First Date in NYC

After a day in transit and done much needed sleep I had a lazy day, sleeping lots with a little wandering and shopping. Vera was arriving into NYC today and we had tickets to a show on Broadway called first date.
We planned a time to meet at the theatre, I had more luggage issues upon arriving into JFK so I was down a few items and needed to replace them so I wandered through times square hitting up forever 21 making a few purchases. The Disney store was looking less crowded so I though I would go have a proper look as I can out of the Disney store it had starred to snow.

If you know me you know how much I was hoping for snow whilst I was in NYC, what I didn't want was a blizzard that would nearly shutdown the city and throw a spanner into friends travel plans but more on that later. I decided I wanted to grab a bite before the show so found a little pizza place I ate at last time I was in NYC. They are one of a few that do Hawaiian so it was nice to have a touch of home, whilst eating I got chatting to the family next to me they were Blackhawk fans and since I was going to the game the following night we talked hockey a lot.

Vera met me not long before the show started we were able to go straight in. We had debated where to sit when buying the tickets turned out we got the perfect tickets they were second row and positioned directly in front of a take where the majority of the show took place. First Date was funny and witty, it had moments where you cringed with the character and in the end you get the happy ending outcome you know you want.

After the show I said bye to Vera she needed good and sleep (she only arrived from Sydney that afternoon). By now the blizzard had set in the roads were just white now and the snow was falling consistently. Instead of being sensible and going home I stood in the falling snow at the stage door. Zachary Levi the start of the show and also known for his charming antics in the show chuck (which I watched for years) was known for coming out and greeting fans.

We waited a while and Zachary came out, this is when I learnt that he is as lovely and humble as you would hope. He stood out in the falling snow singing and dancing making sure he signed everyone's playbill before taking photos with everyone there. He would have hung around at least an hour or more in freezing conditions to make sure he didn't let his fans down - pure class.

After that it was off to bed with the hopes of another sleep in.

A trip to Orange county and New year's babble eve

I started out with a 4 am start to make my flight to LAX, hoping this time there would be no delays, my luggage would show up with me and things would just go smoothly. I arrived in L.A.with no problems, connected to my shuttle and was soon on my way to Brea. Brea is in Orange county about 20 mins from Disneyland, my only reason for going to Brea was for the new years show I was going to.

I arrived in Brea extremely tired but unable to check in (most places in the US have a check in time of 4 pm) so I asked them to call me a taxi and I headed to Brea mall for some shopping and a bite to eat. I shopped a little bit really was just exhausted, I found a great little good court with fresh food (one reason to love California) I was able to create my own stir fry and it was so nice to have vegetables again.

I heeded back to my hotel ready to check in, checked in made a few calls then had a quick 30 minute nap hoping it would get me through till after midnight. After my very quick nap i had a shower, packed my stuff (I would be getting picked up at 3 am to head back to LAX) then started my walk to the venue.

There was already some people in line when I arrived so I lined up behind them it didn't take long till we got chatting or me entertaining them highlighting the differences between words in our cultures. Ryan, Michelle and Adrian were lovely and asked me to sit with them for dinner and during the show.

To explain Hollywood babble on to those who have no idea, for the past 4 years I have listened to a podcast by Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman on a weekly basis, last time i was in California I made sure I caught the show as well. When I knew I would be in the states for new years there wasn't a question of where I would be spending my night.

We were the first ones in the door so had our pick of table,  We chose the front centre table, this table was connected to the table that Ralph and Kevin would be sitting at. Dinner was included so we got to eat our dinner before the show started, it was nice to have company for the meal and conversation flowed easily.

Once the show started I was in for so many laughs, I was lucky enough to receive the first shout out of the evening and got to hear a great Ed Wynn impression. It was Ryan's birthday and he also received a shout out. Once we got to the email bag section there was a letter from an Australian So Kevin thought it would be a good idea if I read it. Apparently it would be better if it was in an Australian accent, I tried my hardest to not do it but alas Kevin got his way. I do dread having to listen to the podcast when it is released.

After the show ended, I had to jump in line for the next show. This time the line went around the block and I ended up at the back of the venue. The site was different as Ralph had promised lots more laughs and a great way to bring in the new year. After we left the venue a group of people I met in the second line cane and found me to offer me a ride back to my hotel. All I can say is that the people here are beyond nice.

I had a great news year's eve, my shuttle was arriving in 2 hours and i knew the first day of 2014 was going to be long but I wouldn't change it, it was completely worth it.

Bears and wolves.... oh what fun

My last day in West Yellowstone I had a lazy morning before setting out on foot. I had one thing I wanted to do today and that was visit the Wolf and grizzly discovery centre. At the centre they have taken in bears that were at risk or posing a risk to humans the area around them. I could have spent days watching the bears, they switch them over after a couple of hours.

The wolves were interesting especially after learning about some of the packs that live in Yellowstone. I spent most my day just checking out the centre before grabbing a bite to eat and heading to my shuttle back to Bozeman.

Grand canyon of Yellowstone

I woke up feeling pretty sore today mainly across my shoulders, but I was having an easier day today I was heading to the grand canyon of Yellowstone but via Snow coach, basically a bus on skis. We had to be at the meeting point by 8 am, it was nice as I walked in be greeted by a voice other than a US accent, the manager was an expat Brit so we had a great chat.

I met my guide Daya who turned out to be Josh wife. She was lovely and even learnt my name so no being called Australia all day. We set of on our journey which took us past the Madison river as we kept an eye out for any wildlife in the area.

We made our way to the canyon to have lunch and beat the rush. The canyon is so different from old faithful so much quieter we hardly saw another tour group the whole day.
After lunch we headed to the lower falls such a beautiful look out point and it is amazing to see water flowing in amongst all the snow. This stop was also where I became fascinated with snowflakes. I know we always depict snowflakes as these beautiful delicate flakes, never did I ever expect to see then look exactly like this after falling from the sky. The pictures speak for themselves.

We headed to the upper falls before heading back down and it of the canyon on the way out we made a stop at Norris geyser basin which was probably my highlight of the day (behind the snowflakes). The basin was one of the places you could easily see the thermal activity in the park. The colours were spectacular and the sulphur smell nice and strong.

I had such a great day and finished it off with free meal in the three best restaurant.

Off roading snowmobile style

As part of my package I had snowmobile hire included for a day outside the park.The plan originally was for Josh to give a few if us from yesterday's tour a map of some trails to check out and we would go in a small group. Josh did even better he arranged us a guide for the day. We met Amy at 8:30 am, it was less mucking around today we all still had our snowmobiles from the day before.

A day outside the park entails no real plans, Amy was watching the weather and contact with other guides the area. Two top was a place that everyone said was a must see. But as the snow fell two top could not be seen and if it isn't visible from the ground there no way we would be able to see anything from two top. So we decided to go look for some moose, as we were getting closer to the highway Amy stopped asked us to turn around as we did it was clear the view from two top had cleared up, so we turned our snowmobiles around and to two top.

Two top was a beautiful place that overlooked most of west Yellowstone the trails and views were just spectacular. The trails outside the park were much less groomed and looked after so the trails a lot bumpier than the previous day as well as more narrow. There were more locals on the trails who were much more experienced on the snowmobiles.

After two top we made or way through big springs which this beautiful lake with a cute little cabin built into the hillside. We kept making or way eventually cruising into Idaho and ending at a little restaurant in Phillips. Phillips seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere but the did was good portion sizes huge as always.

The trip back was very bumpy, even Amy said the trails were some the worst she had seen. All I wanted when I got home was a warm shower, to do my washing and sleep. Turns out snowmobiling can be exhausting and the muscles in my shoulders were proof of that.