Author: Melanie de Wet

Helena (MT) to Yellowstone National Park (WY)

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Yellowstone National Park is amazing! Unlike Glacier National Park which is best explored on foot, this park needs to be explored by motorised transport. This is partly due to the vastness of the park (it is enormous) and partly due to the hot springs which limit where you can travel on foot. I say this although it has over 1,000 walking trails.

Yellowstone National Park reminds me of South African game reserves in its feel, with a slightly different landscape of course. The park is a lot flatter – like rolling grasslands. Don’t get me wrong though, mountains are ever present, just less dramatic than the areas further north.

The drive down to Yellowstone from Helena was a wonderful surprise, although I’m quickly learning to expect something amazing each day.

I was pleasantly surprised to get 300 miles from one tank of petrol, 19 litres actually, which means that I could have done more (my tank is 24 litres). I never got close to that type of consumption in the UK. Clearly Trinity loves all this fresh air too!

We approached West Yellowstone via Highway 191. The scenery along this road is exquisite. So much so that my cousin said he would move here in a heartbeat. I can understand why. I had the same thought driving along the road. Just a pity about the cold winters.

On the approach to the west entrance the valley we drove through was picture perfect. The green grass was kissed with patches of yellow and orange flowers – what I imagine the New England’s trees look like in the Fall. To our right a stream meandered along the valley. The sunlight glistened off the stream and I was almost envious of the fly fishermen in the stream (and I don’t even fish), who I imagine live in the little cottages dotted along the valley. What a gateway to the park and move from Montana to Wyoming.

When we reached Maddison we headed south towards Old Faithful. We stopped a number of times along the road to see the various hot springs and paint pots. The springs are fantastic! I will never do them justice in my photos but I hope this gives you a flavour of what to expect if you ever make it to the park.

It was fantastic to see Old Faithful. It’s water sprays up to 180 feet high and lasts around 4 minutes. It’s clearly a popular sight as there must have been a few hundred people sat waiting for the geyser to ‘let off some steam’. This is what what we waited 35 min to see.

One of the highlights of the day was lifting Chris in the park. It was great to share the experience of riding a motorbike with him, and also riding Trinity without a helmet. Feeling the wind running through your hair in such an amazing environment is incredibly special. It’s a feeling of freedom which is difficult to explain. I loved it!

We were incredibly lucky to see bison and elk in the park as well as on our drive to Gardiner, which is where we are staying. The drive between Mammoth Hot Springs and Gardiner (the northern entrance to the park) is breathtaking! This should give you a taster.

My final pleasure for the evening was finding a Montana Ale that I liked. Here it is. A great end to a great day! Just a pity it as the same colour as my face. I so need to remember to put sunscreen on. One this is for sure, I’m going to have one hell of a tan when I get back to London.

Glacier National Park to Helena

Melanie de Wet2 Comments

All I can say is wow! Montana is such a beautiful State and spending it with my family has made the experience perfect!

The last two evenings before going to bed we watched Golden Girls. I forgot how funny the show is and it was so ahead of its time. It also brought back such wonderful childhood memories as I always watched it with my mom. In a way it felt like my mom was with me.

My day started out in such a special way. Just before we headed off for the day I received an email with the following review from Carol, the lady I stayed with in Seattle when I first arrived in the U.S. How could this not make my day!

Glacier National Park is stunning! I think my cousin, Jaco, summarised it perfectly though when he said that the park is not really about the glaciers (they are expected to have melted away by 2020 so they’re not big anymore; not for anyone who wants a driving tour of the park (the whole park is served by one road); but perfect for hikers (the parks hidden treasures are found on the hikes).

The beauty of Montana, in my view, is south of Glacier National Park. The drive today from Kalispell to Helena was absolutely beautiful! The drive started in the mountains and lakes but soon turned into rolling hills and farmland. Here are some of the views from along our route.

Finding the #lovewins writing at a lookout point about 20 miles outside of Helena completely made my day, again! In my view it always does.

Montana certainly lives up to being called big sky country. It was a little overcast today which turned out to be quite a blessing. Firstly, it was a little cooler and secondly, the clouds were amazing! The bottom part of the cumulus clouds were grey but the top part was a brilliant bright white. The skyline looked like a painting. I struggled to take my eyes off them.

The 220 mile ride went by in no time. I’m sure it was partly due to the fantastic scenery and partly due to the music I was listening to – I was practically dancing on the bike. The guys at work created me a ‘Mel’s American Biker Dream’ playlist on Spotify and this was the first time I’d listen to it. It’s brilliant! All that keeps playing in my head is ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet’. That’s my attitude for the remainder of this trip – it will just keep getting better.

After we checked into the hotel in Helena we headed into town. Our first visit was the Cathedral of St. Helena, followed by a walk around the town centre. I particularly liked the tour bus running through the town and my chat with a lady in one of the stores.

I don’t think the day could have been any better. It’s amazing how easy things are when you love what you’re doing and the people you are with!

Calgary (AB) to Glacier National Park (MT)

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I left Calgary early on Sunday (12th July) as I knew I had a 6 hour ride ahead of me. The weather was not playing along. For the first time since I arrived in America it was raining. And boy was it raining! Fortunately the rain only lasted for about an hour into my journey before it stopped. Phew!

I had been advised by two people, Rand and Lisa, that I should take Highway 22, also known as the Cowboy Trail, to Kalispell where I was meeting my cousin (Jaco) and his family. It was a great choice. What a lovely ride.

About a 20 minute ride south of a town called Black Diamond there was a farm which really stood out. The length of the farm, probably a mile along the road, had caps or hats on each fence post. It was so unique. I’m now sorry I didn’t stop to take a photo of it.

I stopped a few times along my route. A few times to take photos; once to put on another layer of clothing (it was a lot nippier with the rain – thank goodness for heated handle grips); and to get some lunch. This stop was in a town called Starwood which advertised having the worlds largest truck. It was a mine truck. It reminded me of a time that my dad, little brother (Clive) and I went with my dad to work and we sat in the mine truck. I still have photos of the day. It was a great day!

The border crossing was a breeze via Highway 93, certainly in comparison to entering Canada via Highway 5.

My introduction to Montana was a very pleasant one. The first little town I came across made me smile because of things I saw that reminded me of very special people in my life. The second was a lake just outside of a town called Eureka. It was so peaceful. There was nobody in sight besides one fisherman on the lake.

The next stop was a town called Whitefish. What an awesome little town! The locals were really friendly and I even came across a Brit who has been living in the U.S. for 20 years. We had a nice chat before I started walking around the town centre and I came across a souvenir shop that I absolutely loved. Sadly I don’t have space to carry extra things or I would have made a number of purchases. I’ve included a picture of the shop.

I arrived in Kalispell about 20 minutes before Jaco and the rest of the family. As with everywhere I have been so far there were a number of motorbikes siting in front of the hotel. North America, certainly at this time of the year, is motorbike mad! It’s fantastic! I met a guy called Scott who is from Colorado and does an annual circa 4,000 mile ride with his dad every year. They were on Harley’s – definitely the brand of choice in North America. It’s always nice to hear what other people are up to.

Yesterday (13th July) was a brilliant day! We woke up early with one thing in mind – zip lining! The boys, Nico and Chris, were really keen to do it and of course it’s one of the items on my bucket list, so I was never going to say no to joining them. In the end all six of us did the 9 line treetop adventure. Amazing!

Our guides, Tommy and Sunflower, were fantastic! I can’t believe the things Sunflower let me get away with. If Tommy, as lead guide, went down backwards on the line, I went down backwards. If Tommy played dead, I played dead. I couldn’t let him have all the fun after all! Once my family download the photos from their camera I’ll post them.

After dropping Trinity off at the lodge we headed to Glacier National Park via a pie store. My first experience of American Pie. It’s great but sweet!

Glacier National Park is stunning! As we were limited for time yesterday we took a short drive into the park and stopped off at some of the rapids. It was nice to have a chilled out day.

Today we’ve been in the park all day. We had a glorious hike up to Avalanche Lake. The waterfalls along the way were so beautiful and the lake was splendid. I could easily have put up camp next to the lake. I would highly recommend doing the Avalanche Trail of you are ever in the park. Below is a taster of some of the views, and my playful family!

As soon as we got back to the car it started raining. This was a massive pity as we were driving through the park along Going to the Sun road, which is know to be one of the most scenic drives in the U.S. It was fantastic, even though we couldn’t enjoy it in all its glory. It wasn’t too bad on the summit though (see below).

Our last stop before our 2.5 hour drive back to the lodge was Many Glacier. This part of the park is far less popular with tourists but every bit as beautiful, if not more so, that the main section of the park.

In summary, what a wonderful introduction to the U.S. National Parks, made extra special by the De Bruyn family. Thanks guys!

Calgary (AB)

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We arrived in Calgary at midday on Thursday (9th July). Within an a hour of arriving Grant’s uncle, Rand, whisked us away to the Calgary Stampede. It was rodeo time after all! My first rodeo. It was brilliant but man it was hot! I had not realised that the scoring for the various events is so technical. I thought the Cowboys just had to stay the horses or bulls for the longest. Little did I know!

Rodeo is big business. Each event is scored by the performance of the cowboy and the ‘stock’ i.e. the horse or bull. The stock is bred and then effectively hired to the cowboys for a share of their winnings. Money is won on each heat and the ultimate prize money is £100,000 for each event.

The cowboys and cowgirls come from all over Canada and the U.S. to compete for the titles and the prize money. It’s pretty cool but you couldn’t pay me enough money to battle with any of that stock. They would break me in half.

Below is a bit of action from the Stampede. Sadly I missed the Chuck Wagon Racing but think a two man (or woman) wagons being pulled by four horses around a racetrack, competing against three other wagons, and you’ll get the idea.

Outside of the daytime events there is also the carnival; the halls of displays varying from livestock to artwork to hot tubs to camper vans (basically driving houses by London standards); music concerts; and of course the party tents. The one we ended up in last night is called Nashville North. I’m not sure what this name has to do with Canada but nobody seemed to know or care.

I manage to grab a few cowboys, Rand being one of them, for a dance which was grey fun. For the South Africans out there, it’s similar to sokkie.

And then of course each night around 11pm there is a fireworks display which lasts about 5 minutes. What a great way to end the night (for me anyway as the Stampede closes in the early hours of the morning).

At this point I should probably mention some other misconceptions I had about Canada. Firstly, I thought it was either cold or really cold. Well, given that we barely ever went under 30 degrees Celsius (excluding when we were at the glaciers), I was horribly mistaken. Canada gets really hot during summer. This may also explain why everyone is ridiculously brown. I kept thinking I was at the coast!

The above, and the fact that the men are generally pretty beefy, made me feel like I was in South Africa. Well, excluding the part about the fact that you can leave all your stuff unlocked on your bike and come back to find it actually still there. Amazing!

My other misconception was that Calgary was a ‘one horse town’. Turns out its the 4th largest city in Canada, so not at all what I was expecting. The photo below taken from Prince’s Island Park will give you an idea of what I mean.

With my time in Canada drawing to a close very quickly I would like say thank you to everyone who went out of their way to make my visit an unforgettable one. You will be in my heart and thoughts always.

Marble Falls (BC) to Calgary (AB)

Melanie de Wet5 Comments

Crossing the border into Alberta on Tuesday (7th July) meant that we had crossed from Kootenay National Park into Banff National Park. The video below was taken as Morant’s Curve. Our timing was impeccable! About a minute after we stopped be could hear a train in the distance. These trains are massive! It took 2,5 minutes for the train to pass us. I could not have asked for a nicer backdrop to this video.

From here we headed to Lake Louise. It’s really beautiful around here. Grant and I took a hike around the lake and decided to test out the water. I can confirm that glacier water is incredibly cold. How people have ice baths I don’t know!

We had been camping since we left Princeton which generally wasn’t too bad. This evening was a little cold though, probably because we were the most north that we had been. The disadvantage was therefore being slightly cold that night. However, on the upside we managed to have a campfire. It was the first campsite where campfires were allowed (there have been a huge number of forest fires around Canada and therefore a campfire ban). We headed to the only stop within about an hours drive for dinner and to pick up a lighter or matches to start the fire. The shop had run out of both. My heart sank. About a minute later a ladies walked over to Grant and I and said we could have her lighter. It was such a sweet gesture and of course she had no idea what this actually meant to me. Having a campfire on this trip is one of my bucket list items. Thanks to this kind lady I was able to fulfil this item. Thank you!

The next day was all about the Columbia Icefields. Walking on a glacier was another bucket list item. When I was in New Zealand in 2012 with my mom we went to see Fox Glacier. Unfortunately we arrived at the glacier too late in the evening for me to walk on it. I promised myself that I would make that happen when I got the opportunity to. I’m so happy that Grant helped make this dream come true for me. It was so great to share the experience with him.

The other thing to see at the Icefields is the Skywalk. It’s a 6km bus ride from the parking area and so worth the view. They have an audio tour that tells you all about the glaciers and the local wildlife. I also discover that cougars are massive (I always thought they were quite small) and saw the size of a Grizzly’s paw. It’s just a ‘tad’ bigger than my hand.

I was on such a high when we left the Icefields. At this stage I had seen so much more than I had expected to. Not only had we seen all the things I have discussed, we had also seen deer, a mountain goat and a young black bear crossing the road. That was amazing! I think I captured the latter on my GoPro. I still need to check. Unfortunately with all the excitement happening I did a very silly thing. Pulling into a look out point I nicked the rear bumper of a parked car with my pannier. I instantly felt sick! All I could think was how much is this going to set me back. After about a 20 minute wait for the driver a young couple emerged. The guy looked at the damage and said don’t worry about it. Those were the best words I could hear at that point and it helped calm my slightly shattered nerves. After about 10 minutes of beating myself up I decided to let it go. All the time I was spending beating myself up was not being spent concentrating on where I was and what I was doing. Wednesday night (8th July) we camped in a campsite just outside of Banff. Banff is gorgeous! It has a similar feel to Nelson but on a much larger scale. Incidentally, the restaurant we had dinner at sold the hemp ale from Nelson that we both enjoyed so much, so needless to say it was the drink of choice that evening.

We decided to wake up early On Thursday morning so that we could do a hike through Jackson’s Creek and still get to Calgary by 12:00 to meet Grant’s cousins. The early rise was so worth it! There were so many gorgeous waterfalls along the walk. I’ve included a video of one of them for your enjoyment.

The drive from Banff to Calgary was generally uneventful. It’s a long straight ride on the motorway. Only two things stood out for me. Firstly, the landscape gets a lot flatter the closer you get to Calgary. The second thing was nearly being sideswiped by a car on the motorway. Luckily I saw the car starting to move and I accelerated around him. Strangely I was a lot calmer about this incident than my mishap the previous day. Anyway, no harm was done and I’m sure the driver will look properly next time before he changes lane.

Vancouver to Marble Falls (BC, Canada)

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There is no other way to describe British Columbia, Canada, but magnificent!

I summarised my time in Vancouver in my previous post so I’ll start from the day we left Vancouver, which was Saturday, 4th July.

Our first job was to pick Grant’s bike up from the motorbike garage where it was being serviced. In the spirit of trying new things, I asked Grant to ride Trinity. It’s not often I’ll get the chance to be a passenger on my own bike. It’s really comfortable on the back but I realised that a rear pannier is a must with a passenger. This is good to know!

After picking up Grant’s bike, it was time to collect our things and say good bye to his folks. I am so happy that I had the opportunity to get to know such a wonderful family and some of the people in their lives. Darlene, Ted, Jeff, Nicole, baby Aria, Natalie, Josh, Avery, Danielle, Angelo, Connie, and of course Grant, thank you for making my time in Vancouver so memorable!

Before we left Vancouver there was one place I had to visit, a motorbike shop aptly named ‘The Shop’. A fellow motorcycle enthusiast who lives in New York, Chris (@GodSpeedCo) recommended that I pop by and see these guys. I’m glad we did. They have a great little shop and their love for what they do is so apparent. I can see why Chris said this is the heart of everything motorbike in Vancouver.

Now we could hit the road.

When Grant and I were discussing where to go in Canada I had the following requests. I wanted to see mountains (that’s easy in Canada); walk on a glacier in Jasper National Park; do line dancing at the Calgary Stampede; and see Banff National Park. I wanted Grant to see places he hadn’t before (he’s from Vancouver and also did a cross Canada motorbike tour a few years ago so he knows the area fairly well), so I left the route entirely in his hands. He’s done a spectacular job!

Our route from Vancouver took us only 5km from the U.S. border before heading east. It made me very happy thinking that my U.S. friends and family would be celebrating Independent Day (independence from the British Empire which started in 1776) and they were so close by.

Our first stop was Bridal Vale Falls. After a short (rather steep) walk this is what we discovered. How stunning!

Just outside of a town called Hope, we stopped at the Othello Tunnels, an old disused railway line that was built through the mountain in the early 1900s. The railway line was an engineering masterpiece even by today’s standards cutting though the steep gorges with a raging river below. To not scare passengers, services along the line where run at night. The line eventually closed in the 1950’s as it was too expensive to repair each time there was a landslide. Today it’s a 100 kilometre walking/cycling trail. What a great way to preserve the trail. below is the area around the trail.

We spent the evening (4th July) with Grant’s younger sister Nicole in a town called Princeton. It’s a cute little town with a high street that looks like it comes straight out of an old cowboy movie. As it turns out, we were woken up in the morning by Nicole’s husband, Mark and company, herding a cow and calf into a pen. The calf had such a little feisty personality. I fell in love with it instantly! It gave the three guys and a dog the runaround for about 20 minutes before they got it into the pen. It was so funny to watch (from the other side of the fence of course).

Following a leisurely breakfast on Sunday morning we hit the road. My heart completely melted when I went to say goodbye to baby Aria, who just turned 1, and she cuddled into my shoulder and wouldn’t let go. It was too precious! Hopefully I’ll get another cuddle in London sometime (that’s a hint for a visit Nicole).

Sunday’s (5th July) ride was lovely and reminded me so much of driving through the Ceres Valley in the Western Cape, South Africa. Along the side of the road, at the base of the valley, are dozens of old world fruit stalls that are too cute.

Eventually we started to go through the mountain passes and we ended our ride in the City of Nelson.

Nelson is fantastic! If you’re in British Columbia you have to visit it. In the 1970’s the town had a surge of young educated America’s settle in the city to avoid fighting in the Vietnam war. They certainly did a great job at creating, what I would define as a town, with an amazing vibe. I had a spinach salad and a hemp ale in a pub called Jackson’s Hole Grill and both were outstanding. Everything about this town to be honest is outstanding. I have included a few photos to give you a feel of it.

Monday’s (6th July) ride took us from Nelson to Radium. The trip required a ferry crossing over Kootenay Lake but first a stunning drive along the West Arm of Kootenay Lake. It was my first ferry crossing with Trinity and what a pleasure it was.

The closer we got to Radium, the more beautiful the scenery became. As we were camping, the Radium Hot Springs seemed like a great way to soothe our (or at least my) aching muscles while also cleaning up. There were two pools at the facility, one was 30 degrees (Celcius) and other was 39 degrees. The difference in temperature was staggering and was a slightly harsh introduction to the temperatures awaiting me While travelling through the U.S. I have feeling I’ll be going through a lot of water!

Tuesday’s (7th July) ride through the Kootenay National Park was spectacular! Within the first hour of the trip the mountains were becoming more dramatic with the rivers filled with glacier water. Many of these rivers run along the road’s edge, which makes for a magical ride. The water is a milky turquoise colour which seduces you to jump in. Of course, it’s pretty cold so possibly not a great idea.

We made a number of stops, one of which was at the Paint Pots. The start of the walk was nothing exciting but a short walk up the hill revealed the marvel of this sight. The mineral rich soil varies from yellow through orange to a nearly rusty red/brown, which is expelled from mounds which resemble a mini volcano. Much like a Caldera (a volcano filled with water), the mounds had also filled with water which was bright green in colour. It was really quite beautiful!

Our next stop took my breath away for a number of reasons. The stop was Marble Falls. The falls and the gorge that the water cuts through is magnificent!

One of the items in my bucket list was to see at least one waterfall. I had now ticked off this item. I have included a video of the falls for you to enjoy.

To add to the pleasure of this stop, I saw my first chipmunk. They are so cute!

From here we headed towards Calgary and the Alberta border. The border is formed by the Continental Divide, which means that rainwater that falls on the British Columbia side of the mountain drains into the Pacific ocean and water that falls on the Alberta side of the mountian drains into the Atlantic ocean. This is shown below.

Vancouver the Beautiful

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Wow, this is an amazing city!

I arrived in Vancouver on Tuesday around 5pm, which was about two hours after I had intended. Part of the delay was due to a little divert I made to Lake Whatcom and part was due to traffic delays outside of Vancouver. The latter was not fun at all in 30 degree heat and heavy biking gear (I better get used to it though – it’s only going to get hotter on this trip).

My AirBnB host in Seattle, Carol had recommendation that I stop in Bellingham on my drive to Vancouver. Lake Whatcom is just outside of the town. When I saw it on the map I knew that’s where I wanted to be and I was right. It is beautiful!

I stopped and had lunch at a little diner and started talking to the guy sitting behind me. What a nice guy! It seems like most of the local folk are very friendly as I had a lady ask me in the parking lot where I was off to. Trinity definitely attracts a lot of attention, possibly because there aren’t that many BMW’s in the U.S. or possibly it just sparks people’s sense of adventure. Whatever the reason, I enjoy seeing people’s faces light up when I tell them what I’m doing. That makes me happy!

Vancouver is absolutely stunning! It oozes life and has the most amazing mountainous backdrop. I’m staying with Grant’s (a friend and colleague) parents in an apartment (condo) next to English bay which is in central Vancouver. The view from the apartment is jaw dropping! I’ve been watching the sun rise and set each day, which is really quite special. You’ll see why from the photo below.

Wednesday (1 July) was Canada Day. The Day is celebrated because on July 1st, 1867, the British North American Act created the Canadian federal government, which stated that Canada would become an independent territory of England. Any celebration of Freedom is wonderful in my books so I’m glad to have been a part of it.

I spent the day with Grant’s mom (Darlene), step dad (Ted) and cousin (Avery) up on Grouse Mountain, which is about a 20 min drive out of the city. The views over the city from there are amazing. You can also see the snow covered Mt Baker in the distance, which is 100 miles away in Washington State (USA).

Grouse Mountain is well catered for tourists. In the few hours that we were up there we watch a spectacular wildlife movie (a Disney production called Wings of Life); watched a lumberjack show (these guys are amazing but totally nuts); watched a birds of prey flight show; I saw two grizzly bears; and had some lunch. It’s certainly the first time I have had macaroni and cheese as a side dish to a burger. And of course a pint. I’ve discovered that there are a lot of micro breweries around Vancouver. I understand this is a trend that started in Portland, Oregon (USA) and has moved up the west coast. Nice!

Yesterday morning was dedicated to getting Grant’s motorbike on the road. We had to go and get his insurance sorted out and take his bike in for a service and tyre change. Luckily that all went smoothly and I even got to lift someone on Trinity. Another first for me!

The drive back from his dad’s place into town was wonderful for many reasons. The scenery was lovely but mostly I had so many ‘reminders’ triggering memories throughout my life. Many of these were street names, namely Balmoral Drive; Erskine Street; Patricia Drive; Lynnwood Drive, which all have meaning to me for different reasons, but watching Grant riding in front of me reminded me so much of being a teenager and spending time with my best friend at school, Dylan. We were inseparable and in many ways Grant reminds me of Dylan. It was certainly a ride down memory lane.

Once the bike was sorted out we headed off to Granville Island. It’s a Council owned island and provided a mixture of industry and community facilities. It has great facilities for kids and an amazing food market. The place we went to for lunch was fab and I tried my first Caesar (it’s basically a Canadian Bloody Mary). We then had some ice-cream with a lovely view over the apartment blocks across the water. A very good day indeed made very special by Grant’s wonderful family!

Leaving Seattle insn’t Easy

Melanie de Wet4 Comments

I have had such a wonderful three days in Seattle that it’s with a slightly heavy heart that I leave today. It is amazing that a place and people can find space in your heart so quickly. Thank you Mark for introducing me to your amazing friends!

It’s taken a few days to get used to the 8 hour time difference. Last night I managed to sleep through and woke at 06:30 this morning. I can live with that!

Carol (the homeowner of the AirBnB where I’ve been staying) has had breakfast and a fresh pot of coffee waiting for me when I’ve woken up each morning. That makes me so happy! It’s definitely something I am going to miss. That, and of course Carol and Mimi’s company. Mimi is Carol’s cat (I love cats). Fortunately I will be back in Seattle at the start of September so a visit is already on the cards.

Most of yesterday was dedicated to picking Trinity up from the airport. The trip to the airport itself was a treat. Seattle opened a light rail system between the airport and the city centre in the last few years and it works really well. At $3 for a single fare it is also a steal. I really like the way the light rail and express buses use the same stops. It’s such an efficient use of space. The stations are clean and each one unique in character. They have adopted a type of Oyster card system (we now need to introduce them to contact less payment).

I never used any of the buses but I did managed to make use of the monorail. I also spotted the cycle hire, partly because their use of the words ‘Explore. Dream. Discover’ We clearly think alike! That made me smile.

Trinity flew over on Delta airlines. The cargo warehouse was about a 7 minute walk from the terminal so not an issue to get to. I hadn’t appreciated that I needed to clear customs before picking Trinity up. Fortunately the building was only a 10 minute walk up the same road so it was easy enough to find. I was expecting this large imposing building but instead I found a cabin like structure. That was not what I was expecting. The other thing I wasn’t expecting was to meet Pope, the customs officer who helped me sort out Trinity’s paperwork. He was so sweet. My experience of border patrol and customs officers is that they are always so serious. He was quite the opposite and he loved the idea of my trip around the U.S. on a motorbike. It became a conversation piece.

After Trinity’s customs clearance paperwork had been finalised I headed back to the Delta warehouse. I clearly took the staff at the warehouse by surprise as they’ve never had someone uncrate a motorbike at their front door before. It definitely attracted some attention as people kept popping by to see how I was getting on. I’m really glad they eventually managed to find an electric skew driver because my Leatherman could not cope with removing some of the larger screws I needed to undo to get Trinity off the crate. I’m also very happy that I had some burly blokes to help me get Trinity off the crate. I’m not sure I would have managed that on my own. So thank you to everyone at Delta for getting me on the road!

I have been really pleased at how easy it is to get around Seattle. I had a look at Google Maps when I was filling up with petrol (gas) and I managed to get all the way back to where I have been staying without needing to stop and look at a map again. It helped that I had walked around a lot the last two days so I recognised some street names and landmarks which pointed me in the right direction. A grid system is so easy to navigate in comparison to London’s organic road network. I always get lost in London!

After dropping off my stuff at Carol’s place, I headed to Lake Washington on Trinity to meet up with Kristin (one of Mark’s friends) and her son Finnian. They have a beach like set up where the kids can swim and I can understand the appeal. It was so peaceful with the view of Mt Rainier in the background. I really loved my afternoon relaxing next to the lake and getting to know Kristin and Finnian. It’s been the highlight of my trip so far.

My evening ended speaking to Carol for a few hours, while I was playing with Mimi. It’s been a long time since I’ve had pets around me and I have really enjoyed it. This was my first experience of AirBnB and I am very pleased I made the decision to turn it and stay with Carol. It’s been a wonderful experience. Thank you Carol!

Seattle I will miss you and I look forward to my return.

Hello Seattle

Melanie de Wet1 Comment

The day finally arrived to leave for Seattle. After 15 months for planning it felt quite strange, although clearly exciting, that I was about to make my trip a reality.

The morning started pretty early (04:45), as Angela (my bestie and flatmate) had an early start at work and was taking me to the airport. It was nice to have a bit of quality time with her before heading off for three months.

Everyhing regarding the flight ran smoothly, so that was a pleasure. I was lucky enough to sit next to a delightful guy called Charles who is from Seattle. He is the second guy in the last two months that I have met who works for Boeing. I found that quite interesting.

I decided to stay in an AirBnB while in Seattle, as I wanted my stay to be more ‘personal’ and I also preferred the idea of Trinity being parked at a house rather than a motel car park. It was a good decision as the lady I’m staying with, Carol, is absolutely lovely! We’re had a couple of nice long chats. I also love her cat, Mimi!

I had to pick up a few things when I arrived (an American SIM card and iPhone charger), so I headed straight into the city  after dropping off my things. Seattle city centre’s not that big so I covered quite a lot of it on foot during my walk. Pikes Place Market had a great vibe and I picked up some fresh fruit from one of the many fruit stalls.

Today was a great day. It’s PRIDE in Seattle. This year the celebration is particularly special given that only two days ago the Supreme Court legalised same sex marriage across America. It’s been truly wonderful to be part of this celebration. I had no idea this was happening when I booked my flights, so what a wonderful surprise!

My Last Sleep before I leave for Seattle

Melanie de Wet4 Comments

Wow, it has finally hit me that in 11 hours I will be on a plane heading to Seattle and in less than 24 hours I will be on U.S. soil.

15 months ago I decided to finally make a 20 year dream come true by riding one of the coastlines of the States on a motorbike. 10 months ago that ambition turned into the 3 month trip I am about to take on. 7 months ago I starting the process of obtaining my motorbike licence. 5 months ago I collected my motorbike, Trinity, from the BMW garage. Today, I am sitting in my flat, everything packed and ready for my flight in the morning. It almost feels unreal!

What I have found interesting is that the thought of the trip itself does not scare me (maybe ignorance is bliss of course), but the thought of forgetting something and potentially railroading all my planning does. I trust that I have put enough measures in place to mitigate the risk of anything going drastically wrong. The project manager in me has been working overtime!

In theory, I’m all set to start my adventure across the Atlantic ocean. Trinity flew with Delta Airlines to Seattle today and I will be flying with British Airways tomorrow.  I will find out on Monday whether I have completed my customs declaration forms in correctly so that I can collect Trinity from the airport. Keep your fingers crossed!

I have been thinking about the things that I suspect I am going to miss while I am away. These include:

  • My own bed and shower
  • My weekend calls with my family (I will try and stick to those although the time difference will make things tricky)
  • Having coffee with Graham (aka Mr G) every morning
  • Watching Angela show off her new Zumba moves in the kitchen after her classes (her pure joy always makes me smile)
  • Spending time with my friends
  • Seeing Scott and his family every weekend when I collect Trinity for a ride
  • The general banter around the office and lunches in the staff cafe (the conversations are always incredibly entertaining)
  • Running into Carl at least twice a day in the kitchen (yes I’m in there a lot but clearly so is he)
  • Going for walks in Wimbledon Common
  • My walk along the Southbank going to/from work

What am I looking forward to on this trip:

  • Everything (except the admin)! In all honestly I have no idea what to expect and that is what makes it so exciting. The idea of endless opportunities. It is wonderful!

Watch out North America, here I come!