So we found the way to Amarillo now it's off to Santa Fe

What started off as one of the shortest milage days actually turned out to be one of the longest times wise!

We hit the road and shortly came across the iconic Cadillac Ranch, strange but very cool. There are about 8 Cadillacs nose down in the ground and then people spray paint them with their own words and pictures. Obviously we did and managed to find a full can of neon pink paint and managed to find space to leave our marks.

The next stop was Adrian the mid point of route 66 halfway between Chicago and LA and the lovely mid point cafe. They have a car outside that you can sign outside and in 2009 i left a message on there which i managed to find again this year! By the way lovely chocolate chip and pecan pie :)

Glenrio was our next stop it's a ghost town that only has a dirt track road. Stepping outside the car the road was actually sand and i was slightly scared we were going to come across a snake when we were snooping around the deserted buildings. 19 miles of dirt road later and we hit civilisation again.

We were trying to follow the Santa Fe trail but unsuccessfully managed to end up in an indian reservation and on the way out we noticed the sign said no entry this is government land that has been donated trespassers will be shot :s Glad i got us out of that one......... Shortly after that little mishap we ended up following a small mountain track and when the sat nav told us to turn left onto a dirt track of course we did as it said..... We came to a gate Private Property do not enter, a quick escape was also made from here after chatting to a local and we retreated back to the interstate.

Back to the safety of main roads we made our way to Madrid, the film set for the film wild hogs. All i can remember about the arrival was i really needed a wee and nowhere was open because it was late! A beautiful little quirky town.

We arrived at our hotel for the evening a little shocked... a stunning Hilton hotel in Santa Fe. Feeling a little out of place we headed into the reception and found our room. We discovered there was a lovely pool and all went for a swim and then mum turned in for the night while me Dad and Ben headed down to the bar and casino. Ben went with 2$ and came back with 15$ after success on the roulette table and i broke even with 4$ a good night all round and good practice for Vegas.

Tomorrow the journey continues to Holbrook and the Cosy Cones.

Me with my spray at the caddy ranch

My name from 2009 and 2012

Glenrio the ghost town

Beautiful river in the pecos region

Madrid 

The pool at the hotel

I'm back.... in America

So i haven't written for a long time so about now seemed right plus i thought this way i don't have to keep filling my Facebook newsfeed with my tales of our road trip...

4am Monday morning, tired and excited i head out, it's cold and i'm off to mum and dads. 10:25am were on the runway aboard a Boeing 777, excited that there is on demand entertainment and we frantically start planning what we will watch over the next 10 hours.

So i watch Dark Shadows.... Strange film good but strange don't know that i would rush to see it again but it passed two hours, next up was Magic Mike again strange but in a different way...again wouldn't rush to see it again. Then i opted to watch the queens diamond jubilee concert. The meals were nice, the seats were comfortable and generally it was a good flight.

Pleased to be on the ground in Houston we were all interrogated by customs, why are you here..... where are you going.....How much money do you have with you.....what do you do for a living me: i'm a visitor experience manager for a tourist attraction her: a what? What do you do? Me: i look after visitors, you know car parks etc Her: for who? Me: The National Trust. Her: Who? Me: We are a conservation charity looking after historic buildings...... Her: oh (i didn't realise i was i was being tested about the trust wished i payed attention to those facts and figures now)!

Safely through we collect the car after an upgrade we end up with a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Awesome vehicle satellite radio, leather seats, inbuilt sat nav... luxury. Its a good thing really as we will be in it for a LONG time.

We get on the road and were off to Dallas. 260 miles later 4 tired people arrive on the Dallas ring road, the Dallas skyline at night was beautiful.. sadly no pictures where you can actually see what it was were taken.... The La Quinta Inn and Suites was our home for the night and it was lovely, big comfy beds, nice bathroom rubbish view but that didn't matter. Our heads hit the pillows and we were gone...

Up at 7am (yes 7am i don't even get up that early at home!) and off to breakfast. Mum and dad opt for the traditional biscuit and gravy meanwhile i stick to the more traditional scrambled egg on toast and a Texas shaped waffle!

Next up was our 450 mile trip to Amarillo (hoping that someone new the way :) First of all we headed to the outskirts of Oklahoma City and then joined interstate 40 west to head off towards the one and only Historic Route 66. Visiting various landmarks along way such as Elk City, Erik and Shamrock, seeing sites like the tire garage from Cars the movie, a beautiful art deco building and the old route museum made of lots of fascinating replica buildings. One stop was to our favourite Dairy Queen for a dipped cone and we visited Janie in her garden centre over the road while she was taking delivery of a lot of pumpkins, she was so happy to meet us and wanted to hug as all and know about where we were from and how long we were here for as well as complimenting our accent...

As night was falling we arrived in Amarillo (signing along to is this the way to Amarillo in the car!) we pulled in to the Big Texan Steakhouse for dinner (not sure it was the best choice for the vegan amongst us). We saw 2 people attempt and fail to eat the 72oz steak challenge, however we opted for the slightly smaller portions i had the most amazing rack of ribs. I was so full that i just couldn't even bear to think about pudding. We shot some guns in the laser shoot while sitting on replica saddles and got put in jail.

The next challenge was to find our hotel listed as the Amarillo medical centre, luckily it turned out to be a Holiday Inn and was very nice with the highest beds i've ever seen! The one downside was the strange smell outside which i can only describe as a mix between a sewage farm and a taco bell and inside the corridors we can only presume to stop said smell it smelt like bubblegum! This morning we were up at 6am! (yes it gets earlier) and were off down to breakfast which again was lovely even if the waitress was a little too attentive. So todays trip is to Santa fe only 250 miles but with lots of interesting points along the way including the mid point of Route 66 halfway  between Chicago and LA.

Laters

The car on the historic mother road 

Us at Janie's 

Us at the historic route 66 museum 

Mum on the phone

The Art Deco building that was the tire fitters in Cars

The Big Texan 

Yummy dinner 

2011 the highs and lows

Well as i sit here in front of the tv in my pi's on new years eve i was thinking back over what 2011 had to offer so i thought i would blog for the final time this year.

2011 has seen some real highs and some real lows. The year started off pretty normally there  wasn't a lot to be said for January other than going to Camber sands at 4am on new years day!

There we are 4am! 

February saw us travel to Portsmouth for Robyns 21st a couple of days of fun and mainly drinking! A trip like a tourist up the Spinker Tower to stand on the glass floor and a lovely lunch at Pizza Express! The evening consisted of Vodka jelly shots, cake and £5 rounds of drinks! February also saw Lorna's birthday..... An interesting night with a round of golf thrown in! 

Then it was my birthday! A girls day out to Chislehurst caves and a dinner at my FAV restaurant the Smith and Western to celebrate. At least it wasn't a repeat of the previous year where i didn't even get to eat my dinner!

Next in the line of birthday celebrations were the twins and we hit the big smoke for the evening..... Funniest memory from the evening writing love notes to people on the train on the back of McDonalds wrappers! 

Work was just beginning to get interesting, we were open again and i had a new team in place ready to rock and roll and that we certainly did. 

April bought Easter along with it and in the usual fashion work took over my life... we saw 11,000 visitors in 4 days and somehow i managed to chuck myself head first into the wooden fence at work! A lovely trip to a&e to get the splinters removed and a few days off work to get right again, i still can't walk throughout hat archway without feeling a little bit sick to my stomach.....The night before has seen a first, the Scotney social BBQ it was good fun and i of course made the traditional corn on the cobs! But this occasion triggered a new friendship, first time in the 4 walls of Tappings towers and many a story about that particular place to come. I seem to remember i wrote my number on a paper plate, how romantic! :) 

Closely followed by the event of the year the Royal Wedding, big thanks go to the Tappings for the use of their living room to watch certain parts of it! A strange day to be working from memory we didn't see a lot of people that day. Highlight for me.... David Beckham of Course ;) 

In-between the two May bank holidays i managed some R&R from work in the lovely Tenerife, a nice week away chilling out, a fish pedicure, drinking, sun etc the usual! It also contained the first Edwards family golf tournament, i hasten to add that Dad won! 

Unfortunately May also saw one major loss, I sadly lost my Godmother Di as she lost her battle to cancer. I have to say that i couldn't have asked for a more hilarious Godmother she was guaranteed to get a laugh in any situation and she will be greatly missed as a part of my life.  Her funeral and Tea party were touching and moving and it was lovely to see how much she meant to everyone that she had met, i was honoured to be one her godchildren :) 

There we are on my 21st! 

The last Bank Holiday weekend saw the Scotney curse strike down another member of the team when Josie slipped and dislocated her knee, i don't think i've run as fast as i did that ay closely followed by Tapping in hot pursuit. Unfortunately of us it was the worst scenario as neither of us like bones, but Tapping got through it thinking of Kylie, glitter and shoes whilst i managed to keep everyone out of the way and got an Ambulance to us. Next thing i knew i was on my way to a&e in the back on an ambulance...... That saw Josie out of action for a LONG time. 

JUNE- the invention of WET weekends, den building, morris men, Christmas in June..... 

Tori's 21st themed Christmas in June...... 

Major occasion we paid for Ibiza 11. I went out for the first time with a few members of the now named Scotney Massive, we got drunk (standard) and the next day we had a brass band WRONG. Second night out was the Scotney girls..... Tapping squeezing her cabbage comes to mind.... that and pissing twice in about a 2 minute time frame! 

The girls (note Hels in the background) 

July was in one word EPIC. The Scotney Massive did the Hop Farm Festival, we saw Prince who was amazing! I drunk a lot in a stupid attempt to keep up with Mansell, the next day was not pretty! I saw Take That twice

Prince live on stage  

Take That- Wembly Stadium, the first time 

Us girls at Wembly! 

July was then all about the Lesbian break, me and Robyn headed for a fun filled four days, we visited Cadbury World, National Trust properties and Alton Towers. We stayed in some quite frankly dodgy hotels and the Alton Towers hotel. We did the rides, played crazy golf, ate too much, soaked people with buckets of water in Splash Landings and had a good laugh along the way! Heres to next year Rob Rob i think we will struggle to top that AWESOME experience! 

Once i was back it was back out on the town with the Scotney Massive, this time with Tanya as well. Things started so well and ended up with us in a bus stop after everyone else had gone home with Helen still in P&P! A good night again i was quite ill after this night, i blame the long island ice tea in TN4- dangerous stuff! 

 A few members of the SM

Tapping learns to fly! (after one of MANY piss stops) 

July ended on a high river festival, kits, sushi, first Tapping sleepover, Facebook comment of the month Holly Johnson "i didn't expect to end work with Laura Edwards and Mike Lynch trying to cling film me to a chair"! 

August another good month.

It was the month this happened:

A few of you will know what this was about ;)

We had more random evenings at Tapping Towers as the bromance fight on the floor and we venture out to get Kebab to end up in town and then have random conversations with people in sunglasses on the roads! The countdown to Ibiza was on..............

 We get glammed up to go out...

 We drank a LOT 

 We ate a LOT

We took in the view....

We partied hard! 

We Lolled a LOT 

IT also saw a first for the Scotney Castle garden, 600 people, 1 night, some jazz..... 

September was slightly less mental...... 

3 nights of cinema, drunk people hitting on my boss, drunk people eating my McDonalds, dinner at the Tappings, collapsing screens, cold weather, late nights, long days and a lot of laughs! September also saw the creation of Random Fridays. While Andrew was bowling me and Chloe had the most amusing night out EVER! We intended to go to Tamworth but we didn't so we went to Gatwick airport and Brighton! 

Another first the art demo, one Thursday morning, the discovery room, an iron and away we went.... this was the results...... 

What was that i said about less mental, that was until the invite for centre parcs occurred........ 

What can i say about that weekend.... well i only spent one night there but in that time i laughed a lot and drank a lot. We went line dancing that was quite tame but hilarious with Mansell trying to dance in a straight line. Then we went to Hucks for dinner, lovely food. Then we headed off to the forum for some well earned refreshment then it was back to the villa for the 952 villa party of the year! 

Man down! In his own clothes this time though....

"What just happened.........Tappings down" 

"Marilyn what is Mansell wearing....... Thats my jumper" 

The next day i took the Scotney Tearoom staff to Thorpe Park, good day and i was one of the hardcore three, me Truman and Lynch even in the Saw maze :) 

The Noddy arrived!!!!!!

October saw a LOT of dusting in the Scotney house as various people were on holiday, sheepdog trials, BBQ's at the Wingers house, Chocolate Cheesecake made by Wingers himself....... 

Bags packed Spain here we come for a very different holiday, me and my dad set sail on the Pont Avon headed for Santander. 5 days of driving through the mountains, enjoying the scenery and generally having a good time :) 

My fav bike of the whole rally! 

Next was an interesting experience, i decided to organise the Scotney Massive going to Tulleys farm halloween experience...... I was she scared for the whole thing and i don't think i actually looked in any of the experiences...... 

That was it the Tappings, Wingers and Mansell were off to America and that meant i was taking up residency at Tapping Towers to look after the babies....

:) :) :) :) :) 

A very uneventful two weeks other than Xena and Sparkle cuddles, eating, tv, the sofa, more cuddles sleep...... 

In other news Katey and Grant had their little girl Freya she was perfect :) and i carved an awesome pumpkin. 

November excellent TV X factor, Strictly....... 

The only reason to watch X factor! 

Lamberhurst fireworks, nandos, mcdonalds, day trips to London, day trips to France, the start of christmas....... 

It also saw my first trip to the famous Charrington Bowl! 

December was the time we went to central London to pick the chimp up! 

Unfortunately December marked the other massive low of the year which was Xena. Thats enough before i get upset! 

December has seen christmas meals, Tappings birthday celebrations, Christmas with the Tappings, Mandarin, cider, beer, snoring and the comedy duo! 

Thats it 2011 in a nutshell all be it quite a big nutshell. 2012 what does it hold who knows lets find out! I'm hoping fun times, Broomhouses, Moomins and LOL's 

Happy New Year Everyone :)