Just back from the US Southwest last night. It was even better than I had hoped. We camped the first seven nights and had only one hotel night - on the last night in Sedona.

Land travel always presents the transitions of the landscape as they flow past the window but one of the remarkable things about jet travel is that it just drops you into new and very different places with no transition at all. After landing in Phoenix, the 10 minute shuttle bus ride to the car rental "terminal" took us past Saguaro cactus set against the deep blue sky which we would quickly take for granted - along with other things like the good management and cleanliness of the state and national parks we visited and the consistent and genuine friendliness and generosity of the many Americans we met along the way.

After finding a very fortuitous alternative to what looked like a disastrous bottle neck at Fox Car Rental, we were soon on I 10 South toward Tucson and the beginning of our adventurous loop through southeastern and central Arizona and southwestern and central New Mexico. The route featured a much more diverse landscape than I had anticipated, from remnants of snow among the Ponderosa Pine in Hyde Memorial State Park above Santa Fe to the heat of the Tucson area.

Southeast Arizona is Sonoran desert country with huge Saguaro cactus, an amazing number of birds (including a certain one called a Roadrunner) and a parched, baked landscape of steep yet gentle mountains and wide sweeping valleys. We hiked for about 4 hours in Catalina State Park on our first full day and the Saguaro were both impressive and omnipresent - so much so that we agreed that their novelty would soon wear off - but we saw no more after that until the day we flew home.

We entered New Mexico and we were impressed with its landscape and its slower and more understated pace - which feels like it includes a richer and deeper mix of hispanic and Indian culture. After a brief stop at White Sands National Monument, a vast deposit of gypsum sand in the Talarusa Basin, we made our way to Oliver Lee State Park, south of Alamagordo. After camping on the edge of the wilderness at the foot of the full western slope of the Sacramento Mountains, we hiked Dog Canyon on a beautiful Monday morning. 4.5 miles one way and 3,000 feet of climbing to over 10,000 feet brought us to the top and a spectacular view of White Sands and the basin below.

We drove to Santa Fe with a notable stop at Villaneuva State Park, tucked beside the Pecos River and the sleepy village of the same name, along scenic NM road No. 3. After an hour or so in the vibrant old centre of the city, we changed our plans for a hotel night and instead headed northeast and up the hill into the Santa Fe National Forest and Hyde State Park where we had an excellent and vigourous hike, followed by a cold night in the tent. We weren't cold but it was zero celsius.

Back into Arizona then and a quick stop at Petrified Forest National Park before settling at a surreal desert campsite at Homolovi Ruins State Park. Up early and on to an outstanding breakfast at the refurbished and elegant La Posada Hotel in Winslow. It was one of the most luxurious hotels in the country during the golden age of rail travel and then as a roadside stopover on historic Route 66. But, after train travel declined and the interstate system was built, it closed in 1957 and stayed dormant for 40 years.

Continuing westward, we hiked to the top of Elden Lookout overlooking Flagstaff before camping at Pine Flats in the Coconino National Forest 10 miles north of Sedona. When we stay at hotels, we like to check in early but we set a new standard this time with our 9am check-in at Orchards Inn of Sedona. We were committed to more hiking on this our last full day so we stopped by the local UPS Store to ship the kitchen box on the way to 2 different hills in the red rocks, both overlooking the picturesque but somewhat yuppified and overly "branded" little town. The drive to Phoenix was downhill most of the way and the Saguaros re-appeared lower in the valley. All logistics were problem free on this tour in every respect.

Despite missing the Grand Canyon, the nuclear stuff at Los Alomos, the Hoover Dam, southern Utah and Las Vegas, all of which we considered to be possible destinations, we had a thoroughly enjoyable, rejuvenating and memorable visit to this part of the United States. Next time (and there will be a next time), we'll get to some of those places - and others too. Dragonboat paddling begins this week on Lake Ontario and the ice will be off Clear Lake by next weekend (if it isn't already) so we will have jump-started the spring/summer season in style.

And, finally, the Bills traded Jason Peters to the Eagles for the 28th pick in this weekend's NFL draft and, with it, landed OL Eric Wood from Louisville after taking DE Aaron Maybin from Penn State 11th overall. Let's hope they can help. And this year's Toronto game is a Prime Time Thursday night match-up against the Jets which is as good an opportunity for this game to succeed as it's going to get - and it will if they are still contending in early December.