My final trip is a 72 hour Amtrak across the top of the States. Departing about 5pm in Seattle, changing at Chicago and arriving in Washington DC 3 days later. Not bad for $220.

As I had all day to pass I decided to stroll around and head across town to the Famous Needle. It is quite a compact city and I was able to reach the monorail, which is a mile from the needle, in about 20 minutes. This takes you there and back for a few dollars. I recorded the whole trip on my camcorder. About 3 minutes. The needle was $16 and gives a fabulous 360 degree view around Seattle. Free telescopes at the top. I could clearly see the baseball ground from there. I then walked around the renowned market on ****street. Great fish displays, crab, shrimp, salmon (becoming very rare at the moment with many embargoes on catching them), fruit and veg. sweets. Plenty of eateries. Very tempting but I resisted as 3 days on a train doesn't give a lot of exercise.

I get to the station at 3pm for a 5.45 train. the good news is being able to check my baggage all the way to DC. Bye bye bags. The bad news is, there is maintenance at the longest tunnel in America (7.8 miles) and the train can't come through it today so we have to get on a bus (Sound familiar) for the first leg all the way to Spokane. A short 6 hour journey. It was actually a pleasant drive taking in Snoquamie Pass, scene of my only snow chain journey. It was a little different now. It was fun listening to the other passengers oohing and aahing at the bits of snow on the mountain tops.

We arrived at Spokane about 10 pm and had to wait until midnight for our train which had been diverted to Portland. If I'd known it picked up there I could have spent another day in Corvallis and gone to a party with Sharon saving the $200 I spent in Seattle. Oh well - live and learn.

After another delicious breakfast with my hosts I set off back to Corvallis in the Focus to meet Sharon who was going to take me to Albany for the next part of my trip, trains from there to Seattle then across the top to DC via Chicago. After a stroll around a local park where there was a 'discgolf' course ( That's frisbies to us, looks like fun) and loads of crazy dogs chasing each other, we headed to Albany for lunch. My Departure time was not until the afternoon but I like to be early when I'm travelling by other modes of transport. You never know when you're going to get a puncture.

The first part (to Portland) was by bus. Amtrak often do this apparently, just like home. I changed to a train and was taken to Seattle, arriving on time at 21.45 just as the Baseball game had ended. The stadium of the Seattle Mariners is right beside the station. I hadn't booked a hotel room thinking I would find one close by. I spend about 20 minutes dragging my backs through the thronging streets of Seattle before finding 'A Best Western' . I nearly booked this online. It was the only decent hotel I found in my wandering. Quite lucky really. I managed to talk the price down from $165 plus tax to $150 inc tax.The most expensive night I've spent in America. A managers special. Always ask for that and you should get something off. Considering all the baseball fans that were in town ( I think it was the Boston Red Socks who incidently won taking the Mariners to 7 losses in a row.) I don't suppose too many had come from the east coast but they probably have a following like Man Utd with branches all over the States.

Tuesday 20th May

to

Sunday 25th May

I had a great time in Florence with Dave( broken leg) and Dianne Rankin. They ferried me all around that particular part of Oregon which despite the cool weather is beautiful. Dave drove everywhere but couldn't join us for the walks. Dianne is a fountain of information, being a biologist and told me loads of things about the flora and fauna as we walked. (I'm dreading the test next time I go). The most fascinating thing was that everywhere we went in a 30 mile radius, they knew every house and the family history. Well, they have lived there nearly five decades, apart from their round the world sailing trip.

I was taken to my first Baseball match. Their grandson was playing. Very exciting. 6- 2 down at the top of the final innings, brought back to 6- 6 before succumbing to the giant kid in the opposing team. (A ringer). A verrry loud mum sat near to us and must have really embarrased her son with her volume, but very funny.

Another first, I was taken clam digging in the mud flats of the Siuslaw river which borders their forest. My license allowed me to collect 36 clams but Dianne was satisfied with about 24. She showed me how to cut them out of their shells and I then passed them to her to complete the preparation before turning them into clam chowder. Deeelicious. This is the first time I have ever taken a living thing to eat. I was wondering when they die. Is it when they are taken from the mud or are they still alive until they are cut from the shell?

A couple of days later, Dianne and I were walking along the old disused railway track by the river bank when Dianne suddenly stopped and whispered, "There's a bear" and sure enough, about a hundred yards ahead, crossing the track was a bear that was as big as me. I thought we may have to be very quiet and walk backwards slowly BUT NO. Dianne said, " I'll stay here while you creep towards it and see if you can get a picture. ( I carry my camera everywhere). So there I was, in the middle of a forest, stalking a black bear that could have eaten me if it so desired. Fortunately, it disappeared before I could get close enough. Dianne caught up with me and said that we would probably catch up with it on the back path. 10 minutes later we did, but this time it saw us first and bolted through the bushes like an elephant on speed. Apparently they'd rather be alone.

I didn't get a picture of the bear but I did get a great snap of a bald eagle sitting on a log on the beach. I got as close as 20 ft. before it decided it was camera shy and flew of. The vultures nearby, carried on eaten a dead seagull until I turned the camera on them then they too took off.

Saturday 17th May

to

Tuesday 20th May

Beautiful weather in Nottingham at the moment. 24 degrees. Rehearsals for Ghost Train are going well and I am looking forward to my 2 week holiday back in the USA starting Saturday 17th. All my train journeys are booked as are my visits to Oregon. (Corvallis with Sharon) and (Florence with Dave and Dianne - Daves leg is healing slowly so tree climbing planned.)

Congratulations to Nottingham forest winning automatic promotion back to the Championship. Bring it on. Only 1 season from the Premiership???

Time flies if you don't use it. The last two weeks seem to have disappeared and I have spent most of it sorting my pictures. 7135 are on the cd at the moment but my next job is to take out the not-so-good. I also need to get writing as I still only have the first day down. (149 to go).

I have auditioned for and got the part of Saul, the station master in, 'The Ghost Train' by Arnold Ridley, going on at The Nottingham Arts theatre June 9th to June 14th.

I am already thinking of doing something else to escape the rat race but as yet I have no idea what and until I sell my house, have no way to finance it. If anyone reading this has a suggestion, I'm listening.

Well my journey has come to and end and tomorrow lunchtime I will be taking off from SFO arriving at Heathrow at lunch tomorrow. Today I left my car at Rivermore for Sharon to pick up. I know its going to a good home and will finally get a service. I have driven it for 75000 miles, over mountains and prairies, through the everglades, in -40 temp and up to 90. All with no problems.

Here's an interesting fact.

If I changed my return flight from DC in May to SFO in Feb, it would cost me £270.

If I get a NEW return ticket from SFO to SFO coming back 2 weeks before my other flight, it would cost $540 dollars.

The same price.

Guess which choice I made. I have also booked a journey on a train from Seattle to Washington DC via Chicago to link up with my May return at a cost of just over £100 (3000 miles). compare that to our own train fares. Mmmmm.

My best wishes to Dave in Florence. Get well and fit as quickly as you can.

Saturday was a great day for driving again. Sunshine and mid 50's and the stunning cascades for company. I only have 250 miles to go to Corvallis so I take a few scenic byways along the route. Plenty of pics again. I arrive about lunch and have bangers and mash at the fox and firkin, very American, dont you know. I get to Sharons by 2.50 and spend a couple of hours picture surfing on the laptop then we all go out for chinese. So much grub for so little money. I'm going to find costs in England a bit of a shock when I get home. Sunday was a PERFECT day for flying so thats what we did. We took off about 11.30 to go and meet Sharon's friend, Mary-Anne, who flies out of Salem at another small airfield where there is a cafe. I forgot to turn off the video recorder and got 25 mins of table talk. Doh! Then we flew to 2 more airports just because we could and then back to Corvallis. I was handed the controls for the last leg. Superb. The views today wer just magnificent. You could see the peaks of Mt.Jefferson, Mt.Hood, Mt.Adams and Mt. St Helens with Mt. Rainer behind it. I took loads of video clips and snaps along the way. If anyone has a plane they dont want, let me know.

Some bad news today. My host for tomorrow and beyond, David Rankin, had an accident with a tree, Fracturing his lower leg by the sounds of it. I'll find out the worst tomorrow when I get there. Fingers crossed it won't completely ground him.

I left Arkansas yesterday afternoon just as the bad weather was about to pass through. I hit a couple of rain showers which brought visibility down to a few feet in seconds, fortunately they only lasted a few minutes each time. Here is a clip from a news item

(As many as 50 tornadoes struck this day, and as many as 15 separate killer tornadoes caused 50 or more deaths in 4 states. Tennessee was the hardest hit with 28 deaths; 13 died in Arkansas, 7 in Kentucky, and 4 in Alabama)

That is the path that I drove through over my last 1000 miles or so. On the way down to Texas I stopped overnight in a fabulous little place called the HAPPY DAYS HOTEL. A themed hotel similar to my first diner way back in September 5th.I'll post a few pics later. I saw some more buffalo/Bison on the way. I am now safely in Texas for the next 4 days so its sunshine and golf for me.

My hosts are Dave and Elizabeth, the newly weds I spoke of when I was last in Texas, and the lovely Isabella whom Dave has just taken to school.

Friday I started my exodus from the wonderful sunny Florida. I crossed into Georgia at 2pm and took the sun with me. My camera is on the blink. It has an intermittant fault causing the screen to lose its horizontal hold. This means I can still take pics until the memory is full, using the viewfinder, but I am unable to download them as the menu is on the screen.

The drive was easy enough but not much to snap anyway. Stopped 2 miles short of Alabama. Sun all the way but I needed to put the shorts away to go out for grub in the evening.

Saturday I passed through Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and into Arkansas before stopping at Little Rock for the evening. Mostly flat but again it was sunny all day.

Weds I spent sunbathing and reading on the beach in 80 degrees. A bit hot for me, slight sunburn on back. Had my monthly chat with John Holmes on radio Nottingham.

Thursday, Picked up my car from Progressive. They have done a superb job AND completely valetted the car. All my hard work getting it dirty in the last 70,000 miles, gone, wiped out, kaput . I spend a leisurely afternoon driving through the everglades along the I-75 to Naples on the gulf of Mexico. I see some kingfishers and water buffalo by the side of the road where a canal runs along the motorway for about a hundred miles, and then North to Naples where I spend the night before setting off on my travels again tomorrow.

Friday I rose late and cruised gently through the keys down to the everglades. Visited a crocodile farm. Had a ride on an airboat . Then drove around till ending up at an expensive Days Inn at the side of the road and by the railroad. Every now and then the trains came by and blew there horns as they crossed the road. Slept quite well desoite them. Sat am I'm on the computer finding a decent hotel for the next 3 days as my car wont be ready till Tuesday. Settle on Pompano. It is about 40 miles from Miami. A great beach and not too crowded. Very nautical. There is a grand canal down the length of the town with lots of watery avenues off. My toothache wont go away so I've booked in for Monday at 9.15. $165 for an extraction. ( I was quoted $365 in Marathon, in the Keys.)

I get up late and casually get ready. My first and only job is to go 25 miles to the insurance company by 12.45. They take my car off me and give me a super Honda while they check out the damage and costs. Results tomorrow. If I'm lucky they will write it off and save me the job of selling it. I was going to drive down to key West but as the heavens opened I decided to save it for another day. It seems that the drought is over. I spend the afternoon walking around the Miami beaches before eating at a beachside restaurant. Its happy hour and dark before I leave with a half hour walk back to my hotel. My legs are not used to all this walking so the rest of the night is chilling in the room watching tv. Temp tomorrow is 70's.

8am start. coldish and sunny. No frost on car. A pleasant drive through OH,WV,PA,WV,MD,DC and finally into Virginia. I reached the White House at 3pm. George was not there to meet me so I didn't stay long. Miami is calling. The temperature all over the states is freezing but getting warmer as I head south. Perfect timing.

FACTS:

MILES travelled DC to DC = 68,647

DAYS 127 + (6 in Hawaii, 2 in Oregon, 2 on the ferry to Juneau and back.) = 137

SERVICING. = NONE. (Perhaps people will start to realise that the auto industry is conning us with the amount of servicing they say we need.)

Maintenance: 1 fuse on day 1 for the cigar lighter. (No charge from Meineke garage)

1 squirt of WD40 to release hood catch that had stuck open due to salt from road. (No charge from local garage)

help from Chrysler mechanics to free hood after fender bender suffered in white-out in wind blizzzard. (No charge from Chrysler mechanics in Terre Haute, Indana)

5 gallons windscreen wash.$16

3 liters of oil as top up when required. $15

9 tyres. $800 approx.

1 set of windscreen wipers. $20

Still on original brakes.

1 new windscreen.$250

NIL traffic citations.

7am start. Cold and clear. An inch of snow on the car from the overnight but the roads have been cleared as usual. They are very slippy for the first 30 minutes but as the sun rises and raises the temp. sufficient for the salt to take effect, I'm very soon up to 75mph and cruising through Nebraska and into Wyoming. I reach Cheyenne at 1pm in lovely sunshine.Its a great feeling to have reached my goal.Its ben quite tough and dangerous at times but its worth it to know that I have done something that nobody else has done ( or would probably want to do). I'm so excited I forget to get my picture taken. Fortunately, I take one with the car in shot and sign the visitors book, so my proof is secure. Nowhere near as spectacular as Wisconsin and I'm soon on the way back the way I came. I was a hundred miles down the road before I realised I'd forgotten my pic. Doh! I am quite relaxed now that the 50 states are in the bag. I just need to get back to DC to complete the circle.

7am start. Dawn breaking in the east. Good conditions so I set off in the hope of reaching Idaho before stopping. I-90 all the way. Another lovely drive through beatiful Montana. After 350 miles the terrain gets a bit more mountainous and the light starts to deteriorate. by 640 miles the snow stars to fall and I have to pull off at a place called Saltese. A very small place but it has a motel and a bar/restaurant (No internet). I book in to the motel and walk the hundred yards to the bar as I wasn't sure the car would get there and back in the snow. A very friendly bar and after eating my Elk burger, cooked by Bobby, I'm invited to take a ride on a sparkling new Dragon snow mobile by Brian Teeters ( The proprietor of ,'The Old Montana Bar and Grill, Saltese Mountain, Junction 10 I-90' ). I'm given a helmet and a 2 minute instruction by Brian and off we go.Great fun. Unfortunately he won't let me take it to Washington and back. I'm hoping the snow doesn't keep me here tomorrow as I'm only 500 miles from the capitol..

8am start. Dawn breaking and a dry start. After 30 miles the sun starts to rise and then the fog follows rapidly. 170 miles along the Ohio and Indiana turnpikes,( mostly down to 3 seconds visibility at 65mph,) it lifts while I get around Chicago and pass O'Hare airport in record time . After nearly clearing Illinois the fog returns and stays for the all but 30 miles of Michigan. .I carry on till passing St. Paul, Minnesota. Another 640 miles gone. No pics today as the fog isn't very photogenic.

I learn on the evening news that there is a 100 vehicle pile-up causing 2 deaths at a place called Madison, a spot I passed about 1pm. They just do not respect the conditions. 1 guy passed me in Illinois, doing about 80. Unfortunately for him, he chose the very spot where a patrol car was sitting. Gotcha.

8am start. cool and clear skies, sun rising. I set off the 95 miles down the I-95 to Richmond and arrive at 10ish. A very nice building that was extended last year and attended by the Queen last May 3rd. They don't like change in Virginia so they made them put the extension underground and cover it to make the site look as before. Thomas Sampson, a guide who met the queen when she visited, took my pic for me and I , him.

Then its off to the other side of the country (2,912 miles ). The weather is definitely improving and the sun graces me with it's company until half way through Pennsylavania, then the rain comes for the next 3 hours, cleaning off the salt I'd collected over the last week. It clears up before I stop in Toledo, NW Ohio.

8am start. cold and sunny. The first job today was to get into the hood (Bonnet). I was told that the main Chrysler dealer had a body shop at back so I headed there expecting a bit of a wait. Justin on reception was very helpful and after telling him why I needed to sort it today, sent me to the body shop after calling them to expect me. I had to ask for Ron who opened the shutters and I drove in. He and John worked on my car which is much more damaged than I realised, for about an hour effecting the tempory repair for me AND REFUSED TO TAKE ANY MONEY. I was so unbelievably grateful, not only for the free work but more importantly to be able to continue on my route so quickly. Can you imagine that in England .

So, 9.30 I'm back on the Interstate. The roads are a bit icy and I decide to take my time.After a couple of hundred miles I break for lunch. After passing into Ohio I stop again to buy some coffee and cold drinks. BIG mistake. I pull back onto the I-70 and in less than a mile a police car flashes by with sirens and lights blaring. The traffic comes to a halt and we are stuck there for over 2 hours while a major smash is cleared up about a quarter mile down the hill.I would have been in front of that if I hadn't stopped. Vermont is proving hard to reach. Carry on into West Virginia and Pennsylvania before stopping for the night at the super 8 motel in New Stanton and the sexy voiced Janet on reception.

I slept quite well, considering. I kept waking as I got cold and reheated the car every 2 hours or so. At about 6.40 the dawn broke and I could see it was a clear day with little wind. After a few minutes, all the truckers in the car park started their trucks.That was the signal that the road was open again. I let about 6 trucks leave before joining them.After a hundred miles of decent road and little snow, I had reached Laramie and freedom . The roads got steadily better and after Sydney, Nebraska it was 75 mph all the way. I had Steak in Cheyenne, Wyoming at 9.30am and Salmon in Omaha, Nebraska at 6pm. before settling into my nice warm hotel room with it's King size bed and wonderful heater. Not many pics as I needed both hands on the wheel for most of the last two days and the snow was so bad that I couldn't see anything anyway.

Happy New Year to all my readers.

8am start. A beautiful dry and sunny day with light winds. The calm before the storm. Within half an hour the wind had increased tremendously creating the most atrocious weather conditions I have ever seen. Just a few miles from Rawlins the snow was being blown so hard that visibility was down to a few yards.The road ahead was closed and everyone had to come of at Rawlins. After 90 minutes they re-opened it ( I found out that it was done to clear the truckers out of rawlins as they were blocking the town completely.) and after i saw the trucks setting off I followed. It was actually worse than before and before long I had my first Fender-bender. A huge RV towing an SUV just having missed a junction, decided to stop. Although I was about 200 yards behind him, it was all ice and downhill. I hit him at about 5mph but damaged was inevitable. I was so relieved to see the radiator was intact. The RV probably never new I hit him as he wouldn't feel it and it was blowing a blizzard off the hills.He just drove off. I managed to keep going to the next junction and left the I-80 just before they closed it again. Many were stuck on it for 5 hours while they cleared a wreck.There was a gas station and nothing else here but it was any port in a storm.It was about 1pm. I and many others were here till she closed at 7.45pm and then slept in our cars.

11.15 start. A late start after spending a night with Dave and his beautiful fiancee Elizabeth. Dave Son Matt, Daughter Nicola and Fiancee James arrived from England for a holiday. Discovered that Dave and I went to the same school, Fairham during the same time and James has worked as my brothers Boss. Amazing coincidences. I'm a bit disappointed to be missing the wedding on Saturday but I hope to return after completing my trip at the end of Jan.

Drove about 400 miles today from Dallas to Okla city and back into Texas ending up at Shamrock. I stopped a little early as the roads started to ice up and I was ready for a rest. No pics worth posting as it was cloudy all day and the road was pretty level.

7.30 start. warm (50) and sunny. I'm only going a short distance today as I'm spending the day with a new immigrant (Legal) to the States. Dave Bilton from Nottingham. He arrived a couple of weeks ago. We had a tour of Southfork (Ex 'Dallas' fame) and I'm now watching the house and dogs while he is at the airport picking up Family.

Tomorrow it's back on the trail as I head to Utah.

7.45 start. cold with a light frost and very light snow falling. (Not predicted) Fortunately it stops in a few minutes. I set off just before sunrise and what a treat. When the sunrise begins it is SPECTACULAR. It starts with a blood orange finger rising over the horizon and eventually touching the cloud cover before the sun makes its appearance in a blaze of red. After a few more minutes there are twin snowbows either side of the sun like two arms reaching from the ground up to the clouds and level with the sun.

I continue down the I-90 back the way I came yesterday. The roads are perfectly clear until I reach St.Joseph (Scene of the 40 car smash last night). There is a little light slush on a small stretch and a few cars parked in the snow thats packed in the meridian.The sun has been up for a couple of hours now and has melted anything that the road crew has left. Brilliant.

I pass back through Nebraska, Iowa, skirting Kansas before slipping into Missourri where I stop about 400 miles short of Nashville. The small rivers are still frozen and the big one (Missourri) is full of small ice floes and frozen at the edges. There is a clear, bright full moon to finish another perfect day. Tomorrow is the start of

'New Years Eve week'

Enjoy..

7.30 start. cold and clear. My plan worked to perfection. As I headed north the snow came up from the SW sweeping across yesterdays route causing a 40 vehicle pile-up on the I-29 at St. Joseph. Phew!. I have a lovely drive thru Ohio and into and out of South Dakota getting back 150 miles towards Tennessee by 6pm. SD is quite similar to Ohio up to Pierre but with a few slopes. I think the mountains start just north of the capital. They have a Christmas display inside incorporating about 100 trees. Very sparkly.

On the I-90, I got a great couple of shots of an eagle hovering. (I think it is an eagle, if I'm wrong can someone let me know.) I passed a tractor museum on the I-90 which I was devastated to find was closed. It was very strange to remember that I travelled this route on the way to Alaska over a hundred days and 50,000 miles ago. It looked very different then.

7.30 start. Warm and cloudy. 50 degrees rising to 60. I set off with the idea of completing 625 miles today in order to get Pierre in range for tomorrow. The reason being that a snow storm is heading this way and should therefore pass me while I sleep. The new tyres are giving me a smooth ride and 200 miles fly by. The early morning mist has cleared and the sun is shining by 10.30. 52000 miles completed and if I had to choose when to have a puncture, it may as well be now.

I pull over to the left of the shoulder and before I have the wheel off, a guy called Sean has stopped to offer his help. (He's a mechanic and local). 10 minutes later I'm heading back 12 miles to a Walmart, that Sean has directed me to, in the hope that I may get them to give me a free one under the warranty. (You know the answer to that one.). I have new blades as well. Total cost $98.

I lose 3 hours in total but decide to complete my total before quitting for the night to make sure that I miss the bad weather Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Missourri =. 650 miles done by 7.15. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

7.30 start. cold and still dark. Sunrises at 7.55 as I near Columbus, Ohio, for the start of a mixed day with clouds and some light snow when I reach Pennsylvania but not enough to bother me.A car on the opposite carriageway had the ice on its roof soar into the air in a single block rising about 20 feet before crashing to the ground behind it in a heap. Fortunately no-one was behind it.

The sun appears just before I enter Harrisburg at 4pm. An hour later I've headed towards Rhode Island and stopped for the night at Bordnersville. I'm treated like Mary and Joseph, 'No room at the Inn's', apparently the whole area is still suffering from the recent ice storm and whole families are stopping in the motels. I drive another 10 miles to Pine Grove..

I leave Sharon at about 2.15 and drive 90 miles to Florence on the West coast of Oregon to spend the night with Dave and Dianne Rankin who I met in Utah last month.

My sat nat takes me deep into a forest, turns left at a sign that says 'No through road', after a mile a sign says 'Rankin Woodlands' so I know I'm on the right track and track is the right word. I'm so relieved that I am here before dark and that there is no snow here. After another half mile or so satnav says' You have reached your destination and all I can see is trees and shrubs and the track is about 12 feet wide and going downhill. How did we manage without mobile phones. A few minutes later I'm safely back a few hundred yards and at the beautiful Lodge that Dave has built in the middle of 200 acres of fantastic, quiet woodlands. While the light is still here we have a brief stroll before dinner meeting the only neighbours that live further down the track, (Richard - Sherrif and ranger - and his lovely wife Monica.) There are Cougars, Bears and other wildlife somewhere in the woods but they avoided me. Spent another lovely evening being wined and dined and just chatting till bedtime. Slept like a log and woke refreshed and ready to tackle the next 20000 miles, but not before Dianne had presented me with a lovely breakfast. Thanks again Dianne. Dave suggested a different route to my satnav plan, advising me to go via the McKenzie river route. It knocks off ahundred miles but is 2 and a half hours longer. It turned out to be well worth the detour. The views were breathtaking and not being on the interstate, there were plenty of stopping points. By 5pm the light has gone but the road conditions are so good and there is absolutely no traffic, so I continue for a further 120 miles ending up in Ontario, Oregon. Just short of the Idaho border.

I arrive at Sharon,s place in Corvallis, Oregon at 5pm last night and get mobbed by Holly the Collie. She gets very excited with stangers for a few minutes. In the morning after Steve (Sharon's brother ) leaves for work we have a stroll around Corvallis and a coffe and Sharon say's , 'Would you like to see my plane?. You could have knocked me down with a feather. I didn't know she had one. So off to the airport (About the size of Tollerton airport in Nott,s. We open the hanger to reveal an antique 1961 Piper, aluminum frame with fabric body. She lets me sit in it as she shows me the controls and say's 'Do you want to go up?'

Oh Yeah.

Up we go, circling Corvallis, over the river, over the town and around the hills.

'Do you want to have a go?'

Oh Yeahhhhhhhh.

I'm flying a plane around Corvallis. "20 minutes" without hitting anything!!.

Definitely the best part of my trip so far.

Thanks Sharon.

6.30 start. Cold and crisp. The early start is to make up for last nights forced stop. I drive a 120 miles before the sun rises through icy roads but little traffic. After a few lovely minutes of morning sun the fog descends to present a new challenge as I pass through Boise. It soon clears and I continue till I reach Oregon before taking a break.. There is still snow everywhere but the roads are generally clear, just a few icy spots to keep you on your toes. After 300 miles I finally get snow free terrain. It's been over 4000 miles since I had this pleasure for more than a few miles. The sun is out and the temp is up to 40's. I pass along the Columbia river for aver 200 miles. The views are brilliant. On the south and left are mountains of Oregon and to the North and right is the river and Washington mountains on the other shore. Dams , Barges, waterfalls.

I reach Salem by 4pm, take my pics then 2 day break.

8am start. cold and icy.After 50 miles of very nervy icy roads taking me over an hour I was ready to call it a day. I stopped for a coffee and continued. Conditions improved and after 5 hours I had made 300 miles and entered Denver where I stopped for lunch. I hear on the news later that during this time 2 crazy people in Denver decided to shoot a couple of people in seperate incidents.

I carry on towards Rawling in Wyoming where I had decided to stop for the night. The mountains were covered in snow biut the roads seemed ok. 50 miles to go and the winds been blowing snow all over the roads and turning some parts into ice rinks. All of a sudden the traffic appeared in front of me slowing to a crawl before stopping completely FOR 90 MINUTES. Two semi's had slid off the road and we were all stuck until they were moved. That took the last of the light and made turned that 50 miles into a nightmare taking another 90 minutes. Treated myself to Cherry Pie and ice cream as a reward for making my target today.

7am start. Snowing with 2 inches on the ground and more promised. I set off an hour before sunrise as the forecast is, the further west I go the less snow. Good move. After 100 miles of blustery snow and the early morning Fargo traffic the snow clears And so does the traffic.,The roads are really good to drive on except when truckers decides to overtake on the lane that has snow on it. For about 10 seconds , if you don't brake, you are in a complete white-out. I brake often.Eventually though, both lanes become clear making the 75 mph easy to maintain. A beautiful sunny ride for the next 150 miles into Bismarck. All the rivers and lakes that I pass are Frozen. The return trip is in reverse making the last 100 miles quite hairy as the snow is still blowing across the road and the truckers are as crazy as ever. I stop at 3.30 as I'm back where I spent last night and the next bit is very snowy. I am so glad I've got my new tyres on.

Only 16 States to go (25000 miles). Goodnight.

8am start. Cool and sunny. First day of december and the weather is still great around me. In N. Dakota (My next stop) the snow is belting down all around as far as Iowa and down throuhg Illinois. Fingers crossed it will be calm when I get there in 2 days time. Today was another fine day through Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC,Virginia and into North Carolina ending up back in Virginia just north of Pilot mountain.

The capitol building is quite small compared to most but is very quaint and maintained as it was in the original before it was burned down when the roof was being made fire proof. Apparently it was very hot that day and the roofers adjourned for drinks across the road leaving the hot metal to ignite the wooden roof. Smart eh.

815 start. Cold and sunny. An easy drive to Albany with very little traffic and sunshine all the way. Very impressive capitol area with some very solid looking buildings. A bit like London. The capitol building was designed floor by floor with a different architect for each one. there is a very small devil carved into the mouldings by an unhappy worker who cursed the building when he was fired. It was pinted out to me by the security guard. (Alexander). Onwards I go ending up about 30 miles south of Philadelphia which I passed through at sunset. I must spend some time there later, it looks great.

8.30 start. cold and sunny but no frost or ice on the car. A good day again today allthough it did snow gently as I passed Buffalo again but the wind simply blew it away. I had already passed through Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania briefly ending up in rochester, NY. 630 miles. The new tyres have increased my mpg by 6%. and the car is gliding again.

7.30 start.cool and sunny rising to mid 50s. Another lovely day in my part of America but north west is getting a hammering with the snow again. I had my monthly chat with Radio Nottingham today, just as I had pulled in to Walmarts for new tyres. 39000 miles had worn me down to slicks which had begun to rattle the car when I got above 60. $312 and on the road in 90 minutes The difference with the new set was instantly noticable. I kept getting up to 80 without realising it. Steady boy.

Ended up back in Terra Heuta, Indiana. Same hotel as 4 nights and 2400 miles ago.

8am start. Cold and sunny with ice all over the car. Warms up to 60's as I drive through the rest of NM, Texas and into Oklahoma again ending up in a small town called Miami. Sunshine all day to give a really nice drive with little or no traffic for the most part.

I was talking to a Kiwi in a restaurant when 2 Texans asked if we were from the same place as our accents were the same. Well I did make a similar mistake thinking the Kiwi was an Aussie. The Texans were harvesters and had just finished getting in the cotton. It's all mechanised these days.

8am start. Just in time to see the sunrise in Oklahoma. It was cols and the car had an inch of snow on it that had frozen. 5 minutes of tickover and all clear to go. Drove into Texas and on to New Mexico arriving at Santa Fe by 3pm (530 miles). I took a load of road pics again, I find them amazingly artistic but I won't upload them to bore you with.Sant Fe's capitol building is quite ordinary compared to all the others but with some fabulous art inside. Santa Fe is all Mexican buildings and quite interesting, especially if you like shopping. A bit cold to wander round so I took a few pics and then headed back the way I'd come. (2050 miles to NY) I reached Santa Rosa by dusk and am settling in for an early night. I think I've been over doing it a bit as I'm quite tired and it's only 7pm.

8am start. cold and sunny again but turns to rain for a couple of hours in the afternoon. A pleasant drive nonetheless through the rest of Indiana, Illinois and in to Oklahoma ending up in Okla city. 650 miles on. I keep seeing plenty of eagles sitting on fence posts and the like , along the hwy. If I stop to get a pic they are off like a shot.The return to work is tomorrow for the locals. Thanksgiving over and a whole month before Christmas.No pics worth posting today.

8.30 start. Cold and very sunny. Another beautiful day to drive through the Appalachians of Pennsylvania touching West Virginia for about 10 minutes then Iowa before ending up in Terre Haute, Indiana. 640 miles today to leave 1200 to Santa Fe..

9am start. Cold but sunny again. I was at the Capitol building and away again in less than 30 minutes as it was close to the hotel and closed because of the Thanksgiving holidays.It was a pleasure to see the return of the sun and it stayed here all day. The colours that were all over the east coast just a few weeks ago have all but gone and they are expecting snow soon. New Jersey is only 330 miles from New Hampshire and I reached it in 5 hours, passing New york, across the GWB for the 6th time. This time it only took about 10 minutes and it was still daylight. I couldn't get anyone to take my pic at the capitol building (2 people behaved like I was trying to sell them insurance. Very odd?) so I had to do it myself. Not bad from arms length.

I ended up a hundred miles on toward Santa Fe.

8am start. Cold and rain/sleet. Another 500 miles of rain and sleet to get through but fortunately it never settles and by 5pm it clears. I was about to stop the night in Schenectady (Easy for me to say) but the weather forecast was saying a couple of inches of snow overnight and another inch in the morning so I decided to carry on 240 miles to Concord. Got here at 9pm. Not many pics today again, 1 of a wall and 1 of a blue sky. I got bored. I'm glad I did Niagara the last time I passed as it was awful weather today.

8.45 start. cold and a light flurry of snow falling. Within 10 minutes it has changed to drizzle and within the hour it is rain all day long until 5.45pm when I finally pull in to Toledo, Ohio having passed from Iowa, Illinois and Indiana on the way. 550 miles of traffic and rain. Memories of England. I think a lot of the traffic is to do with Thanksgiving which is tomorrow. The radio was playing Christmas songs all day, quite fun for an Atheist.

I've just seen on the news that des Moine (Last night's stop) has had record snowfall today of 4.8 inches!! missed me again.

8.15 start. Cold and cloudy. A mundane day today, driving 600 miles across the flat part of I-80 Nebraska and Iowa on a cloudy day meant even less to look at than usual. I passed Lincoln without seeing it. When I was here 5 days ago it was visible fromover 5 miles away. No pictures worth posting. Ended up in Des Moine, Iowa.

Just heard on the news that Des Moine ( I left there this morning) has had a record snow fall of 4.8 inches today. Phew! Apparently, it's been chasing me all day but not quite making it.

8.30 start. Sunny and warm? It's another unseasonable warm day. Records were broken yesterday all over Utah. I drive through Utah and part of Colorado today, another 500 miles of incredible mountains. Just over 1000 miles in 2 days averaging 60mph. I've taken nearly 200 pics today but I will only post a few, the rest will be on the CD. A part of the run today went through the Vail ski resort. Very little snow there and I only saw one ski-run working. The summit was over 10,000 ft but no snow yet. Lucky for me. I stopped at a placed called 'Eagle' for lunch and according to my calculations this was the half way point in my journey. 33,700 miles, 67 driving days (Plus 2 days on Alaskan Ferry and 6 rest days in Hawaii).

8.am start. sunny and cool warming up to nearly 70 again. At one stage I got out the car in the Nevada desert to take a pic and it was so warm I could have set up a deck chair, After nearly a week charging up and down I-80 I decided to ignore Tomtom and take a slightly longer route along hwy 50, 500 miles through deserts and mountains in beautiful sunshine. I also, finally, managed to take a decent picture of an eagle sat on a tree. Went through a small town called Eureka which has a pop. of less than 3000 but sports an Opera house. apparenty it's known as the friendliest town on the lonliest road in America. I can vouch for the second part but didn't stop to verify the first part. I must have seen less than 50 vehicles in the whole 500 miles that I travelled through. Saw a cat running in the desert at least 5 miles from the nearest home.(caught it on video)

Ended up in Richfield Utah..

8.30 start. cool and cloudy risint to mid 60's. Another lovely day driving through Utah and Nevada with some fabulous scenery. I met a lovely couple at a rest stop, Dave and Dianne Rankin from Oregon. They are real travellers having sailed around the world in a 38 footer. Also met an ex Scot in Elko, Nevada, who has spent 27 years making cornish pasties and the like. Very tasty. Ended up at no 28. but too dark to take pic so that's my first task tomorrow before I start my 3000 mile trek to New Hampshire.

8.am start.. Third day in a row of cold but sunny. Rising to mid 60's A very pleasant and fast run 640 miles along the I-80 stopping in Evanston, Wyoming. Winds were up to 45 mph again and I had to wage a war against the massed ranks of Tumble weed hurtling down the road towards me. They look like a hoard of orcs charging blindly towards certain death, bouncing of the car or getting crushed beneath the wheels. See pic of one stuck in grill. .Great fun and no one gets hurt. Took plenty of pics along the way.

8 start. Just like yesterday. I stop for breakfast at Grannie Max's Restaurant off the I-80. 8oz sirloin and trimmings for about £6. cooked to perfection. The Savoy couldn't do it any better.

Arrive Lincoln about 2pm. A very tall center piece (18 stories high) and very impressive inside. I managed to get up to the top viewing floor, in a very small lift, for a couple of pics. Then back down the I-80 toward Nebraska. 1500 miles away. I've mentioned before about this road being less than photogenic but it is fast, 75 mph, so I expect to be there by Saturday night or Sunday morning. Another cool sunset promises another good day.

Oh, I nearly forgot, I received an email from Chris Benson at Lansing, Michigan telling me they have put a map up on their bulletin board with pins following my journey.

8 start. Very cold and icy but a beautiful sunny, clear day with hardly a cloud in the sky.16.f rising to 50. After 10 mins I pass a car that spun off last night 10 mins after I passed. Great pic. I congratulated myself on deciding to stop. I then see the mountain in front of me that I didn't know was there last night. There's a little snow on the road but I carry on anyway. I was exhausted after 30 minutes of highly concentrated driving up and down 15 miles of mountain roads covered in icy snow. I should have put the chains on.

I hear on the radio that they are going to have avalanche training with a cannon. After the mountains there is over 300 miles of the high plains. At one stage I stop to take a picture of the last 130 miles. Clear as a bell. Stop for the night at Sidney, Nebraska.

8.am start. Iced up windows but no snow. warming up to late 50's by the afternoon. It's Veterans day today, as opposed to Armistice Day, so that may explain the deserted roads. Its mainly me, the car and the mountains. The sun is shining and the wind is howling. I pass a massive 18 wheeler on its side at one point. There are plenty of deer running around. Got a small video clip . I stopped for lunch at Buffalo Bill's old town, Sheridan and ate at a restaurant that claims to have the original bar. It definitely looks the part. The building is being completely renovated as a protected tourist attraction. My waitress, Aaron, had the most beautiful eyes but unfortunately was a few decades too young for me. Oh well, the cat can look at the queen.

I'm actually in Helena ( Montana's Capitol) but it was too dark to get my pic tonight.

7.30 start. cool, misty clearing later to mid 60's and sunny. Passed through into South Dakota ending up in Rapid City. I spent a night here on the first week of my travels. A lovely drive through Dakota with even less traffic than yesterday. 75mph speed limit allows me to cover 600 miles before dusk.(16.20). Got some nice video of an eagle by the side of the I-90. A couple of beers in a local bar and then, to escape a drunk lady, I headed back to the motel. Snow is ewxpected tomorrow but I think I will miss it again.

7.45 start. cool but sunny warming up to 60 by Mississippi. There was an aircraft in the car park this morning??

A really pleasant drive through wide open spaces and empty Interstates. Crossing through Illinois, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee and back into Mississippi by 5pm.Bright sunshine all day. All the crops are in now and the fields look all clean and tidy with some already ploughed in prep for the next crop. I was so relaxed I only stopped once in 550 miles. Passed 28000 miles today nearly half way round.

Start 8.00am. Cold and slight cloud but clearing to cold bright sunshine as I headed to Mississippi. I reached St Paul in just over and hour. Got the cameraman from west 5 eye on the news tv. to take my pic. You can tell it was taken by a pro, compared to some others I've had.(I'm not complaining though). The capitol had a very nice warm feeling to it. It cost a fortune when it was built and is going through a renovation process at the moment. The golden statue on the balcony outside is glorious.(The model on the horseman's left of the was not afraid of the cold!!). In the 80 miles between Eau Claire and the capitol I counted 19 deer, 1 wolf, 1 Eagle and 1 rabbit as road kill but I did see my first deer playing chicken. It ran across both duel carriageways and the 30 grassy medium before gracefully clearing the 3 ft fence after causing the car in front of me to break sharply.I hope the hunters were not waiting. Apparently Spring and fall are the worst times for this event.

I'm now 400 miles away, heading for Jackson, Mississippi. Laundry spinning in the background.

I've also just received an email from a guy who has seen a piece about me on Radio Nottingham's Website, so go take a look and you can listen to my last phone call.

Start 8.30. Cold and cloudy, promise of rain or snow. Got a little rain but by the pm I was on the other side of Lake Michigan heading through Wisconsin and away from the bad weather, ending up in Eau Claire, 80 miles from next Capitol. I arrived Lansing by 9.45. It was very cold and extremely windy. I lost my cap crossing the road and had to chase it down the street. In the building I met chris who treated me to a One man tour. He's worked there for 18 years. He was very informed and we had a good chat on the way round. A very warm ambience in this Capitol, especially as it is freezing outside..

Leaving the city, it was a relief to finally get back into some open countryside after so many days up and down the over-populated east coast. The weather improved steadily as I got further west. And I got an hour back as I passed through Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and into Wisconsin.

Pop Quiz - which 4 states have I not entered yet and which will be the last one to be entered?

start 8am. cold and cloudy but changing to sun later before ending with rain after 6pm. I stopped at Niagara Falls for lunch. How anyone can consider going over in a barrel is beyond me. On top though is another matter. Awesome is the only word. The place is quite empty as it is out of season so I managed to get a prime position in a restaurant overlooking the falls. car-parks robbed me. $8 in the USA, $12 in Canada. $12 to go behind the falls in a tunnel that had 2 openings that looked out behind the water . Could have been anywhere.

Set off for Michigan at 1pm. Through Ontario and back into the States arriving in Lansing at 6pm. Too dark for my pic so thats my first job tomorrow.

start 9am. Bright sunshine . cool, rising to 60's. Clocks went back last night. Arrived at no21 before lunch. Not very spectacular and closed, of course. Tony and Alwena Thomas from Reading took my pic. They had been cruising on the Queen Mary 2. They had spent the last few nights in a five star at New York but had to share it with hundreds of Marathon runners and all that set up.

On the way back through Massachusetts it was plain that winter was on the way as the quite a lot ot the trees had lost there colourful coats and were standing naked in the breeze.

I end the day in Utica, a short half day from Niagara falls. May spend a day there if it's a nice day.

Start 9.am. Cool and cloudy.clearing later and getting quite warm again.

Hurricane Noel was teasing the eastern seaboard and threatening high winds and heavy tides but in the end it just fizzled out and I noticed no difference, no rain either.. Reached Annapolis by lunch. It was the first capitol that I would like to live in. A really beautiful, small town with plenty of delightful sites to visit. The sailing fraternity are in plentiful supply especially as the Naval Academy is based here. Chesapeake is just around the corner. Lovely eateries etc etc.

Had to clear New York again before Sunday as the marathon starts at 11am and I don't want to get caught up in that. Reached Connecticut by 7pm Crossing the George Washington bridge for the 3rd time in as many days. No traffic problems this time.

Ended the evening in Hooters, just across the road from my Motel in Milford, Ct. Stunning Girls, wouldn't look out of place in Hollywood. Delightfully Tacky, yet unrefined, according to the T-shirts.Fortunately I hadn't taken my camera as I'm sure they would have thrown me out.

Start8.30. Sunny but very cold. Ice on windscreen. Warms up later to 60's.Ticked off no. 19.by 9.30. They have a corridor of stuffed creatures from the State. One is a Moose and it is massive. There is a bear opposite and if they met my money would be on the moose.I met a lady who works at the museum called Royena Heath who tells me she thinks she is related to Ted Heath and she is the spitting image.

I decided to take a different route back along the coast road (hwy 1 and 1b). I'm told it goes all the way to Florida. Got a couple of great pics of a seagull ( check them out and tell me what you think). By Lunch I was getting annoyed by the slow progress and had seen the scene, so to speak, so I headed back to the I-state to clock up some distance for the day. I reached New York by 5pm and intended to cross the G washington and stop about 5.30. If only.... Big problems at the bridge with one level closed for emergency repairs. I tried to get around it with TomTom and ended up going through the Bronx in the dark. 2 hours later I finally make it about 20 miles into NJ and settled in for the night.

8.30 start. Sunrising but mainly overcast all day. temp.mid 60's. 8 States today. MD, DE,NJ,NY,CN,MA,NH and finally Maine. 575 miles. (Tomorrow I have to go back to about 5 miles from where I spent last night for no.20 then, having passed Massachusetts each day, that's no. 21.)The first 300 was through mainly populated motorways before Connecticut opened up the countryside again. Plenty of colour even along the city routes. Plenty of toll roads as well. ($22 dollars in total). Got a couple of good video shots for the cd. 8 or more eagles set a huge flock of small birds into the air. a complete rainbow in Maine. I also saw my first LIVE Stag on the motorway fringe. It was running scared with the rush hour traffic to its right and the woods to its left. It had a sliding door moment. One way was certain death the other, live to run another day. I'd seen the result of the wrong decision many times.

8.30 start. Warm and sunny, rising to 70's. Headed along hwy98 hoping to see plenty of ocean scenery. Unfortunately, most of the shore line is private and hidden from view. There is an ocasional bit that is public so I got a couple of pics. The sand is beatifully soft and clean but not a lot of it. The view is nothing much to shout about as it is simply water as far as the eye can see. If you wish to sit on the beach soaking up the rays or windsurfing, this is for you. I think I'd prefer Cornwall to all i've seen over here as there is so much more variety is such a short distance. (If only we can get the weather) Let's hear it for Global Warming..after 50 miles of this I'd had enough and set off for Maine. Through Florida, Alabama, Georgia and into South Carolina by the end of the day completing another 500 miles..

7.30 start. Sunny again and rising to 70 degrees. I reached No. 18, Baton Rouge, Louisiana by 10am. The tallest Capitol building in USA. Did you know that this state used to reach up to Canada?

At 11, I was talking to John Holmes on Radio Nottingham again for the monthly update.

Then instead of shooting straight of to Maine I decided to detour via The Gulf of Mexico. Arrived in Destin, 50 miles short of Panama City (the one in Florida) for the evening. Some really impressive bridges down here with spectacular views.

I managed to catch an eagle chasing a small bird earlier. (see pic.)

8.30 start. cool but sunny. rising to 60. A little rain after 7pm. Met a family at breakfast who were going to a small school volley-ball competition.So good luck to Madison and Amy and their friend. And Hi to Barbara and Larry.

A pleasant drive through Indiana. Ilinois then over the Ohio into Kentucky. Arrived at No 17 about 6pm. Found a gent walking his dogs to take my pic. That's Tommy trying to eat me.

I made my first mistake with sat nav later, going 9 miles the wrong way before eventually stopping 750 miles from Baton Rouge.

9.15 start. cool and clear. rising to 60 later. Made Des Moines by 10. Got there at the same time as 4 bus loads of kids. You know I didn't stay long. The outside is the best so far in my opinion. Hi to Chuck Carlson and Mary Meannie from Council Bluffs who took my pic for me.

On to Topeka, I arrived there by 3pm. Another one with building work going on inside and out. Got some nice pics though. I especially like the archer on the top of the dome.

Not much else to snap on the road.

9.15 start cold and cloudy. Slight rain later but clearing for good sunset. Arrived at Indianopolis before 11. Some good pics inside and out.

(The next bit is for my Nottingham Arts Theatre buddies)

Afterwards, I popped into The Indiana reportory Theatre to see if I could have a quick look around and was made really welcome and allowed to join a school tour that was just starting. They were about to see a 90 min production of Hamlet after the tour and I was invited to see it also. Unfortunately ,I had to go as my car was on a meter. A very nice theatre with a vicious looking rake on the main stage, which was getting ready for, 'A Christmas Carol'. They do 9 shows a year and only have 3 weeks rehearsal before the tech. and do not get on stage until then. A good wardrobe and props space with plenty of light. My thanks to Kara (Wearing the green stripe top in the wardrobe pic) and all at the theatre for an informative tour.

Ended the day 30 miles from Des Moines.

9.45 start. bright and sunny but quite cold. Slept well and woke late. All the flying and time changing catching up I think . I had a lovely drive through Idaho, Utah and Wyoming mountains covering another 600 miles and finishing at Cheyenne. At about 7000 ft. I started to get very close to the recent snowfall which, although thinning out with the sunshine, it was still capable of creating some cross road havoc with the strong winds.Weather forecast for next 2 days is warming up again.Got a few nice pics.

I saw evidence of someone's roadkill. A moose, they make quite a mess. I wonder if it was a car or a truck?

At the moment I'm sat in the hotel laundry while my wash goes round. Not quite Hawaii but if I don't do it , no one will.

Yesterday was my birthday and I spent a leisurely day getting from SFO to HNL to arrive in Honolulu at 7pm. It was dark and hence I decided to wait till morning to visit the Capitol Building. I have to say I'm delighted with my accomodation. The Resort quest Waikkiki Beachside hotel have put me on the 9th floor overlooking the beach. I am writing this whilst sat on my balcony sipping coffee and eating fruit whilst the entertainment on the beach is clearing away. It is about 9pm and the waves are gently lapping at the shore. Myriads of people are strolling along the promenade enjoying the cooling breeze. The birds have stopped jostling for a space in the many trees lining the beach and settled down for the night.A few cars are slowly passing by as the patrol cars sit and watch attentively. I can see in the distance the flights leaving the airport and circling across the bay, silently, from about 8 miles as the crow flies.I really do wish you were all here.

Earlier today I was reminded that it wasn't always like this as I spent a few sombre hours at the MSS Arizona memorial. It makes you appreciate the good things in life that little bit more. Afterwards I just went for a drive in my brand new sportscar red Pontiac G6. Thanks to Ryan at budget for the upgrade. 13 miles on the clock when I got it. The drawback is that the speed limits here are worse than Jersey. Mostly 25/35 mph if not on motorway and they are only 50/60. While looking for Pearl harbour signs, I got stopped with a radar gun doing 51 on a bit of hwy that was reduced to 35 for roadworks but the nice man let me off with a gentle warning. Phew! Followed the coastal road for about 20 miles and was rewarded with some beautiful views. Mountains to the left and the beach a few feet from the right with locals having barbies for Sunday lunch along most of it but plenty of space for all. That is definitely the place to go if you are with a group. Met some more nice tourists on one stop telling me about the films that have been filmed around there. See pic.

8am. cloudy but clearing to 80s. Rain after 5pm going towards SFO.

A leisurely drive today as I only have 500 to go before my flight tomorrow at 5pm so I take the scenic hwy101 again but further south than last time. The rush-hour traffic comes to a standstill so I pull off for Breakfast not far from Beverly hills then head for the coast.

Have lunch at Grover beach. Have a stroll on the beach where a string of 4x4's start appearing. (1 gets stuck and has to let his tyres down to move on). While asking the lovely Donna what they were doing ( they were heading for a sand dune buggy outfit 3 miles down the beach) a vehicle pulls up to her ticket station and the cheapskate driver flashes his Gold Star (police badge) to try to get free entry but Donna was having none of it and made him cough up his $5. Why they think they can get free entry for everything astounds me. Well done Donna, I was proud of you.

I've booked in at the Travel lodge hotel right by SFO where I can leave my car all week, breakfast inc. and upgraded to a suite for $100.and they have a shuttle to the airport. Brilliant. The airport carpark would have been $86 dollars.

Start 6.30. Dark but warms up to 81 deg f. later. The reason for the early start is that I've found myself in the middle of the famous Albuquerque Balloom festival and the mass accent starts at daybreak. I arrived just as they start to go up. What an unbelievable site. I took loads of pics and vids for the CD. There were thousands of people there, a bit like goose fair without the mud.

Then on towards SFO. covered another 700 miles as I went through the whole of Arizona and into California ending up at Barstow. A really scenic and relaxing drive through some wonderful countryside. I have done this bit twice now and its amazing how I recognise the terrain already.

There was a forest fire along the way. I could only see and smell the smoke as it was well off to the south of the I-40 which I was on all day. Took a couple of pics.

8am start. cloudy 60's rising to sunny 80's. 5mins of rain in pm.

Back to pleasant driving again through beautiful countrysides of Georgia, Tennessee and Arkansas. 700 miles passing through Chatanooga, Nashville, Jackson and Memphis before crossing the mighty Mississippi again into Arkansas. Saw my first road gang doing farm work. (No chains visible).

Had my first taste of Catfish tonight at 'Jakes', next to my super 8 motel at Van Buren. It was excellent and wel worth a visit if you're passing.

Still on schedule to reach Hawai for my birthday.

9am usual hot and sunny reaching mid 80's. Drove through Connecticut, New York,New Jersey, Delaware ending up in Virginia by 7pm.

I stopped at a small place called Fairfield to get my first view of the Atlantic. It is in South Connecticut and a more peaceful place will be hard to find. It is idyllic. There are a couple of pics but they can't convey how really nice this place seems.

On through various states in a never ending queue of traffic ( Can't wait for the open spaces again) till I got to number 8, Dover, Delaware's State Capitol. I had a tour with my own personal guide.(thanks Nathaniel). The govenor was out so I took over for a while. (See the pics). Filled up in New York and was disgusted to see the price drop 50 cents a gallon a few miles later as I crossed the George Washington bridge into New Jersey.

Stopped again at Chesapeake Bay for some gorgeous fresh Crab at the waterside. A very lively restaurant. I sat by the waters edge feeding the gulls with my chips( Crisps to you) drinking an ice cold bud and enjoying my crab patties with melted cheese. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

9am. Sunny reaching mid 80's. Unseasonably hot, apparently. Drove through the Appalachians again from Pennsylavania to New York and Connecticut. It looks like a few cumulous clouds have grabbed the blue from a rainbow, spread it all over the sky and scattered the rest of the colours all over the mountains. Absolutely stunning. Stopped to take a pic at a viewpoint and a local guy called John Donovan ( family ties in Cork) gave me a brief history of the area. I was looking over New Jersey , New York and Pennsylvania. A great view.

Should have arrived at number 7 about 4pm but a major accident meant the last 60 miles took over 2 hours. I just managed to get there before dusk.

Drove 20 miles out and spent a couple of hours in a bar watching baseball with the locals. I understand it a bit better now. GO CUBS.

9am. you guessed it, sunny building to mid 70's as I head east reaching Illinois just crossing the mighty Mississippi. I had to enter Lincoln to search for a cellphone shop to sort my phone out. I couldn't dial out of area and I couldn't pay via the phone as I didn't have a zip code. If you are coming here, GET A ZIP CODE from somebody and permission to use their address. The times you need one are innumerable, especially for all the discounts offers for fuel, hotels etc. Wasted an hour and a half doing that.Still not much more to report on a day of driving with traffic for the most part. More fields of corn but very few cows. A dead wolf on the road had been dragged some distance painting the road red. yuuk. My permanent plates have arrived for the car and will be fed-ex,d to Connecticut for me to pick up on Friday. I hope I've got the one I asked for!!

Another hotel in the middle of nowhere with no bar or anywhere to go so it's early to bed again.No internet even. Only a few pics today. I must start to take some of humans as I've noticed that there are not that many so far.

9am. Sunny again reaching the high 80's. ( are you sick of this yet?) turns cloudy later with a very tiny bit of rainfall. Travelled the remaining 480 miles to Little Rock with not much to photograph. Still a pleasant journey, but all I-40 at max. speed limit.

The capitol building here is a copy of the Whitehouse. Inside is all clean cool marble. I arrived with 10 mins to closing so just managed to get a few snaps. Outside, I was very fortunate in asking a lady to take my pic who just happened to be the official photographer for the Senator. Lory McElroy.

Got 80 miles off the next trip (Sacramento 2185miles) before I retired to a nice Holiday Inn off I-40 jnct 81. Pool, good restaurant (New Orleans chicken and rigotino pasta - spicy and delicious) and bar. You have to join the club for 2 dollars to be able to get alcohol.

eEarly start as I'm taking the slow road today. Down hwy101 to San Francisco via Eureka and Fort Bragg.. Some great beach scenes and amazing winding roads through mountainous forests of giant redwoods There is a stretch(20 miles before Fort Bragg) that goes for over 10 miles without seeing more than a few yards ahead. All bends and rise and fall.If there had been a car 200 yards in front and behind I would not have seen them. Occasionally you can see the sky. (I'll have to see it on google earth) A great drive to keep your concentration up. I don't fancy it in the dark, ice or rain. The tour de france guys would think twice. Saw a chipmunk. Adead skunk. (They say thats the best sort). Passed signs earlier saying, 'Tsunami hazard zone'. Entered California about 3.30pm to be greeted by a house burning down and the firemen just sat watching it. Loads of vineyards later.

Staying in a posh job tonight, Inn Marin.Novato, 20 miles from Frisco (I'll do the bridge in the light). Just had a wonderful meal of Fresh salmon on a bed of Asparagus and salad followed by Tiramisu washed down with a nice glass of white. The trio played good songs but sang badly with no feeling. Can't complain for 36 bucks.

9am start. Drove 50 miles and found a lovely place for breakfast on the side of another mountain. Cooked by Wendy and served by Roslyn. The best breakfast I've had since I got here. Delicious eggs, real ham, Large chunk of pineapple , hash browns, toast and coffee. A great chat with R. as I was the only one in. It'll be in the book. Afterwards drove 450 miles with one stop for fuel and coffee to go. Most of it I had already travelled going the other way so didn't need to stop for pics. Great view from this motel ( see pic). 1950 miles to Phoenix. I'll cross the border in the morning.

A total of 100 hours to grt from Prince Rupert to Juneau and back. A total of 780 miles on the ferry and 30 miles in juneau. Still it had to be done. Juneau is a lovely town and well worth a coupoe of days if you're up here. Shops that are all local despite selling for the cruise ship tourists. Alaska's only intown Glacier. Massive and blue! An 1800ft tram ride practically straight up.Back on the ferry for the return and more spectacular scenery. More nice folks to chat to. Hi to Elaine, Bob, Dan, Sharon (US) Graham and Beth? from AUS. Sawe plenty of whales but too far away to get pics. Arrived back at 7pm drove 90 miles to Terrace and told all hotels were full and the next 2 towns would be as well.After 8 failures I managed to find a little one, Alpine Motel, off the beaten track.

Good night .

On Friday I set off at a leisurely pace to drive the 200 miles to Prince Rupert, plenty of time for the 15.45 ferry.- It was cancelled and I had to spend a night there twiddling my thumbs. Saturday, strolled round the 'town', about the size of West Bridgford but not so interesting. Ferry was very relaxing and I was probably in need of a rest. Had a cabin but didn't really need it as not many on. Met some nice and interesting people, Linda from NZ, Cathy Petersen (going to works conference) who told me many interesting facts. They'll be in the book, and the delightfully insane twins from Minnesota. See the pic.

The views again were wonderful despite an often persistant drizzle. Got my first sightings of 1)Whales,.A couple of good videos and a poor still 2) A sealion 3) Bald Eagles 4)Cormorants. 5) Icebergs, although they were quite small. On the return journey I will endeavour to take more pics. I got carried away talking a lot. Arrived in Juneau about 6pm and by 6.15 I had found the Capitol building and a man with a dog, who insisted on remaining anonymous but said I could puts his dogs name on the website. ( He could have been an FBI agent or even KGB). But despite the heavy rain he still took time to take my pic while I held his dog 'Taz' .as hostage for my camera. (Just joking anonymous). 3 massive cruise ships moored up. I'll check them out tomorrow while I wait for the 3pm ferry. Then off to Phoenix, Arizona. Can't wait for hwy101 down the coast.

An early start today with the intention of reaching Prince Rupert in time for the 1545 ferry to Juneau. On the way were thousands of fabulous scenes again. Didn't see much wildlife, unless you count local indians fishing with snares. Apparently they are allowed to catch as much as they like. Got to the ferry by lunch to discover that the next one is not till tomorrow at 1545. brilliant. So I'm stuck here for 27 hours. The journey is just over a day long and I have to spend a day in Juneau before I can get back again. I arrive back here at 1800 hours on the 18th. If you don't get any updates till then it will be because of internet access or though I'm sure they have it in Juneau. I'm trying to sort this damn picture upload out so you may have problems seeing my new pics while I work on it. If I can't work it out, its back to abouit 12 a day when I get back.

Have a good weekend, I know I will

A late start today(10 am.) after finally getting to bed about midnight, I think. I've crossed 3 time zones in the last 5 days losing an hour each time. A lovely little log cabin at robsons lodge with spectacular views for about £50 quid. I only just got in as they were about to close when I arrived. Drove about 40 miles on to a place called Mcbrides. A realy pleasant little town? with practically just the main street off the highway. I went to the main street grill recommended by the gas station. As I hadn't eaten for over 24 hours I had a 'Truckers breakfast' consisting of eggs, sausage, bacon, fried potatoes and two large pancakes. the second pancake beat me.

Fifty miles passed Mcbrides I see my first bear in the road. It was a black bear cub but by the time I got my camera ready it was back in the bushes and although I waited a couple of minutes,Keeping a wary eye out for 'mum' it stayed hidden.

Finished up in a place called Smithers about 7pm and decide to call it a night with about 200 miles to go before I reach the ferry port at Prince Rupert. I'm looking forward to the rest as I think it takes about a day each way.

Saw some fantastic views along the way again but only took a few as I'm sure you get the idea.

A very long day. I set off from Harlowton at 8am local time. 250 miles of Montana and nothing much to photo but still pleasant to drive along. Then I pull off at a place called sweetwater and if ever you shouldn't judge a place by its name this is it. After a week of shorts and t-shirts I have to change to warmer gear, I noticed when I got out in Montana to take a pic, how cold it was and the wind could do brass monkeys serious harm. 2 petrol stations, duty free shop, and a bar. Dan runs the bar and made me an instant coffee,I think I should have had a beer. Its very dark inside with fruit machines and a 50s jukebox. The lovely Cathy is the only other customer and she has just come from Alaska where she de-ices planes for Fed-ex, visiting folks.I won't tell her age but Alaska must keep you young..

In to Canada, it starts raining, 200 miles of Alberta, nothing changed THEN Calgary, a massive city. I arrive as rush-hour is getting up. Still 30 mins. later I'm through and then WOW. My first view of Mountain snow. I get to Bannf in an hour and look for lodgings. After a couple of $290 canadian dollars a night offers I decide to carry on driving till I find somewhere reasonable. MISTAKE: Cut the story short I end up driving through the mountains in the dark and total 750 miles for the day before I finally find a fantastic place called Robsons Lodge. I get a little cabin looking out to trees and mountains . I could sit here when my trips done and write the book.

As I'm so near to Mt. Rushmore I decide to take the detour just to get the picture. 60 mile round trip. I decided not to pay $8 to park and pose and took a couple from the lay-by. Then it was back to the grind. I drove practically none stop through the rest of South Dakota, Wyoming and part of Montana, ending up truly knackered at a place called Harlowton, MT. I'm in a tiny motel and the internet does not work so I'll post this sometime later. The trip was truly scenic. Every bend gave a new picture (Don't worry, I didn't take too many). My head thought I was at Winbledon as I constantly turned left and right at every turn.

They have some great signs at roadworks, (Fines double through works or $14000 fine and 10 years if you hit a worker.) very effective. I was followed through one by the Montana Sherrif. I didn't notice till he passed me after the works. They gave me a glance as they passed. Phew.

An Eagle flew by my side for a few seconds, carrying lunch in one talon, a small rodent.

Then I shot a small family of deer.(see the pic on the journey page). Seconds later one shot out of a bush and gave me and it a bit of a shock.

A great day today. Started at 10am (After breakfast etc).Pouring with rain. I thought that might please you. After 50 miles the rain has gone south and I'm heading north up the I-29 then northwest along the I-90 with the glorious sunshine again. The first 100 miles takes me to Sioux City, imagine Lincoln but covered in Corn, corn and more corn. Apparently its mainly used to produce Ethanol and they are worried that the crops aren't producing enough. Could'a fooled me. Moving on into South Dakota and the beautiful black hills (I think).

The radio brings some wonderful new meaning to some words. Instead of wank** use ''Doorknob' .

Stopped for my first hotdog at a really small gas station. After eating it, I prepared to set off again and the car wouldn't start. PANIC!! then I called myself a doorknob, put the lever back to park and drove off. (Automatics, Huh).

Many miles later I turn on to the I-90 and tomtom tells me that my next turn is 709 miles away. Bloody hell.!! At one stage I see the road as far as the eye can see dead ahead and I realise for the first time in my life that I'm actually driving on a globe. I swear you can see the Earth sloping away from me.The Missouri river is crossed and after about 300 miles I finally get bored of the Interstate and turn off at Hwy 240 to side track through the Badlands. Some great scenery here. I took a couple of snaps but I'm sure you've all seen them before. $15 dollars to go through!! On leaving the park I decide to head for Rapid city to stop the night and catch Mt Rushmore in the am. (Thats american speak). The sign says 80 miles and I didn't know there were NO gas stations on that road, very few cars and I'm down to a quarter tank and the cellphone hasn't had a signal all day. Talk about sweat.

Time for a cool beer. Cheers.

Sorry, I've just spent 2 hours trying to load the pics and i've lost them again. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrgh

Sunday and a week gone since I got here. After driving 1200 miles in 90 degree temps. I finally got a small shower. Only then did I notice that there wasn't a single dead fly on the windshield. Either they don't have them in Washington, Alabama or the States around there or they are very smart. I'm in Iowa now and the mid States highways have given up a few. Another strange thing is , when the scenery does decide to open up, and the hills and forests settle back allowing the vast open plains and skies to spread a little, I haven't seen a single aeroplane except near the airports. Hundreds of eagles but no planes?? I passed a slow moving train with at least a hundred freight cars on it, slowly emerging from a hillside. It was carrying 'trailers' and amazingly they were stacked two high.

I've driven 1850 miles so far in about 32 hours. Not a bad average.

I'm going for a swim in the hotel pool..

Apologies for the pictures not displaying. I'm still learning and very tired.

Well, I made the first Capitol today. Montgomery old town was closed when I got there. Very weird for a Saturday at 11.30. As you can see from the pics, hardly anyone around and the only thing open was a Pharmacy?? The two young ladies on the steps are Nicole and Diane from Florida. Thankfully, someone to take my pic.

15 minutes later I'm on the way to Alaska (3922 miles to go). There's a couple of boring pics that I'll remove later but basically, 90 degrees again, same wonderful cruising through Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and ending the evening in Wisconsin, 500 miles from Alabama.

Last night I spent at a motel with a cheapskate wifi connection that didn't work with VISTA hence the late update. Anyways, I duly picked up my car from Juan at one pm. I like numbers that fit. 5 hours later I was over 200 miles away at a place called Natural Bridge. There you will find a wonderful diner called the Pink Cadillac. Pictures will be updated soon. A diner straight from Hollywood. Lovely grub and a warm welcome. On the way I had an extremely scenic drive through lovely countryside with little traffic, once I'd left Washington. After 50 miles I saw my first Eagle gliding serenely on the thermals. Over the next 100 miles or so they became more and more numerous, sometimes as many as 12 or more in one scene. Sorry I couldn't get a picture but the Interstate is not the place to stop. But be patient I've got plenty of time. I passed a very nasty looking accident with a truck down an embankment and upside down along with various cars scattered around it. Police were sorting it.Gotta stay alert.

It's been a very busy and expensive day today. After getting up and doing the usual I decided to pop into Safeway for a quick coffee and a snack before I started looking for a car. I also decided to buy my satnav for the journey from The Radio Shack that I checked out last night. On leaving said retailer, I noticed an Enterprise rental car company across the road and decided to ask them the cost in case I hadn't found a car before Friday. THEY SELL CARS AS WELL. 6 hours later Prince and Juan had labouriosly not only sold me a car but managed to get my Insurance and Plates sorted. A fantastic job considering the difficulties that a non-resident has. Check out the picture of me and the guys posing in front of my ride for the States. A Ford Focus.

I'm now in my third hotel room and getting ready to eat - I'm starving. Tomorrow I take back my rental and pick up the Focus.

Sixteen days to go. I haven't quite mastered the downloading yet but getting plenty of practise. The weather is miserable and damp yet again. What a wonderful summer we are having.

Had a call from BBC Radio Nottingham Yesterday, I'm going to be interviewed next Thursday (30th) on The John Holmes show between 3 and 4pm .

Discovered that the contact link wasn't working. It is now so send me those suggestions please.

One week to go and the anticipation is beginning to overwhelm me. I just sit around waiting for the time to tick by. Packing is practically complete. I must remember to get some US dollars. Heathrow demo is over and everything is calm there now so I'm not expecting any problems in getting away, fingers crossed.

I think I'll go for a final walk by the river Trent and pass a few hours away in the sunshine, feeding the swans and Canadian geese that flock there now.

I,ve just had a fun interview with John Holmes on Radio Nottingham and now the whole of Nottingham are aware of my crazy trip.We are going to speak across the pond at the end of September to update the listeners on my travels. Tony Rae( Hypnotist and positive mental attitude guru) was on as well, giving tips on how to maintain my spirits if I get down at any time.

Just been offered work on the latest Batman film. Typical, now I'm practically on the way. Had to say Noooooooooo.

Changed the car hire to Dulles. Less than 100 hours to fly time. Let the countdown continue. Yippe Ai A .(Sorry, just trying out phrases)