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Thread: The Family Wazoo in Montana

  1. #21
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

    Posts: 16,937
    I'm ChrisB.

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    Texas Chainsaw...haha!

    Yeah, we also spent some time poking around in ghost towns, which was a bit wierd - every time we'd walk into an abandoned building we'd half expect to see some redneck fondling a shotgun!

    Loads of the shacks still had ancient newspapers pinned to the walls to keep draughts out - the weather's so arid that they don't rot.

    I'll put some of those piccies up sometime soon.

  2. #22
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Bristol, UK

    Posts: 9,962
    I'm Nick.

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    Amazing pictures. I spent a week or so in 'small town America', south California 7 or 8 years ago and it was fantastic. Just interesting for the culture shock. One of these days me and Mrs B will hire an RV and do a roadtrip. I may tap you for some ideas on the itinerary, GW. How long did you take on your trip, Chris? We suspect 3 weeks minimum is what's needed. Not sure I could get more than 4 weeks off in one go, let alone afford it
    Nick
    My system...


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  3. #23
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default Deliverance

    Don't do it Beechy, there's stuff and things out there in the hills - in the shadows, waiting, watching...............

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

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  4. #24
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Bristol, UK

    Posts: 9,962
    I'm Nick.

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    Sounds fantastic.... Marco!

    You ain't from round here, are yo' boy
    Nick
    My system...


    Follow AOS on Twitter: @AoS_Forum

  5. #25
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

    Posts: 16,937
    I'm ChrisB.

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    Hi Nick,

    We've done this quite a few times both to the US & to Canada. We've always gone for just a fortnight, or thereabouts, but then we've always known we would be going back, so never tried to cram too much in.

    We've nearly got an RV several times, but always just gone for a car & motels/hostels/forest service cabins & never regretted it. I'm also convinced it's cheaper that way & you get more time to see stuff, 'cos your not obliged to do the 'housekeeping' stuff you have to do with an RV. Also, you can get a car to places you'd never try taking an RV.

    We don't do proper itineraries, preferring to follow the nose & see how it goes - though, of course you have an idea of the main things you want to do.

    If we book book accomodation, it's only ever for the first night, at somewhere near(ish) to the airport. One tip, though, you need to have an address for the first night to put on the card you have to fill in for immigration control: X-airport Holiday Inn/Days Inn/Sheraton or whatever usually does it, though! After that we wing it. Late afternoon/early evening we look for a motel - always a family owned place, never a chain. We've only ever had a problem on a national holiday or when in a city, but then we generally stay away from cities!

    I prefer to use the old highways rather than the Interstates - you see the real people & places that way. There's a fantastic book called 'Blue Highways' by William Least Heat Moon you should read - the blue ones are the old roads. We only use the Interstates for mad dashes (usually when we've not left enough time to get back to the airport at the end of it all!).

    We've found that for the NW USA, it's often cheaper to fly to Vancouver or Calgary than Seattle or wherever.

    The next trip we do will be I don't know when unfortunately, and God knows where we'll go - I want to go back to Arizona for a third time, I want to go to Eartern Montana/Dakota, I want to go to Colorado, I want to do West Texas/New Mexico, I want to do the Mississippi from source to the sea................

    You should do it - it's fantastic fun. If you want any more advice anytime, just give a yell.

  6. #26
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

    Posts: 16,937
    I'm ChrisB.

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    Re. accomodation: I can recommend Bates Motel.................

  7. #27
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Bristol, UK

    Posts: 9,962
    I'm Nick.

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    Thank you for the tips Chris! Agreed on the idea of winging it after the first day. When I went to California we did a week in San Fran and then winged it round the smaller towns thereafter. Generally looking for places with their own local brew-pubs! I discovered Anchor Steam and Sierra Nevada while I was out there and still rate their beers. Had a great day having a personal tour of one of the small-town breweries when no-one else turned up at the allotted time.

    The 10 hour flight didn't excite me, but it was worth it when we got there.

    We're just waiting for the weans to be old enough to appreciate it and then we're off
    Nick
    My system...


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  8. #28
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

    Posts: 16,937
    I'm ChrisB.

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    The best meal I've ever had in the States was in The Beartooth Cafe in Cooke City, Montana, just north of the north entrance to Yellowstone. They had more micro brewery beers than I've ever seen on display anywhere- ever. I got addicted to a beer called Moose Drool

  9. #29
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Beechwoods View Post
    Sounds fantastic.... Marco!

    You ain't from round here, are yo' boy
    Hehehe... Can you hear them banjos?

    Chris, truly magnificent photographs - well done. I'd love to tour off the beaten track in America in one of those big motor homes or maybe some big 'daft' American car, and the 'blue highways' sound like just the ticket. The more 'one horse' the town and deserted the road the better!

    I also love those old 'Diners'/cafes you see in films off the road in the middle of nowhere, where truckers stop at and the atmosphere seems distinctly bleak and creepy - and Motels like that too, neon-lit at night in the depths of the countryside, and seemingly empty until some weird little man appears from nowhere at the check-in desk... Yes, I have a very strange mind!

    Does anyone remember the film 'Duel'? The roads featured in that film and the Diner there are exactly what I'm referring to. Do such places (or similar ones) actually exist?

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  10. #30
    Join Date: Nov 2008

    Location: North Down /Northern Ireland/ UK

    Posts: 19,484
    I'm Neil.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    Hehehe... Can you hear them banjos?

    Does anyone remember the film 'Duel'? The roads featured in that film and the Diner there are exactly what I'm referring to. Do such places (or similar ones) actually exist?

    Marco.

    Brilliant film....I can just see you as Denis Weaver, Marco..






    Regards D S D L






    PS Or you might witness the local wildlife fighting a duel.............................

    Last edited by Spectral Morn; 15-05-2009 at 09:31.
    Regards Neil

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