US Trip Highlights

Here's some of the highlights of my trip:

Johnson Space Centre, Houston, Texas. This is mission control, and you can take a tour and see the room from which they controlled the Apollo moon missions. Normally you can also see the current control room, but there was a shuttle mission in progress when we were there, so we could only see it via TV rather than live.

East Beach, Galveston, Texas. Beautiful beaches is not usually something that springs to mind when you think of Texas, but Galveston is a lovely barrier island in the Mexican Gulf with some gorgeous beaches.

Riverwalk, San Antonio, Texas. If you ever get the chance to go to San Antonio, take it. The riverwalk runs in a rough circle around the centre of the city, below street level, and the river is shaded by trees, and bordered by lovely walkways that are flanked by restaurants, bars and cafes. San Antonio is also a great base to explore the old Spanish missions in the area.

Stockyards, Fort Worth, Texas. For a taste of the rural life and a glimpse of the old west, the Fort Worth Stockyards are the place to go. They are a working stockyard, with frequent rodeos, plus a cattle drive through the streets every day. Sure, that's not really "authentic", but when else do you even get to see longhorn steers these days?. Throw in country music at a beer garden, and the biggest honky tonk in the world and it's a real experience.

Grand Canyon, Arizona. You truly have to see this for yourself. No photo can come anywhere close to conveying how absolutely staggeringly immense and beautiful this place is. Created in one single flood 4,000 years ago my fucking ass. Somehow you can just feel how old this place is.

Las Vegas, Nevada. I love Las Vegas. What could be better than a city entirely devoted to enjoyment? You don't need to gamble, there's much more to these hotels than the casino floor. There's enough attractions, shows, exhibits, shops and restaurants to keep you busy for a year.