Driving a Tacoma around the world

You got it...

 

We should hook up, I work at the UofA H!, close by

 

Beautiful spot!

 

I work their too, part of my team is there. We should grab coffee someday.

 

Only found out after my parents passed away. I wish I would have joined ancestry sooner, this was on my mother’s side, she would have loved to have known.

BTW, I’ve followed your trip from day one, truly fascinating. I love Europe, I was stationed there with the RCAF.

 

I'm sorry for you not to have explored that with your mother. My mother in law refused to go back to Scotland even with me pleading to explain her heritage to her grandkids. We'll be going up next spring.
Thanks for following, I'm honored;

 

4,500' in the mountains Sinaia, Romania


Next day dawns clear at the Peles Castle.

One of most stunning interiors I've ever seen but no photos cause they charge $9!

Romania continues to amaze

 

Stunning!

 

Hi Andy and Dawn, i'm anxiously waiting for more Romania pictures and commentary on Rogue Wanderers...no pressure . I'm on page 50...following your build...I love it!

 

Oh boy, pressures building! Don't know if you on Instagram but we post a couple of pictures every other day there. We're 2roguewanderers.

Here's a couple of our recent camping sites


Sheepdog protecting our stairs, tempted to adopt her, very friendly.




Super pretty village; Magura, RO.

 

Thanks again for sharing, I continue to follow along. Fall in Romania looks awesome.

I am a descendant of the Keith clan, from the same Aberdeen area of Scotland. Would love to visit the Dunnottar castle someday.

 

That’s awesome!!! Looks like she found people she wants to stay with Dogs can always sense a safe place.

She’d be a good security blanket! We brought a mama dog in to our temporary “home” years ago. She had puppies right away and they wouldn’t let anyone in unless we met them and always knew when the games were about to start before any of us did. They’d go on long walks with us and really were a part of the team.

Flip side is we weren’t able to bring them home, we tried hard, and that was pretty devastating. But they lived their best life for a while! Which is more than most of them in a lot of places.

It would probably be near impossible to continue traveling with her, but I bet that day or two she was hanging out was one of the best she’s had! That would be incredible if you guys were able to

 

That Castle looks awesome. We're planning on spending several months in the United Kingdom next spring and I'll put it on the list. thank you!

 

Too true! Dogs here are, compared to North American standards, are neglected. But people here live a much simpler life, needing and having much less money for seemingly extraneous things. Having been dog people all our lives, we miss having one

 

Yet another beautiful camping spot.


Don't think safety authorities would approve of these stairs. Saxon fortified church in Harmon, RO

 

For us, happiness is arriving in a remote, beautiful campsite early enough for a shower



It's the little things


Old town Sighisora, Romania

 

So much history, isn't it?!, to think that this buildings have survived to this day, the cobblestone roads...just incredible!, thank you for showing the world Romania!, a country that sits at the gates of Europe. Invaded by the romans, the mongols, the turks, the hungarians, the soviets, communism...hey they survived!

 

The people here are definitely survivors. What is surprising is the beauty. Wasn't prepared for that. Heading for Bucharest tomorrow. That should be interesting/something different

 

Absolutely Sir!, survivors they are. Try to visit the People's Palace, it is said that is the largest government building in the world. I was there...in the main central area the dome was designed to open so a helicopter could land inside...Ceausescu's dream...btw, Michael Jackson made a speech from that immense balcony and instead of saying "hello Bucharest" he said "hello budapest"...well ,hmm...that didn't go well since anyone that knows a bit of history...will leave it there.
The Palace was designed to be bigger than Versailles in every way and it had to be built by Romanians and only Romanian materials!
Not far from Bucharest the city of Targoviste has a very interesting tower that is said that Vlad Dracul was imprisoned there...ironically that's the same city where the former dictator was executed.
Near by is the city of Ploesti, basically the second largest oil deposit in Europe (after the one in Russia). During WW2 Romania was promised by Hitler that if they supply the Third Reich with oil, Germany will assist In the return of then occupied Moldova (place you visited already)...so Romania was an axxis ally...the Romania was forced to turn against it's German allies and side with USSR. After the war Romania paid a heavy price...USSR invasion and forced communism.
Did you know that City of Ploesti (Ploiesti in Romanian) had the first oil refinery in the world. All big American and Dutch, British had interests there. Ploesti oil refinery was second most defended only to Berlin during WW2. Many raids from North Africa flew over and dropped bombs, unfortunately that the same place where most American and other allies have lost their lives. Those darn 88mm anti aircraft weapons were nasty.
I sometimes think what Romania could have been, tons of resources (the mountains are full of gold), forests, access to the Danube and the Black Sea...farm land...maybe that's the curse...
Sorry about that...

 

Drove the famed Transfăgărăşan Road (claimed the “best road” by Top Gear) even though it was technically closed. Wish I had my Porsche, oh well can’t have it all

Truck is coming down to the first switchback


a beautiful day!

Lower down on the road ran into these two teddies

Notice the hump on the back of the mom, this is a subspecies of grizzly bears

This one was posing

These are European brown bears. Evidently the previous communist dictator prohibited hunting of them except by himself so Romania has more than half of Europe’s population of these bears. While wild camping nearby later that night we received emergency alerts on our cell warning us of bear activity…



onward to the capital, Bucharest!