High Point : Driving over the Golden Gate bridge at 5.43pm and witnessing the most perfect sunset over San Francisco.
Low Point : The travel sickness felt by all in the back of the “Rig” after 3 hours of gunning down the wonderfully winding Highway 1. Of course it could of also been the 2 foot club sandwich we ate at lunch.
Rename of the day : Martha is currently holding her own when dwarfed by U.S Fire Engines twice her size but to help her sound more Macho and fitting with her surroundings we have currently renamed her from an engine to a “Rig”. Also she now can be referred to as a “Ride” as in “That’s a sweet ride you’ve got yourself there!”
Statement of the day (And potentially my life) : X-Pod (or Rob if you don’t know his self given nick name) … “ Riding this road is like taking a drug… and I’m Addicted to it……. But sometime in life you have to give up drugs….” Enlightening stuff Rob.
Low Point: Not being able to drive this road everyday
No point: Being anywhere else
What not to say at a border point: California border lady ‘’Do you have any fruit or vegetables on board Sir?’’, James ‘’No, only the three in the back.’’
Risk point: Getting 52 new troops in a game of Risk against Ben Battye. Surely that only happens once in a lifetime?
High Point: Big soft bed in a motel with Rocky 2 on the tele. Any TV with any English language film on is heaven
Low Point: Being personally guilty of being a complete muppet by leaving the fuel cap at the “gas stop”
Genius local: Dude at local auto shop that made a new petrol cap out of a plastic cup and a lid from a paint pot
Social Experiment: Being woken three times in the night by a crazy red light and an alarm in the fire station dorm every time there was a fire. Creepy stuff
Pointless Chat: The burger debate continues. Rob even brought it up when were interviewed on the tele and with the Chief Fire Officer for Portland
Best New Nickname: Ben Battye is now Patty Battye. A combination of the fact that a fireman thought his name was Pat and that he likes burgers
American Accents: Rob on continuous loop mimicking a shop assistant from Walmart, “Happy day sir”
Error of the Day: Ordering five filth burgers from Denny’s diner. Never a healthy sign as Ben when picked his up grease ran down his arm. Mucky.
High Point: Everyone at Station 1, Portland Fire Department. What a great bunch of people. Thanks again to all of you for making us feel so welcome.
Low Point: US border control. Was there really any need for them to be so grumpy?
No Point: Bridge height readings on the bridges. It really is too late to do anything about it by the time you see them.
Quote of the day: “Whatever you do, do NOT touch the dog!”
We departed Vancouver this morning after a farewell coffee with Captain Mike Tookey and the crew at the fire station. They even gave mucky Martha a good clean for us. If everyone is this welcoming then we are in for an even better time in North America than we anticipated.
High point: Watching the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 45th American Superbowl.
No point: The Burger vs Sandwich debate rolls on. When is a burger not a burger? What constitutes a burger? Is a Chicken Sandwich a burger? And what on earth is an Eggplant Burger?
Just missed the point: Rob nearly running over a jogger on a pedestrian crossing within ten minutes of taking the wheel (priceless video footage available upon request).
If you were a sports loving kid growing up in the eighties there’s a strong possibility that Channel 4’s American Football coverage fronted by Gary Imlach on a Sunday night was a key part of your weekend. Whilst the UK’s love of the sport has wained significantly over the past twenty years, North America’s would appear to be stronger than ever. Settling into Vancouver’s number one sports bar on Sunday afternoon surrounded by as many TV’s as football fans, our first proper afternoon in Canada’s unofficial capital left us with no doubt how much these guys love their sport. Ice Hockey still ranks number one for most Canadians due to a small matter of being Olympic champions, however American Football clearly runs a close second. Read more →
High point: Collecting two very excited crew members from the airport; Route Master General Rob Poderoso and Ben ‘I’ve been to Vancouver before’ Battye, you may remember Ben’s hilarious blogs from stage 1 (no pressure Ben)
Low point: Being bumped off the Global News channel due to a gang shooting
No point: Using the lift. Someone was stuck in there for 5 hours!
Everywhere we go around the world we always receive the warmest reception from fire stations. From washing our clothes in Uluru fire station (while Steve sat in his boxer shorts) to organising FTFE press coverage across Asia in Chengdu. We’ve been well fed, watered and even given a bed for the night too many times to mention. The hospitality has been tremendous and Vancouver was no exception. As soon as the guys heard what we’re doing they welcomed us with open arms (and a large plate of pasta and garlic bread). Thank you to Captain Tookey and the guys at Vancouver Fire Department for the warm welcome.
Culture shock; Adj; Is the difficulty people have adjusting to a new culture that differs markedly from their own……
After leaving FTFE and Martha in Beijing in September and traveling across the African and South American continents, culture shock was the last thing I was expecting to be feeling as I walked the streets of downtown Seattle, yet undeniably I definitely felt it. Arriving in America has been like receiving a large frying pan right to the face carried by an extremely loud man who insists on shouting every time he hits you! It was certainly the wake up call I needed after taking 48 hours to travel up from Peru.
Prison? Student Halls? Isolation Unit? Man I am confused. Either way, feels like the big man has popped me on the naughty step to think about what I have done. For someone who used to panic in search for entertainment if the next train on the London Underground was over 3 minutes away, sticking me on a ship for two and half weeks smells to me to like one social experiment too far. I do however only have myself to blame and I dragged poor Amy into it. We have almost done a month on ships now, crossing both the Tasman and Pacific, and I would love to report that though meeting my mind head on has been difficult, it is certainty something everybody should do.
