Catch up ...... 2014
Hello, it has been a while ... for this I apologise, but this year has been so busy and its only June !!!!! let me start at the beginning of the year ......
January - I was in the great city of Cape Town ... for 3 weeks on vacation, had a great time, travelled the Garden Route and had a few nice days in the mountains .... can home ... had a few days and then it was back to work, A Northern Lights Adventure, with Hurtigruten, sailing out of Bergen and and all the way to Kirkenes and back to Bergen 12 days of exceptional service and food. There were a few good sightings for the Northern Lights as well. All was good what a great group I had with me ... our little club... would get together each evening after dinner .. and put the world to right .... thanks for your company, it was fun.
February - Back to Norway, and to Tromso, hunting the Northern Lights again, just a short trip this time, round trip to Tromso, again some great sightings of the lights.
March - It was off to Sin City .... Las Vegas for a 3 night stay at the New Tropicana, a day visiting the Valley of Fire ... ending at the Hoover Dam ... we next part of the tour took us to Williams, via Route 66, and Seligman. Next day a ride on the train to the Grand Canyon, what a glorious sight. then it was back to Las Vegas and the flight back to London.
March was also cruise month .... Alhambra Palace and the Canary Islands. Started with a 4 night stay in the great city of Malaga, and arrived during the Spanish speaking film festival .... celebrities everywhere and we were staying at the main hotel ... every time we went out the hotel doors there were screams from the waiting crowds ... the screams soon disappeared when they realised we were not famous starts ... we had day tours of the city, as well as a visit to Granada and the Alhambra Palace, a trip to Gibraltar. We joined the cruise, NCL in Malaga and sailed to Barcelona, Casablanca, Tenerife and Lanzarote before coming back to Malaga, we then had a day trip to Mijas a beautiful mountain town, before we flew back to London, and said our farewells to another great group of people.
I was then home for a few days, and then it was vacation time again .... back to Cape Town ... just for 10 days relaxation, the weather was great and the beach, beer and sunsets to die for ....
Late April/May - It was off to Miami and joined NCL for their Panama canal cruise, stopping off in Cartagena Columbia, Cost Rica, ans Mexico, and eventually disembarked in Los Angeles, sent the group home bound and I stayed on and started a California and Golden West, off we went down to San Diego, then Palm Springs on the way to Scottsdale then it was Grand Canyon time, lots of wind cancelled the highlight flights over the Canyon, I felt so sorry for the group .... it was then down to Las Vegas ... a short trip to the Hoover Dam, longer for me, I managed to have a concrete seat fall on my foot and do some really sore damage, it was a ride in an ambulance for me ... no broken bones thank goodness, but very painful... but all was put right the next day when we stopped at Tehachapi for home made pie ..... delicious ... next day into Yosemite and yet again the views were amazing. Next stop San Francisco .. before heading down the coast to Cambria and as always ending in Anaheim before the journey back through Hollywood to LAX and the flight back to London, sad to say farewell, but hope we can all meet up again somewhere some other time ...
June - Off to Seattle, and the Oregon and Pacific Coast .... some fantastic scenery on the drive to the Olympic National Park, again the views amazing from Hurricane Ridge. Next day it was heading south as we passed Mount St Helens, the great volcano, before we arrived in Oregon and the city of Portland. The next was spent visiting the Multnomah Falls, and and Bonnville Dam, we then had a panoramic view of Mount Hood. It was time to head back to the coast, but not withouot first visiting the Rose Test gardens, some fantastic displays, our lunch stop at the Evergreen Air and Space museum, this is where they house the Spruce Goose the worlds largest aircraft, made of wood. It was then onto Newport and the seaside .... the night we were there we had a great sunset. First stop the next day was at the Newport Aquarium, great exhibits and an outdoor area with a sea life bird centre, we then visited the Sea Lion Caves near Florence, which is where we had our lunch break, before continuing to our destination of Grants Pass for a two night stay. The next day we headed to Crater Lake, well what to expect of an old volcanic caldera at over 7,000 feet ... all I can say is ... AWESOME ..... (there are a couple of pics at the end of this posting from there)..
too beautiful for words, but we also had great weather which of course always helps. The next day it was farewell to Oregon and hello California, as we made our way back to the coast, and the great Redwood Forests, we travelled through these fascinating centuries old trees, we stopped for a walk to see the corkscrew tree ... our over night was in the old city of Eureka. Next day we made our way along the Avenue of Giants, another road lined with Redwoods, in the afternoon we arrived into the Sonoma Valley, a visit to the Jaccuzi Winery and Olive Press, the wine was excellent ,... but I never thought I would say ... olive oil .. I am hooked ... The final part of the journey brought us to San Francisco, unfortunately as we passed over the Golden Gate Bridge .... it was not there !!! .. covered with a thick blanket of fog ... no chance of a view ... we had lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, before our guided city tour, we ended the day with a dinner at pier 39, and a drive around the city and a visit to Treasure Island for some great views of the city. A free day before we head to the airport and the journey home to London.
Well that is everything up to date ..... I am offf now for a few weeks break ... but will be back in August with a Rhine Cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, see you all then ...
June - Off to Seattle, and the Oregon and Pacific Coast .... some fantastic scenery on the drive to the Olympic National Park, again the views amazing from Hurricane Ridge. Next day it was heading south as we passed Mount St Helens, the great volcano, before we arrived in Oregon and the city of Portland. The next was spent visiting the Multnomah Falls, and and Bonnville Dam, we then had a panoramic view of Mount Hood. It was time to head back to the coast, but not withouot first visiting the Rose Test gardens, some fantastic displays, our lunch stop at the Evergreen Air and Space museum, this is where they house the Spruce Goose the worlds largest aircraft, made of wood. It was then onto Newport and the seaside .... the night we were there we had a great sunset. First stop the next day was at the Newport Aquarium, great exhibits and an outdoor area with a sea life bird centre, we then visited the Sea Lion Caves near Florence, which is where we had our lunch break, before continuing to our destination of Grants Pass for a two night stay. The next day we headed to Crater Lake, well what to expect of an old volcanic caldera at over 7,000 feet ... all I can say is ... AWESOME ..... (there are a couple of pics at the end of this posting from there)..
too beautiful for words, but we also had great weather which of course always helps. The next day it was farewell to Oregon and hello California, as we made our way back to the coast, and the great Redwood Forests, we travelled through these fascinating centuries old trees, we stopped for a walk to see the corkscrew tree ... our over night was in the old city of Eureka. Next day we made our way along the Avenue of Giants, another road lined with Redwoods, in the afternoon we arrived into the Sonoma Valley, a visit to the Jaccuzi Winery and Olive Press, the wine was excellent ,... but I never thought I would say ... olive oil .. I am hooked ... The final part of the journey brought us to San Francisco, unfortunately as we passed over the Golden Gate Bridge .... it was not there !!! .. covered with a thick blanket of fog ... no chance of a view ... we had lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, before our guided city tour, we ended the day with a dinner at pier 39, and a drive around the city and a visit to Treasure Island for some great views of the city. A free day before we head to the airport and the journey home to London.
Well that is everything up to date ..... I am offf now for a few weeks break ... but will be back in August with a Rhine Cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, see you all then ...
(the top photos are of Crater lake, the bottom two are of the Bay Bridge and San Francisco)
Hi Richard, some great photos, we had a great time with you, and hope to see you again.
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