Oct. 2, 2002 - ENGLAND


This trip started out with Arlee asking if I would like to go to England and do the canal boats. I didn't have any idea what a canal boat was or how they worked, but it sounded like fun. The bad part was the plane ride. When you are hyper like me, sitting in one spot for eight hours is a hard thing to do. Ilene and I talked it over and we said, " yes." I was going to be the strong one and open the gates. Nancy and Arlee found it to be so much fun they opened most of them.

About three months went by. I think Arlee was thinking we were going to drop out, but we bought the tickets. It was then a go for sure (you can't turn them back when they are cheap seats, $1,371.20). I am thinking, "What have I done?" It is to be a fun trip.

We packed all the things we would need into three carry-ons. Two had wheels and one had straps to make into a pack. We went to the laundry once so clean clothes were not a problem. Well, I didn't think I smelled bad.

The trip started like this. Vellen took us to the airport. The first airplane was to Minneapolis, three and a half hours long. We had a tail wind so the second one was only seven and a half hours long - a few little bumps but not bad.

We are now at the Gatwick airport. Where to go? A sign now and then would be nice but that is not a problem. A place to ask would be nice and this too is not a problem. They're just not there. We got a senior pass to enable us to get discounted bus tickets and found the bus to the Heathrow Airport where we would meet Arlee and Nancy. It was a one and half hour ride. People are driving on the other side of the road here. It is hard to adjust. I kept thinking we were going to run into some one. We met up with Nancy and Arlee. We bought tickets before seeing Arlee with the information he gave us but the information didn't agree with the ticket agent. Ilene and Arlee went back to the ticket agent and got the right tickets. This cut four hours off our trip. Arlee had to tell them what kind of tickets we wanted and introduce them to the web page and ticket schedule. Five hours to Stratford upon Avon. Arlee had reserved a nice Bed and Breakfast.

October 4, 2002

We couldn't check in for our boat until 2:00 so we went shopping in Stratford; it had a lot of interesting gift shops and nick knack stores.

We received a three-hour presentation on operating the boat. He told us everything about it; even how to oil it. The boat is fifty-five feet long, seven and a half feet wide. The boat was ten years and old worth about $30,000,00 pounds.

It was late after our orientation but we wanted to get the feel of the boat so we struck out towards the town of Stratford upon Avon, through the locks and yes, one that didn't work well. With a push from the boat, it opened. Well, we kind of rammed it a little. The boat only weighs 25,000 Lbs. and is powered by a little Diesel motor.

There were four locks. Arlee is learning to drive. He got stuck in the mud after the first 10 minutes. It wasn't stuck too bad and we were on our way. I am learning the locks armed only with my Windless (wrench).

That first night on the boat we stayed in the boat basin at the Stratford Upon Avon. It was very pretty there with lots of flowers and twinkling lights from the town.

October 5, 2002

We were anxious to get started the next morning. The weather was cloudy and not too hot or cold. Nancy and I did 17 locks. I cranked open the paddles and she pushed to open and close the gates. Ilene and Arlee did the boat things. Arlee was on the tiller and motor and Ilene pointing which way to go. Arlee took out a tree on the side. Not a problem – too many trees anyway.

The B Team took over A Team’s job with me driving. I went through the brush on the side, bumped and rubbed my way up the Canal under the bridges and over the aqueduct. If it was near the canal, I ran in to it. The aqueduct was about a quarter mile long, six inches wider than the boat with a strong side wind. Yes, I rubbed the side hard; you could not steer, just give it diesel and go for it.

We bought food at Stratford in a grocery store. Their stores are different. We just bought snacks and breakfast items. The rest of the time we stopped the boat and walked over to a pub. They had good food and more than you could eat.

We were making about a mile an hour on a good run. Arlee and I took a walk into Wootton Wawen. It was a small town - one cross road, an old cemetery and the best part, a store. That was it. There were lots of locks planned for the next day.

We drove in our two steel stakes and tied up for the night.

This is what I had for dinner: egg, 2 Sausages, 2 pork Steaks, 2 Beef Steaks with a big chunk of liver, peas, corn, beans, Lettuce, Tomato, and Cucumber salad. Oh yes, Chips (very large fries that looked like about 8 lbs), plus a pint of Guinness beer. I did not leave hungry.

October 6

Nancy and Arlee did all the locks today. Well, not really, Ilene helped on two. I sat and ran the boat except when I was laying in the back of the boat. The Pub food was still good and yes, we did take out some more brush on the side. How does this sound? The boat was so long it was hard to steer.

Arlee took us through a tunnel that was 396 meters long. It leaked and we drowned. The Gals were on the front of the boat playing with the bats. The tunnel was all brick. The one the animals used to tow the boat was a lot shorter.

We came to a water stop and filled up the boat. It took 100 gallons of water when full. We filled up or thought we did. You have to be careful they say to fill up the water when you get a chance or someone won’t have a shower. I don’t know why. It’s not like you are going to just stand under it. The shower on this boat has to be experienced; there are no words to explain it.

After the water fill, we walked to the pub. It was on the road. When you order food you never know how much you are going to get but it is all good. The people are very friendly and like to talk. The roads are so narrow and, of course, the cars drive on the wrong side.

We are at the beginning of the Staircase to Heaven. There are 21 locks and
we are going to try it tomorrow.

October 7, 2002

We made it though the 21 locks; half of them were in our favor. The weather has been nice. Not too warm and not too cold.

We went to an old church in Warwick today. It was about 900 years old. They use to bury their dead in the church if you were of high standings. There were a lot of tombstones on the outside too. A doll museum was there. I didn’t think it was that great, but the girls liked it. I liked the second hand store more, and I think some of the things were just as old and looked a lot like the ones at home.

October 8, 2002

Warwick - it only took three days to get there. Toured the Warwick Castle. It is a big Castle and today it was full of grade school kids. The narrator was a lot of fun. He said if he shot one, the rest would shut up. He gave a lot of history on the times but you had to listen because he would tell little things that were not true. We all laughed at his talk. Most of the day was spent there. I climbed to the top of the towers and could see for a long way over the countryside.

Now cruising on the boat for three days you would think we would be a long way from our starting point. This is how this works. Our planning guy, Arlee, calls back to Stratford and finds a Shakespearean play for that night in Stratford upon Avon. He calls a cab and when we got back to the boat that evening, it picked us up and took us to Stratford in about 20 Minutes. We ate dinner at six. Why at 6:00 you ask? It is simple. They don’t open till 6:00 p.m. They will let you look at the menu but will not take an order until it is 6:00. Oh yes, at a pub we went to earlier, (we didn’t believe it, so we went there twice), we ordered our food then paid. Next we ordered drinks, and then paid. When we got all finished, only then could we order dessert and pay. A few places we didn’t have to do this. The menu was written on a board. You ordered your food and then if they were out of it, they just went over and erased it off the menu. The Shakespeare play was Pericles. I liked it. You will have to go see it some time.

Oct. 9, 2002

We have big plans for today, Warwick to Preston Bagot, 38 locks and about five miles or less. The Stairway to Heaven was so easy. We teamed up with a local. He had side thrusters on his boat and it was about three months old. He would go in the locks and thrust himself over and I would come in along side. Then up we would go with Ilene, Nancy, and Arlee filling the locks. The other party was getting them ready for us. Two and a half hours and we were at the top. Two miles without locks, four miles an hour. Is that good or what?

We got back to the Stratford on Avon canal and the locks were slow again. Arlee did the boat one half of the day and I did the other. Nancy pushed and pulled on every lock, all 38 of them. Ilene read the map and helped on some of the gates. She is still sick.

The map-reader says there is a “restaurant beside lock 38.” It was dark when we got there. We could not find it. Nancy and Ilene cooked the extra food we bought just for this problem. Pizza, egg sandwiches, and Microwave popcorn over the burner. The next day I go for a walk and find it about a half-mile down a busy highway.

What a day Arlee almost got the boat stuck crossways in the channel. Nance and I walked up to a gate and tried to push it open. We were pushing the wrong way. I am writing this so I get to say I followed her lead and she went to the wrong side and started to push. The map reader said, “I don’t think that will work; you are on the wrong side.” Yes, in unison, and looking very sheepish, we got up and moved to the other side. It opened. Well what do you know, it worked. The map-reader is so smart. We, being laborers are not too bright.

Oct. 10, 2002

I did the locks and Arlee did the driving, then we traded. Nancy went in front and filled the locks. Ilene held the gates shut and opened some of them. We worked well as a team.

We arrived where we picked up the boat. I turned the boat around and only slightly hit another boat. Laundromat was on our minds. Arlee and I went looking. There was a kid working at this hardware store. He found a piece of paper and drew some lines on it - not knowing any of the street names. The owner of the store was more concerned on what to call the Laundromat. Yes, it was only a 15-minute walk. (Everything is only a 5-minute or a 15-minute walk) Well, it went like this. We found some one who knew the streets and about 45 minutes later we were there. Went back to the boat and pick up the Laundry. Arlee called a cab and yes, we were there in 15 minutes.

There could have been a bad thing happen. Arlee and I were standing at the cross walk and the light changed. I looked to my left - wrong - and started to step out. Arlee pulled me back as a car went zooming by. That could have hurt a lot. The driver was talking on the phone and not looking. It would be better for me if they drove on the other side.

October 11, 2002

We spent last night at the place where we rented the boat as we had to turn the boat in by 9:00 a.m. It has been quite a week. We did 138 locks in a week. Are we good or what?

The rest of the day went like this: Found out the train to Bath was going to be 40 pounds. We decided to go by bus, only 18 pounds and the same amount of time.

I now know a lot about Shakespeare and the way he lived, his family tree. There was a great bus tour with a lot of stops covering the high lights. There were no tops on the upper decks of the bus, but they had a recorder with headsets.

Tonight we have a bed and breakfast. We are going to wing it tomorrow night when we get to Bath. Arlee called and they are full. This should be fun. We ate at an Indian Restaurant and then went to the Mop Carnival where they had a lot of new rides. It is a hiring festival. I won Ilene a bear.

Oct. 12, 2002

A bus ride to Bath - It went well. While we were waiting for the bus we called for a place to stay in Bath. They are not high teck and want our credit card before they give out a room. It might be an hour or two before they get a room. Now where would that put our bus and how would we know what room we had. No room, no card, and the bus leaves in twenty Minutes. They found one but no fax so it all had to be long hand and Arlee could almost read it. They did get their 8 pounds for getting it and 4 pounds for trying. The room is big and there are five channels on the telly.

They close things down early so we watched, Jewel of the Nile. I laid there and wondered how they can watch US shows and still have a accent.

Oct. 13, 2002

There was a slight drizzle but by the end of the day it blew and rained hard.

The tour bus is the way to see Bath. They stop at all the tourist things like the Roman Bath House and Costume Museum Exhibit House and much more. There is one place to stay that is only 800 pounds a day.

In a driving rainstorm Arlee and I walked to the Abby. It is the largest church I have ever seen and the stained glass windows were just big. We are on the move tomorrow. No bus pass; no place to stay.

Oct. 14, 2002

It is a day of traveling. A bus ride to Heathrow. The bus station was a Zoo and we were in the middle of it. We found the Information center and booked a room for the Comfort Hotel. Now to take the bus there was a new thing. Find where you pick it up (no small item). While waiting for the bus for what seemed forever, a lady told us where to look for a place to stay in London. That was really nice of her. She even gave us subway directions. Everyone on the trip was nice and friendly except for one person.

Well back to this bus that took us to the Hotel. When it stopped, it would jump up and down a lot. We road the long side of the loop. I was happy to get off that bus.

The traving took most of the day so Arlee and I took another walk through the neighborhood. This hotel was in the middle of no where.

We said our good-byes to Nancy and Arlee.

Oct. 15, 2002

6 a.m. I took a shower in a real shower stall. I had a little problem though. You see there was a curtain there and not all of it got in the shower. Yes, there was a flood when I got out of my long shower. It was about a half inch deep. The carpet was not too dry either. I mopped it up as best I could. We grabbed our suitcases and left our nice room to eat breakfast and venture on alone.

The bus and the tube train were easy, the attendant helped a lot and getting a room was not much of a problem. We just walked down the street until we came to a Hotel and went in. The elevator was broke so we hiked the luggage up to the third floor, went down a dark hallway with a strong smell of rotten wood, went through a swinging door, and turned left. The walk to our room was very creepy, but the room was nice.

After we got settled, we went for a tour of the city by bus. In some cases I could crawl faster, one light 7 times. We now know where most things are. We went for a boat trip on the Thames River for about an hour. It was included in our bus tour. The bus did not take us back to where we got on but after a 2-mile walk we were back at our hotel.

We should have taken the tube train; it would have taken us there shortly but did not know. It rained all day some times harder than others.

We had pizza for dinner.

The room is strange. The door opened into the closet and the bathroom door was about 18 inches wide. The bathroom was a fair size. The ceilings were 12 feet tall. The view overlooked Hyde Park in the city of West Minster.

October 16, 2002

The sun is out today but a little cold, not too bad though. Off to see the West Minster Abby. It is so big and tall with stained glass windows. The construction is amazing. It is another building you have to see to appreciate. Jewel Tower is where they did Weights and Volume for the Standards of England. Walked across the West Minster Bridge. Took a ride on the world’s tallest viewpoint, the London Eye British Airways. It takes half an hour. From there we took a long walk through town, over the Millennium Bridge and back to the tube train. We found a direct route using the Circle Line to Bayswater (our street).

In the morning we had cold showers. Ilene had a cold shower; I chickened out. That night the fire alarm went off around midnight. What a fun place to be.

Oct 17, 2002

We saw the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. We got there early so we could stand in front. We stood in front and were almost pushed through the posts in the fence. We also saw the Queens Gallery (the Royal Treasures), also the Royal Mews (the stables and carriages).

Oct 18, 2002

Went to Windsor Castle and the Tower of London today. Saw the Crown Jewels, all of them. You don’t dilly dally gawking at them. They put you on a moving sidewalk. We also walked across the Tower Bridge. We took an elevator to the top of it and looked out at the city. Then we went down and visited the engine room.

These are things you have to see. The pictures don’t do them justice. They are so big for that time in history and built with what we would call “crude” tools. At that time though it was all they had.

We went to another one of the big tube line terminals to get back to our hotel, but ended up walking back to the Circle Line. The other one was just too confusing.

October 19, 2002

Got up about 5:00 a.m. Packed our suitcases and left the hotel for the last time. We walked to the Bayswater Tube line and went to Victoria Station. Here we had to look for a ticket booth and finally found it after asking many people. Just “over there” doesn’t cut it. When we found it, we bought our tickets to Gatwick Airport. Later we found we could have bought them on the train. The train ride was about a half an hour. The rest went well but it was a long walk. The plane ride was calm and uneventful and would have been more comfortable if we could have stood up or gone to sleep or something.

England is a good place to visit but I don’t think I would want to go back at this time.

“There is one thing for sure. There is NO WAY IN “BLANK !!, BLANK !!!!!, BLANK !!!!!! I AM RIDING A BIKE IN ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!! A back alley way would be a two-way road with parking and buses. When you park, this is what it looks like: The car is on the wrong side and half of it is on the sidewalk; the other side is in the street making is so the big buses and cars can only go by one at a time. This is a main road with a lot of cars. A bike and me don't fit in this picture. NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My thoughts are every one should go there and then they would know how good we have it. I like to visit but don’t want to live there.

To see Mt Hood in the evening and then the lights of Portland was a very happy time in my life. THERE IS JUST NO PLACE LIKE HOME!