Are you buying the Triumph in New Zealand or Botswana (wouldn't fancy biking around the latter given the number of donkeys, goats, humans etc in the roads).
Heading for Alaska shortly, hope everything OK with your international commuting?
Take care
Ralph & Angela
Miles
Hi you two - thanks for all the updates. Very envious. Sorry to have missed you on Skype with Lesley and Bill - i'm sure it will come around again. Have now finalised my purchase of Triumph Bonneville and will be fitting sidecar this year. Sidecar designed for international Travel. Watch out. Speak soon hopefully
Love Miles
Ralph & Angela
Hi Katie
Great to hear from you. Managed to sort out Alaska, we are going to Juneau then Haines area, will leave Anchorage and Denali until we are earning money again!
South Africa seems a long way off at the moment! We got very excited yesterday when we spotted our first and only raptor of the trip! Scenery makes up for lack of wildlife though!
Enjoy Florida and hope Bertha doesn't swing your way
Take care
Ralph & Angela
Katie Noble
Hey R & A! I heard through Kevin that y'all were here in the US for a while. Sorry to hear about your getting-to-Alaska difficulties and hope it all works out. I've abandoned Kevin in the midwest to visit my family in North Florida for 2 weeks. Nothing like the muggy south to make me miss dry South Africa. Take care and enjoy your time here!!!
Katie
Ralph & Angela
Hi Jim & Linda
At the moment (in Mt Rainier National Park) I'm driving on the side of the road that is furthest from the sheer drop! This is an awesome park, record snow last winter and not thawed yet, the volcano is stunning and the weather perfect.
After too many IHOP and Dennys breakfasts we are on serious diets at the moment and trying to walk despite the thick snow. Staying in sleepy Packwood surrounded by elk, have yet to see any bears that you could walk up to and wrestle!
Don't remind me of that bar incident, have managed to stay in one piece here so far!
We were wondering if the fires had got as far as Santa Barbara town yet? Good luck with them, the forecast doesn't sound very helpful, more sunshine and heat!
Take care
Ralph & Angela
Jim And Linda
Ralph and Angela,
Glad to hear you are finally in a sophisticated country where people drive on the correct side of the street, and they know how to make good coffee. Hope you didn't tell TSA about your tendency to get in fights in American bars.
Ralph, best wishes for a belated 50th birthday. We'll have to celebrate next time you are in Santa Barbara.
Been a bet hectic here with big fires. But looks safe for now.
Good luck getting to Alaska. Should be quite an adventure.
Jim and Linda
Ralph & Angela
Hi Jason
Congratulations to you and Emma and thanks for the birthday message.
Will keep posting from the USA
Best Wishes
Ralph & Angela
Nosey Neighbour Jason
Hi Ralph and Angela
Happy fiftieth Ralph and glad to hear you are both on your travels again. Look forward to hearing of your North American adventure.
Just to bring you to speed Emma gave birth to Alice Rose on 4 July. Mum and baby beautiful and doing well. Big sister ecstatic. Dad tired but happy.
Best wishes, Jason
Ralph & Angela
Hi Ken & Nancy
Thanks for the birthday wishes, I thought I was way past the 50 mark!
Unlike Africa I suspect the wildlife will be a bit more tricky to spot, let alone photograph. We've been here a week and have seen one raptor and an elk in the distance, could do with a larger lens!
Our Pontiac hire car is not quite a 4x4, unlike the Landrover we have no idea the engine is going and there is so little to do you could fall asleep whilst driving!
Hope all is well in Durbanville
Love Ralph & Angela
Ralph & Angela
Hi Alan & Jane
Thanks for the birthday wishes, in another 5 years I'll know what you feel like when you celebrate a birthday. It feels great to pass the official "Old Git" mark but for some reason I don't feel any different!
As for the 4 well behaved grandchildren, good job you didn't spot Angela slipping a double rum in to their bedtime hot milks. I can't think of any other reason why 1) they were well behaved and 2) they actually liked her.
Good luck with the mighty Royals for 2008/9, I hope they go straight back up to the Premiership.
Thanks for the accomodation, food, wine and taxi service whilst we were over, look forward to the en suite bathroom being built in time for our next visit.
Good luck with the extension (and the building works!)
Ralph & Angela
Ken And Nancy
Hi Ralph and Angela, just to say from us here in the good old RSA, have a great trip to the USA and Alaska. I suppose we will see many fotos of bears and seals etc, etc.
Ralph, happy 50th and may it be a good year.... it certainly fooled us, thought you were way past the 50 mark, anyway Happy Birthday and a safe journey. Will you be trying out a different make of vehicle and "tent"????
love,
Ken and Nancy
Alan And Jane
Ralph, Angela
It was good to see you both. Ralph you fail to mention that on your first night with us you spent the night under the same roof as our four grandchildren aged from 2 months to 9 years. Very well behaved, no fighting, kicking, screaming or shouting and the kids were good as well!
Whilst you were with us it was a pleasure to arrive home from work and be greeted with a nice chilled glass of wine as I walked through the door. I'm trying to get Jane to continue this ritual but so far the response has not been good. The local bottle bank were happy with my contribution after you had left, I won't say how many bottles I deposited but it was into double figures.
The trip to the US and Alaska sounds amazing and we look forward to seeing the blog and photos and have a great fiftieth birthday. This means that after Sunday you are officially an old git..............I don't think we'll be able to spot the difference.
Once the footie season starts again I shall continue my text results service to you in true "Mottie" style regardless of the fact that the mighty Royals are no longer in the top flight and look forward to seeing you and Angela again in the not too distant future.
