The McKenzie's Official world tour site
# Friday, 31 July 2009
USA to CANADA in Pics......

Friday, 31 July 2009 08:23:14 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Comments [0]  Canada | USA

San Francisco to Canada.......
We left Vallejo (near San Francisco) after 1 year and 1 day on Macswayround! This travelling life is proving to be very favourable to us all! We found the Wine Country RV Park at Rohnert Park, still in California. It has been much busier this time around in the USA, being mid-summer, and so it has not always been so easy to find a camp spot. However- perseverance has paid off! We spent some time in the Redwood National Forest and State Parks and the children did some more work to become Junior Rangers here – as they have enjoyed doing at each available park. Here, we walked amongst the TALLEST trees in the world and we went on a hike with ‘Ranger Renee!’ In human terms the Redwoods are ‘timeless’. This area was also Big Foot territory – so we kept our eyes open wide! As we continued our journey, the Mad River Rapids RV Park at Arcata was our last stop in California. Across the Stateline and into Oregon and we stopped off in Brookings. The next day, north of Florence, we took a look at the ‘Sea –Lion Cave’ – the largest Sea- Cave in the world! A lift took us down the 208 foot drop to a viewing area. The cave was jam packed inside with Stellar Sea-lions, where the fishy smell was immensely over-powering! It was wonderful to see the sea-lions, once again in their naturally chosen environment. In Waldport, at the Handy Haven RV Park, we enjoyed spending time with John, Becky and a toddling Nina! We shared their camp fire and had an extended happy hour, toasting marsh mallows! It was great to have happy hours back again and maybe we will meet again along our travels! We decided to head inland for a while to get some more of the hot stuff before we get too far north! At McMinnville, the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum was very entertaining. It is now home to the ‘Spruce Goose’. This is the world’s largest wooden airplane and has the largest wing span. It was built by Howard Hughes and co-incidentally the plane is not made from spruce at all – but 95% birch! We camped at the Tri – Mountain RV Park in Ridgefield, before taking a big drive the next day which took us through Seattle. It was not raining in Seattle which was lucky as it is renowned for being a very soggy place! We found Creekside Camping at a place named Concrete and the children built a dam in the river. Taking a little detour, the North Cascades National Park gave more Junior Ranger Fun! We took a river loop walk and found out more about yet another amazingly wild place. Over 94% of the land located within this park is designated to the Stephen Mather Wilderness and there are over 400 miles of hiking trails! The National Parks help create a link between the past and a safe-guard to the future..... We rested at the Cedars RV Park in Ferndale and enjoyed a happy hour with Norman and Margaret and got some advice on Canadian ways! The next day we were ready and we crossed the border into Canada! Another stamp in our passports! At Hope we saw the Visitor Centre and Museum. Hope is home to many movies as the setting is very favourable, including ’Rambo 1- First Blood’, in 1982. We discovered that the First Nations people were also referred to as Aborigine which was interesting, and in Hope, the first nation people were called ‘Sto:lo (meaning ‘people of the river’ in the Salish language). Anderson Creek Campground, in the Fraser Canyon was our first taste of a Canadian camp spot and it was lovely! Maybe those were signs that a bear had paid a visit to a tenting party just down by the river- side? Later, at Willow Springs Campground near Clinton, Jemma and Ben tried out our new Challenger dingy on a perfectly calm lake! We got some good Alaskan travel advice from our Canadian neighbours. McLeese Lake Resort gave Phil his chance to go fishing in the dingy! This lake was too big to let the children loose in, as they need a spot more practice at rowing first! We would like to thank the McLeese Resort for donating our camp fee as we are continuing to raise money for the Devon Air Ambulance. Prince George was our next port of call in our trek north, and to the Hartway RV Park. We found another place named Mackenzie and had an amazing time! At a quiet river, Phil caught 3 fish and we saw 3 Bald Headed Eagles – YES! Another BIG wildlife hit was a female moose –chumping at the grasses and standing leg deep in a lake – double YES! We watched quietly as she continued her daily business! This is what Canada is all about for us and in Ben’s words – ‘This is what MACSWAYROUND is all about!’ At the river a couple of quad bikes came through as they headed back down from a nearby mountain. They stopped for a chat as Nessie is a bit conspicuous –bless her! Al and Pete recommended that we visit a sandy beached lake and Al even came back around to show us the way there! Thanks! They said that they had been making the most of this beautiful weather as they were used to having 20 foot of snow in Mackenzie! The children had a dip and then we headed to another recommendation- Williston Lake. This was the landing place of explorer Alexander Mackenzie who was the first European to trek here in 1793. He and his team were looking for a North West Passage and surveying the Rocky Mountains. There was a beautiful camp spot by the lake and the dingy was made use of once more. The scenery which we passed through from Mackenzie to Chetwynd was absolutely stunning – Mother Nature doing what she does-at her very best. The contrasting colours were a continuous picture and this really is a magical time of year to be exploring Canada! We arrived into Dawson Creek and stayed at the Northern Lights RV Park. Phil ‘dressed’ Nessie in preparation for her adventure- Alaska bound! She now has a protective matting taped to her bonnet and very thick plastic stuck to her headlights. Stone chips are a big problem on these types of dusty roads and a cracked light would cause major hassle as we would not be able to replace them in either country (they point the other way to the locals!) Prevention is better than cure-we hope! More about Dawson Creek – next time!!
Friday, 31 July 2009 07:28:44 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Comments [0]  Canada | USA

FACTIODS-San Francisco, USA to Mackenzie, Canada
FACTOIDS: U.S.A * Coastal Redwood trees can soar to more than 370 feet tall, but they are not the only tree that grows tall in a Redwood forest. Douglas-Fir trees have grown even taller; one record breaker in British Columbia measured 400 feet! * The Banana Slug (Ariolimax Columbianus) does good work as a decomposer and further benefits the forest by spreading seeds and spores through their waste. It is amazing that Banana slugs eat anything – apart from Redwood seeds and seedlings. * The Redwood National and State Parks are pretty special places as they are home to 45% of all protected old-growth Redwood forests remaining in California. Only 4% of 2 million acres remain today, since logging first began in 1850. * The formation of the amazing sea lion cave began over 25 million years ago. The interior now soars to the height of a 12 story building and stretches for the full length of a football field, making it the world’s largest sea-cave! * The North Cascade National Park complex contains over 300 glaciers (which is more than any other park in the 48 contiguous states). The mountains of the North Cascades are one of the snowiest places on Earth, with Mount Shuksan being commonly referred to as the most photographed mountain in the world! CANADA • To forge a route through the Fraser Canyon proved to be one of the most difficult highway projects in the province of British Columbia. Seven tunnels had to be blasted through the rock but with that difficulty- came the birth of the breathtaking Fraser Canyon Highway. • MACKENZIE – is known as the gateway to Northern Rocky Adventure! • The Williston Lake at Mackenzie covers an area of 166,000 hectares (410,000 acres) and is British Columbia’s largest reservoir. It is also Canada’s largest man-made lake. • Mackenzie is home to the World’s largest tree crusher! This giant 175 ton machine was used in the 1960’s to clear non-merchantable timber from the Rocky Mountain trench prior to the creation of Williston Lake. It has sat idle since then and is now a popular roadside attraction!
Friday, 31 July 2009 07:25:34 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Comments [0]  Canada | USA

CANADIAN WILDLIFE HITS....
CANADIAN WILDLIFE HITS: • American Robins • Ospreys • Belted Kingfishers • Northern Rough Winged Swallow • Northern Flicker Woodpecker • Varied Thrush • BALD HEADED EAGLES (magnificent!) • Brook Trout • MOOSE! (male, female and babe!) • Mule Deer • Swallow-tailed Butterflies • Chip-Monks • Squirrels • Pelagic Cormorants • BEAVERS • American Kestrels • Common Loon • White-Tailed Ptarmigans * ARCTIC FOX
Friday, 31 July 2009 07:21:08 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Comments [0]  Canada

USA WILDLIFE HITS
USA WILDLIFE HITS: • Swallow –tailed butterflies • Bats • Mule Deer • Chip-Monks • Squirrels • Californian Sea-Lions • Stellar Sea-Lions • Blue Jays • Brown Pelican • Great Egret • American Robin • Californian Quail • Black Oyster Catcher • Pigeon Guillemot • Rock Dove • Anna’s Hummingbird • Acorn Woodpecker • White-Headed Jay • American Crow
Friday, 31 July 2009 07:18:49 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Comments [0]  USA

# Monday, 27 July 2009
USA - LA to San Francisco in Pics.....

Monday, 27 July 2009 05:57:09 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Comments [0]  USA

# Friday, 24 July 2009
BACK TO THE USA ON MACSWAYROUND!
We arrived back into the USA, after a very long journey from New Zealand! We were able to take a final glimpse of Australia as we stopped off in Sydney for a while before catching our onward flight. After approximately 23 hours we were met at LAX, Los Angeles – by our ever faithful friends, Tim and Sylvia. They were, once again, extremely hospitable to us all and we enjoyed several days at their house where we could acclimatise, recover from jet lag and organise ourselves for the next leg of Macswayround! During our time at Huntington Beach (which remains The Surf City of The USA!), Tim very kindly drove us to Victorville and there we saw NESSIE (our RV/ Camper!)–still resting in the desert town just as we had left her, all those months ago! The re-union was very emotional to us as Nessie is obviously such an enormous part of Macswayround and very special to us all. Especially as she had not been with us for our ‘down under’ leg of the journey –as was originally planned. It felt almost like we were ‘home again’ and it was like Christmas when we explored around to find the things that we had stored away and forgotten about! We would like to thank Bear Valley Storage in Victorville for taking such good care of our second home! The children have been over the moon to delve into their toy boxes and to be able to ride their bikes again! We were fortune to have landed back into the USA just days before 4th July – Independence Day- and enjoyed the Huntington Beach Parade in the morning of that day. Following the parade, we were happy to be invited, along with Tim and Sylvia, to their friend’s home for a party! We would like to thank Bob and Marty for their hospitality and it was very interesting for us to experience, first hand, such an important day in the history of the USA. We do hope that no permanent damage has been caused to your house and /or possessions as a result of letting us (well particularly me!) loose in a Dart’s match! Just turning the computer monitor around was just not quite enough protection – now was it?! Jemma and Ben would also like to extend thanks for the swimming pool and playmates as they made use of the pool for almost 7 hours – only popping out to be fed and watered from time to time! It was great to be able to meet more of Tim and Sylvia’s friends and to enjoy a ‘girl’s night out’ movie with Sylvia and Paula too. As it was pointed out to me-that evening was the first in a long while that I had been away from the family and it was very strange! My Nan was also celebrating a very special birthday at the same time, back home in England and so we would like to extend our love and good wishes to Nana on the occasion of her 90th birthday. We were all partying along with you in spirit, just a few miles apart. Nessie had a service – a wise move prior to our trek north – Alaska bound. Our thanks to Paul -at the Huntington Beach Dodge Dealership. So after more farewells-Nessie and Macswayround was back on the road again! We are eternally grateful to Tim and Sylvia and look forward to being able to return at least some of the favour, back in Devon, one day! Following a final stock pile of supplies and a stop at Bakersfield Palm RV Resort, we reached Lemon Cove – in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains- an immense range of continuous rock. We had a great time at the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park-home to the biggest trees in the world! We visited the largest tree (in overall volume) in the world –a Sequoia named General Sherman. To be in the presence of one of the oldest living things on this Earth, left us with feelings of awe and wonder. Not only this tree, but complete groves and acres and acres of big trees create numerous walks amongst these natural giants. The National Park Rangers prefer to think of all the trees as a whole immense of wonder – rather than to worry about which tree is biggest or tallest, as this changes frequently. We were mesmerised as we considered all of the extreme weather conditions that nature has ever thrown at these trees, including fire, which they have not only encountered – but lived through! Some of these trees were actually living on Earth BC and are still living strong today. It left an amazing feeling of all that has gone before us....... We even walked through a tunnelled sequoia that was created years ago to enable stage coaches to pass along the route and plenty of other smaller tunnelled trees along the forest pathways. We were extremely lucky to be able to camp right there within the National Park- at Dorst Creek – in Black Bear Territory! All food and products with a tempting smell had to be stored in Bear-Proof lockers. This made the camping experience ‘very real’ and we settled in for the night with a feeling of in trepidation! With bears in the camp grounds and surrounding meadows on those days, we were not in the right place at the right time....... Looks like we shall have to wait awhile for our much anticipated sighting-no worries! Yosemite National Park was our next stop in California and this has to rate highly in our Macswayround Hotspots! The scenery was nothing short of spectacular with a variety of sheers granite faces, mountains, crystal rivers and cascading water- falls. It is world –famous for its unusual rock formations and has massive cliff faces named El Capitan and Half Dome. Out of the National Park back- drops for a while and into the rush of San Francisco City. We spent our DAY 365 here – YES – we have survived one whole year on MACSWAYROUND so far! We stayed at Tradewinds RV Park in Vallejo and could then enjoy a pleasant ferry ride into the city – letting someone else tackle the driving for a while! The ferry dropped us along the Fisherman’s Wharf and we took a stroll along the way.....we took a cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge and circled the Alcatraz Island. The tour gave lots of information about the island and the history of its infamous and high- security prison. Alcatraz was nicknamed – “The Rock” and we heard many stories about life on the island as a prison officer or as an inmate and tales of the 36 prisoners who tried to escape during the prison’s 29 operational years. It was deemed to be the final straw for inmates who were transferred to this prison, as they were unsuitable for any other ........criminals such as Al Capone and Robert (the Birdman) Stroud...... On Pier 39 we walked around the corner and were surprised to see approximately 200 California Sea Lions, lying out on the K.Docks! Apparently, they came here in droves in 1990 and have taken over the area. Now it is illegal for any boats to use these docks and the sea lions have become an international sensation with visitors like us! Some winters, the population can rise as high as 900 sea lions!
Friday, 24 July 2009 17:24:43 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Comments [0]  USA

BACK TO THE USA ON MACSWAYROUND!
FACTOIDS: • One third of all the gold ever mined – about 1.1. billion ounces – is stored in government vaults throughout the world. Most of the USA Nation’s gold is stored underground at Fort Knox, Kentucky. • In volume of total wood – the Giant Sequoia stands alone as the largest living tree on Earth. • Sequoia trees do not die of ‘old age’. They also have chemicals in their wood and bark which provides resistance to insects and fungi. They have very thick bark (up to 30cms thick) which insulates them from most fire. The main cause of Sequoia deaths is toppling and as they have a shallow root system soil moisture, root damage and strong winds can lead to toppling. • In the Sequoia National Park stands the mighty tree named ‘General Sherman’ – and this tree is believed to be the largest tree (by volume), in the world. It is estimated to be 2,200 years old and ‘The General’ stands at a very proud 275 foot tall (still working in imperial measure in the USA). The trunk weighs an estimated 1,385 tons and at the ground has a circumference of nearly 103 feet. (31 metres!) Its largest branch is almost 7 feet in diameter and every year the General Sherman grows enough new wood to make a 60 foot tree of usual proportions! • Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are 865,257 acres – a land of big trees, deep canyons, tall peaks and flowing rivers...... • In 1868, a young Scotsman named John Muir arrived in San Francisco and asked for directions to ‘anyway that’s wild’. He was pointed to the Sierra Nevada and here his life long relationship and protection of Yosemite began. The spirit of Yosemite has been protected for future generations and as a lasting legacy to John Muir. • The Sierra Nevada mountain range is 400 miles long and up to 80 miles wide, at the widest points. • President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant in the late 1800’s and he also signed a bill that set aside the Mariposa Grove and the scenic Yosemite Valley, in 1864. • Deteriorating buildings and high operational costs, ended the Alcatraz’s days as a federal prison. The last inmates left the island on March 21st 1963, and the prison officially closed its doors a few months later. • Since 1972, Alcatraz has been under the protection of the National Parks Service and they have worked to reach modern safety standards, throughout the island. • California Sea Lions are known for their intelligence, playfulness and noisy barking! Sea lions have external ear flaps, seals do not! • Sea lions may bite if provoked and can live up to 20-30 years in the wild.
Friday, 24 July 2009 17:23:11 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Comments [0]  USA

# Tuesday, 14 July 2009
"WE MADE IT - 1 YEAR ON MACSWAYROUND-SO FAR.........!!"
Just checking in to say we are in San Francisco,USA -for our day 365 on MACSWAYROUND!! We will leave you with some final photos of New Zealand and will be updating you all with the start of our USA adventures-Part 2-soon! Many thanks for your time, support and continued interest........
Tuesday, 14 July 2009 05:21:53 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Comments [0]  New Zealand

# Tuesday, 07 July 2009
New Zealand - some last adventures

Tuesday, 07 July 2009 04:24:26 (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)  #    Comments [0]  New Zealand