In complete contrast from the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame we set off on Sunday and drove south west, over the border from Ohio into Pennsylvania to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece – Fallingwater. One of the themes for us this year has been seeing his work in whatever state we have been in, mainly because we joined his fan club and get a discount when we turn up!! We needed to justify the membership fee and Fallingwater is nowhere near anywhere that you might reasonably go on a trip to the US from Europe – so we always planned that this would be a specific destination for us as we would be the closest we are ever likely to be to it. That said it was still about a four-hour drive!

It is a very popular property to see and is quite rightly regarded as his best house. Smaller than you expect but the setting is superb. Frank being Frank he decided not to put the house beside a waterfall and look at it – but instead he built it into the bedrock of the waterfall.

By now we feel that we could possible identity ‘Frankisms’ within his work – so we were treated to the usual things like very low ceilings and narrow entrances into rooms because he was a tiny man and he wanted a dramatic impression when the whole room is revealed. A house in a waterfall might like insect screens on the amazing windows that open completely on one corner of the building – but no, not Frank as they are ugly, so they were installed afterwards by the owners – the Kaufman family – much to Frank’s annoyance. Of course, the windows leak and there was an almighty row about the structural stability of the house whilst being constructed, not to mention a huge overspend – but who said the genius of Frank came easily? We know for sure that it doesn’t having seen his various projects all over the country.

Fallingwater was the most perfect example of his belief that nature should come inside the building and that his building should not jar with its setting. It is quite superb and if we can recreate any of his ideas in the Cotswolds we would be very happy!

Later that day we stayed in Connellsville, Pennsylvania and went to probably the weirdest café yet on our trip. Run by some rather exuberant men – it was called Wavy and Jane after their grandmothers. These chaps were in complete chaos – they sold everything and nothing if you can imagine that, and we waited about half an hour to get the tea and cake we had selected. In the meantime, we admired the window display of a camouflage t-shirt on a hanger, some scary dolls that were dressed for Christmas and some old carboard boxes. We thought that they had opened that day such was the chaos – but no that is how it was meant to be. Extraordinary and I am not sure that Pret or Starbucks will take any tips from them!

We realised on Monday that we were very close to the Flight 93 memorial. This was of course the fourth plane on 9/11, the one that the passengers fought back on. The Park Service has built the most tasteful and appropriate memorial to the people that lost their lives that terrible day in a very rural part of the state.

The exhibits tell the story again and even though we can all remember that day – it was still surprising to learn some of the details. This was the plane for instance that only had four hijackers instead of five as one of them had been detained at the airport when entering the US. It also was delayed by half an hour which is again why the passengers already knew about the Twin Towers. Little details like this helped explain why this attack did not go to plan.

The stories of the victims and their courage was overwhelming. Unlike the other planes this one had its technical data retrieved from the black box and the cockpit recorder, so the full horror of the events can be heard. It sounds ghoulish to listen to this sort of thing, but it is done to honour their memory and make sure none of us forget. It is a measure of the exhibition that they have a box of tissues on the side for the public and by golly they were needed as it was very upsetting.

The scene has been landscaped beautifully and sensitively. It was quite something to see and spend some time there.

Tuesday was a very wet day, but undeterred we set off from our new location – Clarion, PA to explore the Cook Forest which has an area of old forest called the Cathedral. Mr Cook was a lumber baron and probably should be arrested with our sensibilities today as he managed to deforest thousands of acres of the most beautiful trees. But just at the very end he managed to save some, and this state park has preserved some 3-500-year-old pines that although not like the redwoods in the west were nonetheless very beautiful. For the last time we donned our walking gear and explored the terrain very happily in between the showers with a car picnic thrown in.

On Wednesday we set off bright and early for Niagara. As we drove north east and into New York state the weather started getting very snowy, however there is a band over the lakes that manages to keep the temperatures just a little bit higher, so the snow was not settling.

We arrived at the falls in the town of Niagara Falls having driven through Buffalo very quickly on the freeway. We were both surprised how completely built up it is along this lakeshore and it is in complete contrast to the waterfalls we have climbed and hiked to within the national parks. Rather like the pyramids in Cairo no one prepares you for this natural wonder of the world being very close to casinos, hydro electric plants and industrial estates.

The falls are incredible but oh my word it was absolutely freezing. The wind was howling around – the type that gets into your ears and you think will pickle your brain. We had to go back to the car and get even more layers on and silly hats to survive.
Going in winter is an odd choice, but it added to the spectacle as the spray was blowing wildly around. No boat trips as it is too cold, but we did walk all around Goat Island and over Rainbow Bridge into Canada to see the view from there. The power of the water is mesmerising and the new observation tower on the American side gives a very good view from up high of the water plunging down.

On the Canadian side we had a hot drink in the restaurant at the top of the falls to warm up. Whilst there we witnessed some excitement – a man went over the railing, no one knew if he was a suicide and the police sent a car and someone on foot was trying to locate him. Second thing was a marriage proposal complete with ring which happened right in front of us. The good news is the lady accepted and seemed very happy and the man over the railings had just taken a photo and despite a telling off from the cops was free to go and safe! All that drama for free!

We stayed in Niagara Falls that night and had a very pleasant dinner in a wine bar. The town was pretty deserted as the temperature was really falling now. It was like a ski holiday where you spend five minutes putting on clothes to go out and about and every entrance must have a curtain to stop the draught.

By the next morning when we were to drive to Hudson, just up from New York City, the weather had really deteriorated and it had started to snow. We had a long old drive, but the preparations for the weather in NY were something we could all learn from in the UK. There were ploughs all along the freeway, parked on the central reservation waiting for things to get much worse and the salt on the road despite making the car completely filthy ensured that the snow never got to settle. All the municipal vans in the towns seemed to have mini ploughs attached to them too – so that it seems everyone lends a hand to keep things moving.

We stopped outside of Albany to send some stuff home via DHL, courtesy of Nick’s account. Very grateful to have this opportunity but it took a while to pack up the contents and as it was dark so quickly – 4.30 we sadly did not make it to the capitol building. Another thing to do next time.

We got to our hotel in Hudson and headed over the road for a Mexican meal. Hudson is a very trendy place where NYC people weekend. Slightly too far to commute – two hours on the Amtrak, but ideal for a holiday home. Perhaps the nicest main street we have seen – it had all types of buildings – houses, hotels, shops going down towards the Hudson river for about a mile. Lots of cafes and designer shops which of course are very attractively decorated for Christmas.

We dropped the car back to Enterprise whilst in Hudson and completed more chores to whittle down our possessions. By now we have done the last wash of the trip and lost the laundry baskets, left our picnic gear and repacked the cases so that we can leave Hudson with all that we can carry.

On Friday night we went to see some live music at the Helsinki venue. We had a great time and the band were called Band of Thieves. Another CD purchased so that we can relive that night when we are back in England.

Saturday, we awoke to snow in Hudson. We got the Amtrak into New York City and the journey was very pretty due to the snow. Railways sidings and graffiti covered bridges were transformed by the white stuff into an Arctic wonderland – well something like that!

New York as ever was magical despite the snow. We got to Penn Station and found a taxi, had some food to ease our hangovers and started over. Sadly, I heard that my Dad was in hospital, so we were very preoccupied throughout our time in the city, but Saturday night once we heard he was safely on a ward and on antibiotics we did manage to get out and about. The snow was so bad that we needed our walking boots, so we staggered to the Italian nearby and had a great meal watching all the various characters coming and going.

New York seemed like a sweet shop full of fashion and nationalities after some of the places that we have been. So lively and so cosmopolitan – it was quite amazing to see all the looks, hear the conversations and enjoy the amazing food.

That night we went to the club room in our very trendy hotel and managed to throw a few shapes. Not bad for a couple of old timers!

Our adventures continue for our last week in the US which Matt will post very shortly.
A x

 

 

 

 

We’ve said our goodbyes to Reg and are now on our road trip to New York, it’s a very different experience driving a Toyota Corolla weighing 1.25 tons (I find this hard to believe for such a little car) to our 30-foot, 7.25 tons (I can’t quite believe this figure either from the Forest River website) RV!

First Sunday post-Reg we spent with the Craigs, went to see Murder on the Orient Express at their swanky cinema with reclining seats, drinks and food delivered during the film.  Have to say the food was better than the film with Kenneth Branagh overacting as Poirot and the rest of the cast with almost cameos, although Johnny Depp was his most coherent in a role for a while.

We had a Thanksgiving Dinner afterwards which Barbara cooked for us all and her friend Christine, which had all the trimmings although Alex and I passed on the pumpkin pie for dessert.  It was beautifully cooked and with a bottle of champagne to celebrate our trip, it was an enjoyable way to give thanks for our fortune, although not sure who we were thanking, not the indigenous inhabitants who possibly regret helping the pilgrims in the first place.

On Monday, despite a bit of a hangover, we ran along Lakeshore Drive past a number of attractive houses looking over Lake Michigan including one built by Frank Lloyd-Wright, which I completely missed!  Alex looked more carefully on Tuesday and it is a beautiful example of his residences (although not as beautiful as Fallingwater which Alex will give more on next week). 

Tuesday, we cycled around St Joseph, stopping for lunch downtown, then across to the lighthouse and around Benton Harbor across the St Joe river.  We went to a Mexican for an early birthday dinner for Marty, eating way too much without the discipline of being stuck in a campground miles from the nearest fast food restaurant!  This was our farewell to the Thompsons who we have had since the beginning of our trip and have ridden up mountain, down valley and across the 42 states we’ve visited on our trip.

Alex walked the two miles plus to Enterprise Car Rentals to pick up the Toyota (I didn’t do the walk as I pulled my calf muscle running). We packed for the trip and were brutal about discarding clothes and items we didn’t need which we took to the Goodwill charity shop and sadly we had to trash the B’s as, with each having a puncture, we couldn’t give them away.  We went to lunch with Barbara at a great organic café in downtown Benton Harbor, sad to say goodbye as they have helped us with our journey, including the offer to drive to Philadelphia to drive Reg back to Michigan after my dad died.

We set off to Detroit along the I-94 and checked into our first hotel on the road, we chose the Motor City Casino which was a great choice as it was a very large comfortable room close to downtown, well for two Brits who are happy to walk a mile to the centre of Detroit.  The casino floors were enormous and filled with smokers and rather depressing, however as we didn’t have any desire to gamble we were content to leave them to it.

On Thursday we caught up with Stacey, who was over from Australia for her daughter Antonia’s wedding to Zack.  We went to Hitsville USA, the original home of Motown records. Berry Gordy Jr. started the company with an $800 loan from his family, which he used to purchase the first of several houses on the block that he fitted out as a recording studio.  It’s quite a small museum but filled with information on the acts he signed and the process he instigated to make them into stars, including hiring someone to instruct the acts in how to dress and present themselves to improve impressions of many who were still teenagers when they signed.  The tour was interesting, if a little sanitised, the guide wasn’t allowed to answer questions about money, e.g. why many acts left the label, or the personal lives of the key figures.

After Motown we walked into downtown.  Detroit has changed further since we were here last year, the renovation of the downtown areas old skyscrapers continues apace with new shops and restaurants opening.  We popped into a Bank of America branch in the Guardian building by the river that had an incredible interior with a design inspired by Native American and Aztec art with the centrepiece a map of Michigan highlighting the industry of the state.

Friday, we visited Ann Arbor, the home of the University of Michigan, which has 44 thousand students with seemingly a stadium for every variety of team sport you can think of, including ice hockey and lacrosse.  Nice town but not as nice as Hanover (home of Dartmouth) or Oxford (home of Ole Miss) which both seemed older and more attractive.  From Ann Arbor we drove up to Lake Erie and alongside the water past several summer vacation towns with a variety of housing, ranging from mansions overlooking the water to trailer parks for everyone else.  We arrived in Cleveland after dark and had a Japanese meal in a restaurant near the hotel, I’m not sure anyone else had ever walked from our hotel to it as there were no sidewalks for the short half mile walk.

Saturday dawned bright, however it’s getting colder so we rugged up and drove into downtown Cleveland for the main event, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  This turned out to be so good that Alex and I spent even more time here, four and a half hours, than we had at the ABBA museum in Stockholm. a mere three.  It is well curated, starting with a gallery of musicians who influenced early ‘Rock and Roll’, i.e. blues, jazz, gospel and country music, moving on to a series of exhibits on different cities influence, e.g. Liverpool, Detroit, LA etc, with individual galleries for the Beatles, Stones and Elvis.  The museum is also currently running an exhibition to mark the 50^th anniversary of Rolling Stone magazine which was really interesting on it’s genesis and growth, including an ongoing ‘feud’ with the Rolling Stones over the magazines name, Mick is obviously a big fan as he appears in a vox pop alongside Taylor Swift and Lenny Kravitz ribbing Jann Wenner, the publisher, about it still.

We went to dinner in The Butcher and The Brewer, which continued hip America’s obsession with ‘small’ plates that are difficult to gauge if you’ve ordered too little or too much.

M

To say it was chilly on the Monday we woke up back in North Carolina would be an understatement – we had ice on the inside of the window!! Camping in such temperatures has it challenges – but the upside is that the campsite was very beautiful veiled in frost and mist.

Our gamble of coming back to Asheville in better weather so that we could enjoy the Blue Ridge Parkway seemed to have paid off. We drove back towards Asheville and as the day warmed up it was crisp, clear and sunny. The only snag now being that some of the Parkway was closed due to ice – but we spoke to the ranger and got a list of walks that we could do over the next couple of days to see the best of it.

Indeed, on Monday we really went for it as we decided to stay in town (no campsites very close to Asheville) and got a bargain on Hotels.com of an apartment for $100 a night which was the size of a small mansion. We had stairs, two bedrooms and two bathrooms (of course!) a full kitchen, laundry, upstairs TV room as well as a dining table, sitting room and a lovely gas effect fire. It was way too big, but we soon spread out and got used to it! Sitting in front of the fire after our exertions on the Parkway was rather cosy and lovely – after all Reg does not have a fireplace (even though we have seen some RV’s with them!).

Monday night we went out on the town in Asheville which was surprisingly lively. We found a good Italian which was very authentic – no TV screens whilst we dined, and then went to a bar with live music. We had heard that Asheville was a bit hippy and offbeat and this was confirmed by the crowd at the gig. The performer was a female folksy singer songwriter who had a tattooed chin – something I think to be avoided. I thought she had a beard from a distance, but then I am a bit of an old fuddy duddy! This is clearly a new craze. The men in the bar seemed to be wearing gnome hats and one chap even had two hats on – so when we came to leave, and Matt put his silly ski hat on – at least he fitted in!

The songs were rather challenging to start with, but the beer was good, and she then invited two of the hat men on to the stage and they accompanied her on guitar and drums (wire brushes of course for fear of breaking the laid-back vibe) and they rattled off more ‘tunes’. It was very pleasant and excellent people watching.

Tuesday, we tried to start with a run into the Biltmore Estate which was around the corner from our own mansion. This is the largest residential house in the world (but do check this fact – Norris McWhirter’s amongst you). It belongs to a Vanderbilt. We got stopped immediately by security as there was no mechanism for charging foot entry and turned away. We did not go back to the house as we were rather put off by the $60 fee each to see around it. Basically, it is full of European treasures that we might be able to see at home for free! Shame as the grounds are beautiful apparently but we simply cannot do everything on the list. So instead we had another hike off the Parkway with stunning views into the valleys on either side of the ridge and a delicious dinner closer this time to our mansion apartment.

Wednesday dawned bright and clear again and we decided to start the long trek back to Michigan. It has been great since we came back at the start of November that we made it to both the Carolinas and they were well worth the trip, but we needed to head back over the Great Smoky Mountains and drive back north to see our friendly RV dealer – Krenek, and of course Barbara and Marty.

Driving through the Smokys was as lovely as ever and that night, eve of Thanksgiving we stayed in Kentucky. After a quick pit stop in Walmart where everyone was exceptionally friendly asking us about our plans for the holidays, we went to our last ever KOA campsite and had another meal of things from the larder. Matt was not keen for me make a pizza using up the kidney beans and anchovies – but I thought it might be delicious…!

The cold had not left us and on Thanksgiving Day we woke to find that all the water outside had frozen in the hose and tap supplying Reg. Matt battled with kettles and saucepans until we could get breakfast, shower and get going. It only delayed us by half an hour or so, but by now dear reader we are beginning to feel the end of the trip is looming.

Thursday was a glorious day and as it was the holiday the roads were very empty. We had a superb drive up the freeway through to Indianapolis where we then came off and headed up highway 31 into Michigan. The landscape gradually altered from the hills of Kentucky into the big skies and vast flatness of the mid-West.

It was very emotional when we crossed the state line into Michigan. After 27,000 miles we had made it back and all of the sudden the sheer scale of the trip hit us both. We feel very proud that we did it without too many problems and certainly no serious dramas.

We were staying in Van Burren State Park, right beside Lake Michigan. The site was completely deserted as everyone was tucked up in the warm eating roast turkey and mashed potatoes by this stage – but we hooked up and went to stretch our legs. Climbing over the sand dunes we reached the lake and were greeted by the most beautiful sunset. It is funny as Marty said that he thought (admittedly he is very biased) that Michigan was the best place in the US, and for a split second looking at the view it did cross our minds that perhaps we should have just spent a year in Michigan as it was so attractive!

Alone that evening we had our last supper in Reg – a stir fry for anyone that needs to know, and we could at last let rip with the music a bit louder than usual. It was fun to look back over the year and think of our highlights. Our farewell party. No more nights around the table or washing up (yeah for that bit at least!).

So, Friday dawned, and we had to literally get everything out of Reg and decide if it is coming with us to New York, going to charity or being shipped home. It would have looked very funny if anyone had filmed us as stuff was moved inside and outside all day long. Imagine moving to a new house in a very tight space – it was a logistical challenge.

Late afternoon we took Reg to a truck wash to make sure he looked his best for the dealer on Saturday and we picked up a hire car so that at least we could deposit our possessions into something to clean him thoroughly.

That night after we had finished we went into South Haven for dinner, but we were both very tired and I think it is true to say a little bit melancholy that it was nearing the end.

Saturday – the big day for Reg was bright but absolutely freezing. Very windy. Barbara and Marty turned up like the cavalry at 8am which was a very big ask on our part to them at the weekend, but they bore no grudge. They took the Thompson Twins in their car and Marty cleaned the windows for us on Reg. We were all set for Krenek at about 10am.

It felt rather exciting to be back. Rob, our contact, captured the mood by taking a picture of us and Reg for the last time and said that they would upload it on to the company Facebook page. The distances covered and the number of states we have been to is relatively unusual for a typical RV so it a bit of a story for them as a business. This upbeat celebratory mood and the excitement of seeing the Craig’s completely helped mask the sadness that this was end for us.

Reg was given a complete work out. They kept him there until lunchtime. In the meantime, we arrived at Harrison Avenue our home for the next four nights) and started to unload all our stuff. Bea and her friend were there and started with the clothes and salvaged a few things that they wanted to keep, whilst we tried to deposit our stuff on to Marty and Barbara without them noticing too much!! It all worked out very well and we are so incredibly grateful for their patience and good humour. Not only have we now offloaded things on to them, but we also used and abused their address over the last year. We could not have done this trip without them.

Matt and I went back to Krenek in the afternoon and had the most amazing chat with the boss – Scott Krenek, as to where we had been and what we had seen. It was very special – as for two hours we lived back through it. It was good fun to also be nerdy and talk about camping in detail as there are not many people who understand how we managed for a year without ever turning the generator on!

Scott reported on things damaged in Reg that we were unaware of – which was also very amusing. Sometimes we would hear the bottom of Reg grinding – if we went over low kerbs or drives, for example. We assumed it was the cycle rack catching, but in fact we have managed to scrape off two brackets underneath Reg designed to protect his water tanks. Somewhere in the US are the brackets that eventually dropped off… Whoops!

Overall Scott felt we had looked after Reg very well and we agreed a price for him to buy Reg back off us. We got the cheque then and there and did all the formalities.

We have the greatest souvenir ever which is his licence plate as it belongs in Michigan to the driver and not the vehicle. It will have pride of place in our new home.

So, we said farewell. Reg has been amazing as you all know dear reader and the guys at Krenek also did a wonderful job as I for one never saw another RV that I liked as much as Reg. He kept us warm, cool, dry and mobile. 27,236 all out.

Saturday night we celebrated/commiserated at Schu’s in St Joe with the Craig’s. It was the perfect tonic to be with them. We have another three weeks of adventure ahead of us – so stay with us if you can!
A