US/Canada Travels for 2011

US/Canada Travels for 2011

Come the first of January 2011 I will be working as a volunteer for
the Padre Island National Seashore located in Corpus Christi Texas.
Find the state of Texas then go to the most southern eastern point and
there you have it. I'll be living out of another version of the
Goatmobile, bigger, better and with the ability of carrying additional
boxes of fine red wine.

The National Seashore will have me rebuilding one of the last known
brothels on Padre Island. Matter of fact once the building is up to
speed for the tourist, the National Park has hired the last known
Madame, me thinks she is in her 90's, to act as a tour guide.

My time at Padre Island is 3 months give or take a month or two. From
Padre it will be through the southwest Geocaching and rock hounding as
I slowly travel northwest back to Alaska. This time I plan on catching
a ferry going up the inner coastal waterway getting off in Sitka, the
Russian Capital until the Russki's sold Alaska to the US, and Juneau
(capital) then back to British Columbia. Thus making the trek back
though the Yukon and Alaska again. Prudhoe Bay is in the cards for
another attempt at photography.

From Prudhoe Bay we head east to the shores of Labrador/Newfoundland.
South through New England, resting in Pennsylvania for a bottle of
scotch and working the organic farm. Then a quick trip through
Missouri stopping off to visit a couple of old hippies with Texas on
the horizon where I will leave the Goatmobile for another winter.

Time wise I am looking at 6-8 months of travel before getting back to Hawaii.

If you are not on Facebook you'll be missing out on the pictures as I travel.
If you do join FB then go to the search and type in "Norm Garon" and
from there I will accept you as a friend.

The Goatmobile is a Toyota Tacoma 6 cylinder crew cab 4WD with a 10"
bottom clearance which allows me to really get into trouble.

Aloha to all,

The Greynomad

US/Canada Travel Stats for 2010

US/Canada Travels for 2010 Final

Time: April – September

Miles traveled: 28,000 miles (44,800 km)

Facebook Pictures: 1,744    If you were not on FB, then you missed out
on a good part of the trip to complement the trip reports.

Trip Reports: one too many

Goatmobile Stats
1.      2 sets of tires
2.      1 set of front/back windows
3.      6 oil/filter changes
4.      1 fan belt

US States/Canada Providences visited:
       Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, West
Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine,
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador, Quebec, Ontario,
Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, British Columbia,
Yukon, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California

Geocaches found: 400
       1. Most challenging cache (well maybe): nudist colony in British Columbia

Electronics:
Mac laptop, Canon SLR camera, Canon point & shoot camera, cell phone,
GPS for vehicle, GPS for Geocaches, EPIRB (emergency satellite beacon)

Expenses: The one that really depleted funds was fuel cost in Canada.
Campsites and food was minimum. Number of times I had a meal in a
restrurent you could count on one hand.

Hygiene:
1 shower in 5 months, just before catching the plane back to Hawaii.

Clothes: After freezing my backside off in Newfoundland; long sleeve
shirts and trousers throughout the trip.

The pictures will remain on Facebook until the end of this calendar year.

Aloha,
Norm    The Greynomad

US/Canada Travels for 9.23. 2010

The world according to the Greynomad

Washington, Oregon, California

Lets back up a bit, getting back to Olympic National Park, there I was
at Ozette, part of the national park, waiting for the day to begin
when Mother Nature decided that from the west to the east coast rain,
lots of rain was due. It continue for 2-3 days with no let up.
Spending 2 days cooped up in the Goatmobile was just not my cup of
tea. So south bound I was finding another military installation that
offered up an RV/tent site. So for 2-3 days I spent traveling up and
down Washington State routes 109/105 chasing Geocache's. Hot showers
every night, free movies, reading PD James novel "The Murder Room" and
having the Pacific Ocean within 200 meters.

Next leg was following Route 101 south over the border into Oregon at
Astoria and by luck again another military base that had camping
facilities. I'll be here until after Labor Day before heading east
toward Mt Hood and down though the center of Oregon following the West
Cascade Mountains. It is Camp Rilea for 4 days chasing the small
containers, Labor Day weekend, lots of traffic. The weather has been
quite nice when you consider what I had along the Olympic Peninsula.
This coastline of Oregon is quite nice with small communities as you
travel. Some of the housing facing the ocean in the Lexus Mercedes
neighborhoods are a million plus. The summers are nice but the winters
are wet and windy, very little snow if not none at all. I believe that
anyone that lives here on the coast grows a bit of green mold……………it
goes right along with their personalities.

Anyone that goes out Geocaching without long trousers or long sleeve
shirts is just asking to look like a wounded warrior. Even with the
clothes mentioned, it's many of days that I have looked like I've been
thrown in the briar patch.

Before I go any further I want to thank everyone for showing so much
compassion concerning my sojourn in the Spanish Jail. Especially those
heart retching comments on Facebook as to what I can do with the
monies.

Through the Oregon West Cascades we go heading for Klamath Falls. I
would love to be here in the winter when snow is on the ground; the
photography has to be just magnificent.

Into Collier State Park it is for 5 days, 30 miles north of Klamath
Falls, Geocaching to all points of the compass. I leave on the 13th of
September for Lake Tahoe, California. From there it's a quick trip to
Long Beach, California shipping the Goatmobile back to Hawaii. The
nice thing about Oregon State Parks, if you are a disable veteran,
there is no fee for your stay.

Into sunny California following Rt 97 until you get to Mt Shasta then
its route 89 through the Sierra Mountains. The Lassen National Park is
a must for those traveling south. Thinking of traveling Route 89
during the winter, believe me 4WD and chains and a lot of the roads
are closed due to snow. And Route 89 is a motorcyclists dream ride
plus the small communities along the way. Getting through Lake Tahoe
took some doing but once south of the lake traffic thins out, a
beautiful ride though and a great place along the way for pic's that
if you can fight your way through the traffic. South of Lake Tahoe you
lose Rt 89, which turns into 395, still enjoyable, and a double lane.
The price of petrol is $$4.10 but go 25 miles in any direction and the
cost varies from $2.99 to 3.25. per gallon.

There are some communities in the sierra's that I would move to in a
heart beat but
alas my daughter and son would not tolerate their favorite dad being
so farrrrrrrrr away. Matter of fact in this last faux pas with me
being in jail in Spain they were the first ones who told me to pack it
in as far as sending monies to get released along with the other low
life relatives from Maine to Georgia.

Deciding that I had to go through Death Valley for the third time, you
follow Route 395 to 120 to 6 back to 395 to Big Pine. This is where it
gets interesting; from Big Pine you turn east on Route 168 before you
pickup Death Valley Road. The first 25 miles is paved but after that
its gravel for the next 40 miles. Forty miles of washboard, hemorrhoid
adjusting, miserable bloody road. Me thinks the last time this section
of road was worked on was when Noah launched the Ark. As it is
September, the temperature in the shade is 100 degrees, but anything
is better then when I came through Nevada in July time frame when 110
was the norm.

The Goatmobile is scheduled for shipment to Hawaii on the 22 September
minus all the gear I've been accumulating over the last two years. The
vehicle is so dusty that I need to find a sheep dip tank somewhere
just to get it to the point of being acceptable for shipment to
Hawaii. There is enough dust/dirt on the vehicle to start my own wheat
farm.

Getting back to Hawaii, especially the townhouse on the hill, is not a
happy thought. Traffic, noise, people, and more noise, especially
after being on the road for 5 months where at times the only sound you
heard was your breathing. But next year we shall venture forth and
rediscover North America again with new Geocaches and the open road.
Those of you who were fortunate to follow my travels via Facebook can
expect the same next year, especially my travels through the jail
system in Spain!

If none of you have ever experience driving the maze of freeways in
the Los Angles area then you are in for a treat. Let me set it up for
you; 2-4 lanes wide, truckers in the 2 right lanes, everyone going at
70 mph, space between vehicles are measured in inches and of course we
have the race track enthusiast weaving around the vehicles as if their
life dependent on it. Now add multiple turn offs that everyone from
the far left lane have to move to the right in less then a hundred
meters, the inches that were originally there are now reduced to a
nano inch (no such word in Webster), but you get the drift.; that's
the LA freeway…………
If it weren't for the GPS directing me to the vehicle shipper I would
be still out there in the maze.

There is one more blog that puts everything into BS scenario and as
I've said before without the Facebook pictures you are only getting a
part of the travel log.

Aloha,

Norm
The Greynomad

Help me out please

Hope you get this on time? Sorry I didn't inform you about my trip to Spain for a program, I am presently in Madrid and am having some difficulties here because i misplaced my wallet on my way to the hotel where my money and other valuable things were. presently my passport and my things are been held down by the hotel management pending when i make payment.

I need you to help me with a loan of (€2,600 Euro = $3,300) to pay my hotel bills and to get myself back home. I will appreciate whatever you can afford to assist me with, I will refund the money back to you as soon as i return, let me know if you can be of any help? ASAP. I don't have a phone where i can be reached. I am so confused right now. please let me know immediately

Your help is much appreciated,
Best Regards
Norm

US/Canada Travels for 8.31.2010

Alaska, Yukon, British Columbia, Washington State

Alaska in 10 days, plus another wind shield and the pleasure of the visit. Of course going through Canadian Customs is always a pleasure especially when you declare 100 liters of wine for self-consumption. I will not even bother you with that wonderful ride from the Canadian Border south for 100 miles. They should really set it up as a carvenial ride, that way everyone has a very good idea just how miserable the road is. Then I have the bloody trip to Watson Lake before you can even think of going somewhere that means anything. But its okay as I sit here at the very southern end of Klune Lake, had 2 cups of Mom's wine and thinking of the bakery shop in Haines Junction tomorrow morning, fat pills to the max, life is good. What I forgot to mention was that it rained all night, wind blew and it was not a pleasant event getting everything together in the morn for the days trek.

First stop was the library at Whitehorse then another 450 kilometers to Watson Lake where I'll be turning south to Prince Rupert. Well we get to the junction for the southern turn and we find out that the road is closed to a raging forest fire that has already burned over 100,000 acres of land. It's the largest one burning in British Columbia right now. Being that it is late in the day and the fire marshal might let a convoy of vehicles go tomorrow morning if the fire is contained. We and there is a healthy group of people waiting to go south, will wait until morning before committing to the only route around the fire being it adds another 2 more days of travel. The following morning brings no relief and by all accounts I have 2 days of extra travel to get around this problem.

Did meet a retired US Army couple from Alabama waiting in line though as you had nothing to do but talk to people all day. The wife had shaved her head and has Obama on front with Sarah Palin tattooed on the back. The husband walks around a with a toupee, one foe each day of the week and a pony tail that is completely out of wack with the toupee's. From time to time you could hear them chant verses but its okay, they're retired……..

Not only does British Columbia provide great scenery, road construction, smoke from the forest fires but a gas bill that easily exceeds $250.00 getting around this road problem to Queen Charlotte Islands. I have never pushed the Goatmobile as hard as I did averaging 110 – 120 kilometers per hour for 2 ½ days to make the Saturday morning ferry to Queen Charlotte Islands. I made by 20 minutes pulling into Prince Rupert ferry terminal. Getting to the island is a 7- hour ride and if the ferry is ¼ full, consider it a busy day.

The first day was spent chasing Geochaches and as I got only 1/10 and the one I did find was last signed in 2006. Me thinks I am chasing ghosts of past Geocaches but I still have another 3 days here I just might up my find total to 2. If you come to the island try to bring as much food as possible as the prices will make you poor very quickly and as an after thought try not to buy food on the ferry either.
Queen Charlotte provided 2 days of sunshine after that it was overcast, rain and a very fresh growth of No-seeums (bugs) that where the worst I've seen. My hands and face looked if I had a bad case of smallpox but I keep forgetting that I was enjoying myself. Having had enough fun I left a day early and what amazed me was the number of people that come over with me originally where going back as early as I.

Off the ferry at Prince Rupert at 1800hrs, drive until midnight, sleep 2 hours, and then back on the road for another 3 hours before I crashed again. Spent a short stay at the library in Prince George before heading south with the State of Washington on the horizon. Heading south on route 97 pretty much humbug but once you pass the town of Clinton everything changes dramatically as you are now in the Cascade Mountains. Reminded me of going through Idaho with mountains on both sides of you. One of the nicest provincial parks to stay at is Lac le Jeune, no showers, but after 15 days who cares!

It is Washington the next day with petrol at just $3.00 a gallon, traffic, and attitudes on the road. That night found myself staying at the guest quarters on the US Naval Base Whidbey Island. A bed, hot shower, and 300-channel telly for $40.00 per night and you can just believe I reserved the room for 2 nights before I climb back into the Goatmobile.

The Goatmobile just crossed the 70,000-mile mark with 25,000 miles to date on this particular trip. We find ourselves heading for the Olympic National Forest then south along the Washington/Oregon/California coast.

Geocaching as "Na Kupuna", my handle, has gone over 350 found caches since April. If for any reason you would like to see where I've been go to the Geocaching web page and type in Na Kupuna. It will list all of the caches found through out the trip, enjoy.

The night was spent at Falls View National Forest campsite on route 101 after spending the day getting through Seattle and Olympia. Another primitive site which provides a loo and picnic table. From there its north to route 112 Geocaching as I travel. Ended up at Ozette, which is at the very end of the road with limited facilities but it does have potable water and flushable loos. The site has 2 boardwalk trails to the ocean both 3 miles in one direction. No wheel vehicles are allowed on the trails and didn't I try to convince them I should be allow otherwise. The park ranger just looked me in the eye, NO……….

My cooking has improved besides boiling water, I now take a can of chicken breast, drain the water, drop the contents into a fry pan and cook the chicken until it's a crispy brown. This along with the cuppa of black box wine has made the trip so much more enjoyable…………………..aloha
Norm
The Greynomad

What a woman wants in a man every 10 years

What I Want In a Man, Original List
1. Handsome
2. Charming
3. Financially successful
4. A caring listener
5. Witty
6. In good shape
7. Dresses with style
8. Appreciates finer things
9. Full of thoughtful surprises


What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 32)
1. Nice looking
2. Opens car doors, holds chairs
3. Has enough money for a nice dinner
4. Listens more than talks
5. Laughs at my jokes
6. Carries bags of groceries with ease
7. Owns at least one tie
8. Appreciates a good home-cooked meal
9. Remembers birthdays and anniversaries


What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 42)
1. Not too ugly
2. Doesn't drive off until I'm in the car
3. Works steady - splurges on dinner out occasionally
4. Nods head when I'm talking
5. Usually remembers punch lines of jokes
6. Is in good enough shape to rearrange the furniture
7. Wears a shirt that covers his stomach
8. Knows not to buy champagne with screw-top lids
9. Remembers to put the toilet seat down
10. Shaves most weekends


What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 52)
1. Keeps hair in nose and ears trimmed
2. Doesn't belch or scratch in public
3. Doesn't borrow money too often
4. Doesn't nod off to sleep when I'm venting
5. Doesn't re-tell the same joke too many times
6. Is in good enough shape to get off the couch on weekends
7. Usually wears matching socks and fresh underwear
8. Appreciates a good TV dinner
9. Remembers your name on occasion
10. Shaves some weekends


What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 62)
1. Doesn't scare small children
2. Remembers where bathroom is
3. Doesn't require much money for upkeep
4. Only snores lightly when asleep
5. Remembers why he's laughing
6. Is in good enough shape to stand up by himself
7. Usually wears some clothes
8. Likes soft foods
9. Remembers where he left his teeth
10. Remembers that it's the weekend

What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age 72)
1. Breathing.
2. Doesn't miss the toilet.


Send this to the women who will enjoy reading it and to the men who can handle it!

US/Canada Travels for 8.15.2010

British Columbia, Yukon, Alaska
After spending a night along one of many rivers that cross the Washington border. It was across into British Columbia (BC) on 1 August, which also just happens to be another Canadian holiday, and of course everything was closed. Following Route 97 north is traffic, people, crowds, and more traffic. Did manage to cover Geocache sites, one being a nudist beach and me being the twit fully clothed and with GPS in hand. . If you ever cross over into BC, 3 Mile Beach is the place for viewing. Also along Route 97 we find fruit stands, nothing to do with 3 Mile Beach, and winery's.
So if your taste buds are a bit more refine then mine, BC is the place.

It was going to be a provincial park for the night but as I am finding out, the parks are no better then primate camping. There is a loo and not much more but it does cost 25-30 dollars a night. Long story short, I missed the sign and ended up at Chute Lake for $20 and change. Well we continue up Rt 97, did I mention for the tenth time it's another bloody Canadian holiday. Traffic is a nightmare as we only have one main road between BC and Alberta. It is 40 cars in front and just as many behind you. I've seen more traffic in the last 2 days then I've seen in the past 3 months.

It's a National Park for the night with flies and mosquitoes and Geocaches schedule all the way up to Prince George where there just happens to be a Costco……….
The next day takes us through the Jasper National Park where everyone is in just such hurry to get through instead of enjoying the Canadian Mountains. Found another national park site for the night and everything was right except for the twit who decided that he needed to chop wood at 0300hrs.

The next day we are in Prince George visiting the library and at the same time someone try's to steal my bike. But as I have a steel bike cable looped through it, the bike did not get any further then the length of the cable. Costco was next with a month's supply of cranberry juice and biscuits for me 12-gallon pail of hummus. A provincial park with hot showers for the night it was. The next day has us on the road and on the road it is. The most boring bloody stretch of road possible is from Fort St Johns to Fort Nelson. Imagine a 2-lane highway with trees on both sides for 350 kilometers.

Fort Nelson onward to Watson Lake for another 4-5 hours and what makes this part of the trip interesting was the smoke from the forest fires up north. At times you could not make out the horizon it was so thick in places. Watson Lake it is for the night, this is the place where at the visitor's center there has to be a collection of over 10,000 medal or wood license plates. It was out of Watson bright and early and with me moving up in the northern latitudes, the days are longer, the bugs are bigger and my windshield is acquiring that splatter look. Matter of fact the bugs are big enough that when they hit you wonder if the windshield is going to survive. This bit of noteworthy news only improves the further north I go.

From Watson Lake it's another 5 hours to Whitehorse, the Yukon capital, for fuel then another 2 hours to Haines Junction. At Haines we find the best little German bakeshop ever. I could live in the bakeshop for a lifetime the food is so good. I purchase enough fat pills to last another 100 miles until we reach Destruction Bay by the bay. Its here that the Goatmobile will spend the night with a fine cuppa of box wine. The journey from Haines to the bay is magnificent with the mountains on both sides and the opening up of the bay as you approach it from the soth.

I find that my choices of fine box wine improves with age; first I look at the alcohol content, next the price and last of all volume. So if I can get 4 liters of box red wine for 25 cents per at 30% alcohol content and knowing that my stiffen joints will benefit it's a buy regardless of the laughter from the sales clerk.

Leaving Destruction Bay north for the Alaska border is not a ride taken lightly. The sealed road for the next 120 miles is in terrible shape but must you do, as there is no other way for you to get to Alaska. Did find another small German bakery on the way though. Good for the sole and another fine cuppa of coffee. Crossing the Alaskan border then north to Tok and further north to Fairbanks you run the risk of road construction. And it was was in full swing all of the way. You would of thought that all of these non-believers, especially being Sunday, that they would have stayed home. Wrong to the nth degree, which just adds another, 2 hours of traveling time to where ever you are going. Found another military base just south of Fairbanks, which has a campsite plus the benefit of using the base facilities.

North it is to Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay this fine bright morning. I no sooner turn on the Dalton Highway than a truck passes by throws a rock and its another windshield that has to be replaced. The back window in Labrador and now the front one in Alaska and this is what its all about, having fun, paying $4.50 per gallon for petrol and the mosquitoes getting bigger by the degree of latitude.

The road up to Prudhoe is fine until you get through the Antigun Pass, anything after that is bad going to worse. About 80 miles outside of Prudhoe Bay the road is great. In Prudhoe the fog was as thick as pea soup and here I am thinking of all of the great pictures that I'll be down loading to Facebook. Fill up the Goatmobile and its back down the road to Coldfoot, what's a 500-mile day for the Greynomad! If I had to do this trip again, the stop at the Arctic Circle then up to the Antigun Pass, take pic's then head south. There is nothing further north that worth beating yourself to death for with another 200 miles to Prudhoe. If the caribou were there it would be another story but as it's been so warm up north, the caribou have been just now appearing.

Fairbanks by mid-day and an appointment with the front window maker tomorrow morning. By the grace of major wine maker in the sky, this is the 3rd set of front and back windows for the Goatmobile. Hopefully I can make it back to Hawaii without any further glass changes. South it is to Denali National Park for a quick trip then south to Route 8 (Denali Highway) for a 30-mile drive to another $4.00 night on the government. I was hoping that the skies would be clear enough to get a picture of Mt. McKinley on the way out but the peak was cover in clouds. Into Anchorage, Alaska and of course a stop at Costco to get the tyres sorted out. There was enough accumulated dirt on the wheels that the tyre mechanic filled the bottom of a trash bin with debris. This in place of me also scraping the wheel rims originally.

We find ourselves heading north tomorrow for Tok, Alaska, next Haines Junction, Yukon and down route 37 into British Columbia for Prince Rupert where I catch a ferry to Queen Charlotte Islands.

Aloha

Norm
The Greynomad

US/Canada Travels for 31 July 2010

Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington

Running south on route 93 from Montana we cross the border at the Loss Trail Pass, 7014 ft, into Idaho for our next segment of chasing the Geocaching containers. Driving down the Bitterroot Mountains and the Salmon National Forest is all what your tourist brochures brag about. Beautiful scenery at every turn.

Then we come into the Craters of the Moon National Monument. The temperature at this time of day (1430hrs) is just around 108 degrees F (me thinks 38 C). It's a campsite for the next 2 days and for the first time since I've had the Goatmobile the air conditioner comes on and stays on. Found a 50-mile bit of gravel road that I was hoping for the stray 4-legged animal but the only thing that showed any interest was a Desert Fox laying in the shade of a horse watering troth. Did find three vertical stone column's over a space of 20 miles that meant ……………

Back to the Craters of the Moon, once the sunset, the wind dropped, the temperature was in the high 80's, and life took on a new meaning. It was so peaceful, quite, bug free and the cuppa of red wine with the hummus, give me that lap pool with the 50-inch telly and I could stay here forever. Spent another day traveling the gravel roads around the Crater Monument. Spotted 3 adult pronghorn antelope with young and another adult later in my travels.

Tomorrow its south on Route 93 into the Sawtooth National Forest Geocaching as I go. And it is the Sawtooth National Forest with 4 Geocaches within its bounties'. The first 2 were accessible but number 3 & 4 meant that I was going to have to cross a very deep and muddy hole. In me younger days this would be doable but when you are 30 miles from anyone, alone and in the Goatmobile some how common sense (very little) comes into play. We turn around find a decent campsite, breakout the cardboard box of the finest red wine available, chew beef jerky and crank up the speakers listening to Madama Butterfly (Puccini) and Rinaldo (Handel).
Man I have the grizzly's, black bears, and elk dancing the mambo with a bit of Elvis thrown in. While resting me cuppa on a very old pile of elk scat……….

Awoke the next morning to a coyotes giving his best at 0500 hrs to his neighbors. Down the gravel road to the first Geocache for the day and with a final count of ten and setting up camp on the old pony express trail for the night. Well the campsite did not last the night out. Heard too many noises that were not in my sound card. It was up and out of there to a more populated area where I could rest a lot easier.

One thing about being in a hot dry desert environment, you don't sweat, which of course means we go a lot longer between showers. My normal 10-day no shower routine can now stretch to 15 days, which lessens my carbon footprint generating more water to make beer.

If for any reason you do follow Route 93, there is the Mt. Wilson Back County Byway, which I didn't take, it has all those dots along its path which tells you that it has all the views and wildlife that anyone could wish for. Another place that is not advertised on Route 93 is the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. It sits on a lake and there is camping. Following 93 down to Las Vegas, 110-degree temps hit you along with long straight boring bloody road. The good thing about Vegas is once there you are heading north, north to cooler climates, north to mosquito's and Alaska.

We follow Route 95 out of Las Vegas up to Hawthorne where temps have been 110 again and even at night 100 is the norm. Even sleeping naked you are wearing too much. From Hawthorne its north to Fallon Naval Air Station where there is a RV site, showers, free laundry, air condition spaces to mellow out…………While at Fallon took route 50 to Sand Mountain. A very, very big pile of sand in the middle of nowhere. The road driving in was firm but once there, believe me; thinking that you can drive anywhere is going to be a very big mistake. Even the parking lot was a bit soft for the Goatmobile. Back out to Route 50 to 116 to the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge for a quick auto tour, hot as hell but doable.

Continue north on Route 95 and you are going to enter into the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. There is only one sign indicating a campsite along with some other sites. Turn right and follow the dirt road into the canyon and up to 6000 ft plus. The scenery is just incredible and if you are looking for a campsite why it's just another 15 miles of gravel. I decided to just camp out at the top of the pass for the night. The sun was shinning, wind at 5-10 knots, wine in hand along with another New York Times Best Seller. This peaceful scenario did not last long, first the wind picked up, next rain, thunderclouds and finally lightning. Being as I am sitting by myself at 6000 ft and being the only piece of metal around, it was everything into the Goatmobile and down the hill I went and finding a spot with my neighbors for (cows) the night.
Next day has me crossing the state line of Oregon and spending the night with old friends from Midway Atoll, Hawaiian Islands.

Next day we continue north Geocaching and spending another night at a National Forest. After a proper cup of coffee and lies abound I head north following the path of very little guidance. Route 3 it is going north into Washington State. Route 3 and 129 provide more twist and turns then the good lord allows. Matter of fact there is a huge motorcycle rally in August for bikers that make that particular trek. I am assuming that there will be plenty of beer, comradeship, and BS. At the bottom of all the turns and twist's is Brogan's. Great place for ice cream sundaes and a Geocache. They have been there since the turn of the century and will remain for another 100 years. The temp at the bottom of the gorge had to be a 100 plus, even though there was free camping my thoughts were onto a state park just out of the gorge and a hot shower.

Next morning we find ourselves heading north via routes 129,12,261 and 21. Western Washington is wheat, wheat, and more wheat. Thinking that I had seen farmland in North Dakota, nothing prepared me for Washington State. It just goes on and on from one horizon to another. The only saving grace is that it is not flat and the roads do have a bit of life to them. It's the town of Wilbur that has me stopping for the night with a bit of blue grass music to soothe the nerves from a long day on the road.

We are onto the border this last day of the month for July, mileage for the Goatmobile is 17,500 miles, and we have British Columbia, Yukon, and Alaska ahead of us.

Aloha

Norm

A Different Look at Creation..

WARNING!!!

Subject: Fwd: WARNING!!! !!! ALIENS ARE COMING TO EARTH NEXT THURSDAY AND THEIR MISSION IS TO ABDUCT ALL GOOD LOOKING AND SEXY "OLD" PEOPLE.    YOU WILL BE SAFE ; I'M JUST E-MAILING YOU TO SAY GOODBYE.    (LOL!!!)

US/Canada Travel Log for 7.15.2010

Ontario, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana

And its 1 July, Canada day, same as our 4 July but with less BS. Looking east at 0430hrs the sun was just about to make its appearance and the sunrise was going to be spectacular but Mother Nature cancelled the sunrise with a solid layer of fog until 0800hrs.

I continue working west along route 17 with Lake Superior on the horizon caching as I go, Thunder Bay is still another day off but who is counting. It was another great day for weather, can this really be happening, but we will find out believe me.

I am now in central time zone moving west from Thunder Bay and summer is here with today's temps in the 30's C. All of my winter gear is being boosted up to the cargo carrier; this will allow me to store more of that fine cold beer down below for emergencies. Tonight I stop in a provincial park, the humidity is neigh high, and the twits have fires going……..is there something wrong with this picture? But fear not, Mother Nature took care of this problem with thunderstorms, lightning, wind, and rain (2.5 inches /60mm). Now they are all locked in the caravan with the kids, grand parents, and the dog. This morn was wet, things were put away wet, and for my first cuppa, the woman was explaining to me that the reason the tent sites were burning wood when both the heat and humidity was over the scale "was to dry out the air".

Any way with that bit of information, the first Geocache was in the middle of a downpour. Thinking that it should be a quickie, wrong, soaked to the gills with a no find. Next one was again in the wet; me thinking at this time, screw it I am wet and I really don't need to add any more water to the clothes. Head for Safeway in Fort Williams were Starbucks is with access to Wi-Fi. Wrong again so over the border at the International Falls, Minnesota and a fill up at the gas station for half the price. Now I am heading west on route 11 when we have a detour, this detour cost me in mileage just about 100 miles and counting. Fortunately I found a local lad who put me on the county road system but still it was 100 miles plus by the time I got to Pine Island State Park. Most national and state parks like to put you in the quite, green environment. Well this also leads to a great abundance of black flies and mosquito's and finding that this was going to be
a major problem and not wanting to be part of the food chain, I was out of there.

The area that I've been passing through in Ontario for the last days is in total un-employment shut down. The last wood mill had shut down and unemployment went up by 10,000 souls. There is nothing on the horizon either except some gold and platinum companies who are making exploratory drilling. But for anything substantial, it is still years away.

And should I remind everyone that mosquitoes do not exist in Minnesota, no it's the bloody state bird. Geocaching has exposed me to the worst of worst of mosquito's bites. I do not care how much you spray yourself with DEET; the bloody suckers will find an opening somewhere.
Last night here I was at a small picnic area, next we find ourselves inundated with people from farms on both sides of the area. Just a fantastic group and meeting a coupler that was with the first group of Peace Corp flower children volunteers to go forth in the early 60's. There are a few of them left, one in particular hiding on a remote pacific atoll. Geocaching all day long brings me to Lake Branson where the breeze is doable and the bugs are a big part of the scene. If you do check into a state park make sure and I mean make sure you get a campsite at the windiest part of the park or you will be a blood bank provider for the mosquitos. Another thought of caution when traveling; check out the bathroom facilities before committing yourself to a campsite. You will be surprised at the number of places that charge you to the max and the bathrooms would not qualify for a loo in Calcutta.

North Dakota and its radio station 105.1 for country. Did I mention that upper Minnesota is flat, the roads are straight, well North Dakota is nothing but an extension of the same. The highest thing seen to date is the McDonalds Arch……..
After a very serious conversation with one of the farmers in ND, he informed me that as an export crop they grow mosquitoes especially in wheat fields where I just so happen to be looking for me small container. A little known factoid; ND has a positive cash flow and the reason is oil, you know that stuff that's running $80.00 a barrel, has been discovered in western ND. With a population of 650,000, no worries on expenditures either.

Oil in western North Dakota is both a blessing and a curse. The sudden wealth to the farmer who by most standards was poorer then a bloody church mouse now are the SUV groupie. The impact on the infrastructure is another story all together. All of the roads either gravel or sealed were structured for the farming community. Now add trucks, a lot of trucks carrying tons and tons of equipment to support the oil fields, the road system starts to break down. And did I mention people and housing; non-existent and probably won't be corrected for a number of years. If you are single and want to make a lot of money, west North Dakota and east Montana are the place to be.
The ratio of men to women in the oil fields is 50 to 1. So ladies, if you can breath, cook an apple pie and cut a cord of wood during the winter months, the possibilities are there for that perfect match of a lifetime.

My last night stay in North Dakota is at the National Forest Buffalo Gap Camp on route 94. Most National Forest sites are primitive, water and loo, but for $3.00 a night how can you go wrong. So in the morn it's over the border into the Big Sky country of Montana. Five hours later I am standing at the Billings, Montana Costco store and its good to be back.

North to the Lewis and Clark National Forest it is and is it big country. Impressed I was with North Dakota; Montana with its mountains and vast open spaces will be worth every mosquito and deer fly bite. Did I mention ticks, no, well let me tell you those little suckers are alive and well. My total to date is 6 and hopefully there is no Lyme disease among the group.
We get ourselves through Missoula into the worst traffic while in Montana, route 93 south. They are widening the road and it's just a miserable trip for 40 miles south. Lake Como, National Forest, and another $4.00 night with Idaho on the horizon.

Aloha,

Norm

The Greynomad

Bacon Tree

Two Mexicans are stuck in the desert after crossing into the United States, wandering aimlessly and starving. They are about to just lie down and wait for death, when all of a sudden Luis says......... "Hey Pepe, do you smell what I smell.  Ees bacon, I theenk." "Si, Luis, eet sure smells like bacon. " With renewed hope they struggle up the next sand dune, & there, in the distance, is a tree loaded with bacon. There's raw bacon, there's fried bacon, back bacon, double smoked bacon, Canadian bacon ... every imaginable kind of cured pork. "Pepe, Pepe, we ees saved.  Ees a bacon tree." "Luis, maybe ees a meerage?  We ees in the desert don't  forget." "Pepe, since when deed you ever hear of  a meerage that smell like bacon...ees no meerage, ees a bacon tree." And with that, Luis staggers towards the tree.  He gets to within 5 meters, Pepe crawling close behind, when suddenly a machine gun opens up, and Luis drops like a wet sock.  Mortally wounded, he warns Pepe with his dying breath, "Pepe... go back man, you was right, ees not a bacon tree!" "Luis, Luis mi amigo... what ees it? " "Pepe.. ees not a bacon tree.   Ees   Ees   Ees   Ees   Ees   Ees a ham bush..."     Sorry. I know there mush be something wrong with me for sending you this.   It was those little voices that made me do it. I couldn't help it.   But admit it.  You tried reading this with an accent.  I know you did.  Your voices already told mine. Quit squirming.

US/Canada Travels for 30 June 2010

Bonjour,
Newfoundland, Labrador, Quebec, Ontario

Not to get out of sync with my dialogue but at 54,486 miles, 6.22.2010, 1610 hrs, and 40 miles west of Churchill heading for Labrador City, the back window is trashed again. Black plastic trash bags are sealing off the window until I get into Labrador City for a piece of plastic. I'll be cleaning dust off my gear forever and of course everything that was exposed will have to get washed, ………Maybe!

If Mother Nature didn't have her hand in keeping me additional 2 days in Newfoundland. The weather was bad period, winds of 90-100 km/h and heavy rains kept the ferries in port. Managed passage on the 17th to Blanc-Sablan, Quebec and you could not have wished for better weather and flat seas. After getting off the boat on the Quebec side of the border, within 15 minutes you are crossing the border north into Labrador.
While still on the Newfoundland side waiting to board the ferry ran across an old retired US Navy Chief on a tri-motorcycle with wife and trailer in tow. They were from Texas and were heading back that way after visiting Red Bay, Labrador with further travel to St John's, Newfoundland.

It will be Pinware River Provincial Park for the next 4 days and of course it's Geocaching to the max.

This is the way the weather pattern has been these last 4 weeks, we get one good day along with black flies then rain, fog, wind for the next week. Christ on a crux spent another day along the Labrador coast chasing the funny little packages hidden in the some of the most difficult places. Getting bloody wet through the multiple layers of high tech clothes that promise the driest of dries. By the end of the day I was through chasing the forecasted rainbow. It was back to the park, 75 cents in the dryer with me clothes and standing naked in the laundry room…………bunions, knobby knees, 30-inch waist, (suck it in Wally) and enough scar tissue on the old bode to start another Atlas road map. If the dryer was big enough best believe that I would have been inside. And to make matters worse, some how the local radio station had the right frequency that my hip replacement was playing the chorus line to Mama Mia…!

Last day was spent catching the last cache then on to Old Fort Bay on the Quebec side. Sealed road all the way out except the last 6 kilometers. Jacque Cartier landed here back when and called the place Brest originally. Again all of the villages out to the end of the road depend on fishery to support themselves.

Next day we find ourselves heading for Cartwright for the ferry ride into Goose Bay. Well stopping for a cuppa at Mary's Harbor and I find out that Cartwright is locked solid with ice and it will be another week if not longer before a ferry can get in there. Not much that I can do here so up the road I go with my next stop at Port Hope Simpson where it is confirmed that Cartwright is out of the question. This leaves me with only one option; it's the new road they are putting in from Cartwright to Goose Bay. Its 280 kilometers long with 50 kilometers of road construction going on. For what part of the road that is finished you can cruise along from 70 -100 km/h. Now the 50 kilometers is a bloody another story all together. You are right in the middle of the road being put together and I mean your traffic is backhoes, bulldozers, dump trucks, and anything else they can throw at you. Your speed through this mess never and I mean never exceeds 20km/h
(10mph) or you risked serious problems or a ruptured tire. Did pass 2 campers with broken axles and the best part was the speed limit was 30 km/h and there was no passing. Believe me that did not even enter the equation.

The road should be finished by next year and it will solve so many problems for people living in Goose Bay by not depending on the ferry, ice and accessible to Costco in St John's. You would not believe how many people from Labrador make the trip to Costco's in St John's for groceries.

Getting back to the back window. Found a shop in Labrador City that replaced the back window and loaded me up with enough pens, pencils, note pads, address book, and decals to last me a lifetime. In and out of there within 2 hours and the benefit of getting a cuppa at Tim Horton's and food at Wal-Mart before heading south.

Baie-Comeau it is after 1300 kilometers on a gravel road. Rain it was for the last 300 kilometers and finding a place to stay and accessible to a laundry. Everything that even looked to have gravel dust was washed; I just love the commercial laundries. And to think that a Costco is only 5 hours away and conveniently in the direction that I am heading. One thing this room had was biting bugs, lots of bugs, it got to the point of stripping all of the linen off the bed and spraying everything with DEET. Of course trying to convey this bit of information to the clerk, who does not speak a word of English, is a waste of time. Anyone that thinks that English is the second language in Quebec has to be smoking the funny weed. And the more remote you get, the worst the language barrier gets. One of the benefits of this famous inn is a free breakfast in the morning at the local swill pit.

After a proper cup of Tim Horton's coffee and another 50 dollar gas fill up its off to the next big adventure. At Costco the tyres are rotated and balanced along with a 100 dollars of juice, box of fine red wine and biscuits. After finding another obscure covered bridge I get myself pointed north to the next Geocache. Found an abandon campsite and it was the place of comfort for the night. I had bought a multiple packages of beef jerky to augment my wonderful diet. Some of this beef jerky is like chewing on a dead warthog after its been out in the African sun for 2 weeks. You wonder how I can even possible come up with this compassion? Well for one having eating numerous meals in the past 2 months at various households, believe me eating a warthog is being kind to those that thought their meals were………

Another case in point is where the Goatmobile was stored for the winter. I know for a fact that the wife would sneak out at night and get the next days meal from the compose pile.
Getting north in Quebec is not the most direct method but it does add a bit of flavor to your travels. Putting in a 500-kilometer/300 mile day definitely makes the backside wish for a better place to sit. Since I am in an area where there are numerous covered bridges life cannot get much better.

Getting to the one Geocache located near Rupert Bay (Hudson Bay or as the French call it Baie of James) took just about 3 days of steady driving. The Cree Indian Nation own just about all of the land along the east side of Hudson Bay. Of course Quebec Hydro Power has huge dams within this complex along with minerals deposits. Anyhow into the Cree township of Waskeganish we go chasing the cache. The cache site has me in the middle of a trash site and I am supposed to find a small container, me thinks not. What I did get was a cup of coffee at the lodge and being the only white man in town was stink-eye to the max.

Enough, we next head south along route 109 Geocaching and finding the cover bridge of choice and crossing over into Ontario. Well getting up this AM we have rain and of course my luck for caches as I travel south is 1/5, me thinks my GPS can not read French as well as I do. Stopped in Amos at a coffee shop with WI-FI and down loaded another cache sights in Ontario. Crossed into the lighter side of life (Ontario) on route 101 and I just might gain or lose another hour here shortly. A lay by it is for the night before we venture forth to the next cache.

Woke up this morn and the temperatures were close to freezing, bloody hell when does summer ever arrive in Canada? But bitch I want to, it keeps the bugs down to a minimum and more better for this lad.

Geocaching as I go and it was a very positive day with 5/5 and does Mother Roses Dry Red Wine with organic crackers from Costco look even better then I expected.
Tonight it's a Provincial Park with very, very hot water. Tomorrow its west again with a stop at the nearest Internet café, a cuppa, and another round of carrot cupcakes. I should be hitting the US border within the next 2-3 days and will continue forth with until I see British Columbia.

The Goatmobile will be getting another set of tyres before I cross over into BC though. The gravel roads have not be kind to tread wear but any time I can cross the Labrador Trans Am Highway both ways on one set of tyres is a plus. By tomorrow night I'll have covered just over 11,000 miles (17600 km) of sunshine and too many power bars.

Aloha

Norm
The Greynomad

enjoy

US/Canada Travels for 15 June 2010

Bell Island at one time had over 14,000 men working the iron mines; today you might find a population of 300 depending on tourist. When the mines closed down, the men were given $5.00 per month as retirement.

Another interesting note: The Government House in St John's is the capital and houses the majority of government offices. Now on with the story, it seems someone commissioned a survey of cigarette butts around the Government House. The butts were sent to a laboratory; the results were that 50% of the cigarette butts were from contraband cigarettes, other words they did not pay the taxes for the cigarettes. Imagine if you did a survey in Washington D.C on the number of congressmen that were on the payroll for lobbyist and large corporation……….Me thinks the results would be very close if not worse.

After a morning spent at St John's Costco getting the Goatmobile tires rotated and balanced, heading west to the Fogo Island for 2 days chasing down Geocaching sights. As I have been complaining about how cold the weather has been, well Mr. Sun did make an appearance along with the increase in temperature. This in turns brings out the Black flies and majority of bugs that make a great impression on your windscreen as you drive down the road. My make shift bug screen for the Goatmobile is going to make a big difference this year.

Taking route 320 / 330 north was one of the nicest roads yet. They run along the coastline where you can pull off and spend any amount of time exploring. Not to be missed if you do travel to Newfoundland.

Fogo Island it is for the next couple of days and staying at a B&B while there. If I could afford a B&B on my travels, the Goatmobile would smell a lot better. The woman, 42 grandkids, that runs the B&B learned how to make a proper cup of coffee from me. Its Peg's B&B if you ever get there. Met a couple from south Quebec, just over the border from Vermont at a small bakeshop. Got talking about Geocaching and the next thing I know I am invited to visit them in my travels.

Me thinks if my daughter and son would setup a trust fund of lets say $20,000.00 per year to cover my travel expenses it would be most appreciated. The weather was not in my favor while at Fogo but I did get in Geocaching (4 /5) along with some spectacular views and great people. Some great hiking on Fogo is not to be missed and Change Island another place to venture to while in the area.

Change Island for the day chasing Geocaches (6/8) and a grand day it was with the sun in full bloom. One road up the center of the island to the township of Change then a series of small communities in the surrounding areas. All dependent on fish and crabs for income. I sometimes wonder what people think when they see a stranger with a GPS in his hand running around in circles, crawling under bushes, flipping over rocks, me thinks it's a twit from the loony bin.

Its Dildo Run Provincial Park, I do not make these names up, for the next day or so checking out Geocaches in the area (3/4). Twillingatr for the day as the majority of the searches are in that area. Cruise ship in port with German tourist running around with their cruise ship red jackets on. Twillingate at this time of the year usually has icebergs in the surrounding area. This year not a one in sight. I am blaming all of this of course on the North Koreans and the midget that runs the country.

The next morning we are greeted with rain and I am chasing another cache 80 miles up the road which proves to be a no find. There has been days when it has been a 2400 mg (3x800) Motrin (Ibuprofen) day for me with the amount of walking it takes to reach some of these sights. I am just so glad I am not doing this on a motorcycle with the weather as it's been for the last 3 weeks.

Sunshine greets us this AM and with the rise in temperature, the rise in bugs but this is to be expected. Today we are going to Geocache GCJWYE, the Green Bay Island Tickle. Tickle in Newfoundland means a water strait between islands. This was 6 kilometers round trip via a ATV road, I would have paid big bucks for a ATV, up and down through some very beautiful country. The trail had loos and picnic tables throughout and bugs every step of the way but worth the trip in every sense of the word. I will pay for this trip dearly as the ankle and knees will make their discomfort evident by tonight. Met a fellow Newfie on the trail and we have decided at this time in our lives the word is not pain but discomfort.

It's to another Provincial campsite for the next 2 days as we slowly work our way north and eventually Labrador. Sir Richard Squires Provincial Park it is out in the middle of the bush. Some of the best salmon fishing in NFLD is here at the Great Falls. Another item of interest is the amount of Black Flies that is generated around this particular park. The flies might be bad here but when I get into the interior of Labrador, the number of flies here will pale in comparison to what I will have to put up with later on.

From the Provincial Park it was over to the west coast and up to Gros Morne National Park, a world Heritage site, for the day. Green Point for the night sitting on the cliff face facing the Gulf of St Lawrence with a strong enough sea breeze to keep the bugs down for the night. The site has toilets and water only but for want of scenery and access to the Gros Morne National Park, this has got to be one of the nicest spots yet.

Heading north to St Anthony early with another 2 days planned for Geocaching in the surrounding area. After that it is across the pond to Labrador and the Trans-Labrador Highway to Quebec. They have just put a new road in that cuts out the ferry from Cartwright to Goose bay. Let me give you an idea what that new road is like; consider that for 50 kilometers your speed never exceeds 20 kph or roughtly just about 10 mph. I could ride a bike faster then that….! So for all my plans on driving the new road, it will be the ferry again.

Working Geocaches around St Antony's for the day was a bit rough with heavy rain and winds and not having me Tim Horton's cuppa for a start. Did finish out with 4/6 for the day. All intensions for tomorrow are making the move to Labrador for the next segment of the trip weather permitting. Right now the weather across the Gulf of St Lawrence is not good with gusts up to 90 kilometers. But as Hawaii, just give it 10 minutes and it will change.

Aloha

Norm
The Greynomad

The light goes on

POOF, THE LIGHT GOES OFF An 80-year-old man goes for a physical... All of his tests come back with normal results. The doctor says, 'George, everything looks great. How are you doing mentally and emotionally? Are you at peace with God?' George replies, 'God and I are tight. He knows I have poor eyesight, so he's fixed it so when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, poof! The light goes on. When I'm done, poof! The light goes off.' 'Wow, that's incredible,' the doctor says. A little later in the day, the doctor calls George's wife. 'Ethel,' George is doing fine! But I had to call you because I'm in awe of his relationship with God. Is it true that he gets up during the night and poof! the light goes on in the bathroom, and when he's done, poof! The light goes off?' 'Oh my God!' Ethel exclaims. 'He's peeing in the fridge again!       The New Busy is not the too busy. Combine all your e-mail accounts with Hotmail. Get busy.   The New Busy is not the too busy. Combine all your e-mail accounts with Hotmail. Get busy.

US/Canada Travels for 5 June 2010

Barachois Pond Provincial Park was another cold night. It's bad when you are counting on the sun to defrost the windscreen. Had my cuppa and headed for Burgeo on route 480. Its 150 kilometers in and out, same road, no short cuts. Get there and the Provincial Park is closed. All of the travel brochures and visitor Centers have it open. The locals of Burgeo knew it's closed but for someone like myself, it's an unknown. Well it was a motel 6 for the night, hot shower (lengthy), email, watching the teley (125 channels) and writing a nasty email to the Provincial Manager of Parks.

Pancakes, coffee, juice, and being served with a smile. Knowing that I was returning to the previous Provincial Park, it was Geocaching back along Rt 480 and the following were found: GC1H19F, GC1TY41, GC1RYBD and GC1EKAH. Of course this doesn't count the one's I could not find in Burgeo. Tomorrow we head North-East then south again to another un-known, weather being unpredictable but anything is better then the mainland where Quebec and Ontario (41 degrees C) are suffering through a heat way.

Next morning it's out the door, wet and cold, going northeast to another Geocache. Rain and high winds follow me all day long and the forecast for the next few days does not look favorable. Down to a small town of Buchan, supported primarily by mining, where I found 1 out of 3 caches. The campsite for the night was open but trying to find the proprietor was another story. Finally just gave up and continued east to just outside Grand Falls –Windsor where a campsite was found. The kids are in school until the 24th of June and business that cater to families really don't open until then. Most of them would just as soon forget an old Greynomad who is good for $15-20.00 per night.

As I recover from drinking 2 cans of polish beer which is 10% per volume, you best find some place to sleep or as I would find out, me talking to the trees on a MT stomach.

Notes of little concern: some of the best classical music can be found in Maine on WBOCH radio station……..And for those that prefer the Rock on Rock, Newfoundland has a classical rock station that will put a smile on your face. Then we have Canada CBC radio, in Australia its ABC, England BBC, New Zealand unfortunately is Sheep Dip Radio and in America we have been blessed with Sara Palin and Fox News which keeps all happy with their un biased news.

Bad weather continues to dog me on my travels but with the Goatmobile smelling a bit better after getting my clothes washed at the motel 6. It is route 360 south to the Bay of Islands for 2-3 days running around looking for the elusive Geocaches. Today it was 4 out of 4: not bad considering that I must of just about ripped off the bloody fuel tank getting to one out there where even the bloody moose won't go.

Camping here on route 360 can be had at the jipujijkuei Kuesperm Nature Park, run by the Council of the Conne River Micmacs, site for $10.00 per night. The only thing missing here is showers but its secure, clean and a great access to the water. It has enough things to do to keep anyone busy. I consider showers the bare necessity but after 10 days even I have to bend to when the Goatmobile smells like rotten fish…………

We continue with our travels down the Burin Peninsula and its chasing Geocaches as we travel. Again I am blessed with rain, off shore winds of 40 knots, frost, and just freezing to the max. I look like a bloody twit crawling on the ground sticking my hand in holes looking for the elusive cache container. One of the caches was located at a manned lighthouse, after finding it, the lighthouse Stewart invited me in for a hot cuppa.

At the end of May we have covered just over 5000 (8000 kilometers) miles. Which we are still have the same bar of soap, washed clothes once, lost tooth bush but found pine nettles a better solution and overall have minimized my carbon footprint.

The Avalon Peninsula is on the horizon with St John's, the capital of Newfoundland, definitely a stop as the only Costco on island is there. The Avalon Peninsula has been one of the most enjoyable trips made yet. Besides the Geocaching , the scenery, weather all worked for this part of my travel.

Butter Pot (that's right) Provincial Park will be the home base during my travels to Bell Island and St John's.

Bell Island, foggy and wet it was for the first and last time , matter of fact it was wet all day any where in Newfoundland. Just where is summer.? And wasn't I the smart one with 6 pair of shorts and one pair of trousers for me journey. Went  to Wal-Mart and picked up a pair of 30 inch waist trousers. Thinking that I am still  thin as always, couldn't even get the first leg on. Needless to say it was back to Wal-Mart and I got size ………… 

I have finally made the turn north after exploring the south coast of Newfoundland. Matter of fact I start heading west tomorrow with Labrador on the horizon.
Stay safe all and aloha

Norm

The Greynomad

US/Canada Travels for 25 May 2010

Out of Fairfield, Connecticut we follow route 91 north until route 84 then its northeast into Massachusetts. We follow this until route 495, which is a bit of a ring road around the Boston mega-tropolis to Plum Island. On Plum Island we have the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Right now it's a birder's bible for everything heading north to the Arctic for breeding. With camera in hand did my best to waste time taking numerous pictures that National Geographic Magazine is ready to buy…….

From Plum Island we head north into the sate of New Hampshire, which if I am correct, has about one inch of coastline according to my Atlas. Rye Beach is the place to be as another relation (energizer bunny's dad) of 50 years past has a home there. Rye Beach is a place where if your property tax is not 50 thousand dollars a year or more something is wrong. I was treated to a Greek restaurant that had great food and a gentleman's fine taste of beer. The housing is so old that there is numbers on the front of the homes indicating the year they were built, i.e. 1755, 1718 or early 1800's. Of course we passed through Portsmouth and a grim reminder of the Naval Brig (prison) now closed but still a reminder of the penal system in the military.

Next day it's north to Acadia National Park passing Bowdoin College, a place and time of fond memories. We are still in Maine, just down the road from Bar Harbor. Arriving in Acadia we find business still closed for the winter. Numerous campsites within the National Park are still closed. The next day finds us looking at rain all day long. Did manage some photography but the Geocaching that I was hoping to research is not going to happen with the heavy rain in place. Its pretty bad when you find yourself at the library by mid-day reading used issues of newspapers and magazines. Just after midnight we find the bad weather is taping off. With the hope of clear sky's we head north east again but bad weather is with us through Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Being on a motorcycle in this weather would have been a disaster and you can forget the tent, it would have been a Motel 6 with the big plasma screen TV and 4000 channels.

And did I mention that petrol, once crossing the Canadian border was back up to $4.00 and up per gallon……………….

Finally I find a loggers truck lay-by and for the rest of the night singing to the tune of the diesel truck engines. Morning and Mother Nature is finally putting the sun on the horizon. With a carrot cake muffin and Tim Horton's coffee life is beginning to be a bit better. Into Sydney, Nova Scotia catching the ferry to the south west corner of Newfoundland, Channel-Port-aux Basques. Again we find some of the National Parks and Provincial Parks closed until late May/June time frame.

But it is an open Provincial Park for the next 3 nights. First night in the temp drops to 32 degrees F (0 degrees C) and for the first time I am multilayered to the max and to the point of zipping up the sleeping bag. What's nice about the Canadian Parks are that they have hot showers, but the kind where you either lean on the button or keep pushing it every 10 seconds.

Next day is Geocaching; first off the block is the Rose Blanche Light House (GCJEYE) where I am entertained by a bevy of women running the concessions around the lighthouse. Harvey Trail (GC1673Y) at Isle aux Morts, English translation Isle of the Dead due to the number of ships wrecked in this area off shore between 1800-1900's. Next day finds us Geocaching with another 2 finds, GC1Q5PY and GC1TIIY
Again I find Geocaching provides substance and enjoyment as you travel. That afternoon the temps hit 18 degrees C and every bug imaginable was out and biting. How is it that you can go from 0 degrees to 18 in the span of 3 days; Mother Nature is getting an attitude!!

Next morning it's raining, cold and just miserable but a cuppa is just down the road and the skies up north are clearing. The CD is playing Italian Opera and my voice hits the high note with Puccini. As it is another Provisional Campsite for the night and only 2 hours away from Port aux Basques, it is side roads, not always with happy results (dead ends). Maybe I should just believe the maps and not my reasoning for a continuation of the road. But I do manage 300 miles and a $70.00 fuel bill for my troubles. The cost of fuel is going to impact the most in my travels for sure.

A side trip to Stephenville and the Port au Port Peninsula for the afternoon. Next its to the Barachois Provincial Park where the temps are at 0 degrees C for the night.

Enough of this travel……

Aloha

Norm

The Greynomad

US/Canada travels for 17 May 2010

Hanover, Pennsylvania and at 0143 hrs it is 35 degrees and bloody cold.
Day time temps for the last 2 days has not gotten over 45 degrees and I am running around in shorts.

While here went Geocaching and found 3 sites. Again if you are interested on the sites that I find, go to www.geocaching.com and when I post the various finds, type in the number on the web page. Voila, you have a bit of history vice putting up with my stream of palaver (for those unfamiliar with this term, think BS).

The YMCA here in Hanover is one of the best I've seen Everything you could think of under the roof plus (2) 25 meter pools. One is heated to 87 degrees and the other to 83 degrees. Just a bit toooooooo warm to swim lapse in but the price is right.

The Goatmobile (Honda Element) had a major recall for the soft brakes, some even having the brake pedal going to the floor. This was taken care of at the Honda dealer while in Hanover.

I must remind you that the family that I was staying with at Hanover still run a chicken plucking farm. After plucking the feathers, the wife would whack the chickens in a way that would confirmed them as kosher. If she missed, the mother-in-law, in her motorize wheel chair, would chase the suckers and nail them with a pellet gun. It must be the northern latitudes that bring out the dark side of people or maybe not enough vitamin D.

Leaving Hanover, Pennsylvania for New Jersey is always a pleasure especially right after the farmer has laid in a fresh supply of manure on their fields. The smell has that particular clearing affect on your bit muddled brain cells. Into New Jersey it is and if you have never experience the New Jersey Turnpike, this is the main route for all traffic going and coming out of New York, the traffic is mind boggling.

Well after a bit I find my cousin, whom I haven't seen in 50 years. The last time I saw her she was still in diapers at the tender age of 7 and a pain. Now she is in her twilight years and still a pain, minus the diapers of course. Took a trip to the Sandy Hook National Park, where the oldest lighthouse in the US is and still functioning. They have bike trails, static displays, housing from the 1930-40's, museums, just a great place to visit during the off-season. (Facebook)

Next day, me cousin, the energize bunny, has us on the train to the Big Apple also known as New York City. Just about one hour plus by rail, then a quick ride on the subway. Up we come and our intentions were to see an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art but the bloody line was two hours or more just to get in. Does this slow me cousin down, not by a long short. Its St Patrick's Church, Rockefeller Center and finally Times Square all with in 20 minutes walking distant. I was humbugging this originally but I would not have missed it for the world. Times Square is the epitome of digital kaleidoscope on the big screen. What a fantastic digital show and can you image what it is like at night. Not to be missed but recommend that you park outside the city and catch the train in. (Facebook)

5-13-2010 Has me leaving New Jersey for my brothers place in Connecticut. Its toll roads all of the way but more better you pay then spend another 2-3 hours running the back roads to save a dollar. Its the Garden State Parkway going north then crossing over the Hudson River via the Tappanzee Bridge. Next we catch the Merritt Parkway to the fair city of Fairfield, Connecticut where the brother of sorts lives. His fourth wife, from previous experience with me, has constructed a moat around the house armed with more fire power then the US Army. Why do I feel that my stay here will be short lived.

Did go Geocaching while here in Fairfield at the local park. It seems that every weekend, anyone that owns a 4 legged mutt has their dog in this park. Needless to say I did have success regardless of Fido. My brother's children were here for Mother's Day and mom was in her element with food for a hundred, noise, and first grand-daughter, all of 9 months, being the center of attention.

New Hampshire is my next stop before heading up route 1 along the state of Marine coast.

Since the 22Th of April I've been visiting old friends and relatives along the way. I've had more laughs then could be measured, drank more good scotch/wine with story's that will never be repeated and the good fellowship has made this part of the trip most memorable.

Aloha and mahalo to all.

Norm
The Greynomad

Facebook Pictures Posted

Enjoy

US/Canada Travels for 9 May 2010

Virginia Beach it is for 2 days. How the government allows people to build right on the beach is just plain stupid. The beach has already lost over 100 feet of sand and being the beau-racy that we are, the Federal government has stepped in with monies from the Stimulus Program for a sand replenishment.
On to better things, the couple I was staying with just got back from Yemen and the wife got so enthused with the goat herders while there. She has now bought over a 100 goats which she heads up and down the beach. The goats live under the house at night, talk about noise and smell........and the last word I heard from the wife was camels?

Did manage to put kayaks in the water at the National Wild life Center, over cast day with a light on shore breeze and just a great day to be out there. Just about every house built along the beach front gets a minimum of $5000.00 and up per week during the summer months.

Leaving Virginia Beach we head west on route 58 to 85 then a short ride to route 1 and here we are in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Another couple from my military days back in the 1960's. Its the wife's dream house with 13 bedrooms and 25 bathrooms. You need a bloody GPS to find your way around. The husband has a set schedule where he over a period of a month uses every bathroom. If he can not get to all of the bathrooms in a months time he hires a van, picks up the homeless, they have a free shower, a meal and a long drop for free. What a fine fellow!!
He at one time was a stunt driver for the movie, Mad Max. Your insurance policy best be updated prior to riding with him. Methinks a cab driver in New York city would be his calling......

Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina is 20 miles west and should not be missed. Three years ago, the government spent millions cleaning up the city center. Just incredible job with the existing buildings. It is the place to be over the lunch hour for the viewing pleasure.

Wake Forest to the Great Smoky National Park via route 40. None of the camping sites in the National Park are open until Memorial Day, 27 May. So its to the town of Cherokee for the night. Talking to the locals, the roads are a nightmare traffic wise once school is out for the summer.

Over the Great Smoky Mountain it was into Tennessee then following the roads that bisect the Cherokee National Forest (Northeast). Spending the night at a National Forest campsite just south of the Virginia border (Damascus). There had to be a revival meeting in the next township as I was blessed all night long.......

The next day has us traveling up route 42 right in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains. Route 42 is beautiful and during the change of the tree colors in the fall has to be equal to the Blue Ridge Parkway if not better. Hoping to spend the night in Warm Springs, Virginia at another campsite. Come to find out what the map was telling me was a bit off the mark. Seeing that it was only another 150 miles to friends home in Hanover, Pennsylvania, whats another 3 hours when your day has been 9 hours behind the wheel. So Hanover it was for the night, the only downside was the nearby prison siren at 0300hrs having another breakout.

New Jersey, Connecticut, and getting to Newfoundland is the next go.

Norm
The Greynomad

US/Canada Travels for 5/1/10

4/22/10
Catching the Red-eye (2300hrs) flight out of Honolulu to Las Vegas is always an experience that just renews your faith in man kind......The flight is set up for all of the old gomers to fly out to Las Vegas for the weekend to gamble their welfare checks away and return to Honolulu with a smile. Me-thinks that 90% of them would never fit into a single seat thanks in kind to McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Mrs Fields Cookies and any other fast food outlet. One thing you never do is to volunteer to raise the seat arm rest to your 400 pound neighbor because they are uncomfortable.............And by the way the movie for the flight was the "Chipmunks". One of these days I am going to catch the sucker who chooses these bloody movies.

Las Vegas is where I won the $13,000,000 jackpot.....this extra monies meant that I now can wash my clothes every 5 days vice 15. From Vegas it
was another red-eye flight to Philidelphia. From there it was a rental car for a 3 hour drive north to the Penal Farm. This is where the Goat mobile has been for the last 6 months under the care of Mildred, the hunchback hun.
Since I was staying for 4 days the list of what to do went from 2 to 20.
Shower's were down the hill into the creek at 30-40 degrees temperture. Bathroom facilities was a black bucket and a sponge.

Friday was upon us and it was south to Delaware and one of the state parks for the night. Tent was up and scotch was at hand. This morn finds us heading south across the Chesapeake Bridge and tunnel, incredible bit of engineering. Virginia Beach it is for the next two days

Aloha,
The Greynomad

US/Canada Travel Itinerary for 2010

Friends,
For this past Christmas 2009, Santa manage to invoice me to the tune of $19K to cover part of the MEDEVAC flight from the Yukon to the US border; reference motorcycle accident Yukon summer 2008. There went my down payment on my villa in Mexico........

With that bright note behind me, I fly out on the third week of April to Las Vegas, don't ask, then onto Pennsylvania to pickup the Goatmobile. The latest from said couple that have stored the vehicle for the last 6 months, the smell of rotten socks and energy bars is just SO ripe...

From Pennsylvania south to stops in Virginia, North Carolina, then north back through New Jersey and Connecticut. From there its a straight run to Nova Scotia catching the ferry to south western tip of Newfoundland (NFL). Expect to wander around for a bit then eventually up to Bell Isle, an island west of St Johns (capital). From there we work our way across NFL to Labrador. Up the east coast of Labrador then west to Goosebay and finally down to Quebec.

While in Quebec Province, north to Eastmain off the James Bay, next south to International Falls, Ontario before crossing into the US. We then follow routes 5 and 2 across North Dakota, Montana before heading down one side of Idaho and up the other. Cross into British Columbia, Yukon and finally Alaska. Prudhoe Bay sitting on the Beaufort Sea is as far north as I can go. South to Denali National Park and with serious thought of taking the ferry from Anchorage, Alaska to Seattle, Washington.

From Washington south through Oregon, Nevada (Las Vegas) then over to California to ship the Goatmobile back to Hawaii. That's if I haven't completely destroyed the vehicle by then.

And while I travel I will be Geocaching as I go. Go to Google for a definition of Geocaching. Matter of fact while I am traveling, I will be seeking out the Geocaches as I go. I will post the Geocache number for that sight, you in turn go to Geocaching.com. input the number sequence and voila you will have a bit of history of the sight.
For example GC1G7NB, when typed in brings you to the Arctic Circle in Alaska. 
Geocaching has over a million sights through out the US/Canada/Europe/Australia and it is a great way to visit areas.

Facebook will be the venue for all of my photo's as I travel.

If for a number of reasons you do not want to receive my blog, please let me know.

Meals of course will cover vast quantities of hummus, power bars, dried fruit, dates, bananas, liquids of various colors and labels. Last of all me one tooth brush from last year's trip and the remains of my one soap bar. It is amazing what you find in rest rooms,trash bins at state and national parks. Be it discarded toothpaste tubes, bits of soap bars, and used paper towels that just makes the trip so much more enjoyable and minimize's my carbon foot print.

Norm Garon
The Greynomad

Address Finder

This is really amazing....Check out some of your old "haunts."When you enter an address you will see a picture of that place. There's a little map with a little man on it - you can move the little man up and down the block if you need to. I just looked at my childhood home! Well worth the look. http://vpike.com

Tsunami ------ Humbug

Would you believe a 600 ft wave, how about a 100 ft wave.........
Ok, as it stands, a maximum of 1 ft in Maui.

What was incredible was watching the movement of water in Hilo Bay, the Big Island of Hawaii. The water would go out at 3-5 knots, stop for a minute or two then turn right around and come right back in. This was repeated for at least 2 hours.......

I did run out of beer though, me thinks I will file a claim under the stimulus program......!

At 1300 hours the US Coast Guard is still keeping all vessels out at sea vice coming into port.

aloha
Norm

Tsunami Warning for Hawaii

Well folks does life get any better then this. Expect the first wave to hit Honolulu by 1130. Time of this email is 0820hrs Hawaii time. 3 hours or a bit we are either going to laugh or the s..... is going to hit the fan

Aloha Norm

by the way my townhouse sits at the 1000 ft level