Hurricane Irma

Our encounter with Irma

Well, this is a departure from the normal posts that I make...

Living in Florida, we knew that there was always a chance for a tropical storm or even a hurricane. What we didn't expect was to get one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit Florida and one of the biggest in area (twice the size in area of Andrew).

Irma tracked WNW from the tropical Atlantic across the leeward islands and along the northern coast of Cuba. As of 10am on the 10th, when I started this post, Irma had just begun its Northern turn and, per latest forecast, was heading directly towards our home in Tampa. As per our bad luck, it will be the first major storm to hit Tampa since 1921!

So, we listened to the authorities and evacuated as we live in zone a which is susceptible to storm surge being a low lying area (South sun bay). Before leaving, we moved most of our furniture to the center of the apartment and covered it with tarps. We didn't want to leave it near the windows when winds of 💯 mph are forecast!

We also packed the few possessions that we didn't want to lose plus a few changes of clothes into suitcases and put them into our rental car.

In addition we also have a bug out bag, something that I put together when we moved back to the US. It contains three days emergency water and rations plus basic survival gear such as crank flashlight/radio, knife, multi tool, small stove, first aid kit, shovel, tarp, etc. We threw that in the trunk with our suitcases and 24 litres of water and some beer. 😀

We woke up Saturday morning to see the warnings for the storm moving more along the west coast of Florida... some apprehension set in as we we're planning to head to a shelter. The thought of staying locally was a consideration as I wanted to be close to the apartment but I was worried about being in a building with a thousand people who I didn't know. We were really surprised when a friend from school, almost forty years ago, invited us to stay with them about sixty miles north of Tampa and higher, not in a flood zone. What a great thing to do, thanks Stephanie and Dave. 😀 Much thanks and love...

We're now in Homossasa, it's Sunday morning and the rain has started. We're now just waiting for the bad weather to get here... will update this post later this evening.

1415: not much happening here other than rain and the occasional gust to 40 mph. Some of us are more relaxed about this than I am...

I have to say that I am worried about potentially losing all our belongings and not having a place to live... wish us luck.

1900: Not much happening here, North of Tampa. The positive news is that Irma is now a Cat 2 and is moving quickly North, with a slight easterly component. If it sticks to that path then it will likely drop to a Cat 1 by the time it passes Tampa. That means less winds, gusts to 80, and lower surge. We are sitting here with everything crossed hoping that is what happens...

2200: Powers out, heavy rain and gusts easily over 40 mph from the northeast. Could be a lot worse, lucky that the storm is weakening as it continues to track North. Excuse to sit around with our friends and eat ice cream. Obviously, don't want to leave it to go off now do we 😉. Anyway, off to bed hoping that things don't go to shit overnight.

11/0700: Well, we're all safe and what's left of the storm is over us and moving NW. We had a lot of rain and wind but very little damage here. The initial reports from Tampa and St Pete is that it could have been a lot worse than it was so we count ourselves very lucky... still need to get back to the apartment and see what, if any, damage has occurred. Still a window of time when we're concerned about storm surge... not entirely out of the woods yet but being on the third floor de-risks things a bit. For now, we've got generator power to the fridges so plenty of food and water.

2017 Battle of the Bulge trip

Battle of the Bulge trip....

 

Welcome back readers!!! This is a short post to tell you about my latest foray into Europe in search of history. As I was back in the UK for a visit, I figured that I would pop over to the continent for some more touring and history. Given that it is so easy, it only takes 50 minutes to fly from Gatwick to Amsterdam, and is relatively cheap, less than 100 GBP for the flights and 135 Euros for two nights in an Ibis, it was pretty much a no brainer.

 

So, an early start, sort of, saw me catching a cab to Gatwick for a 10:50 flight. I arrived in Amsterdam at just about noon and after a short walk to the train station I was on the train heading to Rotterdam by 1pm.

 

Travelers Note:  As with many European cities, Amsterdam Schipol airport is collocated with a major train station. Once you clear passport control and have retrieved your baggage then head into the main concourse. You can by tickets to almost anywhere from the ticket counter or from the self service machines. A return to Rotterdam, where I was based, costs 25 Euro. Just remember to validate the ticket before heading down to the platforms.  😀

 

 

Depending on whether you get the local or intercity train you'll have anywhere from 3-5 stops before reaching Rotterdam...takes about 45 minutes and, generally speaking, the trains are much more punctual than in the UK. Heck, most trains in most countries are better at being on time than the UK (Editorial opinion, sorry).

 

Given that I wasn't due to tour until the next day, I figured that I'd do a little sightseeing and try to relax a bit as it was a beautiful day! Fortunately, the Ibis that I was staying in was within walking distance of Rotterdam Central station, about 45 minutes at an easy pace. That allowed me to see some sights and scope out the local area. Rotterdam, like many other large cities was devastated by the Germans during WW2. Actually, much of the town was levelled in May 1940. Sadly the raid took place after the Dutch surrendered. The end result was significant damage and loss of live that could, and should, have been avoided. Apparently, the Germans said that the recall notice to their bombers was not received in time. As a result of WW2, much of the city is new and that shows in the architecture. Walking from the station to the maritime district, where I stayed, highlighted how modern the city is with gleaming new buildings and canal's.

 

 

 

Travelers Note: Within walking district of the station is the Cool District. The district includes a pedestrianized area called the Lijnbaan which has a huge number of shops and cafes. You can also venture further out to some of the other malls.

 

 

 

So, I stayed in an area called Stadsdriehoek which, I am sure, some of my Dutch friends can tell me what the translation is. I am guessing that it has something to do with the maritime history of the city given that it is near the maritime district. I spent an hour or so walking around the area, along the canals and the waterfront. As with many European cities, Rotterdam knows how to relax with cafes, bars and restaurants all along the waterfront. You can also find more historical buildings as the area escaped the destruction that the city center endured. The following pictures give a taste of how pretty the area is.

 

 

So, having wandered around for a little while, I stumbled upon the Markthal. The Markthal is a modern market hall which has apartments around it...it looks like a dome. I was amazed, the market had a huge variety of food and drink stalls, I could easily live there!

 

 

Of course, I had to buy some Stroopwafel which is a Dutch specialty.

 

Travelers Note: There is also an outdoor market adjacent to the Markthal. The outdoor market is very similar to the markets that you find in the UK with stalls selling food and cheap goods. Personally, it's worth a look but I wouldn't waste too much time or money there.

 

After my short walk around town, I had to sit down and relax before meeting up with my friend and tour guide, Joey, for dinner. What better way then with a beer in the sunshine...

 

 

I had a chance to meet up with Joey and Arianne for dinner later in the evening. It's always great to have friends that are local and know the area, they were able to recommend a great place to eat. I think we spent 2+ hours talking, not about history, which was great considering we had an early start the next day.

 

Up bright and early to start the road trip...0615! Joey picked me up at the airport and the first stop was a gas station on the way for some coffee and a local cake, of course...:-)

 

 

Have to have my coffee...

 

Our first stop, after 3+ hours driving, was Wallendorf which is in Germany. Actually, the village is just across the border from Luxembourg. The border, in this case, is the Our river. The first remnant of the ware that we visited was a C-Werk bunker built in 1938 as part of the enhancement of the Siegfried line which extended some 300+ miles along the German border. The bunker in the photo was disarmed after the 1940's campaign with it's armaments taken for use elsewhere. The bunker was used by the civilian population until 1944 when the German army reoccupied it.

 

 

 

We continued riving East along the Our towards Gentingen. We stopped to look at another bunker, this time a bigger B-Werk type which originally housed a 37mm anti-tank gun. Although the gun was removed and, in all likelihood, sent to the coast to be used as part of the Atlantic wall. The pillbox was overrun by the US Army before they, the 5th Armored Division, were pushed back to the higher ground along the Hoesdorf ridge and plateau.

 

 

We also stood in some of the remaining German trenches overlooking the US positions on the Hoesdorf ridge line. The picture below is Joey standing in the trench.

 

 

 

The area isn't all military history. There's some very pretty buildings and churches in quiet little villages. The picture below is the village church in Wallendorf.

 

 

 

The village of Wallendorf offers some fantastic views. The picture of yours truly below was taken from the high ground to the west of where we crossed into the village. I was standing on the top of another B-Werk type bunker. Locally the bunker is know as the 'Hitler Bunker' as he was thought to have stood on the spot after the 1940 campaign.

 

 

 

 

Leaving Wallendorf, we drove back into Luxembourg. What we were trying to do was to follow the route that the Germans took when they crossed the Sauer river into Luxembourg on the 16th of December 1944, the start of the battle of the bulge. We drove through a number of small villages including Mullerthal and Berdorf on our way to Echternach.  It is very important to note that the Germans didn't have it all their own way on the 16th. They attacked across the river and across open fields where they met stiff resistance. Central to this resistance was the Parc hotel in Berdorf. The hotel which sadly no longer exists was nicknamed 'Fortress hotel' in honor of the men of the 4th ID who held of the Germans. The hotel was central to the area with a number of outposts in the area, all of which were overrun in the early hours of the German attack.

 

It is interesting to note that the Germans only advanced as far as Echternach before the US forces counterattacked just before Christmas. Heavy fighting took place on the Luxembourg side of the Sauer river. We stopped at Hill 313 where there is a memorial to the soldiers who fought and died fighting there in 1944. On the 24th of December 1944, the 10th Regiment advanced from Michelshof on the main road to Echternach. That night, 2nd BN took hill 313 where, previously, the 159th Engineers fighting with two companies. The 2nd BN of the 10th Regiment took the hill that day, with support from 4 tanks, they advanced along the main road with G company providing cover of the ridges. E company advanced on the left over the fields between Sheidgen and Michelshof.

 

 

 

Leaving Hill 313 we traveled East to Weilerbach. Although not part of the battle of the bulge, the village is a part of the history of the 5th ID. This tour covered the area where the 5th ID fought during the bulge and into early 1945. The area from Weilerbach east towards Bollendorf mainly along the Route de Diekirch was where the 5th ID crossed into Germany on the 7th of February 1945. The crossing, by boat, resulted in considerable loss of American life as the Germans had fortified positions on the opposite banks and the river was high. The pictures below show the river and the memorial to the 5th ID which is about 50 meters from the bridge.

 

 

 

As time was getting short, and I wanted to take a look at the remnants of the Siegfried line, we only made a brief stop at Diekirch. The village is East of Wallendorf and saw heavy fighting in the counter attack following the German advance. The village has high ground on a number of sides which meant advancing, and taking, the German positions was always going to be a difficult, and costly task. Perhaps, on a future tour, I can spend some time investigating the area a bit more. They have a small museum in the village which warrants a look as well...if the displays outside are anything to go by.

 

 

Leaving Diekirch we headed southeast towards St Vith and Malmedy in order to see what is left of the Siegfried line. Surprisingly some remnants remain but it was much less than I expected. The pictures below show remains of the 'dragons teeth' and German fighting positions.

 

 

There was also a memorial to the German and American soldiers who fought in the area. Surprisingly, there are monuments to German soldiers who lost their lives during the war. They tend to be very subdued and usually commemorate the US soldiers as well. In this case, the memorial is to the 277th Volks Grenadier Division.

 

 

 

Leaving the Siegfried line we drove through an area that has significant importance when it comes to the battle and the losses suffered by both sides. The area around where the above photos were taken is where the tanks and men under Joachim Piper would have travelled when moving west towards Antwerp. There were a number of roads (Rollbahns) through the Siegfried lines where the tanks would have passed, the road next to the dragons teeth in the photo above is one of them. It's worth bearing in mind that it was some of those troops who committed the Malmedy massacre. The troops were part of the 6th Panzer army of which the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte was part. Under the 1st SS Division were four Kampfgruppes of which Piper commanded the most substantial. Long story short, due to a number of reasons his progress was delayed which resulted in him taking a more southerly route. Some argue that due to this deviation and the fact that his route then went south of Malmedy then it wasn't likely that it was troops he commanded. There are a number of books written on the subject, I'll let you do the research and make your own mid up.

 

I'd like to close the blog with something more personal. We came across some graffiti left by American soldiers almost 75 years ago. For me, such things bring home the human side of the battle.

 

The  link below takes you to a map that shows the main spots that we visited. Clicking on the stars should, if I haven't screwed it up, describe what they relate to in the blog.

Battlefield Map-Google

 

In closing, I'd like to acknowledge and thank Joey Van Meesen for taking the time to guide me through the battlefield. Joey is a budding historian who is passionate about the subject. If you are interested in touring with Joey then look up his tour company 'Relive the past WW2 Battlefield Tours' on Expedia.

 

Road Trip U.S.A

Road Trippin' U.S of A

Welcome back blog friends to another installment of the epic Adventures of a 'Woof dog'!!!

This episode is our travels across the southern half of the good ole U.S of A. Well, actually, it was our move from SoCal to Flo-Rid-A but it does make for an epic trip (some 2700 miles, 8 states and 5 days of travel) which includes some interesting experiences and so tips/hints for anyone planning such a trip in the future.

So, our adventure began early one Sunday morning, After packing most of our stuff, which isn't a huge amount, and shipping across country we packed the rest into a rental car and pointed it east'ish. Well, east'ish after navigating the roads of SoCal which, surprising to only those who have never lived in SoCal, were a nightmare adding two hours to the trip before even leaving Orange County!

So, we headed East out of California. One of the good things about the US is the interstate road systems (not so much the quality of the roads which can be terrible at times but the connectivity). Essentially, almost half our trip was on one road, the I-40, which took us from SoCal (Just outside of Barstow, CA) to the Texas panhandle. It was the I-40 that we hit a few hours after leaving home.

Now, for those not familiar with the geography of the States, the Southwest in particular, I've taken the liberty of inserting a simple map of the region below.

If you zoom in you'll notice that SoCal has a variety of regions. There's the coastal plain which includes the area that we lived in, Irvine. Going East from there you cross between the San Bernadino and San Jacinto mountains into the inland empire (IE) and then the high desert. Be forewarned, in the summer the temperatures can vary greatly between the regions. That means that, like when we left, the temp in Irvine was 70 degrees (21c) at 9 am but by the time we passed Barstow at noon it had risen to 95 degrees (35c) and peaked at 120c (48c) just before we crossed into Arizona...hey, I have photographic evidence!

Damn it's hot!!!!

Tip: Taking I-40 East saves considerable time when travelling as it bypasses Las Vegas. The drawback is the I-40 isn't the most scenic of routes. It tends to be, mainly, desert scrub lands and the mountains in the distance. The only stop worth taking the time to visit is London Bridge which is in Lake Havasu and is a 40 mile detour (20 miles each way).

So, the plan was (well my cunning plan that is...) to break the trip down into manageable chunks with the first leg being from Irvine to Williams, Arizona. Now, if you've read my previous posts, you'll know that Williams is the 'Gateway to the Grand Canyon'. You'll also know that I love the place despite the fact that it is a tourist attraction and generally full of kitsch. Nevertheless, I've been there a number of times, usually to hike the GC. However, this time it was just a natural place to stop being approximately 7 hours from Irvine.

Given that we were only stopping one night, I decided to try a different hotel rather than the 'chain' hotels used in the past. The hotel I decided upon was the Grand Canyon Hotel. The hotel is right on the main drag and dates back to 1891 which fits in with my love of history. However, my love of history made me forget that it was the end of June and the middle of a hot spell...very different from a mere 5 weeks earlier when it snowed!

Nevertheless, cute little place with period decoration and a few slightly scary displays reminiscent of a B grade horror movie.

 

The dress hanging on the wall was just odd.

So, we made it to Williams and checked into the hotel. One of the great things about the town is the abundance of great places to eat. One of my favorites is Cruisers which is less than a quarter mile from the hotel and on the main street. The restaurant does,mainly, BBQ and it does it very well! My recommendation is the Prime Rib Burger...I'm getting hungry just thinking about it... 😀

Cheers everyone....

Oh, I forgot to mention that Cruisers is affiliated with the GC brewery (shameless plug following Grand Canyon Brewery ) which makes some fine tipple which I am happy to partake in as evidenced in the above photo. I really should get some royalties...

The stop was short but gave Nadia a chance to point(e) out the failings of American grammar and spelling.

The next morning, after an early run and a coffee from the local coffee house, we jumped into the rental and continued heading east.

Tip: The elevation in Williams is approx 4000 above sea level...running there is a bit tougher than in the UK or SoCal...kicked my ass to put it politely.

So, next stop was Albuquerque. I'm actually surprised that I spelled it correctly...trust me, I did!  The scenary improves as you drive through Flagstaff and climb into the mountains rising to 6-7000 ft in places. That being said, long hours in the car driving roads like...

Chris Rea's song 'Road to hell' popped into my mind.

...didn't dampen my enthusiasm. I continued to be happy and positive throughout.

Driving is a serious business....

The stop was planned around a friend who lives in ABQ who set us up in a great resort and casino called the Sandia. The resort is named after the Sandia mountain range just a few miles from the resort. This was a fantastic place and provided a bit of a break from the road and allowed us to relax a bit before the third leg of the trip which promised to be very tough..

Oh, did I mention food? There's always food and the council room restaurant in the resort provided some good eating...and dessert, there's always room for dessert.

American version of bread pudding...not too bad.

The next day, and leg, meant an early start. The plan was to make it to Dallas (Mansfield to be exact) by late afternoon. That meant 9-10 hours on the road which is like driving from London to Edinburgh and almost all the way back in one shot.  So, my grand plan was to make it to make it to Amarillo then head south on I-27 which, with my liberal interpretation of the speed limit, meant that I could shave an hour or so of the estimate of the driving time. So, there I was, minding my own business creating a hill at 75 or possibly 80, maybe 85...when, all of a sudden.

How fast was I going...?

Suffice to say that with some smooth talking, and the officer having no idea what to do with a UK drivers license, I managed to only lose 30 minutes and some pride.

The main reason for the stop was to visit a friend of mine, Chris Langwah, who happens to be a Dallas police officer. For those of you who are fans of the Band of Brothers TV series, Chris is the grandson of Doc Roe (Think of the episode focusing on Bastogne with the part of Doc played by Shane Taylor-see photo following).

Shane Taylor as Doc Roe....

 I had been bothering Chris for a ride along since December when we met in Belgium so this was the perfect opportunity for me. 

Those of you who know me will know that I am a supporter of our military and LEO officers so the chance to take a ride along with the Dallas PD was fantastic! Needless to say, my opinion of what our police officers do everyday was further strengthened by the experience. The officers have to put up with a lot, most of which the general public have no sight or knowledge of. During my time with the officers, they made 4 stops, one a felony stop, and handled the situation as true professionals.

Me with one of Dallas PD's finest...

We spent 2 days in Mansfield. That allowed us to spend some time with Chris and his family and have great dinner..

We loved our stop in Dallas but had to hit the road early in order to make it to stop 4, New Orleans!

To get there meant driving around Dallas and linking up with the I-20 which runs West to East into Louisiana via Shreveport. We then take I-49 south toward Alexandria then hitting I-10.

 Now, neither of us had been to NOLA although I did spend a night in Baton Rouge some 25 years ago! My only experience with the city was via NCIS New Orleans and the odd movie set in the city. I decided that, given the short amount of time that we'd be in the city that we'd focus on Bourbon street and the french quarter. Getting to city proved to be tougher than expected...torrential rains began shortly after entering the state and didn't abate until about 30 minutes from the city. Nevertheless, we were soon crossing the bridge into the city....

Like a cow peeing on a flat rock....

Old school NOLA cemetery....

They weren't lying, the city is like a foot above sea level and still bears the scares of Katrina but it oozes history.

I have to be honest, not a fan of the French Quarter...not sure if I'd go back. I found the architecture fantastic but the area itself was dirty, smelly and full of construction. The vaunted music was rarely seen or heard and a lot of the venues catered to people who just wanted to get drunk, typical stag do stuff..wasn't impressed other than with the architecture. Although we did have a hurricane which, coupled with some local cuisine, wasn't bad.

Po-boy.

That's gator bites....yummy.

I do think I'll return to New Orleans but only to see the WW2 museum and the rest of the city...no really interest in returning to Bourbon street.

The final leg of our trip was from NOLA to our new home in Tampa. This was, again, another long day with over 9 hours driving. As I mentioned previously, the interstate system in the States is quite good. While we took I-40 from Irvine to the Texas panhandle, we would be taking I-10 from NOLA to just past Tallahassee, the Florida state capital, before dropping south along I-75 into Tampa. This final leg of the journey would see us covering 4 states, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. The time spent in MS and AL was pretty short given each state was less than 100 miles West to East on I-10.

Despite the long drive we still managed to drive  through Mobile, site of a famous civil war battle and now site of the USS Alabama museum. Now, I have to say that I was very impressed by the size of the ship and feel it definitely deserves a return visit...

...the grounds of the museum also contain a number of displays that would interest those followers of WW2 history, including a nice C-47 and a Sherman.

After leaving the USS Alabama in Mobile, it was just a case of following I-10 then taking a right onto I-75 all the way to Tampa.

I hope everyone enjoys this latest post...please follow and stay tuned for more adventures. 😊