Julie and I got up at 6:30am again. Who said anything about taking it easy? We had to do a final pack and prepare to leave Dallas, my brother and his family and set off on our great RV adventure. Our flight was at midday from Dallas.
Although we had a large tin trunk delivered to us in Canada and we arrived there with a big case and a little case each, we have now got our luggage down to one large roller case each, one hand luggage each and the electric guitar (in it's own case) and the computer (in it's own case). So we travel now with 10 bags. We have left a very large bag in Dallas with Tony, which he will either bring over to France later in the year or we will arrange for it to be shipped back to the UK.
We had high hopes for the guitar. It belongs to Sammy and he had lessons for a couple on months before we left, so I agreed that we could take it with us for him to continue to practice. I too thought that I would have time to learn a few new cords and become generally more competent. However, neither of us have been able to bring ourselves to do much with it. I was very tempted to leave it in Dallas but decided against it at the last moment as I have re-committed to playing it whilst in the RV. Also, it looks very cool in airports when you have it slung over you shoulder. We always take it into the cabin (as it would probably not survive in the cargo hold). I am always hope that someone will mistake me for an ageing rocker (which of course I am).
We managed to get all our gear and the four of us and my brother (the driver) into his Land Rover Discovery thus alleviating the aggravation of 2 cars having to drive to the airport.
It was sad to go. Julian and Sammy have really enjoyed getting to know (and fight with) their cousins and they will miss the warmth that they have shown us. I really enjoyed living with my brother and his wife and it was the first time in at least 30 years that I have done so. Although he is my brother, ever since I was about 7, we have mostly lived apart. For one reason or another he had been in a different country to me most of my life. He emigrated to Canada some time in the late '70s and apart from a couple of years when we worked together in Canada in the mid '80s, we have lived very separate lives. So I really enjoyed getting into his life for a while and seeing how they do things in Texas.
The flight from Dallas to Denver was our 6th on this trip. We are becoming more accomplished at navigating the security, customs, immigration and other checking in procedures that you are faced with today. Now when we tell boys about our next flight the first question is always "how long will we have to line up". International travel, which I always remember as being great fun, is now reduced to a demeaning scrum for most of the time. Nearly all the airports I have been to in the last couple of years are struggling to cope with the huge numbers of people who fly and the new security measures required to protect against terrorism. The boys actually thinks it's quite a drag. The novelty has worn off already.
However, we remain stoical and have all taken responsibilty for jobs we are required to perform to get through the process. Julian takes on being the navigator (we put him on Point). Upon receiving the information as to which gate, terminal or exit we require, he will lead the way and guide us clearly to our destination. Sammy is baggage control. He stands on guard, never leaving his post, looking after all our luggage, whilst we disappear to the toilets, restaurants, games rooms or book shops (Julie). Julie is responsible for supplies and will scout around making sure that we have food, drinks, treats, books and newspapers for the flight. Many of the shorter flights we have been taking have been around lunch time and no food is served. We learnt our lesson on not taking food with us very early on. I'm responsible for passports, tickets, boarding passes and money. Also for getting the story right at US customs who, by the way, now finger print you and photograph you as you enter and leave.
The flight from Dallas to Denver was only an hour and a half and the circling in was quite spectacular. Denver is a city about the size of Dallas. It has an interesting skyline if you like modern high rise office buildings. This is set against the spectacular backdrop of the snow capped Rocky Mountains. The flatness of the land to the east of the city accentuates this spectacle.
We passed through the airport without much to do but had already noticed the numbers of people carrying ski and snowboarding equipment. The mountains were calling.
We were told by the RV company to take a taxi to their depot as the journey was only about 30 minutes and would cost less than $50. We found a taxi big enough to take us and all our luggage. As is usual with us now, we interogate the taxi driver and find out a little about who he is and his family. Today we had a Somalian driver who turned out to be an ex 5,000 and 10,000 metres running champion. He ran professionally for the USA during the late '80s and early '90 and competed in several olympics. He had travelled all around the world as a long distance runner and had settled in Denver as he always used to train in this area. Denver is over a mile high (altitute is 6,000 feet plus), so it's an excellent place to train because the rarified atmosphere helps develop your body for running. He now has 3 kids (he married another Somali as their is a big Somali community in Denver) and still runs nearly everyday. He had his running kit in the car and was training for the Boston and New York marathons. Although he had never done a marathon before, his best time for a half marathon was 1 hours and 6 minutes and in his prime he could complete the mile in 3 minutes and 50 something seconds. I'm telling you the in the US yoiu just meet the most amazing people. (another amazing people story follows soon).
We got to the RV rental station and started to fill in the pages of forms you have to complete. He showed us around the vehicle and told us how everything worked. We also rented 4 bicycles, a toaster ($3 for a month), and a couple of deck chairs. By this time the boys were nearly wetting their pants with excitement, having already decided in England where they were sleeping (in the high cab above the driver).
I am sending this (unfinished) using the wireless network of the local high shool. I will finish it later (you've heard that before).
This is our home for the next month. 25 feet of home. It has hot and cold running water (sometimes), heating, a/c, microwave, cooker, fridge, freezer, toilet, shower, beds for 6 and a massive 6.8 litre V10 (yes V10) engine. She also has 4 bikes strapped to the back. We passed on the options for boats and towed cars.
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