The Wing has landed

6th September 2004
The bike arrived today. I found that the airport takes all its cargo to a depot which happens to be just 2 miles from my house. I paid the (huge) customs fees and went to collect the bike. It was all taken care of in half a day.






10th Sept: I have already been on a trip to Cornwall and planning a few more jaunts before the weather turns. Plugging in the Mini Disc player gives me all the Rock FM I need!

Back in the UK

Home Again!

The shipping company were excellent- they even gave me a lift to the airport after I had delivered the bike. Let's hope it arrives in one piece.

Thanks to everyone who has helped me during my trip. And those who have been silently watching (and praying) from a distance. Please keep in touch.

Regards
Dan

Vermont to New York

Try this if you need some help with geography.

After the battle (see previous entry) I rode south for NY again, tracing the border of New York as it sits alongside Vermont, then Massachusetts and Connecticut, going via New Lebanon to Poughkeepsie and then down to the NY ThruWay. The scenery was great, the roads enjoyable. Approaching New York the traffic was appalling. I have never seen so many cars crowding in one direction, swirling towers of on-ramps filled with red and white lights. The highlight of the journey was finally breaking through the traffic coming off the George Washington Bridge onto Manhatten island, and taking the Parkway which runs down the very edge of the West Side. It was 10pm and the moon was bright, sky clear and the lights of New Jersey shimmering on my right across the Hudson. The stereo played out some big fat jazz sax piece, moody and sassy and wild. To my equal satisfaction I chose exactly the right exit which delivered me but three blocks away from my accomodation. Shopping and shipping next. I will be in Bristol on Thursday morning after a night flight. Hope to see you all soon.... oh, this sounds rather final... watch out for the Epilogue......

Today I died for my country PICS

22 August.
Diary excerpt.
Private Danforth, Second Artillery Brigade, His Majesty's Army.
The Battle for Bennington, America's Revolutionary War 1777.

"... The date was 16 August 1777. We British had come from the north to try and cut the colonial armies in two, thus weakening their positions. At Bennington Field, in the evening I happened upon an encampment of British officers, artillery men and infantry.


I hailed them merrily as I approached their tents. On hearing my accent I was assuredly not a foe, so they offered me lodging and in the morning a breakfast of cold scrambled eggs, ham and scone like bread.


After, I was taken aside and clad in full uniform. Luckily I had my own leather boots for the occasion...


.. though they supplied the britches, socks, cotton shirt and 'wes-coat' along with regimental jacket and three pointed hat. Then I was issued a cutlass and assigned to Artillary Unit P, to light the fuse for the cannons. Lucky I brought my earplugs...
The battle began in the early afternoon. Low in numbers, we bravely fought the Doodles standing firm for much of the battle. Many rounds of cannon fire landed in their midst but they still advanced towards us on the hill. The chaos of battle renders this account a little hazy. I recall that as our men were overcome, we retreated the guns to the leighside of the trees atop the hill. There we sought to defend against the flanking American troops. There were scouts in the scrub land to our right and a platoon advancing, already close. We had no chance to realign the cannon. Whether we were hit or indeed some other calamitous fate befell us it is not clear, but all of the powderkegs exploded, destroying the guns and decimating our crews. Chargemaster Kyle, Gunner David and Captain Mark were blown to smithereens before my eyes. Only Captain Rex and myself survived, shielded by the bodies of our crew mates. The Americans took the hill. We were defeated... though all may not be lost. God Save the King."