From hollywood to Harlem

2006-09-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

Last day....

Hello everyone, well im leaving new york today so this will be my final entry for this blog,

The last few days ive been doing touristy stuff,
I went out to Ellis island and that was great, great views of manhattan while on the boat,
I checked out Wall street and all the old architecture around there,
I was meeting up with my friend Anthony in the evenings for a drink and some food,
Yesterday then i started off at the Dakota building where John Lennon was shot, Yoko still lives there and then across to central park to the Strawberry fields area.
Walked around the Jackie onnassis reservoir then, Full of joggers usually, like a lot of Central park,
then i visited the Frick museum which is great, like someones house almost (well a very wealthy someones house)
and then to the Guggenheim museum.
After that i went down to Brooklyn bridge and walked across, (its really long!)
actually i think i clocked up a good few miles walking yesterday.
I did see a police car with the lights flashing on at Brooklyn bridge but when i looked in, the 2 cops inside were eating burgers!
I guess that can be classed as an emergency!
Then last night i met up with Anthony again and his friend Kerry and her boyfriend Mark (whos in the band JJ72 if anyone knows them)
so we had a few drinks then to round off the night till the early hours.
This morning then i made a quick trip into Grand central station which is Massive! i was standing in awe!
its a rainy day here in NY so i went outside and had a quick look at the chrysler building.
back on the subway again, there were a lot of musicians on the subway today so i gave them any loose change i had.
Im about to pack up now and grab a cab to the airport, to JFK
and tomorrow morning all going well ill be back in London and then to Bristol.
so if your in Bristol, ..ill see you soon and if your not,...well ill see you soon anyway!!

Bye everyone, its been a great trip with you all.

Shea x

2006-09-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

day 13-14....

Hello there everyone,

Well its kinda nice to be staying in the one place for more than one day!Wow New York is amazing!

I went out with my friend Anthony and a few of his friends on Saturday night after and we had a few scoops and sunday I kinda chilled out a bit which was good after all the driving,
Walked around a bit in the local area.

Anyway yesterday it was the 5th anniversary of 9/11 so i went down to 'ground zero'
all of the victims names were being read out and all of the police and fire department were out on the streets.
there was definitely an emotional feel all over, and every conversation i could hear was about people on that day.

Then i saw a little trailerload of chihuahuas with i love NY t-shirts on!!

I went on a bit of a boat trip around Manhattan then to see a few sights,
Time square, st patricks cathedral, i was looking in a guitar shop window when this old black guy came up to me and started talking about guitars, then he proceeded to 'sing' a guitar solo from Jimi Hendrix! we chatted for about 15 minutes!Maybe he knows people in Oklahoma,

Anyway today im going to do a bit more touristy stuff as the weather is clear
and will let you know how it goes!

2006-09-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

Day 12........

Ive made it!
i am here!
Im 33 today and ive made it to NY !
Ive completed this coast to coast journey! Hurray!

I left philadelphia this morning and it didnt take me too long to get to New York,
met loads of toll bridges today too! i was heading for JFK airport following the signs when i saw a sign for Shea stadium so i had to stop to get a snap there!

I pulled the jeep into the car rental place, apart from it being a bit dusty at the back, theres no marks on it at all! the clock read 3678 miles driven from LA to NY.

todays blog entry will be short as ive hooked up with my friend Anthony who i havent seen in 6 years and we are having a beer right now! I got a yellow cab to manhattan which was quite a ride and then walked around central park a bit to get some air.

Im in Ny for the next 5 days so ill probably put in a fin al NY entry as so far i havent stayed in one place for more than a day!
but id like to say thanks to everyone who checked in and had a look andsaid hello along the way!

Thanks for taking this trip with me!

Talk to you all soon!

shea x

2006-09-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

Day 11....

Hows it going everyone out there,

Well i was in Washington DC this morning and went down town to have a look around,
It almost feels like this Capital is full of alarms and sirens and police and guards! at the same time its a very beautiful city and well laid out (even if they are doing roadworks here too!)

So i went down and saw capitol hill and the Lincoln memorial and the reflecting lake, there was a good few people around too early in the morning, the Lincoln memorial statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting down is a work of art!
I wandered around for a bit and then decided to head back to the car and keep going, i didnt have time to visit the Smithsonian Institute and anyway theres about 10 museums there so you would never get round to it all in a day!
Traffic was busy again, as i get closer to NYC the volume of cars and congestion seems to get heavier,
but i did cross into the state of Delaware today, ididnt get a snap of the sign cos i was in heavy traffic (sorry Delaware!) but i think its a small state,maybe the smallest because not long after i crossed into Pennsylvania.
So i arrived in Philadelphia then, booked into a motel (not the greatest!)
but after i checked in i went to check out downtown Phily, i even crossed the Ben Franklin bridge into New Jersey (it was by accident, i was just following the car in front and before i knew it i had to turn around and pay 3 bucks toll to come back over the bridge!
In fact i came across about 3 toll booths today on the roads, The most expensive day yet!
theres loads of one-way streets in Phily i discovered!!!
but i parked up and like bruce springsteen, walked the streets of philadelphia for an hour or so looking around,
theres a street called jewellers row thats just diamond shops one after the other, all the diamonds had been taken out of the display windows cos they had all closed down for the day, but there was a few rough diamonds hanging around the streets here and there!
Anyway i got some food in the Phily Diner near where im staying and i have to do some creative packing tonight as hopefully tomorrow i will reach New york and drop off the car and take my bags and go meet my old friend Anthony,
Its not too far away now!

So my next entry might be tomorrow, or the day after, depending on what happens, but its day 12 tomorrow, the final day of travelling coast to coast!!!

Will i make it???
Tune in again to find out!!

G'nite from Philadelphia Y'all.

Shea

2006-09-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Day 10.....

Hello everyone, welcome aboard again!

Well i left Bristol (again) this morning, A small little place really,
i was wondering how far ive actually driven (some days blend into one another!) because i did see Signposts for Dublin and Glasgow today.

But no, i think im still in the U.S.
I wanted to get to Maryland today so after breakfast in Shoneys in Bristol i hit the road.
My first random stop for a breather was at a place called Natural bridge in Virginia.
Its called this because theres a big natural bridge there thats taken 100million years to end up looking like it is.
Its breathtaking.
Its 215 feet high and even the Interstate66 still runs over the top of it to this day.
I dont think the pictures can convey the real thing but look for the guy in the white shirt in the corner of picture for scale.
He was the guide dresses up in the old gear.
Even George Washingtons initials are carved in the stone as he was the first to survey it properly.
Down the path in the woods a bit was an old Indian village recreation anf there was this little round hut
with a fire inside that would have been used for smoking food.
There was no-one there but when i went in, it must have been at the right time of day because this amazing sunbeam came in through the hole in the roof and caught the smoke, i must have taken 10 pictures of it because it looked so good inside this little hut!

There was loads of dinosaur parks around here too but had to press on,
Later then i stopped at a small place, i think it was called Front Royal cos i was low on gas,
Lots of big battles were fought here years ago.
i went to the visitors centre to get a washington map and the folks in there were all chat and asked me to sign the visitors book so i did and under 'reasons for stopping by'
others had put down all these great historical interest comments, but i had to put down "i was just low on Gas!!"
I got to Washington DC then and there was a lot of traffic coming in, took ages, i eventually crossed the state line into Maryland and got a motel at the north part of the city.
After checking in i went back into DC but it was dark at this stage and working out the streets was a bit hairy!!
I did get a quick photo of the white house and the Washington monument,
there was police and guards everywhere!! keeping a watchful eye on everyone, even though it was dark, I walked around here a bit and the buildings are massive and the architecture is huge,
but i might get to see it better tomorrow.
I think i might try and get to see a little bit of the Smithsonian if i can.

Anyway eventually got back way out where im staying and thats where im leaving it for tonight.
Tommorrow,
Philadelphia, here i come!

Shea. Zzzzzzzzzz

2006-09-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

Day nine...

Cripes have i been on the road that long?

Hello there everyone, and a special hello to Peekey Pirate whos birthday it is today!!!
Happy birthday buddy. (well, er..technically its tomorrow in the US. ak ak)

Well i Left Nashville this morning but first i went across town just to see the Grand Ole Opry in Opryland. It was kinda tricky to get there cos Nashvilles full of roadworks too!
But i did get there early enough, it didnt open up till another hour and i couldnt wait around,
Its a massive place with plenty of room and theres shows there every weekend!

So all you country fans out there, you have to visit this place!

I was off again as today i had to get to another state,
but i called into the former Presidents house a few hours later for some mid-morning tea, law-dee-daaaw!
he didnt turn up though, Well, in fact he hasnt turned up there for about 150 years because it was President Andrew Jackson who was the 7th Pres of the USA (no i didnt know that either!)
So he too lived in this big Plantation house with his family and slaves.
And like Elvis, hes buried out in the back yard by the shed. (although its some shed!)

Again the crickets or whatever they are were going nuts in the trees (they are quite loud actually) but it really adds to that great hot Tennessee athmosphere!
The guides were wearing all the old gear and inside the house was nice too,
great old practical designs.
No pictures allowed in the house though or they would send you to work for a week or something.
So i had to crack on then and get some more miles done,
(im nearly up to 3000 already with my occasional ...er...detours here and there.)

So Im heading East right through Tennessee for ages looking at peoples houses and loads of old car wrecks that havent moved in ages getting rusty.
And im coming close to the Smoky Mountains area and then my friend Jay had told me yesterday i was close to Dollywood.
So i just happened to see the sign for Dollywood and i thought,
Ah here, ill go have a look at this slice of Americana while im so close!
So its a wildwest type theme park thats run by Dolly Parton who everyone knows.
I got there around 5 in the evening, it closes at 6 but i still had to pay full price!!
Its kinda weird but in a good way!
Its like a Country and western Disneyland in Tennessee!
theres absolutely loads of things to see and do, theres even a real working steamtrain that runs through it!
Its a big place too, i got to see a museum about Gospel music which was kinda good, and theres recreations of old diners and shops all over and C&W bands twanging on banjos here and there.
No sign of Dolly herself though.

Plus there was a real nice old Car with Fins! Now this is what i wanted to do my roadtrip in! Oh yeah!

So i got out of there and was heading back through the town of Seviere where Dollywood is near
and theres these big wide streets there and all along the streets were all these old cars on show from the 50s onwards,Ah they were great! I dont know if it was a show or they do this every weekend but it is a big touristy area.

So i got back on the road again, i had to change a few interstates today as i head more North,
I also crossed another timezone so an hour was instantly zapped off from my day!
No wonder im always late!
But i crossed the state line into Virginia tonight and im staying here at a motel which is the first one-horse looking town in Virginia and also happens to be called Bristol! I had to stay here!!!
So im in Bristol tonight all you Bristolians in the U.K! heheh, i might try and find my house tomorrow! I wonder if theres the Welly nearby?!?!?

Anyway got to go now and figure out where ill go tomorrow,
I got more of the pictures from yesterdays post up so go back one day to check em out!

Ive got a few more interstates to figure out tomorrow, no doubt driving blindly north-eastwards
for a while tomorrow!

G'nite y'all from Bristol,Virginia,USA.

Shea.

2006-09-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

Day 8,

Howdy there everyone,

Wow this has been a long day so far!!

I left Memphis and the Mississippi this morning early ( i always loved the Huck finn and Tom sawyer stories) The place i was staying was right by the river also! I drove down Martin luther king Jr Blvd, then i got on the freeway but everyones back to work today after Labor day and there was a 5car pile up on the I-40 to Nashville!
so i was creeping along for a while but eventually got going,

My first stop was at a small town (cant remember name just now!)
which contained the Casey Jones house and Museum and The Old Country store, the country store was fantastic! A trip back through time!
I had my breakfast there,(almost comparable to The Big Texan!) and its been there since the 1800's and hasnt changed that much! great home made ice cream too! Everything is real olde worlde there and it sells Everything! lots of home made stuff.
Its all completely made of wood too.
Across the road then was the home of Casey Jones who was a famous Locomotive driver who died saving all his passengers from a collision in the early 1900s. his last words were to his co driver when he told him to jump from the train while he kept his hand on the brake till the last moments. All passengers survived except Casey.
An old tour guide called Troy told me all this.
Troy is about 80 and sounds like he smokes a zillion cigarettes a day, i got a snap of him, i asked him how he was and he said "Mean as hell, Sonny!!!" Crazy old codger.
So said goodbye to him and
then i hit the road again and deeper into Tennessee. I was listening to Johnny Cash today in the car which felt right.

I stopped off at the Belle Maude mansion in Bellevue which used to own about 3,500 acres.
back in the 1800's it kept about 200 slaves,grew a lot of cotton and bred famous racehorses and held Hugely grand parties. All the trees around it are alive with crickets, (as was Memphis too!)
Its a historic place now and the once owners were one of the first to emancipate all their Slaves and let them work the land for themselves. Up to the 1970s there were still people occupying the slaves cabins.
Actually all the houses in this area are Mansions, Mostly white with those big pillars on the outside, theres just loads of trees full of crickets and massive Southern houses! It was something else.
I finally got to Nashville kinda late, found a place near down town, i went out to take a few pics but the sun was going down fast, i walked down to the Country hall of fame and went into a few old famous record shops on the main broadway street.
The world famous Grand Ole Opry is a few miles away so i might get to see that tomorrow.
I realised i was starving then so i had some food at the hardrock cafe.
Its got a giant neon guitar spinning round outside,

Nashville is certainly a surprise, the buildings here like the Country hall of fame and the convention centre are really new and modern and fantastic modern architecture. Loads of bars with country music too, people on the outside trying to drag you in!
there was a tourist booth in part of the street and i asked the Lady in there for a street map,She told me almost everything that could be known about Nashville!
i ended up talking to her for about half an hour! took her picture too and funny enough she took a few of me aswell!
later then i went to A Blues bar( i know kind of out of place in Nashville) but i heard the unmistakable sound of a sustained A minor coming from a Stratocaster guitar, so i went in to check it out and had a few beers. the band were good too!
Tomorrow then i have to do a lot of driving to get somewhere between Nashville and Washington DC.
normally i never know where im going to end up at the end of the day but thats part of the adventure!

Right im off for now,Who knows where ill end up tomorrow, i have no plan!!
thanks for the comments yesterday!

Ill sleep tonight!

Shea.

2006-09-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

Day Seven....

wow im almost a week on the road!

Hello everyone, i think theres a lot of pictures today!

Well this morning i had a quick look around Little Rock, seems a real nice place,
But i had to get going off i went again,
I stopped off for a little break in the middle of nowhere, bur there was a stall nearby selling fruit so i bought some fresh Arkansas peaches from the owner, and they were very good and sweet!
Today was Labor day actually which is a national holiday here.

So a few hours later i was crossing the Mississippi River into Memphis,Tennessee.
I got a bit stuck on the roads here and there until i had to find a garage that had a map of Memphis! then i went to find Graceland which i got to.
If you are an Elvis fan or not, this place is something else.
Its kind of slap bang in the middle of west Memphis, (not the best area of the city Beware!)

Theres a huge complex where you get your ticket, theres 3 tours all ranging in different price, But you can see all of Elvis' cars, airplanes,memorobilia, lots of souvenier shops etc and then you can get on a bus to take you across the main road to Graceland Mansion itself. I spent about 4 hours here! (i loved the cars and guitars!!) Its the ultimate Mecca for Elvis Fans.

Its not a huge house by any standards but it definitely was his home and its amazing to stand in the same rooms as the King! theres lots of rooms to look in and commentries to listen to, outside then i went over to see his grave. 100s of tourists and fans still arrive every day and leave flowers and gifts.
the walls outside on the road are covered with messages from fans.

Theres loads of gold records in a corridor, all over in fact and you can spend a good half day here, all day if your a big fan! Im not a huge Elvis fan but i was seriously impressed by his Legend and won over today.

Later then i found the famous Sun Studios where Elvis recorded his first song for 4 bucks.
I took a tour of the still working studio and this was one of the highlights for me so far on this trip.
I stood where Elvis stood and held the Mike where rockn roll was invented!!
the story of Sam Phillips who started it up is great.
I was in the recording studio where great legends of the blues especially recorded, Jerry lee lewis, Elvis, BBking, U2 recorded 3 songs for Rattle and Hum here right where in standing!
They even played back the tapes of Elvis' first recording!
you could just feel the athmosphere in this small room that hasnt changed in years.
Its kind of small and pokey in places which adds to the charm.
I loved it!

Anyway i went and found my Motel then and as i said i think i picked the rough end of Memphis,
all the buildings around this one seem desolate and the Police keep driving by!!

Anyway i got to see the sun setting on the massive Mississippi quite close to here a few hours ago and that was something else.

Theres definitely a gritty, bluesy feel to this place, and it will be a shame to leave it so soon!
Anywya ill get a look around tomorrow again before i set off.

Rock n roll everbody!!

Shea.

2006-09-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

Day Six...

Hello everyone, thanks for all your comments!

Well i left the madness of Oklahoma this morning, and the sun was back out again which was good, I was driving for most of the day so tomorrow i can get to Memphis quicker,
But i did stop off here and there,
As i was heading for Arkansas, i must have been passing through a bit of bible belt country,
I saw loads of church houses today, Maybe you notice them more on a Sunday but some little towns had 4 or 5 of them!
All with signs outside telling who was preaching and other messages.
I couldnt help but think what Fr.Ted might think!

I tuned into some local radio too and there was a lot of Preachers on there telling me to repent and get down on my knees and sing Hallelujah to the Lord...but thats kinda dangerous while driving and i had to get to Little Rock anyhow!

I even saw a field that was recently sowed, and a big sign by it, 'Pray for Rain'
i didnt get time to take a snap of it, but maybe that farmer should move to the other side of Oklahoma, plenty of rain there!!
I did see a sign that said Oklahoma odd fellows home where all the Oklahomians probably all end up!
Then i stopped off at Roland and Checotah (purely cos i liked the sound of the name)
in Sequoyah county. theres an old wooden cabin and store there that used to house a Mr.Sequoyah who i think invented the Cherokee Alphabet or syllabary which was extremely handy and important back then in talking to the locals.

I crossed the state line into Arkansas then and visited Forth Smith which was a big stronghold in the civil war. one or two original buildings still stand and the gallows with fresh looking ropes
which look like they could be back in use any minute, so i made sure to keep to the speed limits today,(i saw a lot of highway patrol today too!)

I kept going thenfor a good few miles,(ive just done over 2,000 now) and it was just getting dark as i got into Little Rock, Arkansas.
As i mentioned, im not on Route 66 anymore (Aaw!) so i just have one big road map of the US im working from.
Im staying tonight in the Holiday Presidential Inn, cos its the first one i saw while driving in and didnt want to be driving round in the dark looking for a place!
theres pictures of Clinton everywhere of course as this is his neck of the woods im visiting!
So today was a bit of an American history lesson!

Anyway, ill have more time for adventure tomorrow when i get to look around and hopefully
go to Memphis!

Oh, i think i saw Elvis working down in the Lobby!

Talk to you tomorrow all,

Shea.

2006-09-02T22:08:00.000-07:00

Day 5...

I woke up in Texas this morning at the Horse hotel and seeing there was real horses in pens out the back i went out to say hello. there was no-one around so i went in and a few of the horses whinnyied a bit, i guess they were saying "mornin" too.

There was a bit of a thunderstorm last night so there was water everywhere,
I checked out and went over to the Big Texan for breakfast.
It was a mighty breakfast too! A buffet thingy so you could have whatever you wanted, and the plates are about the size of cartwheels.
the Cheery old waitress came over and said "How y'allbin this mornain? even though theres only one of me.
She said, 'WAYell if ya need any HAYulp, ahl be just over Heyur.

So ah went to GEYut me some BAYken and Aigs before ah left Texus.

So off i head then and my first stop off was a place called 'Shamrock'. So i had to stop there really.
Theres a place in the middle of town called 'U drop Inn' that has these old-style gas pumps all refurbished and really work!
there was lots of Irishy sounding places and pictures of shamrocks in garages and windows, it was very quiet though, I saw a field which had a sign "irish field" by it and there was one bockedy-looking goalpost.
So im not sure if they brought the whole field from Ireland or if it was always there.
Is anyone missing a field from Ireland????

Anyway then i crossed onto Oklahoma,
And i had read about a curiosity shoppe in a place called Erick so i went there.

This is where i met some real nutters....
I found the shop that is covered in signs and one of them reads "the redneck capitol of the world! Yee haw!" the shop is more of a cafe,store,pub?,warehouse,shack,mental asylum kind of place all in the one room and run by these 2 folks called Harley and Annabelle Russell.
they are a bit nuts.
they also call themselves "mediocre music makers" and had just finished playing an impromtu gig for a bunch of bikers who had called in. i went to talk to Harley as he was swigging a bottle of whiskey (this is friday morning by the way) and asked if i could take a picture.
well as you can see, i didnt have to ask twice.

We chatted for a bit and im thinking these 2 are MAD!. But if you are ever in Erick, Oklahoma, you have to go to this place!!
When i was leaving harley gives me a big bear hug and kisses my hands as if i was his long lost brother or something,
I didnt even buy anything, im not even sure if anythings for sale!!
its just a big pile of..stuff...memorabilia i guess, mostly 2nd hand.
Ill remember this place that for sure.

So after that crazy encounter i hit the road again,
It was raining most of the day, i think theres a big Oklahoma-shaped cloud over the state cos it was raining everywhere!
I stopped at a route 66 museum then and had a look around because tomorrow im not on Rout66 anymore.
it heads one way up to Chicago and i must head a different way to New york.
So it will be uncharted territories for me pretty much!

I got to Oklahoma city tonight and i booked into a place,
down the road i saw a big sign that read 'Club Rodeo'
I though it was worth investigation so i went down later.

Its this big nightclub with country-rock blasting out of it and loads of folks wearing cowboy hats, singing along to Shania Twain and guzzling bottles of beer.
Lots of Yeee-hawing going on. It was great! Peekey, if your out there, you would have loved this place!
But this is no ordinary nightclub, theres a bull ring at on end of this giant shed and 3 times a night a rodeo starts up and cowboys try to stay on a kicking bull for more than 8 seconds,
Its kind of bizzare to have people dancing on a dancefloor and Bulls leaping about going for the high jump record 20 feet away in the same room!!
There was a big build-up and the first guy launched out to the sounds of AC/DC, 'Thunderstruck' everyone chanting Na na na na na na na naah!! well the Bull went nuts, he must love AC/DC cos he kept kicking and headbanging away long after the cowboy was flung a mile away.
and the Bull looked very pleased with himself! The other 2 bulls who flung their riders in a similar direction to the first poor sod werent country fans either, although it was hard to tell, maybe they were. I half-expected to see the Russells again after that.
Oklahoma sure is nuts.

Anyway thats it for today,
I think its sunday tomorrow and im heading for Arkansas.
So check in and say Hi if your out there!!

Shea.

2006-09-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

Day 4

Howdy Everyone,

Im a bit sleepy tonight, done a good bit of driving today,

I left El Rancho and Gallup this morning, i was abit sleepy then too,
I think theres a freight train that just circles Gallup all night tooting its horn!
El Rancho hotel is an extraordinary place!

Anyway, i headed Eastwards towards Albuquerque, (hard to say, even harder to spell) and im slowly realising how big America is, New Mexico is really empty, except for all the New roads they are making, they like their New stuff!
and so the challenge is on to reach New York city by the 9th of Sept.

I drove on some of the pre-1937 route 66 on the Los Lunas loop road just before Albuqurque
but i did run into Roadworks and had to take a few detours here and there until i eventually squeezed out of Alber(oh, i cant look up the spelling again!)thingy and the road(works)trip continued.
So i stopped in Santa Rosa instead at Josephs diner and took a few pics of the old signs.
Then i stopped again at Tucumcari and there was some nice old murals around.
A once buzzing neon town of route 66

Later i crossed the state line into Texas and now im in Amarillo,
Yes,
like the song "is this the way to Aaa....sorry but its been in my head all feckin day!!
and its probably in yours now!

So im staying here at the horse hotel and the Big Texas steak ranch, theres a huge bull outside and everything sofar in Texas is big!
They have a 72ounce steak on the menu. 72 ounces!!!!
i think its free if you eat it. or if you die trying to eat maybe,

The rooms here have all quirky names of hotels on them and inside its all built with rough-hewn timber. Feels like a log cabin!
Ive just had a quick look around but its just started raining like crazy, i can see lightning in the distance too.
and all the texan accents i can hear are saying 'Gee' and 'wudja look at that rayin'!

Im a bit tired tonight so thats it for now,
Tomorrow im going tohead for Oklahoma city!

so G'nite then y'all. Yeehaaw.

Shea

2006-08-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

Day Thhhhreeeeee

Hello everyone,

well i woke up at 4am this morning to a thunder and lightning storm in Sedona! i tried to take a picture or two but it was mostly sheet lighning and only a little bit of the forked stuff,
Ill post some great pictures tomorrow cos where im staying now doesnt have wireless, more about that later.

So i took a few more pics around Sedona, it had brightened up by the morning, stunning scenery here, thanks to the Crimson Penguin (ha ha) for telling me to go there.
I headed back towards flagstaff then and got back onto the I-40 (route66 doesnt exist in some places anymore)
I headed on out listening to the sountrack of Once upon a time in America (thanks Mr. El passo for those)
looking through the windscreen at the landscape of Arizona was almost like watching a western movie!~except movie screens dont have loads of dead bugs on 'em!
Then i passed a huge sign for 'Twin arrows" but to be honest the sign was bigger than the place, another old broken down stop on the road.
My friend Nev who travelled this route a few months ago left me a map of the area and on it she told me to go to a place called 'Two Guns" and go to a red shack at the very end of it and look in a bullet hole.
So i get to this place, it looks like the ghost town of a very small theme park from the 60,s.
I find the place, the shack and the bullethole and nothing in there but after a bit of looking around i finally see a piece of paper and a note from Nev saying Hi! Great!
Then i visited Meteor Crater which is a giant hole in the ground on this massive plain. its impressive! good job it landed in the middle of nowhere!
Im passing through Navajo territory now.
I passed through a small place called Jackrabbit and then into Winslow.
So like the eagles song "take it easy" i was 'standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona" took pic there and theres a few tourist shops that pump out that song from the shop 24/7.
they must really hate it!!
Later in the day i crossed the state line into New Mexico and in here now in Gallup at the famous El Rancho hotel.
this place is grrreat! its all old and creaky and loads of old movie stars have stayed here. theres a room named after all of them.
Im staying in room 204. Robert Mitchum room!
Anyway, better go, I got here about an hour ago and have to have a good look around.all the pics for this post to come soon

Shea.

2006-08-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

Day 2.

Ok, im having trouble with the laptop tonight as it refuses to post pictures! Sorry bout that!
and i took a good few today!
Hopefully i will have it resolved tomorrow and i can add the pics later.

Well i started off in Kingman today,
even at 8am it was pretty hot, I started the day at Mr, d'zs diner,
I wouldnt recommend the chicken steak to anyone, Im not sure what it was!

then i headed for Peach springs, its Indian reservation land, a bit further up the road
i visited The Canyon Caverns,
the tour brought me down underground 200ft where there is no moisture in the air,
its so dry and dark even bacteria cant even last 2 weeks!
There was a huge Fibreglassasaraus dinosaur outside too,It used to be a stuffed dinosaur park or something.
Pictures to follow soon!

Then i went to Flagstaff,
Nice town, it feels like a seaside town but without the sea,
I wandered around there and visited the Arizona Historical Museum,

i came off Route 66 for a bit then and headed to Sedona, further south,
thats where im staying tonight,
Its got these huge mountains that youve seen in a hundred movies that turn all red when the sun is going down. A bit like Monument valley, which is also here in Arizona but a bit too far for me to go this time.
they are amazing! I went up to a scenic point to get a few shots of the evening sun,
Got some good ones,
Ill try and get a few more tomorrow and they better post this time!!!

Tomorrow then ill be heading for Gallup i think,
Ive booked an old place called the El Rancho hotel owned by some old Indian chief (so it says anyway)! so hopefully ill be all up and running again for that!

Right ill talk to you tomorrow.

Shea.

day one

2006-08-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

Well heres my first post,
I actually set this up last night but immediatley forgot my password so here we go again.
I met Grant Viklund At Barneys Beanery on Sants Monica Blvd last night,
Its a traditional ending spot for those who have travelled Route 66 all the way from Chicago.
but me being a bit backwards started there!
Anyway it was about 10.30 am before i left L.A. this morning,
I had picked up the jeep yesterday and had it all packed up so i was in fairly good shape.

My first stop today was in Ludlow where i had some coffee and Apple pie (thanks Nev)
Its steeped in mining history, I was on and off the old route 66, in parts its a bumpy rough road,
and i was only going about 40mph in the rough bits while all the other traffic was whizzing by on the clean and shiny I- 40 freeway less than 100 yards away in places.

I stopped in a place called Needles and took a picture,
I just like the name!
I got to Oatman later on and it was a bit late in the evening so it was quiet enough,
I stopped totake a picture at the Arizona border but the batteries were a bit dead and the 10 second delay wouldnt work, it was cutting out at about 9 seconds which wasnt enough time for me to get out in front of the sign!Its charging up now though so better luck tomorrow.
It was also a bit dangerous with big trucks rumbling by.
I think i saw about 50,000 trucks today and trains half a mile long.

Ive stopped in Kingman for the night

I was listening to The Joshua Tree while driving through the Mohave desert and
Thanks so much Paul and Kerstin for the 'surprise' cds,
The first song made me laugh so much Paul!

Anyway ive just been to 'Dennys' (for the first time since ive been here) for some food and tomorrow ill get to look around Kingman a bit.