Back to the mundane

If you keep watching here there will be something worth checking up on.....

Where are Dizzy and Nutty off to next on their great adventure?

With George on her way back to the UK over the next couple of weeks this is the begining of the end for our Letter from America.... What next?

Last visit to France

 


Well the time is coming to stop all this globe trotting. This weekend was my last trip to France to visit those in exile. The girls are due back in the UK on the 3rd Nov and George is due to make a quick trip to ol' blighty next week.
So we mooched off to the north coast for a fantastic morning exploring this beautiful coastline

Fast Ferry

One for the boys - This is the 1000t fast ferry from France doing 45 knots, very fast in anyones book! Two hours from Cherbourg to the Solent.

Mount St. Michele

Well last weekend I had to deliver a plaster cast of a ceiling to a factory in France, this meant driving a very large van via a number of different ferry terminals - I seem to be getting in the habit of embarking on long road trips.
We took the opportunity to visit France's second Icon Le Mount St. Michele. Even Dizzy and Nutty made it to the abbey at the top, though they weren't allowed in.
Only 28 days to go until Georgina can return home!!!

En Route

The two crates in front of the Boing 737 contain Dizzy and Nutty in transit through Germany on the way to Paris.
Having left Vail at midday on Wednesday we arrived in St Malo at 10 in the evening on Thursday with two labradores very bored of traveling.... the beach was calling. Le-Woof le-woof

Goodbye all

Leaving anywhere without a party is not really leaving, so a party was had. We all drank and ate and made general merryment blissfully unaware that there were two bears in the bushes waiting to hoover up all the leftovers... which they dutifully did once we had all cleared off. It was only the next day that one mother of a 4 year old admitted ignoring her son when he had been complaining about a bear being in the garden ! Once clearing the deck of scraps, they proceded to break into the fridge and freezer and help themselves.

Meanwhile Dizzy was having a cuddle with Louise.

See you all, missing you loads....

Red phone boxes

For those who haven't been to the UK in a while, most of the old red phone boxes have been removed and replaced with shiny modern ones that don't work as well as public toilets!
For those who may have wondered what happened to the old, very heavy, not very portable red boxes, it seems that at least one ended up over two miles up in the sky in Colorado. Where are all the rest?

What Nanny State?

Much to our surprise this is the standard notice found outside any equine establishment....

So much for the UK preconception that our nanny state came from across the pond!

Mountain fun

 

As much as I've tried I have not been able to get Georgina onto a bike. So while she was off taking a class at the specially formed Happy Valley Pony Club, I took off up Vail mountain on a mountain bike. 4000ft of climbing in 9 miles of dirt track up to the 11,250ft peak. Mortal souls choose to take their bikes up in the gondola to the station at 10,350ft, so all the way up to this point you are passed by grandma freewheeling out of control on a shopper bike with her big ol' skirt flapping out behind her! Scary!

Once you get above the grandma drop point the final 1000ft offers a quiet climb with views for 100s of miles across the top of the Rock Mountains. The storm two days ago gave everything a good dusting of snow just to add a special sparkle!

The descent is posted as Black and Double Black and had moments where getting off and chickening out were just not an option, too steep to stand up... so it's just hang off the back and let gravity do it's thing. My fathers words were ringing in my ears "...one day you'll have to grow up" Not yet - what fun.

Ready to travel

 
 
 
The dogs are allowed to go... After much jumping through hoops, the USDA have granted the dogs the papers to enter France. Getting to the UK is still a two month wait but we are now set to go.

Pony Trekking

 
Just to prove that you can ride a horse at an elevation of two miles!

Before Jo left Happy Valley we managed to get her on a horse. She has now departed Vail for the warmer climes of Dallas.

Day 3 - Back to Vail

 
We had to do it, get up in time for sun rise over the Canyon.

From the Grand Canyon we hot footed it down to Monument Valley in search of Thelma and Louise. 450miles later we were home to collect the dogs and put our feet up!

Click here for more photos...

Day two

 

Day Two - Durango to THE GRAND CANYON!

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Day One

 

Day One - Vaail to Durango. Leaving Vail on the I-70 then down to Glenwood-Delta and acress the San Juan Mountains on Route 550 to Durango. Wow, what incredible mountins.

Click here for more photos

It's Tuesday, therefore it must be Arizona

After 1350miles in 3 days, the three of us have made it back to Vail via the San Juan Skyway - Durango - Mesa Verde - The Grand Canyon (both dusk and dawn) - Monument Valley and a load of Utah. Watch here for a few of the 500 photos!

From America to France

This is where we are off to on Le Grand Tour.... Click for the Map.
or here to see our exile

Cycling the Copper Triangle

If it's saturday it must be off on another cycle tour with the fantastic support team.
Once again Mr Landis set off at the same time but this week after leaving him to the photographs on the start line we never saw him again.

Weighing a mere 145lb, gravity was being ignored as we flew up the 7000ft on the way round the scenic 78miles in just under 4 hours.

The support tea

Click here for more photos of the day

Eagle County Fair

Any excuse to head off to the Rodeo. As Joanna had not seen the Rodeo, off we trotted for an action packed Friday evening yankie style... Those boys can ride. Click here for more images

Jo has made it!

All the way from sea level on the other side of the world, Jo is now struggling with the lack of oxygen at 11,000ft on top of all the other issues that she is dealing with!
Frapachino and a cowbow hat seemed to be the best cure yesterday on the way to see the beaver dams.

..... yes, she now does have hair under the hat!

Pony trekking

We have finally made it onto the back of a horse! In the heat of the midday sun we trekked over the mountains in the distance from Edwards to Arrowhead with a friend who has a chestnut quarter horse and a black shire/quarter horse cross!
4 lovely hours in the most beautiful landscape, even if we did have to dodge the bears that lurk in the shadows!

Gavin goes mad

On Sunday Gavin had signed up for a 100mile tour of Eagle county - The Eagle River Ride. We have been waking up for the last 3 weeks to the Tour de France and the disputed defending champion had decided that he was too busy participating in the Eagle River Ride to defend his title. So Gavin spent a few hours cycling along side Floyd Landis discussing the merits of shooting Jack Daniels prior to winning a stage in the 06 Tour... this seemingly elevates ones testosterone levels!
The most excellent Team Buckley support crew of Boo, Jo, Dizzy and Nutty endured hours of sweltering heat to keep the mad one full of fuel and photographed.
Having returned home and plugged Gavin into the USB port we found that we had climbed almost 6000 ft over the course of the day - not bad for a supposedly flat stage!
This photo of Floyd (in Orange and gray) is on the 30mile section of the course that was over a hard packed dirt road, English roads seem like velvet after this. Gavin is 5th from the back at this point having been a chicken on the 40mph decent on this loose gravel surface, back to the front for the climbs.
Click there for more photos.

George goes back to school

Well technically Caz is going back to school. They both have the same atitude to flat work.... "when are we going hacking?" Caz has the impression that one should carry ones poll in a horizontal attitude so this is a moment of greatness with George proving that we can do it!

The little locals

These are the little humming birds that we have constantly visiting our deck

Another Pass

The Continental Divide runs just up the road from Vail so you end up zig-zagging across from the east to the west of the continent. So once again there is the lone bike waiting to fly down another mountain.

We can't stay here

We are off to France - but it is ok we can take the ball!

How high do you go

With the 100mile ride coming up at the end of the month, it is time to get some miles into the legs and round here if you want to go anywhere you have to go up, and up, and up....

Down at the Dog Pond

Yes, only in America can you find a dedicated Dog Pond - can you imagine Dizzy and Nutty's joy at this discovery! Meeting Gavin for lunch has never been so much fun. Doggy people click here for happy labrador pics.

4th July

 

Independence day - where the Americans celebrate being free from the British, and actually they're not doing too badly on their own. They've certainly got the hang of blowing things up! Check out the pics