The boreal forest ranges across the breadth and width of Canada and Russia, a huge share of the world’s landmass, and the overwhelming tree of the boreal forest is the spruce, or to be more specific – the black spruce and white spruce. And of those two it’s the black spruce that grows the best on the permafrost under very challenging conditions. Yes, the spruce can be pretty scrawny, thin … Continue reading →
Canada and Australia in some ways are remarkably similar and in other ways completely opposite. Besides both being a constitutional monarchy they are huge landmasses (Canada slightly bigger) with relatively thin populations (again, Canada is a bit bigger) and the countries’ have a sort of kindred spirit together. But while Australia is marked by vast deserts, hot climate and long beaches Canada features endless thick forests, big mountains and a … Continue reading →
It’s always a good way to start a day if you’re using a small ferry to cross the mighty Yukon River. And that’s exactly what we did after spending the night around a fire playing cards only a few metres from this fast-flowing mega-river. Having successfully crossed, we drove up the embankment of the river and parked opposite the general store of one of the most historically significant and well-preserved … Continue reading →
Julie and I both come from big families, with my mother having 17 great grandchildren and our three Aussie kids having something like 24 cousins. So family is big in our big family. And while Julie and I almost always travel alone we make exceptions for family, including a couple of times travelling with my sister Kathy and her husband John. Kindred spirits in the travel world, we make a … Continue reading →
There was one more place on our Alaskan bucket list before we could say we’ve done Alaska and that was a remote community on the Bering Sea with a rich gold mining history, not connected to the rest of humanity by roads, almost forgotten by everyone else. It was the small town of Nome way out on the Seward Peninsula and it had our name written all over it. We … Continue reading →
Our four night ferry trip down the Aleutian Islands was a trip of a lifetime, that’s for sure, full of spectacular scenery, wonderful wildlife and intriguing little communities we stopped at along the way. But after an overpriced night at Unalaska’s only hotel it was time to catch a flight back to Tramp and hit the road again. Except it wasn’t that easy. We arrived at the small airport, which … Continue reading →
Human habitation of the Aleutian Islands ends at the remote port of Dutch Harbor on the distant island and town of Unalaska. To say Unalaska is at the end of the road is misleading – there are no meaningful roads within probably 600 miles – but it is at the end of the public ferry system run by the Alaska Maritime Highway System. And this is not a normal ferry … Continue reading →
As a young geographer growing up I always thought the state of Alaska was shaped like an elephant’s head, which was kinda odd considering how many elephants there are in Alaska. The key to my imagination was the string of islands that stick out in the North Pacific Ocean just like an elephant’s trunk. That mysterious, remote, obscure and compelling string of islands is call the Aleutian Islands. And we … Continue reading →
The midnight sun was on full lumens at 2am when Julie and I were up swatting mosquitos in our camper. Life above the Arctic Circle is full of strange things besides monster mosquitos, including no trees above the tree line, no darkness or no daylight depending on the time of year, kilometres deep frozen earth and animals that thrive in the most extreme conditions on earth. And don’t even think … Continue reading →
In 1968 oil was discovered up in the Arctic Ocean at Prudhoe Bay off the shores of northern Alaska. That moment changed everything for Alaska, and the entire United States for that matter, but the first task was to find a way to move the oil to an ice-free port so it could be shipped to the rest of America. And the ingenious solution was an 800 mile (1,290 kilometre) … Continue reading →
We have mixed emotions about Fairbanks. When we were there nine years ago Tramp had a bad cough and the local dealer said he fixed it and charged us like a wounded grizzly. Further down the road poor Tramp gave it up completely (as it turned out, because of the dealer’s mistakes) and we had him towed back to the dealer. We then spent two weeks in Fairbanks waiting for … Continue reading →
The Yukon Territory covers almost 500,000 square kilometres, which sounds really big, and yet has only about 48,000 people living there, which is definitely really small. As a useless comparison, there are estimated to be over 300,000 caribou living there. The territory is blanketed with a literally endless forest of spruce and other trees, zig-zagged by countless rivers and topped with stunning snow-capped mountains, including Canada’s highest peak. The territory’s … Continue reading →
Fort Simpson is an old trading post established by the Hudson Bay Company in 1828, strategically positioned at the merger of the Liard and Mackenzie River so that they could control and support all the trade in that area. Today it is officially home to about 1,200 mostly First Nations people who live with an eight month winter and some serious isolation. So isolated in fact that the only way … Continue reading →
The Northwest Territories has a population of about 40,000 people spread out across an area larger than some European countries. The Capital of the Northwest Territories is Yellowknife, itself home to about half the people who call the territory home. So up in these parts, Yellowknife is definitely the big smoke. Which is lucky because we had quite a long list of administration, repair and shopping tasks to address while … Continue reading →
There can be nothing wilder and more remote than the furthest northern reaches of Canada. In a place where winter can last eight months and where small communities, usually home to First Nations people, live a harsh, resourceful and simple life. And mixing in with the endless boreal forests, huge rivers and open plains are a wonderful array of animals such as bears, moose, bison, beavers and wolves. It is … Continue reading →
The Northwest Territories covers a vast area of northern Canada, most of it the wildest wilderness anyone could imagine, and the few towns or communities that do exist are usually small and quite remote. There is a large First Nations population in these northern parts too but whoever lives up here is just about as tough as it gets. And one of the main centre points for human activity in … Continue reading →
Travelling through northern British Colombia in early May means experiencing – and enjoying! – the last gasps of winter losing their grip to the first grasps of summer. This fascinating transition period of the seasons, something we definitely don’t get in Sydney, is a wonder to watch. We have had beautiful warm blue sunny days so far in BC which has hastened the change of seasons but what will happen … Continue reading →
British Colombia is a massive province hosting some of the most wild and beautiful land on this continent. It features huge mountain ranges, including part of the Rocky Mountains, temperate rainforests and 25,000 kilometres of coastline. The weather in BC is the best in all of Canada, which admittedly is falling over a low bar. Never mind, we’re up for it and our plan was to head ever northward to … Continue reading →
Who hasn’t dreamed of going to Vancouver Island? I know we have and after driving onto a ferry in Port Angeles in the American state of Washington we arrived in the capital of the Canadian province of British Colombia, the handsome historic town of Victoria. This turned out being a good news and bad news story. The good news of course is that we were in Canada on our long … Continue reading →
Jack London, the celebrated American author, got it right when he wrote glowingly about the far north of Canada and Alaska with it’s majestic mountains and wide open spaces. Julie and I have also felt that call of the wild, an alluring, almost compelling magnetism of that vast landscape, since our first visit there nine years ago. That was at the start of our Follow the Sun worldwide journey and … Continue reading →
In February the sun is at it’s strongest, the rains are at their rarest and the grass is at it’s brownist. Kids have gone back to school but summer is still at full tilt which means there’s really only one place to be – at the beach. And who doesn’t like the beach, especially if you can pack up Wanda, your trusty 4WD camper, and head to some of the … Continue reading →
The capital city of South Australia, and the state’s overwhelmingly largest city, is Adelaide. The name was given to the city in 1836 after the wife of King William IV at his request. Whatever, it’s definitely the big smoke in this vast area of Australia and after enjoying Kangaroo Island for a few days our plan was to head into the city. But of course we didn’t take the most … Continue reading →
We stood out on Cape Willoughby, a handsome historic lighthouse which was partially blocking our view of the wild Great Southern Ocean sparkling far below, knowing the next landfall in that direction was Antarctica. But we weren’t standing on mainland Australia. We were standing at the eastern point of Kangaroo Island, a large island off the South Australian coast with it’s own beautiful landscape and rugged coastline. What a place! … Continue reading →
No, not the Eyre Peninsula, been there, done that. This state seems to have an over-supply of peninsulas lined up next to each other, each with their own personality and features. Jutting out into the Great Southern Ocean between the Eyre Peninsula and the Fleurieu Peninsula is the Yorke Peninsula, somewhat forgotten and lost in the shuffle of more renowned places. But we were keen to explore this crooked finger … Continue reading →
You can only go south for so long before you eventually run out of road and have to turn around. That’s what happened to us when we arrived at beautiful Fishery Bay, the furthest south any public roads will take you on the Eyre Peninsula before you have to turn around and head north. We woke that morning at our sandy campsite on Spalding Cove and drove to the end … Continue reading →
South Australia is a huge state, substantially bigger than New South Wales, and features stunning desert beauty as well as rich agricultural land, a vibrant wine-growing industry and some of the best coastline in Australia. Our focus over the next couple of weeks was going to be the Eyre Peninsula, a pizza wedge-shaped appendage of Australia poking out into the Great Southern Ocean and forming the eastern edge of the … Continue reading →
If you live somewhere in Australia outside South Australia you’ve probably heard of the Flinders Ranges or the Gammon Ranges. But have you heard of the Gawler Ranges? Well, we had vaguely heard of it, sort of, but it had never been on our flightpath until now. We were traversing the vast open spaces north of the Gawler Ranges and zeroing in on them. The Gawler Ranges sits just north … Continue reading →
The Oodnadatta Track, using one of the coolest Aboriginal words I’ve ever heard (and meaning the ‘blossom of the mulga’) is 615 kilometres (382 miles) long but we had another 400 kilometres (240 miles) of the outback track to explore and it was an irresistible magnet on our flexible travel plans. And of course the challenge of the journey is all part of the fun. The morning started on the … Continue reading →
Australia is a wonderous place for many reasons but some of it’s natural features go to the next level. Think Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Kakadu, and the Simpson Desert as starters. I would add to that list Lake Eyre, an extraordinary natural phenomenon that deserves everyone’s attention. And we had it in our sights. Lake Eyre is what is called an endorheic lake which is basically a collection of water … Continue reading →
South Australia is a wonderful candy store for travellers of all types and interests but one of their sweetest lollies is the remarkable Flinders Ranges. Running roughly north-south in the central eastern section of the state, the Flinders features numerous world class national parks and an Aboriginal reserve plus jagged dry mountains, salt bed lakes, significant seasonal rivers and fabulous flora and fauna. For outdoor enthusiasts there is endless camping, … Continue reading →
Julie and I plan to spend the summer in Australia but that doesn’t mean we plan to sit around and do nothing. We’ve passed through South Australia a few times and been there with the kids years ago. We also crossed the spectacular Simpson Desert in the northern parts of the state but every time we go there we feel the state has a lot to offer us if we … Continue reading →
The outback of Central Australia with it’s ancient red rock mountains and vast sandy desert has been referred to as the land of lots of time and has been immortalised as such in song and movie. Our team of intrepid walkers were half way through the second half of the 230 kilometre Larapinta Trail with still a few days to go and we were hungry for what might lie ahead. … Continue reading →
The late afternoon sun turned the red rock mountains jutting up to my left an almost fluorescent orange as I adjusted my pack and followed the well-worn path eastward. Ahead of me were my fellow walkers and good mates Chook, Hoppy and Cam. We had allocated seven days to walk from Ellery Creek Big Hole to the Telegraph Station near Alice Springs as the second half of the iconic Larapinta … Continue reading →
Our plane touched down at the ungodly hour of 3am and we knew we were about to start a gruelling tough day. We drew on our bottomless reserves of travel fortitude and groggily made our way through the formalities before waiting another couple of hours for the first bus to take us into our final destination on this three month trip – Seoul, South Korea. We dropped our bags off … Continue reading →
The history of European settlement of California is different to the rest of the United States in that instead of pioneers moving westward in search of new land from the east coast, California was settled by Spanish missionaries from the south in search of new souls. Core to that fascinating movement over 200 years ago is the establishment of 21 missions throughout California by these Spanish priests. And Julie and … Continue reading →
How do you follow up six weeks traveling around Central Asia followed by three weeks exploring Mongolia? What could possibly complement that sort of massive adventure? Ah, well, we had a good idea and flew to California where our plan was to catch up with family, some who live there and some who are also coming to visit from Australia. For Julie and I that’s California dreamin’ come true. Our … Continue reading →
Some places just grab you, shake you and never let you go. It could be Yosemite, St. Peters, Iguazu Falls or…Mongolia. We have certainly come to love this place, it’s wide open spaces, the nomadic lifestyle of it’s people, the vast Gobi Desert, the northern mountains and especially the gers. We can tell already Mongolia will be in our hearts forever. But sadly, inevitably, we only have a few days … Continue reading →
Mongolia is the 15th largest country in the world and only 6.9% of the national road network is paved. So that means if you want to get from say the Gobi Desert in the south to the mountainous region of the north you have to allow quite a few days to negotiate the adventurous dirt road network. And that’s exactly what we had planned to do. After having yaks snorting … Continue reading →
The Orkhon Valley is a gem of the Mongolian high steppe, the beautiful green mountains, thick pine forests and racing rivers making a scene similar to the mountains of the US or Scandinavia. We had a rainy night in our comfy warm ger near the start of the valley and were hoping for blue skies in the morning as we had some ‘nature walking’ planned for the day. And sure … Continue reading →
Mongolia is the ninth largest country in the world and to see it in three weeks with these slow dirt tracks is a big ask. We dreamed up an itinerary that would give us the best the country had to offer within our timeline – and the famous Gobi Desert was our first region of our journey. And there’s much more to Mongolia than just a famous desert. But as … Continue reading →
In the vast stretches of southern Mongolia and northern region of China is one of the largest and most inhospitable places on earth – the Gobi Desert. The Gobi runs for 1600 kilometres from east to west and is called a cold desert as snow occasionally falls on the sand dunes and 150mm of rain per year can fall in some places. It is a wild and forbidding place and … Continue reading →
Exactly what I was going to say! We had just finished six fabulous weeks exploring the four countries of Central Asia – the Stans, as they’re called – but we weren’t done with this fascinating part of the world. Dave, Julie and I said goodbye to Warren, Nichole and Jan who were heading back to Sydney while the three of us jumped on a plane and flew to Ulaanbaatar, the … Continue reading →
A first impression of our travel itinerary through Central Asia – that is Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan – may be that we were wandering around the area aimlessly, criss-crossing back and forth, zig-zagging when we were finished criss-crossing and backtracking when we were done zig-zagging. Well, I blame Dave for all this – he was the mastermind and spiritual leader of our travel through the Stans and there definitely … Continue reading →
Our time in the safe hands of our driver Manus and our guide Ilyas was coming to an end after an extraordinary week exploring northern Kyrgyzstan and eastern Kazakhstan. But we still had one day to go before reaching our final destination of our Central Asia adventure – Almaty, the thriving western city of Kazakhstan. Let’s get to it! The lands of eastern Kazakhstan were dramatic on every count – … Continue reading →
Kyrgyzstan is proving to be a secret wonder for travellers who have a little extra oomph in their travel perspective. Based on our short experience don’t come for the food or the restaurant service but definitely come for the stunning natural features, the mountains, lakes and rivers, come for the lovely people, come for the culture and history, come for the wonder of travel. You’ll be rewarded, for sure. We … Continue reading →
Who really knows much about Kyrgyzstan, other than the Kyrgyz people themselves? As we got stamped into the spelling bee disaster for the second time we knew we had much to learn about our home for the next week or so. But I did learn a few things in my research – ethnically mixed, culturally close to Russia and Kazakhstan, largely dependent on China for trade, modestly Muslim, primarily rural, … Continue reading →
The lines on the map that separate the countries of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan all twist and turn and get tangled like a child’s drawing but in reality they were drawn by the Soviets who were trying to spread the limited fertile land of the Fergana Valley between all the countries. But since mountains and rivers are the real determining factor to where the roads go it means you … Continue reading →
The mini-van we hired picked us up at our hotel in Khiva and whisked us 430 kilometres south to the ancient city of Bukhara. The journey started off across secondary roads passing through villages and modest agricultural fields but once we crossed the sprawling Amu Darya River the landscape turned to stark, dry and forbidding desert. Luckily our Russian driver kept the A/C on full blast and the six of … Continue reading →
Walking across a border into a new country is not a common thing – usually you do it by plane or car, maybe by ship or train. But just walking across a border is an unusual feat and yet here we were, the six of us, dragging our bags from a taxi who dropped us off in Kyrgyzstan, through the gates, stamped out of the country, more dragging of bags, … Continue reading →
The border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is officially closed as the two countries have been bickering over land and border issues for many years. So that means Tajiks can’t go into Kyrgyzstan and Kyrgyz people can’t go into Tajikistan. Tourists can cross the border as long as they have a special permit, which we had, but Omar, Daniel and their vehicles, couldn’t go with us. We passed through Tajikistan Immigration … Continue reading →
From a bluff above the Pyandzh River we gazed down on a scene absolutely lost in time. On the other bank of the river – which at this stage was more like a gentle stream – was an old mud brick hut surrounded by nine camels and a few horses, their heavy loads scattered across the ground near them. Two guys were down by the river while a woman dressed … Continue reading →
Travelling along the Pamir Highway is possibly the ultimate experience for any visitor to Central Asia and has been the part of this trip I have most looked forward to. For most of it’s path the highway is more like rutted old road or a dirt track carved into steep mountain walls, following deep valleys with raging rivers down below. It crosses over 4,000 metre passes, past ancient villages and … Continue reading →
One of our favourite travel sayings is ‘Think about where you are on the map’ and that line has never been more relevant than when the six of us, Julie and I plus our travelling companions Dave, Warren, Nichole and Jan stood on a remote vantage spot looking down on what is called the Mars Panorama. Towering sandstone mountain buttes, soaring weather-carved monoliths, vibrant desert colours and a fierce desert … Continue reading →
Our body clocks were on 3am and we were standing in a narrow alleyway surrounded by rundown buildings in the pitch dark. I found myself arguing with our taxi driver who was in the process of scamming us for some big bucks on the ride from the airport to the apartment we had booked for the night. Language was definitely a barrier because we didn’t speak very good Russian or … Continue reading →
Zach and I were in the middle of traversing the Western Arthur range on one of Australia’s most iconic – and difficult – multi-day walking tracks. We had already been on the trail for four days and woke on day five at High Moor with the cloud cover high and dry…at least for the moment. It was time to hoick up our packs and tackle what is regarded as the … Continue reading →
Tasmania is unquestionably the adventure playground headquarters for outdoor enthusiasts in Australia. With vast swathes of the island preserved by national parks and world heritage protected wilderness areas there are almost unlimited opportunities to explore places very few people venture into. And after three previous trips to Tasmania to do multi-day walks there was still one trip – the biggest and baddest of them all – that I just had … Continue reading →
The Blue Mountains are part of the Great Dividing Range that separates Sydney from inland Australia. This vast wilderness area is protected by a series of inter-connecting national parks and World Heritage areas which preserve this natural wonder for all time and provide an adventurous playground for those hearty enough to venture into them. One such exploration track is called the K2K, a three day, two night trek through some … Continue reading →
For many Sydneysiders the quintessential summer holiday is to pack up the caravan or load up the family car with tents and chairs and too much stuff, then head either down the coast or up the coast for a camping beach holiday on one of the many gorgeous beaches in the state. If you can include a national park and maybe visit friends along the way it would be almost … Continue reading →
All good things must come to an end and Julie and I knew our northern summer in the western US was on it’s sunset days. But first we had time for more fun in the sun, great walks in the mountains and a very special birthday celebration. And of course it all happened at Tahoe. The highlight of our entire three month trip to the US was to celebrate my … Continue reading →
California is different to the rest of the United States, to the enjoyment of some and the consternation of others. The lifestyle, culture, weather, economy, diversity and politics make it stand out from the other 49 states. Silicon Valley, Hollywood, the Golden Gate, the beaches, the redwoods, California is different. If California was an independent country it would have the 5th largest economy in the world. It is also a … Continue reading →
We’ve said it before but one of the great attractions of travelling in the US is the national parks. On the top of that list for many people is Yosemite National Park in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mountains not too far south of Lake Tahoe. Julie and I wanted to take in this magnificent place again and when I scored a three day pass online we were ready … Continue reading →
There’s nothing better than family and Julie and I are both lucky to be part of very large families – each of us the oldest of five children, now with many nieces and nephews. In fact, our three kids have an impressive 24 cousins spread out between the US and Australia. So of course while Julie and I were in the American neighbourhood we set aside a bucket-load of time … Continue reading →
When Julie and I bought Tramp in early 2017 and set off on our around-the-world journey we dubbed Follow the Sun we were full of excitement and anticipation. An almost life-long dream was finally coming true but we were wonderfully naïve about the amazing adventures and not-so-amazing challenges that lie ahead. Six and a half years later, we completed our journey across five continents and 70 countries, which amazes us … Continue reading →
We pulled Tramp over to get out and admire the spectacular multi-coloured sandstone creations towering around us, the wonders of uplifting ocean floors and millions of years of wind and water erosion, and commented that ever since we had entered Utah this wonderful scenery was the new normal. We called it Utah normal. We had a plan to get back to our home base in California in less than a … Continue reading →
The fourth of July, also known as Independence Day, is America’s birthday. It was on this day in 1776 that Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence which formalised the colonies’ divorce from Great Britain. And America, already the most patriotic country we’ve ever been to, puffs out it’s chest, puts up all it’s red, white and blue flags, buys out all the hot dogs and celebrates this day like no … Continue reading →
It has been said that America’s best idea was it’s national parks, precious land set aside for all to see for generations to come. And even for those who haven’t been to the US names like Yosemite, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon are well known as the best of the best national parks in the US. But arguably in that same top tier of parks is a very special place in … Continue reading →
Americans love to recreate. And this country has by far and away the best recreation facilities of anywhere we’ve visited. Whether it’s protected land like national parks, monuments, forests, or simple ‘recreation areas’ like reservoirs, rivers, ATV and offroad vehicle land or open parkland or state parks or county parks or a much longer list America has it all and it is all over the place. And Colorado has to … Continue reading →
They say that all good things must come to an end and we certainly proved it in the upmarket ski resort town of Crested Butte. It was here that my sister Kathy and her husband John had to leave us to get back to family commitments in California. They had been travelling with us for almost three weeks and we had made an excellent foursome. Julie and I usually don’t … Continue reading →
The Rocky Mountains are probably America’s most famous geographic feature. This towering mountain range runs from British Colombia and Alberta in Canada through numerous American states before finally petering out in northern New Mexico. Probably it’s most famous and most visited sections are in the state of Colorado and we were smack dab amongst it all. Colorado alone has a staggering 58 peaks over 14,000 feet (4,240 metres), dozens of … Continue reading →
Julie and I often shake our head in wonder about how travel delivers amazing new experiences every day, usually when we least expect it. And here’s yet another day to prove this axiom – we drove through the high mountains near Santa Fe, New Mexico and unexpectedly came across the stunning Valles Caldera National Preserve. If that wasn’t enough, later in the day we learned all about the making of … Continue reading →
If I had any tourism statistics I would bet the state of New Mexico is near the bottom of the list for visitors. And it’s true that New Mexico does not have any Grand Canyons, Yellowstones, Empire State Buildings or Golden Gate Bridges. If you want to only hit the biggest of the highlights in the US you won’t be coming to New Mexico. But be warned, you’ll be missing … Continue reading →
American states each have a tagline, usually displayed proudly on their license plates. For instance, there’s boring ones like the Peach State (Georgia) or Empire State (New York), some are more descriptive like Big Sky Country (Montana), historic like Land of Lincoln (Illinois) or braggers like Grand Canyon State (Arizona). But New Mexico creates a special aspirational category all to themselves – this low profile state call themselves the Land … Continue reading →
We crossed the Colorado River and entered the state of Arizona, one of the most remarkable states in all the US. Known mostly for the Grand Canyon and it’s expansive deserts, Arizona has a special place in our family – my brother and his family live here, numerous other family members have lived here over the years and I was born here (although it was a long time ago!). Julie … Continue reading →
Julie and I love the beaches and we spend as much time as possible with sand and surf. We also crave the mountains with their snowy tops, jagged peaks, stunning walks and amazing views. But we have always held a special place for the wide open spaces, the long flat prairies, the barren lifeless bush and the endless desert. The desert fascinates us and amazes us at every turn. And … Continue reading →
The setting was sparkling with it’s lush and colourful gardens, the adobe-style architecture of the historic lodge set as a background and a couple hundred well-appointed guests gathered under a cool blue sky. The beautiful bride and our nephew-turned-groom looked absolutely magnificent and we were surrounded by close family. The moment couldn’t have been more perfect. And in this grand way Julie and I started a three month trip where … Continue reading →
Some places just grab you and never let you go. They are beautiful or memorable in different ways but no matter where you go afterwards you always remember them. Julie and I have such a place and we’re fortunate it is also very close to where we live in Australia. And curiously, it is a town that no longer exists, lost to the Aussie bush and the passage of time. … Continue reading →
Julie and I are old school when it came to plotting our course across five continents during our Follow the Sun journey. We used a combination of fold-out maps, map books, guide books and the occasional reference from Mr. Google to plan each of our 755 days on the road. To supplement all that at a micro level, we often used our GPS – which we named Karen – to … Continue reading →
Somewhere around 30 years ago I said to Julie that when we retire I wanted to drive around the world in some sort of camper. It was a crazy notion at that time but kind of fun to have as a future goal, even if it was unlikely to come true. And other than saying the words we put very little definition or details around the notion at that time, … Continue reading →
Our Follow the Sun journey was almost over and we were slowly inching our way to our start/finish line at my mother’s house in California. And as a special treat we’ll be there in time for Thanksgiving – the biggest family event in America. Our trip across the States over the last month has had great purpose and intent, exploring as many new places on the way as possible. Along … Continue reading →
When we planned this journey across the northern states of America it had a specific time frame due to us wanting to spend Thanksgiving with family in California. It wasn’t our normal style to have a set timeline but we mapped a rough journey which included a few key spots along the way and headed off. Never did we ever imagine in that planning we would spend five nights in … Continue reading →
There’s a part of America that almost nobody goes to and almost nobody lives there. It has endless flat open plains, melting hot in summer and bitterly cold in winter. It is divided into two almost identically-shaped states, the north and the south, with capitals that nobody else knows. There are no standout sports teams and no household names came from there. And yet, and yet, they are wonderfully compelling … Continue reading →
The 49th Parallel, as it’s called, marks the border between the US and Canada from the Pacific Ocean to the Great Lakes. Signed as part of the Oregon Treaty in 1846 it ended years of dispute between the US and Britain and allowed trade between the two countries to continue with clearer rules. We had decided not to cross into Canada on this leg of Follow the Sun but it … Continue reading →
Normally at this time of year around the Great Lakes – late October – people are gearing up for their Halloween celebrations and hunkering down for the onset of winter. Summer cabins on the lakes are being winterised, boats stored indoors, winter tyres dusted off, state parks are shuttered, beanies and gloves pulled out. The sky stays grey, the temperatures drops, the days get shorter and in due course the … Continue reading →
The Great Lakes, as if you didn’t know, are the five huge lakes that straddle the US-Canada border and support one of the most significant economic regions of each country. As a young lad in California they meant very little to me but I remember using the mnemonic HOMES to memorise all five – Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior. And for decades my interest in them ended there. But … Continue reading →
Julie and I had a fantastic time exploring parts of the United States in 2017 during the first continent of Follow the Sun. From California we looped south across the continent to Florida and then more or less up the east coast into Canada. That was great but the US is a huge place and we barely touched the surface of cool places to visit. So on this final leg … Continue reading →
Life without Tramp is basically a string of hotels, restaurants and public transport while living out of our roller bags, sprinkled with valuable time amongst good friends but without the joy of travel the way we like to do it. So it was with mounting excitement that we settled in the greater Baltimore area and positioned ourselves close to the port where Tramp would eventually be released back to our … Continue reading →
The capital of the United States is Washington DC, or District of Colombia, or simply DC to the locals. It is a district, not a state, much like the ACT is the home of Australia’s capital but not a state. The shenanigans that go on in DC make the evening news every night but that wasn’t going to deter us from seeing this fascinating city and learning more about how … Continue reading →
I think you could spend a month in New York and not see all the great attractions in this vast city but we only had a week and wanted to pack in as much as we could. Up to this point we had spent most of our time in the midtown area around Times Square but we were now ready to branch out. New York is just about as big … Continue reading →
It’s known as The Big Apple, Gotham, the city that never sleeps, the capital of the world, the Empire City, Metropolis and many other nicknames but as one of the most dynamic, frenetic, influential and chaotic cities in the world it is a mecca for any traveller passing through these parts. And here we were, arriving from London after reluctantly leaving Tramp behind for his cruise across the Atlantic, keen … Continue reading →
I recently read that Belgium is the most overlooked country in Europe. And it kinda rings true to me because most visitors to Europe will probably prioritise other places before spending time in this country, except maybe just to transit it on the way to somewhere else. But here we were in Belgium with four days to explore the historic city of Bruges and the capital Brussels before we fly … Continue reading →
The time was fast approaching when we would give Tramp a final hug and send him off on his ocean cruise back home to America while we took the fast way and flew across the Atlantic. But before that teary moment we still had a few things to do and a bit of the Netherlands to see. First order of the day was to get our Webasto diesel cooker working … Continue reading →
Ah yes, Deutschland. We have been to Germany many times over the years and have fabulous memories of exploring it’s many corners under all sorts of different circumstances. The previous day we had crossed the border from Poland, failed to get our Webasto cooker fixed, and camped outside of Berlin with the plan to revisit this wonderful city. The cold drizzle didn’t deter us, we were keen to explore the … Continue reading →
We could tell we were back in central Europe – more locals speak English and follow the road rules, everything is more expensive, people ride bicycles and electric scooters everywhere, there are tour groups at every half-popular tourist site…and even English-speaking tourists. After a couple months of exploring countries where there are no tour groups and certainly no travellers speaking English this almost qualified as culture shock. We woke up … Continue reading →
Shipping your vehicle from continent to continent is by far the most stressful part of overland travel. We have shipped Tramp four times on large container ships by what is called the Roll On Roll Off method because he is too big to fit in a container. But no matter how often you do this it is not easy and over the last couple of months we have been trying … Continue reading →
Yes, Moldova. What exactly is a Moldova? Julie and I asked the same question a short while ago when we saw this forgotten former Soviet satellite country on the map tucked away quietly between Romania and Ukraine. It intrigued us which led us to researching it and our curiosity led us to the border crossing at the southern tip of the country. And after two and a half hours passing … Continue reading →
The Danube River is one of the most well-known rivers in the world, slicing it’s way through the heart of Europe, hosting countless river boat cruises, flanked by medieval castles, feeding fertile vineyards on it’s slopes and providing commerce, transportation and wonderful views to millions of people. But eventually it’s journey ends in Romania as it fans out onto it’s vast flat flood plains, forming a delta covering thousands of … Continue reading →
Romania is unquestionably off the usual European tourist map. There is no steady stream of mini RV’s from France or Germany, no educational tour groups from the US, no young people in vans or hitchhikers and only a few motorbikes. Romania is a little too far away from central Europe and doesn’t have any big bang attractions to draw people in. And that’s good for us. We’ve been spending most … Continue reading →
Everybody knows about Transylvania. It’s the scary, spooky and mysterious place where Dracula lived. And if you’re my vintage you probably saw Dracula movies in the cinema which scared the living daylights out of you. Dracula was not to be messed with, especially if you had a nice neck. But Julie and I are brave travellers and we drove into the deepest and darkest corners of Transylvania trying to learn … Continue reading →
Our failed attempt at getting third party insurance for Tramp in Serbia, either before we entered or after we entered, meant we only spent two nights in this complex country with it’s chequered recent history before returning to Bulgaria and plotting a new course. Overlanding travel is all about flexibility because you never know what’s going to happen next but luckily it’s one of our strengths and we had a … Continue reading →
The poet William Wordsworth once wrote, “There’s joy in the mountains’’ and Julie and I felt that joy as we stood at 2,100 metres (6,900 feet) with the Pirin Mountains towering over us. We had reluctantly reached the turnaround point of our walk from Vihren Hut to Okato Lake and beyond in the heart of Pirin National Park. From this point we were above the ski resort that covers some … Continue reading →
