What made you happy today?

[think positive]

Back on dry land! Well kind of! Alaska is pretty wet!
Got off the ship in sewers, went to the ocean discovery centre, lots of rescued mammals and birds, pretty awesome afternoon! Hopped on the Alaska railroad train to Anchorage, WOW! This place is truly mesmerising, and it's so great that they haven't dumped hotels or Maccas in the middle of it! I stood on the open doorway platform at the back of the train and took some amazing photos for nearly two hours before I started freezing solid!
Got here at 11.15pm and it's twilight!

[think positive]

Whistle stop visits to anchorage, (not much to see, just a city) Seattle, the Boeing factory was simply mind blowing, huge, incredibly organised, massive, just incredible, then we went to the American museum of cars which was almost as mind boggling! One guy started it all, from humble beginnings starting up a scrap yard! It's on multiple levels, and the good stuff just kept on coming! All immaculate, a genuine Shelby, a Lamborghini tractor, the flintstones car, and my favourite, a Honda XR 75 that I swear had the same dints in the exhaust as mine did! Only 2 nights there, now on our second night in San Francisco, wet today but we sat on the top of a double decker bus and did the city tour, and over the bridge, and it was fabulous. Just got bac from the night tour of Alcatraz. Knackered from walking around, Lombard st kills your calves and that's just walking down it! Off to Yosemite tomorrow morning. Then Saturday a change of plans as the roads over the mountains are all snowed in, the detour is 6 hours, so I found a speedway with sprinters on the way to Death Valley/Vegas for Saturday night so that will make the boys happy! Three nights in Vegas, 2 in LA and homeward bound. Missing the kids and my dogs. Junior sent a heap of texts before finally ringing while I was in a cell! seems the dishwasher is doing strange things! Luckily it's empty, so I said 'turn off the power, unplug it and wait til we get home!" The eldest will be shattered!
Cheers guys, and since your a day in front, I'll be out of range, give the boys a rousing yell for me please, especially Faz, and Callum Brown, how exciting! Sorry I won't be there.

(I also lost my hearing aide today, peace at last!!) though the other three don't seem as happy for me! Hehe I just call it husband mode!

[stui magpie]

Found out last week that the lease on my car expires next month. Shit. I thought I had another 12 months.

The residual owing on the car is $7100, so rather than renew again I decided I'd buy it out. I can easy sell it for $10-11k so there's some coin straight in the sky rocket.

Next question, what do I want to replace it. Decided to check out the V8 Commodore and V8 Mustang, so loaded mum in the car this morning and had a morning out.

Looked at the commodores first. Mum has always been a Ford person but had to admit she really liked the commodore.

Next up to Epping and checked out the Fords. The Mustang looks real nice on the outside, but once I sat in it, I wasn't a fan. The freaking bonnet takes up half your field of view.

Bit of lunch then home and get on the net to check some specs and do some comparions. Decision made, quick call and drive, do some paperwork, done and dusted.

Say g'day to my new car, once I work through the lease arrangements next week.

http://www.watsonholden.com.au/VehicleDetails/used-2016-Holden-Commodore-SS_V_Redline-Bundoora-VIC/2988523083

[HAL]

What would your friends say if you asked them?

[think positive]

Hmm not bad, my heart will always be in a Holden, but I must say, I'd find the mustang hard to pass up!

[stui magpie]

^

Mine's not on the link. The link originally posted to the photos of my car, but they took it down shortly after I paid the deposit.

It's a bogan in a flash suit. Got the leather seats, sunroof, greeny grey paint that isn't flashy but comes up great with the black trim and would blow the Mustang off the road for grunt.

[think positive]

Hoover dam (finally did the tour! Awesome) and Grand Canyon today, simply gobsmackingly beautiful every time. And then we took the rental through an American car wash! Om my stars that thing rattles the car around! Big slappy things, not like our nice no touch ones!

Off to LA in the morning for two nights, then home, really looking forward to my kids, my dogs and my own bed and shower! Oh and footy of course! Cheers

[stui magpie]

Was the tour good? I did the Canyon by chopper and have no real desire to go back and do it on foot. Is it worth it?

[think positive]

[stui magpie]

I just did the chopper flight. No stops apart from a refuel. Down into the canyon and flying through it, then out and back to Vegas on sunset. It was a cloudy evening with a trace of rain, so I wouldn't have got the full impact of the sun on the rocks and all the different colours, but I figure I've seen it.

The bus trip drive from Vegas to LA was a lot longer but almost as visually amazing. Not a fkn tree in sight for miles and the colours in some of those rocks, amazing.

[think positive]

I thought the Grand Canyon was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen, until we went to Canada. The five days on the icefiekds parkway blew my mind! Partly because of the way the tourist board have handled it. Keeping it as uncluttered, and natural as possible, regardless of the high numbers passing through. It's amazingly well handled and accessible. The people I'm with are not the walk the trail kind, but we still saw so much.

I thought it would be Alaska that stole my heart, but youd need to get off the tourist route to really see it, I'd love to go back with junior and really explore it, drive up through Dinali national park and walk some trails would be good.

When you flew to Texas you would have flown over done amazing canyons, I remember flying to Atlanta and being mesmerised! There must be a fair bit of unexplored places out there! It's just so huge!

[mandy]

You 2 need to get a room. IN America you love it so much!

[think positive]

I reckon I'm done here now. I wouldn't mind seeing more of Canada! But I miss my kids too much. we are all going to Hawaii late August, so that will be good, just a week.

Im thinking the Mediterranean next! But Hopefully down the track I won't be too old to take Grandkids to disneyworld!

[think positive]

31 days, 7 flights (1 to go) 1 train, 4 rental cars, approx 2,500 miles driven, 1 cruise ship, 1 dog sled, 2 countries, 9 USA states, 2 Canadian, 14 hotels, 1 tent!!
It's been epic! Time to get home to my four babies!
I've had an absolute ball! Simply amazing experiences, great company!
Finished the day with Santa Monica pier and the Abby Lee Dance Company Studio LA! Cheers!

[Pi]

schoolboys in skirts

http://www.theage.com.au/world/its-so-hot-in-england-schoolboys-are-wearing-skirts-20170622-gwwtk4.html