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John Bickerstaff
John Bickerstaff

John Bickerstaff

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  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Big city culture shock.

    August 29, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    After struggling to locate the baggage reclaim - by the time we'd found it, ours were circling around relatively lonely & unaccompanied. Got the subway to our cunningly hidden hostel - the sign being inside the door on the wall - was getting a little worried. Checked into a rather industrial looking room with distant views of high rise Chicago. Oh boy - this is going to be a world away from Cooke City - we were in a proper city. Unpacked to find for the 2nd time homeland security had been rifling through my bag. The least they could do would be to repack with a bit of care - 2 of my pilfered shower gels had burst. How dare they! Did a bit of reading up on the place & made a plan. Since we were a bit later than anticipated this afternoon was just a get acquainted exercise, oh and get some Chicago deep dish pizza down us - no lunch after all. Gino's was the option to go for by all accounts & pretty filling they are supposed to be. Got in without a queue & were told the wait was about 45 mins - freshly baked ... and you buy starters because of that. Got some beers & handily the starter we would've ordered came with them - happy hour. The pizza eventually rolled up & to be fair it looked a bit puny. Anything but - 1 slice was fine the 2nd was a battle. I was done. Losing it. Needed a substantial walk. Went along the river past Orange Don's OTT ego massaging tower. The Wrigley building though far smaller was far more ornate and striking. Understated yet beautiful. Carried on down to the lakeside via toilets. Ahhh. Midges aside, a very nice walk.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    SLC ish

    August 29, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Not much other than the usual bizarre setups at the petrol station - pay before you buy - I don't know how much... And returning the car - a substantial one way fee which both clerk & rental agent assured me was just a hold on my card - don't know what you are talking about. Dropped off bags to find that our seats were allocated at the gate. A nervous flyer got a little more jittery, more so when we saw the size of the plane. Strangely the gang plank means of boarding wasn't a problem. Holed out at the boarding desk until the clerk could assure me of seats together. That was a relief. Then to throw salt in the wound there were mechanical issues - 30 min delay & worries. It will be fine.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Should've flown.

    August 28, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Finished off all manner of bits & pieces including the butter, which had been with us since day 1 at Tillamook. It was emotional. We were heading for a drive that Ranger Jeff had recommended as good for wildlife. The initial impressions were not good - busy road, fenced off farmland & ski resort - none of which screamed classic wildlife viewing. Things became a little quieter & more promising once in the park. Wildlife was likely, seeing it was another thing. Gravel track came & went, a couple of stops but nothing other than a couple of squirrels. Decided to try the other option but via the visitor station - cereal & 1 litre of orange juice = waz-athon / regular toilet stops. Suitably relieved we pushed on to a riverside location good for moose. 5 screaming kids chucking rocks into said river put paid to that one. Quick stop at the toilet & back to Jackson via the visitor centre. Going over the bridge & a number of people were brandishing cameras. Quickly pulled over to see moose & moosette crossing the river to an island for a peaceful bite to eat. At least we'd seen something. Onwards & upwards, literally - the aerial tram upto Rendezvous Peak. A quick walk up there & lunch. That would have to do us for the Tetons. The top of the world hike did feel like that. Still some snow up here and plenty of paragliders - looked so peaceful & graceful - something to think about. Had our packed lunch with a spectacular view of the Snake River which has been a constant companion from Oregon to the end.
    The cable car ride down was 12 mins - pretty long & gave some great views of deer and the maintenance engineer we stopped to pick up - they rode on the roof down. Not one for someone with vertigo. Then the small matter of getting to Salt Lake City. 5 hours in a car didn't really appeal. Much less when it dawned that the vast majority was endless farmland. Still once at the motorway it would be plain sailing. Err except when we got there the sliproad was closed. OK follow on to the next junction & it was open or so it seemed. Entered the motorway to find we were on a rough lane with gravel & the rest of the traffic was on the other carriageway. Concerning. Would the rozzers collar me again. Eventually the roadworks finished & whether we'd done something wrong or not we merged & went on our way. Aside from lunatic drivers in & around SLC - the speed limit being seen as the bare minimum & lane markings as a vague guide. We made it to the hotel in one piece. No more peace & quiet - Chicago's going to be busy & noisy!    Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Lazy Day.

    August 27, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    A combination of fatigue, irritation with roadworks & a headache prompted a rather more laid back day. Oh and that made it substantially easier to follow the Mighty Reds trounce the Arse. That improved the mood. Had a wander into town to try to find somewhere open that sold painkillers that didn't necessitate a drive. Ended up at the National Elk Refuge information centre - turns out August is completely the wrong time to visit. From the empty plains outside our hotel - I think we'd figured that one. Sat outside to regroup & were cornered by on old guy just itching for a conversation - picked that we were English - accents or he was a closet football fan. Anyway he proceded to ramble on about Geordie slang, where he'd been in the UK, global warming, forest fires... Nice guy but we were baking & needed shade. Headed back and chilled on the balcony & read. After Liz had a doze we took a drive out to the Mormon Row - a series of buildings built by the early settlers to Jackson Hole. They have been preserved and / or are still in use and are often used as photogenic foreground for the Tetons. Who am I to argue. Made a pleasant little walk. Continued onwards to Jenny Lake where the dramatic nature of the Tetons became more apparent. Most mountain ranges have foothills but not here - they rise up startlingly from the plains. Annoyingly we got there and discovered a beach - no swimmies. Still a nice walk and back to pack - lots to do tomorrow and a long drive into the bargain. God knows what time we'll hit SLC.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Thank God for self-catering.

    August 26, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Once the roadworks were in the rear view mirrors the mountains of the Grand Teton National Park became an unavoidable spectacle. It seemed every 5 minutes there was a lookout to admire a slightly different view - with Jackson Lake in the foreground, with flood terracing, with Mormon barns ...
    Admittedly whichever you chose the picture would be amazing. Unfortunately the one chosen had no facilities at all - need the toilet. The visitor centre was the obvious next choice & it didn't let us down. In to the bargain there was a presentation of what the Tetons had to offer. The friendly rangers provided ample maps, advice on walks, parking issues... Checked in at our accommodation - very nice & self catering. Chilled & then faced the prospect of shopping. When put in the context of saving a dollop of cash it became more appealing. The sour faced cashier, having dealt with a weird yank, suddenly cheered up when seeing my Hadjuk Split top - he was from Serbia. There's no love lost between the 2 countries but clearly he was itching to talk football in this country of heathens. Then he drops the bombshell - when finding out we were from Liverpool he added, that his team was Manchester - could be bad, could be shameful - United. Oh dear. He appologised - I jokingly said he should be - I wasn't joking. Nice to talk to someone who appreciates the good things in life - even if they've made some bad life choices. Anyway, breakfast & tea were sorted for the next 2 days. Result. Little look around town - arches of antlers & the National Elk Reserve - curious. Jackson seems a very typical ski resort town. Nice enough though.    Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Leaving is so hard to do.

    August 26, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After the geo-thermal theme yesterday, it was hoped that today would be focussed on wildlife. Spend a bit of time watching & admiring and then the joys of the trek to Jackson. All the best laid plans and all that. While we had plenty of Bison fun - they owned that road! Couple of them ambled past & you could fully appreciate their size. Unfortunately we struggled to find a suitable spec to settle down in & when we did there was nothing to see. Another couple were in for the duration - chairs, food & drinks. Decided to push onto Hayden Valley - the other supposed hotspot for wildlife. Unfortunately it is far closer to the park resorts & West Yellowstone. It was rammed. Lots of Bison & lots of tourists. Off to the lake & find a nice spot for lunch. First try was blighted by a monstrous hotel taking over the entire lake front. Took a lakeside drive to no avail. Ended up at West Thumb Geyser Basin, which was on the lake. Only catch was, that you couldn't take food down to the lake shore - eh! My downbeat mood took a turn for the worse as we headed out of Yellowstone. We were stopped by a worker under the pretext of roadworks. Proceeded to sit there for 20 mins until we were given an escort to the next queue. No sign of roadworks. Another 15 mins & another escort through non-existent roadworks - just a final mile of resurfacing. Not happy. Hopefully Grand Teton National Park would cheer me up.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    A mega volcano beneath our feet.

    August 25, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Dare we brave the tourist trap that is 'Old Faithful' - there would be toilets but would there be parking? The alternative we had was to park up-stream from old faithful & walk down to our planned geyser - riverside. As we drove down it became clear that the alternative route had no facilities to speak of, so into the hands of the tourist trap. We reasoned that with a hotel & visitor centre parking would be more like Mammoth than Prismatic Spring. And so it proved - dual carriageway in & vast swaths of parking. The issue would be remembering where the car was. Once toileted we headed to the visitor centre to get an update on predicted eruptions. It looked like Old Faithful was going to blow within 40 mins & would leave us 30 mins to get to Riverside, assuming everything went to plan. All timings had degrees of error so probably not then. Anyway settled down on one of the many benches surrounding Old Faithful along with the masses and had lunch & were entertained by Ranger Jeff, his stories and explanations of geysers & their inner workings. Passed the time until she blew & impressive it was too. In Iceland the geyser we saw lasted a matter of seconds. Here it was minutes & many of them at that. This is the most volcanic area in the world after all. Apparently 500 of the 900 geysers that exist in the world are in Yellowstone. Hot footed it down the river to Riverside Geyser & got a far more natural version - 100 as opposed to 1000 watching & a river and forest for background. You could hear the rumbling as it erupted this time. Took the scenic route back via all manner of weirdly named hot springs & geysers. Handily we got back just as you know who was erupting again. Took our time heading off as everyone else seemed to be making a beeline for their cars - not many walkers then. Once escape was made, we made our way back to base via the artists paint pots, a geyser basin so named because of the range of colours. It also had some bubbling mud areas. Took a bit of finding & ignored the oncoming thunderstorm but bubbling mud was located along with warnings of flying mud. Guess who got splatted?Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Yet another wow.

    August 25, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Early start in order to try & avoid a major worry - with heading towards Yellowstone's major draws, how do we avoid the consequent major traffic chaos that we witnessed on Wednesday? The added bonus was the increased likelihood of seeing wildlife. Not long in to the park & we were rewarded with a traffic jam. People were just stopping & blocking the road. This suggested more than just a nice view. In fact we were treated to wolfie wolfing down his brekkie. How anyone spotted him is anyone's guess - superbly camouflaged. Pushed on & was a little more jumpy about the traffic - the roads were getting busier & we'd been delayed by wolfie. Our projected arrival time had slipped to around 10:45 - not good. As we approached numerous plumes of steam could be seen in the distance & the delightful smell of sulphur became far more common. As it turned out there was barely a queue for the lower basin and spaces still available for the hike to view the Grand Prismatic Spring from above. I was happy. The walk was pretty easy - past smaller hot springs and through meadows. A short climb and then the spring in all its glory. A sight that the boardwalk could never really provide. Stunning, as so many things have been over the last 4 weeks. The ladies from yesterday recommended continuing to the falls and the subsequent geyser but excess fluid consumption at breakfast dictated otherwise... The toilet was calling.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Out of this world.

    August 24, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    One of the recommendations was Mammoth Springs - in fairness we were planning on going anyway but they were adamant it was well worth it. So as the rain drops started to fall we headed off. As the mountainous formations came in to sight, so did the sun. Timed that one well. Amazingly, though it was clearly busy, we found some parking. Was this going to be a chunner free day? Stopped off at the visitor centre - a few interesting bits & pieces. Bought a card for Aidan & Alice - only $2.99 (it was a jigsaw) had my change ready except that didn't include tax. You have no idea how much things are. Ludicrous. It's not even consistent - Walmart & petrol stations price with tax. Anyway chunnered to her & then Liz - neither having any power to do anything & then when buying postcards 3 for $1 - no $1.06 ... Liz has the patience of a saint or selective hearing. Began the walk up the calcite formations created by the Mammoth Springs only to be stopped by a crowd - watching something - apparently a snake - a big snake. Some guy said it was harmless but eats rattlesnakes - not sure how that stacks up. Steps led us upwards to a range of steadily more intricate plateaus created by the hot spring deposits. Each and every time it seemed you were in a steadily more weird & other worldly place. The heat was quite oppressive combined with the sun & shelter from the wind. The further along, the fewer coach parties there were which suited us nicely. The finale was like some alien cross of an epically iced cake and a snowy neon mountain. Downhill all the way for a cold drink. Called it a day & started the 90 min drive back. Bad driving aside (which is becoming the normal expectation) we got back to the hotel just as the heavens opened. Quick dash across the road for take away pizza.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Bison blockage

    August 24, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    In order to avoid the mammoth queues of yesterday the bullet was bitten & an early start was the order of the day. Bakery breakfast and lunch bags bought. We were all set. Plan was to head out to the Lamar Valley - good for wildlife spotting particularly in the morning. See what was occurring & then try a walk in that area. Once in the park, what was occuring was a slow moving bison in the middle of the road. And nothing was for moving it. Waited patiently - couldn't see what was coming the other way & when stuff did it got pretty jumpy. Eventually it did move to the side so we could squeeze past. Further down the valley there were significant amounts of people all looking at something - rude not to investigate. Turns out to be some wolves (black not Warrington ones) on the prowl. Eventually picked one out. Bit noisy so we pushed on to Slough Creek trailhead. On the way more bison & what looked like a hunt but was in fact some calves messing around. The supposedly flat walk turned out to have a substantial climb at the start - still the breaks gave us chance to admire the views & wildlife - marmots, deer, pronghorns & woodpecker. Nice & peaceful - a good walk away from it all - this was more like it. A sociable group of ladies agreed & passed on some tips. A few bison were off in the distance but nothing closer & certainly nothing of the dangerous category - bears & wolves. Returned avoiding being run over by the excursion carts and made it back for lunch just as the thunder began.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Boiling point...

    August 23, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    While I had a pool and while my leg was still uncomfortable to run on, it would have been rude not to have a morning swim despite the unforeseen issue of it being cloudy. The forecast talked of stray showers & storms. Where have they strayed from - Manchester. Can't blame them really. The small matter of 200 more miles, around half of which were in Yellowstone. Double edged sword - yes far more scenic & interesting but slow speed limits & the possibility of traffic jams (car park queues & wildlife issues) Aside from lunatic juggernaut drivers the drive to the park passed easily enough - the queues to get into the park didn't bode well though. Pulled in at the first information place - didn't have a lot of info though - weather & geyser eruption forecasts. Decided, while it was sunny to head to the Grand Prismatic Spring, which looked pretty cool. That was until we were half a mile away from the car park & the queue to park started. Busy doesn't come close. The main issue though was when people were getting to the car park they just stopped & waited for a spot. We got lucky after what seemed like ages. We followed the hoardes - the springs were very bright & colourful and the heat kicked out was quite striking. The wind had got up & clouds of steam were obscuring the view & annoyingly I couldn't see how you could get up to the hill for an overview. Decided with the way the traffic was to call it a day & head for the lodge. Except the wildlife wasn't co-operating. A glut of cars signalled a sighting - a coyote skulking in the distance. A little further on we saw elk & deer - one just casually crossing the road. And after a rain filled ascent of Dunravin Pass we descended to the Lamar Valley to be greeted by herds of Bison roaming on the road & causing traffic chaos. This type we didn't mind. Eventually rolled into Cooke City (it's not) at around 5.30 and our host did a superb job of making us welcome - detailed recommendations and stories - could barely get a word in edgeways. The Bear Tooth Cafe got the nod Liz loving her teriyaki chicken almost as much as her huckleberry cream soda. I had Chilli.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Another set of falls.

    August 22, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌫 30 °C

    We rolled up at our motel to find things we'd begun to take for granted weren't necessarily so. No microwave & fridge. No free wifi. But there was a pool - that pacified me but Liz was hungry. Bit the bullet & had a burger at McDonalds - no chips - almost 4 weeks in the states & still no chips. Walked to the museum past the town's namesake falls - not quite as impressive as yesterdays. The town however was more pleasant. Headed to the museum which had an exhibition on space to tie in with the eclipse - for Idaho Falls was in the path of totality. Some interesting stuff - a camera that went to the moon, a number of samples of moon rock & some fun interactive stuff. Some info on the new innovative Orion capsule NASA are developing that looks uncannily like a Saturn V Apollo. Cutting-edge. Some local history which was curious. Came back via the Japanese garden on an island in the middle of the Snake River. Peaceful considering it was by a main road. Impressively it was all created by volunteers.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Hot stuff.

    August 22, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌫 28 °C

    200 miles or so of driving. A supposedly closed stretch of motorway pushed us towards an alternative route which went via the Craters of the Moon National Park. Sounded a suitable stop off - some walks & a markedly different landscape to anything we'd encountered before - volcanic outcrops, craters and lava flows. The initial drive was more interesting than a motorway but in no time at all we were back to long endless plains - as per normal. Approaching the national park we passed through lava fields which uncannily looked like endless piles of black rubble. Hopefully the park would be a little more distinctive than that. Judging by the visitor centre and how busy it was a lot people were expecting the same. The queue to pay was the biggest we've seen so far. Didn't bode well. The first walk - no space at the car park. The second & we were fortunate - the devil's orchard was a series of weird shaped lava outcrops and numerous negative placards about pollution. Might consider getting people out of the cars & instigating a shuttle bus system like every other national park we've been to. Next two car parks were full so no climbs up the cinder cones & the one way system meant a 5 mile round trip to have another go. Certainly was distinctive & striking scenery but the sheer weight of traffic spoiled it somewhat. Still we didn't pay so can't complain too much. Headed off to Idaha Falls & as Liz was heading towards a satisfying doze I was intrigued by a Historic Monument sign - EBR1 - curious - had to investigate which unfortunately meant a u-turn. She awoke to find us heading towards some form of nuclear museum. She wasn't impressed. Even less so when we were stopped by a soldier. Fortunately I wasn't in any more trouble - he was just helping out - they were rammed with all the post eclipse traffic. Anyway we parked up and she tolerated a self guided tour of the first generating nuclear power plant in the world. Hopefully we wouldn't leave glowing...Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Good recomendations.

    August 21, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌫 29 °C

    What could follow that? Well some hefty traffic jams - or so we were told & as we were packing up so the flow of the traffic on the motorway suggested. While it was slow it moved all the way to Boise - the state capital & from then onwards all was clear. So in answer to what follows - a lot of driving through yet more plains. Our friendly Texan from yesterday suggested there was plenty at Twin Falls but the drive there suggested nothing of any drama. Never judge a book by err... it's surroundings. The bridge over the Snake River Canyon was a suitably impressive intro. The canyon, partly made famous by Evel Knevel's ill-fated rocket jump across it was equally dramatic. We stopped at the visitor centre & wandered over to take a look. A guy was walking over the bridge & a few people seemed to suggest he was going to base jump off it. Surely not. But indeed he did. Wandered under the bridge and a few others had a go. Awesome dude - as a rather wasted base jumper who was milling around would say. Liked the fact we'd seen the total eclipse but had to outdo us - 13 jumped off at the same time during the eclipse. Headed back to check-in & chill. Watched some news & as a few people alluded to, pictures don't really do it justice - certainly mine don't. Decided to do the final recommend - Shoshone Falls. Referred to as the Niagara of the west. Impressive but apparently at this time of the year a hefty percent of the Snake River is diverted for irrigation. Unfortunately the walk to Evel's take off spot was substantially uphill & things were rather warm so that was a non-starter.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff
    1

    Wow!

    August 21, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    The big day - weather reports looked very kind. The plan was to base ourselves just outside the hotel as it seems most of the local astronomy buffs were doing. A good sign. A quick swim before checking out & finding a spec. Initial plans of the patches of grass outside were dashed by some selfish dog owners. We perched ourselves on the kerb and awaited first contact - 45 minutes away. Things were pretty warm - tried out the glasses & even that was wild - being able to look at the sun directly. The excitement mounted when the moon took a first little bite out of the sun. The first of many whoops - we're in the states so what can you expect. Only 75 minutes to wait. That said it never got boring watching the eclipse progessing. With 20 mins to go you could sense that the light was beginning to change & things were cooler - we no longer felt like we were burning. The sunbeams in the tree shadows were casting crescent shadows. 10 mins and the thin remnants of the sun were minimal. With a few minutes to go we were anticipating the things we would see but nothing could prepare for the enormity and majesty of what would transpire. The darkness suddenly came upon us and the sun was gone - just the corona spewing out from behind the moon. It was like there was a hole in the sky from where the sun should have been. You could see stars, the street lights came on and there was a whoop frenzy. It was the most amazing thing & I can completely understand how ancient peoples thought it was the end of the world. Then there was the diamond ring and totality was over. Most started to pack up but we were getting our moneys worth. We were seeing it through to the final contact. It was amazing how the light and heat came back so quickly. We weren't for moving though. Cadged wifi from the hotel to see when the next eclipse was 2026 & 27 in Spain. Bring it on.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Caught by the fuzz.

    August 20, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Interesting morning run. All was quiet on the streets of La Grande. Opted to play it simple - up & down Main St - there was nothing on the roads so the traffic lights wouldn't be a problem. All was going smoothly till a stationary car obscured my vision - only at the last minute did I see a car coming & stopped. Phew. Once gone proceeded on my way. Except I didn't - a grey car pulled up - the one that had almost run me down. A fart like siren. Oh dear. "Hey buddy" (I'm not & it's even less likely after this conversation. 'Officer Buddy' proceeded to lecture me on how I was almost run over (by him) and ran (irony) a red light. I could get a citation (whatever that is) Obviously I apologised & he let me off with a warning - he was just pissed off that he almost ran someone over & couldn't face having a sweaty runner in his nice new mustang - which incidentally was unmarked - entrapment. How do I know he was a narky individual - the next set of lights he waited at a green light & made sure I waited at the lights & went round the block & watched me at the next set. Came back along the back roads. Maintain that having to stop 'Officer Buddy' caused my calf to tighten up. Minimal brekkie - cheap motel. Now to see the traffic chaos that the eclipse was causing - early start should help. Aside from roadworks there was little of consequence to dusturb the journey - not even the surroundings were particularly inspiring - plains & rolling hills. Passed into the Mountain Time Zone which added an hour but that wasn't enough - way too early for check-in. All that didn't matter because we missed the turn. Pulled off at the services to regroup and were given plenty of options for the onward journey into Idaho. Decided to head off to the Owyhee Valley & Lake. An interesting drive - narrow roads & yet RV's and trucks with trailers all seemed to be heading in the opposite ditection. None would move over it seemed. Eventually made it to the State park area & a little oasis within the arid gorge and the lake created by the dam. A nice picnic lunch. A little walk & back to aircon. A little side trip to Snively Hot Springs. Easily found but disappointingly cold until I was pointed in the right direction. Scorchio. That's it. Nice dip & swim. Back to the hotel for Liz to tend her wounds - a couple of bites when hiking through to the springs. Pondered where to go for the eclipse over tea at an Irish Bar. The excitement...Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Cruise not snooze.

    August 19, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Managed to find a suitable route for a run - down to the beach & at that time a sunrise into the bargain. Preparations were underway for a stand-up surf competition but there's an eclipse to get to so no time for waiting around, particularly with all the scare stories floating around all the news shows. Plodded back and got a bonus swim in the pool. Logged onto the LFC site to listen to the match. 0-0 at half time so called time & went to brekkie. Packed & loaded - no free cookies this morning. A quick stop before hitting the road - Rowena Crest viewpoint. One final view over the Columbia - loads of cyclists on the way up - some great hairpins for them to enjoy. Time to hit the road. As we drove along the gorge the climate clearly got drier & more arid & at the same time the gorge became shallower. Eventually we said goodbye to the river and ended up on vast plains. Tedious. A couple of viewpoints broke up the monotony. One of the plains just outside Pendleton. Another at Emigrant Springs State Park where we learned about the Oregon Trail. The final stop just outside La Grande was a historic arch bridge built initially for the timber industry but which ended up being a tourist attraction. Has to be said that probably was the highlight of La Grande - there wasn't much above the high street & most of the stores seemed to be closed - eclipse hours apparently. Limited food options so back to Safeway for some microwave food - nice and cheap.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Fall frenzy.

    August 18, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Filled up on all the remaining food. Tidied and dumped the keys in the lock-box. Off to the airport for the final time to pick up our final car. That is if we could negotiate yet another rental procedure. That said the queue looked like being the major obstacle - that and a Hungarian couple insistent on being as long winded as possible. Eventually made it to the front just as a second server came along. Paperwork done & eclipse warnings given - apparently half the world's population were going to be in Oregon - bollocks - something around 2 billion then. We then had to get the car except we had to get a bus there. Our friendly driver Lawerence had a patter which we didn't fit into - first time in Portland, good flight? Etc. On arrival it looked like another queue but thankfully we were shepherded elsewhere. Picked a silver Dodge with cruise control - useful for the long drives. It was only when we got in that it dawned that there was no USB to charge stuff. Oh well - off to the Columbia gorge. First stop Vista House - named because unsurprisingly it had a good view, well to be fair a great view. Onwards & in to the waterfall belt - apparently the highest concentration of waterfalls in North America. First stop was Bridal Falls - nice walk but concerningly busy for an offbeat location. Next stop was Multnomah Falls - normally very busy & if our previous location was to go by it was going to be bad. Little did we know... The approaching road was solid for quarter of a mile (maybe the eclipse gridlock had already started.) Parking was a no go. Pushed on to the next car park, found a space & opted to take a walk - a couple of guys confirmed it to be possible. Turned out to be 2 miles of up & down - hard work. Got there and to be fair the falls were very striking. The crowds of fatties less so. And as for the fudge salesperson... In a country where the customer is king offering a plastic knife when being asked to chop up the fudge doesn't cut it. Back to the car and off to the Bridge of Gods - somewhat oversold & a toll bridge. Not going over the border then. Checked in, washed sandals and then headed out for a Hawaiian BBQ. Nice.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Hippo-bottom-mus

    August 17, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Despite a rather lengthy alternative route we made it to the Japanese Gardens. One slight problem - $15 to visit seemed a little steep especially since the Rose Gardens were free. No great choice. The fragrance of the roses was quite striking though each one I smelled seemed to be a dud. It was all very pretty but really was basically a lot of flowers. Got a good view of Mt Hood from here. Pushed on for the zoo & if there was time afterwards we'd look into other stuff. Found the shuttle bus & when it appeared those in front of us were poncing around - couldn't decide. We jumped in front - they were German - they'd have done the same to us. In what was probably my highlight of the day (ish) I noticed a sign saying there was a discount for those travelling on the metro. Result. Spent a fun couple of hours at the zoo watching the elephants trying to barge each other out of the shade. The hippos weren't arsed - just laying there, one facing us & one just showing us it's bum - nice. The giraffes entertained with their mad tongues. The metro from the zoo went straight through to our stop. Opted to get a pizza for tea. Only catch was that when we got in the oven wouldn't work so I was left dividing my time between texting the owner and formulating an explanation for how the first hire car ended up with a damaged wind screen. Not a happy bunny.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Have a little patience... Liz.

    August 17, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Needed some quiet time so after stocking up, it was off to Pittock Mansion & Washington Park - both offered potentially quiet hiking and nice views of the city. Definitely what was needed after yesterday's noisiness. Getting there, however was likely to be something of a challenge. First the metro to town, short walk to the No 20 bus stop. Then make sure we got off at the bottom of the road up the hill to the mansion. There then should be a shuttle bus waiting to take us up. Simples. Except the first 20 bus didn't go the route we wanted. Had to wait. Eventually the requisite bus arrived but the driver wasn't having us get on till some old codger moved his zimmer frame. The driver gave up. Google maps got us to the correct stop & the driver confirmed the existance of a shuttle - it just wasn't there. The simple fact was that the mansion was just half a mile up hill. Couldn't take too long by foot. Gave it 5 mins & on the 5th up it rolled. The driver gave us all the speil about the house - ultra modern for it's day - central heating and vacuum. At the end she offered the opportunity for questions - what is central vacuum - errr. Never mind - off to enjoy the view. Thankfully the skies had cleared somewhat. Mr Pittock had chosen a good spec. Weren't too interested in the building itself. Decided to walk down rather than get the shuttle - very nice & at the bottom rather than relying on the bus into town we decided to hike the wild wood trail to our first stop the Japanese Garden. Didn't look too far. In the end it was because there was something of a detour to the arboretum visitor centre. Some very big trees and peaceful surroundings. Had a little walk up to a viewing point and then continued our way to the Japanese Garden.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Poet's Beach

    August 16, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Took the light railway out towards the south river bank where the aerial tram went from. It was primarily built for health workers to commute to the hospital built on top of a hill without adequate parking space. In to the bargain it offered superb views of the city and surrounding countryside. Once at the top both Mount Hood and Mount St Helens could be seen clearly. Surprisingly no food like facilities could be found - the substantial breakfast would seem to not be substantial enough. On descending the food cart options were either too big or too weird - waffle sandwiches!! Decided to head along the river and see what we could find & ended up at Starbucks - cake & smoothie sufficed. Continuing on eagle eyes lizzy spotted a sign to Poet's Beach - surely some mistake but no - an urban beach had been set up on the river for the first time this year. Oh go on then - if I must have a swim. Not sure Liz was impressed with the ranger talking about a guy swimming across the river - now there's an idea. Bizarre setting just under a spaghetti like junction. In fact we would've driven over the beach yesterday. Who'd have thought. Ambled back along the river taking in an ice cream stop - well we were at the beach. Then the decision - which way to get to the metro - back into town or across the river towards the apartment. Seemed obvious but we ended up hiking through industrial estates and being deafened by freight trains. Liz wasn't impressed. Eventually made it back - plans for eating out were abandoned.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Ecelctic Portland.

    August 16, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    No morning run - all the junctions & road crossings would've proved too much for my patience, much as I liked the idea of running along the river. Anyway, probably going to be doing a fair bit of walking. A leisurely breakfast & hopefully substantial enough to see us through the day. Today was all about seeing the weird and wonderful side of Portland - it portrays itself as somewhat leftfield - as the day progressed we'd see with due cause. Unfortunately what couldn't be missed also was the number of homeless - in the world's richest economy to have homeless people is inexcusable but then 50% have just voted to abolish universal healthcare. Walked into town and pretty much headed for 'Lizvana' - the world's biggest bookstore. Could she be any more excited. On the way we took in Voodoo Donuts - voodoo shaped donuts with jam blood oozing out. Near there was the famous 'Keep Portland Weird' sign. Don't think there's much to worry about on the donut front. As it happens the book thing was a little disappointing - it proclaims second hand bargains. Unfortunately books it seems are expensive over here so even the used books were pricey - back to the Kobo. On the way to the city square we passed a cannabis shop (not the first) - definitely not your normal US city this. Had the same symbol outside as a chemist in the UK - if you weren't paying attention things could get very confusing.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Back to the noisy city.

    August 15, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Pretty well packed up last night so just a little checking, cleaning & sorting. Making sure no left passports. Breakfast & one last walk along the beach. Hard to leave - very nice cottage, with a very nice view of a very nice beach in a very nice village. I liked it. Time to go. Left at 10am giving us 3 hours to get the car back without incurring the charges that our friendly assistant tried to land us with. Should be plenty even allowing for the traffic chaos that is Portland - or at least how it seemed on our way through a week ago. The drive passed innocuously - the main sources of concern were the phone being annoyingly silent - it was clearly offended when being muted & is on a silent protest, oh and my wandering while trying to sort the silent phone. Unfortunately such mundane worries couldn't last. We hit the Portland motorway network & bizarrely the airport wasn't signposted or at least not until we knew where we were. The choice was I84 north or south. We'd been following the south signs so opted with that - it was north. Some hairy u-turn action (not on the motorway) Now the airport signs appear. Now the fun of finding petrol. The first one at the airport hadn't started in business, the next one Google took us to didn't exist - well played. Finally found one and it was considerably less than the area average of $3 Hertz claimed. Drop off was much smoother - verified that we'd avoided the surcharge & off to lugging baggage onto the metro. All very easy but noisy. Anywhere probably is noisy compared to Oceanside. Struggled a little bit finding the apartment & then heaved a sigh of relief. No crashed car & a bed for the night. Once settled, out for some lunch - a ludicrously expensive sarnie. Found a Safeway & helped the cashier with his crossword - what someone from Liverpool is called? In return he enlightened us to the joys of a Safeway card - saved $7 on this shop alone. Why no-one had offered us one before is beyond me - annoying. Liz had a relax while I scooted off for a short walk down to the river. Got to the Steel bridge & couldn't resist going across to the riverside walk. Just down to the next bridge, except you couldn't cross that on foot. Took 2 more to get back. 30 mins turned into close to 2 hours. Liz was writing happily when I got back.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Last minute sorting

    August 14, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Rather than go off trying to cram as much into the last day it was more a case off sorting out for the next leg. Early morning run as per normal. Back in time for the bike guy to pick up the bike. Chunnered a bit about drivers inconsiderate nature towards cyclists. Seemed sympathetic but who knows. By this time the epic wash / dry sequence had begun. In a bored moment checked on whether there was anything we'd missed in Oceanside. Sure enough at the North end of the beach was a tunnel through to the variously named - Tunnel, Agate or Lost Boy Cove. I prefer the latter. Rather than disturb Liz and ostensibly to see what lunch options were available I wandered off. Checked up on the two cafes & inevitably investigated the tunnel. Knowing that it existed, it was quite obvious where it was. Was a bit dark & damp but it led, as claimed, to a series of beaches with a few people scouring the coast for agate stones. I was just enjoying the walk. At the other end of the beach a couple of people were tending to a bird - looked like a chick & was clearly a bit stunned. They weren't sure what had happened to it but were building some form of sea break to shelter it a bit. Not sure it would help but at least they were trying. Headed back & the 2 cafes were rejected - too expensive. The local shop was rejected for lack of options so off to Tillamook. Could get some brekkie things as well. After lunch Liz ventured into the tunnel with me. Things were a bit more blustery & the sea was a little higher. Looked for seals but only got birds. Back to the main beach & looked on as a couple of kite surfers did their thing. Very impressive. Back to pack. Not h.p. don't want to go.Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Driver & navigator's prerogative

    August 13, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    The great thing about being driver & navigator is that you can set the agenda for the day. Not that I don't do that anyway. But things that are rejected can just happen to be on the route home. How handy - well since we are in the area it would be rude not to. The Tillamook Air Museum was just such a case. Liz wasn't remotely interested but it happened to be on our way home IF we visited Munson Creek Falls, which by all account were quite impressive. After the muddy events earlier questions were asked about the wisdom of visiting a waterfall. All I'd read indicated an American style walk - drive virtually all the way and then a tiny walk to the view, return to car and drive off. To be fair it was a quarter of a mile which for some yanks is practically a marathon. Anyway we got to the end of the trail or at least the sign saying the end of the trail. The trail carried on... Always likely to carry on but when the couple in front declared 'can't see any sign here' & carried on. Neither could I.
    To be fair the view wasn't any better. Onwards to the air museum - didn't have long - only open till 5. Liz was adamant that she was uninterested, so it was a quick look while she waited. Primarily I wanted to see the hangar - a blimp hangar from the war. It could hold 8 at one time and is the biggest wooden structure in N. America. It was indeed impressive and the planes located within were interesting enough. Primarily they gave scale though. Back to the cottage, noting along the way a grocery shop that did sharp line in guns - for that moment when you go to the shops for milk and realise you are in need of a gun - unbelievable. One last cycle - back upto Cape Meares - see it in sunshine. A fiendishly hot Kung Po chicken and a first and probably last sunset on the Oregon coast.    Read more

  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    What on earth are Jo Jos?

    August 13, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    At the first opportunity a beach was located. Time to clean. Feet & shoes were dunked in the icy cold & yes that meant the sandals were soaked but it was better than the muddiness that preceded it. And yes, on the way back to the car feet are going to get sandy but it will brush off. Anyway onwards to Pacific City - sounds a big place but anything is a city in the US so we weren't going in with huge expectations of facilities. As it happened, where the facilities were proved to be a curse as well as a blessing. Stopped at the first sign of food - we were hungry. And there was easy access to the beach, parking however looked a problem. No matter get food sorted & worry about that afterwards. Went in to find a sarnie counter as well as a fudge counter. Had to be done. He looked utterly confused though when asked to cut it up. Do people just bite from a bar of fudge - how uncivilised. The sandwiches were equally confusing for us - what's a hogie? We had to circle all the options we wanted on the sandwich & it automatically came with chips. I've managed to go this far without chips - I'm not blowing it when buying a sarnie. There was an alternative - Jo Jos - eh? They were explained to be potato wedges. Then why not call them what they are and then people will understand! Chips avoided bags of food in hand off to find the beach. The car park was full, as it seemed this stretch of beach was. Turned round to escape & got stuck behind the slowest pick-up ever. Turned off eventually & we headed towards a coastal state park. No facilities other than toilet, bin & car park. It was deserted. Nice. Sat up in the dunes in the sun & scoffed. Walked along the beach & thankfully it wasn't hot enough for me to agonise about whether I should be going in for a swim. By now the sandals were pretty much dry - ended up using mine to guide a washed up jelly fish back seawards - not sure relief or gratitude exist for them.Read more

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