Low Point: Trailer trash, cold showers and Steve’s ponytail
No Point: Taxi ‘co-drivers’ meaning not enough seats for the crew, and Amy frequently having to sit on the floor!
When planning our Stage 8 route, New Orleans was one of the places we were determined to visit. But what we didn’t know, 18 months ago, as Val drew a hopeful line on a map, that our arrival into the city would coincide with one of the biggest events in the New Orleans social calendar – Mardis Gras – win!
New crew member Steve Shoppman immediately proved his worth by knowing some lovely locals who invited us round their beautiful house, which was positioned conveniently close to the Mardis Gras parade route – double win! Thanks to Ashley and Will for their hospitality, local knowledge and King Cake to kick start the day.
High Point: Good beeping day, we had lots of people beeping and waving to us as they passed us on the highway.
Low Point: Spending the whole day driving on a pretty soulless main interstate road.
No Point: Interstate roads when your max speed is approx 55 mph.
The day started with a fabulous home cooked brekkie with extra “biscuits”, aka scones, ‘to go’ to keep the hunger at bay on the long road ahead, thank you Gerry, Susan & Tiny. We had met our hospitable hosts at the Elks lodge the previous evening and they very kindly offered us a bed for the night in their lovely home. We just had time for a quick tour of Gerry’s new RV (Recreational Vehicle), complete with an outdoor flat screen TV, before hitting the road for some serious mileage.
High point: being greeted by a wonderful Wild West reception in Bandera
Low point: only having four tumblin’ tumble weed moments on the road (I’m not talking about James’s jokes)
No point: no time to stop for lunch on stage 8, we just keep on trucking
Dust devil count: 9
Best Borat moment: Steve’s definition of a Mardi Gras when talking to Patricia from Bandera Tourism
Stage 8 (Phoenix to New York) is all about BIG miles and today was no exception. The 616 km from Fort Davis to Bandera took 12 hours. We left early but had to make an unscheduled stop off in Alpine as Martha was in need of some TLC. While the boys had new flag poles made (thanks to McCoys) and erected the FTFE flags donated by Hand Waving Flags http://www.handwavingflags.com the girls popped next door to pick up some cowboy boots (when in Rome). McCoys also managed to come up with an alternative fuel cap that works much better than the polystyrene cup we had been using since stage 7, fancy that. Thanks guys. Read more →
George has done an awesome job of mapping our journey around the world. You can zoom out to see the entire route or zoom in to see more detail. Each of the red pins is a blog from that location. Super stuff George ! This page is always available by clicking on the image of the world map on the home page.
Hot Point : Surely every day should start with a soak in a hot springs tub?
Low Point : Constant and unrelenting exhaustion
Boiling Point : Is 4 cups of coffee too many to start the day?
Truth or Consequences, obviously the best name for a town anywhere in the world. This is how I pictured small town USA and how I pictured breakfast. A tiny town where everyone knows everyone and a fire engine from England is a pleasant surprise first thing on a Wednesday morning. Now first things first, breakfast. Our most important meal of the day as generally we don’t have lunch or if we do it’s normally filth (McDonalds, Burger King, etc). The Happy Belly Deli treated us to a master class in good old American cooking with a chorizo and scrambled egg feast, oh hello and good morning. But surely a good breakfast is not complete without a good old natter with a local or three. This is why we love small town USA, the characters, the stories and the enthusiasm for our expedition. To accompany my four coffees and splendid breakfast was a lovely chap who by all accounts has been round the block a few times. Stories of the road, trucking, the changing face of the USA and life in general. Super stuff. Read more →
Santa Fe to Truth or Consequences (via Albuquerque)
High point: Martha getting a clean bill of health…and bowling, small town style
Low point: Dirty diesel…yuck!
No point: James acknowledging a car’s hoot with a blast of blues and twos, only to later admit it was him who accidentally hit the horn in the first place…smooth!
High Point: 12,000 ft up a snowy mountain admiring the view of the desert all around, not your typical view from the slopes, awesome!
Low Point: Steve’s pushing resulting in a 4 person pile up at the top of the ski lift, thanks Steve
No point: Gemma and I not realizing that it is impossible for anyone to have an alcoholic drink in New Mexico unless they are carrying ID. We toasted Amy’s birthday with water!
High Point: Our traditional southwestern breakfast cooked by The Caskey family…. Who`d have thought that eggs and chilly could go together so well!
Low Point: Dinner is early in rural America… restaurants here are closed by 8pm which resulted in one very hungry and unhappy crew searching to find some food at 9pm.
No Point: Why are the boys having more showers than the girls? And what is a ‘strip wash’?
Burger Point: With the crew now weighted firmly towards the healthy-eating girls, the burger count has been officially closed with yours truly striding out in front with a massive 20 burgers consumed in 15 days. We need a new count now….? Read more →
High point: Reaching Bill Caskey’s farm after eight hours negotiating dicey roads through blizzards and ice on one of the most tricky drives in FTFE history. Thanks to Troy Caskey for being our guide and Guardian Angel
Low point: Leaving our new friends at Phoenix Fire Station and saying good bye to stage 7 crew legends Rob and Ben, we miss you already!
Snow point: Getting back into the cab and Martha sliding 5 inches down hill, icy conditions or too many burgers?
No point: Stocking up on cookies, Shelley from station 35 sent us on our way with enough cookies to feed a football team, for four weeks. Thank you!
