The Last Ditch by Tom Paine

Well actually I didn’t. I had planned to do so, with my camera of course, so that I could use that title. It’s a reference as most of you will surely have recognised to Johnny Cash’s classic “Folsom Prison Blues.” When I got to Reno, however, I felt fresh and…

I meant to get to Chester today. Not the original Chester in England, where Mrs P. and I had planned to retire had life dealt us better cards, but its Californian namesake. I didn’t make it. I ran out of steam at a place called Red Bluff. This sounds like a…

We arrived in the great State of California (with my California in a great state) about an hour ago. The young guys I asked for directions at a gas station enthused about Speranza and said they had never seen a Ferrari before; even here in my model’s namesake state. I am…

Some of the tour's supporters were concerned about last night's post. I am pleased to report that, following a flurry of emails between Oregon, London and New Jersey overnight that the tour is back on track. I have to sacrifice only 5 days to get Speranza back to London in…

I collected Speranza from the Vancouver dealership this morning, settled my modest bill, thanked the team there for their prompt assistance and returned to JMB’s to repack and set off. We said our goodbyes on her driveway in glorious sunshine. I really enjoyed my interlude in Canada. It was great…

JMB and “the old scientist” (as she always refers to her life partner on her blog) gave me the tour of Vancouver yesterday. It’s great to see a city with native guides. We began by dropping Speranza off with Ferrari & Maserati of Vancouver so they could check out the…

The 48 state US road trip is suspended for a day or so. I am, after a short interrogation by a surprised but unruffled Canadian immigration officer, in British Columbia as a grateful guest of JMB. I had a pleasant and uneventful trip from Wenatchee, WA today to Vancouver and…

I didn’t know what to expect of Washington State, except perhaps a disappointment after the Dakotas, Montana and – to my surprise – Idaho. I didn’t get one. Yes, there was a long drive through wheatfields that set me up to think I was going to find it hard to…

Can anyone with local knowledge advise me please? Is it worth the investment of an extra hour and a half to take the scenic light blue route to Vancouver tomorrow? Given the terrain I am traversing, will it even be any more scenic? [As usual, click the image to enlarge…

I know it’s too soon to declare which road in America is best. I am only coming up to roughly the half-way point of my journey, with about 8,500 miles on the clock so far. Based on my experience to date, however, I am provisionally confident that US 12 in…