The Hawkers' Complete Trip

Here is the whole story, from start to finish.  If you want to look up any earlier blog, just click on the relevant line.

THE PREPARATION

Friday 13 August - What have we forgotten?
Monday 16 August – The Plan
Monday 16 August – 3,464 miles in 4 weeks
Wednesday 18 August – Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Friday 20 August – Who is guarding the base camp?
Saturday 21 August – The Right Hand side of the U.S.A (The East)

SAN FRANCISCO AND THE DRIVING PART

Tuesday 24 August – We have arrived
Tuesday 24 August – We have a U.S. Mobile Phone
Thursday 26 August – Cycling over the Golden Gate BridgeFriday 27 August - Now we are motoring
Tuesday 31 August – Our Beast of Burden
Thursday 2 September – Newport, then driving to Yellowstone
Saturday 4 September - Bison takes drunk driving testTuesday 7 September – We have left Yellowstone Park
Friday 10 September – Strange Motoring CustomsSaturday 11 September - Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon
Tuesday 14 September – Grand Canyon
Friday 17 September – What have the Hawkers been eating?
Saturday 18 September – From Grand Canyon to the Rocky Mountains
Monday 20 September - Hiking in the Rocky MountainsWednesday 22 September – Custer Park, Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore

THE DRIVING IS OVER

Friday 24 September – The Driving is over – “Hard Rain is gonna fall”
Sunday 26 September – American Football
Tuesday 28 September - Minneapolis
Saturday 2 October - Lake Superior (Gitchee Gummi)
Tuesday 5 October - Minneapolis Revisited
Friday 8 October - Baseball
Sunday 10 October - Sailing in Minneapolis

ON TO THE EAST COAST

Tuesday 12 October - Tips for Travellers
Thursday 14 October - Rain does not Stop Play
Monday 18 October - Last Days in Washington
Wednesday 20 October - Planning for the Homecoming
Saturday 23 October - Boston and Unpaid Taxes
Tuesday 26 October - English Burn Down Towns
Wednesday 27 October - Lost in the Big Apple - Geography Lesson
Friday 29 October - We are at Kennedy Airport
Monday 1 November - Epilogue (some Statistics)

Some Statistics (Epilogue)

We are now back in Zurich, and it is all over. Phew. We are going to need at least a week to recover. We also have to readapt to the fact that Americanish is not the spoken language in Zurich, that the temperature is measured is Centigrade, not Fahrenheit, distance is in Kilometres and that the 24 hour clock is used to tell the time.

But most important, it is time for some statistics about this epic journey. After all, as an Operations Manager and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, I need facts and data. If you do not know what a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt is, don’t worry. It is nothing to do with physical violence. Just be impressed. Here goes:

- We have been away for 67 days
- Had 3 days without alcohol
- Have driven over 6,000 miles
- Flew internally twice, nearly 1,500 miles
- Had only five days when it rained
- Stayed in sixteen hotels / motels
- Stayed with seven sets of old and new friends
- Had only two full cooked breakfasts
- Had one haircut each
- Visited 20 States. Charlie Dwyer says that I can include Rhode Island, where I intended to step out of the train on to the platform for 5 seconds, but bottled out in case the train left without me (and anyway, it was raining). Charlie said that we could not include Illinois, as we only touched down in Chicago, and stayed in the plane. I have cheated to get to 20.
- Can name the Capital Cities of each of these 20 States, or at least I could do this 3 days ago.
- Used $150 worth of value out of our National Park Service card, which cost $80 (Highly recommended)
- Had one text incoming message replicated 31 times (Fault was at the U.S. end, in case the person in question is worried)
- Learned large amounts about U.S. History and the Constitution, most of which I will have forgotten in six months, if not before
- Took 2,700 pictures
- Had tomato juice poured over me once (for which Swiss (Airline) did not give me a free upgrade to Business Class as compensation or answer my counter-proposal for compensation).
- Returned with 57 kg (125 lbs / 9 stone) of checked-in baggage.
- Put on 5lbs (2 kg) weight during the trip, depending on which set of scales are used. (Definite measurement problem here, as we Black Belts say)
- Never supported the winning side on either occasion when we watched them. (We are Ipswich Town Football Club supporters, so what do you expect)
- Wrote 38 entries on the Hawker U.S. trip blog, including this one.
- Spent not many Swiss Francs on the whole trip, and returned with $27.80 in cash.

We are at Kennedy Airport

Thursday Evening (28 October)

We are at Kennedy Airport, as I type this. We have a couple of hours wait, as true to the Swiss Family Hawker habits, we have arrived early. We left Natalie and Wayne’s (in Upper West Side) at 4.10 p.m. and took just over one hour to get to the airport. I am told that as it gets to 5.00 pm and 6.00 pm, the traffic gets worse. Hardly seems possible. We were at the airport even earlier than I had expected. The plane’s scheduled departure time is 8.55 pm and not 7.55 pm, as I had thought. (“Why is there no one else at this departure gate, yet?”)

By the time that this blog is published, we shall be back in Zurich. However, at the time of writing this, I have no idea when that will be, as our modem and router were put out of action, when our Thalwil electricity decided to show its sorrow at our temporary absence, by sending a surge through the apartment, thus fusing or destroying various pieces of electrical equipment. As Captain Kirk said, having been hit by a Klingon missile “Damage Report!”.

Enough moaning. We have had a great time. Thank you Natalie and Wayne for putting us up in Upper West Side.

We now need to plan our re-entry back into real life. If the re-entry is too shallow, we shoot off into outer space, never to be seen again and too steep, we burn up in the thick atmosphere of Thalwil. So the plan is to take it easy. Really easy!! As you know, taking it easy is not exactly a core competence of the Hawkers. (Perhaps “Decompression is a better methaphor”)

In thinking back over the blogs, I realise that I have left so much out. For New York alone, I could fill three more Blogs, full of places which Natalie and Wayne pointed out to us. I know that you all eagerly awaiting the full details. In this case, there is only one thing for us. I shall organise a six hour slide and video show (plus Pauses for ice cream). Don’t be too impatient for this exciting event. I have to organise all my slides, and you know that this will take some weeks. (“Take your time; we wouldn’t you to miss anything”, I hear my dad say).

Don’t worry if you are overseas. Jim Ellerbee tells me that it is possible to organise conference calls, with video over Skype, so there is no excuse for not joining in. And for those of you who miss it first time around, I could record it and put it on YouTube.

I will keep you updated on this exciting event. Don’t book anything for the next five weeks.

(p.s. back on real time, we are online again. Normal service to be resumed)

Lost in the Big Apple - Geography Lesson

We are leaving tomorrow evening. I do not think that Swiss Airlines will let me to update my blog in-flight and I probably will not have time anyway. Get to my seat, shut my eyes and try to get some sleep before the plane touches down in Zurich at 5.00 am body time.

We are really getting the hang of the New York geography. We are saying with Natalie and Wayne Fisher, in "Upper West Side", whom we knew from their time in Zurich. Tomorrow morning we are going "Down-Town" for a trip to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Today, we visited the United Nations building at "East 46th Street", before catching a bus to the Metropolitan Museum of Art near "East 81st Street". Last night, we went to Carnegie Hall ("57th Street, 7th Avenue")to see Andras Schiff perform Schumann.

Yesterday, we visited Ground Zero, which at the moment is a huge building site. However, we were able to see the plans for the new site, including the plans for the memorial ponds, which are due to be opened September next year.

On Monday, we visited the New York Municipal Library on 42nd Street, (this is Mid-Town, very near to Grand Central Station. Not any old station, this one. Liverpool Street Station - eat your heart out.

I have visited the offices of Deutsche Bank in Park Avenue, and then New Jersey City to see my old colleagues, Lino and Charlie and in so doing, experienced the delights of the Path Line.

I have just got back from a 3 mile round in Central Park, as the first stage of my "Get Fit and Lose Weight" Regime.

So how is your geography knowledge of New York coming now? Everything clear? Personally, I find the random layout of Central London easier to follow, but that is coming from someone, who finds the rules of cricket intuitive.

English Burn Down Towns

We left Boston on Thursday afternoon (17 October). Mode of transport was AMTRAK, the main U.S. railway service. It was scheduled as a three hour journey to Stamford, Connecticut, but took three and a half. Our hosts, Dawn and Jim Del Greco, who were waiting for us, were not particularly surprised. We are not in Switzerland.

Hazel knew Jim from her volunteer days in Sierra Leone days a long, long time ago. Much reminiscing about who was where and what has happened to so and so, and do you remember when.......

We spent three great days with them in Norwalk, Connecticut. Plenty of local history and geography lessons. In fact, on the Friday evening, we attended a silent Auction (Hands up, those who do not know what this is – like me, for instance) for the Norwalk Historical Society. Plenty of time to eat, drink and socialise and be reminded of how the English in 1779 burnt down the entire town in the revolutionary war. Well, what does one say, except “Sorry. I think that it must all have been a big misunderstanding” or “Of course. That is what we did best”.

They also discussed the preservation order recently placed on a building that the English did not burn down. Definitely room for improvement in the “Burning Towns” department.



On Saturday, we walked along the waterfront. The Atlantic Ocean (shouldn’t it be the “English Ocean” to go with the English Channel?) is actually 100 miles away, as the Long Island sound stretches all this way. It all looks so small on the map – about 3 cms or so.

A quick drive took us to a second hand book sale at the local library – yes – we are seeing how close we can get to our luggage allowance of 37kg per person – and then to a food market the size of Heathrow airport, to buy some lunch and head down to the sea front. There were so many food samples in the market, that it was almost unnecessary to buy any food, except that by the time you have made one tour, it is time for the next meal.

Saturday evening – a quick look at the internet to confirm that Ipswich Town Football club have lost yet again and it is time to go to a ..........Silent Auction. Is this all that the folks of Norwalk, Connecticut do? Well, possibly yes, but I have decided that it is a very good idea and one that should be adopted more generally. This second silent Auction was held for the benefit of a Norwalk church, followed by a 75 minutes “Night Music” cabaret, by members of the Church Choir. But this was not any old choir and this was not any old Cabaret. The quality was amazing, with the tenor giving a rendition of “Nessum Dorma”, made famous by Pavarotti and many others, to a standing ovation.


Sunday morning was time to take in some American Culture, by reading a book by Scott Fitzgerald (be impressed) and then for a drive into the Connecticut countryside to visit Jim’s mum, whom Hazel met 32 years ago. Then on to Charlie (Dawn’s brother) and his Haflinger horses, followed by a drive through some other villages that the English completely or partially burnt down and back for a Chinese takeaway.

Monday morning saw us once again on our travels. Jim and Dawn took us to the station, to give Amtrak an opportunity to redeem themselves, as we then travelled to Grand Central Station, New York City, for the last leg of our U.S. Tour.

Many thanks, Dawn and Jim for looking after us so well. On behalf of the English viewers of this blog, we are real sorry that we burned your town down.

Boston and unpaid Taxes

We left Boston on Thursday (21 October), having arrived on the previous Sunday morning. It was raining for a change, as we left. Not very hard, I must admit and we should not complain. It hardly seems fair on the poor farmers of America, as they need some rain once in a while, I guess.

Back to the plot. Boston, as you all well know, was a hotbed of insurrection against the British Crown. King George III, to be precise. Most of the memorials and statues from the Freedom Trail onwards, describe how the American people freed themselves from their earlier masters. They were all very nice to us, though, but I have reminded them that they owe a large amount of back taxes, with interest. We can take a vote on whether to give them an amnesty on penalties.


You have guessed by now that we walked the Freedom trail. Actually we walked parts of it twice; once on our own and then again on a guided tour, just so we could be reminded how we English started the shooting against the freedom loving people of Massachusetts.

The National Park Service does a great job at its museum in describing the Battle of Bunker Hill (1775). (Technically the English won, but only at the cost of nearly half of their forces. Very careless).

On Wednesday, we visited Salem, the town where 19 women were hanged, in 1692, accused of being witches. Although there is a serious side, concerning intolerance, prejudice and miscarriage of justice, the town of Salem has turned into a collection of cheap witch memorabilia, and ghost tours, heightened further at the this time of year, by the approaching Halloween. The town itself however, is very attractive.


In between times, we met up with Aaron Ellerbee for lunch, the son of a very good colleague of mine, Jim, from our respective Credit Suisse days. (No photos unfortunately – negligent of me). We also had a guided tour of Harvard, given by an undergraduate. This very slight student, Eddie, had a voice that could sink ships from 600 yards. Just what you need with a large partly of inattentive tourists.


Those of you following the English news will know that Liverpool Football Club have just been bought by the owner of the BOSTON Red Sox. (Hands up, those of you knew that the Red Sox are from Boston. Minus 10 points to all of you for lying, except for Richard Carver who probably really does know this). It was therefore our duty to make a due diligence visit to the ground of the Red Sox, to see whether John Henry is “fit and proper” (as we financial types say) to own such a historic English Institution. (Please. No comments or discussion about whether Liverpool is a “singular” noun or whether “historic” should be preceded by “an”. Usual rules apply here. In all cases of dispute, I am right – very simple). We were told that John Henry is in England at the moment, so he was unable to take any questions personally.


Wednesday night was the last day in a hotel for this U.S. trip. 15 points for guessing how many hotels / motels we have stayed in on this trip? Our room in this (slightly out of) Boston hotel was definitely one of the best that we have had.

p.s. Answer to question in an earlier Blog. The statue in the photo is of Arthur Haley, the writer of Roots, which I have not read (nor seen when it was televised), but which I believe describes the passage of his forefathers to the U.S. as slaves and their subsequent fight for freedom to the present time. Annapolis was one of the staging posts for slaves in the former centuries.

Planning for the Homecoming

We have been reminded of home. We have seen the sign for the Ipswich National Bank. Now I know that there is an Ipswich Town Building Society, but a National Bank, with a branch in Boston. Well, who would have believed it? Almost makes you homesick.


Talking of which, in about one week’s time, we shall be returning home. Mark Hookey tells me that I shouldn’t start to think about this, until we get there – “YOU’RE ON HOLIDAY”, he says. He’s right, of course, but I can’t help it. I automatically start making lists of things that will need to be done.

Firstly, there is the diet. I haven’t quite reached the 200 lbs (just over 14 stone), that I was expecting, but at least one blog observer has asked whether there are signs of “...putting on a bit of weight, are we?”. So now, you can call me “Fatty Hawker”. It’s a fat free, no-alcohol and a daily work out regime for me. Just don’t ask me in 6 weeks time, how the new regime is getting on.

Then there are a couple of pieces of domestic infrastructure that need fixing. While we have been away, our electrics have gone haywire and water has come up through our cellar. Notice our impeccable sense of timing here. Hawkers out; Richard Reincke in; House Kaputt.

The tyres on the car need to be changed to Winter Wheels. I tried to make a 30 October appointment before I left, but BMW’s winter computer was not up and running. Fortunately, when it was, they let me know. So early Saturday morning (30th), it will be down to the garage.

Christmas is coming and it is never too early to start panicking about Christmas. Christmas card lists to do. Begging letters to send out and subtle hints to drop. No – never too early.

Then there are matters of Gadgets. I will need a new Mobile Phone. What about mini computerised books that have become all the rage. A whole generation of computers and miniaturisation has come and gone while we have been here, idling away, learning about U.S. history and culture. Will I need an iPhone, iPhone touch, iPad (and if so, what version), iPod, twitter, kimble, crabapple, iMAX. I will have to update my Garmin GPS to Europe maps (but only if the modem in my apartment is fixed).........Help. I might just stick to my pay as you go mobile phone (With this, I can make and receive telephone calls – that’s all – Cool or what).

Then there will be Grumpy’s blog to revive. Of course, it will have to be renamed and rebranded “Fatty Grumpy”. I am feeling better already.


As a “p.s.”, here is the sign on our motel’s lift. No Jumping. Makes you worried, doesn’t it.

Last days in Washington

With HFS, or Holiday Fatigue Syndrome beginning to set in, our last few days in Washington have been done at a slow slow pace. We have discovered that it is really only possible to see one Washington museum per day (with a few other sights thrown in), to do them justice and before the brain goes into overload.

However, I can now reel off a number of key dates in American history, sing the last line of the National Anthem, and I know that the original Constitution of 1787 contained seven articles and that the Bill of Rights makes up the first 10 amendments. I also know that there were 13 States, who signed the constitution, but I can only name 10 of them. A full investigation for the other three will have been completed by the time this blog is posted.

But I digress again. Back in Washington on Friday, yet another sunny day reigns – no pun intended. I know that you are tired of hearing about our good weather. “They’ll get some really, really bad weather, soon. You mark my words”, I hear you thinking. Actually, I am thinking this too. It is too good to be true.

So, Friday morning started with a full cooked breakfast in Takoma Park, to the North of Washington, with Denis and Kay (remember Minneapolis and Lake Superior? Come on now. Keep Alert), just a few blocks from where they lived in the 1990s. What better way can there be to start a day in preparation for a guided introduction and trip up the Old Post Office Tower, followed by a quick trip around the National Archives.


Did I say “Quick”? “Quick” was the plan. Apart from a “quick” walk down to the gates of the White House, to have our lunch and do some photographic posing and then back, we left the Archives several hours later. The museums are so well done and so interesting. Whether I will really remember any of it in six months time is doubtful, but at the time, facts as well as impressions flow into the mind.

There really is some amusing material. The original of a letter from a school boy to Ronald Reagan, asking for Federal Assistance, after his mother had declared his bedroom to be a “Disaster Zone”, together with the President’s reply, which is mixture of the factual and humorous and ended up with “Please send my best regards to your mother”.


Saturday morning saw us with a similarly naive plan, this time for a “quick” (this word again) visit to Mount Vernon (home of George Washington), and then to go over to Annapolis. We spent over five hours there, and then managed to get to Annapolis (Capital of Maryland, in case you were wondering), for a stroll around the town and then to meet my good colleague from Deutsche, Charlie Dwyer and his wife, Annalisa, for dinner.


Does anyone know who the sculpture represents? This is situated near the sea front at Annapolis. Please send your answers to me, together with a self addressed adhesive email. Answer to be revealed in a later blog. No prizes, I’m afraid.

Then back to Baltimore and ready for Reveille at 05.00 on Sunday to catch the early flight to Boston....and here we are.

Rain Does Not Stop Play

Thursday 14 October

You would not believe the fantastic weather that we have had on our tour, so far. It would only make you jealous. Out of over 50 days, we have had less than five days with any rain, and the rest of the time, has been (largely) clear blue skies. Even the residents of San Francisco complained that it was too hot (after a very cold summer). When it did rain, we were usually travelling.


So today’s rain was the first that we have had on a “Touristy day”. Not bad after over 7 weeks of holiday. And even today, we had planned to go to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum anyway. Anyone who has been there knows that this is a truly impressive museum. It was very easy to spend a whole day there on a rainy day. It would be easy to do this on a sunny day.

A few other activities to report on our days so far in the Baltimore / Washington area.

One day touring the Washington Mall sights. The Washington Monument, the Second World Memorial, the Vietnam and Korean War Memorials. (Did you know that the girl who won the award to design the Vietnam War Memorial had previously been given a “B” for it at college in classwork. It goes to proves that there is hope for some of my work yet).

Oh yes. The Lincoln Memorial, the White House (from a distance) as well and a walk down the Mall as well, up to Capitol Hill. It really is unfair that the U.S. should have all the fantastic sights. They should share them around. No wonder that the English tried to burn down the White House in 1814. They were actually trying to steal it and take it back to Blighty.


Then one day’s cycling, again down the Mall, along the Potomac River, with a stop for two hours at the Arlington Cemetery on the way.








Plus a day visiting the Gettysburg site – yes, you really can spend a whole day there – and a day visiting a less well-known site at the Civil War site of Antietam, the horrific one day battle, the year before Gettysburg.

One day in Baltimore, to look around the Inner Harbour, and to work out that it was really impossible to get around the area without a hire car (the U.S. really does not operate like Switzerland) and there we have it.

So not much to report really. I am exhausted. I’m looking forward to a holiday to recover.

Tips for Travellers

We have been in the Washington area since last Thursday (7 October) and will be here until next Sunday (17 October). I am just about managing to keep track of which day of the week it is and remembering to shave. It will be a few days yet until the Hawker report on Washington is released to an expectant audience, so I will fill the gap with some tips and advice from our experiences over the past few weeks.

- Don’t forget your toe nail clippers. You may be on holiday for nine weeks, but your toe nails are not.

- Wireless Internet in motels is not always what you might expect it to be. When everyone in the motel is trying to read the internet sports pages at 8.00 pm, then your email access may be a little (English understatement) slower than usual. Suggestions to the manager that you think someone nearby may be playing internet games or downloading videos, sometimes seems to free up bandwidth....and forget about video with Skype.

- Don’t believe the propaganda that “You can easily book a motel” and “It will be real cheap”. Cost and quality of motels is highly variable. Holiday-area motels need to be booked up at least 10 years in advance. Having said that, the chains have been the most reliable.

- On the subject of motels, laundry facilities and wash basin plugs seem to be a general problem. Obviously plugs have a black market value, in the same way that lead is stolen off the roofs of English houses. Why on earth this should be a recurring theme is anyone’s guess, but such is life.

- If you are English, bring your own teabags. This is essential. (The local “Breakfast” tea is not bad, but fails the “Get the spoon to stand up in the cup on its own” test.)

- Drawing cash out of ATMs can be challenge. People who tell you, “They are everywhere. You won’t have any problem”, have obviously never tried doing this, 6,000 miles from home. 1) Bank may not accept the domestic cash card 2) Drive-through ATM only. Standing in front of a pick-up is OK, but the glare of the sun on the ATM can caused temporary defeat. 3) $200 maximum withdrawal, but with $3 fee. Skinflint Hawker will do this only if desperate.

- If travelling from Switzerland, do not forget your Swiss Army Knife (this is more of a confession than a piece of advice). U.S. orange skins are made of the same stuff as the U.S. Marines, and in a battle between “Orange Skin” and “Nails”, casualties are high. (The oranges themselves are worth the struggle)

Sorry, but that’s all for now, folks.

Sailing in Minneapolis

Apart from a brief diversion to talk about the Baseball game on Wednesday, we left the Hawkers’ odyssey at the end of the Twin City Marathon on 3 October (which was very tiring, I must say). Marlin and Heather joined the Marathon party and took us back to their house, just a few miles away. In case you do not know (and actually, there is no reason why you should know this), Heather and Hazel shared a house when they were both working as volunteers in Sierra Leone 32 years ago.








We were greeted at their house by a canine reception party of the highest quality. Now that I have taken them out for walks, they will need to be retrained.















So many more Minneapolis (and St. Paul) sights to see. The Sculpture Garden was memorable, not least because the “Cherry on the Spoon” served as the Cities’ own sea-level version of the Mile High Club (please ask privately if this needs explaining). This has to be more conversation-worthy than the Henry Moore....and the neighbouring Basilica (Cathedral) was truly impressive.


Then as if this and Baseball were not enough, we had an afternoon on the White Bear Lake, on one of Marlin’s boats. .....and it gets even better.







The next morning, we went to the Mall of America, where for the first time, we saw an amusement park inside a shopping mall. (“We are going shopping. If you kids are good, you get to go on the rides”...or is it “Muuuummmm - Can we go shopping today?). This has to be the best bribery ever.





Then, sadly last Thursday (but after the baseball game), we had to say goodbye. Thank you, Marlin and Heather for a great time. We will be back again to sail on the other boats (and go on those rides).

As a final note, here is the view from their balcony. Quite a sight.

Baseball

I have already tasted American Football, with the Minnesota Gophers. (Click for link). Now it was time to see a Baseball game. The same level of diligent research was necessary to ensure that I understood the rules sufficiently and that I could enjoy the game, without making a fool of myself.


Little did I realise that I was about to witness one of the great games of the season. The Twins against New York Yankees in the first of the American League playoffs!! For those of you who have not been paying attention, the Twin Cities are St. Paul (capital of Minnesota) and Minneapolis. I am glad that we have that clear now.

Minneapolis won their division and now have to play the Yankees in a five game play-off. Marlin and I went to see the first play-off last Wednesday (6 October).


Starting at 7.37 in the evening (the .37 to allow for TV commercials), we arrived at 6.00 pm to soak up the atmosphere, walk around the new stadium, which has just completed its first season, and for Marlin to explain more of the history of the club to me. We also had time to soak up a couple of beers, but this, of course, was not the main purpose – oh no sirree.

My cricket grammar and vocabulary had to be correctly translated into baseball speak:
Batsman is a Batter
Wicket keeper is a Catcher
Bowler is a Pitcher

Three strikes and you are out. Four Balls and you walk to first base. Three Outs marks the end of the Innings.............I am really into this now.

The marathon game took nearly 4 hours. We returned home at 12.30. (As Hazel and I were getting up at 6.00 am for Marlin and Heather to take us to the airport the next morning, I had already packed).


.....and you are asking, “Well, what happened”. Oh yes. We came second. The Yankees won 6 – 4. Match report http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101007/sp_nm/us_baseball_playoffs_minnesota_2
It was a really good game, and I have no idea whether the better side won or not. I do know that I had a great time. The ground was full (about 45,000, I think). Although there is no band or cheer leaders at Baseball games, the crowd more than made up for this and the ball by ball tension is almost unbearable.

p.s. Very bad news – The Twins lost the second play-off yesterday evening 5 – 2.

Minneapolis Revisited

Tuesday 5 October


We returned from the quiet, but dangerous giant, Lake Superior on Friday (1 October) and are back in Minneapolis. Denis and Kay continued to endeavour tirelessly in their efforts to bring learning and cultural education to the Hawkers . These efforts, we hope, have not been in vain.

Another play awaited us, The Vigil, by Morris Panych. Terrific – a black comedy, performed at a local community theatre. I could bumble on, but the review says it better than me (Not difficult) http://www.howwastheshow.com/2010/09/vigil-a-play-at-the-pillsbury-house-theatre/
I apologise to Denis, for stating, during the interval, a (correct) guess at a possible twist. (I am not really apologising – just showing off!!)

Saturday morning saw Hazel viewing a photographic exhibition, while I cycled around some of the 10,000 lakes in Minnesota. Only 9,989 to go.

In the afternoon, we were taken to the Scott Fitzgerald theatre, to be present at a live broadcast of “A Prairie Home Companion”, hosted by Garrison Keillor. This may not much to you Brits. It is a nationally broadcast show, runs for two hours, and mixes comedy, jazz and country blues and keeps the audience effortlessly enthralled. If you have heard of “Lake Woebegone Days” (which Hazel had), then this is where it comes from. If you have not heard of it, well...what can I say?
http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/

In the evening, we dined at the Dakota restaurant, well known for the visiting Jazz musicians who perform there. We enjoyed listening to Nachito Herrera (Cuban Jazz pianist), who had announced with pride of his approved forthcoming U.S. Citizenship.

(On a 50 foot wall, in the nearby parking lot, some piano music has been drawn. No photo, I am afraid. I think that it is Chopin; perhaps a Ballad or a Scherzo. Does anyone out there know?)



...and there is still more, as if this were possible. The very next morning, the Twin Cities Marathon took place and ran past the front door of Denis and Kay’s house (at mile 18, in case you were wondering). They lay a small Grandstand (“bleachers”, a new word for your English – American dictionary), food for guest and loud and encouraging music for the 11,000 runners. Quite an atmosphere. They even put up a flag to commemorate the 2,500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon. (You did know that this was the anniversary, didn’t you).


At mile 18, there are some pretty tired legs, which need all the encouragement that they can get.

Well, it only remains to say thank you to Denis and Kay for looking after us, and stretching our minds, which will never be the same again, with new ideas. Denis – I know that I did not get that quote exactly right, but it is not too far off.

Lake Superior (Gitchee Gummi)

Now let’s have another short geography lesson for you Brits out there. No points for knowing that there are five Great Lakes of North America, that straddle the Canada / U.S.A, border. But there are five points for knowing which one is Lake Superior. Yes, well done Mark Hookey; It is the most inland one.

Here are some other random facts about this lake. It is (roughly) 300 miles long by 160 miles wide (Nearly the size of the U.K.). Phewee. It holds 10% of the world’s fresh water (so no crabs), and at minus 40 degrees in the winter, froze over completely in 1992.

Of course, you will all know that Lake Superior is “Gitchee Gummi” in the poem Hiawatha, by Henry Longfellow (as in “...by the shores of the Gitchee Gummi”). Well waddya know! http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/LonHiaw.html

We arrived at Beaver Bay on the shores of Gitchi Gummi, last Sunday (26 Sept) and have now (Friday) returned to Minneapolis. We have had a great five days, despite the best efforts of the weather, which swung from the really good to the truly appalling. But we stayed in a fantastic group of lodges, equipped with everything that you could need, and linked to centre with a swimming pool and Jacuzzi. There was even an 18 “hole” frissbee course.


The sunrise and sunset over Lake Superior is a wonder to behold (inadequately captured by our camera) and the forests that surround the lake are filled with wild and bright colours as the Autumn approaches. The hiking through the forests was filled with these colours. There was plenty of the usual wildlife around (birds, chipmunks, but no Bears or Bison), including a demonstration by a local snake on how to swallow a frog very slowly.

If you know anything about the history of Lake Superior (which, of course, we Brits do not), you know the story of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a freighter, in 1975, when the November storms came earlier. The lake really is that brutal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgI8bta-7aw

Beaver Bay is about 220 miles from Minneapolis. The journey takes you through Duluth (pronounced “de Luth”), and up Minnesota Highway 61. Yes – THE Highway 61. The Highway 61 of Bob Dylan fame. (Bob Dylan is a Minnesota lad). I am not sure if the video helps you to get into the swing of this.

The Hawker’s U.S. Trip Blog - Story so far

After so many entries, I thought that I would do a summary, a kind of contents list. If you want to look up any earlier blog, just click on the relevant line.

THE PREPARATION

Friday 13 August - What have we forgotten?
Monday 16 August – The Plan
Monday 16 August – 3,464 miles in 4 weeks
Wednesday 18 August – Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Friday 20 August – Who is guarding the base camp?
Saturday 21 August – The Right Hand side of the U.S.A (The East)



SAN FRANCISCO AND THE DRIVING PART

Tuesday 24 August – We have arrived
Tuesday 24 August – We have a U.S. Mobile Phone
Thursday 26 August – Cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge
Friday 27 August - Now we are motoring
Tuesday 31 August – Our Beast of Burden
Thursday 2 September – Newport, then driving to Yellowstone
Saturday 4 September - Bison takes drunk driving test
Tuesday 7 September – We have left Yellowstone Park
Friday 10 September – Strange Motoring Customs
Saturday 11 September - Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon
Tuesday 14 September – Grand Canyon
Friday 17 September – What have the Hawkers been eating?
Saturday 18 September – From Grand Canyon to the Rocky Mountains
Monday 20 September - Hiking in the Rocky Mountains
Wednesday 22 September – Custer Park, Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore

THE DRIVING IS OVER

Friday 24 September – The Driving is over – “Hard Rain is gonna fall”
Sunday 26 September – American Football
Tuesday 28 September - Minneapolis

That's all for now folks.

Minneapolis

We are with Denis and Kay Hauptly in Minneapolis, in the State of Minnesota. As well as looking after us like royalty, and taking us to American Football games (see earlier blog entry), they have been trying to raise our awareness of matters dramatic. How well they have succeeded you can judge or estimate for yourself, but given the definitely philistine inclination of the Hawkers in matters thespian, I think that they have made a pretty good start.

But first something for the diary. It has not been all Shakespeare and Arthur Miller.


Friday morning 24 September, saw on our Segways, doing a tour of the centre of Minneapolis. Having mastered (or at least sufficiently mastered) the art of the “Segway”, we were led across some of the bridges over the Mississippi River, which forms the centre piece if this great city. Actually, it is two cities, Minneapolis and St Paul (singular – no “s” please), separate and distinct, which look at each other from the two banks of this river, in friendly and cooperative rivalry.

In the afternoon, we went to a lecture on the life and music of Louis Armstrong, by Charlie at the local Lutheran Church. Without a stutter, and with huge humour and banter with the audience, he spoke with passion. So much so, that in nearly two hours, he only got from 1920 to 1929 (by which time Armstrong was 28). Such was the extent of his captivation of the audience, if he had spoken for another four hours, no one in the audience would have voluntarily moved. He will be coming back to continue where he left off. Perhaps we can listen in on a conference call at 06.00 Swiss time.

In the evening, Denis took us to see Tennessee Williams “The Glass Menagerie” at the Jungle Theatre. Denis’ first challenge was to raise my awareness above the level of “Die Hard 4”. But in this play, there are no good or bad guys to win and save the world. Just the gritty and emotionally draining stuff of a dysfunctional family. I am totally exhausted just thinking about it. Once you scroll through the adverts, here is a better précis and (very good) review of the performance.

http://blogs.citypages.com/dressingroom/2010/09/jungle_theaters_2.php


The next morning (Saturday), we visited the Guthrie Theatre. From the outside, described (with some ironic justification, and not by me) as the “World Headquarters for IKEA”, but inside, the most amazing mixture of galleries, (four) theatres, and views of the river and city. This is a “Must” for anyone visiting Minneapolis, even for cultural ignoramuses like me. The enthusiasm of our two guides (yes – two; not tour) and the explanation of how plays are developed and rehearsed was nearly sufficient for me to want to take this up as a second career. Reality will kick in soon.

As a final note of interest, for a short period, Denis was a professional actor. One of his dreams (ambition might be too strong a word) was to play the part of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. He had learnt the part completely. I will be including it in my list of retirement projects, the formation of our own international dramatic society, to support Denis in his dream and me, in my fantasy second career.

Any volunteers to join in this project? (Jim Barrington is down for Artistic Director)

American Football

American readers can now switch off. You do not need to read this, as all this stuff is bread and butter to you. But to us Europeans, these are matters of deep mystery, in much the same way, I guess, as cricket puzzles non-Brits.

We have now “done” American Football, having been to see the local University football team, Minnesota University, known as the “Gophers”. Denis and Kay are season ticket holders. Kay gave up her seat, and Denis took us and Jim Barrington. What an experience.

Now you would think that you turn up, park the car and go in to the stadium. Oh foolish fellow. No. We start with “Tailgating”. This is not sitting on someone’s bumper on a motorway, but enjoying a Barbeque and a beer, at the back of your car, in the stadium parking lot, together with 1,000 or so other fans. For this, of course, you need to arrive 2 hours before kick-off. I bet you didn’t know all that. Fantastic. Who thinks this stuff up? (But don’t worry – it would probably be banned in England on Health and Safety grounds)

Then there is the band. Not any old band, but a 300+ person affair (I did not count them – you are welcome to try). They not only play at the start and half time, but keep up a constant level of musical activity throughout the game at levels of energy that defy description.

What you don’t know is that we have spent several weeks learning some of the basic rules, mostly from the Internet and friendly restaurant waiters. So you must “make 10 yards in 4 downs” and you get 6 points for a touchdown. This requires serious effort. Denis also gave us a summary in the parking lot, while we were tailgating and there was no end of useful hints on what was happening from the surrounding fans.

Oh yes – and the result. Well, being Ipswich Town Football club supporters we were well prepared for the outcome. Starting off as favourites, we lost to North Illinois 34 – 23. Oh dear. Plenty of unhappy fans. Denis suggested that I would be popular by suggesting that the coach should be fired. He was right! (Similarities with English soccer here). For those of you interested, here is a link to the match report, as seen from the viewpoint of North Illinois.

http://www.niuhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/092610aab.html


A quick mention of timeouts. We had learnt about these (Each side is allowed to call three timeouts of a minute each, per half). What I had not realised was that Television also can call timeouts for Adverts. Guess where most of the timeouts came from. Timeouts, plus the fact that the clock stops when play stops, means that one hour’s play plus 20 minute halftime, results in 3 hours 30 minutes of entertainment. When the man in the red cap from the television steps on to the pitch, the game stops. Now that is power!!

The Driving is over – "Hard Rains are gonna fall"

It is Friday 24 September. We are in Minneapolis and the driving is over, at least for the time being. (We might hire a car when we are the Washington area). We have driven 5,600 miles, courtesy of National Car hire, who charged us the lowest amount ($250) for the privilege of dropping the car off at different point from where we collected it. In some cases, this privilege would have cost us an additional $1,000. After four weeks of great weather, yesterday saw 6 inches of rain deposited over the State of Minnesota, most of it while we were driving.

A bit of Bob Dylan seemed appropriate – watch the video and listen. The roads in the U.S. are big and long. Yessir. Big and long. Even Blanding, that small Mormon town in Utah had six lanes (if you count the emergency lane). They seem to be 100 yards wide and take forever to cross on foot. This is pretty unnerving, if you are not at a “ped xing” (see if you can work out what this is?” and the cars are coming towards you, even at a distance and at 25 mph.

Out here in the West or, as we Hawkers say, the “Left Hand side of the U.S.”, there is not much traffic on the interstates (“Motorways”). They are not bumper to bumper with Tesco lorries and petrol tankers. In fact, at times, you can have the whole motorway to yourself, as you calmly cruise through at 65 mph. The drivers seem to adhere, more or less, to the Interstate speed limits. None of this shooting past you, before you even realised that they were there. The speed limits vary from State to State, as they should in a proper democracy (I don’t think, though, that the Americans have a State by State referendum on the topic, so there is room for improvement here).

Most motorists stick to the speed limit. When he overtakes, he does so quite gradually. He is probably on cruise control anyway, and for a while he disappears from the rear view mirror in the side mirror, before pulling in front. It seems to takes forever.

A final word on the use of the Garmin (our GPS). I have managed to avoid having a Garmin. (..and why can’t people use maps – see http://colinhawker.blogspot.com/2010/06/exercise-car.html Since using the Garmin since we have been here , I have undergone something of a conversion (as predicted), but have subsequently had a partial relapse. It is perversely satisfying when something goes wrong that you always predicted. It was not much fun being diverted 80 miles, because Garmin had the wrong coordinates for a particular point of interest, but very satisfying.

Garmin definitely has problems dealing with Innercity motorways, when travelling at speed. I don’t think that it can keep up “Take the exit that you passed 0.2 miles ago” (well...not exactly, but you get the idea). If it does not recognise the road, then you have no chance, and it definitely has problems navigating in Northern Arizona. As I said, very satisfying. How immature of me!!

Custer Park, Crazy Horse and Mount Rushmore

Wednesday 22 September - Now we have just left the last stay on the motorised part of our grand sweep through the U.S. We stayed in Custer Park (as in “The Last Stand of General Custer”) for two nights and have spent today driving through South Dakota. How you can drive all day through one state beggars belief.


You will all be familiar with the scenes of Mount Rushmore and the heads of the four U.S. Presidents. (Can you name them? No points for George Washington). The photo was taken during the afternoon. We returned this morning on our way out of Custer Park to get a shot of the monument as the morning sun was shining on to it.


On Monday afternoon, we visited the “Crazy Horse” monument, which is less well known but just as impressive, if only for its audacity and the single mindedness of its message about the Native Indian people. Without federal or state funding, this monument is being built piece by piece, with no end date. (no budget; no time line; no resources – sounds like some of the projects that I used to run). And to give you a sense of dimensions, the completed face of Crazy horse, is as tall as the individual heads at Mount Rushmore.


Yesterday morning, we saw more Bison. Next week is the round up, after which they are herded together (cowboy film style, aided by pick-up trucks when there is trouble). Then the auctions bring the herd down to 950. Most of the auctioned off Bison go to other National Parks. (Did you know that these lumbering, sleepy animals – see my earlier video – can do 50 mph? – Cooo . If you are British and said “yes”, deduct 10 points for lying, except Frances, who probably knows about this sort of thing, who gets a bonus 10 points for sorting out problems with our cellar).

The highpoint was something much more low key. As we drove away from Custer Park, at 6.30 this morning, we had to stop constantly for the wild life that came up to the side of the road in the dawn, to feed. Birds, deer (no less than 6 encounters), wild turkeys, prairie dogs (like Marmuts, but lighter coloured) and chipmunks (all of them trying to throw themselves under the car, without success, I am pleased to say). One family of deer crossed the road in front of us, while we waited and then vaulted a four foot fence, without saying thank you.

Hiking in the Rocky Mountains

Monday 20 September. No slide show, this time, folks. Sorry. So you will just have to make do with a few photos in this blog.

Those of you who have been paying attention (Wake up, you at the back) will know that we have crossed the Rocky Mountains and stayed at Estes Park. 10 points if you have found this on the map. 20 points if you got someone else to do it for you.

What you will not know (unless your name is Joy or Mike McQuillen or Herb or Joyce Linne) is that the pass over which we drove was closed the next two days because of a (small) forest fire.

We have just had two great days with Mike and Joy in Fort Collins. Usual 7 star service that we are becoming accustomed to here, in this case, complete with slippers, hand crème and Skype calls laid on to my old colleagues David and Daniel McQuillen and the chance to be taken for a walk by their Golden Retriever, Sadie (I swear I outsprinted her once).


Saturday morning had two firsts. One was that this was the first day when the weather was gloomy the whole day. In fact, our rain jackets came out. Aaaahhhhhhh. Poor things. We can hardly complain after 26 days of sunshine. The other was that we had our full American Breakfast, complete with Eggs and Waffles. Hurrrraahhh.


Sunday saw all four of us back near Estes Park, together with Herb and Joyce Linne, for some hiking and more breathtaking views. At 10,000 feet, we were still hiking through the forest, stumbling across the odd lake or two, looking out over the odd peak or three in the distance, together with the odd duck or four, looking cute and trying to get you to share your sandwiches.


The descent down to our destination was full of the rich colours of early autumn. The temperature rose into the 80s (we are talking “Fahrenheit” here, of course) and all that was missing from the landscape were some vineyards.

I think that I speak for the party as a whole when I say that the U.S. parks commitment to peace and tranquillity is fantastic. No mobile phone signals (so no emails on Blackberries). A sense of danger from Bears and other wild life is a reminder that this Garden of Eden is still and always will be untamed. However, no coffee Pauses (stops) is taking this “Back to Nature” position a bit too far.

Thanks to Joy and Mike for their great hospitality.

From the Grand Canyon to the Rocky Mountains - another slideshow (and too much to say)

You are going to need your maps for this one. We have had four days on the road and have reached Estes Park, 70 miles north-west of Denver. You might have thought that the driving is the tedious part between places. I did. Well, the driving and the constantly changing scenery is part of the experience, which is a good thing as we have now covered 4.200 miles (Or is it 5,200?). The Southern part of Utah has the most amazing scenery, with the red coloured rocks, hills, cliffs, and gorges and the Rocky Mountains are like the Alps, but different, if you know what I mean.

Now I am going to have to take this day by day, for my own benefit as much as for your information. I get easily confused. I have a slide show, so you can click here if you get bored with the narrative.
http://picasaweb.google.com/103404285149801869665/JourneyToTheRockyMountains#

(I will repeat this link at the end of this blog)


Monday 13th September – The drive through Northern Arizona is scrub, almost semi-desert, but half way through the day we reached the Navaho National monument for the Navaho Indian Tribe. The photo shows the dwellings carved out of the side of the cliffs. Later that day, the landscape was broken up by towers of rock, that had been left from the erosion of the surrounding rock. Late afternoon, we reached Monument Valley. This really was out of the old cowboy films (“Stagecoach, 1939, with John Wayne, in his first major successful role). We then stayed at Blanding in Utah, a Mormon town, a “dry” town, where alcohol cannot be sold in the town limits, but can be bought at a petrol station, exactly 3 miles outside.


Tuesday 14th – We stayed in the Blanding region. However, remember that “region” is a relative term, as the State of Utah is 50% larger than the United Kingdom. The main attraction of the day was the “Natural Bridges”. It had obviously been raining recently as the Cacti there had seedpods. We must have just missed them flowering. There was also an array of different plants with yellow flowers that seemed to thrive in these arid conditions.


Wednesday 15th – A drive through Arches National Park, full of rock formations with most bizarre shapes, many totally unprintable (who has the crude mind?). Glenwood Springs was our stopping point for the night, where Doc Holliday (remember Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday) has a memorial, which we visited the following morning. He is buried at this cemetery, but it is not actually known exactly where.



Thursday 16th – Before reaching the Rocky Mountains, we shared the small valley carved out by the beginnings of the Colorado River and where the leaves on the Aspen trees are already turning yellow. We now crossed the Rocky Mountains at the highest paved point in the U.S.A. at 3,500 metres (12,700+ feet), which is the highest point that I have ever been (I have never skied at Zermatt). The views (and the wind) are breathtaking, but if you are driving, don’t take your eyes off the road, as in parts, there is only a couple of feet between the car and 1,000 foot drop (and no barrier).

We arrived in Estes Park to stay with Susanne and Thomas. Susanne is the daughter of Joan, one of Hazel’s bridge partners back in Zurich. They run a holiday motel in Estes Park and they put us up in one of their best rooms. I am not surprised that they have been fully booked for the whole of the season.
http://picasaweb.google.com/103404285149801869665/JourneyToTheRockyMountains#

What have the Hawkers been eating?

I know that you have all been very concerned about how well we are looking after ourselves. You will be pleased to know that we are doing pretty good (as my U.S. colleague from Deutsche Bank, Charlie Dwyer would say) or pretty well (as my Dad would say).

Of course, there has been plenty of sitting in the car, while we enjoy the incredible scenery that has been laid out for us. We have managed some hiking / walking on our own, with the promise of more hiking in the Rocky mountains with our friends, Mike and Joy McQuillen this weekend and later in Lake Superior in 8 days time.

Unexpectedly on the breakfast scene, we have yet to come across the “As much as you can eat for $5.95”, so that remains on the “To Do” list. We may settle this point with Waffle and Maple Sirup.

It will not surprise many of you to know that we have been mostly self-catering. Those skinflint Hawkers would not eat out every night, if they can save $20 a time. To help us out on this, we have discovered that almost everything here that needs to be cooked, can be cooked in a microwave. Add to this, the fact that most motel rooms have microwaves and “Bingo”. You can have a three course meal, two beers and a glass of wine, no grappa :-( for $16.35 (or something similar) for two people.

The motel rooms also have fridges. As well as keeping the beer and wine cold, all kinds of other useful goodies can be kept. Once you get on to this self-catering direction, you need butter, ham and salad and cold drinks for lunch (although you can buy a huge sandwich from “Subway”, enough for two people for $6.)

The boxes in our hire car now testify to the fact that we are a mobile kitchen. Clingfilm, salad dressing, paper cups, plastic cutlery and glasses, peanuts, Pringles, pitta bread, left over rolls (which can only be bought in packets of 8, as far as we can tell), half drunk bottles of wine, partially drunk bottle of Bourbon (40% proof; cost $6.95!!) etc are transported from place to place.

In building up this armoury of self sufficiency, we realised that our packing list was incomplete. A Swiss Army penknife would have been useful, so an equivalent U.S. model ($9.95) was purchased. How did we good Swiss people manage to forget that?!

We have bought a “Yellowstone” cold bag to transport the contents of the fridges and we bought a bottle opener, only to discover that there was one on the U.S. army knife and that it was not necessary anyway, as the bottles are all screwtops.

A Final note on the fridges. With the exception of the one at Estes Park (which was as quiet as a mouse), they are all designed to come on every 30 minutes, and make a noise like a lawn mower. My theory is that as most people have the air-conditioning on as well, no one notices. As we do not have the air-con on, and I can hear an ant breathe at 100 yards ....well, you have to write the last line yourself.

Grand Canyon

Today is Tuesday 14 September. I have to keep saying that as I am beginning to lose track of the days. I know that we are back in Utah, having left the Grand Canyon yesterday and are generally wandering in a north-westerly direction towards the Rocky Mountains and Fort Collins, which is about 75 miles north of Denver.

Although due south of Utah, the State of Arizona is one hour behind. This makes for interesting time calculations when you are moving along the State Boundary. (Arizona is in the same Time Zone as California).


There is not much to say about the Grand Canyon that has either not already been said or which you cannot already imagine from photographs that appear in magazines. It does not disappoint. It really is bigger than the gorge in Graubunden between Chur and Ilanz, known as the Swiss Grand Canyon. Actually it is mind-bogglingly huge. Boris Kraus told me this, but it really does have to be seen to be believed.


We spent half a day hiking along the South Rim, within yards of the edge of the 1 mile drop. The views are more varied than I had imagined, but had to stop when the midday sun simply became too hot.

The vegetation, although hardly tropical, is denser and greener than I had expected and goes right up to the edge of canyon. Imagine being a pioneering trekker, thinking that you are on your way westwards and then arriving at the gorge. Providing that you did not fall in, you would have to have believed that you had come to the end of the world.


In the early evening, we went to a popular viewing point and watched the sun going down. Later that night, I saw only the second shooting star that I have ever seen, the first one being in the Ticino region of Switzerland, earlier this year, while sitting on the balcony of the apartment of Bruno and Regina Engel. The stars are so clear. I think that if you had enough time, you could count all the stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way.