Die Groot Trek

About 180 years ago my forefathers, or perhaps I should say foremothers (since it was my mother's people) travelled hundreds of kilometers in search of a better life. This mass migration was an epic historic event in the history of the Afrikaaners and was called 'Die Groot Trek', which can be translated as 'The Big Move' - inventive people, those Afrikaaners. The motivation for this voyage was discontentment under the British rule (my father's people), and a desire for a superior quality of life in greener pastures.

And so, almost two hundred years later, with the blood of the 'Voortrekker' (Afrikaans word for pioneer, it basically means 'forward mover', I know, inventive hey?) flowing through my veins, I too embarked on a 'Groot Trek', a journey of more than 3600 km across a great country to escape Pennsylvanian rule and to search for greener pastures in the distant land of Idaho.

OK, so Pennsylvanian rule wasn't too awful, but hell, not being able to buy more than 12 beers from a bottle shop unless it's a distributor and being forced to shop at three separate venues for wine, beer and food because it's illegal to put (1) food and beer in the same store, (2) food and wine in the same store and (3) wine and beer in the same store, is as good a reason as any to get the hell out of there. But I certainly couldn't count looking for greener pastures as a motivation for my relocation since Pennsylvania is by far the greenest place I have ever seen in my life. Instead the driving force of our 'trek' was my husband's desire to hang out with the largest concentration of nuclear reactors in the world - and our desire to make a better life in spite of that.

And so began the 2000 mile, 9 day journey across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming and finally Idaho. And here follows the highlights of that expedition.

Chicago, Illinois
Our first endeavour was to get out of Pennsylvania, and manoeuvre through Ohio and Indiana as quickly as humanly possible. We achieved that in 9 hours, arriving at our first stop-over, the eminently magnificent Chicago. We spent 2 and a half days (in a blistering heat-wave) in this astonishing city and that was simply not nearly enough. The outstanding architecture, the lake, the pier, the food, drink, music, culture, shopping, vibrant atmosphere were all truly splendid. The only slight disappointment (for me at least) was that I was unable to swing a visit to the Oprah show, which has been a lifelong dream, but she went and retired before I could get there. (And I thought she loved South Africans). To top off a perfect visit there was a massive fireworks display off Navy Pier, while we were there listening to a band, that would rival any 4th of July display I've seen (and I've seen some pretty awesome ones).

Chicago at night viewed from Navy Pier

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
A short drive up Lake Michigan brought us to our second stop-over, the historic Germanic town, Milwaukee. It also happens to be the home of American beer and thus was an essential point of interest for us. To top it off, Wisconsin is America's dairy (as in cheese everywhere). We did well to hit 2 breweries in our single evening there and sampled cheese to our heart's content. Here too we witnessed a fireworks display above the lake as we stumbled back to our hotel after tasting as many beer samples as we bravely could.

One of many Germanic style buildings on Old World Third Street

Madison, Wisconsin
A quick stop off for lunch was all we could afford, time wise, in Madison but I'm certainly glad we did. The Wisconsin state capital is a lovely place and luckily we arrived while they had their farmer's market (more cheese) surrounding the Capitol Building. It's clean and people seem so happy to live there, and the sky, wow, the sky in Wisconsin is always so artistically dotted with white cloud puffs that it seems, at every minute, like a master piece.

The domed State Capitol building

Minneapolis, Minnesota
After seeing some of the loveliest cities in America I hadn't stored up much anticipation for Minneapolis, I guessed it would be big and dreary, and to tell the truth, since the city's main attraction is 'Mall of America,' I expected to hate it. What a surprise to find such a perfectly maintained, walkable, modern downtown area. On our first night here we witnessed yet another incredible fireworks display above the Mississippi River and we were starting to feel rather self-important with each city welcoming us in such flamboyant style. We went to see a theatre production at the incredible Guthrie Theatre. The show was great but the building blew my mind. It's interesting that Minneapolis has more theatres per capita than anywhere in the U.S with the exception of New York City. We dined on sushi in a swanky Japanese restaurant and we were totally captivated by this glorious city. But seeing that the buildings are all connected by aerial walkway I'm pretty sure its not a place to visit in the winter.

Minneapolis is full of flowers, pavements cafes and those winter walkways

Badlands, South Dakota
I was rather excited to discover that on our intended route lay the Badlands National Park. The 6 National Parks I have visited so far, have all been truly incredible experiences so I was keen to add another to the list. The name, Badlands, entices me so, much like Death Valley. The name was given by the Sioux Indians, who inventively, (they have this in common with the Afrikaaners) named it Bad Land because of the lack of water, rough terrain, scant vegetation and lack of firewood. But even if you try to visualise the most desolate landscape imaginable you will not be prepared for the eerie scene that dramatically awaits you after crossing most of South Dakota's rolling green plains.


Ah, so I wouldn't grow my tomatoes here



Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
What road trip across America would be complete without the quintessential visit to the iconic Mount Rushmore National Memorial. It does not disappoint! In true American style the setting, in the magnificent Black Hills, is idyllic and the highly visible location puts the ostentatious sculpture of America's most beloved leaders on display for hundreds of meters. It's a really exciting drive if you come up Iron Mountain Road because, besides being incredibly scenic, you can see glimpses of the face carvings from about 20 miles away and you keep trying to catch views of it, like kids trying to see the ocean on a trip to the coast.

Georgie, Tommy, Abe and Teddy

Wyoming
Having been in Wyoming before I knew of its immense beauty so I was surprised that the worst scenery of the trip consisted of the flat monotonous grasslands of eastern Wyoming. It's tedious and desolate with uninteresting gas station towns and endless industrial drilling sites with vast nothingness in between. After many hours of this depressing and uninspiring landscape we finally arrived at the beginning of the Rockies. Once we hit the Togwotee Pass I dismissed the bland images of eastern Wyoming and began to marvel at the curvaceous landscape. Nothing can compare though, to when you first catch a glance of the snow-capped Teton peaks as you crest the pass, it just takes your breath away. This is, to me, the most beautiful area of the entire country and I'm awed every time I get to spend time here.

The majestic backdrop of the Teton Mountain Range

Idaho
Once we hit Jackson, a delightful resort town in Western Wyoming we knew we were on the home straight. We took the Teton Pass which is where you cross the border into Idaho and followed the Snake River right into Idaho Falls which is where we'll be based for next 18 odd months of our lives.

Following the Snake River

It's part of the American dream to do such a road trip and although we didn't quite go coast to coast it was an amazing journey, our 'Groot Trek', and another adventure in our American experience.

Over Yonder Hill I'm Gonna Get Me Some BBQ

I haven't been nearly as conscientious about writing about my travels as I had hoped. I've been to New York City over 10 times and still haven't written a single post about it, but sometimes it's the little towns that inspire one to get writing again and that is what Port Matilda, Pennsylvania did for me...

A few week-ends ago a friend of mine suggested the mad idea of riding our bicycles to Port Matilda. Normally I only ride my bike when the car is broken, or there is no petrol in it, or when there is nowhere cheap to park, or when Ivor and I can't decide who will be the designated driver for the evening, but I certainly don't do it for ... fun!

Don't be fooled... 8 miles means still many km's to go

The draw card however, was the opportunity to eat at Clem's Wood-Fired BBQ. One of the best things about America (certainly 1 of the top 5 in my book) is barbecue. While every country seems to have their own take on cooking meat outdoors, the American version of slow cooking meat for many hours over a wood fire is ridiculously delectable, so delectable, in fact, that I willingly agreed to ride my rusty purple Walmart bicycle 12 miles (19.311233 km) to Port Matilda. http://www.clemsfire.com/ This type of barbecue should not, however, be confused with the other American version of throwing a hamburger patty on a gas grill and calling it a barbeque.

 

Bellefonte Central Bicycle Path

The town of Port Matilda is in fact, and I apologise to the 638 (yes I looked that up on wikipedia) residents, a shithole. I didn't know that yet and I actually quite liked the quaint sound of the name and so, on a sunny Saturday morning, our group of 4 set off. We met at Sunset Park in State College and started down the Bellefonte Central bicycle path. It's a lovely path that I had never used before and I was almost enjoying myself as we weaved through the golf course at Toftrees. The major uphill out of Happy Valley was a climb of over 600 feet. I've always joked about the 'mountains' in Pennsylvania being merely hills but I withdraw that now that I've pedaled over them. There was, I must admit, some swearing and gnashing of teeth but the view from the top smoothed away those tired leg muscles and woe.

An accurate representation of the size of town

It took longer than the 70 minutes Google promised but we arrived in Port Matilda in time for lunch and I was rather looking forward to over-eating after my morning workout. We looked out for Clem's but couldn't see it anywhere. We rode, up this way and that, covering the whole of the 0.6 square miles that makes up Port Matilda at least 3 times. We used the iPhone and the GPS but each time, while technology said we were there, we couldn't see anything that resembled a wood-fire barbecue restaurant at all. Actually besides the gas station and the pizza joint there wasn't much else to speak of. Eventually we saw 2 of the 638 locals and asked them for assistance and they announced that Clem's had moved 2 years previously to Tyrone (a larger, but equally shitty town) 20 miles further down the road. The swearing, gnashing of teeth and woe returned. We unrelentingly released our fury on our friend whose suggestion it had been until she offered an alternative.

Uphills!

Plan B was to go to Way Fruit Farm. We stopped at the gas station for some cold energy drinks before heading off for the 3 mile trip. I decided to double check Google's directions with a local to make sure it, too, hadn't moved. An old man was sitting outside the store at the gas station (what else is there to do on a Saturday afternoon in Port Matilda) and when I asked him for directions to the Farm he took one look at my bicycle and began to chuckle. "Good luck getting there on that thing," he snorted. At least 2 and a half miles of the 3 mile journey were brutal uphills over a mountain. I'm sure that, although the 2 boys insisted they were stopping every 100 yards or so just to wait for us girls to catch up, they were, in fact, struggling too. I pushed my bike and felt no shame. About 20 minutes into the journey a large truck pulled up alongside me and the old man from the gas station waved happily while laughing and offering a tow. I'm pretty sure he only left the social hub of the gas station to have a good chuckle at us.

Almost there...

Eventually we reached the top of the mountain and saw the sign for Way Fruit Farm with the directions "bottom of hill turn left". It's incredible how quickly one can descend a mountain that took an hour to climb. We were there in 3 minutes.

Way Fruit Farm and our trusty transport

We dashed to the Way Cafe where we gulped down fresh deli sandwiches chased by a bounty of ice-cream. When we were sufficiently replenished we wandered through the country crafts and abundant farm produce in the store. Way Fruit Farm is a sixth generation family owned and run farm which started in 1872 and well worth the trip (by car) for anyone in the area. It was strawberry season while we were there and many families and couples were out in the field picking their own strawberries for purchase. I however, rejected the urge to procure the many delicious offerings purely because the idea of cycling the 12 miles home with a fresh pork roast and a pound of apples was a little more than I could bear. http://www.wayfruitfarm.com/

The way home was tedious but we managed to get there before the rain. All in all we did about 50km and it took 7 hours. I thought I may never forgive my friend for her mad suggestion but when my bike was locked up and my feet were up on the couch I realsied that I had, indeed, enjoyed a wonderful day.

The gorgeous green of Pennsylvania

"You want me to live where?"

The Snake River in Idaho Falls with the Mormon Temple in the background

There comes a time in every marriage when you think "What have I gotten myself into?" My moment came when my darling husband informed me that we were to spend the summer (almost three months) in IDAHO FALLS (I didn't even know there was a town by that name). So I opened up my trusted 'Rough Guide to the U.S.A', turned to the chapter on Idaho and read: "Only state capital Boise provides any urban interest, as Idaho Falls and Pocotello are both drab" ... uh oh ... Boise is a 5 hour drive away! It also didn't help that the flight from State College to Idaho Falls is about the same price as a flight from State College to Barcelona, Paris or Athens but all the same, I packed my bags and my sunny disposition and headed to the Pacific Northwest.

The reason for this temporary relocation to the opposite side of the country is that Ivor was offered a summer internship at the Idaho National Laboratory "a science-based, applied engineering national laboratory dedicated to supporting the U.S. Department of Energy's missions in nuclear and energy research, science, and national defense" (www.inl.gov). It was here that the world's first nuclear reactor was built and more than 50 nuclear reactors have been built here for testing over the last 60 years. Since this is the biggest concentration of nuclear reactors on the planet it makes sense that the area is somewhat remote and that the town of Idaho Falls might be of negligible 'urban' interest.

The gorgeous Snake River

Luckily for me, Idaho Falls is not nearly as 'drab' as I expected. For starters, the town is instantly beautified by the Snake River running past down town. The chilly river flows west into Idaho from Wyoming and there are ample water activities available including excellent rafting , fishing and boating. The name of the town refers to the white water falls occurring  below the first bridge built across the river. Now that the river diverts into numerous irrigation canals most of the falls run over concrete blocks but it is still really pretty. The area on each side of the river is known as the Green Belt and it's a great place for biking, jogging (no, I don't do this) and inline skating. In the summer they have numerous weekend festivals here where stalls are set up to sell arts and crafts as well as all types of [greasy American] food, accompanied by live entertainment. On any day of the week you will find kids feeding the ducks or locals having picnics on the banks of the river. I was pleased to noticed that many people take full advantage of the Green Belt in the summer and they love to be outdoors enjoying the glorious weather.

The wall of International Reds

Within the first 2 days of being in Idaho Falls I was taken to, and immediately fell in love with, Vino Rosso. This wine bar/ live music venue/ cafe/ shop is not something you would expect to find in a city described as 'drab' so I instantly felt much better about the prospect of residing there. Vino Rosso is a beautiful wine shop that sells a comprehensive selection (around a thousand bottles) of wines from all over the world. I even found some of my South African favourites. They have wine tastings every Wednesday and I was there (almost) every Wednesday, savouring their selection of 5 wines per week, from a specific region or interesting varietal. My palate retains fond memories of the Rhine Valley Rieslings and the California Zinfandels. For Ivor they had an ever changing selection of interesting beers on tap and they always offered delicious appetizers.

10 steps from my front door

We rented a house in the South East of Town right opposite a canal. It is remarkable how the system of canals distribute the water of the Snake River in the area of Idaho Falls, turning what used to be a desert into fertile agricultural land. This area is one of the most productive agricultural  regions of the country producing beets, peas, onions and of course ... the Famous Idaho Potatoes. The town is fairly small and surrounding it are the numerous agricultural and well as horse farms. I did see a lot of potatoes growing and was surprised by the lovely flowers they produced (apparently Marie Antoinette insisted on growing potatoes in her garden so she could use the flowers in her hair.) Beyond the farms are mountains in almost every direction, some topped with snow even in the middle of July. A magnificent backdrop.

Girls Day Out

What more can a girl need - a beautiful environment, an endless supply of wine and potatoes? Well I was blessed even further by meeting 3 young woman all of whom have recently moved to Idaho Falls because their spouses also work for INL. We became thick and fast friends and arranged delightful, and sometimes (OK, most of the time) wine fuelled adventures. Some of these included a trip to the Potato Museum (...when in Idaho...), photographic excursions to an Arabian horse farm, picnics in the park, a visit to the zoo, road trips, rafting, lunches and a fuzzy karaoke adventure at Ford's Bar.

The Harley Dealership on Broadway Avenue

Idaho Falls has all the usual American town traits; the stock standard mall complete with Macy's and Barnes and Noble, the Walmarts on either side of town, the strip malls, the same cluster of fast food joints - Wendy's, McD's, Arby's, Taco Bell, etc. The streets look the same as any town, in any State, in America but the thing that tells you, that you are now in the West, is the size of the vehicles. There are more SUV's and bakkies (trucks) than regular cars, and here bigger (and louder) apparently is better. It is also the land of Harley Davidson. The open roads and big skies seem to be a biker's paradise. What I like is the immense sense of space. Although you can see snow capped mountains in the distance, the town itself and surrounding farms are completely flat and you can see for miles. Plus if you do indeed take to the road, magnificent scenery awaits you in every direction, whether into Idaho itself or the surrounding States of Utah, Wyoming, Montana or Oregon. Idaho Falls is the gateway to the majestic West and we took some amazing trips which you'll have to wait to read about.

Now we are are back in State College, but next summer, when the INL internship rolls around again and my darling husband informs me he wants me to live in IDAHO FALLS for another 3 months my reaction will be ... "I can't wait!"

The Official Highlights Package

A week and a half ago we celebrated the first anniversary of our moving to America. It's incredible how quickly the first year has gone, but its appalling to see how little I've blogged about our experiences here. I keep thinking about things I want to write about and then feel b[l]ogged down by how far behind I am. Hence I've decided to do a quick catch-up in a 'highlights package'. The idea is to list the places we've been to and then to include one photo and one sentence based on the highlight of that place.  

State College, PA 
After living in the same city for the first 30 years of my life, moving to a new town is exciting, having that town in a different country, continent and hemisphere is an adventure and living somewhere where it SNOWS is, to me (an African), a highlight.

Our footprints in the first evening snow (in October 2009) outside our apartment

New York City, NY
To choose only one highlight from this awesome city is tricky but having the opportunity to play in the Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in March 2010 takes this one.

The Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall

Sugarbush, VT
There is lots of good skiing on the East Coast, and being high up on a snowy mountain is always stunning, but the view from Sugarbush beats all the places I have skied before.

Clouds settling between the mountain peaks at Sugarbush Ski Resort

San Diego, CA
Awesome town with so many highlights but sunset on the Pacific Ocean is hard to beat.

My silhouette next to Crystal Pier at Pacific Beach

Los Angeles, CA
L.A. is a huge city with lots to see and do but the highlight of this trip was seeing an old friend a week before her wedding.

Cheese and wine with the girls

Pittsburgh, PA
I totally love Pittsburgh but without a doubt the highlight is Phipps Conservatory.
http://phipps.conservatory.org/

A flower on the awesomely named Passion Vine

Denver, CO
A flight delay caused us a surprise overnight stay in this fabulous city and, thanks to some insider info, the highlight of this stay was having a few at the Falling Rock Taphouse where they have a selection of over 75 beers on tap and more than 130 bottled varieties.
http://www.fallingrocktaphouse.com/

The best place to have a beer in America

Idaho Falls, ID
A 10 week stay, over the summer, made this town our temporary home and it was the first time in my life that I've had the opportunity to live in a place that has a river running through it.

The Snake river as it runs through down town Idaho Falls

Craters of the Moon National Monument, ID
Walking over the 2000 year old lava of a gigantic volcano is quite an experience but climbing through the caves and tunnels that the lava has formed is certainly a highlight of this strange landscape.

Halfway through Indian Tunnel, made completely of molten lava

Swan Valley, ID
The highlight of visiting Swan Valley, as the Snake River cuts through it, is proving my ignorant self wrong. I had automatically assumed that Idaho was going to be a dull place of no interest and what a joy to discover that it is indeed a gorgeous place to visit and live.

The South Fork of the Snake river in Swan Valley

Jackson, WY
I said a few mean things about Jackson before going there but this was a very surprising town and it's certainly the quaintest American town I've come across. The highlight is seeing the creative use of elk horns in the 4 arches at each corner of the central park (consisting of about 5000 elk horns each). Normally I'm not a fan of animal horns but since these fall off the animals naturally in late winter I'm not opposed to their use.

Ivor admiring the massive arches made of elk horns

Grand Teton National Park, WY
The Teton Mountains are possibly the most magnificent I've seen but I guess the highlight (although at the time it was a lowlight) was hiking here in mid-summer in shorts and sandals not expecting there to be SO much snow (I'm from Africa people.)

Ivor pushing on through the snow nearing the top of Table Mountain

 
Yellowstone National Park, WY
Every moment of Yellowstone is a highlight but doing a short hike along the Yellowstone Grand Canyon takes you away from the 90 000 summer visitors and it's like having the whole area to yourself.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone as seen from the hike to Sublime Point

Salmon, ID
The drive to Salmon is so lovely and the mountains there are pretty nice too but the highlight was not only discovering Williams Lake, a little lake tucked away behind the mountains but being given a free boat tour by a generous, friendly and somewhat intoxicated (at 11am) local.

Williams Lake from the boat jetty

Moab - Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, UT
Like Yellowstone every moment is so spectacular but I'll give this highlight to the 4X4 excursion down the canyon in Canyonlands, it was thrilling and terrifying at the same time and the views down the sheer cliff faces were unforgettable

The switchbacks down Shafer Canyon

Well that's it in a nutshell. I have plans to write in depth about each place and, of course, I have plans for many new trips so keep reading...

Our home town State College

Ols Main, Penn State University

State College is the very original name given to the town that contained the Pennsylvania State College, which in 1953 became known as Pennsylvania State University (commonly known as Penn State), which is where Ivor is doing his PHD. When they changed the name of the school from Pennsylvania State College to Pennsylvania State University it was suggested that the name of the town change from State College to State University. I must say I'm glad this name change did not happen because it's odd enough telling people that I live in State College, having to say I live in State University just sounds silly!

State College is right in the centre of Pennsylvania, situated equally inconveniently from every major city in the North East. So while its not exactly close to, it is possible to drive within 4 or 5 hours to New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washing DC, and Baltimore.

This small University town is a world apart from Joburg which has 3,2 million inhabitants. With a population of only 40 000, most of which are students, State College is a happy place, not surprisingly it has the nickname of Happy Valley (although that nickname originated in the Great Depression it is still valid today). And not to go on and on with the crime issue but State College ranked as the safest metropolitan area in the United States in 2009.
http://www.statecollege.com/news/psu-news/state-college-ranked-no1-safest-metropolitan-area,281209. Seems we're out of the frying pan and under the duck down duvet.

The Nittany Lion in winter

The town basically consists of the university campus, downtown, and the outer suburbs. The campus is the largest and main campus of Penn State and is called University Park. The campus is extensive but beautiful with lush green lawns (when they are not under a foot of snow obviously), many old trees and ubiquitous squirrels. Old Main, the administrative centre, is one of the famous landmarks of the University, another being the famed Lion Shrine. The facilities are excellent; from libraries and lecture theatres, to sports fields and auditoriums, this University had it all.

Allen Street

Downtown is where you'll find most of the
restaurants, bars and shops. It consists of 2 main streets and their cross streets. There are some great places to eat and drink - I've been to almost every one already. I'm most partial to Zeno's Pub ('located directly above the centre of the earth in Pennsylvania' is their slogan), which has an impressive selection of beers and the best wings in town.

State Patty's

Most of the students live in the streets that follow the downtown shops. These areas are renowned for parties and wild student behaviour - Penn State was voted the number one party school in America last year and if you walk in these neighbourhoods on a weekend evening you can see why. Add to that student holidays like State Patty's Day (a week or so before St Patrick's Day, this day is dedicated to getting wasted and wearing green) and Halloween, which is a massive party event here, you'll realise that all those college flicks are based on what really goes on in American Universities ... scary!

The view from our bedroom window

We live a couple of miles north-west of campus next to an area called Green Leaf Manor. Its a quiet neighbourhood and we are really happy here. This way we can head down town if we want to party but we can stay home in our mature, stable, peaceful environment if we prefer (and most nights we do prefer the quiet night in - sad but unfortunately true). There is a forest on the opposite side of the street with a bike path running through it and we are a couple of miles away from the state gamelands where you have to wear orange to avoid being shot by hunters.

Ivor and I at the Blue and White Weekend

Besides drinking, the main activity of the town is football, or for clarification purposes American football; the game where they throw the ball to each not the one where they kick the ball to each other with their feet, although to be fair they do occasionally kick the ball towards the goal in American football. Although there is no alcohol allowed at the games, there is a tradition known as Tailgating, which involves a lot of drinking and a bit of a braai outside the stadium before kick-off. The stadium at Penn State, Beaver Stadium, is the largest in the Western hemisphere and the third largest in the World. It can seat over 113000 people almost triple the population of the town, yet, on football weekends, every seat is sold out! They certainly love their football and our team - the Penn State Nittany Lions. The football coach Joe Paterno, fondly referred to as JoePa is a living legend and arguably the most famous man in town. He has coached the Nittany Lions since 1966 and is still going strong!

JoPa's bronze statue, outside Beaver Stadium












Well that's it in a nutshell ... oh yes ... there are also 2 Walmarts, 1 Shopping Mall and 3 Trailer Parks.
Ah, small town America!

Seasons

The best thing about being in America for almost a whole year is that I have been witness to all 4 seasons. The South African seasons are so moderate and I have completely adored the extremes in temperature and climate here in the U.S.

Summer:

We arrived in late summer last August and immediately felt the famous New York blistering heat as we waited in China Town, down-town Manhattan for the bus to Pennsylvania. The summer in State College is hot and wet. The temperature averages in the 80's (look at me -all American, using Fahrenheit and all). A lot of people complain about the humidity but it reminds me of Durban and since I'm always on holiday when I'm in Durbs I have this sense of holiday atmosphere. One of the first things I noticed about State College is that it is really clean and overwhelmingly green - I soon figured out why; it rains frequently (which poses a small problem when your source of transportation is a bicycle). But summer here certainly is bliss - the days are long and everyone seems to enjoy being outside, enjoying nature and soaking up some good old Vitamin D.

Autumn:
Known to Americans everywhere as Fall, I still like to call it Autumn. The evenings become shorter, the fireflies disappear, a nip appears in the air and the leaves start to change. Living in an area with so many trees makes for a stunning Autumn. There is a tinge of sadness leaving the warmth of summer behind and the despair of a long cold winter indoors looming but this is more than merely a transitional season, it is one of real beauty... and pumpkins. And although I have always loved October for the purple Jacarandas, now I will love it for all the reds, oranges and yellows...

Winter:
In Joburg people still talk of the snow of '81. In Pennsylvania snow is not a novelty to say the least! We got a decent snowfall rather early in October and I was completely enthralled with the magic white blanket that lay over the whole town - my neighbour's reaction: 'what a mess'. I hope that I never loose my childlike excitement for the snow but that is more easily said than done, because I have not, yet, had to drive in it (thanks to the Cata Bus) nor shovel it (thanks to the snow removal service at our apartment). I love the snow; the sound it makes squishing under your boots, the sound of silence it produces by muting everything around, snow angels, skiing, studying the uniquely individual flakes that land on your jacket or glove, making the first footprints in fresh snow, following someone else's footsteps, sliding, sinking, falling, sledding and making Phineas, my first snowman at age 30.

Spring:
After months of snow and ice and white, its hard to imagine that anything grew anywhere ever, but it did and it does again.
It might be 6 weeks later than you wanted thanks to Punxsutawney Phil but Winter eventually does come to an end. The snow packs melt and eventually you can venture outside without a coat. You see a few people in T-shirts and you're horrified how naked they appear. And then there are flowers. In State College it started with daffodils and then there were tulips and tulips and tulips. The green blanket replaces the melted muddy slush and the forests flourish and the squirrels are happy again. Everything is fresh and new and full of life and ready for it to begin all over again.