The long way to John O'Groats

Need to kill a few minutes and finally copied the photos from camera to the laptop. Thought I'd post a few random ones from my trip so far, which thanks to my medic is going to be a lot longer than I thought, but more on that, later.

First, after all these years I should post one of Tom, the guy at the airport who has taken care of me for the last 10 years. This guy has held planes for me, stopped a plane to bring me a forgotten item, sent a pair of tennis shoes to follow me to Minneapolis via a faster jet, so that I was handed my shoes as I disembarked from my flight on the way to work. He's fixed up botched reservations, missing flights and even called to wake me up when it looked like I might be late for a flight and all this because I show up at his airport every few weeks. Oh yeah and he always upgrades me to first class. To me, he IS first class.

I love you, man.

After saying my goodbyes to PW and Tom, I spent a very typical layover in Minnie. Water, Chinese food, chopsticks and a good book. In this case it was a VERY good book and I also stopped into one of those gourmet chocolate shops and dropped 20 bucks on some comfort food because I was feeling incredibly sorry for myself and missing PW and the kids after only an hour or so.

Before leaving for LA and quick turnover for the 15 hr. flight to Auckland, I took a couple of muscle relaxers and while flying had a few drinks, so I was in no shape to take photos until after my Auckland/Christchurch and Christchurch/Invercargill flights. Well, I did attempt to take a shot of...my first look at new Zealand sheep, cause, well, you know what they say about New Zealanders.

While in Invercargill, I peed in a cup, shopped and stopped in the theatre I mentioned the other day. Walking to the theatre from the grocery store I came upon this mural at a gas station, of all places.

Finally, after 3 days, 5 flights, two buses, one car, a ferry and a jet boat, I arrived onboard the ship. My cabin was not tiny, dirty, rusty, smelly and contained only a British cabin mate, no cockroaches. I didn't have time to call the maid before snapping a picture. I snagged the bottom bunk, pulling rank, citing age and a bad back. My laptop/home theatre is set up on the chair. John Wayne's Alamo was playing that night.

So, now that I'm here all I want to do is escape. The medic issued a challenge to the crew, called the Land's End to John O'Groats Challenge. This trip we are cycling, running, and I am ellipticaling from the southern tip of Great Britain, all the way to John O'Groats on the North shore, some 1371 KM. Yes, I made up a word for exercising on an elliptical machine-sue me. Anyway, not to be outdone by the young punk working for me, I struggled through 12.5 KM on the elliptical machine after shift, then collapsed in the sauna in a puddle of puke. Did I mention that most of my ships have a sauna? This one is big, hot and comes with a changing area and showers. So, I'm almost to Penzance, the first stop 16 KM North of Land's End. My goal for this trip is Gloucester, a long, 382 KM down the road to John O'Groats.