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Thursday, July 03, 2008

Can't Sleep ...

It's 5:20am and a new day has dawned. Can't sleep. Probably because I slept for 12 straight hours last night. It's called JETLAG!

We've been to the States for nearly 4 weeks. It was FABULOUS! Lots and lots of miles by JUMBO and 4,500 miles by car. RIGHT ACROSS! We went to:

WINDSOR (her Majesty was in THRESHERS)
TERMINAL 5 (long, long walks)
JFK (smaller and more antiquated than anticipated)
TIMES SQUARE (amazing!)
WTC SITE (very moving)
STATEN ISLAND FERRY (ours crashed when we landed!)
STATUE OF LIBERTY (from a distance)
TOP OF THE ROCK - Rockefeller Center (high!)
MACY'S (bought not one thing!)
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM (full of noisy kids, but COSMIC COLLISIONS was good!)
CENTRAL PARK (heavy on the feet when HOT!)
METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART (awesome - real PICASSOS!)
JET BLUE AIRLINES (the BEST!)
CHICAGO RIVER (WOW!)
TRIBUNE TOWER (rocks 'n' stuff from all over)
MICHIGAN AVENUE (bank refused to allow us to take out money!)
HARD ROCK CAFE (yet another T-shirt)
NAVY PIER (fun; great views)
SEARS TOWER (even higher than TOTR!!)
BUCKINGHAM FOUNTAIN (best bit was when the wind changed direction and drenched a few!)
ALAMO, CHICAGO to pick up our RED Toyota!
MADISON, WISCONSIN (lots of it - a detour from the floods)
LA CROSSE (perfect little streets, with perfect little houses, with perfect little lawns)
MISSISSIPPI (up close, it looks like any other river)
JOLLY GREEN GIANT Blue Earth
SIOUX FALLS (pink quartzite .... in my bag)
BEWARE OF MOSQUITOS AT SIOUX FALLS!
MITCHELL (why? They have a CORN PALACE!)
CHAMBERLAIN (why? It has the MISSOURI)
BADLANDS NP (wonderful)
WALL DRUG STORE (hmm)
HILL CITY
CRAZY HORSE MONUMENT (they'll NEVER finish it!)
CUSTER STATE PARK
WILDLIFE LOOP (deer, marmots, burros, buffalo, PRAIRIE DOGS!)
MOUNT RUSHMORE (hmm)
DEADWOOD (I won $37.50)
MT MORIAH CEMETARY (Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane)
LEAD (mines)
BEAR COUNTRY USA (bears all over the place - lightning too!)
CHEYENNE (closed)
TRAIL RIDGE ROAD, Rocky Mountain National Park (only a bit, was we were running LATE)
DENVER (ring road)
COLORADO SPRINGS
TAOS
RIO GRANDE
SANTA FE (disappointed)
LOS ALAMOS
BRADLEY SCIENCE MUSEUM
4 CORNERS MONUMENT
MONUMENT VALLEY
VALLEY OF THE GODS (took 2 hours to drive - car now DIRTY red)
MOKI DUGWAY (OMG - look it up!)
MOAB
ARCHES NATIONAL PARK (including WINDOWS and DELICATE)
More McDONALDS and SUBWAYS than I care to ever repeat
TROPIC
BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK (AGAIN! But this time, no thunder)
NAVAJO LOOP
ZION NATIONAL PARK (AGAIN! And AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN would be great - it's BEAUTIFUL)
LAS VEGAS (WORSE than LAST TIME - 'music' coming out of FLOWERS. EVERYWHERE.)
HOOVER DAM
LAKE HAVASU CITY for LONDON BRIDGE (!) (it was 111 degrees F)
PALM SPRINGS (hot, hot, hot!)
PALM DESERT (scrappy shop!)
TEMECULA (McD in a WALMARTS)
SAN DIEGO
SEAPORT VILLAGE (very disappointing)
SPAIN WON THE EURO CUP!!! :)
PETCO PARK (padres 2; mariners 9)
HARD ROCK CAFE (yawn)
MISSION BAY
LA JOLLA (HUGE breakers!)
OLD TOWN, SD (little MEXICO)
SD ZOO (large zoo, few animals)
LAGUNA BEACH (if only we had MILLIONS)
LAX

Now I'm tired. But it's breakfast time!