If I were to ever travel overseas for a long stretch of time like this again there is no doubting I would not be moving around as much as I have been here. The task of packing and repacking and lugging heavy bags around constantly I have discovered I quite dislike. Couple that with early morning wake up calls and an inability to settle I think will see me next time plan a stay at a particular place for at least a week or more. Maybe this sort of thing is fit for those young backpackers who love hopping from place to place to place every day and half but for me, right now, well let's just say I can feel that I am turning thirty four years of age in two weeks. It probably doesn't help that I've been struck down with a cold and no, it's not abola.

But of course there is a flip side of the coin. You get to see a lot. If you opt for a more scenic, longer lasting travel between destinations like I have your eyes get opened up to a whole world of life and nature and scenic places I can only presume tourists seldom see. I think I said this a little while back in an earlier blog too but I'm constantly fascinated but what the U.S. has to offer. It's not always glamorous or breath taking either, there's a fair share of old, run down, fowl smelling areas in this country.

Right now I'm looking out at some stunning snowcapped hills in a remote area of Southern California as we head into real desert territory. Footing these amazing picture opportunities are a wealth of large houses I can only presume belong to those more financially fortunate. A couple of days earlier it was about seeing the loads of garbage and dumpy areas that exist on the way to Houston, Texas. Texas and Arizona provide much vast arrays of sandy and rocky spaces as Florida and Louisiana does swamps. Go through the Connecticut shore line separating it from the Atlantic and you see nothing but expensive, three story, weatherboard homes with yachts out front and acres of lush green grass and if you're fortunate enough to rail it adjacent the Hudson River in upstate New York on a colourful sunset evening and you love taking pictures you're likely to have your camera in your hand for hours.

I could not tell you the amount of hours I've spent aboard Amtrak trains, luxury coaches or shuttles on this trip, I'll likely try and calculate it at the conclusion. I'm sure the number will be incredibly high and have lots wondering how on earth I didn't go crazy. But I've loved getting lost among the country side as the sun blazes down on it, the lights at night provided by big city skylines and the snow capping trees, grassy fields and small towns in New York and Ontario. You couple this with my pure hatred for waiting at airports and my inability to be able to relax whilst on a short domestic flight on a plane with visible rust on the wings and it's no wonder the long, on ground, scenic route has been the one for me more often than not.