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USA eclipse 2017
  • John Bickerstaff

USA eclipse 2017

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  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Yet another wow.

    25 августа 2017 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 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.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    A mega volcano beneath our feet.

    25 августа 2017 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 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?Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Leaving is so hard to do.

    26 августа 2017 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 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.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Thank God for self-catering.

    26 августа 2017 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 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.    Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Lazy Day.

    27 августа 2017 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 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.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Should've flown.

    28 августа 2017 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 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!    Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    SLC ish

    29 августа 2017 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☀️ 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.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Big city culture shock.

    29 августа 2017 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ☁️ 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.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Up in the clouds.

    30 августа 2017 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    What with a good forecast today and a more dubious one tomorrow it seemed prudent to try and do the stuff that benefits from clear skies. That meant a trip up the Sears Tower - formerly the tallest building in the world. Warnings of 30 min queues were unfounded though I think I'd preferred that to being stuck in a lift with a pair of toffs - so wanted to punch them. The views as expected were great - apparently 4 states can be seen on a clear day & when you know where to look. The sky ledge was fun - a glass ledge suspending you 103 floors above Chicago. Some of the stunts people were pulling - handstands & all I could muster - sitting down. As you made your way down you passed through 3 different tat shops - it wasn't as if they'd got enough out of you already.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Finally got her on a bike.

    30 августа 2017 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    After a massive sarnie in the park we headed to the nearby bike hire centre. Liz had been convinced / badgered into taking a cycle along the lakeside trail. No cars and allegedly beaches & swimming along the way, not that the swimming was persuasive. Once the bikes were sorted we made our way down to the lake. At the first opportunity I was on the bike - Liz was less sure - cycling wasn't allowed in the Millenium Park & while we weren't actually in the park she maintained it was dodgy. Pah! She got talking to a local as I sped off & he confirmed cycling on the pavement was something you could get a ticket for. Anyway the law didn't get me and we made our way along the lake. Past beaches and swimming areas. Obviously it had to be done & while it felt & looked like a sea there wasn't the salty taste. Very refreshing. Carried on towards Montrose Beach & point - supposedly good views of the city. Once out there it was hard to imagine it was part of the city & that it was on a lake not the seaside. Headed back in a laid back pace but eventually it dawned that the bike rental place would close at some point so ended up having to get a wriggle on. Cycled on the pavement, much to Liz's concern. Got back and they were starting to pack up. Phew. Opted to stay out for tea rather than go back. Thai - always a safe bet.Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    Millenium arty stuff.

    30 августа 2017 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Once back on terra firma we made our way to the Millenium Park. Site of the Cloud Gate or as it is more commonly known the bean - or at least we were calling it that. Just in the entrance however was another piece of 'art' two monolithic stacks of glass bricks with projections of faces on. The sides were fountains and every now and then the faces would purse their lips and a fountain would shoot out. The kids were loving it. It was funny to watch. And cooling to paddle around as well. The big kid wanted to have a go but it would've been just a bit embarrassing. The bean was just as interactive but on a more surreal level. Every photo of it was on some level a selfie and as the official title suggests the sky is an integral part of the reflection. Underneath the distortioned images were quite wild. Again the poses people were incorporating were something else...Читать далее

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  • John BickerstaffUSA eclipse 2017John Bickerstaff

    My kingdom for a plug.

    31 августа 2017 г., Соединенные Штаты ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    First priority was some shopping - Liz was not impressed. Sleeping tablets & a case for my phone. Got the tablets but my phone will have to manage. Headed to the area for river cruises. Wanted to do an architecture cruise but the company we opted for did a river and lake cruise for the same price - no choice. Especially since it was going in 5 mins rather than hang around for 35 mins. Set off and our guide who claimed dubiously to look like Sean Connery proceeded to educate us about the buildings of Chicago - some of the bizarre shapes had architectural reasons. Headed out to the lake - bit windy. The windy city after all - though the nickname is down to the early politicians rather than the climate. Got some good views of the city. Every time the guide said he'd leave us for a few mins he thought of something else to tell us about Chicago. Very proud guy. Had a sarnie when back on dry land. Quick detour to the bean and fountains and then back to the hostel. The train back was packed - Tokyo packed. Getting 2 backpacks on was going to be a challenge. Fortunately by the time we were back at the station things were quieter. Good job as they say. Off to O'hare & the quest to find a plug - battery in dire need of charging (5%) & the phone was my main source of entertainment on the plane. Failing that it'll be old school - book & sleeping tabs to Manchester.Читать далее

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    Окончание поездки
    31 августа 2017 г.