Back in The Netherlands

Arrived back home this morning. Took the train home (was planning on taking the high speed Fyra but they cancelled the train as I stood on the platform this morning. So, the old fashioned way back home. I tried to get a restitution for the Fyra ticket but NS customer service in Rotterdam could not help me (neither could another NS station).

Oh well. It's cold and wet and dank and overcast.
Back home.

In New York!!!!

Jon found me at JFK and we took public transport to The Jane.

We are off to explore the city now! Wheeeeeee!!!

Back in "the world"

After the silence of the desert these last days, in Arizona, Grand Canyon, Mojave, Valley of Fire and Death Valley, I'm back in the built up world again.

I've fallen in love with the desert, especially Mojave. I'll be back there for sure. And, Arizona.

Tamales

...are a supreme goodness.
Yum.

Spent the last few days in Bisbee, will be updating the blog soon.

Today we spent a good part of the day in the Chiricahua National Monument. Geology of the area is pretty awesome.

Alamogordo

This is how I started my day, at the KOA Carlsbad camping:

Tried visiting the Carslbad caves but the rangers stopped visitors at the gate - the elevator is broken, was broken yesterday and heaven knows when they will be fixed. There's a difficult hike down and a difficult hike back up for the hardy souls who would want to try it anyhow. I decided to pass, there simply was not enough time to do this. I would have had to stay another day.

By the way, at the entrance of the park I saw this fascinating building near the top of the hill. I really wonder what it is and what it's story is.

So, I drove out of Carlsbad towards White Sands. First flat, then lightly undulating, increasingly bendy roads and higher trees till I arrived at a rather hokey mountain pass (I don't believe those buildings were really this old - I think this might be a popular holiday destination in winter (?)

Arrived in Alamogordo, checked in and went to visit the White Sands.
Magic.

I drove through West Texas today

All along the back roads. Almost ran out of gas, I was in such a hurry to escape Midland that I forgot to tank. So, at a quarter tank I thought well, I should be passing a gas station soon.... but hell no. Miles and miles of scrub with only those nodding texas flowers with the thick sulphurous odour: no people, no houses, no cars, no animals. It was all rather post apocalyptic and would have been cool in a Mad Max kinda way if the needle had not been sinking further and further...

In the end I programmed Seminole into the TomTom and got to a gas station some 20 miles later with the last gasoline fumes. That was a close call!

I'm in New Mexico tonight. At first I thought I'd go see the bats fly out at the caverns and had even driven over there, but then I realised I would have to drive back in the dark (duh). With my current night vision that is not such a smart idea, so I went back to the campsite only to find it has been invaded by very cute bunnies (pictures will follow). Much too cute to toss in a pot and cook em, so I'm eating bbq steaks tonight. Yes, and root beer. Ahhhhh.

I'll be sorting the pictures and posting them later. The various road stories are all jotted down but I hardly ever have the time to work things out - that will have to wait for later too. All is well with me, I'm having the time of my life and the only minus point is that i only took nine weeks leave. I need at least six months of this to scratch the surface ;)

Left New Orleans today, drove to Shreveport

I'm so sad to go, my visit to this city was far too short. I'll simply have to go back!

Driving the I10 West out of New Orleans (accompanied by joyous N-O jazz music on the local radio) is quite amazing, a good part is a raised road/bridge that traverses the stretched out bayou - wide open spaces interspersed alternately with bare swamp cypress trees and thickly wooded areas. I wish I could have explored these areas by boat, learning more about this ecosystem. It looks to me as if many of these cypress trees are dead (though I've been told they are alive):

The further I drive towards Texas, the larger the pickup trucks seem to get. Two more observations: there was very little speeding on the I10 and drivers generally kept to the "Keep Right" road rule. And, I saw no 'stimulus' roadworks on the I10W/I49W between New Orleans and Shreveport at all!