New Photos of the Wild West available

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Yabba dabba doo

Apologies to loyal fans for the week long delay between entries, but the wilds of Wyoming and South Dakota are not exactly awash with internet cafes. This is being typed in the airport lounge at Dallas, en route to Florida. We have had an excellent couple of weeks out of the big cities. After our last entry, we spent 2 nights in Idaho Springs, in what takes the worst accommodation of the trip award so far. The highlight of this town, though, was the people. On the first night, we ended up in the bar above a Mexican Restaurant, where they were having a karaoke night. After trying out her skills in a room full of friends in Kyoto, Maddi decided that she was ready for the large bar full of strangers. She had no idea that she had a secret passion for public performance. Suffice it to say, at the time we departed she had performed 6 times, and been invited repeatedly by some locals at the next table for karaoke in the next town the subsequent evening. She even performed (at his request) a duet with the guy running the karaoke machine. The next night we met a great bartender called Holly who said we should come back the next day before we left, as she had a present for us. As a result, Maddi is now the proud owner of a t-shirt which reads...'Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy'. Still not sure where it will be appropriate to wear it!

After that we headed north through Wyoming taking a detour to take some photos of Devil's Tower, the mountain featured in 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'. We had the phone number of a distant connection of Adam's Nan, a guy called Greg, who lived in Custer, South Dakota, in the Black Hills. Without knowing us at all, he welcomed us into the campground he manages, and let us stay in his RV for 5 nights (thanks again Greg!). It was called "Flintstones" for a reason. Everything looked like buildings from the cartoon, including a Bedrock City Theme Park. As we had the good luck to be there during the biggest day of the year in Custer, Gold Discovery Day, we were recruited to help the campground with the festivities. As a result, we were outfitted in fur (Adam in shaggy grey, Maddi in enticing leopard skin) and represented our campground as runners in the hospital bed races on one of the streets in town, with a fully suited up Barney Rubble on the bed. Maddi was interviewed by the local TV station, and according to our sources actually appeared on the news that night. We don't think it will get syndicated by CNN so you at home might not see it. The next day, again all furred up, we were in the Bedrock City Train as part of the big street parade, throwing candy to the kiddies and waving like celebrities. It was such a laugh that we have told Greg we will be back again next year. We stopped in at the notorious local Gold Pan Saloon, to have a drink at the only bar where the floors are paved in ...foot thick sawdust.

We saw the local sights, including Mt Rushmore, and the Indian equivalent, Crazy Horse, of which only the head is finished after 50 years of work. The Black Hills area was great, and one of the definite highlights was driving in our PT Cruiser through a herd of about 200 wild buffalo. The up close pics may be a bit blurred as Maddi's hand was a little shaky (they are known to be dangerous, and we were only 1 metre away at times). We experienced all the meaty delights the west has to offer, dining on buffalo, beef and elk during our stay. We visited the town of Deadwood, where Wild Bill Hickock met an untimely death with a bullet to the back, but the old world facades hid a collection of poker machine ridden casinos. We were lucky enough to travel through the Badlands during a rainstorm. It is a large area of coloured peaks and valleys made of limestone, with no visible plant life, and the rain brings out the colours.

We also spent a couple of days on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. We did not realise that the accommodation we had booked was predominantly a hunting lodge. On the first night we met an ex police officer from Mississippi who had brought all 12!! of his guns with him for prairie dog hunting. Picture a cute little animal a bit like a meercat, and then imagine our dismay as he described the 'mist of blood' that you see after you shoot one from 400 yards. The Reservation was very hot and dry, and was covered in small collections of 3 or 4 houses that are inhabited by all the descendents of each particular Indian elder who settled there. They are described as the poorest counties in USA, and this is very apparent when you are there. We went through some very interesting small Indian run museums, and met a few Indian people who told us a little more about what life was like for them. It was a diverse mix of rich cultural heritage, poverty and the occasional casino.

Thanks for all the comments, emails and text messages, and we will upload more photos soon.

Yippee-i-o and God bless America

Today we are leaving Colorado Springs, a lovely town about an hour South of Denver. We were a little concerned that it might be flooded out, because when we landed in Colorado a few days ago they were in the middle of days of downpour and flooding. At least one of the roads we would otherwise have taken was washed out. We are in at about 6000 feet elevation here, and are surrounded by 'fourteeners', which is what the locals call mountains higher than 14 000 feet. It is beautiful country.

Yesterday we drove to the top of Pike's Peak. Maddi had no idea of its significance, but apparently it is the location for a world renowned hill climb car race (missed it by 10 days). Adam refused to go up on the scenic railway...we had to drive the route! The scenery was amazing, and the lack of guardrails when the road was dirt and the drop precipitous was a little hair raising. We took a photo of a car that had just recently run off the side, thankfully only into a little ditch. The altitude made us both feel a little lightheaded when we got to the top. A few photos and a deep fried donut, and we had to descend again because we both felt so strange.

The weather here is interesting. Every morning it is sunny and clear, and every afternoon there is thunder, lighning and downpours. At least it makes us get up early.

Last night we went to the Colorado Springs rodeo, a once a year event. All the locals were there in their cowboy hats and boots. We saw bucking broncos, bull riding, steer roping, and the craziest one...wild cow milking. It basically involved a team of hapless people on foot chasing a wild cow, holding it down, and milking it into a bottle. Weird! It was excellent fun though, and it felt like we were getting into a part of the US you would not see in LA. It was patriots night, so there was a lot of God Bless America and fight the war on terror, as well as a standing ovation for a couple of returned servicemen.

We will spend the next 10 days on the road, heading to South Dakota to stay on a Native American reservation. We will write again soon

Photos of California and Las Vegas now available!

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All you need is love

We are writing this in the Qantas Lounge at LAX...finally getting our money's worth from the membership! We are heading from Las Vegas to Denver after a few days of glitz and glitter. Since we left LA, we drove to Sequoia National Park for a few nights in a cabin in a campground. It was a fantastic period of peace and quiet after the hubbub of LA. There were huge trees all around us, and hardly anyone else there, as they were all in the cities for 4th of July fireworks. We cooked our own meals (a real luxury as any traveller knows) and had a great time. Unfortunately Maddi was struck down with her second viral illness of the trip, so Adam had to do the uphill trail walk on his own. There were no bears, mountain lion or rattler sightings, despite the fear inducing pamphlets in the cabin. The guy running the campground said he had to shoot a bear about 4 years ago after some Dutch tourists aggravated one by taking flash photos (good thinking guys).

The drive to Las Vegas was long and hot, through the Mojave desert. It was a little reminiscent of the Nullarbor, as it is really a scrubland rather than the Sahara variety. We could see the Nevada border approaching easily...one minute desert, the next a huge casino with flashing lights. Vegas really is everything you imagine. The strip is wall to wall casinos, all of them with competing neon signs, buffets, stage shows and nightclubs. During our stay we walked through fake indoor Paris, Venice, New York and Rome. We considered the indoor gondola ride but then remembered we have some self respect and decided against it. The absolute highlight for us was going to see the newest Cirque de Soleil show on the strip (there are 4 others also playing!). It was called Love, and the music was all Beatles, put together by George Martin. We blew our budget on the tickets but both agreed it was worth it, and easily the best show either of us have seen. We were literally on the edge of our seats watching the acrobatics, and were horrified at what they were prepared to do without safety harnesses. Adam definitely had his biggest thrill getting a C6 corvette sideways on a racetrack behind the hotel. All of $11 worth. What a bargain. He didn't obey the "no tire squealing" rule but you only get these opportunities once!

Keep the comments coming. It is lovely to know people are reading, and we are not sending these messages off into cyberspace unread.

LA, land of the car (wish we had one)

LA is an interesting place. We are spoon fed images on TV almost every night depicting LA as a glamorous city. Maybe it helps if you're on the A list or have a limo to move you around because it seems that everything is really spread out without any collection of little communities to amble through. Walking does not seem to be a popular hobby (unless you're a tourist with no car and no chauffeur). A lot of the famous land marks are surrounded by derelict blocks or ugly car parks. If you are getting the vibe that we preferred San Francisco, you would be right.

All that said, we have managed long walks down Melrose, Rodeo, Santa Monica, and of course Sunset. When we decided to check out the music scene on Sunset, we had the choice of three famous venues. The Whiskey-au-go-go (The doors were the house band in the 60s), the Roxy and Johnny Depp's Viper Room. The Viper room got our vote in the end. A little bit of fast talking (and an understanding with the bar maid to actually buy drinks) had us seated at a reserved table right at the front of the stage. We enjoyed the first two bands we saw, and the lead singer of The Committee was channeling Mick Jagger in a major way, right down to the pout. Maddi was upset that none of the bands had middle aged balding stage dancers like the last time she was there but you can't have everything!

We made the long trek down Santa Monica Blvd to the beach yesterday. It was a lovely walk from Santa Monica down to Venice Beach. We loved the Santa Monica pier and had a great time looking through bohemian Venice Beach. It's a curious mix of hippy, artist, and tourist trap. Not forgetting the open air Muscle Beach Gym where you simply must lift weights with your best jeans and dress shows on. You are on display after all.

Last night we headed down to the Red Cat theatre at the stunning Walt Disney Hall to see Redd Kross. The support act were a group of amazing punk brats called "Be your own Pet" who loved screaming and thrashing around the stage. The lead singer had the most amazing mop of platinum blond hair - half of the gig passed before we saw her face! They seemed upset the crowd was not getting into it, but it was a tough gig, when the whole crowd were die hard Redd Kross fans who were there to see the band's reunion show. But, in anyone's book, if you knock the drum kit over at the end, you must be cool.

It was an amazing moment when Redd Kross returned to the stage after a nine year absence; 12 years since their last visit to Australia. With a line-up that hailed back to the late '80s, they put on a show that covered the entire gambit of their nearly 30 year history. It was a great night that ended too soon. Luckily, the bar was open afterwards and the beer still cheap. Adam managed to meet Robert Hecker (guitarist) and Steven McDonald (bass) as they made their way through the bar to the car park. They both seemed like nice blokes.

Off to Seqouia tomorrow and then Vegas. More stories soon!