Dave & Shell's Travels

New Blog!

2012-12-12T16:45:00.002+10:00

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to let you all know that we now have a new blog:

dave-shellsnewadventures.blogspot.com

A New Blog for a new chapter in our life! - A Ah you will have to read the new post on it to find out the goss :)

I would also like to thank Paul - Retro - Roamers for his help & advise so I could do this, Cheers Paul :)

We would also like to wish all our followers a Very Merry Christmas & Many Happy Travels in the New Year.

Cheers Dave & Shell

Mandurah Visit - Part 2

2012-11-06T16:06:00.000+10:00

Well my time in Mandurah is over & it has been really good to catch up with all our girls & their partners.

It was Peter's first visit to Mandurah & meeting all the family so hopefully he wasn't too overwhelmed :)

We took him around town for a bit of reminiscing with Shantelle.

Mandurah's beautiful Beaches

We went Bowling:

We also had a Girls only afternoon of Mini Golf -

Our Beautiful Girls!

The kids all had a night out together:

& I got to babysit Ruby:

She was so well behaved it was like looking after a doll!

So Cute

Then we all had a BBQ to say goodbye to Shantelle & Pete it was a beautiful day.

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We all had a really good time & who knows when we will ALL be together again.

I am meeting Dave in Perth & we will commence our very long drive back to Adelaide.

Cheers Shell

Family Reunion In Mandurah

2012-10-26T21:44:00.000+10:00

Hi Everyone,

We are currently in Mandurah for a reunion with our girls & to meet our Granddaughter Ruby.

We Met Ruby Wednesday Afternoon, she is 3 months old now!

Checkout Dave's Shirt

3 Generations of Girls!

We all had dinner out at Hogs Breathe on Wednesday Night.

Shantelle & Peter - Travelled all the way from Charters Towers

Shaun & Bec - the new Parents

Aaron & Teigz

The Parkers!

The whole Family

Ruby was very well behaved all night & had lots of cuddles:

Ruby, Nana & Auntie Shaz

Poppy even got to feed her.

We all had a very good night.

& a few sore heads the next day!

Then on Thursday we had lunch at the Dome before Dave had to fly back to work:

Last Cuddles for Poppy

I am still here for another week so probably more photo's later.

Cheers Shell

Brisbane To Adelaide

2012-09-19T12:10:00.000+10:00

Big 4 Aspley

Well I enjoyed my 2 weeks in Brisbane while Dave was at work.
The weather was beautiful, sunny & warm.
I had time to sort out everything & get reacquainted with our home after a 3 month break.
We love the Reno's that we had done while we were away:

Very handy

12 Volt Fans

We had our lounge redone in leather - easier to keep clean!

Step beside the bed & foot locker

Double length on my side - more shoes!

We also had 2 more lights fitted inside - can never have too many lights!
We also got LED globes put in our outside lights.

When Dave flew back we had 4 days to get to Adelaide, it was very rushed as Dave had to fly back to work on the 5th day. But we still enjoyed being on the road again.
We pretty much followed the same way we did 2 years ago when we picked up our van - mainly because because of the time restraints & we knew where we could stop.

So off we headed through Kilcoy & then hit roadworks soon after:

We made a pit stop in Moonie - the Roadhouse house had a sign that said they had "great toilets"
This is the sign they had inside:

Fair enough!

We continued on & our first night was Free Camping at Wallam Creek Bollon Qld.
It was much warmer then the last time we were there - probably because that was in July (Winter)

Dave enjoying well earn't Bundy!

The camp is right beside the river & these birds were enjoying it

& we watched a beautiful sunset in the bush:

We headed off first thing the next morning another beautiful day, & we were amazed how many Emu's & goats we seen there would have been hundreds!

The road was pretty ordinary in places too, lucky we didn't get sea sick with all the waves :)

Our second night Free Camp was the other side of Cobar NSW.

A lot colder here - no outside drinkies!

Off again early next morning, heading to Broken Hill - we booked the C/Park here as we were going to catch up with David's parents but they couldn't make the drive up from Wodonga.

The roads were a bit better on this stretch of our trip;

Topping up the fuel from the jerry cans as we didn't want to stop in Wilcania!

We made good time & got to Broken Hill around lunchtime, our first stop was the supermarket as we had to dump all our fruit & veg just before Broken Hill. Very strange as it is still NSW, but runs on SA Time!

Pretty packed in Top Tourist Broken Hill

Off again the next day & lucky we didn't buy too much fruit - another Quarantine just outside Peterborough SA, this time manned & they go through your fridge!
We made it to Adelaide after lunch, to Windsor Gardens C/Park. Dave has flown back to work & I have decided that we will change parks next week when he gets back - far too many dogs here! I have never seen so many dogs in one C/Park.
Already missing Brisbane's weather - it is bloody cold here but hopefully it will warm up soon :)

Cheers & Happy Travels Everyone,
Shell

Australia Zoo

2012-09-02T21:38:00.001+10:00

We left Lawnton on Monday morning & drove up the road to Aspley & checked into the Big 4.

On Tuesday we decided to visit Australia Zoo, we had been there many years ago - (the actual day that Steve Irwin was surprised halfway through his show by Mike Munroe to present him with "This is your Life") It was great to be there for that!

We thoroughly enjoyed it back then & wondered if it had changed much.

Well it is better than ever, still the only Zoo that Dave & I have been to that you don't feel sorry for the Animals. They are all very healthy looking with huge enclosures - very natural!

Well we were certainly not disappointed, it is even better.

Isn't he beautiful

Then it was time for the show at the Crocoseum:

Check out how high he is!

The Crocoseum

The Photo of the Day!

But wait there is even more:

A Cheetah - having an icy pole!

We had a great day & the weather was perfect.
On Friday we went into the city & had lunch with fellow "Bloggers" Kerry & Mike, it was really nice to catch up with them.

Dave flew back to Kalgoorlie today & I will stay in Brissy with the Van until he comes back & the we will be heading off to Adelaide.
Bye for now,
Cheers Shell

Back In Oz

2012-08-30T21:06:00.000+10:00

Hi Ya'll we're back!

We arrived back in Brisbane rather exhauted after our 14 hour flight, checked into our Motel, then Dave went & got our car out of storage. We slept most of the afternoon :)

The next day we took a drive up to Maryborough to give the car a good run after three months of just sitting in storage.

On Thursday it was time to pick up our Van, we left it at the Spinifex Factory to get a few Mods done:
Leather Lounge, 2 more internal lights fitted, 2 fans, steps either side of the bed etc.

We drove to Lawnton Showgrounds to spend a few days - great spot, handy to everything!
My Sister Kaye & her partner Sue came up & spent a night there too.
We had a really good time, enjoyed a great roast Lamb dinner on the Baby Q - didn't have that in America! Also enjoyed quite a few Bundy's!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kaye & Sue - just chillin!

Dave showing Kaye his knife collection - Gotta love America!

It was a great weekend & a good welcome Back!
Thanks Kaye & Sue xx

Cheers all,

Dave & Shell

Texas to Colorado Springs Colorado

2012-08-14T14:16:00.001+10:00

Hi Everyone,
We took our time to get to Colorado, we spent 3 days driving through Oklahoma & Kansas.
We got stuck in a traffic jam pretty much straight off in Texas.

It only lasted about 15 mins!

We had a bit of scenery after we crossed into Oklahoma - but that soon changed!

It was just wide open spaces & not much to see over the next 2 days in Kansas

Windfarm

Buffalo Farm

Wide Open Spaces

But that all changed when we got close to Colorado Springs:

I love the Rockies - really love it when we get back to Colorado

We were too early to check into our Motel so we went looking for a park to have lunch, we pulled up in a suburban street to check our map & look what walked across the road in front of us:

Then when we had a closer look - there was a whole family of Deer on someones front lawn! - How Cool!

We had Dinner that night at an American Institution!

When in Rome! -Yes it was Dave's choice!

Day 2 in Colorado Springs - Another first for Dave & Shell, we went horse riding for 2 hours through the Garden Of The Gods;

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Getting Fitted in the stirrups!

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Pretty steep in places!

On the trail

This was a lot of fun!

Dave loved it too!

Day 3 in Colorado Springs, we went on the Pikes Peak Railway from Manitou Springs to Pikes Peak.
It is the Worlds longest & Highest Cog Railway.

The Cog System

the Train

The scenery on the way up was beautiful:

Rock formations

timberline - where trees stop growing!

Lakes

When we reached the summit the temperature had dropped dramatically with the wind chill factor it was down to 34 f which is 1.1 degrees Celsius - we were freezing our butts off!

14,110Ft!

Bloody Cold!!!!!!!!

Pikes Peak Summit

Another great day. Tomorrow is our last day in Colorado Springs & we are going to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo - should be good!

Well we had our visit to the Zoo, so you get to see some photo's of live animals in this post :)
The first Animal you see is the Giraffe, & for $2 you can actually feed them!

They love the Lettuce Leaves!

Overlooking the Giraffe & Zebra enclosure

Meercat

Mountain Lion

Gorilla

Cheeky Grizzly!

Moose

American Bald Eagle

The Zoo is set on the side of a mountain & the view is magnificent.
It has a chair lift ride & lookouts:

what a View!

OK it's not real :)

We had wonderful 3 full days in Colorado Springs.

Now we are back in Denver with Jo & the kids for our last week left in the good old USA!

Our 3 months have just flown by again & we have had an absolute ball.

So until next post bye for now & happy travels to all,

Dave & Shell

Our 4 days in Fort Worth Texas

2012-08-08T09:13:00.001+10:00

Hi Everyone,

Our Drive to Fort Worth was pretty easy but not much to see;

Thought this was cute though!

Texas Oil Fields

And lots of open roads!

We settled into our motel for the night & the next day headed off to The Stockyards Station, it is a little "Cowboy Town" & was a lot of fun.

Western Shopping Mall

Carriage Rides

Pose with a longhorn!

Great Shop Names!

There was also a Cowboy Hall Of Fame:

Exhibits

Buggy's

A Hearse

A Great Place

We had a really fun day.
We came back that night for Dinner & the Rodeo. After Dinner
Dave got a Tattoo in honour of our Grand Daughter - Ruby:

Pretty Cool - Tatt in Texas!

Then onto the Rodeo

The Kids Games

The Cowboys!

Calf Roping

The Clowns

& of course the Bull Riding

It was a great end to a very full day.
The next day we went to the sports store Cabela's - yes they have stuffed animals too! So here are a few;

Great Store!

We finished off the day with a lovely dinner with Margarita"s:

Cheers

With Margarita's

For our last day in Texas we decided to drive to Arlingon & checkout the Dallas Cowboys Stadium,
Which is the largest Dome in the world!
It is Massive & well worth the visit - It only cost us $27.50ea for a fully guided 1 1/2 tour!

Dallas Cowboys Stadium

Cheer Leaders Locker room

Dave in the Player's Locker room

View from a Suite!

We had the best tour guide, G - he was so funny & very informative. All the seats in the Stadium were made in AUSTRALIA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dave & G

Check out the HUGE Screen!

That was our busy 4 days in Fort Worth, it is a great place.

Now as our time in the U.S. is coming to an end we are making our way back to Denver, we will spend a few days in Colorado Springs first.

Cheers Dave & Shell

On a Foot Note:

We witnessed a terrible car accident while in Fort Worth, at a Shopping Mall carpark. 5 people injured & a 7 yr old little girl was killed. The car ended up mounting 2 cars in the next row to us.

Our thoughts & prayers go out to all involved, we were quite shook up by it as well. Life is so precious & everything can change in a split second.

So to all our friends & family, please take care & live life to the fullest. xx

Alamosa to Amarillo

2012-08-06T00:45:00.001+10:00

Hi Everyone,

Well we left Alamosa & headed for Albuquerque New Mexico, The scenery changed pretty quick from this:

To this:

Desert!

We don't have much to say about Albuquerque as when we got there we realised we didn't pick our motel too well as we were in a bad part of town! Needless to say we didn't wonder around too much.
We headed off early the next morning - turning left of course & heading for Texas.

It was a 5 1/2 hour drive to Amarillo. The weather was still in the 100's & everything was pretty dry.

Not much to look at

Feed lot

Wind farm - not working!

We arrived in Amarillo about 3.30 & checked into our Motel - Much better place, even had a Bar in the Motel :)
We met a lovely lady there named Katy, she was travelling alone so we asked her to join us for dinner, We had a free Limo ride to The Big Texan:

Dave & Limo behind boot

The band was sing Margarita ville - very fitting!

Cheers With Margarita's!!!

A Great Night!

We had the best time & the food was great too!
The next day we headed off to Fort Worth, another 5 1/2 hours of Driving. We are spending 4 days there so that will be the next post.
Cheers Dave & Shell

Denver to Alamosa

2012-07-31T12:52:00.000+10:00

Hi All,
We have had wonderful, relaxing week in Denver with Jas, Jo, Jacob & Isabelle,
Mind you it was pretty full on at times - Jo is amazing all the things she does with the Kids.
Jacob had a very full week as well. We watched his last Baseball game for the season:

The Team Photo

In the field

Batter UP!

Isabelle wants to play!

Playing with Dad

& Of course the Trophy!

Jacob also earnt another Belt in Tae Kwon Do -Yellow!

Don't mess with Him!

And Isabelle was just Isabelle - Adorable!

The grown ups also had some fun - we had a couple of Margarita nights!

Jas with his Mason Jar!

Jo & "Margy" The Margaritarator!

Dave & Isabelle dancing - Country Music!

The Boys cooking Tea!

Well after our very full week it was time to head south, so we set off Monday morning on our way to Alamosa Colorado.
Once again the drive was just beautiful:

We stopped for fuel at lunch time - Checkout the Storm Clouds:

Luckily that was all behind us so we didn't get the rain!

We continued on towards the Great Sand Dune National Park More beautiful scenery:

A bit of traffic

Beautiful!

So now we are spending the night in Alamosa & heading off tomorrow into New Mexico

Cheers,
Dave & Shell

Estes Colorado To Murdo South Dakota

2012-07-24T02:00:00.000+10:00

We left Estes Park Colorado on Tuesday morning & headed to Hill City South Dakota.

Beautiful Green Forrests

To Dry open spaces

The landscape changed rather quickly

From This
To This!

As we were approaching Hill City a big storm was brewing:

We wondered if we would get to the Motel in time?

But it seemed to blow away so after checking in we decided to go downtown to have a look, It was full of little shops & there were tourists everywhere - definitely peak holiday season!

Main St Hill City South Dakota

There was some unusual art in the street as well:

Mule

Horse

Old Miner

We had dinner in a lovely restaurant called The Alpine Inn,
It poured rain while we were there - lucky for us it only lasted about 10 minutes!
On the way back to the car we spotted this sign at a Hairdressers:

Rather catchy don't you think?

We had booked Hill City for 2 nights, so the next morning we went to checkout Custer State Forrest:

Stockade Lake

Gravel road to find the Buffalo

Buffalo Herd

We also seen some Pronghorn - they have unusual markings:

We stopped to have a picnic lunch & Dave spotted these birds:

Red -naped Sapsucker

Western Tanager

Rock Wren - We think?

Not sure what this critter is?

After lunch we headed off to Bear Country USA.
It is near Rapid City, we went there last year and really enjoyed it so as we were so close we went again.

Elk

Raindeer

Mountain Goat

Cougar

& of Course the Bears:

It was over 100 degrees - they were hot!

It was very busy as well

Grizzly

Black Bear

Just roaming around the cars!

This Corvette broke down in the middle of the park!

Then it was off to the nursery as it was so hot a lot of them where in their dens:

Racoon

Fox

Lynx

Wolf Pups

Baby Bears

then it was time to head back to Hill City.

The Hire car's warning light came on that we needed a service - so the next day we went into Rapid City to get that done & then headed off towards Murdo South Dakota.

On the way we called into Wall Drug - boy was that worth the stop! A lovely little town full of gift shops.

Very busy little town

There must have been some kind of Corvette Rally on as we would have seen nearly 100! Here are a few:

They were everywhere!

Just after we left Wall Drug, we passed the huge grass fire, Looks like it may have started near the road but both sides of the traffic were flowing freely by the time we went past.

We then stopped at 1880 Town, a very interesting little tourist Place that is set back in time. Just like it was in 1880:

A beautiful Church

Old Saddles

Buggys

Wells & Fargo Buggy

A Camel

A Herd of Longhorn

Well worth the visit

After our full day we spent the night in Murdo South Dakota, the next day we stayed at North Platte Nebraska. Then are heading back to Denver to see Jas, Jo & the kids.

Cheers Everyone,

Dave & Shell

Touring Colorado

2012-07-20T13:52:00.000+10:00

Hi Everyone,
Well after our week of touring Canyons in Utah it was a nice change to reach Colorado:

It was such a different landscape & very green.
We were on our way to Montrose, so we left Moab drove down to Lal Sal Junction & then across to Ridgeway. As it was before lunch when we got to Ridgeway we decided to take a detour & drive along the " Million Dollar " Hwy from Ouray to Silverton. It was only a couple of hours there & back & well worth it the scenery was magnificent.

Red Mountain

Silverton

we had lunch in a lovely little park, watched by this little critter:

Ground Squirrel

Silverton is famous for its Steam Train that goes to Durango & back a 3 1/2 hour return trip. Unfortunately we didn't have time to ride it but here are some photo's

We had a good look around the shops & saw a few sights like this taxi:

A Pumped up taxi !

& a western store with some really cool
stuffed animals:

Then it was time to turn around & head back across the Million Dollar Hwy & go to Montrose,
of course we didnt mind going back through all the beautiful scenery.

We passed a heard of Texas Longhorn Cattle just outside of Ouray Colorado:

This is for Michael & Lynda in Charters Towers!

We only stayed the night in Montrose & then headed off to Grand Junction for a few days to celebrate my Birthday!
I got an early present from our Daughter Bec & her partner Shaun - A Beautiful new Grand Daughter:
Ruby Jayne, born July 13th 6lb 8oz

Bec & Ruby

Proud Daddy Shaun

Yes we are now Grandparents!
Can't wait to meet her when we get home.

So needless to say we had a few celebratory drinks :) & not much sightseeing around Grand Junction, But we did spot this Buffalo that was made out of Car Bumper Bars:

And this car parked in a shopping centre car park

It must have air ride suspension?

After Grand Junction we headed off to Grand Lake Colorado on our way through the Rocky Mountain National Park - we did this trip last year in the snow! So it was alot different this year.

Last year these mountains were snow covered!

Granby Lake - near Grand Lake

We were starting to climb higher

When we reached Grand Lake we just caught the tail end of a street parade - don't know what it was for but boy the Town was packed, people everywhere :

The next morning it was into The Rocky Mountain National Park and Across the Trail Ridge Road, we had only just got out of town when we spotted this guy in the field:

Our first photo of a coyote!

Then we saw our first Moose!

Cyclists at these Altitudes !!!

Pretty high - 11796ft

Small pockets of snow

Last year fully covered!

Some Critters:

Marmot

Not sure!

Then we left the park & spent the night at Estes Park. Tomorrow we leave Colorado & head for Hill City South Dakota!
Bye for now,
Happy Travels Dave & Shell AKA Nana & Pop :)

Utah's Canyons

2012-07-15T10:08:00.000+10:00

We left Kanab on Sunday nice an early as we had a big day planned.
Our first stop was the Coral Pink Sand Dunes just above Kanab:

They really were quite pink!

Next stop Zion National Park:

First thing we saw another Buffalo heard

The scenery was magnificent straight away, it is actually only a short drive through the park but lots to see.

Our next destination was Bryce Canyon National Park & the quickest way to get there was to turn around & go back through Zion - we didn't mind it was a beautiful drive & then through Dixie National Park:

Very red scenery

Drive through!

We climbed quite high to Bryce Point:

8300ft

This little fellow just posed while dozens took photo's!

The weather started to change & the clouds came in which made for some nice photo's"

The highest point was rainbow point:

9115 ft

Checking out the view!

Natural Bridge

We left Bryce Canyon and headed of towards Torrey on Hwy 12 the scenery changed many times:

We went through a rainstorm before we got to Torrey but it went away pretty quick.

View from restaurant window

Humming Birds

We got to Torrey & found a Motel then went for dinner at the Rim Rock Inn - Great Meal Great View!

The next morning it was off to Capitol Reef National Park,

we seen a deer in the field:

Mountain Sheep on a hill

Nice to see a running river

Then we headed off on a hike up to Hickman Bridge - it was very warm too about 90 Degrees!

Hickman Bridge

Continuing on the Landscape kept changing:

Then we came across some water and were amazed to find out that it was the top end of Lake Powell! So yes it is huge!!!!!!

A bit further on we crossed the Colorado River:

Bridge across the Colorado River

Then it was on to Natural Bridges National Monument:

Owachomo Bridge

Sipapu Bridge

Kachino Bridge

Sorry about the photo's. the bridges are camouflaged with the background!

The rain was coming in again, time to head off:

Another full day of Canyons, we spent the night at Monticello & headed off early the next morning on our way to Moab - more Canyons.
We stopped at Newspaper Rock:

Native Indian Rock Drawings

Then into Canyonlands National Park - there are 2 parts to this park. We will do the other part tomorrow. This part was called the Needles & here is some of what we saw:

Wooden Shoe

as we headed into Moab we passed the Hole in the Rock:

Hole in the Rock

Hole in the Rock Cafe!

We had pre-booked Moab for 2 nights as last year we had to leave as we couldn't get any accomodation.
The next day it was part 2 of Canyonlands National Park followed by Arches National Park.

Arches National Park:

Then back to Moab - We are all "Canyoned Out" So tomorrow we head off to Colorado, but that is the next post. Bye for now.
Cheers Dave & Shell

Vegas to Kanab

2012-07-10T14:29:00.000+10:00

Hi All,
We after our huge week in Vegas we headed off first thing Friday Morning, traffic was pretty good & before you knew it we were back in the desert!

Of course the scenery was wonderful:

Just magnificent!

Our destination for today was Kanab Utah, which was an easy drive about 5 hours:

Kanab

We had lunch in this beautiful little park surrounded by mountains:

A Little Oasis

The town itself it quite pretty and well maintained:
With some lovely little shops:

All surrounded by mountains

The next morning we headed off to the Grand Canyon North Rim - Last year we did the West & South Rim!

The first thing we saw when we entered the park
was a herd of Buffalo:

And some Deer

Unfortunately it was very hazy so the photo's don't show the true beauty of the Canyon but here are some:

Then we left The North Rim & headed for Page.
We went over the Navajo Bridge which crosses the Colorado River:

Just before we got to Page we stopped at a Lookout for Horse Shoe Bend - Well worth the walk in 100 degree heat!

3/4 mile each way

Just beautiful - shame the water was so far away, it was bloody hot!

We had lunch in Page & then headed for Lake Powell, we crossed Glen Canyon Bridge over Glen Canyon
Dam.

We were amazed how big Lake Powell was, we actually found out later that this was only a portion of the Lake:

It has it's own Marina

Checkout all the Mobile homes along the edge!

The we returned to Kanab for the night after a very full day!
On Sunday we head off to do the Canyons - but that's the next post!
Cheers Dave & Shell

Our Week in Las Vegas

2012-07-07T07:37:00.002+10:00

Well we have had a very full week in Vegas - There is so much to see & do here!

The weather has been wonderful averaging 105F a day! (40C)
We have done plenty of shopping, including both Outlet Malls :) - Our girls should be happy about that, they weren't forgotten!

We went to 2 Shows - The first one was fantastic - Viva ELVIS Cirque du Soleil. It was Dancing & Acrobatics done to Elvis music, they were very talented.

The second show was a real dissapointment - The Peepshow!
Yes guys probably really loved it - Lots of Boobs! But the storyline & singing were awful - My opinion!
But being on the strip at night is wonderful it is a real Light show:

Amazing colours!

Harley Davidson Store

We also went to Another Outdoor World - I know your probably sick of seeing them now but this one was actually attached to a Casino! We hadn't seen that before & they also had some African Stuffed animals:

A Giraffe

A Pride Of Lions

Elk fighting

Dave got to have another shoot!

The Motel that we stayed at The Gold Coast - Now where else would 2 Aussies Stay:

Yes it is in Vegas!

It had its own bowling Alley - so we had to go bowling;

Action shot!

But Dave won:

184!

We also went on a City tour With Pink Jeep Tours:

The Pink Jeep!

M&M Store has 4 floors!

MGM Lion

The Infamous Las Vegas Sign!

Statue of Liberty at the New York New York Hotel

Our tour took us to the Famous Porn -oops! Pawn Shop from the Pawn Stars show on TV:

The only way you get to see the Stars!

Super Bowl Rings

The Store - A lot smaller than you think!

Our tour guide told us that the "Stars" are only there for filming. We were surprised how small the store really was - it seems alot bigger on the show!
Then it was off to the Mob Museum, which was very interesting a lot of memorabilia of the gangster days:

Looking very guilty!

Gotta Love this Caption!

Then it was on to Fremont Street, we got our photo taken at Binions again with the Million Dollars:

Then to the Golden Nugget to take a photo of the "Hand Of Faith" that was found in Victoria Australia:

The Golden Nugget Hotel had some beautiful light fittings:

They are blown glass

And this amazing Pool next to a Shark tank with a Waterslide going through the middle of it!

Then into the mall to see the lights:

Then they turned on the overhead lights which are out of this world:

A great way to end the day.

We were also in town for the 4th of July. We spent most of the day checking out the shops on the strip & Dave went for a ride on the New York New York Roller-coaster:

We run into this fellow -
we christened him The Bundy Bear!

He even liked the Bundy Hat!

We had a really good time in Vegas - although we didn't win any money - but we didn't lose either, so that's good!
So Cheers to Vegas:

Three Rivers California to Pahrump Nevada - Via Death Valley.

2012-06-30T00:59:00.000+10:00

Leaving Three Rivers we passed this beautiful Lake, just amazing:

Lake Kaweah

There were also a heap of Orange & Lemon Orchards:

They were planted half way up the hill!

The scenery was again amazing it changes so often:

We walked down this this Water hole

Rolling Hillls

Forests

Huge trees

wide open spaces

Lake Isabella

Then Desert!

All this in just 7 hours of driving! It's just fantastic to be able to see all this, we are very blessed:)

We arrived in Ridgecrest California Just after lunch.
(It is this side of Death Valley) We spent 2 nights here.

While here we decided to go to the movies, We went to see - Rock Of Ages!!!!!
I wouldn't recommend anyone rushing off to see it! It has Tom Cruise playing a Rock Legion - I think he was on a huge power trip! On the plus side it did have some great 80's music!

We also called into the Visitor Centre to get some information on Death Valley as we were driving through it the next day.
Just as well we are used to the heat & isolated locations after years of travelling around Oz, because the lady in the visitor centre would have you packing it!!!!!!! She kept emphisising how HOT it would be, No phone reception, if anything happens to your car - Do Not Leave the vehicle! Carry plenty of water! Dave explained that we were aware of all this & it would be ok - & she replied "Well I'll be worried for you"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We left Ridgecrest a 6am Wednesday morning for our drive through Death Valley!
We were practically in the desert anyway so it was pretty dry along the way:

Long straight roads - for a change!

The highest point in Death Valley

We called into Stovepipe Wells,
It has Fuel, Gift Shop & Accomodation:

Stovepipe Wells Death Valley

Even a swimming pool!

Just on the other side of Stovepipe Wells was Mesquite Dunes:

Beauty in the Desert!

We had travelled down a fair bit!

It was about 37 Celsius at 9.30am

Our next stop was a historic site: Harmony Borax Works:

Then we went onto Furnace Creek, we stopped at the visitor centre for a Picnic lunch - it was like a little oasis:

Picnic in the desert

A few little critters even dropped by for a visit:

This is a Roadrunner!

Drinking from the sprinkler

Our next sop was a magnificent lookout called Zabriskie Point well worth stopping for:

Before you knew it we were out of Death Valley & on our way to Pahrump Nevada

Pahrump is a small town 1 1/2 hours from Vegas we are spending 2 days here before our week in Vegas.

one of the Casino's

Well that's it for a while we plan on being too busy to blog in Vegas :)

Cheers; Dave & Shell

Oakhurst to Three Rivers California

2012-06-28T07:16:00.001+10:00

We left Oakhurst at 7am & headed up through Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Parks.
We passed some fields of grapes:

Grapevines

How's this for Patriotic!

As we got closer to the Park it was very smokey - they were doing a controlled burn.

Entrance to the park

Smokey haze - not good for photo's!

We drove through the park at a nice leisurely pace, it was alot quieter than Yosemite.

Just as we got into the park there were some enormous Sequoia trees that have to be seen to be believed:

Just amazing

Then we walked up to the General Grant Tree,
which is the 3rd largest tree in the world!

You can't actually get it all in 1 photo

Tree Stats!

Inside a fallen Sequoia Tree

There were lots of windy roads:

Wonderful scenery:

Halfway into Sequoia National Park we seen this:

A Deer on the side of the road

Didn't worry about us at all!

Then we were extremely shocked to see this fellow:

He walked out of the bush

crossed the road & turned

Back into the bush!

That certainly made our day! We were very happy to see him :)

Then we got closer to the controlled Burn:

But the smoke was going the other way so I was able to get some good photos:

this is not snow it's a white rock!

Then we run into some more roadworks:

We were reduced to 1 lane

got held up for about 1/2 hour

Then we came out the other side at Three Rivers where we stayed the night.

That"s it for now.

Cheers Dave & Shell

South Lake Tahoe through Yosemite to Oakhurst

2012-06-26T10:59:00.000+10:00

We left Lake Tahoe for our big drive up to Yosemite, we passed through some beautiful scenery as we climbed & climbed:

We passed Mono Lake at Lee Vining - it was massive but the sky was so hazey the photo's didn't do it any justice:

Mono Lake

We crossed the Tioga Pass to enter Yosemite which is around 8000ft above sea level - the Captiva struggled a bit:

It was about 11 miles long then we entered Yosemite at 9950 Feet!

Entering Yellowstone

Unfortunately we didn't see any Animals as we passed through Yosemite, Just hundreds of tourists!!!!!
But we did see some nice scenery:

We couldn't believe that we didn't see anything but Squirrels crossing the road, after all the animals we seen at Yellowstone!
But I suppose it just depends on the day - after all they are wild animals!
We stayed at Oakhurst, which is on the other side of the park, we had booked 2 nights but really didn't feel like tackling all those tourists again the next day so we just had a rest day & caught up with the washing.
Oakhurst however had some beautiful wood carvings outside shops & restaurants:

check out this magnificent statue:

Unbelievable!

Just to show you how big it was!!

The next morning we headed of to Three Rivers through some beautiful forrests, but I will save that for the next post!
Bye for now,
Dave & Shell

Yellowstone to South Lake Tahoe

2012-06-22T08:00:00.009+10:00

Leaving Yellowstone at about 7am on Wednesday morning it was very cold, good day to be in the car.
It wasn't long at all before we crossed into Idaho:

The sun was shining beautifully but it was still very cold.
We passed several fields of the Famous "Idaho Potatoes":

Our destination for today was Twin Falls Idaho.
It was about a 5 hour drive, which wasn't very eventful at all. Not much to see until we got just outside Twin Falls & we crossed this very high bridge across Snake River Canyon:

Snake River Canyon

Notice how small the Semi Looks!

We had also heard about Shoshone Falls which was 5 miles out of Town, As we were too early to check into our Motel we decided to go there first:

Well worth the $3 fee to get in.

Nearly as good as Niagara Falls

There was a beautiful park adjacent to the falls:

A Friendly local

We also check out the lake that feeds the falls - great spot for a Family outing:

This guy could really pick his spots to talk
on his phone!

Flat out resting!

Ground Hog!

Then we went back and checked into the Motel to chill out for a while.
We went for a walk later on & Dave spotted his new " Dream Truck":

Makes him look like a midget!

Believe me if he could get it home he would, it's only $57,000 USD

The next morning we headed off at 7am for our 7 hour drive to South Lake Tahoe in California. It was a very long drive but we are on our way to Yosemite National Park.
South Lake Tahoe is just over the border in California - Lake Tahoe is in Nevada, which is the state we spent most of out days travels in.
The scenery was mostly Desert:

There were a few little Casino towns in the middle of nowhere:

They just seem to pop up in the middle of the Desert!

Then as we got closer to Carson City the scenery changed again - of course more Casino's:

Then after it was Pine Forrest's:

You don't see these signs in Australia!

As we got closer to Lake Tahoe we got some glimpses of the Lake - Wow it is huge!

When we got there we walked down to have a look - it was very windy & I'm sure the water was freezing but it looked beautiful:

This was just a stop over on our way to Yosemite National Park.
Cheers for now Shell

Our 3 Days in Yellowstone National Park

2012-06-21T09:39:00.000+10:00

Well we have had a wonderful time in Yellowstone. However the weather has been extremely cold we even had 60 mile hour winds! But we got to see so many animals in our time here, so that makes up for it.
The Temperature ranged from 0 - 18 Degrees Celsius each day!
But it is still warmer than it was last year when we were here - It Snowed then! There were still a few pockets of snow around the park:

It is hard to believe it is the Summer holidays over here! But you can certainly tell by the number of people here it is packed - all the camping grounds have "FULL" signs on them! Boy you should see how many Motorhomes, Caravans & 5th Wheelers are up here!

Caravans

5th Wheelers

Campers

Massive 5th Wheeler

Carpark at Old Faithful

Check this Rig Out!!

The scenery in the Park changed all the time, it is an amazing place. There has also been some devastating fires as well, leaving the landscape rather baron in places:

But a mile or so later its all green:

There are rivers and lakes all through the Park:

Yellowstone lake is Massive

There are waterfalls as well:

Yellowstone even has it's own "Grand Canyon":

Pretty impressive hey?

Thermal Pools - Very Smelly!

Old Faithful - Hot Spring Geyser

Now I think i have covered everything except the Animals, so I will start little & work my way up.

Bird life:

Small Animals:

Gopher?

Chipmunk

Deer:

Bears - Yes we actually seen some this year:

Then of course the Biggest - Buffalo/Bison, they just roam around wherever they want & you get out of their way! They also had lots of calves with them - very cute!

Not So Cute!!!!!!!!!

Well that's our 3 days in Yellowstone, but l am going to add a few more of my favourite scenic shots!

Love the snow

& Wide open spaces

We are making our way to Yosemite National Park in California now, it will take a few days to get there.

So bye for now,

Dave & Shell

Travelling From Denver to Yellowstone National Park

2012-06-19T09:17:00.000+10:00

Hello From Yellowstone,

We had a late start leaving Denver about 9.30am, but as it was Saturday we didn't have to contend with peak hour traffic.

The traffic was pretty good

Leaving Denver

We had a pretty good run & had quite a bit to look at. Some of the unusual sites:

A Tractor Run?

A Wind Farm

President Lincoln

We also had some beautiful scenery to look at:
The landscape kept changing all the time

We arrived at Riverton about 4pm. So we just hung out in the Motel until tea time, there was a Burger King right next to the Motel so we had dinner there, but we decided not to have dessert after seeing this:

YUK!

I love Bacon & Ice Cream - But definitely not together! Only in America!
The next morning we headed off about 7 towards Yellowstone.
We had some more great scenery:

We were getting higher up in the Mountains & we could see some snow in the distance. Nothing like it was last year though, they didn't have much of a winter here this year:

But it is still beautiful!

Then we run into some roadworks, but as it was Sunday & Father's Day no-one was working. But if you were going to be stuck in roadworks - I don't think you would mind here - checkout the view!

We were entering Yellowstone from the South this time so we went through Grand Teton National Park:

All these people were trying to see a bear.

this looked so tranquil.

We actually seen 2 bears before we got to Yellowstone - a mother Black Bear & her cub but we couldn't get a photo - buggar!

We had to drive through the park to get to the west side where our Motel was - but I will save animal photo's for Yellowstone post!

Cheers for now,
Dave & Shell

Our week in Denver

2012-06-16T13:49:00.000+10:00

Hi Everyone,
We spent our last night in Nashville at a Motel near the Airport, we were going a bit stir crazy in the room so decided to have a walk around the car park. We came across these great looking Harley's:

Very Nice

Apparently there was a big Motorcycle ride the next day - these bikes where from Texas!

We flew out to Denver at 9am on Sunday Morning.
We picked up our new hire car - this time it is a Chevy Captiva V6, We will need more power for our mountain trips.

It was great to see Jo & the kids again. Jacob & Isabelle have grown so much in just a year.

Jacob is a very active little boy, he does Tae Kwon Do & plays baseball, Dave had a practice with him in the back yard:

Jacob seemed surprised that Dave could catch!

Not to be outdone Isabelle does ballet - at age 2!

What a Princess!

Jacob had never seen a Bass Pro shop before so we took him to have a look - he loved it!

Jacob loved the Buggy's

But his favourite & of course Dave's - was the shooting range:

Now who was having more fun?

Boys & their Toys!

More Toys for the boys;

Never too old for lego!

We went to Jacob's First Official Baseball Game, He is the smallest player on his team but he makes up for it in enthusiasm:

Eyes on the ball all the time!

The Spectators

Isabelle even got involved

Jacob wanted to take us to his favourite restaurant - Dave & Buster's. It is like a gaming centre for young & old.:

Dave & Jacob

Jacob on a Harley

Isabelle & Jo Driving a Truck

We have really enjoyed our week in Denver with Jo & the kids, But we head off tomorrow towards Yellowstone National Park. There is going to be a huge difference in the weather - it has been in the mid to high 30's ( Celsius) here & it is averaging 16 in Yellowstone!
Well that's all for now,
Cheers, Dave & Shell

Georgia to Nashville

2012-06-10T06:24:00.001+10:00

Hi Everyone,

We left Locust Grove Georgia at 6 am on Tuesday morning, as we had to drive through Atlanta on our way to Nashville & didn’t want to get caught in Peak Hour traffic.

Checkout how many lanes - 8!

Well it was certainly busy but no hold up at all on our side:

Not so lucky for the people going in the other direction:

Very busy going into Atlanta!

It also starting raining & it was a lot cooler, but that is OK when you are driving.

When I booked our week in Nashville several months ago I had a lot of trouble getting Motels, I ended up having to book 3 separate ones for our week! As it turns out it is because The Country Music Awards are on this week!

So extremely lucky that I did pre-book as well as buying our Grand Ole Opry Tickets for the Tuesday & Friday Show.

Also lucky with the weather as the rain had all cleared by the time we got Nashville:

A beautiful day

Found a friend

& Our favourite shop!

We were too early to check in so we went touring!

Dave thought he might buy this :)

After lunch we went back to the Motel & checked in, we had organised a shuttle to take us to the Opry Show so we had a few pre-drinks before we took off.

When we got there it was packed - because of the awards & they have a full week long of entertainment - we arrived right in the thick of it!

Cheers at Opryland!

Live Bands - outside

Lots of people

Then inside for the Tuesday Radio Show - For those of you that don't know - The Grand Ole Opry is a Live radio show!

We had a good line up:

Little Jimmy Dickens he is 91!

Eric Church

Easton Corbin

Oak Ridge Boys

But the absolute headliner for the night was:
Carrie Underwood:

The following night Carrie won "Video of the Year" for her hit song Good Girl!

A Great Performance

The next day we caught a shuttle to downtown Nashville -it was "chaotic" There was a parade going down Broadway & you couldn't move:

People Everywhere

We couldn't even see the parade!

We just checked out all the tourist shops & boot shops - lots of them!

A few buskers:

These guys were really good!

We had a lovely lunch at "The Big River" restaurant & then caught the shuttle back.

After a restful afternoon we went to the "World Famous - Nashville Palace" (that's what it's called) for dinner & were entertained with country music by this guy - sorry didn't hear his name:

But he was a good singer!

The next day we had to pack up & head off to our second Motel, but we have spoke to quite a few people that were caught out because they didn't know that the CMA Awards were on. 1 guy we spoke to was fuming cause he had to pay $50 for a tent site - he said " I wasn't buying the bloody tent" :)

On Friday we decided to miss the crowds & go to the Movies. We watched Madagascar 3 in 3D - it was very good, we really enjoyed it & there was only about 10 people in our cinema! After that we had lunch & headed back to the Motel to catch up on some washing, we had our shuttle booked to take us to the Opry so time for a few drinks :)

Well it was very quite at the Opry on Friday compared to Tuesday night - apparently alot of the stars were having concerts downtown.
But we still had a great time, here was our line up:

Jeannie Seely

Mel Tillis

Bill Anderson

Lauren Alaina - She came runner up in American Idol!

Larry Gatlin

& Charlie Pride - he was brilliant!

It was a very entertaining night.

This Morning we had to move to our 3rd Motel - We are at the Airport in Nashville & fly out to Denver tomorrow morning to visit Jo & the kids - unfortunately Jas is away on business. We will spend a few days with them before we head off on our road trip:) cant wait to hit the country roads, had enough of the big smoke already!
Cheers,
Dave & Shell

Part 2 Orlando Florida

2012-06-07T09:52:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone, well firstly sorry for the delay - I have had some major issues with my blog not saving anything, but all sorted now - hopefully! So here goes:

Well the forecast was for thunderstorms so Dave headed off to Kennedy Space Centre while I stayed back to do the washing.

Space Shuttle - Hall Of Fame.

Of course the weather was fine - no thunderstorm, so after I finished the washing I headed down to the pool:

Very relaxing!

By the time Dave got back I was really relaxed - After 4 Margarita's :)
So of course I had to get him one too:

A lovely way to spend the Arvo!

Yes I did suffer from drinking in the sun - but what the hell, you only live once!

The next morning it was off to Disneyland, as we only had 1 day we chose Animal Kingdom as it had rides & animals:

The day started off pretty good, I even went on a ride with Dave!!!!!!!!
Then he went on a tame Rollercoaster:

Very Tame!

Then he wanted to go on this one

But he didnt't get that far as his cart got stuck here:

For 30 to 40 very long minutes in the 100 degree heat!!!!!!!!! I was beside myself on the ground. Nobody came to tell us anything. They just closed the ride & sent everyone away.

Relatives we ringing to see where family members were - I couldn’t do that we only have 1 phone!

A lady beside me spoke to her husband, he was stuck in the tunnel - they got off first - so then I knew Dave was obviously on the cart stuck outside!

When he eventually came out - he was fine & more concerned about which ride to do next - I was not impressed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The shine had definitely gone off Disneyland, We took the safari walk to look at some animals:

A very big boy

After that we decided to head off, we had McDonalds for lunch just up the road & spotted this Caravan:

very spacey looking

Then we decided to go to Gatorland:

This was well worth the money, hundreds if not thousands of Alligators & Crocodiles:

They even had white ones, they are not Albino, they have a special gene they shows up about every 100 years!

Very weird looking

They had heaps of wild birds in the parks as well:

Even these fella’s: Emu’s

It was a great afternoon - & no rides :)

Oh except this one but even Dave thought this one could be a bit hairy:

This is over a croc pool

Ahh they made it - alive!

The next morning we left Orland at 5am & headed to Georgia, It was a pretty uneventful trip just a bit of Fog:

Georgia's border

We passed these buses on the way - we think they were taken to be renovated - we hope!

No windows or seats!

I had forgotten about all the billboards that they have on the highways - its amazing:

Just Amazing how many there are!

We pulled up at a little place called Locust Grove in Georgia just after lunch & decided that was it for the day & found a motel.

After checking in we decided to have a look at a Western Store that we had been reading Billboards about for the last 20 mile! It was called The Horse Store.

Wow - it was great! Lots of Stuffed animals:

Lots of Belts & Boots:

A wide selection of Bling Belts

Boots everywhere

& Saddles Galore:

amazing

& Spurs:

We had the best time just walking around looking at everything - we also brought ourselves a Boot Bag to keep our boots in :)

Then it was back to the Motel for a few Bundy’s, I tried to do the Blog but it wouldn’t save anything. So after a very frustrating couple of hours gave that up as a bad joke!!!!!!!!!!

Well I am writing this on word document in the car as we are heading to Nashville & hopefully tonight I will be able to post it - If I have sorted it all out!

Cheers for Now,

Dave & Shell

Orlando Florida

2012-06-02T09:20:00.002+10:00

Hi Everyone,
Well we left Miami & headed off to Orlando, we had quite a bit of traffic to contend with:

Peak hour in Miami!

The weather wasn't that great either, misty rain. It took about 4 1/2 hours to drive to Orlando & we got to our Motel about 12.30.

Our Motel - Caribe Royale

It has the most beautiful Pool area that we have seen:

View from the 6th Floor

Not that we have had a chance to use it yet as we forgot to pack some bathers!!!!!!!
So of course we had to go shopping & we hit the outlet Mall :) My kind of shopping - But while we were there it starting raining - ok for shopping but not swimming!

By the time we got back to the Motel it was time to get ready for dinner as we had booked a Dinner Show at the Arabian Nights.
The meal was wonderful - the show was ok!

Good Stunts

Very colourful

Add caption

Happy Couple!

We were quite exhausted by the time we got home at 11pm!
But another early morning today as we were off to Universal Studios:

It started to rain so Dave had to get his rides out of the way first up - He is a bit of a Adrenalin junkie!!!!!!! Not Me, happy to watch!

The Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket!

As it turned out there is only 2 roller coasters at Universal Studios - much to Dave's disappointment!
A few more photos:

Dave & Jaws

The Train from Back to the future

The Delorian - Yes it is a lovely Poncho!

Dave's got a poncho too!

Hot Rod!

The rain was just not letting up we we decided to call it a day!
What else to do but - go shopping!

We called into 1 of our favourite stores in America - Pro Bass Outdoor World - they are fabulous.
For those of you that didn't follow our trip last year - that are a chain of stores that carry everything you could possibly need for: Hunting, Fishing, Camping, Boating - Whatever, & they are fitted out with the most amazing stuffed animals here are just a few:

Bear

Raccoon

Wild Boar

Deer

Bear & Mountain Lion

Americans also have a fascination with "Camouflage" as you can see by these photo's - there was even more stuff this year than last:
For the Car

Steering Wheel Covers

Floor Mats

The Bedroom! Bedspread!

The Lounge!!!!!!!!!!

The Kitchen - Vacuum Sealer!

Lunch Box

For Camping

& Of course the clothes

Lots & Lots

Of Clothes

We cant forget the Ladies!!!!!!!!!!

Dave got to have a shot at the shooting range - every store should have one don't you think?

Boys & their Toys!

Well it was a fun afternoon, we didn't actually but anything there - other than an umbrella!

Now we are back at the Motel - it is still raining!
So maybe we will have to miss out on Disneyland tomorrow - themes parks are no fun in the rain!
Will keep you posted,
Cheers,
Dave & Shell