We weren't sure what to expect from Memphis, so were pleasantly surprised to find it one of the more raw, real and, in its own way, quaint cities we have come across. It had the same culture, deep love of music and historical pride of New Orleans but showed it in a more humble, subtle, bluesy way. We were in Memphis just long enough to check out some of the major cultural sights and appreciate the tasty eateries which have come to define this city. We learnt...

After over two months of meandering along the west coast and zigzagging through the southern states, the weather is definitely cooling down and ironically it seems time to start heading back towards Canada. All our meandering has meant it has taken us longer to reach the south than we expected and although there are no regrets, it has meant we have had to forgo our original plan to drive back up the east coast. Instead, we are heading straight back to familiar te...

Our time in Texas was short but we feel that we got a good sample of the cultural and social diversity of this powerful super state. We ate more meat in two days than we have in the past two months, glimpsed the true meaning behind the 'Keep Austin Weird' campaign and gawked at old space shuttles at the NASA Space Centre in Houston. We detoured through Austin for two reasons - music and barbeques. As it is easier to enjoy music with full stomachs, we ate fir...

New Mexico for us was a two day whirlwind of long flat roads through the desert, with a few dusty little towns and iconic American characters along the way. We met Smokey Bear, Billy the Kid, the aliens from Roswell and even a real live roadrunner! It all started with the parking lot at Walmart. We pulled in here as a last resort after crossing over from Arizona the day before. Although it's perfectly legal to sleep in most Walmart car parks, it isn't the most c...

As one of the 'must see' highlights of the United States, we had grand hopes for this natural wonder of the world. The Grand Canyon lived above and beyond its hype. We've just spent nearly a week in this epicenter of wonder and America has once again shown us its raw, hospitable, proud and open personality. Being in the middle of the desert, we expected the Grand Canyon to be dry, warm and relatively baron. So we were surprised as we drove in to the middle of a...