A Silly Grin In LA - Yay

A Silly Grin In LA!

Well I finally made it - my feet are on American soil. I've been finger-printed, retina scanned & photoed, and they still let me in? Barack Obama welcomed me to the USA after I passed all the tests!

I'm sitting a LAX having a Flat White or should I say a Cafe Latte ($3.75 & left over coins in jar by till). Yum, just like home but had to go 'Euro Coffee' to get it.

My first coffee in the USA!

So I'm ready for day ahead now. A long but good flight, smooth. Read and maybe I'm a bit weird buy I quite like the food, dozed and chatted to a really lovely young lady called Jenny. She was born in Roswell, studying in New Hampshire, parents from Philedelphia, uncle is a real live CSI crime scene photography in LA. Worked summer in Queenstown, heading home for a week then back to Uni. She wrote out 4 pages of info for me on where to stay, eat, sleep and what to see in Roswell and New Mexico. Was a really pleasant way of passing quite a long flight, made it seem so short. We're meeting at MacDonalds in Roswell for a coffee. Apparently the Mackers there is in an elevated flying saucer! Hah, GOT to go there!

So, on to the hotel!

Eventually got shuttle when I figured out that you've actually got to hail it. Too early to book into hotel so left big bag there and caught bus for $1 down to Route 66 to pick bike up. The "Big Blue Bus" only takes $1 notes fed into machine. Step off bus and buy LA Times to get change, only cost $1 though! Felt every-bit the tourist with helmet bag and jacket in tow, with an NZ t-shirt on to boot! Felt like all eyes were on me, waiting for the big slip up. Get over yourself Hey I said to myself! Actually got off at the right stop and had to get across a 6 lane highway, right at first time I saw my first LAPD cruiser. Hah, arrested for jay-walking on first day?

Signed the forms, had a nice chat to Glenn, (a very chilled out dude), and pushed off into flowing traffic on Lincoln Blvd for the first time on my HD Electra glide! No wobbles, no stalls, no wrong side of road and some beautiful merging if I must say so myself. I went the massive distance of about 5 miles, I think the bike warmed up? Put petrol in when trip meter gets around 160 miles.

My new wheels under The Custom Hotel

Back to hotel to unpack, snooze and see if water really does run down drain anti-clockwise?  Leah - they really do have high tides in the loos, and yes; not practical to use as bidet!

More later if you're still awake!   :)

Mild Thog - (opps Hog) #4