The flight from NZ to Los Angeles was relatively uneventful. I had an aisle seat at the back of the plane, which seems to be my preference now. My row-buddy was a bigger guy but he was really good and kept to his side of the arm rest, so I couldn’t complain really. I landed […]
So I had a run of good luck and won a place on the inaugural flight from Auckland, New Zealand to Cairns, Queensland, Australia and a return flight five days later with Pacific Blue Airlines. A great stroke of luck really, given that I had accepted that I wasn’t going to do any international travelling […]
I suppose I may as well start with the flight from Auckland to Sydney. It was horrendous. Though I can’t go blaming the airline, because the airline isn’t to blame for it’s passengers, but lets just say that sitting behind a child that throws up enough to go through three sets of clothes and is […]
Mall of America didn’t open until about 10am so we slept in again. Very comfy beds at the hotel so that didn’t make it difficult! We drove the car over to the mall as it was threatening to rain. Even though it had only just opened, the mall was pretty busy. Our first stop was […]
Breakast at the hotel this morning was a little disappointing, though we were pretty late getting there so it’s understandable. We didn’t leave the hotel until after 1000 and had an easy trip across the South Dakota border to Minnesota. We’d booked a hotel that’s within walking distance of the Mall of America so headed […]
We left the hotel a little later again. We’re taking the trip a little easier from now on – we have the time to. Today was the day for Mount Rushmore – so another exciting landmark to tick off the list. Mount Rushmore was a little different than expected. It’s very well hidden from view […]
Not much to say about this trip! We crossed the border back to America and got inspected a little more thoroughly than we did on the way out. Here’s the border inspection point. A little underwhelming, isn’t it? Got to Miles City fairly late, greeted by an unfriendly motel staff! It’s a brief entry for […]
Slept pretty poorly – until we turned the air conditioning on in the room at around 0200. Left the motel later than usual this morning – around 0730. The breakfast was a little disappointing at the Super 8, too. We headed straight for Banff National Park. The weather packed it in just as we were […]
Departed Salt Lake City at 0800 after a hearty (free) breakfast at the motel. Bagels + cream cheese = a plate of awesome. Travelled through Utah and then Montana on the way to the US/Canada border. I have to say that there isn’t much to really see in Utah. Montana starts out much the same […]
We had a bit of a sleep-in at the hotel this morning. We stayed and the La Quinta Inn in Denver, which was rated two star but got very good reviews. We were impressed with it. It was cheap but top quality – and came with free breakfast! We ended up leaving the hotel around […]
We left Silver Lake at 0615 and after a quick stop-off at Walmart for more ice and miscellaneous supplies, we began our 1,157 mile journey to Denver. As you can imagine, a lot of the time was spent on the road, bar refuelling and bathroom/stretch stops. I did manage to convince my travelling partner to […]
Set off around 0400 from the Towanda Service Area. Our destination was Fort Wayne International Airport, where we’d organised a rental car for the rest of the trip. It just isn’t worth the stress of worrying about the vehicle you’re in and being thousands of miles from “home”. We ended up with a nice Nissan […]
I got out of the van at 0600 to see a beautiful sunrise (too slow to take photos though) and a small rabbit roaming around the van. Got our first use out of the travel shower in the morning as well. It’s a great idea and is just what you need after a long, hot, […]
I didn’t sleep at all last night and was awake and rearing to go at 2am. My health is deteriorating and I’ve all but lost my voice. We departed Candler, NC at 4am. Stopped in at Knoxville, TN to get some flu medication! After our stop at Knoxville, on this leg we passed through Nashville […]
The check-out time at the hotel was 1100 so we departed around 1030. The concierge were very thorough and ensured we were okay with a ride to wherever we wanted to go. They had a complimentary service that would have dropped us anywhere within five miles of the hotel, but we told them we had […]
We woke at 0625 and set off from Assateague State Park at 0720. Stopped in at Walmart Pokomoke to stock up on supplies. Still impressed by the sheer range of products available! Another warm day, but it started raining as soon as we got to North Carolina. Near Durham, NC noticed smoke billowing from the […]
After a shower at the camping ground and plotting out pretty much the rest of our route around the US, we headed to Niagara Falls. It was an oatmeal/raisin cookie, double stuff Oreos and a Red Bull for breakfast. I’m living the American dream! Hah. On a side note, I’m sure that the Red Bull […]
I woke at 6am local time and went and got breakfast and took some photos. There’s something so free about waking up in the back of a van to a beautiful sunrise and a crisp, clear day. I had my first shower this morning at a friend’s place in Silver Lake, IN. There is nothing […]
One of the main highlights of my trip so far happened before I had even left Wellington airport. I was sitting waiting to go through security at the gate when Polly and Grant from the ZM morning show yelled out to my sister (who was, by coincidence, wearing her ZM jacket). It’s the first time […]
It’s the night before I leave. The French are leading the All Blacks in the first test of the season. I’m nervous, having read that I’m going to be finger-printed upon arrival in Chicago. Figuring (whether I’m being naive or not, I’m not sure) that since so much has gone wrong prior to the trip, […]
It’s a simple idea. One van, two people, 29 states. There isn’t really a set plan. We’ll take it as it comes and see where we end up. The only confirmed date is 26 June, when we’ll be in Bow Island, Canada.