USA Trip

Spectacular place, but but it was very hot, and crowded



Back in Montana, found a camp just behind this bar, sowent in for a beer. We were chatting to the barman, when we heard a bell, the barman opened a flap behind him,and there was a guy sitting in his truck, ordering a drink!Just like MacDonalds, it was a drivethru bar! In disbelief I asked the barman 'Can you drink and drive in Montana?' and he said 'Sure you can, but you can't be drunk and drive' Visited the site of the Battle of Little Bighorn, Custer's last stand.. Was eerie walking on the path the soldiers took - headstones marking where each trooper fell. The Indian

guide gave us a very different version of history.Mt Rushmore is well known, but 16 miles away is an even larger sculpture in progress - Cheif Crazy Horse

most of the mountain will be carved away to reveal him on his horse

The South Dakota badlands - arid and lifeless, and strangely attractive..



The Corn Palace at Mitchell - a new pattern of corn cobs every year.. recrossed the Mississippi at Minneapolis..

Next was Oshkosh - scene of the annual ExperimentaAircraft Association air show. Had to meet my step-fatherDennis here, all the way from Zim. At 71 he'd decided to buy a kit plane! Many to choose from.

free beer and food at the foreign visitors dinner...Dennis joined us , so now there were 3 in the van. He'dstay in motels each night and we'd sleep in the carpark - and use his hotel shower.

Detroit, rapidly becomming Americas newest ghost town - The car plants are all gone,The support industries have moved to Mexico....

And the people are leaving - population had dropped from 2 million to 700000.



The Michigan Railway HQ - now completely empty...back to Canada - Toronto, and the biggest freeway I've ever driven on...



After 4 days there, on the ferry and back into the USA.....and into beautiful Vermont - no industry, no billboards... Then to Maine, with it's covered bridges ..

...and of course, Maine red lobsters....

Back to the Atlantic coast at Bar HarbourWent on a pilgrimage to Walden Pond, Concord, where Thoreau lived in a shed, and wrote about living with economy, simplicity, and close to nature...

..the basic idea behind this trip. The posts mark the spot.NY from the Staten Island Ferry, only 5 years before WTC came down but the debt clock keeps on going up - $5.1tn then - $20 tn now

had 4 days in Washington touring the sites, and the Smithsonian museums

We dropped Dennis off at Dulles Airport for his return to Zim, and by now we were touristed out, so had auneventful run back to Florida, where we put the van in storage, and headed back to SA to sort out visas.