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A North American Journey
  • Gustav Vermaas
  • Gustav Vermaas

A North American Journey

“Not all those who wander are lost” 
A 200 day American adventure across Canada and the US Leggi altro
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  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyViaggiatore

    Valley of Fire

    19 novembre 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    What was supposed to be a quick enroute stop ended in a full day hike.

    Asked the ladies at the visitor centre for an off beat track to take Roga on and their suggestion just blew our minds. It's an unmarked trail at the back of the mountain.

    It was only Sue, Roga and I .... and this barren but beautiful landscape.    Leggi altro

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  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyViaggiatore

    Bryce Canyon

    21 novembre 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    Red Rocks, Pink Cliffs, and Endless Vistas

    "Hoodoos (irregular columns of rock) exist on every continent, but here is the largest concentration found anywhere on Earth. Situated along a high plateau at the top of the Grand Staircase, the park's high elevations include numerous life communities, fantastic dark skies, and geological wonders that defy description"

    https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=EA8…    Leggi altro

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  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyViaggiatore

    White Pockets Canyon

    22 novembre 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    First big f%$@% of the trip.

    Decided to mix it up and do a difficult 4x4 trail to see the White Pockets.

    Very stressful

    Absolute amazing site, car and us are 100% but lost my phone somewhere on the trail😭Leggi altro

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  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyViaggiatore

    Lubbock

    28 novembre 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌬 17 °C

    Long 580mile drive to Lubbock.

    Desolated empty space between New Mexico and Texas.

    And then you read...

    Lubbock is a city in northwest Texas known as the birthplace of rock ’n’ roll legend Buddy Holly. The Buddy Holly Center celebrates his life and music with artifacts and mementos. Nearby is the West Texas Walk of Fame, with a statue of Holly and plaques honoring musicians from the region.

    Every place has its own magic    Leggi altro

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  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyViaggiatore

    Texas Shootout

    2 dicembre 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Spend the morning shooting sporting clays at Fossil Pointe.

    The event was part of the post election celebrations by Texas State Senator Tan Parker and Texas House of Representatives member Dr Lynn Stucky's recent election success.

    Small world....

    Talking to the Senator... he was (in his young days) part of the team that implemented Hogan at FNB....🤣

    We did get our buts kicked in the competition but we have lots of excuses😏

    Our Texas hunting weekend is of to a good start    Leggi altro

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  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyViaggiatore

    Greystone Castle Sporting Club

    3 dicembre 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Two magic days of hunting and enjoying one of the best hunting lodges in Texas and the US.

    Its clear why Greystone Castle is the Orvis 2022 hunting lodge of year.

    What an experience. Great venue, divine food, nostalgic country music in comfy cigar lounge and GREAT hunting.

    Count my blessings ... to hunt Sutton Bay in South Dakota and Greystone Castle in Texas.

    http://greystonecastle.com/

    Last night was special:
    Drinks with crumbed quail entree at the bar
    The softest Short rib for mains with
    Bread pudding for dessert
    Followed with a Bourbon and live country music back in the cigar lounge....

    https://youtu.be/BKWDvsvT-o0

    Texas has truly made an impression

    PS... Roga did a stunning retrieve 169m as per the Garmin.    Leggi altro

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  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyViaggiatore

    Pilot Point

    6 dicembre 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    The delivery of my lost sim to Dallas is delayed and we in a holding pattern.

    This has created a further opportunity to really plug into Texas. Texas is becomming our favourite state🤠

    Moved to a farm stay in a small town called Pilot Point.

    The farm is the middle of horse heaven, next to Ray Roberts Lake.

    Roga is loving the farm and wants to stay😂    Leggi altro

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  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyViaggiatore

    Misty hike at Lake Ray Roberts

    7 dicembre 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Waiting for my sim....

    Great opportunity to do a hike at Lake Ray Roberts on a misty morning and play with the cell phone camera.

    The Note 8 is old but still has some magic left.

    Roga is always a blur 😂
    We did 12km he did 23km🤷‍♂️

    We are set to leave Texas in the morning.

    "For all its enormous range of space, climate, and physical appearance, and for all the internal squabbles, contentions, and strivings, Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps stronger than any other section of America. Rich, poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city, country, Texas is the obsession, the proper study, and the passionate possession of all Texans." ~John Steinbeck    Leggi altro

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  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyViaggiatore
    1

    Long Beach Mississippi

    11 dicembre 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Came down South.... deep south to spend the weekend on the beach before we go to New Mexico in the week.

    Long Beach is on the Gulf of Mexico and has an long history going back to 17's

    The town also survived Hurricane Katrina when all buildings within 500m of the shoreline where destroyed. These are now being replaced with houses on poles or "birdhouses" as the local calls them.

    Great weather and a super Airbnb.

    Also started our exploration of the southern cuisine: gumbo, crab soup, po'boy    Leggi altro

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  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyViaggiatore
    2

    Orlando

    20 dicembre 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    Life 2.0 : "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...."

    It is day 67 of the US Traverse. We have made our way to the most southern point of our trip – Orlando. San Francisco is now more than 5 000 km in the past, and Montreal, our final destination 2 300 km into the future. Major distances by car but minor if you travel with an X Wing Starfighter.

    Today will be spent at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and more importantly the Star Wars Galaxy Edge theme park.

    The Galaxy Edge Park and rides are truly magnificent, both in scale and detail. Old and young can lose themselves in the fantasy world created by George Lucas and the Disney team.

    The little boy in the photo captured my interest. He impatiently waited in his Republic Trooper uniform for his turn with Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter. All dressed up - a true believer.  

    One day when he’s older he might reflect on the stories behind the story and appreciate how George Lucas masterfully orchestrated the age-old tale of democracies being turned into dictatorships and a need from people, under certain conditions, to be freed from freedom.

    Most of us would say more freedom is good. Freedom of expression, freedom from those in power and freedom to do what we want. But history has shown that when people feel powerless and frustrated, the freedom they deeply ache for is a freedom FROM individual responsibility.

    Make it someone else’s problem - Lose awareness of your individual self and become an anonymous member of a unified group. Be relieved from the burdens of will, decisions and being responsible.

    But as Jyn Erso said in Rogue One: “We have hope. Rebellions are built on hope.”

    “You feel empty. You feel alone. Lonely. Almost frightened, but also strong, yes? The name for what you are feeling is freedom. How did you expect it to feel? You are free, and that can be lonely, and empty, and frightening. But it is also powerful.”

    But that is all in the future for our little trooper.

    As for today...

    He can just enjoy the magic that I experienced in 1978 in a cinema when the words scrolled over the screen:

    “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....”    Leggi altro

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  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyViaggiatore

    Hilton Head Island

    25 dicembre 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 4 °C

    Three days on a divine vacation island close to Savannah in South Carolina.

    The weather turned cold with a snow blister hitting the Northern states. Toronto is down to -27C. We showed -6 but closer to -10 with the wind.

    Christmas was a quiet affair. The pack of 3 enjoyed a long walk on the beach and a seafood pasta with a splendid Chardonnay from California. Life is not too bad😋

    The local dolphins did come by to share season greetings.

    Would love to come back to Hilton Head Island in the summer.    Leggi altro

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  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyViaggiatore

    National Infantry Museum - Fort Benning

    27 dicembre 2022, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    "I love the infantry because they are the underdogs. They are the mud-rain-frost-and-wind boys. They have no comforts, and they even learn to live without the necessities. And in the end they are the guys that wars can't be won without." - Ernie Pyle

    Spend the day at the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning.

    What is Fort Benning...?

    Fort Benning was established in 1918, is named after Confederate General Henry L. Benning, who lived in Columbus. In 1918, the School of Infantry moved to Columbus, GA, from Fort Sill, OK. The first Infantry School was at Valley Forge where Major General von Steuben created the first model company and unified tactics for the Continental Army. Since 1918, Fort Benning has been the U.S. Army's premier training center, initially for Infantry Soldiers and then for Armor, Cavalry, Airborne and Air Mobility, Rangers and Officer Candidates.

    The museum at Fort Benning tells the story of the Infantry Soldier from a US perspective but it echoes across all nationalities. See the last photo of the statue at Fort Benning vs Infantry School at Oudtshoorn in SA

    The Last 100 yards ramp tells the stories of the final push in 8 decisive battles and already makes the visit worth the drive ... and then there are still all the other exhibits, simulators etc etc.

    https://nationalinfantrymuseum.org/project/last…

    Time well spend    Leggi altro

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  • Gustav VermaasA North American JourneyViaggiatore
    2

    Tanawha Trail and Blowing Rock

    2 gennaio 2023, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We are slowly working our way up the Blue Ridge Parkway towards Washington. No rush ... this is our last big adventure.

    The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park,[3] runs for 469 miles (755 km) through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It runs mostly along the spine of the Blue Ridge, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains.

    We have aligned our journey with the 4 regions and are staying somewhere in the middle of each for 4 days at a time.

    Last week was #1 in the South with Cherokee and the Smokey Mountains.

    The Highlands Region is #2 and we have hiked almost 30km on the Tanawha trail. The muscle memory is kicking in. Blue Ridge Parkway is beautiful and the hiking is even better. Blowing Rock is a gem of a town and the Pizza at Mellow Mushroom the best.... especially after this morning's hike.    Leggi altro

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