle against the British, xx wrote a little song called the star-spangled banner.
http://www.nps.gov/fomc/index.htm
The boys got to practice musket drill, which ended with an ironic bayonet charge against the British. We returned by water taxi. The easiest way to explain this is to look here:
http://www.baltimorewatertaxi.com/
This was pretty much it apart from taking a look at the various ships in the harbour, including a submarine. It was warm and a lovely day.
Tomorrow Washington DC.
Tuesday, 22 July 2014
Sweet sweet sleep
Today was mostly resting and planning for next week in Florida. It has been great to see how well all of the younger children are getting along and this really does give us parents a rest.
The main activities were a trip to the park and hanging out. I went out with Ian and Carl to Carl's friends in the evening. About 9pm I could feel the tiredness creep back and get me. If you are thinking of flying straight to the states and being active then I'm sure it is possible but a couple of days to get back on your feet and in sync with the time difference has been really useful.
Nicola managed to get a tour of the local elementary school which she found to be just like in the films we see of american schools. This is despite it being a relatively small elementary school. It had a full gym with seating.
It is the little differences that catch you unawares; the grass is different here and the bugs are too. Another early night. Tomorrow I think we will go out visiting and then pester Carl at work....
Monday, 21 July 2014
Safe arrival
After an extremely sleep-deprived 24 hours this will be a very short post.
We slept from 1am till 4.45. This was because of the last minute packing and printing jobs we had overlooked.
The taxi arrived promptly at 5.15 and then we boarded the 5.40 train to Manchester airport. Arrival here at 7.30 then check in at 8.00. 3 hours on the terminal and boarding before we lifted off.
7 hour flight with comfy seats, ample leg room and a good selection of in-flight movies. It went pretty quickly. I think I missed about 30 mins of the second film before I was woken by something.
Arrival was good, but we were pulled over by a sniffer dog who discovered our secret stash of... Two small oranges and a small apple. Cue longer processing time.
Quick transfer (1 hour) to Baltimore and here we are.
As I keep drifting off while typing, in going to bed. Goodnight.
Saturday, 19 July 2014
We have the passports
I think that the heading just about covers it. Four and a half hours of driving to and from Liverpool (which surprised me by being quite an attractive city, I've never been before) and the nice-but-slow people at the passport office handed it over. I had a lovely day out with Andrew as well.
Friday, 18 July 2014
Phew
Visit to Liverpool tomorrow. Passport will be ready to pick up we are assured. Many thanks to the office of Caroline Flint MP for all of their help.
Thursday, 17 July 2014
Passport panic
Now we are a little bit worried that Peter still doesn't have a passport. Calls to the passport people have led to decreasing confidence as they have cited 'emails going to the wrong place' and have said that his passport is in the stage before printing on two occasions.
We will call again tomorrow and a trip to Liverpool looks likely. Caroline Flint (our local MP) is also on the case. Keep everything crossed and if you pray, that would be appreciated.
The RV we booked has also fallen through so we are now looking at camping options up and down the Rockies. It actually frees us up quite a lot as we then don't have to go back too Calgary but can take a higher loop to Jasper and Rimbey. We will travel more quickly as well. Lesson for the day: every cloud has a silver lining if you look carefully enough.
Maybe not the passport one though...
Just found out that our first host Carl is in hospital with a dodgy heart. There are a number of jokes I could roll out here, but the condition is quite serious and it doesn't seem appropriate.
Carl. Get well mate. I've looked forward to this for about 3 years now and it seems like we are coming to see you at exactly the right time to be a support. Besides, you need to show me round your life , not laze around in bed. All our love being transatlantically projected. See you Monday.
Wednesday, 16 July 2014
Hiatus
It seems that blogging about everyday life is less fun than I thought it would be. Hence the lack of activity. However, this Summer is different. We will be away on a fabulous trip to America and Canada and I'm going to write (or have written by children) a summary of the things we do. I'll not commit to every day - but at least every few days should do it.
Watch the blog to see things appearing...
Watch the blog to see things appearing...
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