2007 Part 2: US and A
In and around United States
Wow - what a quick 5-1/2 months. Travelling in Asia for such a long period was a brilliant experience; we explored many parts of the Southeast Asia region as well as China, Taiwan and Mongolia. Our year of travelling is nearly halfway completed; this is not a pleasant thought with time moving way too quickly...
The next leg of our journey will find us in the United States for nearly three months. This will be a chance to catch up with friends that we both have living in the States, and also a chance for Kyle to spend some quality time at home in Arkansas with his family. We have a good idea as to where we are going now, and we will be getting in touch with friends and family soon to confirm our travel plans, and their availability of beds, sofas or soft floors for us to crash on!
Our initial base in the US will be the gloriously hot state of Arkansas so we can mooch free food and lodging from the Sparks, Doss and Huneycutt homes spread across the state. In addition, we will be visiting the following places between 15th June and 10th September:
-- Hot Springs, Little Rock, Fayetteville, Fort Smith and Eureka Springs (Arkansas)
-- New York City (New York)
-- Washington D.C.
-- Nashville (Tennessee)
-- Springfield, Kansas City and St. Louis (Missouri)
-- Norman and Oklahoma City (Oklahoma)
-- Austin, Dallas and Amarillo (Texas)
-- Southwest USA road trip (including New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah and Nevada)
-- Yosemite National Park, Death Valley, Mojave Desert, San Diego and Los Angeles (California)
We hope to see as many people as possible during our time in the US. If any of our farther-reaching friends' homes are not on the list of places (San Fran, Seattle and Chicago - we are SORRY!), we would love to try and meet up with you somewhere else in the States when we are there. Let's plan!
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler Kyle & Dan
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1
Arkansas, Little Rock: A Cheery Reunion
After travelling around Southeast Asia, China, Taiwan and Mongolia for 5-1/2 months, the fact that we were leaving Asia harboured mixed emotions be... Continue reading »
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2
Arkansas, Hot Springs: Sporty Family of Villainous Ve-hickles
After a quick, but fun, weekend in the state capital of Arkansas (Little Rock), Kyle's mum, Judy, drove us to Little Rock International Airport so... Continue reading »
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3
Arkansas, Fort Smith: Chiggers Hanging Outside
Fort Smith was our third stop in Arkansas during the "US and A" portion of our 2007 journey. The Arkansas city was located on the state border with... Continue reading »
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4
Arkansas, Hot Springs: Magical Water Amusement and Some Fleas
The scenery we observed during our journey back to Hot Springs, Arkansas, from Fort Smith, Arkansas, was just as beautiful as it was during our pre... Continue reading »
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5
Arkansas, Fort Smith: 4th, Fireworks, Food, Films
A second trip to Fort Smith, Arkansas, had been planned at the start of our "US and A" trip in 2007. The second trip was organised so that we could... Continue reading »
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6
Arkansas, Fayetteville: Trampoline Games and Lazy Lake Lounging
After three weeks in Arkansas, we decided to spend another week in "The Natural State" because a friend of ours from London had planned a visit to... Continue reading »
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7
Arkansas, Eureka Springs: Victorian Town Saves Big Cats
The penultimate destination during a 10-day visit of a friend of ours from London was Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The small, quaint Victorian mountai... Continue reading »
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8
Missouri, Springfield: Hey, Swings
Missouri was state #2 on the summer portion of our 2007 journey. To leave Arkansas, we checked out of the hotel we were staying at in Eureka Spring... Continue reading »
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9
Missouri, Kansas City: Fountains in Barbecued Corn Fields
Kansas City was located in the heart of the United States, in the state of Missouri, and it was a place that was famous for its barbecue and jazz,... Continue reading »
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10
Missouri, St Louis: Gateway to Beer and Food
St. Louis, Missouri, was located at the junction of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and was commonly referred to as "The Gateway of the West".... Continue reading »
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11
Arkansas, Hot Springs: We Saw Harry Potter
Even though we were going to be spending a couple of days in Hot Springs, Arkansas, we first spent the day in Little Rock, Arkansas, after our flig... Continue reading »
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12
New York, New York City: Fun in the Big Apple
Manhattan was the next destination on our tour around the United States during the summer of 2007. The enormous city was an anticipated location fo... Continue reading »
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13
Washington DC: The Jury's (Not) Out for Walks
More reunions were in store for both of us in Washington D.C., the capital city of the United States. However, we were able to combine the reunions... Continue reading »
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14
Tennessee, Nashville: Birthplace of Country Music and Tristan
Tennessee - state #6 on our tour around the United States during the summer of 2007 - was where two of Kyle's cousins, Kimberly and Carmen, lived.... Continue reading »
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15
Arkansas, Hot Springs: We Missed Important Sunshine
For our friends and family reading this journal entry, and any other people who have started following our 2007 travels this year, you may wonder w... Continue reading »
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16
Arkansas, Fayetteville: Good Home Cooking
It was a difficult drive for Kyle, getting us from Hot Springs, Arkansas, to Fayetteville, Arkansas, before midnight on the night we left. However,... Continue reading »
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17
Arkansas, Whitaker Point: Hiking Way Above Buffalo River
A famous landmark in the Arkansas wilderness that we had seen on postcards and other promotion materials throughout the state, even in the Rand-McN... Continue reading »
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18
Arkansas, Fort Smith: Final Farewells in the Fort
With two of Kyle's final family goodbyes in Arkansas out of the way, we made our way to Fort Smith so we could see his dad (Leon), stepmum (Linda),... Continue reading »
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19
Oklahoma, Norman: Cheerful Catching Up
Norman and Oklahoma City were two places in Oklahoma that we wanted to visit, so Kyle could catch up with more of his friends, whom he hadn't seen... Continue reading »
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20
Texas, Amarillo: Big Dead Texan Cadillacs
Amarillo, Texas, was where Kyle's friends Jeb, Caroline and Jason lived; it was also the second city we visited on our road trip across the southwe... Continue reading »
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21
Texas, Dallas: Friends and Meals, Meals and Friends
The drive from Amarillo, Texas, to Dallas (also in Texas) was long, but it was not too boring, even though the land was flat and uninteresting. It... Continue reading »
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22
Texas, Austin: The Oasis of Texas
Austin was our last destination in Texas before we moved on to New Mexico. The three-hour drive from Dallas went by very quickly and, before we kne... Continue reading »
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23
New Mexico, Roswell: The Truth Was Out There
Originally, we hadn't planned to visit Roswell during our road trip across southwestern United States because we had little time in New Mexico to c... Continue reading »
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24
New Mexico, White Sands: Gleaming White Natural Wonder
On the road trip that we had planned across the southwestern part of the United States over the course of five weeks, we found ourselves in the sta... Continue reading »
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25
New Mexico, Lincoln: Billy the Kid Country
Lincoln was a town frozen in time, once called "the most dangerous street in America." Lincoln State Monument, a National Historic Landmark, preser... Continue reading »
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26
New Mexico, Chloride: Ghost Town with No Ghosts
Keen to explore the eerie, creepy side of New Mexican towns in the desert, we thought it would be great to check out one of the many ghost towns th... Continue reading »
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27
New Mexico, Gila National Forest: Ancient Cliff Dwellings in the Woods
Silver City (population 10,500) was a nice New Mexico town, so we decided to take our time the morning we woke up there, before heading out to Gila... Continue reading »
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28
New Mexico, El Malpais and El Morro: Walking on Top of an Inscripted Mesa
Breakfast at Days Inn in Socorro consisted of waffles with orange juice and, again, we made the most of the food since it was included in the pri... Continue reading »
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29
New Mexico, Albuquerque: Dirty Route 66 Hostel
It was absolutely fitting that we stayed in the Route 66 Hostel in Albuquerque when we arrived in New Mexico's largest city from visiting the El Mo... Continue reading »
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30
New Mexico, Acoma Pueblo: Pueblo in the Sky
Named "Sky City", Acoma Pueblo is the oldest continuously-inhabited community in North America; that interesting fact was something we learned when... Continue reading »
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31
New Mexico, Santa Fe: One Day We'll Return
Having visited the Route 66 Casino outside Albuquerque for a couple of hours, and then having stopped in Albuquerque itself to have a very late mea... Continue reading »
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32
Colorado, Durango: Mexican Food in the San Juans
Our visit to Durango in Colorado would mark the 10th state that we visited during our road trip across the southwest United States. To get there, w... Continue reading »
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33
New Mexico, Taos: Multi-level Adobes and Wild Dogs
After we left Santa Fe, we thought it would be easy to find the High Road to Taos, which was a scenic drive mentioned in our Lonely Planet guideboo... Continue reading »
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34
Colorado, Ouray: Switzerland of America
The San Juan Skyway was a beautiful drive through the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado. We had a goal to drive the entire loop, which st... Continue reading »
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35
Colorado, Telluride: Ski Town in a Mountain Corner
The town of Telluride was a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains. It too was a federally designated... Continue reading »
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36
Colorado, Silverton: Gold Mines, Ghost Towns, Elk Jerky and Buffalo Burgers
Once the stomping ground of silver kings and railroad giants, Silverton survives today as one of Colorado’s most endearing destinations. It was nec... Continue reading »
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37
Colorado, Mesa Verde: Magnificent, Mysterious Historical Pueblos
After our second visit to Silverton, Colorado, which we had decided to take so we could admire the scenery again and tour the local gold mine and A... Continue reading »
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38
Colorado, Four Corners: Where Four States Meet
Not too long after we had left Mesa Verde National Park, we stopped in the town of Cortez, Colorado, for a quick bite to eat. For anyone following... Continue reading »
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39
Arizona, Petrified Forest: Seriously Old Trees in Multicoloured Desert
Just so you don't get confused, this journal entry has been written to tell you about our visit to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, both of... Continue reading »
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40
Arizona, Canyon de Chelly: Beautiful Navajo Sandstone
Driving further into Arizona from the Four Corners area at the Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico state borders, we found ourselves ready to ex... Continue reading »
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41
Arizona, Phoenix: Haircuts in the South Mountain Hood
The cookies and brownies from Dan's friend, Sally, finally arrived when we were in Phoenix! The box was completely smashed, but the plastic zippere... Continue reading »
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42
Arizona, Sedona: Jerome First, Red Rock Second
Sedona is the subject of this travel journal entry, but we actually visited a small town called Jerome on the way, entitling it to half of this pag... Continue reading »
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43
Arizona, Flagstaff: A Break from Sightseeing
After visiting the Arizona cities of Jerome and Sedona, we finally made it to our last destination of the day, Flagstaff. Since it would be our thi... Continue reading »
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44
Arizona, Grand Canyon: Big Gap in the American West
No road trip across the southwest United States would be complete without a visit to the massive Grand Canyon. It was a highlight during our 2007 t... Continue reading »
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45
Arizona, Monument Valley: Driving through a Moody Storm
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park was a protected area on the expansive Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. The reservation was split across three s... Continue reading »
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46
Utah, Canyonlands: No Kangaroo Rats in Potholes
The 12th state that we visited during our three month long trip in the United States, over the summer of 2007, was a much anticipated one for us. W... Continue reading »
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47
Utah, Moab: Bed Bug Attack!
Can we just start this story by telling you that bed bugs are the most horrific thing either of us could imagine sleeping with, ever? Well, actuall... Continue reading »
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48
Utah, Dead Horse Point: 6000 Foot High Mustang Prison
Dead Horse Point was situated atop a high plateau at an elevation of about 6000 feet above sea level, which was 2000 feet above the Colorado River,... Continue reading »
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49
Utah, Arches: And You Thought McD's Arches Were Impressive
Cove Arch. Double Arch. North Window Arch. South Window Arch. Turret Arch. Delicate Arch. Sand Dune Arch. Broken Arch. Tunnel Arch. Pine Tree Arch.... Continue reading »
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50
Utah, Wendover: Flat Salty Desert
Our unexpected journey to Wendover started from Arches National Park in the eastern part of the state and continued across the state towards the no... Continue reading »
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51
Utah, Salt Lake City: Mormon Capital of the World
One of the few times that it was feasible for Dan to drive during our road trip was in Utah, when we travelled from Wendover to Salt Lake City. The... Continue reading »
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52
Utah, Bryce Canyon: Hoodoos for You to View
Bryce Canyon was another one of our must-see destinations in the United States during our road trip across the southwest United States. When we had... Continue reading »
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53
Utah, Zion: National Park of Beautiful Hikes
Waking up inside our tent at KOA Kampground in Greendale, Utah, was a really serene experience. The campground was nestled in a small valley surrou... Continue reading »
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54
Nevada, Las Vegas: Brightly Lit Metropolis in the Desert
The next stop after visiting the beautiful Zion National Park in southwestern Utah was a much-anticipated destination of ours during our road trip... Continue reading »
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55
California, Death Valley: Hot, Desolate and Salty with a Golf Course
California marked the 14th and last state that we visited in the United States during our three months there during the summer of 2007. We started... Continue reading »
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56
California, Mojave Desert: Quick Drive Through Deserted Preserve
Mojave National Preserve was located in southeastern California between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40 with the nearest large city being Las Vegas... Continue reading »
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57
California, Los Angeles: Multiple Drive-by Shootings
Since both of us had been to Los Angeles before, there wasn't any pressure to do much sightseeing there. However, since we know that many people ma... Continue reading »
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58
Arkansas, Fayetteville: Birthday Cookies and Mexican Food
Flying to Arkansas from Australia was a last-minute thing that Kyle decided to do. His grandfather (Bob) passed away a few weeks ago, and his mum (... Continue reading »
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59
Arkansas, Fort Smith: Fires Won't Stop Family Togetherness
Kyle had to leave Dan for about a week in order to return to Arkansas and spend some necessary time with his family. If you have read the previous... Continue reading »
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60
Arkansas, Russellville: Excellent Seafood Meal for Thanksgiving
The next stop during Kyle's week back in the US for Thanksgiving was Russellville, Arkansas, to visit his brother-in-law's (Clay's) parents. Clay d... Continue reading »
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61
Arkansas, Hot Springs: Weekend of Unexpected and Beautiful Surprises
The initial reason that Kyle booked a flight back to the United States from Australia was to go to Hot Springs in order to surprise his mum (Judy)... Continue reading »
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