Category Archives: Holiday 2019

Connecticut Update

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Just a few more days of our housesit to go and we’ve really enjoyed it here.

Mike has put extra house batteries in so we now have 200amh, when before we only had 64. so more than 3 x as much. We then decided we needed more solar to charge such a big power bank so we ordered two more 100w solar panels, so we now have 400w of solar on the roof.

Our housesitting hosts came back from Scotland for a couple of days, so we headed off to explore the area. We went to Mystic, a quaint seaside town, and also to Rhode Island, which isn’t actually an island. We ate traditional Connecticut food such as clam cakes, seafood chowder, and some deep fried clams.

When we got back to our housesit, Chris had prepared a spread of New England delicacies for us to try. Steamers were first on the menu. They are basically pipi’s which are steamed open, then dipped in a delicious broth, where you jiggle it a bit to get the sand out, then dipped into melted butter. Delicious.

We also had quahogs, which is mix of minced clam, chorizo, breadcrumbs, some spices, served in a half clam shell. They were delicious and are common in the region.

For the main course we had home grown pork chops, local corn, roasted veggies from the garden and caramelised onion. We were very spoilt.

Over the last 3 days we’ve both been feeling tired with headaches and body aches. We’d wonder if our hosts had brought a bug back on their flight from Scotland. We both felt terrible, like a mild flu. I wondered if I’d had an unseen tick on me and was having a reaction to that, the aches in unusual places, and not letting up. Mike has just finished his antibiotics and wondered if it was something to do with that.

Other than extreme tiredness and aches, we felt fine, so wondered how long these symptoms were going to last.

As we were drinking our second cup of coffee this morning, we discovered the source of our flu-like symptoms.

Mike mentioned how he almost picked up the wrong coffee in the supermarket, saying the packaging is identical, just one different word on it. I thought I better check the packet, knowing mikes close-up eyesight isn’t great. I picked up the coffee packet and the source of our pain was revealed…

We’d been drinking decaf for the last few days!!! We quickly tipped it down the sink, made a proper coffee, and all was right with the world again!

Connecticut Housesit

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We’ve found the female equivalent to Buddy! She’s called Naz, and she’s as mad as Buddy, just with longer hair.

Our new housesit it amazing. We are in a grand old house dating back to the 1700s. Benjamin Franklin’s niece, Ann Fuller, built this house in 1743. It still had all the original floorboards and original features. The property is on 60 acres of woodland, and it’s great for walking the dogs.

We have two dogs to look after. Naz, who has unlimited energy, who constantly wants to play and when we go for walks, she darts all over the place. She has a GPS collar so we can keep track of her.

Bella is the older dog of 11 years old and she is a sweetheart. She just plods along on our walks, usually bringing up the rear. Sometimes on a downhill section, she loses control and get’s a run on.

Then there’s the pigs, five of them. We have to feed them twice a day. On our first day we went out at 7.30am to feed them and they were all still fast asleep! I didn’t realise pigs slept in. So we feed them later in the day now, so as not to disturb their sleep.

There are 9 hens and a rooster and they are producing about 8 eggs a day. Way too much to keep up with. Thankfully there is also a never ending supply of zucchini, so we’ve been making zucchini slice. Now we just need a never ending supply of bacon…

We’ve had two magificent days of fine weather, but today is raining and storms and tornadoes are forecast this afternoon. Hopefully we don’t need to use the basement.

We have ordered a whole heap of stuff from Amazon to do some more enhancements to our van. Our house battery is useless and doesn’t keep charge overnight, so when we wake up, there is no power. So with lots of discussions with brother John, we have opted for two 100AH AGM batteries (our current one is only 64 AH) and we needed some extra things to make these work with our current charger. Hopefully they will arrive this week so Mike can get working!

We have also ordered a composting toilet, the same model as we had in Justin. We thought we could make do with the one we have, which flushes into a black tank, but if we leave it a few days it starts to smell. It’s not like NZ where there are free dump stations everywhere. Unless you are staying at a campground, they will charge $25 to dump, and a state park if you can find one, will charge $10 to dump. So it’s really hindering our freedom camping experiences.

So, with the new batteries, and a composting toilet, we should be able to go off-grid for a lot longer and not worry about a smelly tank.

Amish Towns

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We stayed at the Cunningham falls state park on Maryland which was a nice stop with showers.

This morning we did a 40 minute walk to the Cunningham falls, which was more of a trickle. It was a nice walk though already hot and humid.

We drove to Pennsylvania today and through some Amish communities. It’s neat seeing them go about there day on horse and cart, their bikes or their scooters.

We stopped at Katie’s kitchen which is run by Amish people. We’d heard it was good, but so had everybody else. It was 35 minute wait for lunch.

All the workers were Amish and the servers were young girls who were tall, thin and very attractive, like models. I wondered if they actually were actors dressed up in their fancy clothes. But I asked and she assured me they were Amish. I wonder what happens to the ugly ones? Are they left back at the village, slaving in the fields wondering why they aren’t allowed to work in the diner? Maybe there are no ugly ones. I’d love to write a book about them.

For lunch I had a meat pasta type thing and Mike had a corned beef an sourkraut sandwich. The food was ok, but I wouldn’t recommend queuing for 35 mins for. they also gave us a starter of fresh bread rolls and homemade peanut butter, but the rolls were so sweet I couldn’t eat them. They would have been better for desert.

After lunch we drove around the country roads to get a glimpse of how the Amish lived. You could always tell an Amish house by the bikes parked up outside and no cars.

A few places were selling fresh produce so we pulled into one and we’re greeted by a nice Amish lady and her young son. We bought some blueberries, cucumbers and she gave us a couple of plums to try.

It was another long hot and sticky day. Not Texas hot thankfully, but still hot. The heat is wearing us out a bit but it does cool down overnight and is almost chilly in the mornings. We found a campsite in lake locust state park and got a powered site, turned our air conditioning on, and fell asleep.

There’s no showers here, so a towel wash it was. We had bacon and egg wrap for dinner. Simple food for simple folk.

Blue Ridge Parkway Day 1

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We awoke early and we’re on the road by 8am. It’s amazing how quickly we get moving when there’s no internet. It really is a time waster in the mornings.

The only thing we had running on our battery overnight was the fridge, and just before we were due to leave, the battery shut off again. So we’re going to need a bigger battery. Mike will rewire our solar controller in case that is shutting it off.

The weather has changed from a stifling sticky humidity to cool in the mornings. We actually had to dig out our jumpers. But it’s a pleasant change.

Today we started on the Blueridge parkway which is an 800km scenic drive through the Blueridge mountains. There are many pull-ins and overlooks along the way. It is very beautiful.

There are also many walks along the way. We stopped off at a lookout and hiked about a km up a very steep hill to a lookout at the top. At the top was a stunning view over the mountains.

There were two guys there setting up a radio transmitter. It’s a hobby they do, climb mountains and set up their gear and see how far they can reach. They transmit on low power which means communicating via Morse code and have even reached NZ before.

We continued our drive, pulling into overlooks, sometimes getting out of the car, other times just looking and driving off.

Today we past the highest point on the Blueridge parkway at 6053 feet. It was there we met another couple driving a van similar to ours. We immediately bonded over vans and got chatting. I was talking to the lady and her husband came over and said ‘I see you’ve made van friends.’ I thought it was funny. They told us about a campground they were staying at up the road so we decided to stay there.

It’s another national park camp, only $10 per night and we have our own private spot. It’s lovely. There’s no power but they have a shower which was more than needed, not having had one for a couple of days. Although I did have a swim.

I love the camping setup they have here in national and state parks. It’s like staying in a doc camp but you have your own site, usually on a firm surface, your own picnic table and fire pit and a pole to hang your rubbish. There is normally water and a dump station, always toilets and sometimes a shower. Sometimes also electricity, water, and sewer on your site. It’s very civilised, yet still the feeling on being in the bush. And a similar price.

We’re going to spend a few days driving the Blueridge parkway to Virginia.

The Sound of Silence

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I awoke in the middle of the night to silence. But not in a good way. Usually the fridge and fans are running, but they’d all stopped.

We were camping off-grid and our house battery had run flat. We’d never had this problem before but I think it was due to running the ceiling fan all day and night.

As a result I didn’t get much sleep and when my alarm went off at 5.30am I stopped it, rolled over and went back to sleep. So much for an early start.

Neither of us were in a hurry to move this morning , having had a hectic few days of driving, but when our Neighbour started his generator at 8.30 we decided it was time to leave.

We drove the road to nowhere, an unfinished road with a tunnel at the end. There was a two hour goldmine loop that we decided to do. Someone had commented on AllTrails that they saw a bear there last week, so I was a little nervous.

The smoky mountains are very touristy so we were pleasantly surprised to find we were the only ones on the trail. It wasn’t until we were halfway around that we saw one other couple walking in reverse. They hadn’t seen a bear either.

Halfway was a beautiful lake. A bunch of fish swam up waiting to be fed. We had some of our fruitcake and tossed them some crumbs and they all scrambled to eat them.

After the walk we drove up to the Clingmans dome, the highest point in North Carolina. It’s a man made structure which has 360 degree views over the Smokies. It was a windy and steep drive and Rodger got a little hot, so we had to stop at the many scenic lookouts. We stopped and had lunch at one of them, looking out over the mountains.

At the top of the mountain, we found all the people. There was a queue of cars looking for a parking spot. We lucked out, managing to grab a free spot as someone was leaving.

We joined the hoards and started the trek up the steep but paved road. We overtook quite a few people as we powered our way up, eager to see the views from the top.

About 3/4 of the way up we came to the Appalachian trail, which cuts across the path. I could just imaging walking the trail, enjoying the solitude of the mountains, to having to stop and wait for people. It would be a real WTF moment! We walked a bit of the trail, just to say we’d done it!

We continued up the paved path, dodging all the people. It was not an easy walk and a lot of people were struggling. Especially the older and overweight ones. But it would be worth it for the views.

But when we got to the top it was shrouded in mist, no view to be seen. 360 degrees of mist. We’d had better views on the drive up!

We headed back down and got out of there, leaving the hoards still struggling to get to the top!

By the time we got down from the mountain it was 4pm so we decided to camp at the Smokemont campground, which is another national park camp with no power or showers. We’ll make sure not to run our fan tonight in the hope our fridge stays running.

At least at this camp they have a section away from the generator people.

Tomorrow, we drive the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway to Virginia.

Day 35 – Last day

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This morning we got up early and walked to the airport. I can now say, apart from taxing on the runway, I have crossed Spain under my own steam (if that makes sense).

At the airport we met Indiana Jones and one of his harem, and Irish Dave was there too. Irish Dave was the guy who originally told us about Indiana and how he’d met a girl and was doing Camino twice.

Anyway, they were all on our flight to Gatwick today.

We arrived in Bournemouth safely and are currently drinking wine in the back yard.

See you tomorrow.

I’m seeing a pattern here. My phone and fleece are also orange:

Day 34 – Looks like we made it

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Rua to Santiago – 31kms

Today started out like any other day. We got up, we walked, we stopped for breakfast, we met some “friends” we met weeks ago but keep bumping into them.

We saw Climate Change guy. I don’t think I’ve mentioned him, but we met him a week or so ago when he was sitting with Close Talker.

Climate Change guy goes around picking up people’s rubbish, kinda like a womble. We asked him what his climate change group does and he told us how they protested in London.

“Did that change anything,’ I asked.

“Yes, we stopped traffic in central London.”

“But… did it change anything?”

“Yes, they declared a climate emergency.”

Meanwhile the govt are like, “we need to get traffic moving, let’s tell them we’ll think about it.”

Still, good on the guy for doing something.

With all the masses heading to Santiago, I googled what all the fuss is about.

It’s all about St James (also known as St Jacque in France and St Iago in Spain. Sant Iago… get it?)

Anyway the story goes: St James was a disciple of Jesus, and he came to Spain to spread the word. When he went back home, King Herod chopped off his head.

So, his followers carted his remains back to Spain. Not knowing where to bury him, they let the Ox that was carting him decide. When the Ox lay down to rest the decision was made. Now a big cathedral sits there.

Anyway, you’re probably itching to hear about our last day.

We’d booked a hotel by the airport as it was a lot cheaper, so we checked in, had a shower and dropped off our bags. They had a free shuttle to take us into Santiago centre, but we thought we should walk it.

We arrived at the cathedral, had the obligatory photo shot, then wandered for a bit. As we wandered passed a bar, all this cheering came at us. It was some Germans we’ve been meeting on and off. So we stopped for a drink with them.

Then we went for some gelato, then we walked back to the hotel.

That’s it.

Tomorrow morning we walk to the airport.

Day 33

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Arzua to Rua – 20 kms

This morning we went down to breakfast and it smelled like a locker room. All the walkers from Sarria had not washed their clothes overnight. It stunk.

Good brekky though, fresh fruit, yoghurt, and heaps of other stuff. Oh, and of course there was cheese.

It was an easy 20km walk today. We started late and took it slow.

Not much to say. The people are still there. The wooded trails are still there.

We met a Chinese lady we saw in Astorga. I remember watching her walk and she looked so elegant. But she was carrying next to nothing. I assumed she was having her stuff transported, but she was carrying her towel and sleeping bag. It didn’t make sense.

Then we met her today, I told her we’d seen her in Astorga. She told us the airline had lost her bag on the way over and she’d had to buy new stuff. As a result, she decided she didn’t need a lot of stuff, and was travelling light. Super light.

Here she is, an inspiration for sure.

Only 21 kms to Santiago tomorrow. Yay.

Day 32 – Are we there yet?

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Palas de Rei to Arzua – 30kms

Today was a big 30 km day in the heat. I had set the alarm for 5.30am to get an early start and avoid the crowds.

After two vending machine coffees and some yoghurt cereal stuff we bought the night before, we were out the door at 6.15am.

I thought we were mad, the sun wasn’t even up yet. Surely nobody else would be up this early.

We were surprised that the cafes were already open and people were queuing up for breakfast. Thankfully we’d had ours and we were still ahead of the rush.

As we left the town, I looked behind me, and about 60 people were following us. WTF?

Looks like every one had the same idea.

It was a nicer walk today, through forests and the countryside. We even managed to escape the crowds for a bit. I never thought the sound of our footsteps crunching on gravel could be so peaceful.

I’m not sure what it is about the Spanish people. They speak so loud and it is constant, like verbal diarrhoea. They never shut up. And the language sounds so ugly to me.

Perhaps I’m being harsh, but it’s such a contrast the the previous 30 days where most people were respectful of each other and their surroundings.

We were glad we’d left early as we’d done the first 15kms by 10.30am, before the heat. Unfortunately it heated up after that, and the final 15kms were hard work with no breeze and little shade.

I was hoping to finish the Camino pain free but the top of my foot has started hurting. I think it’s due to overuse.

We have realised we haven’t had a rest day since Burgos, over 550kms ago, and it’s starting to show in both of us.

Only two more days of walking until we reach Santiago. Before now the walk was about the journey, taking each day as it comes, taking our time with no destination in mind.

Now in the last week it’s become about the destination. We are so close to Santiago that it’s become a challenge to get there.

We are in Arzua tonight. A lot of people are limping, all of them having started in Sarria. It just goes to show, whether you’re walking 100kms or 800kms, it’s still hard work.

We’ve met a few people we know along the way, and they are still winging it with accommodation and are having no problem. I think if you don’t stay in the main towns, accommodation is no problem.

We met up with army guy again, the one walking with a broken foot. He’s picked up some pilgrims and were planning on walking 56 kms to 1aSantiago today.

We also found out he has five kids. So…he’s been in the army, got a degree, travelled for four years, and has five daughters. Did I mention he is only 28? Sounds legit to me.

Anyway, we had the most amazing pilgrim menu. The beef was oh so yummy and the best I’ve eaten yet. Hopefully the protein will repair our muscles for another day.

Leaving town early:

Day 31 – The Sound of Cackle.

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Portomarin to Palas de Rei – 26 kms

We had planned to get away early this morning but that didn’t happen. The hotel had free breakfast, but not until 7am, so it was 7.45 by the time we got away, along with all the hoards of people. We have finally found them.

The day was spent walking surrounded by a constant cackle; a cocophany of languages being spoken all around us. It was awful.

So I plugged in my headphones and tuned them all out and it was much better.

I can’t understand why so many people choose to do only the last 100kms to Santiago. If I only wanted to walk 100kms, I’d choose a different, quieter route.

Today I felt like I was part of a big herd of cattle or sheep, and it’s really not me. But we are so close to Santiago where our flight leaves from that I have no interest in catching a bus now.

So I guess we have to suck it up, bellow baaaa, and get on with it.

We have a big day tomorrow, so we’re going to leave early and hopefully avoid all the people.