Last Post ......

....... as it were!

We were due to kill three hours at Atlanta airport, but that decreased to two as our plane from Louisville was a little late.

One of the announcements that makes me smile here is: "Passengers should maintain control of their baggage at all times".  I have a vision of the cases sprouting legs, cartoon fashion, and trying to run away! 

I echo what Dave has said about our hosts, Kim and Tony, who have shown us wonderful hospitality.  

Going The Extra (Red) Mile

Dave writes: 

The Red Mile is a harness racing track in Lexington which doubles up on non-trotting days as a simulcast betting shop. 

That means a host of TV cameras brings coverage from all venues that happen to be racing in the States that day. 

With up to 10 meetings it means there's a race every 2 or 3 minutes - with all that involves.  

Happily on Friday I came out well on top along with most of the rest of our 5-strong party and that should have been farewell to Red Mile. 

But on Saturday, on arrival at Keeneland, 10 miles away, for the big Breeders' Cup day we were dismayed to find the only thing you could bet on was -- the racing from Keeneland. 

With 40 minutes between races, nowhere to sit on an unseasonably cold day and with 11 races and eight hours spread ahead, we jumped in a taxi and went back -- to Red Mile. 

More winners followed but it meant - I can now reveal - that I witnessed the great triumph of American Pharoah on TV and not in the flesh. 

No problem though as fortunately in my Reuters days I was lucky enough to see loads of Breeders' Cup action. 

Then on Sunday with a couple of hours available before cocktails Tony and I sneaked off again to the Red Mile for a final flutter !

Great three days, great racing and super hosts so many thanks again to Tony and Kim. 

Currently at Atlanta airport and hoping we won't be fog-bound on return. 

Old Friends

After a leisurely morning Tony took Dave and me to the Old Friends Farm for retired thoroughbreds near Lexington.  

I was shocked to park up behind a car which had these messages on the back!

It was an open day to follow the Breeders Cup and seemed to have a lot of. Isidore.  We had a good barbecue lunch, heard some good blue grass music and listened to some great auctioneers, who had lots of racing memorabilia on offer to make money for the Farm.

Taking Petey out for a walk this afternoon, I loved looking at plants in the gadens, including this Nandina shrub. 

Pharaoh Rules

 Dave writes:

Three winners (4-1, 9-2 and 7-1) from 11 races on day two plus a fifth share of a 650 dollar trifecta (forecast first three in correct order) kept me well in front. 

Highlight though was American Pharoah recovering his Triple Crown form to make all the running and win the 5 million dollar Classic by six lengths in record-breaking time. 

Arc and Epsom Derby winner Golden Horn (4-6 favourite) was pipped in the Turf by Found, ridden by Ryan Moore and one of my winners on the day.

Great two days racing. 

Lingfield next up on a week on Tuesday !! 

Relaxation, walk and Hallowe'en

Lazy day for me today as the "boys" went off to the races. 

Accompanied Kim to the office and to view a house that's for sale.

Asked Dave to put some money on horses for me.  All five were losers!

This afternoon we viewed all the local Hallowe'en decorations while taking Petey for a walk.  

The telephone box is in next door's garden.  

Apparently it's from Southend! 

Hallowe'en is big in the U.S.A. and we sat on the porch dispensing goodies to the children and young people of the area between 18:00 & 20:00.  I'm a misery guts about this at home, but it was good fun tonight! 

Winners Galore!

Dave writes:

Three winners from nine races at odds of 4-1, 6-1 and 7-1 on day one of the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland equal a 90 dollar profit. 

Highlight was Ryan Moore coming from last to first in the juvenile turf race to snatch the 4-1 victory on the line with one of his finest rides ever. 

The 7-1 winner was called Stopchargingmaria. !

Final day today with Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and Derby and Arc hero Golden Horn the big attractions. 

Harrodsburg 30th October

Kim took me to Harrodsburg, about half an hour from Lexington and we spent most of our time there at the Old Fort. Apparently it was the first Permanent European settlement east of the Alleghenies, founded by James Harrod in 1774. 

It seems it was illegal as there had been an agreement with the Native Americans that there would be no settlements this far west.

There were several people in roles such as textile maker and dyer, blacksmith and pioneer woman.  

We heard several interesting stories:

• The pioneer women had to keep their crying babies/children quiet when they were hiding from attackers and made rag dolls as comforters for the purpose.  They would only bring these out at times of danger as a treat, or the children would be too used to them.

• As is fairly well known, the Native American women used to put their babies into papooses or cradle boards.  These might be carried on the mothers' backs or maybe hung up in a tree. If the baby cried, it was left.  A fuss was made of it only when it was quiet, so the baby learnt from this.  Again, this practice helped with the safety of the group.  

• Brown dye for textiles was made by boiling up walnuts, including the husk, for several hours.

Kim sat on the dunce's stool in the bare and uninspiring schoolhouse - she's looking far too happy! 

We had lunch at a super cafe, the Fudge Factory, which had originally been a pharmacy.  

Lastly we returned to the Fort, and enjoyed the Mansion Museum, which had loads of artefacts and the Lincoln Marriage Temple, which houses the original log cabin in which Abraham Lincoln's parents were married. 

Leaving Vegas - 29th October

We were up early to catch our hotel shuttle bus to the airport - well worth the seven dollar cost of the ticket.

The sound of music blaring as we made our way out of hotel elevator/lift at 07:50 was less welcome!

We arrived in good time so had a while to wait and I was amused to see that, even as you leave Vegas, there is a chance to play the slots right up until boarding! 

The several hours at Atlanta between flights was spent trawling back through posts and attempting to rectify the problem with photos in posts older than three days.  I think it's done now, and hope it was time well-spent.

Tony was there at Louisville airport to meet us and took us to Lexington in the new car.

Farewell Vegas - 29th October

Up at 0600 for shuttle transfer to airport for flight to Atlanta and then Kentucky for Breeders' Cup and last few days. 

A few random thoughts:
* our hotel at Vegas, the Flamingo, is around 23-storeys high and must have over 3,000 rooms to service each day.  And we are just one of scores of such places. Our room number was 11,128. 
• amid all the opulence and fun, sad to see quite a few folk begging. 
• tie at present for top 10 highlights of trip between sunset at Signal Hill back in Arizona and moonset/sunrise over the Grand Canyon at the weekend. 
• restroom or bathroom - not loo or toilets 
• drop box not post box
• cawfee not coffee
• very useful to have access to passenger lounge here at Atlanta as it's also our stopover on Monday.  
• great to have had temperatures routinely in the 70F range  for past 2 weeks.  Less in Grand Canyon at 7,000 ft 
• sad to see people playing slot machines at 0700 this morning.
• hugemedia cover of presidential race for the White House even though it's a year away. Primaries sooner though. 
• huge media cover of World Series baseball. Less of Middlesbrough beating Manchester United last night.

The Strip - 28th October

 Dave writes:

Walked up and down the Strip for a couple of hours early evening and it truly is  a sight to behold. 

Garish, in your face, over the top, touristy in the extreme - but magic for me at least. 

It's a sight during the day but lit up at night there surely can't be anything like it anywhere else in the world. 

So many buildings, so many casinos, so many eateries, so many shows - and so many people seemingly having the time of their lives. 

All in all I have to admit it even outshines Paddock Wood.

Monorail a Winner - 28th October

Dave writes:

A fond farewell to Dave and Lynda who have returned home to Tucson after kindly hosting, guiding and driving us for the last 10 days or so. 

Sincerely appreciated. 

With time short used the monorail which links seven key points in town on a hop on/off basis. 

Caught the MGM complex at one end of the loop and then at the northern terminus bussed it 2-3 miles down to Fremont St, the original Vegas before today's madness caught on. 

A giddy mix for the tourists including zip wire rides high up in the roof space. 

Casino action picking up pace as I write. Caesars Palace an education last night but so far I've kept a watching brief with the Breeders' Cup horse racing almost upon us. 

Vegas 28th October

We started off with breakfast outside near some water features, which are home to, amongst other creatures, flamingos (the name of the hotel).  I felt a little sorry for these as presumably their wings have been clipped. 

There are also turtles, fish, ducks, a black swan and a California pelican (which had been injured and has been nurtured by hotel staff). 

We said sad farewells to Lynda and Dave S this morning, as they need to get back to Oro Valley.

Dave and I took the monorail south to the MGM, where we found some difficulty finding our way out on to the Strip!  Next we went north on the monorail and took a bus to the older Fremont Street, which is all has a high covering.  My favourite sight was watching people on high zip wires zooming the length of the street. 

Dave found his place, the "D"!

Almost opposite our hotel are the Bellagio fountains, which "dance" to music at fifteen or thirty minute intervals during the afternoon and evening. 

Beautiful.

Other observations:

- Smoking is permissible inside buildings - not sure if it's just in Las Vegas, or the whole of Nevada.

- Music is played inside and outside, usually quite loudly.

- The hotels seem to have casinos located just inside the entrances, hooking visitors in.

- The hotels are so huge that it can be difficult to find your way out until you get used to the layout! 

More WOWSERS! 28th October

GNot a lot for me to say really after Dave's post.

Just a few small additions to the activities of the day.  

Having seen the sun go down last night, just before the rising of the moon, it was weird to see the opposite in action at about 06:30.  As the sun was rising, the rocks on the walls facing east gradually lit up in fantastic colours.  First there were two beds at the top of the Rim, then suddenly there was an explosion of bright oranges and yellows.  

Dave enjoyed the stop at Williams to see the railway and station.

The main thoroughfare from Grand Canyon to Vegas passes the Hoover Dam.  Apparently people travelling the road used to rubber neck on their way past it, holding up traffic something shocking.  Recently a new road was built which cuts out views of the dam, so would-be viewers have to turn off and walk up a steep-ish climb to see the dam. 

After our evening meal, we crossed the road to see round Caesar's Palace - at least, a small proportion of it! 

I gather there are problems seeing some of the earlier photos on the blog so I'll try to upload them in a different way.  

I was going to load a video but perhaps it would be better not to attempt this now! 

Oscar a winner - 28th October

Oscar drives the tourist bus up to the Grand Canyon each morning to catch the sunrise and it's got to be one of the best jobs in the world. 

This morning as if on cue the full moon bowed out in the west as in the east the sun peeped over the ridge, lighting bit by bit the other side of the huge valley. 

A memory for life yet Oscar has this every morning. No wonder he has been doing it for 11 years. 

Sadly there were only five of us on the bus this morning so his merry wit was a bit wasted but it was a great finish to a memorable 2 days. 

On to Vegas via the Hoover Dam and the new bridge and then to the Flamingo our home for the next 2 nights. 

Up on the 11th floor with views across to the Strip, including our next door neighbour, Caesars Palace!

Off to dine shortly then out to see all the sights as darkness has just fallen. 

Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas - all on the same day. Perhaps we should get out more. 

A Bird's Eye View - 27th October

We are staying at the "Grand Canyon Village", located at the Southern Rim, in a cabin of Maswick Lodge.  Despite checking the lodge website beforehand, we weren't quite sure what to expect. The "village" is quite extensive, but Lynda had a map, which was supplemented by signs to our lodge.  The map to our cabin, though, was less easy, and it took a couple of turns round the campus in the car before we found our abodes.  These look a little dreary from the exterior but are very comfortable inside.

To the main business of the day, though - the trip in a nine-seater plane above the Canyon for Dave S, Lynda and me.

We had forty five minutes of sheer pleasure in the majestic scene below although, as you can
imagine, it seemed less than that as the time whizzed by.  Colours, shapes, highland, canyon bottom, sheer sides, promontories, mesas, buttes, the river - one form quickly changed into another. As ever, impossible to portray properly.

The afternoon saw all four of us on the shuttle bus westwards along the Rim to Hermits Rest, with several stops at looks out points along the way.  We decided to miss the ones closest to out Lodge as we will be visiting them tomorrow for he sunrise trip - early start!

Lynda and I decided to walk along the Rim eastwards after the bus trip to see a few other landmarks, including the Kolb Studio, dedicated to two brothers (& one wife) who set up here to paint images of the beautiful sights in Grand Canyon. The. Studio had some lovely artwork.

We spotted some Mule Deer near our cabins on our way back.  You can see why they have been given this name.

On our return, all four of us set out to see the sunset over the Canyon.  This was good, as was the rising moon, full as it happens, in the east.

Buzzy Airport - 26th October

Dave writes:

Grand Canyon airport was buzzing this morning with up to a dozen or so helicopters and half a dozen planes heading out for trips round the Canyon. 

Good business and lots of visitors from all over the world in evidence.  

As a groundling, watched with binoculars from outside the small departure lounge. 

Time for a coffee and cookie before our bold travellers returned, thoroughly wowed. 

Shuttle bus service round the south rim a good substitute in the afternoon and more tomorrow early doors to catch a Canyon sunrise !

Then it's on to Vegas. Take cover you casino owners !!

Grand and Glorious - 28th October

Dave writes:

Nothing can quite prepare you for the glory of the Grand Canyon. 

Suffice to say just one of the landscapes could make it a world heritage site, yet there are countless. 

Together over 1.2 million acres comprise the most magnificent scenario and today in glorious sunshine it has to be matchless.

Staying in a cabin-style motel for two nights and booked up for 05.30 start to catch Tuesday's sunrise from various viewpoints nearby. 

Journey to Grand Canyon - 26th October

We spent the first part of the morning looking around the centre of Flagstaff.  Dave enjoyed the railway station, and we found out about the founding and development of the town.

Next leg of the journey was Route 66 to Sunset Crater Volcano.

The approach was through basalt fields of black, blocky rock which often appeared
having strange shapes.

There has been much volcanic activity in this area in relatively recent times, and Sunset Crater Volcano is the youngest example, having appeared just before the Norman Conquest of England, in 1064.

Our walk gave us a good view of the volcanic landscape around us and showed clearly the stages of development of vegetation on a new landscape, through lichens, simple, solitary plants which need little soil and more varied shrubs through small trees to the larger Ponderosa Pines. These trees are much in evidence in the surrounding area.

Solitary plant making headway

I must admit to being a little disappointed, as we had read about the reds and yellows
of the rocks and, although there was plenty of red, the whole was not reminiscent of a sunset!  Maybe it was partly because of the cloudy day.

We passed through a large range of landscape and vegetation before reaching Grand Canyon.

Once again, of course, a massive WOW! 

Two dimensional photography simply cannot capture the grandeur of the spectacular landscape.  Add to that the fact that a single still photo cannot take in the whole panorama and that the sun was hidden from view so the colours of the rocks and Colorado River are dimmed, and any photo here but is a pale reflection of the wonderful reality.

Anorak's Corner - 25th October

Dave writes:

Excellent Thai in downtown Flagstaff with no time issues.

Evening capped by trip to historic rail station which coincided with one of the freight trains lights blazing passing through. 

Four engines are usually needed to pull upward of 300 wagons so it's quite a sight. 

On the minus side they run most of the night past our hotel three miles outside town but less than 100 yards from the main line.

Exploring Flagstaff in the light later today. Looks to have an interesting history but at nearly 7,000 feet temperatures dipped to near freezing overnight. Set to rise to 16C later. 

Closed at 8 - now on Route 66! - 24th October

Dave writes:

Having praised eateries and staff yesterday we were all set for the Thai restaurant five minutes drive from our motel in Cottonwood. 

Imagine our surprise then when we fetched up at 8.10 pm to be told they stopped serving at 8.0 pm!

I suppose there was a clue the previous night when I spotted an eating place that was going to close  at 9.0 pm. 

Anyhow we found a bar with a good menu and plan to call in at a Thai tonight in downtown Flagstaff, our latest stop where interestingly our Best Western is slap bang on the old Route 66 ! 

Cottonwood to Flagstaff - 25th October

Much of the day was spent in and around Sedona. 

Once again, as we approached the city, the magnificence of the geology hit us.

To the south of Sedona, we branched off on the Red Rock Loop, which not only took us past the towering blocks of red sandstone, but afforded a parking place so we could walk to Red Rock Crossing and the fast flowing waters of Oak Creek.

The whole of this area is so peaceful, but the sound of running water made it even more special to sit and take it all in.

It's difficult to imagine eating ice creams on a terrace with a more wonderful view.

Javelinas (also called peccaries or skunk pigs) are relatively common in Arizona.  Having said that, we have not seen any in the wild - just in the Tucson Desert Museum (see earlier post). Lynda and David have seen them on walks around Oro Valley and they even found their way into the garden before.  People do sometimes confuse them with pigs as they are about the same size, have snouts and small eyes.

There are several ornamental ones dotted around Sedona, like these ones.

Sedona is known as a town for shoppers and it has a good variety of outlets.  It is also known for people with "spiritual" tendencies, including psychics, palm readers, tarot card readers etc.  We didn't stop at this shop!

The journey from Sedona to Flagstaff took us along a road in the Oak Creek Canyon and as we ascended, temperatures dropped noticeably.

The view from the top at 1956 metres was superb.

Cottonwood and around - 24th October

We are staying at the Quality Inn Motel for two nights.

It has an outdoor pool, which advertised opening hours at 11:00 to 21:30, but when Dave enquired, it seems we can use it at any time.  We took advantage at this at 07:40 this morning.  Well, I'm not sure "took advantage" is quite appropriate, as it felt pretty cold.  Still, we persevered and did a few lengths.

Breakfast was advertised as "continental" but was more than that, and kept us going for a good part of the day.

First on our stops today was the Montezuma Castle.  This was a place where the so-called Sinagua settled, in the twelfth century, although the information boards tell us that the people who lived here were not called Sinagua and that they certainly didn't build castles! Apparently the name for the people was created by an archaeologist to describe people who live beside a river, and you can see that the buildings they created were simply homes and not what most would call castles!

The homes  were built in limestone rocks which had natural caverns which the people modified into rooms for their shelter.  They were high up in the cliff face, presumably to provide shelter from any any enemies and also from flooding from Beaver Stream.

There was lots of information about the "Sinagua" culture and their way of life.  They suddenly seemed to disappear from the area in the 1400s, although nobody really seems to know why.  

In one of the holes high up in the limestone face was a bustling community of bees, and we could see their honeycombs. 

A squirrel busied itself in the branches of a tree. 

A few miles along the road was Montezuma Well, an enormous sinkhole in the limestone which contains a huge volume of water.  Apparently this remains the same, in an area of desert in which groundwater levels have been shrinking for years. Although 5.7 million litres of water drain out of an aperture every day, the same amount of water replenishes the bowl from a source in the Mogollon Rim many miles away.

The lake supports little wildlife as it contains so much calcium carbonate from the surrounding rocks, but some organisms have adapted themselves to it, including large fresh water leeches.  Today we saw some ducks swimming on the surfaces, apparently migratory birds. 

Driving towards Sedona we were again amazed by the scenery - this time the awesome red sandstone rocks, that stand up as hard cliffs, mesas and buttes.  They have descriptive names, like Bell Rock or Cathedral Rock.  The sedimentary layers can clearly be seen, sometimes as different colours, sometimes as indented softer sections have been eroded more.  Magnificent. 

On one of these upland features, the Chapel of the Holy Cross has been built, a beautiful church with a simple design.  We had to climb the last steep section, but as the views were super, that was no problem. 

After lunch, we spent the time wandering around a delightful arty area with shops selling paintings, sculptures, materials, glassware, pottery and a whole host of other items.