Road Trips – Page 4 – Travels with Ali

My A to Z Travel Challenge – M is for Minneapolis and Monterey, USA – 🇺🇸

Continuing my A to Z of Travels Challenge with the letter M.

Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota was part of our road trip through USA and Canada. We had some very dear friends who lived there and we hadn’t seen them for 25 years after they left Hong Kong! Many people asked us why we were visiting Minneapolis as they said there’s not much there! However I enjoyed every minute of our three day stay there thanks to Michelle and Jon who were very good guides.

We chose to stay at the Residence Inn by Marriott because this was very near to where they lived. I can’t say I was very impressed by this hotel for the price we paid, I thought the rooms could have had a good clean to start!

Our first morning was spent at the wonderful Mall of America, Anthony’s dream come true! Unfortunately we did only have a morning there as in the afternoon we would be exploring the town. We couldn’t believe our eyes at the size of the place, it even has a theme park in the middle!

After we had spent the morning there, Michelle and Jon picked us up and took us around the town. I really enjoyed seeing the lakes and river and the Stone Bridge that crosses the river.

Minneapolis was full of surprises especially the grand old houses that stand on the banks of the lakes, very impressive.

The next day we were going boating across the river to another State! Lake Pepin, Wisconsin. We would travel along the Mississippi River in Jon’s boat. We had a fabulous lunch here at The Pickle Factory.

After lunch we had a quick walk around the cute little town of Pepin.

I felt like I was stepping back in time walking around the town looking at all the old weatherboard houses.

That same day we also drove up to an old farm that Michelle and Jon owned and went for a fairly long walk around the property.

That was really all we had time for in Minneapolis, just a whistle stop tour and then we were off on our travels again. We flew to San Francisco later that evening.

Monteray

We had only one night in Monterey but really managed to make the most of the next day. This small town was everything I had imagined and more, having read so many books about it. We stayed right in the centre and had dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf.

Looking forward to some fabulous seafood for dinner

Not before we came across this Porsche show though!

Gourmet dinner with plenty of wine and a martini to finish

We finished the night at a wonderful jazz bar with a live band and of course more cocktails.

17 Mile Drive

The next day we did the 17 mile drive and managed to take wrong turnings a few times and ended up going back on ourselves, it was confusing to say the least. We certainly stopped a few times to get our bearings and of course take plenty of photos. We ended up having lunch at The Inn at Spanish Bay overlooking the famous Links golf course.

This drive is a scenic road through Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula. On the drive you will see huge mansions of the rich and famous and golf courses.

I felt we could have spent so much longer looking around and going down different routes, but time was ticking by and we were due in San Francisco later that day. A place to revisit in the future.

Our road trip ended up in San Francisco where we spent four fabulous days.

My A to Z Travel Challenge – K is for Kelowna, Canada 🇨🇦

Kelowna was on our itinerary for the road trip we did in the USA and Canada a few years ago. We spent five days here visiting my very good friend Lynn. It had been a few years since we had all seen each other.

Kelowna is a city in British Columbia and is situated in the Okanagan Valley which is known for its pine forests, vineyards and orchards.

We travelled from Vancouver in a hire car, which foolishly we had left until the last minute thinking that we could do it the day before! Also we wanted the car to drive onto the Rockies after and to drop it off in Calgary. We found out that this wasn’t something every car hire place did. So we spent a fair bit of time trying to find somewhere that did this, paying quite a bit for the one way route.

The journey takes around seven hours plus stopping time, we arrived in time for dinner!

Some of the photos I took along the way

Over the next few days we explored all around Kelowna. One thing that surprised me here were the amount of homeless people around. At first I thought they were backpackers but then wondered why they would take a dog with them! I found out that they collected more money if they had a dog with them. We would always keep loose change in our pockets to add to their caps and tins. Anthony would always have a word or two with them to find out their story, most of them were homeless involuntarily but we came across the odd few who chose this way of life.

From our walk up Knox Mountain, I didn’t manage it to the top but Anthony did. Views over Okanagan Lake and the town of Kelowna.

O’Keefe Ranch

We spent a fun day at O’Keefe Ranch with Lynn’s parents one day, a drive not too far from Kelowna. The ranch was founded in 1867 by Cornelius O’Keefe. Everything here has been very well preserved and there is a lovely restaurant for lunch.

Outside and inside the farmhouse

There are some beautiful walks around Kelowna and one day Lynn and I went for a mini hike very near to where she lived

We found many fossilised rocks on our walk plus a crashed car at the bottom of a ravine! Wonder how that got there

All too soon our trip to Kelowna was over but not the road trip! After this we drove onto The Rockies.

🗻🗻🗻🗻🗻🗻🗻🗻🗻🗻🗻🗻🗻🗻

Perth to Brisbane Road Trip – Part Six – Sydney to Brisbane via Coffs Harbour

Day 15 – Sydney to Coffs Harbour

On the last leg of our journey now and it’s northwards bound today. Travelling to Coffs Harbour for the night to break the journey which was six hours drive away. Our first stop was for lunch in a tiny place called Budgewoi, a little off the beaten track but I love finding these hidden places.

The drive up to Coffs is full of lush and tropical scenery so different from the west coast and it was getting more humid as the miles flew by. We arrived at 6.30 pm and were staying at Beach Haven Executive Apartments located on the Solitary Islands Highway just minutes from the beach. We had a beautiful room overlooking the ocean. They do have a restaurant on site but as it was empty we decided to drive into Coffs Harbour and have dinner at the fabulous Latitude 30.

Our dinner!

Duck with cranberry sauce

Grilled scallops with cauliflower puree

No-one else around so I had to take my own photo

Day 16 – Coffs to Brisbane

Our journey today was just a four hour drive so we had plenty of time to stop off for lunch. Currumbin, QLD was the next stop where we met up with an old friend at the RSL Club with fantastic views over the beach.

By the time we arrived in Brisbane it was 5.30. We were staying at Soda Apartments on the South Bank for two nights. Great fully furnished apartment but so noisy as there is so much construction work going on in Brisbane. I love Brisbane which is also so laid back like Melbourne. People are so friendly here. Our first night we walked down to the South Bank and wandered along the river. It’s a great place to be at night, so much to see and so many restaurants to eat in.

Ahmet’s Turkish restaurant where we ate dinner

Turkish salad

Mixed Souvlaki with Yoghurt dip

Day 17

Today I fancied a drive inland – the hinterland as it’s called in Queensland and just chose a spot on google maps which sounded interesting! Glasshouse Mountains is just over an hour’s drive away. A beautiful drive up high into the mountains with amazing views but so difficult to stop as the road is so narrow and windy in parts. One of the restaurants looked spectacular so we headed there for lunch, Clear Mountain Lodge. We were the only ones up there, it’s a place I would really like to go back to and spend the night sometime. The views around are of the Glasshouse Mountains, Moreton Bay and the islands.

Cajun chicken

Seafood pasta

Vegetable and herb garden at the restaurant

We also had friends in Brisbane so off we went there for dinner that night!

Day 18

Checked out today as we were spending the last night in the Novotel at the airport so Anthony could get an early start for the long drive home! I couldn’t face long hours in the car again so I took the easy way and was flying back.
So our last day was again spent visiting friends, near Southport.
That night we had an early night with dinner at a restaurant in the Skygate

Freshly cooked bream

Oysters and wine!

And so it ends, our epic road trip across five states! What a wonderful 19 days it’s been. We’ve seen so many interesting places and eaten in fabulous restaurants along the way. On the way we caught up with friends and family in different states, but I must say I am looking forward to going home to see my precious grandson and daughter and planning my next trip. Until then Sayonara!

Perth to Brisbane Road Trip – Part Five – Sydney

Day 13 to 16 – Sydney

After leaving Canberra we arrived in Sydney around 5pm. It’s not our first time in Sydney so we’ve done most of the tourist things Sydney has to offer. This time our visit was mainly to visit relatives and friends. Anthony decided he wanted to stay in Chatswood because it has a great shopping centre! We stayed in the wonderful Meriton Suites and had an apartment on the 26th floor with fantastic views. They also have their own carpark conveniently located in the basement. When you walk around Chatswood you can see why it’s called little Hong Kong, which was also why Anthony chose this place having lived most of his life in Hong Kong.

Views from the apartment

I’ve been having fun editing all my photos using Ribbet.com. It’s amazing the difference the editing has made. I thought I would add some frames too, it was too tempting not to. The photos above were taken with my Canon Powershot SX730.

Day 2 in Sydney

The apartment was very near the train and bus station around five minutes walk, and if there’s one thing Anthony likes as much as shopping it’s public transport. So after purchasing our Opal tickets – you need these to travel on public transport – we found the right bus stop to make our way to meet Anthony’s nephews in Crow’s Nest.

Two gorgeous boys – the one on the right is the lead singer with the upcoming band Johnny Hunter

Then it was back to the apartment on the train this time. Hubby a very happy boy using all this public transport.

Later we met my wonderful friend and her hubby in Manly, a favourite place of mine.

We drove to Manly but it’s very easy to reach by ferry from Sydney Harbour. Manly has a laid back holiday feel to it with a great beach. There are many restaurants, bars and cafes lining the Corso. The night we were there people were still swimming at 9pm and many were picnicking on the grass verge by the sea.

Day 3 in Sydney

After breakfast on the balcony again we headed over to Gordon to meet up with Anthony’s aunt and cousin for lunch. Time was soon marching on and we still hadn’t been to the city yet, so we hopped on the train to Wynyard which took us over the bridge and then walked down to The Rocks. We found a great bar in the cruise terminal overlooking the harbour where we had a few cocktails and thought about where to go for dinner.

Overlooking the Opera House with my usual Sauvignon Blanc in hand

A few more from our walk around

Something I’ve never done is climb the bridge. I would rather look at the view than be the view!

Dinner!

Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Lamb shoulder with ratatouille

Seafood Pizza for Anthony

Well what did you think of my frames? To frame or not to frame? It was fun but very time consuming.

Our time in Sydney had come to an end but not our journey. And so onwards and upwards to Coffs Harbour and Brisbane in Part Six.

Perth to Brisbane Road Trip – Part Four – Melbourne to Sydney via Canberra

Day 11 – Melbourne to Canberra – 8 hours

We said our goodbyes to Laurence and Maddy early in the morning. It was sad to be leaving them after such a great ten days but hopefully it won’t be long before we see them again.

Today we would be heading to Canberra for a very short overnight stop to break our journey to Sydney. So once again I opened up Google maps to see where we could stop for lunch. That’s the good thing about driving you can stop where you like and often it’s pot luck as to whether you find a good place for lunch! Well lucky for us we found a great place in Wangaratta about three hours away.
By this time the heat was really climbing and when we arrived it was 44 degrees.
We only walked about two minutes from the car to the restaurant but I could feel my arms burning up already. We ate in a cafe called Rinaldo’s in Wangaratta, a very cute town.

Cooling off with a glass of cold white!

Seafood pasta for Anthony

Super quick walk back to the car as it was still burning hot outside and then straight through to Canberra. We drove through some beautiful countryside, quite hilly and very green. So different to the dry plains of Western Australia.

We arrived in Canberra at 7.30 and we would be leaving fairly the next day, so I don’t have much to say about Canberra! A bit of luxury for tonight though staying at the Crown Plaza. On hindsight we should have stayed there for dinner as we couldn’t find anything decent in town.

Day 12 – Canberra to Sydney – 3 hours

As the drive was only 3 hours today we would have plenty of time to stop at the places I thought would be interesting. So our first stop was Lake George (click on the link for the mysterious facts!). Anthony mentioned this place as he said he remembered it as a boy when it actually did have water in it. The temperature outside was a scorching 40 degrees, a tad cooler than yesterday but I still made him get out to take some photos. The Lake is believed to be over a million years old. When the lake is empty it is used by farmers for grazing sheep and cattle. It last filled up in 2006 but evaporates very quickly.

Next was the The Big Merino in Goulburn. Of course I had the obligatory photo and then said to Anthony let’s just have a quick look in the gift shop. He said there won’t be anything worth buying in there just touristy stuff. Well less than 20 minutes later he had seen a very nice Merino wool jacket, I knew it was too good to be true that he couldn’t buy anything.

Lunchtime was next and we decided to stop in the historic town of Berrima. This was a beautifully kept village with so much to see. After lunch we walked over to the Berrima District Museum to have a look around. It was run by a group of volunteers and we were given a small tour by the lovely gentleman on duty that day. I was amazed to find out that Berrima was once an internment camp to German merchant seamen. It was the only camp in Australia not to confine its prisoners within the camp perimeter. It held 300 German nationals from 1915 to 1919. These men were made up from naval captains, senior officers, executives from German shipping companies with offices in Australia and some sailors from a ship. Just before WWI broke out Germany were doing a booming trade in Australia.

These prisoners were permitted to leave the camp after roll call in the morning but had to return at 6.30pm.
After a year or so they realised they were in for the long haul and put their energies into making the camp a better place. They built boats, a bridge, houses and even had their own bakery as they did not like the bread from the village. There were vegetable gardens and the villagers used to buy from the prisoners. They performed plays or put on concerts in the theatre they had built.

Getting ready for the regatta to celebrate the Kaiser’s birthday in the boats they had built

A small house built by one of the internees called Villa Marcella named after his German fiancee

Leaving this gem of a museum we drove through the village to have a look at some of the lovely old buildings.

Back into the trusty and dusty Merc and onwards to Sydney.

And that is the end of Part Four – Melbourne to Sydney – Part Five – Sydney

Perth to Brisbane Road Trip – Part Three – Melbourne

Five nights in Melbourne

As I mentioned in my previous post we had an apartment on the 59th floor! I’ve never stayed in an apartment so high before. We had floor to ceiling windows in every room with fantastic views over Melbourne.

The next four days were going to be relaxing and taking it easy, with good food and plenty to drink! Lots of walking and definitely not much driving.

Although Melbourne is so busy and teeming with people, it still has a laid back feel to it. So many tourists going through all stopping to enjoy the beautiful sights Melbourne has to offer.

On the South Bank overlooking the Yarra River

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While we were in Melbourne The National Gallery of Victoria was exhibiting the works of M.C. Escher (a renowned Dutch artist) with the works of Nendo Design Studio from Japan, Escher X nendo. I took some photos of M.C. Escher‘s works while walking around with Maddy. I hadn’t heard of Escher before and it was something Maddy wanted to see. She was very knowledgeable so didn’t need the audio guide!

I would like to have posted some of the fabulous prints we saw but when I checked on the website you needed to fill out a copyright request form in great detail. If you do go to Melbourne before 7 April it’s really worth a visit to see his works.

Nendo

Great Mural just outside Flinders Station

Some other photos of around Melbourne

One of many art deco buildings – Manchester Unity Building

St Kilda’s

St. Kilda’s is a coastal suburb not too far from central Melbourne. It has a completely different vibe to it than the city. Over a hundred years ago it was a very ritzy resort for the rich. Many palatial mansions are still standing, now converted into hotels. It’s great for a day or night out with so many restaurants, from cafes to fine dining.

Enjoying a glass of sangria

Dinner at Rococo’s

We ate and drank at fabulous places over the last five days and enjoyed every one. Food and service are always exceptional in Melbourne.

Tsindos Greek Restaurant, Lonsdale Street

The amazing Lucy Lius’s, Oliver Lane

And that my friends was that! This was where we left them and carried on with our epic journey onwards and upwards towards Brisbane. Next stop Canberra then Sydney in Part Four.

Perth to Brisbane Road Trip – Four states in 19 days! – Part One – Perth to Ceduna

Deciding to go on a road trip was not a hard decision, as my dear hubby loves a drive! Also our son Laurence was driving back with his girlfriend, Maddy, to begin their new life in Melbourne, so why not accompany them and drive on a bit more. And so it begins!

Day 1 – Perth to Norseman

We started our journey on a Sunday morning and did not leave nearly early enough, as per usual. The great thing about road trips is the amount of luggage you can take, no weight restrictions here. So we loaded up the car with our stuff plus we also had some of Maddy’s and then the car was full.
The first stage was going to take us 722 km and around 8 hours with a couple of stops along the way.
Laurence and Maddy had already left two days before to spend some time in Albany and Esperance, and we were going to catch up with them in Madura.

Anthony was driving the very comfortable Mercedes which is great for reclining in the passenger seat! Sad to say I did not participate in any of the driving.
With just a quick stop in Coolgardie for a beer it was straight through to Norseman.
All the motels and roadhouses along the way tend to close at 8pm and we arrived just as the restaurant was closing. Lucky I had phoned ahead and was able to order steak and chips for two otherwise it would have been the BP station for dinner.

Coolgardie is a small town in Western Australia. It has a population of approximately 850 people. Although Coolgardie is now known to most Western Australians as a tourist town and a mining ghost town, it was once the third largest town in Western Australia.

Day 2 – Norseman to Madura

After a good night’s sleep at the Best Western we walked into town to get breakfast only to find we were way too early at 8 am. Everywhere was closed. So we walked back to have breakfast at the BP station. I wanted to have a look at some of the historic sites Norseman had to offer, so we drove up to Beacon’s Hill Lookout. On the way we passed by what was an old mining site. It looked like the workers had just downed tools in the middle of the day and never went back. So much machinery and piles of rubble everywhere. The view from the top was fabulous.

Some history about Norseman

The discovery of a rich gold reef by Laurie Sinclair in 1894 as a result of his horse ‘Norseman’ uncovering a piece of gold bearing quartz, caused a town to be established and named in honour of the horse.

A rich history of gold mining has developed with many mines operating over the years and many ounces of gold being extracted.

The early pioneers had a very tough life. Water was always a challenge with condensers being set up on the salt lakes to assist in addressing the issue and the towns people relied on camel trains to bring supplies. For the women, raising their children with very little or no medical services, providing meals with basic cooking facilities and scant fresh food, it was very hard work and often heartbreaking. Source: Norseman Info.

The photos below are some I took at the top of Beacon’s Hill.

With a brief stop in Caiguna to fill up and then again at Balladonia, we reached Madura around 5.30 pm.

The only animals we saw were hundreds of dead kangaroos. It was absolute carnage and they were just strewn all over the road in various poses. A few times we saw vultures or eagles feasting on them. Apparently the vultures gorge so heavily that they can’t fly high enough after and end up crashing through a road train’s windscreen.

We were staying at the Madura Pass Oasis Motel, I wouldn’t exactly call it an oasis but it wasn’t too bad. Our rooms were very basic but at least it had a decent restaurant. We sat and enjoyed a glass of wine in the sun waiting for Laurence and Maddy to arrive. They finally arrived at 7.30 after their extremely long drive from Esperance.

Enjoying a hearty dinner and a good bottle of red. Freezing in the restaurant, hence the hoodies

This car has obviously done a few miles!

Day 3 – Madura to Ceduna

An early wake up today as again we had lots of driving and we wanted to stop off at a couple of places for photo shoots. Anthony went for an early morning walk up into the hills. Most of these roadhouses don’t serve breakfast or if they do it’s over by 7am! They cater mainly for the road train drivers. I had brought with me fresh coffee and a plunger a necessity for me to have a proper coffee in the morning. We set off about 9am and our first stop was Mundrabilla for breakfast.

Next up it was Bunda Cliffs for a visit to the Great Australian Bite. Then onto Border Village where we stopped to cross over to South Australia. Nullarbor was next and then onto Ceduna.

Great Australian Bite

A bit about the Nullabor

The Nullarbor Plain in latin means nulls “no” and arbor “tree”. Located on the Great Australian Bite Coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the largest straight road on the planet and it measures 146.6km in a completely straight line. You can play 18 holes of golf along the world’s longest golf course – the Nullarbor Links.

Over 100,000 wild camels roam the plain. These camels were imported from British India and Afghanistan to use as transport while building the railroads during the 19th century.
Source: Nullabor Roadhouse.

We didn’t actually spot any animal other than dead kangaroos!

We arrived in Ceduna around 5.30 pm and stayed at the Ceduna Foreshore Motel. There is a pretty nice restaurant attached to this motel so we had dinner there. After we walked along the jetty to watch the sunset. Extremely windy and very cold.

End of Part one – Perth to Ceduna

Part Two – Ceduna to Melbourne

Fukuoka to Beppu

Fukuoka to Beppu

Friday 2 June

Today we picked up our hire car with the driving to be shared between our two trusty drivers, Vaughan and Anthony. The route I had mapped out for us was slightly bizarre! In our nine days in Kyushu we travelled West to East to West to North to South, but it was the only way I could see to get every place in that we wanted to visit. It was hard also because Anthony in his excitement kept calling out different places he wanted to visit. And so it went…

We drove first to Kokonoe Bridge. It is 390 meters long, 173 meters high, 1.5 meters broad and it is the highest suspension walking bridge in Japan. Vaughan actually experienced vertigo on this bridge. It was extremely windy in the middle of the bridge. You can see Mimata Mt. and Waita Mt in the distance.

After this hair raising experience we stopped somewhere in the mountains for lunch. Found such a quaint place. Scenery was incredible from here.

Then onto Beppu with a brief stop in Yufuin a popular hot spring resort. We’re now in the Oita Prefecture.

Arrived late afternoon to Beppu Bay Royal Hotel overlooking the ocean. Just the one night here – why? Anthony said he liked the sound of the name Beppu. The hotel was situated just outside the town but I chose it because of the perfect views especially from our bedroom window.

As there were not any restaurants around the hotel we taxied into town around 15 minutes away and found a great Korean BBQ place. Food was delicious and our waiter hilarious. A good night.

And so next morning onto Kumamoto.

Tag: Road Trips

My A to Z Travel Challenge – M is for Minneapolis and Monterey, USA – 🇺🇸

Minneapolis

Monteray

17 Mile Drive

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My A to Z Travel Challenge – K is for Kelowna, Canada 🇨🇦

O’Keefe Ranch

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Perth to Brisbane Road Trip – Part Six – Sydney to Brisbane via Coffs Harbour

Day 15 – Sydney to Coffs Harbour

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Perth to Brisbane Road Trip – Part Five – Sydney

Day 13 to 16 – Sydney

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Perth to Brisbane Road Trip – Part Four – Melbourne to Sydney via Canberra

Day 11 – Melbourne to Canberra – 8 hours

Day 12 – Canberra to Sydney – 3 hours

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Perth to Brisbane Road Trip – Part Three – Melbourne

Five nights in Melbourne

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Perth to Brisbane Road Trip – Four states in 19 days! – Part One – Perth to Ceduna

Day 1 – Perth to Norseman

Day 2 – Norseman to Madura

Some history about Norseman

Day 3 – Madura to Ceduna

Great Australian Bite

End of Part one – Perth to Ceduna

Part Two – Ceduna to Melbourne

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Fukuoka to Beppu

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Minneapolis

Monteray

17 Mile Drive

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O’Keefe Ranch

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Day 15 – Sydney to Coffs Harbour

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Day 13 to 16 – Sydney

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Day 11 – Melbourne to Canberra – 8 hours

Day 12 – Canberra to Sydney – 3 hours

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Five nights in Melbourne

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Day 1 – Perth to Norseman

Day 2 – Norseman to Madura

Some history about Norseman

Day 3 – Madura to Ceduna

Great Australian Bite

End of Part one – Perth to Ceduna

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