We started out this morning in Cleveland, then ventured into Pennsylvania. Finally we made it into New York state. This is a hell of an achievement, we have made it from west to east coast. Soon homed in on Niagara. We parked up and walked straight over the border to Canada, can’t have taken more than a couple of minutes at the border. We went up the Skylon Tower and took lots of photos. I think we will be visiting Canada again at a later date, it looks like a lovely place.

After a few hours we returned to the US. You really feel like you are having an internal cavity search, even though we had only been in Canada for a few hours. They searched my camera bag and asked us lots of questions. They are only doing their job and they are polite as hell, but it is still a little intimidating. We did a bonus extra country anyway which was cool. We relocated to the hotel, which was about eight seconds away from where we parked. Had a lovely dinner this evening, expensive, but nice, with a lovely server.

Tomorrow we are off to Boston. We enter into the last week.

Today we started perhaps a bit later than we should of, but we eventually made it to Cedar Point about mid day. Thankfully the weather was very nice and warm. First ride was about a forty-five minute wait, after that all the others apart from Maverick were pretty much walk on. A great coaster park. I went on Top Thrill Dragster by myself, that was really cool. So a day of speed, inversions, drops and bounces, all good stuff.

We drove to Cleveland, checked into the hotel, the restaurant had closed early, so we walked across the lot and ate in quite a nice BBQ grill. Bar had closed early as well. Did todays video and started the upload. I’m two behind now thanks to awful upload speeds.

So today started a bit later than planned, but we our on holiday after all and it isn’t the military. We tootled off to the tower of Niles, which is a bit of an oddity to be honest. We parked in a Target and walked down the road. It was a little strange. We then drove in to central Chicago and went to the aquarium, which was pretty cool. Spent a couple of hours there then left Illinois. We then drove into Indiana for a couple of hours. Stopped for a quick coffee and then into Ohio. I actually really love Ohio. If there was one state I had to pick to live in, this would be it. It has fantastic fish, nice countryside and great people. It also reminds me very much of England.

We checked into a hotel in Toledo. Unfortunately it has a water park which means its full of kids I want to kill. But it’s now actually twenty to twelve and all is silent so I’ll let them off. Also I’ve drunk three pints of ‘Shock Top’ so they could have a full on rave and I’d be none the wiser.

Tomorrow we are off to Cedar Point, I’m actually really looking forward this.

So this morning we had a bit of a lie in until 8AM. Actually we didn’t get to Six Flags until gone eleven which is a bit crap considering we are less than two miles away. To say it was empty was an understatement. Apart from the usual school groups there was no one. I think all day we waited no longer than forty-five minutes for any ride. One ride said it had an hour wait time, we walked straight on. We did every coaster once, a couple we did twice. It wasn’t a massive park, but it was big enough. We left about an hour before closing after picking up the usual shot glass and fridge magnet. We ate in the hotel. Jamie didn’t like it. Made yet another video which is now uploading. Tomorrow we are off into Chicago again and then off to Ohio.

So we left our hotel in the middle of nowhere and continued east. A couple of pee stops and a very uneventful seven hour drive we arrived at Guerney, which is our home for the next couple of days. We dropped our stuff off and checked in.

We then set off to central Chicago, in rush hour. Took about an hour and twenty minutes for a forty mile journey, but it was great fun. It’s like trying to drive into central London blindfolded without dropping below 90 mph. We managed to park close to the Willis tower, which used to me know as the Sears tower. Up we went to the 103rd floor. Boy what a hell of a view from here. They also have one of those glass bottom floor things which is rather frightening.

We then walked to the worlds largest been, which is just bloody weird. We had an average meal on the way back to the car and then drove back to the hotel. Six Flags Great America tomorrow, the drive will be about three minutes.

We started off a bit later than perhaps we should of. But blueberry pancakes have to be eaton. We grabbed gas and then headed off to Mount Rushmore. We could see it in the distance. My instant thought was, “Is that it?”. We drove up, paid our twelve dollars for a twelve month pass and parked up. I must admit I was expecting half a mountain carved to perfection. What I got as a few carved rocks. Okay, I guess it was quite impressive, it was all carved by hand. But these days the same could be carved by a computer controlled engraver in about ten minutes. I was just expecting more.

The rest of the day was about driving, yet again. We clocked up another six hundred odd miles driving east. Fairly easy going, must be said. Finished up in yet another Holiday Inn. Nice restaurant, decent room. Crap wifi. Can’t complain. Okay, well I can complain. Tomorrow we drive up to Chicago.

Got up fairly sharpish and had breakfast. After refuelling we were on the road by 10:30. Then that was it really. We drove pretty much for a solid nine hours. All the way north up through Colorado. Colorado Springs, then Denver. Then it was up into Wyoming, where there really is absolutely nothing at all, apart from farm land. I think we drove almost three hours without overtaking or being overtaken. It was then into South Dakota. We’ve stopped in a place called ‘Rapid City’, in a ‘Holiday Inn’. Which seems all decked out for another photocopier salesman convention. We were the only one’s in the restaurant, the food was very good though. I had fishcakes made from ‘Walleye’ which is apparently a North American fish, it was very good. Then it was off to the room to edit yet another video.

I’m sorry if these blog posts are a bit short, but the days are very long and the video editing takes ages, so something has to give a bit. But I hope you are all enjoying the videos. They are all available here.

So we started off the day in Grand Canyon village. It was fucking cold. We made a good start and headed down to Flagstaff. Picked up gas. We basically travelled for eleven continuous hours. Passing through the bottom of the Colorado mountains and up the other side. We finally finished in place called Trinidad, Colorado. A nice little Holiday Inn hotel, with a good bar and food. It’s been a hell of a long day, but we’ve managed some serious mileage. And by god have we seen some weather. In Grand Canyon it was cold, then to mass heat, then to massive altitude and freezing again, then snow storms, then calm. It was complete madness. But one thing I will never get over is the shear vastness of this country. One small part is the equivalent of driving from the south-west to Scotland. The sat-nav says it’s over six hundred miles to the next turn off, that’s just shear madness.

One fun highlight, we got pulled over by the highway patrol. The chap was very nice, after the usual questions and license and registration bullshit, he actually only pulled us over for having the sat-nav in the middle of the dash.

More fun driving tomorrow.

So this morning we left Las Vegas and the Trump Tower. Probably a bit later than I would have liked. We soon stopped for gas and a McDonalds. It was then a pretty massive drive to the Grand Canyon. We saw a sign for the Hoover Dam, it wasn’t much of a diversion so we stopped off there. Now there’s a very impressive site. After a few photos we did a near continuous drive to Grand Canyon national park.

As soon as we got out the car we thought, “Fuck, it’s cold”. We started off in Vegas at about 75 degrees, here it was 43 degrees. But we were about four and a half thousand feet up, so the pressure had dropped. Boy was it cold. We took lots of photos and video around the rim, then took a few stops on the bus to get a few different angles. It’s a very impressive site.

Drove to the hotel which was only a couple of miles away. Had a rather expensive mediocre meal. Having a fairly early night, as I have a hell of a lot of driving to do tomorrow.

So this morning started with a fairly easy drive across to Las Vegas private aerodrome. Met with pilot, a fairly gung-ho chap. We got going and all was fairly relaxed. He took the door off his side, which gave a very interesting cross-wind handling characteristic. We flew over the mountains for a bit and then we got permission to fly over the strip. That was great as they don’t usually allow unlicensed R22’s to do that sort of thing. However we had to keep within a 100ft of 3,000 and a minimum of 80kts, which in an R22 is at the upper limit. It was a fantastic hour really enjoyed it.

We then headed out for lunch, we walked for about an hour, decided we were only half way, so jumped on a bus and came back again and then got the car. We went to the ‘Heart Attack Grill’, which hold the world record for the most calories in a triple burger. I went for the double burger and managed to finish it, it was okay, nothing special. But it’s more for the experience. I can back. Jamie fell asleep as he’d had a Tequila and has the drinking ability of a 10 year old girl.

Later in the evening we walked down to the ‘Quad’ and watched ‘Diva’s’ which was a great show of drag queens performing various numbers. The Liza Minnelli performer was excellent. Came back and had a couple of beers. Uploaded tonights video.

So far better than the horrible day that yesterday was. I’m growing to like you, but still have no desire to ever come back again. Grand Canyon tomorrow.