Hail to the Hive!
Having recently returned to the UK I have been reunited with some old memorabilia. My scrap books from days gone by being some of them.
@daltono recently posted about a hiking trip in Kentucky and my mind drifted back to when I myself was in Kentucky on a road trip. Hmm time for another flashbck friday, pre digital camera, scrapbook travel post me thinks.
So wayyyyy back in 1992 I'd traveled to Cleveland Ohio with my girlfriend to visit family with a view to see a few things, nothing really planned out.
My Dad was a DJ at a local nightclub and on one night we bumped into these unlikely lads. You've got to smile really. But we really should have been oragnising our stuff for the trip as we were very unorganised and leaving soon.
My Grandma's old 1978 Chevy Caprice wasn't being used so we'd been given permission to use it to plan a road trip
😁 Road Trip You Say?
So we put together an ambitious plan and off we went south through Kentucky armed with a $20 tent from k mart and a cooler for beers.....and food i suppose.
We basically had very little plans other than at certain places i wanted to see a few people and there were some pretty famous landmarks along the way. But the rest....let's see what there is out there.
Mammoth Caves? Ok let's have a wander round.
These were the days before digital cameras which meant you had to not go trigger happy as it would prove expensive with film and developing. oh how i wish we'd had digital cameras back then.
But we loved the hiking around this area of Kentucky. Really amazing rock formations and I just love being anywhere where there is water.
In many ways the Narrowboating around the UK I am doing now reminds me of this trip around the US as we were constantly finding new places to stay. Camping and cooking in the great outdoors surrounded by natures beauty.
Arkansa wasn't really on our radar other than we knew we had to drive through it but it proved to be a massive surprise.
A beautiful place with outstanding lake camping and a cool little town , Hot Spings, proved to be a real surprise and a real high light.
We decided to stay a few nights here at Lake Ouchita near hot Springs as it was just so chill and beautiful.
I did suffer a little from the sun though, ouch indeed!
We progressed through to Texas (WHICH IS HUGE) and stopped in to see an old friend. Found Southfork Ranch along the way for any of you oldies that remember the old show featuring JR Ewing.
Texas is huge. 1000 miles east to west and the same from north to south and when you drive through it you get the idea.
It's Big!
Then after we had crossed the border into New Mexico and then ploughed onwards to Arizona we encountered some interesting places we had previously never heard of. I only stopped off in New Mexico to see some old Air Force buffies unlucky enough to still be there.
The Petrified Forest
Over 200 million years ago this area became submerged andmud, silt and ash that covers everything starved it of oxygen slowing the trees decaying. Very slowly silica deposits encased the original wood. This then crystalized into quarts thus preserving the logs as petrified wood. pretty amazing really.
Then Arizona offered up the Painted Desert. Utterly beautiful. The desert that is not my younger self 🤣
And then this
Meteor Crater.
Amazing places along the way we had no idea existed until we were in the vicinity.
The Grand Canyon is getting closer also but that can wait until next Friday
Wow also gives me some nice memories. I've been to that meteor crater in 92 or so. Cool place but we didn't want to pay to get in so we snuck around the back or something. The States are huge and great fun for camping as there are so many places to sleep for free in nature. And oh yes Texas is huge! West Texas was really nice as I remember. I'm from Wash DC area.
Was fun to travel through like this back in 92. A few years earlier i was in the air force stationed in New Mexico. We did about 36 states on this tour. Next friday i wil do the west coast flashback. Defo the best way to see the USA is driving and camping. Its incredible.
Ah yeah NM is lovely. I spent time in Taos and ran into the rainbow family at Tonto National Park. Good times :) Wow 36 states. Impressive. I've been to almost all in the lower 48 besides Maine for some reason. I'd like to cycle west to east one of these days.
Thats pretty good. I think i counted 40 in total when i last counted. So you got me beat there haha. Cycling would be an amazing way of doing it. We bumped into 2 guys doing that at Bryce and zion national parks.
I was stationed in eastern new mexico at cannon afb near clovis.....not beautiful in any way lol. Think Mars with the smell of cow shit haha
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Nostalgia kicked in I guess :) Looks like a great memories and a lot of fun
Yup was nice to go through. Next friday continues with Grand canyon and utah as well. Week after west coast. A real treasure trove really!
Great, Can't wait to see it.
The Lake Ouchita looks beautiful! :)
Was a real find. Superb camping and lovely views and a nice cool swim in the water. Beers and campfires. Awesome
Pretty cool to know we set foot on the same highways and foot trails. As I have been to most of these places. Cleveland was 90 mile from where I come from. Camped at the Mam-Caves. Ark. etc. Small World really tho right..?
There's always a reason people connect even if they don't quite know why 😃. My family is from Cleveland. Where 90 miles away?
Erie PA. Cleveland was a Saturday Night Roadtrip many weekends for concerts. As You may have heard...
CLEVELAND ROCKS.!!