The Last Post

I am now back in Forres, Scotland. I would like to thank everyone I met on my trip from East Coast to West Coast and back again to East Coast for making this one of the most memorable trips I have ever undertaken. The greatest thanks should go to the American people who made me feel at home when I stayed in their Bed & Breakfast and Hotels, who listened to me when they encountered me on the street, in shops and restaurants and on the trains that I travelled.

You welcomed this stranger who came to your country, helped and assisted me and showed me overwhelming courtesy, kindness, patience and generosity. Politicians in the past and the present have tried to undermine the confidence of the American people by telling you that they 'Can make America great again'. I find this totally unnecessary as America was great, is still great and will continue to be great, not due to its resources and beautiful landscape but due to its people to whom I owe a great thanks. Needless to say and to echo your General MacArthur 'I Shall Return'.

There may be readers of this blog who are interested in the statistics of my trip so here goes.

Distance travelled by rental car: 5,500 miles

Distance travelled by rail: 4,000 miles

Distance travelled by foot: Over 200 miles according to my fitness tracker. Seemed a lot longer in the hot weather.

Highest temperature encountered: 116 degrees Fahrenheit, 47 degrees Celsius (California)

Lowest temperature encountered: 68 degrees Fahrenheit, 20 degrees Celsius (California)

Number of Bed & Breakfasts and Hotels stayed in: 18

Number of friendly Americans encountered: Probably in the thousands

Number of unfriendly Americans encountered: 2 but they were being unfriendly to others, not to me

Number of photographs taken: Over 5,000

Number of Winaladder Blog cards handed out: Over 150

Number of visitors to the Blog: Over 1,000. In the rankings USA was first, followed by the United Kingdom with Canada a very low third. Come on Canada, was this because I only spent two hours in your country? I will try and spend longer next time.

Number of beautiful sites visited: Uncountable

Number of deadly rattlesnakes encountered: 1, which was one too many

Number of cute chipmunks encountered: 4. Guys, please, please try and stay away from the deadly rattlesnakes.

Number of places I will not re-visit: 1. I'm sorry Vegas, you and me just didn't hit it off. Maybe we just weren't compatible.

Amount of weight put on during trip: 4 pounds. Sorry Arby's, that weight gain is all down to you


Since you have allowed me to take so many photographs of your great country I thought you might like to see some of the photos from my area.

Forres has a long history, first mentioned by the ancient Romans in 200 AD. It became a royal burgh in 1140 AD. It has a population of over 12,000 and is around four miles from the Moray Coast and 30 miles from Inverness.


This is the Forres Tollbooth in the centre of Forres High Street. It used to be a courthouse and jail and is now a visitor's centre.


This is Sueno's Stone. A Standing Stone erected by the Picts around 800 AD. It is the largest surviving Pictish Standing Stone at 21 feet. It is said to be the site where Macbeth met the three witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth. Forres is actually mentioned in the play, so it probably was well known in Tudor times.

Below are some photos I took at the Forres Highland Games in July this year.


Two visitors to the games dressed in 18th century Highland costume. They were from Canada and are great fans of the Outlander TV series.




Members of the Elgin & District pipe band warming up before the competition. Notice the gentleman in the first image holding up a sound meter. Perhaps volume is important in winning competitions or maybe it's how you tune up bagpipes.


Member of the Glenfiddich team throwing the hammer.









This young man is throwing a weight over a bar just like the one used in the pole vault. It is similar to a kettlebell and weighs 56 pounds. I have a 17 pound kettlebell which I can just about raise above my head!

The following photos are from the Dava Way, an old railway line which used to run from Forres to Grantown-On-Spey and is now a 24 mile walking route. It's my favourite walk and every two years hosts the Ghost Train Walk where walkers set off at 10 pm and walk back to Forres in the dark. I have done it twice and the incentive to finish the walk is the cooked breakfast provided near the end.


The Dava Way in Autumn (Fall)


Dava Way in Winter


Near the Dava Way is the beautiful Loch Romach, taken here during heavy snowfall.


This is the Dallas Dhu Historic Distillery next to the Dava Way. It is now closed as a distillery and operates as a popular distillery visitor's centre. Dallas Dhu means 'Black Water Valley' in Gaelic.


This is Scurrypool Bridge next to the Dava Way.


Divie Viaduct on the Dava Way.


This interesting sculpture next to the Dava Way is to commemorate Jess the collie whose owner lived in a nearby croft (cottage). When she wanted supplies she would telephone a shop in Forres and the shopkeeper would parcel her order up with a large bow on top and give it to the train driver. When the driver got near he would slow down, sound his whistle and drop the parcel off. Jess would come running down to retrieve the shopping. Sometimes Jess had to make several runs after a big order. And you thought Amazon were first with home deliveries!

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and any other posts you have read on this blog and on my other blogs.

Goodnight.

New York, I'm Gone But... I'll Be Back

Last day in NYC. So spent the morning taking a few photos for my last post from the USA. I'll put one last post on tomorrow but this time it will be posted from Scotland. And by the way, a message to Jon Stewart, host of the Daily Show for many years and constant critic of Arby's fast food. Well Jon, I had the Beef and Cheese Classic at an Arby's last night and awoke this morning with no ill effects. Well, apart from the fact that my trousers don't fit anymore.




This is Engine Co. 3 Ladder Co.12 7th Battalion Fire House.






And this is the memorial on the outside wall of the firehouse in memory of the five firefighters from the firehouse who died on September 11. Each plaque has a photo with the words 'Supreme Sacrifice September 11, 2001'. Today and every day firefighters all over the world risk their own lives to save the lives of others. Bravery seems an insufficient word for their sacrifice.



Further down from the firehouse is this display called Tiles For Mer which I believe is part of the much bigger Tiles for America project which led to thousands of hand-painted tiles being attached to fences after 9/11. The majority are now on display in a local library with these few giving an idea of what the original display looked like.


This corner shop is typical of this West Village area.


I thought this might be an art gallery but it's actually a hospital.


This machine is like a miniature Segway.


This area looks so unlike the rest of New York city with it's grid system for roads running East/West and North/South that I had to check it out.


I went and asked two people who were sitting welcoming visitors to this community garden if this area was Greenwich Village. They said it was and told me that even New Yorkers are surprised by the layout of the streets here. The invited me to take a walk around the garden.




















One of the many volunteers who look after the garden.




I had already photographed these figures elsewhere. They prove very popular with visitors and one visitor passed me his phone asking me to capture him with the figures.


This red device pre-dates mobile phones and were used to summon police or firefighters.


I found these stencils all over the local sidewalks. I stood there for several minutes without developing any superpowers so maybe you have to stand on the lettering.


This outdoor café is typical of the village atmosphere of the area.


This tree-lined area in the Village is let down by the Cesspool truck.


Sidewalk vendors don't just sell hot dogs; look at these healthy options.


I saw a mailman emptying this mailbox and realised that I still had stamped postcards from San Francisco to send off. He allowed me to add mine to his mail collection. Well done, US Postal Service, creator of the coolest eclipse stamps on the planet.


These huge pickup trucks look out of place in the city when smaller, more nimble vehicles might be more appropriate.


Americans must love mattress shopping, given the amount of shops across the U.S.A.


I thought the name Peter McManus sounded familiar but it's the café itself that is famous, dating from 1936, making it one of the oldest in the city.



I was just about to buy my daughter, Anja a gift from this shop and they closed it down before I could go inside.


I felt so sorry for these potted plants, clamped and chained by some cruel New York Parking Enforcement Officer for waiting in a prohibited area.


After a long walk around New York I need several of these energy drinks.



I thought the guy on this hoist was giving me a friendly wave as I photographed him, instead he was telling me to get the hell out of his workspace.


And finally, Heidi would like to send all of you her thanks for all of the attention you have paid her throughout the trip.