So welcome back to the civilized world. America, the land of the free.... and millions of Mexicans, and all with their citizenship it would appear. On reaching the border between Mexico and the states we joined the massive queue at immigration along with the fifty or so non-English speaking people on the same bus as us. When we finally reached the front of the line we were fairly hacked off to see all these 'Americans' being waved straight through where as us two foreigners had to go and join another queue, fill out a load of forms, and hand over a hand full of dollars before we were allowed in. God bless America!
Once we'd finally got through after about two hours of pissing about we discovered the bus we had been travelling on had got fed up waiting for us and fecked off. Charming. So we had to wait around for an hour in the baking heat, in the middle of nowhere till we could blag a lift on another bus and get taken into town.
El Paso is a strange place. I guess in its day it must have been quite a prosperous border town but now it's a bit of a ghost town full of homeless and beggars. Mind you, in comparison to the class of people we got on the El Paso to Denver Greyhound bus it could be considered a veritable Monte Carlo!
Back in the UK if you're feeling bad about yourself and you're thinking maybe your life isn't going quite as well as it could be, you know you can always take a trip to Netto and have a look at some of the other shoppers to make yourself feel better. Well Greyhound busses in the States are like that, just multiplied by about ten. I tell you, a 17 hour journey has never been so interesting.... or scary.
Firstly we had the couple sat in front of us. She was a pretty hefty 36 year old with a substantial amount of armpit hair on display and more facial hair than David Bellamy. She latched onto us and talked at us for most of the journey. We got to find out all about her times as a truck driver and how many times she's been in prison, all very informative.
Her husband was supposedly 62 but looked about 162 as he sat there with his oxygen cylinder, periodically making a noise not dissimilar to how I imagine a camel would sound if it were coughing up a lung.
Then we had the drifter who every time we stopped would wander up and down the bus asking everyone how big the town was and whether they knew if there was any work available. I don't think he was the brightest spark though as after rejecting numerous stops along the way he eventually asked us if Denver was a "big town". Unfortunately we had to put up with quite a few of his questions (and his smell) as he spent quite a bit of time talking to the girl in front of us as they struck up some sort of deal for her to buy his state benefit food stamps. Once he'd found out we were English (his first guess was Australian) he then proceeded to ask us if there was much work in England. Thankfully Greyhound doesn’t have any transatlantic buses otherwise we may well have had an unwanted house guest!
Then there was the guy we picked up between stops who said he'd been kidnapped and beaten after helping a millionaire move house from the Rocky Mountains. The stench of Alcohol on his breath hinted at a slightly different turn of events.
It appeared the only other 'normal' people on the bus was this elderly couple sat next to us who just looked terrified for the entire journey.
We arrived in Denver on the evening of the 4th of July so after finding a hotel for the night we stood and watched the city's pretty impressive firework display before collapsing into bed to try and recover from the mammoth bus journey.
Next morning we picked up our rental car. For a trip down the west coast of the states something like a convertible Mustang would probably be appropriate. Or seeing as we were going to LA, maybe a Humvee. We got stuck with a Ford Focus (sorry Markus).
From Denver we drove up into the mountains and back to Keystone. A couple of the highest peaks still had patches of white on them but the whole place looked very different from when we had left it in April.
After collecting some of our things from storage and forgetting to put things into storage (after lugging that damn hammock all round central America we now have it taking up valuable boot space for our journey round the states), we were on the road again for a bit of a trek to Moab in Utah. The scenery through Colorado was pretty cool but as we entered Utah the roads got flatter and straighter and with cruise control engaged it was getting harder and harder to stay awake. Thankfully for the last fifty miles of the journey we turned off the interstate and headed through canyons following the Colorado River as it carved its way through twists and turns in the amazing rock which was glowing red in the last of the day's sun. The journey was also made a bit more interesting by the fact that the last 35 miles through deserted, desolate wasteland were done with the petrol light on, so that when we finally coasted into Moab it was on fumes with the needle firmly on the stop.
Securing a place to stay we smartened ourselves up and put on some different clothes to the couple of sets we had been wearing for the last few months. Then we headed out to dinner with Ian and Rachel, our friends from the UK who had been in the states on holiday for a couple of weeks. Thoughts of a BBQ had crossed our minds but the torrential downpour and thunderstorm put paid to that idea. First rain in three months we were told, good to see we're not losing our touch!
After a slap up meal, a few drinks and the chance to catch up on what we've been missing back home we said our farewells and it was back to being just the two of us again. Sorry, the THREE of us I've just been reminded by Bert.
Anyway, next morning with the continued rain we decided to move from our nice little cabin with BBQ pit in favour of a cheap motel with internet and cable TV. Thankfully after being a pretty miserable morning the weather cleared up and we headed out to the ArchesNational Park. We actually struck lucky as for the rest of the afternoon the clouds cleared and we had beautiful blue skies as we explored the various trails amongst the hundreds of natural rock arches. Fi would like me to amend "explored the various trails" to "walked miles in the blistering heat". The views were definitely worth it though and the day was rounded off nicely with a long slog uphill to see Delicate Arch which has become the adopted symbol of Utah.
Thankfully the new motel we'd picked in Moab had all bases covered, so now bathed in sunshine we got the chance to cool down in the swimming pool and then hop into a hot bath to ease our weary legs and aching feet. After stumbling across the street for beer, margaritas and a pretty cracking pizza we stumbled back again and into bed.
The next morning we continued our red rock viewing with a trip to the CanyonlandsNational Park. On the way we stopped at Dead Horse Point, so called due to the wild horses who didn't survive after being corralled by cowboys on this natural pinnacle 2000ft above the valley floor. Fortunately for us we didn't get fenced in and after enjoying fantastic views of the Colorado River winding its way along way below us, we were able to head to the Island in the Sky section of the CanyonlandsNational Park. Aptly getting its name due to the fact this flat topped mesa drops steeply two to three thousand feet on all sides offering fantastic panoramic views. After visiting most of the viewpoints, and I guess in part due to our exertions the day before, we were feeling all canyoned out so headed back to Moab again and visited our first US Diner for sustenance.
In the morning we loaded the car up and shortly after setting off we found ourselves in the middle of another downpour. I thought this was supposed to be a desert, one of the driest places on the face of the earth!?!?!
Thankfully by the time we had travelled the few hundred miles south to MonumentValley on the Utah/Arizona border the rain had stopped and the sun was beginning to poke through.
Ignoring advice we'd had about the dirt roads through the park being ridiculously bumpy and pot holed we decided to drive it anyway. So not only did we save on the stupidly high 100 dollars it would have cost us to do one of the tours but we got to spend as long as we wanted appreciating the stunning scenery made famous in the John Ford westerns such as Stagecoach and The Searchers.
These amazing towers of rock rising up from the valley floor are just amazing to see and as an extra, as the sun began to set we were treated to an amazing lightning show.
What wasn't so amazing was trying to drive afterwards in possibly the heaviest rain I've ever seen. We soon gave it up as a bad job and pulled into the first motel we could find.
12th of July 2006
Las Vegas, The USA.
By morning the rain had subsided and after Fi had finished her morning run (in this heat in the middle of the desert the crazy girl) we were on our way again. After a slight detour to Flagstaff to pick up some camping gear and watch the world cup final (Zidane, what were you thinking?!?!?) we arrived at the Grand Canyon. I guess it's the same for everyone as the first view you get simply takes your breath away! You can't really comprehend the scale of the place. It's only when you realise that the North Rim you can see directly across the canyon from where you are standing is 10 miles away, or the tiny speck you can see down in the depths when viewed with the zoom lens turns out to be a ranch for the crazy people who have hiked down to the bottom. A task that takes about a day to get down and another to get back up again, or longer if you're one of the hundreds of people who are rescued each year because they didn't take the gallons of water needed to keep you hydrated in the blistering temperatures.
We spent the afternoon exploring some of the viewpoints and eventually managed to tear ourselves away for some time in order to pitch our tent. Then it was back to Yavapai viewpoint to wait for the sunset. As expected after an hour or so of watching the sun get lower and lower the skies clouded over and it started to rain. Bloody typical! The lightening storm over the canyon was pretty cool to watch though. Oh well, we consoled ourselves with a cooked chicken from the grocery store as our plans for a bbq had been scuppered again. The giant cans of beer and the litre of Smirnoff Ice that Fi had also helped. What they didn't help with was trying to get ourselves up at half four the following morning to go watch the sunrise. Again we made our way to Yavapai point but this time instead of heading to the viewing area we made our way to the side and out onto a pinnacle of rock jutting out over the canyon. Sat there in the pre-dawn with no one else around and steep drops to the canyon floor on three sides of us was pretty cool. Once the sun finally dragged himself out of bed (I think he must have been on the Smirnoff the night before as well) we were treated to the gorgeous scene of the brown rocks turning to flaming red as fingers of sunlight crept deeper and deeper into the canyon.
By about seven o’clock the sun was well and truly up so we left our vantage point and caught one of the free shuttle buses out to a couple of the further a field viewpoints. It still impresses me how lazy people are. By seven the visitor's car park was heaving and the nearest viewpoints were filling up. Yet 15 minutes down the road at Yaki viewpoint we had the place to ourselves, well aside from all the chipmunks out on their morning forage. After a trip to Hopi viewpoint, west of the visitors centre, we were starting to get that all canyoned out feeling again. So after watching the Grand Canyon film on the IMAX screen we were on our way yet again, destination; Las Vegas. Mind you, it was about 300 hot, flat, dusty miles away but thankfully en-route there were a few distractions to break up the journey. After bombing down the interstate for a while we turned off onto Route 66. It was like stepping through a time warp as we drove through all these little towns with their neon, flashing Route 66 Diners and Motels. Then in the middle of nowhere (a phrase which has a new meaning to me after driving through Arizona), we came across a little general store which looked pretty funky on the outside with it's old fashioned petrol pumps, old style vending machines and a red '57 Corvette parked out front.
Once you ventured inside it was like an Aladdin's cave with memorabilia everywhere. Old advertising signs, photos, calendars, clothing etc etc. One half of the store was even decked out like a 60's diner complete with Wurlitzer juke box.
If you ventured out back you could find dozens of old cars and a garage with an old Ford pick up truck amongst hundreds of other car parts. And of course, everything from the shop, to the garage, the petrol pumps and anything else you could see was adorned with a Route 66 road sign. A very interesting little find.
A few miles further on it was time to veer north and head towards Nevada. I think it's safe to say there's a lot of flat nothingness out here that doesn't bring a massive amount to the driving experience. About the most interesting thing (what with the conversation usually being at zero apart from the odd snore coming from the passenger seat), is seeing how long each straight is before you have to go round the next corner. Current record stands at 18 miles without having to touch the steering wheel.
Finally we reached the Arizona/Nevada state line which is marked by the Hoover Dam. A massive feat of engineering and the biggest dam in the world when it was built back in the 30's and still stands at number 3 today, I think. The top is just wide enough for the road and a footpath on each side, about 40 odd feet. The base nearly 800ft below is over 600ft wide! The view from the top was pretty breathtaking in more ways than one. Having sat in the air conditioned car for the last few hours we hadn't realised just how damn hot (geddit) it had got. Just standing in the shade seemed to sap all your energy and it was so dry your tongue constantly felt like it was going to start sprouting a cactus at any moment.
The Colorado River which the dam has, well dammed, is actually the border between the two states so once we'd escaped back into the car's air-con we were into our 4th state of the trip so far. From the Hoover Dam it wasn't long until we got to Vegas. We could pretty much tell we'd arrived when a bright red Corvette convertible shot past us with the number plate 'VEGAS BB'.
Deciding we probably couldn't afford to stay in Caesar's Palace or the MGM Grand we headed further down the strip to a hotel called Circus Circus. Each hotel seems to have it's own them for example the Venetian is surrounded by canals complete with gondolas and singing gondoliers, or New York New York where each tower of the hotel looks like a different building from the Manhattan skyline. So it's not exactly difficult to guess the theme of our hotel, complete with its huge circus tent and the option of watching jugglers, clowns or trapeze artists at any hour of the day. At this particular hour though, after our mammoth drive, we were knackered. So after finding some food we headed to bed. Now I know going to bed is actually a crime in Vegas but we wanted to get our rest so we'd be fighting fit for the next few days.
People have told us that two days are enough for Vegas, after two days you'll have had enough of the place. So it was quite a shock that even after four days we had to literally drag ourselves away. Admittedly Las Vegas is a complete assault on the senses but that does mean there is so much to see and do. I don't think I can write a day by day diary for the place as each day just blurs into the next one, but here goes an attempt to summarise what we got up to in our time there.
Firstly there's the strip itself, lined with huge hotels and casinos on both sides, each trying to be better than the next. This is good for a couple of reasons. First, what with the hotels and casinos lining the pavements you don't have to walk in the blistering heat to get anywhere. Each gigantic hotel takes up an entire city block so instead of walking on the pavement you can just walk through the nice air conditioned gambling floor instead. Much better than the 112 degree heat it got to one of the days we were there. Another good thing is that in their attempts to out do one another each of them seems to have its own free shows or attractions. The MGM Grand has its lion enclose, the Mirage has white tigers and a huge volcano out front which erupts every half hour. The Bellagio has its famous dancing fountains, Rio has its nightly carnival and parade and Treasure Island has its pirate show complete with canon fire, explosions and the sinking of an entire galleon. This is on top of just looking round the hotels and casinos themselves. Excalibur decked out like a castle, Paris with its Eiffel Tower, Caesars Palace with its Roman architecture and amazing swimming pools and of course the giant pyramid hotel that is the Luxor, the list goes on and on.
Then there is the massive choice of shows to go and see. Out of the plethora to choose from we opted for a couple at opposite ends of the spectrum. Firstly with Vegas having a bit of a sleazy reputation we thought it best we investigate that side of things so went to see Erocktica. And yep it was as cheesy as it sounds. Topless ladies with very expensive looking enhancements singing classic rock tunes. Bit like watching Meatloaf but with long hair and big boobs. So exactly like watching Meatloaf then!
Not erotic in anyway like the title suggested but a good nights entertainment none the less.
The second show we attended was 'O', and no it's not along the same lines as Erocktica before you ask. It was a proper show, done by the Cirque de Soleil at the Bellagio I'll have you know, a bit more classy than the previous night’s entertainment. Now I know the words "French interpretive dance troupe and performing clowns" sounds like gayness in a box but it was a fantastic show and possibly one of the best live performances I've seen since Everton beat Southampton 7-1. I have to admit I have no idea what the plot was or even if there was a plot but what I saw was a lot of very talented people performing amazing feats of balancing, swinging, jumping and diving the likes of which I've never seen before. Combine this with a stage that one second people are back flipping across or being set on fire upon and the next second is filled with enough water to accommodate a high dive from the ceiling of the theatre and you've got something a little bit more than your average big top. Would recommend them to anyone.
In between all these inconvenient distractions we barely had any time for gambling. In fact, I think we only sat down at a blackjack table on one occasion. We did spend quite a bit of time playing the slot machines though. The games themselves were fairly entertaining but the best thing about them was that while you're gambling all your drinks are free. Which means for the $1 tip you give the waitress for a round of drinks and whatever money you put into the slot machines, which go as low as 1 cent per play, you can drink beer, wine, shorts, cocktails or whatever you fancy. I think Fi surprised herself with how much she actually enjoyed playing them especially when at 11pm one night we were on our way to bed and decided to have a quick nightcap. Sitting down at a couple of machines we caught the attention of a waitress and ordered a round. Next time I looked at my watch, which was now rather blurry due to the number of Coronas I'd had, it was 3am and madam was still going strong trying to win a Mercedes! She never did win the car although the machine did drop nearly eighty dollars for her on our last day. She also acquired us another couple of show tickets from a machine in another casino. The show was entitled "The Extreme Magic of Dirk Arthur" and after sitting through it we understood why they were having to give tickets away. The magic wasn't the best we've seen and the way Dirk had to keep sneaking quick looks under the curtains or behind screens to make sure everything was in place before revealing it to the audience kind of ruined the illusion a bit. And making us sit through the Discovery Channel documentary about him and the big cats he uses in his show was a tad egocentric. Making a helicopter appear on stage out of thin air was kind of impressive though.
Another Vegas institution is the all you can eat buffet. Available at most hotels these cover all meals from breakfast, lunch and dinner and all meals in between until 5am when they start all over again. The buffet in our hotel wasn't bad for five quid but we decided to splash out one day and go for the expensive ten quid version down at the Bellagio. We arrived at 2pm for a late lunch which turned into an early dinner by the time we left at 4.30pm, and I still don't think we managed to try everything.
The choice was immense with soups and a huge salad bar for starters, seafood including about eight different types of fish, king crabs and two different types of mussels (who knew there were two different types of mussels???) and a sushi bar. Chinese dishes, pasta, pizza and a carvery including prime rib, lamb, pork, beef, turkey, chicken, poule and wild boar. Then there was Fi's favourite part which she devoted at least an hour to, desert. Ice cream, cheese cake, cookies, chocolate cake, brownies, key lime pie, carrot cake, lemon meringue pie, strawberries, melon, kiwis, cherries.... the list goes on and on. And this isn't a list of the choices, this is what we actually ate. It was a good job we didn't pick that day to ride the rollercoaster at New York New York I can tell you!
Possibly the highlight of our time in Vegas was another sort of rollercoaster. Dragging ourselves up at the god awful hour of 6am one morning we acquired coffee and were picked up from our hotel by a minibus. From there we were taken down to the airport where we climbed aboard an Eco-Star helicopter for a trip through the Grand Canyon. We'd thought it looked pretty funky looking down at the river from the South Rim but didn't fancy the idea of the two day walk, so this seemed like the perfect alternative. After flying out over the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead we dropped into the canyon and flew along the river with the walls towering up above us before landing besides the river and tucking into a champagne breakfast. After that it was back on board again for the return trip to Vegas where we flew along the strip getting a bird’s eye view of all the hotels and casinos before landing safely back at the airport. Not a bad way to wake yourself up in the morning!
With so much to do in Vegas we had a good go at everything but I don't think we even came close. Besides what's mentioned above we also went to see the sharks at the Mandalay Bay aquarium, entered a couple of frantic slot machine tournaments hopping for a chance to spin the prize wheel for 500 bucks, and we saw Elvis. Well to be exact we saw Big Elvis, a guy weighing about 25 stone who gave a fantastic performance of all the classics and was given a standing ovation by the crowd once he'd finished.
21st of July 2006
Summerville, The USA.
After leaving Las Vegas (in a better condition than Nicolas Cage) we headed South into California and to the Joshua Tree National Park. Arriving just in time we managed to catch the sun setting which lit up the rocks surrounding the thousands of very strange looking Joshua trees. After a quick trip back into town for a tea of pizza it was time for us to pitch the tent. Or I should say, it was time for me to pitch the tent while Fi wandered around in the dark trying to get star photos.
Next morning was another early start as we awoke to the sun rising. Driving halfway round the park in search of the best sunrise viewpoint we eventually ended up back at the campsite for beautiful views of a valley full of trees and mountains in the background. Then it up to Keys View where we sat having breakfast. From there it was back on the road again and after driving through the celebrity get away of Palm Springs with it's plethora of golf courses we were on our way to San Diego.
Travel tip number 230; don't arrive in San Diego on a Saturday during the summer holidays without having pre-booked your accommodation, it could wind up being a very expensive mistake. Thankfully while we were stood in the reception of the Best Western, monopolising their phone and trying to find somewhere that wasn't full or ridiculously expensive, they got a cancellation and the very nice man behind the desk took pity on us and gave us a really good discount on the room. Amazingly we had nothing on our schedule for the rest of the afternoon so taking advantage of this rare break in the hecticness we spent a few hours relaxing by the pool.
Next morning it was go, go, go again as we headed for San Diego Zoo. It’s a massive place and our poor little feet were complaining by the time we'd walked round it all. Highlights of the day include the giant pandas, Fi getting very up close and personal with a hippo and feeding time at the giraffe enclosure as they took biscuits off us with their stupidly long and sandpaper like tongues. As in South America though the Bespectacled Bear eluded us yet again. The dark furry mass in the back of the cave may well have been a bear but it quite as easily have been a labrador so I don't think that counts. The Sun Bears (so named due to the sun shaped splash of yellow on their otherwise black fur) were pretty funky though and seemed to enjoy the attention. What with the heat the Polar Bears didn't seem too impressed and stayed firmly inside their air conditioned hideout.
The heat was getting to us as well, even after really taking advantage of the free refills for our souvenir San Diego Zoo mug (complete with flashing lights) we still couldn't cool down, so on the way home we took a trip to the cinema and relaxed in the cool darkness.
Next day it was time for a zoo of a different kind as we went to Sea World. Getting there as the place opened was definitely the right thing to do as it meant we got to see a lot of the animals before the crowds turned up. Fi got to see her manatees again, these ones rescued after boating accidents in Florida. That is, they were hit by boats in Florida, the manatees weren't on a disaster struck sailing holiday or anything. We walked through a massive clear tunnel underwater to get a good close up view of the sharks and other close ups included whales, walruses, penguins, moray eels, all manner of fishes and Clydesdale Horses. I wasn't aware that Clydesdales were a sea dwelling creature but there they were with their own exhibit at Sea World.
Closer than the close ups was when we got to interact with the animals. Feeding the sea lions was great fun especially if you weren't quick enough throwing your fish giving the lightning fast sea gulls an opportunity to swoop down and snatch it from your hand, isn't that right Fi? The bat ray tank gave you a chance to feel how squidgy and slimy these creatures are but the highlight of the day by far was definitely the dolphins. It was so cool getting to stroke these friendly creatures (not slimly like the rays, in fact the best description of them comes from a 6 year old boy who was there; "they feel kinda like hot dogs") who relish the attention. They also enjoyed being fed with fish as well. No sea gulls to worry about this time but the occasional flick of a tail and splashing of water encouraged you to hurry things up a bit.
Besides all the enclosures and exhibits there were also shows. Dolphins, whales, sea lions, otters, walruses and the famous Shamu killer whale show were all very entertaining and true to their word when we sat in the 'soak zone' and got absolutely soaked.
From Sea World, once we'd dried out, we drove north to LA and found a cheap and not very cheerful motel in Anaheim. My placating of Fiona's fear that "you don't think it's too cheap do you?" was blown out of the water when a guy pulled back the curtains and peered through our open window with a torch as we were both falling asleep. I think the damage to his ear drums from Fiona’s scream put him off trying any further break in attempts.
The one thing the place did have going for it was that it was within walking distance of the Disneyland Resort, a point which was emphasised as we were given a free taster of the nightly firework display.
The following day it was time to start hitting the parks again. We began with Disney's California Adventure. It's smaller than Disneyland but also newer so it has more modern rides. We started the day with California Soarin’, a hang glider simulator where you soar over California. Not only do you get the sensation of the wind in your face but you also get the smells as you go over orange groves and pine forests. Thankfully we didn't fly over our motel.
After that we moved onto California Screamin’ (you getting the naming convention they're adopted yet?), a pretty decent rollercoaster where the ride begins not with the conventional click, click, click up hill but by firing you uphill like a drag racer from a standing start. Other rides included the Monsters Inc ride with Mike and Sully and Grizzly Rapids which cooled us off a bit but the best ride had to be the Tower of Terror where we took advantage of the fast pass system to go back and ride a couple of times. The story involves a disused hotel and a haunted elevator, the reality involved being launched 13 stories up in the air in the dark before emerging into the sunlight at the top of the hotel before being dropped back down to earth again leaving your stomach somewhere en-route.
Other things that occupied our time were the Brother Bear adventure playground, Turtle Talk with Crush from Finding Nemo, a Bug's Story in 4D which involved a 3D performance along with getting soaked, attacked by bees and having bugs run all over us. The day ended with a massive ice cream and block party involving lots of singing and dancing Pixar characters like Buzz, Woody and the Incredibles.
Wednesday had a break from parks and drove to Hollywood. Here we took in everything cheesy and touristy including the Hollywood walk of fame where all the stars are set into the pavement, Mann's Chinese Theatre with all the hand prints in concrete outside and we even got chance to rub shoulders with the stars. Or should I say we got to drive up to their gates and peer through at their homes until security moved us on.
Did one of the very cheesy 'home of the stars' tours through Beverly Hills and Bel Air which was surprisingly good fun. Unfortunately neither Madge, Tom and Katie nor Paris were home but I did get to go to the loo in the same public toilet that George Michael was arrested in.
Not necessarily the best house but defiantly the best car collection belonged to Georges Marciano, the owner of Guess Jeans. With his fleet of Ferraris parked outside he has enough to use a different one every day of the week. Of course, we got to see the Fresh Prince’s house and one more thing we got to see was Colombo’s place.
An open top bus tour of Hollywood itself was also fun, taking in the famous sign, lots of different studios and old theatres where various stars began their careers as well as seeing the Roosevelt Theatre where Marylyn did her first photo shoot. So having seen no one remotely famous we headed back to the hotel to get our rest and prepare for an early start the following morning. The multi-pass ticket we’d bought for Disney allowed us one early entry to the park, meaning that on Thursday we could get in at seven before the hoards arrived at eight.
So at 6am the next day it was back to business and we were up early to head over to Disneyland to take advantage of the early entry tickets we'd managed to obtain. Possibly not too surprisingly what with it being Disney, even at half 6 in the morning there were already pretty hefty queues outside the gates.Still, an hours advantage on the 'riff raff' getting in at 8 was definitely worth it as we managed to get round a few of the big rides before the real queues began. The fact it took us about ten minutes to walk through the non-existent line for Space Mountain didn't bode well for the thousands that would be stood there later in the day.
The first and most important thing that Fi had to do once we'd got through the gates was to get her photo taken with all the characters. We were still on a schedule to get to the rides though so she swiftly elbowed a couple of kids out the way to get her picture with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Goofy and then we were off and running!
We got to go on some of the bigger rides like Space Mountain and the big thunder mountain railroad before the lines got stupidly busy, and boy did they get busy. I have to hand it to Disney though. What do you do if one of your oldest rides is beginning to show its age? Do you spend millions on revamping it for modern times or do you just chuck out a film with the same name, put in a token gesture ‘Captain Jack Sparrow’ character amongst the other ancient looking pirates and then sit back and watch people queue round the park to get on the ride. As per usual our timing wasn’t great as the sequel was currently number one at the cinema but thankfully our early entry ticket got us onto the ride before the thousands in their Pirates of the Caribbean hats, t-shirts and Mickey Mouse ears with pirate bandanas turned up.
The ride wasn’t bad, but it is the same ride I did in Florida about seventeen years ago, just with an added Johnny Depp animatronic. Still, all the kids seemed to come out smiling.
After that we went on what is probably the best ride in Disney, the Indiana Jones Ride. You strap yourself into an open topped jeep then descend into the depths of an ancient temple, complete with collapsing bridges, poison darts, spikes, flames, snakes (why did there have to be snakes?) and the obligatory giant boulder to finish things off.
Sorry, I just have to clarify something. Although we’re agreed that the Indiana Jones ride is probably the best ride in the park, it would appear Fiona’s favourite ride was The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Although I’m told that even better than the ride was the chance to meet and even get a cuddle from Pooh, Ee-ore and Tigger afterwards, even though she had about 20 years and 2ft on everyone else in line!
Things carried on in a similar vein for the rest of the day as we tried out most of the rides, stopped occasionally for junk food and giant lollypops before rounding the day off by watching the massive firework display.
Friday began in the same way we’d left off on Thursday as we found ourselves in yet another theme park. This time it was Universal Studios.
The studio has basically converted half its plot into a massive theme park with rides connected to its movies. Not perhaps the best choice for an early morning but one that definitely woke us up was our amble through Dracula’s castle with Van Helsing. Basically your old fashioned haunted house, but with a hefty budget, we stumbled through the dark having various different people jump out and scare the crap out of us!
From there we worked our way round all the other attractions including the Terminator 3-D experience, the Mummy ride and the Jurassic Park boat ride. There were also a few characters kicking around here as well and after Shrek 4-D we got to meet the big man himself as he posed for a photo with ‘Princess’ Fiona.
One of the best parts of the day was the studio tour where we got to see the Bates Motel from Psycho, Skull Island from King Kong and the 747 crash site from War of the Worlds as well as surviving an attack from the big ape, a flash flood, an earthquake and being eaten by Jaws.
It was a boiling hot day though so we decide to cool ourselves down a bit with a few minutes in the kid’s water splash fun zone. Don’t think Fi was banking on how much cooling down she was gonna get but if you don’t pay attention and position yourself directly under a 500 litre bucket then you can’t really complain if you get a little bit wet. Not to worry, we were both as soaked as each other 5 minutes later as we sat watching the Waterworld show getting soaked by jet skis, boats and a plane crashing into the water in front of us.
As we left Universal we headed west to the coast and took a stroll along Venice Beach. Standing on the pier we watched the building tension between rival groups of surfers before we headed back along the beach past all the Baywatch style lifeguard huts. No sign of the Hoff though.
Back into the car we headed north up the coast till hunger got the better of us and we pulled over at a Tai restaurant which was little more than a shack overlooking Malibu Beach. Good food although we did both get through a fair amount of water with our meals. Glad we didn’t go for anything titled ‘spicy’ as it could have resulted in a call to the paramedics!
Pushing on after eating we began looking for places to stay. Ventura was definitely not ace as we couldn’t find anywhere to stay and as we got further north we became increasingly aware that we were getting closer to Santa Barbara. Not that Santa Barbara doesn’t have nice places to stay, it’s just that they have ‘nice’ prices to go with em. Thankfully in the town of Summerville just before Santa Barbara we managed to get a decent deal on a room after a bit of haggling with the old Chinese woman who ran the place. From a starting price of nearly a hundred dollars Fi managed to get her down to nearer fifty. “You pay cash yes, no tell others.”
We got quite a strange room for our fifty bucks though, it would have looked more at home in a Cornish cottage rather than on the Pacific Coast of America. And the four poster bed was so high of the ground you needed a run up to get onto the thing! That was once you’d dug through the mountain of frilly pillows to actually find the bed.
27th of July 2006
San Francisco, The USA.
After an open air breakfast in the morning sun we were on the move again. Highway 1 or the Pacific Coast Highway as it is sometimes called is a beautiful drive. The coastline here is very rugged with the waves crashing on the rocks at the bottom of the cliffs. Pulling over at one point to get a better look we were instantly mobbed by a pack of squirrels. Obviously having latched onto the fact that tourists on a long drive usually have plenty of snacks with em they’ve got the looking cute act down to a tee. So much so that before I could say “Oi, I was saving those” Fi had distributed the last of my biscuits.
Further up the coast we pulled into the tourist information centre at Big Sur to try and arrange a place to stay for the night. After getting the phone numbers of some campsites we were disappointed to be met with a number of answer phone messages all saying they were full up, in fact one of them said the next available space they had was two months away in September!!!
With nothing else we could do from there we pushed on and made a mental note that if you want to stay on the Californian coast on a Saturday night in the middle of the school holidays you should probably book well in advance.
Our destination for that night was Monterey. Monterey Bay is the nation's largest marine sanctuary and thousands of people come here each year to see the aquarium, surf, kayak or simply relax on the beach. Inland there is the state historic park hosting a collection of the countries finest historic buildings, a Monarch Butterfly sanctuary and numerous museums. Did we visit any of these popular natural or cultural attractions, did we bollox, we were here to watch a bunch of lunatics on two wheels go round in circles at insane speeds.
The Laguna Seca racetrack just outside Monterey was hosting round eleven of the MotoGP Championship which meant that Valentino Rossi, Colin Edwards, Nicky Hayden, et all were in town to do battle. Unfortunately over 100,000 motorbike fans were also in town taking up all bleeding accommodation. Thankfully with such a demand for camping one of the country parks had been commandeered to cope with the overspill from the course. The 65 dollar price tag was a tad steep and is probably the most I’ll ever pay for camping anywhere in the world but we made the most of it with a hefty amount of steak thrown on the barbeque and some red wine to wash it down.
Getting up early the following morning we were on one of the first shuttle buses to the circuit. Once there we had a good look round before all the crowds descended, and bagged ourselves a good vantage point at the famous Corkscrew turn on the back of the circuit. Watching the MotoGP boys flying through the steep left, right downhill section during their 20 minute practice session was all good fun and the plan was to keep our spot and watch one of the support races from the same point. However, as the practice session ended we were told over the tannoy that due to the effect the blistering temperatures were having on the recent resurfacing work on the track there would be no other bikes allowed on track until the main race at 2pm. This meant we had four hours to kill in the baking sun, with very little shade and bottles of water costing a fortune. The trade stands provided relief from the sun though and we also managed to blag a hefty amount of freebies including hats, posters, ear plus and jelly beans which kept us going till the racing began. We found a nice spot high up on the banking round turn 2 at the end of the start finish straight which gave us pretty decent views of turns 3,4 and 5 as well as sections of the back of the circuit.
The noise was immense as the bikes roared past on the opening lap, not only from the bikes themselves but also from all the supporters, the majority of whom were keen for a home win from American Nicky Hayden.
With Vale having not qualified well it was impressive to see him carving his way through the field from 10th place. He’s obviously listened to all those tips I gave him before the race. Things were building towards an exciting climax as he chased leader Hayden….. till his bike went bang a few laps from the finish guaranteeing the Americans the winner they were after. That’s what you get if you race a Yamaha I guess, good bikes but the engines are a little delicate, or so I’ve heard ;)
After the feature race had finished the AMA bikes took to the tracks while most of the crowd made for the exits. Kind of demoralising I guess to wait all day for your chance to get on the track only to see everyone leaving. We stayed to lend our support and were glad we did, the racing was a lot closer and more exciting than the MotoGP race had been.
Jamie Hacking won the Supersport race on his R6, but failed to take his place on the top spot of the podium. This was because instead of getting a nice gap between races, due to the reshuffle in the schedule he had to hop straight onto his R1 for the Superstock race. Telling the course interviewer not to worry as he’d be back soon he stuck to his words and half an hour later after another thrilling win he was back on the top step of the podium looking thoroughly knackered!
By now, most of the other race goers had left so we had an easy escape from the track and after collecting our car from the campsite we headed north in the search of cheaper camping. Heading towards Santa Cruz we soon came across a campsite which wasn’t that far. Unfortunately there was no sign of anyone running the site. This is not usually a problem for us as we normally just pitch our tent and pay in the morning. However, the combination locks on the toilets and showers were proving to be a slight problem and after a nights camping and a day in the heat and the dust we were definitely in need of a shower! Thankfully we managed to find someone who we convinced to give us the code and expecting top quality showers due to all the security we were disappointed to have to stand underneath cold dribbles in order to get clean.
Next morning we paid up and then we were off to San Francisco. After a couple of loops finding our way in we made it to the city centre and begun searching for somewhere to stay. The first place we asked was way out of our price range, so we asked next door, which was a bit cheaper but still too high. The next hotel on the road was cheaper still and the one after that even cheaper. So we continued in this fashion till we found one that suited our budget, and we hadn’t even ended up in the slums by this point, we were still in a very nice part of town.
After ditching most of our stuff in the room we made our way to the water front taking in a couple of sights along the way. First up (or should I say down) was Lombard Street. It’s the mega twisty road which you’ve probably seen on the telly in various car adverts.
To be honest, it doesn’t seem that out of place in San Francisco as the entire city’s infrastructure is pretty mad. One minute you can be driving along a 6 lane road in the middle of the city and suddenly be faced with a mental 5 way junction. Picking a street at random and trying not to get mown down by buses, trams or cable cars you’ll suddenly find yourself climbing a tiny little street with a 40% incline that the car can barely make it up in 1st gear! The fun bit is then the trip down the other side where you go down another road just as steep but this time crossing flat sections where other roads cross the one you’re on. Fi was not overly impressed with my best Steve McQueen impression and I can safely say a Ford Focus does not fly as well as the Mustang does.
After our rally across town we eventually made it to Pier 39 where the boat trips underneath the Golden Gate or boats to Alcatraz go from. With Alcatraz being high up on our list of things to do here and knowing full well we’d have to book in advance we made the ticket office our first port of call. With it only being Monday and us having 2 to 3 days to spend in the city we felt comfortable we’d be able to get on one of the many boats going each day. Getting to the front of the queue with cash in hand it was quite a shock to hear that the next boat with any available spaces on it was on Sunday!!! Nuts, it’s like Macchu Piccu all over again!
So are there any other boats that go to Alcatraz we asked hopefully. Nope, our company has the exclusive contract to take people to the island was the disappointing reply. Churning ideas franticly round our heads and only being able to come up with adding hundreds of miles to our trip to come back here a week later we were about to turn away when on the price list I spotted the ‘Island Hopper’ trip. “So which islands does the Island Hopper trip go to I ask”. “That one goes to Angel Island and Alcatraz” came the reply. “And would there happen to be any spaces on that trip anytime before Sunday”. “Why yes, there are tickets available for Wednesday”. “Excellent, two tickets please”
So a little bit more money than we’d expected to pay but we were also getting a bonus trip to Angel Island, wherever and whatever the hell that is?!?!
The Pier 39 area has become a bit of a tourist area with loads of shops and restaurants springing up. The main attraction that brings people here in the first place though are the Pier 39 sea lions. Many years ago with a massive storm raging in the area, a group of Californian sea lions came to seek refuge in the sheltered area around the pier. And they’ve never left. They now spend their days lounging around on the pontoons in the sunshine and barking at passing tourists. Not a bad life.
The sight of the lounging sea lions put us in the mood for some lounging ourselves so we headed upstairs to one of the restaurants with a view out across the bay. In fact, by the end of our all you can eat pizza dinner we were both feeling like big fat sea lions, and attempts to wriggle out of our chairs were probably somewhat sea lion esk!
Although the fact that Fi could barely walk, never mind eat any more didn’t stop her from heading into the fudge shop downstairs and coming out with a pound and a half of fudge. A pound and a half!!!!! I didn’t think you were legally allowed to sell that much fudge in one go. Mind you, we are in America I suppose.
Leaving Pier 39 before Fi consumed her own body weight in fudge we headed along the San Francisco Scenic Drive which leads you through the city apparently taking in anything interesting. Having not really seen anything interesting we finally arrived at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. Well, we presumed it was the Golden Gate Bridge, it was actually too damn foggy to see anything. This it would appear is the norm in San Francisco and a full view of the bridge in sunshine is a very rare occurrence.
Making a note that if the weather should clear over the next few days, this is where we would be heading to, we made our way back to the hotel and ditched the car. Heading out on foot we explored the local area finding it chock full of little bars and restaurants. In fact, over the next few days we managed to sample quite a few of these places and had a number of very enjoyable evenings.
The following morning we awoke to, shock horror, clear blue skies!!! Legging it as fast as we could down to the bridge (it literally takes seconds for the day to change from clear and sunny to cold and foggy with the mist rolling in off the sea) we were greeted by a complete contrast to the day before. What do you know, there is a bridge there after all! Working our way round the different viewing areas we managed to get some nice pictures of the bridge. Fi pushing the boundaries of “getting the shot” by climbing over barriers and heading out across the rocks under the bridge, much to the concern of the policeman stationed there to presumably stop tourists climbing over barriers and heading out across the rocks under the bridge.
The weather actually stayed clear for the whole day so we had a lovely time heading across the bridge and up into the hills at the other side. It’s amazing that after only 5 minutes (and a 5 dollar toll fee) you can be in the countryside, with fantastic views of the coastline, as well as the bridge below you and the city beyond that.
After spending most of the day in the peace and quiet of the country the city centre streets presented quite a contrast. As I said before, some of the junctions are pretty mental and despite going the wrong way down a one way street (but I was only going ‘one way’ officer) we survived intact and finally found somewhere to park.
After that we took a much more sedate mode of transport. Well I say sedate, I’m not sure how relaxing clinging to the outside of a moving vehicle while it hurtles through the traffic is, but it defiantly beats driving. The San Francisco cable cars are not how we understand the phrase cable car. They look like trams but are actually powered by huge moving cables underground that they clamp onto and then release to move and then stop. So a bit like a cable car, just upside down! There’s not a massive amount of room inside them, so the done thing is to stand on the footplates and cling onto whatever you can while it makes its way up and down the massive hills the city has to offer. They were initially conceived to solve the problem of horses being unable to pull their loads up the steep hills. Instead of all this planning and expense to get round these problems, you’d have thought it might have occurred to them to maybe just have the city elsewhere on a flat bit of land!
Disembarking from the cable car with all limbs intact we took a walk through China town. Resisting the urge to purchase all manner of garish and tacky oriental souvenirs we made do with a couple of postcards and headed back to thankfully find our car where we’d left it in a slightly dodgy car park and the keys securely stowed on top of one of the back tyres.
After another trip to one of the little restaurants near our hotel we took in a film at the cinema. The place brought a whole new meaning to the phrase “one man operation” as the little Chinese guy who sold us our ticket through the window at the front then came running through to dish up our popcorn and drinks. I wouldn’t be surprised if he then had to head upstairs to set the film going!
Next day was our trip to Alcatraz. After negotiating the bus journey into town and stopping off for a huge breakfast in one of the diners en-route we made our way to the pier and joined the huge crowd waiting to board the boat. The day was a lot more overcast than the day before but was much more apt as we set off across the bay and the island emerged out of the mist.
After a brief introduction by one of the Rangers most people headed towards the room showing the welcome video. Seizing our opportunity we detached ourselves from the crowd and made the long climb uphill from the dock to the entrance to the cell blocks. Being the first one’s there we had the unique opportunity to view the cells for a couple of minutes before anyone else arrived. Definitely made things more atmospheric than it was a little while later with hundreds of tourists crawling all over the place.
Included in the ticket price was an audio tour. Our initial thoughts were that it was quite gimmicky but it turned out to be really good. As you walked round the prison with your headphones on you were told all about the place by ex guards and convicts and as you entered the different areas the background noises on the soundtrack took you back to somewhat understanding what it might have been like all those years ago. And the information given was very interesting as well with tales of riots and escape attempts, as well as the hardships of day to day life.
Far too quickly our time on the rock was up, I bet that’s not been said too many times in the past, and we were back on the boat heading over to Angel Island.
Now Angel Island, it would appear, is another island in the bay but much larger than Alcatraz and a popular destination for days out. The place is a basically one big park where families can go for walks or just relax on the beaches. We were given a tour round the island which gave us views of the Golden Gate Bridge covered in fog yet again as well as a bit of history on the place. Amongst its many previous uses one was as a holding area for Chinese immigrants and they’re currently in the process of restoring the housing blocks into a museum.
After another very enjoyable day we found ourselves in the usual area for a bite to eat and the evening was finished off with a few drinks in some of the bars.
31st of July 2006
Sequoia National Forest, The USA.
So, after settling in the same place for a few days it was time to get moving again. Setting off early, with not too sore a head from the night before, we headed back over the bridge again and north to Muir Woods, a National Park containing giant redwood trees.
The size of these things is just incredible as the stretch up above you into the sky. You have to be careful as you wander around looking up though. For one, it puts you a tad off balance and you’re likely to fall over, and two, if you’re not looking where you’re going you could quite easily trip over a chipmunk! Any time you care to look you’ll be able to see one of these little fellas scampering back and forth across the paths.
What’s not so much fun is when you’re doing 60 along a mountain road and they continue scampering in front of you!
I did my best and throughout the month would say I managed to spare the lives of about 50 of the little critters. However, I would look to send my condolences to the families of the two chipmunks who weren’t so fortunate. To be honest, they only have themselves to blame.
My conscience is clear and I feel I did all I could by lurching the car onto the wrong side of the road to avoid them. The fact that having reached the middle of the road and with now a clear path to the other side they instead chose to run back the way they came and straight into a close encounter with a Bridgestone had nothing to do with me.
In the afternoon we drove to Fairfax to see the Budweiser Factory. Unfortunately I can’t read properly and the factory is in Fairfield but we did have a nice lunch in a country pub so the 100 mile detour wasn’t a complete waste.
The late afternoon saw us arrive in Napa Valley, the famous wine making region of California.
Having stopped at the tourist information office to get some advice on the hundreds of wineries in the area we selected a couple to visit.
First stop was the very flash winery owned by film director Francis Ford Coppola. The estate was beautiful with a long driveway leading to valet parking, after which we walked between perfectly manicured lawns and flower beds and around fountains to make our way to the entrance to the chateau.
Our tour was conducted by a man who is the only other person I’ve ever heard who talks like Lloyd Grossman. At the end of the tour I was half expecting David Frost to turn up and ask us who would live in a Chateau like this!
Instead we were taking into the tasting room to sample some of the different varieties produced in the winery.
Having ballsed up with my driving earlier in the day I was given the chance to redeem myself with some extra driving after we’d finished in the wineries, i.e. no tasting for me!!!
Fiona did me proud though, easily managing to drink my allocation of different wines for me.
Upstairs in the chateau was a small museum devoted to memorabilia from Mr Coppola's films. It was quite cool getting to see costumes and props from Dracula, Apocalypse Now and The Godfather as well as the actual Oscars won by the films.
Following on from our rather civilised time at the Niebaum-Coppola estate we moved on to where things were run slightly different and to be honest, a hell of a lot more fun.
No formal tour, no Lloyd Grossman and no charge meant we made our way straight to the tasting room for our six glasses each of wine. With me only taking a sip every now and again it meant Fiona was comfortably able to work her way through the entire list on offer. Twice.
Under the expert instruction of our host we were guided through the subtle changes of clarity, flavours and aromas of each wine, all of which Fi chugged appreciably.
Having picked a favourite we purchased a bottle and made our way through to the delicatessen section where we were advised on what cheeses and meats would go best with the red we had selected.
Having next found a hotel to stay in (once I’d rolled Fiona into the car) I was finally able to try the wine and we both got stuck into the hefty amount of food we had purchased. A top quality tea and very reminiscent of our times in Argentina.
Next morning with Fiona feeling a little worse for wear it was decided that the best hangover cure would be to have jelly beans for breakfast.
So we rolled up at the Jelly Belly factory for the first tour of the day and learnt all about how jelly beans are made. Strangely, the actual manufacturing process didn’t seem to interest Fiona quite as much as the free tasting at the end of the tour.
With fifty different flavours of beans to choose from it wasn’t until the servers took the bartender approach and said “I think you’ve had enough now madam” that we moved on.
Not that I was complaining too much when we did head off as next stop was Fairfield for the Budweiser factory tour. Having been the dutiful driver last night it was now my turn to sample the alcohol and I feel that a good ‘sample’ should consist of at least four bottles of different brews.
So by 11am Fiona was bouncing from her sugar buzz and I was fairly happy with the amount of Bud I’d consumed. Beer and jelly beans, is there no better breakfast.
From Fairfield, Fiona drove us to Yosemite Park. It was the weekend again but it wasn’t till we arrived at all the full campsites we remembered our mental note never to arrive in a popular tourist destination on a weekend!
After a word with the park rangers we discovered that there was a campsite at Crane Flat which still had spaces. Finding a spot we pitched our tent next to a huge metal cupboard that each site seemed to have. After further investigation we found out the cupboard was a bear box. Opening it carefully we found out it wasn’t a place for storing bears but actually a way of keeping bears from eating your food. And also from eating you sweets, deodorant, soap, dirty laundry and anything else with a human smell. Thankfully that meant I didn’t have to worry about my boots as they’ve smelt inhuman for months now!
Anyway we were repeatedly warned not to leave anything out in the open, or even in the car as bears regularly frequent the campsites and have been know to break into cars in search of food (these would be the scouse bears I guess).
Making sure all our things were safely stored we were quite excited as with the way the park rangers were talking we would be hard pushed not to see a bear!
Attending the campfire talk by one of the rangers we found out all about bears and what to do if you should come face to face with one. Apparently with a grizzly you play dead but with a black bear you should fight back. Although the ranger did wish us good luck in fighting something twice the size of us, armed with sharp claws and a mouth full of pointed teeth!
After the talk we headed back to our own campfire to finish our wine and sat waiting for a glimpse of these billions of bears that would be arriving. Two hours later we crawled into bed having seen and heard stuff all besides the snoring of the burly Harley rider who’d camped next to us.
Not to be disheartened we got up early the next morning and headed out into one of the meadows nearby, a place where bears had been regularly sighted at dawn.
After hanging out for an hour in a marsh with wet, waist high grass and getting eaten alive by the morning mosquitoes we returned to camp still having seen one of these abundant creatures.
After breakfast, where we keep a close eye on our crunchy nut cornflakes in case this was what the bears had been biding their time for, we headed off into Yosemite Valley in the centre of the park.
Due to our early morning (non) bear watching we arrived at the visitors centre before most other people had woken. From the state of the guy directing traffic in the car park we arrived before he’d woken up as well. Either that or he was still waiting his turn behind the tin man and the lion.
We took a walk up to the waterfalls but to be honest, aside from that we weren’t really in the mood to do much more.
The scenery was pretty nice but neither of us felt overly inspired about hiking anywhere. Especially as it was Sunday and by the time we got back to the visitors centre the place was already heaving.
We took a bit of a drive round having a look at the various granite rocks lining the valley and then high tailed it out of there before the traffic really picked up.
Arriving at the entrance of Kings Canyon we again made the customary stop at the visitors centre. Things weren’t looking great on the camping front here either but apparently the large campsites in the bottom of the canyon still had some spaces.
Risking not having a place to sleep for the night we detoured on the way to look at the General Grant tree, which I think is the second largest sequoia tree in the area. Surrounded by a grove of other massive trees it’s impossible to truly grasp the size of the thing.
As the sun began to set, casting long shadows through the grove we made our way down into the canyon to find somewhere to stay. The more remote campsites are operated using an ‘honour system’ approach where you find a site and then drop your money and details into the collection box. A good idea for the rangers as they’re not stuck out in the middle of nowhere all day and good for the visitors because it means you can turn up at any time and still get in. The only down side is that as no one is keeping records you can spent quite a bit of time driving round searching for free spaces as was the case this time!
Eventually we got lucky and got work putting the tent up again. Once more we took advantage of the bear box to protect our food from the rampaging hoard of bears we were having to fight off. Not that there was much food left after another legendary Pilcher/Ingleby BBQ.
Took a gamble and went with chicken this time. Possibly the wrong choice seeing as during previous attempts at cooking steak, sausages and burgers I hadn’t managed to drop anything on the floor once where as the chicken ended up scratting in the dirt more times than I care to remember. Just following its instincts I guess. Either that or the sticks I was attempting to use were no substitute for the tongs we’d bought which we’d, OW…sorry, ‘I’d’ left hanging on the side of a BBQ somewhere near Monterrey.
The discount charcoal we’d bought wasn’t really doing us proud either. Damn mesquite wood, it may smell ‘nicer’ than normal charcoal but only if you’ve got a can of petrol to get the stuff going. Thankfully we discovered that pine cones are a plentiful and practical alternative fuel source.
In the morning we drove to the end of the canyon but again we weren’t feeling overly inspired to get our hiking boots on. We had quite a few other things to see and mileage to cover so decided not to force the issue. Driving back towards the campsite we were still on the lookout for bears without much success until peering into the woods we spotted some movement on our left hand side. Unfortunately it wasn’t bears but a family of mule deer. Still pretty cool though as we got out to take photos while the mother and her two young fawns appeared completely unfazed by our presence.
We began our journey back up and out of the canyon, en-route taking a little side trip to see the Boole Tree.
This is another massive sequoia tree but one with a bit of a back story. During the 19th Century when loggers flocked to the area to harvest the plentiful wood supply they destroyed grove after grove of sequoias. Instead of trees there are now meadows with giant tree stumps stretching as far as the eye can see in all directions.
Set apart from one these meadows, on higher ground about a mile through the new growth of forest there stands the Boole Tree.
For some reason during the logging, the Operation leader, one Mr Boole, decided to spare this particular tree. So here it stands, approximately 2000 years olds, a giant towering above the by comparison tiny and infant trees that now surround it.
A solitary reminder of the long gone giants that once populated this area.
Due to the fact that you actually had to do some walking to get to this particular area it meant that other visitors were non existent so we had the place to ourselves and in the peace and quiet it was quite easier to picture how the area may have looked a couple of hundred years back.
After walking back to the car we finished our journey out of Kings Canyon and travelled the short distance to Sequoia National Park.
The Main attraction here is the General Sherman tree, reputed to be the largest living thing on the face of the planet, although I guess that depends on your Great Barrier Reef – single entity or multiple entity point of view.
There was no doubting it was a big tree but crawling with tourists and surrounded by other sequoias it some how seemed slightly smaller in stature than the solitary Boole Tree we’d seen a few hours earlier.
From the General we headed south along the road which took us through tunnel log. An aptly named fallen sequoia seeing as you can drive a car right the way through the hole in the middle of it.
After this was Morro Rock, a precariously balanced formation which after a steep climb rewards you with impressive views over the valley below.
From here it was a twisty, winding drive as we descended out of the park and continued our journey westwards.
However, we had chosen a route which took us along some of the more secluded Californian roads and as darkness descended we were still struggling to find accommodation or a campsite. Asking at the rare splashes of light illuminating the desolate night things were not looking good as the consensus seemed to be that our only chance of somewhere to stay was at a town many, many miles away and well off our chosen route.
Having just about given up hope we finally came across a very dark and empty looking campsite. With no one around to pay and no drop box to leave money in we pitched our tent, made a tea from some crackers we had left over and turned in for the night. Feeling absolutely shattered we were both asleep fairly quickly although not that quickly that we didn’t get a nostril full of whatever had died somewhere near the tent. Lovely.
3rd of August 2006
Las Vegas, The USA
People we had met on our travels throughout the states often asked where we were heading and what places we were planning on seeing. Whenever we mentioned Death Valley we were generally met with the reaction “why the hell do you want to go there?”
When we added that we would be there in the middle of summer one lady warned us not to leave the car in direct sunlight as our tyres would probably melt!
Heeding all the warnings but deciding to go anyway we made an early start from our campsite to hopefully avoid the main heat of the day.
But firstly we had to get there and even more firstly we had to find sustenance!
We still had quite some distance to go however, a point that was hammered home as we had a mountain range to climb first. Zig zagging our way up the deserted twisty mountain roads we reached the top and were presented with the most amazing view of the pine forest stretching out below us all shrouded in the early morning mist.
As we descended down the other side the sun shining through the misty trees looked fantastic. That’s when I dared to risk looking away from the road knowing that every time I did I was probably consigning yet another chipmunk to a grim fate!
The mule deer we came across in the national parks had been a fairly sensible creature but the ones we came across here seemed to have been infected by the chipmunks as we rounded a bend to find two of them stood in the middle of the road. Unlike the chipmunks they at least had the good sense to run away from the car when they saw it!
By the time we’d descended out of the mist our bellies were positively grumbling and the hunt for food began in earnest. Not that there was a lot of hunting we could do with absolutely no sign of life for as far as we could see.
Finally, after miles of dusty nothingness we finally spotted a gas station and general store. The sign in the window said it wouldn’t be open for another couple of hours but to me it didn’t look like it would be open in the next couple of years! Heading down the road it became apparent we were passing through some sort of hamlet, well as much as the occasional house at the side of the road can be called a hamlet. Think the town of “Perfection” in Tremors, just without the giant killer worms.
Anyway, out of nowhere we see a handwritten board outside one of the houses saying “Breakfast”. Pulling up outside the very quiet looking building we’re about to write it off and continue our search when a rather large fella in a (once) white apron waddles into view and waves us in.
Grabbing a table outside we sit ourselves down in the morning sun and order ourselves a couple of breakfasts. From the look of the place the guy had basically put a coupe of tables and chairs out on his front porch as when I went in to use the toilet I had to walk through his house and use his own bathroom.
As we were waiting for our eggs and hash browns we got chatting to the only other customer, a guy named Joe. Joe is in his seventies and comes to his mates place every morning for breakfast and a chat as he doesn’t have a great deal else to do. For the next couple of hours the guys regaled us with tales of bar fights, deer hunting and the day the chef fought a black bear who’d climbed into his kitchen!
Whether any of it was true or not we’ll never know but they were both excellent story tellers and after numerous cups of coffee our plans for getting to Death Valley early were well and truly scuppered!
Well fed and watered and with images of a rampaging animal being fended off with a frying pan going through our brains we headed out into the nothingness of Death Valley.
As we descended into the vast, barren valley the temperature began rising as the sun climbed high into the sky.
Our comfort levels were not helped in anyway when we decided to turn off the air con to avoid having the car put under any unnecessary strain. The hot air streaming through the open windows was more warming than it was cooling but the last thing we wanted was the engine going pop in the middle of nowhere.
Arriving at the first small town of Stovepipe Wells, which consisted of a hotel and a ranger station we stepped out of the car to get some information but finding the ranger station closed we immediately stepped back into the car and out of the sun. It wasn’t exactly cool inside the Focus, but at least we were in the shade.
Continuing on, the only interruptions to the barren rocks were the giant sand dunes looking like something straight out of the Sahara. Due to some wind phenomenon the grains are carried this far before the air currents run out of energy and the sand is all dropped in the same place. This creates quite a funky contrast to the surrounding rocks although the scorching heat prevented us from getting out our buckets and spades.
Back on the move again we reached the town of Furnace Creek (are you noticing a pattern in the town naming convention yet?) with the main visitors centre and its air conditioning, a blessed relief from the outside temperatures. It may seem like I keep going on about it and it doesn’t really come across in text but the heat was just ridiculous. Not only was it baking hot but it was so dry you didn’t even feel like you were sweating as the warm winds and sun whipped all the moisture away from your body. It’s quite easy to see why the early settlers named this place the way they did.
After some lengthy browsing of the gifts available in the souvenir shop we picked up some information on the park and left the sanctuary of the air conditioning passing on the way back to the car a thermometer in the shade showing 112 Degrees!!!
We headed for a place called Badwater Basin. In this area of the park the ground is one giant salt flat with a small lake in one corner. When early pioneers and their horses, on their last legs having made it this far, came across the lake they obviously expected to have their first drink in a long while. However, due to the hefty salt deposits the water was totally unpalatable thus getting the name Badwater.
Covering ourselves in sun cream we parked up and took a stroll out onto the salt flat. Not quite as large as the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia it was still quite a sight to see the white plane, shimmering with heat, stretching out to the horizon. Actually, that’s the biggest difference between the two, with the Bolivian salt flats being at altitude they’re fecking freezing, while Badwater at nearly 300 feet below sea level is the hottest place in the United States. In fact, during the early 20th Century, Badwater recorded the highest temperature on planet earth, which has since only been topped by the Sahara Desert.
Back in the car we headed back towards town for some lunch, stopping along the way to look at the strange formations of salt crystal that make up the Devils Golf Course and the brightly coloured rocks of the Artists Palette, after which we began our ascent out of the valley. Not that it got much cooler once we were out but as soon as we got onto flat roads we felt happy putting the air con on again.
So from one of the barest, least populated areas of the states we thought we should go for a bit of a contrast. And seeing as it was on our route and we hadn’t got to see all we’d wanted on our previous visit, we once again found ourselves driving past the famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign.
One of the main things we’d not experience in our first visit was a trip up the Stratosphere. So this time, rather than bringing the mountain to Mohammed we decided to take Mark and Fiona to the 1000 ft high tower and booked ourselves into the Stratosphere Hotel.
With our two bonus days in Vegas we were still hard pushed to get round the things we wanted and it felt like another whirlwind visit.
We did manage to cross of most things we’d missed on our previous time here, the first of which was obviously a trip to the top of the tower. Our accommodation included a free daytime trip to the top so after a 30 second lift journey (the fastest lift in the world apparently) we found ourselves gazing out over the city. And what a view it was, simply breathtaking as you stood outside in the sunshine and even more vertigo inducing if you ventured inside to look straight down through the angled glass windows.
The fairground rides on top of the tower looked very tempting but we decided that for the full effect it would be best to return at night.
With our feet firmly back on terra firma it was time for some food and what better value than the all you can eat buffet, especially with bottles of wine on offer with every meal.
After another decent demolition attempt we waddled the short distance to the hotel theatre as we were in need of a couple of hours sit down.
Using some more of our complimentary hotel tickets we let our food digest whilst watching a cabaret show hosted by possibly the worst comedian I’ve even seen. The fact that he didn’t really know any put downs and just got himself into arguments with the hecklers did actually make his act funny, just not in the way I guess he would have wanted!
The rest of the afternoon involved a little gambling and then one of the other main things we hadn’t done on our first visit was to head to the downtown area.
In recent times ‘The Strip’ with its mega casinos has become the place to be and the original casinos and the downtown area have become the more unsavoury part of town. A point that was emphasised by the sights we saw on the long walk down there. They did make for an entertaining journey though, non more so than the various wedding chapels we passed on-route. They ranged from The Little White Chapel and the Chapel O’ Love to the McDonalds style drive through chapel but our favourite had to be the congregation dressed in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops emerging from a rather unremarkable concrete building except for the huge neon sign congratulating Dwayne and Christina on their special day while Elvis waved them off.
Anyway, in an attempt to counteract its increasingly seedy image the Freemont Street Experience has been built in downtown. It consists of the largest television in existence which stretches for two blocks as a giant roof above Freemont Street. Every night on the half hour the abilities of the screen and it’s however many megawatt sound system are shown off. With numerous different videos at its disposal the time we stood there unfortunately coincided with the decision to show the “God bless America, aren’t we brilliant and so much better than everyone else in the world” video. Safe to say, our muffled giggles at this egotistical, xenophobic crap were not matched by the patriotic, hand on heart Americans stood around us.
After spending some time in the old school downtown casinos we headed back to the stratosphere where we showered and changed and smartened ourselves up a bit as we planned to blag ourselves into the VIP bar at the top of the tower. This would achieve a number of things. Firstly we’d heard that if you’re heading to the bar, you don’t have to pay to go up the tower. Secondly, you should hopefully avoid the hour long queue of people waiting for the normal elevators and finally you get to have a nice drink in even nicer surroundings.
So we headed through the casino towards the tower, dressed in our smartest shirt, trousers, skirt and top (me in the trousers, Fi in the skirt), a marked improvement from the shorts and t-shirts we’d been living in for the last few days.
Checking with the concierge where exactly the entrance to the VIP bar was we were slightly miffed when she gave us directions but then said “you do know there is a dress code don’t you”. Cheers luv! The smartest we’ve been in weeks and we still don’t come up to scratch!
Undeterred we stride off to the entrance with the tactic of ‘confidence is key’. Wishing any one official looking a “good evening” we keep walking, a little unsure of exactly where we are going until we are ushered past the waiting riff raff and into the bar’s private elevator. Once at the top we are greeted by a tuxedo clad waiter and led through to a table in the bar.
I think the reaction from both of us was “wow!” We’d been up the tower in the day but it hadn’t even come close to preparing us for the night time view. Sat in the circular bar, sipping our drinks while looking out of floor to ceiling windows at the bright lights of Vegas stretching out in all directions is an image that will stay with both of us for quite some time.
After relaxing for a while and just taking in the breathtaking view it was time to liven things up a bit and we headed for the rides on the roof. First up was the Big Shot ride. Situated on the very top of the main platform you strap yourself into the seats with your back to the tower so you’re looking out over Vegas. Then at precise moment you’re least expecting it you’re launched a couple of hundred feet even further above the Las Vegas skyline before dropping back down again. It was the more gentle of the three rides to begin with.
I’d say the second ride, X-Scream, was perhaps, judging by the amount of rupturing my left ear drum suffered due to the screams, one of the scariest things Fiona has ever done.
It consists of a standard rollercoaster style car, but without the sides, on a see-saw type contraption which when activated lifts up at one end to roll you off the edge of the tower. You come to a stop inches before the track runs out and are left looking 1000ft straight down to the streets below.
Once Fi had regained her composure we gave Insanity a try.
If you imagine a spider shaped ride with a pair of seats facing inwards at the end of each leg. The whole machine is then extended out over the edge of the building as it begins rotating. As it spins faster and faster the legs are propelled outwards until you are facing pretty much straight down.
All in all, three pretty amazing and unique rides but we were definitely in need of a drink or two afterwards and headed back to the bar.
After our worlds had stopped spinning it was time to get the reels spinning and we ventured back down to the casino for another crack at winning our fortune on the slot machines.
Waking up with hangovers and without millions of pounds scattered around our room we decided we probably needed some chill out time as we’d been going pretty much non-stop since the start of our USA trip. So we donned our swimming gear and spent the morning by the pool. Or should I say, ‘I’ spent the morning lazing by the pool. Fiona, like some sort of crazy person, decided that the 40 odd degree temperatures were perfect for a work out in the hotel gym. Silly girl.
After a nice relaxing morning it was time to make tracks again so after checking out of the hotel we were on the road once more. Destination this time was Zion National Park. Although it was gonna be a fair old drive.
5th of August 2006
Kanab, The USA
We arrived at Zion late in the afternoon and after a bit of a hunt round to find a space in the busy campsite we managed to find a space and ditched our stuff. As with a lot of the national parks, to avoid congestion you aren’t allowed to take your own vehicle into the more popular areas and instead you have to rely on the park service buses. These are usually pretty frequent and are a good way of getting around. With us arriving fairly late in the day there were very few people actually heading into the park so we ended up having our own guided tour from bus driver Tom. Which was nice.
Unfortunately due to some duff advice from the park rangers we didn’t get to see the sunset as we made our way down the valley, but we did get to explore the entire area without hordes of people swarming around. Also, due to it being fairly quiet and approaching dusk the animals had made their way out into the open. We spotted a few mule deer and in one particular area we came across a bunch of wild turkeys preparing for bed. Turkeys don’t fly so well but they do roost in the trees at night time. So in order to get to bed they are faced with a long walk up hill to get some altitude and then with much running, flapping and sheer will power they hopefully end up in one of the trees!
After putting ourselves to bed with a lot less effort we awoke to an early alarm the following morning and after quickly packing everything up we caught one of the first buses of the day back into the canyon.
Getting off at the grotto stop (no sign of Santa) we crossed the river and began our walk up to Angels Landing. The early start had a couple of things going for it. Firstly it was nice and quiet at this time in the morning and secondly the sun was only just rising so the temperature was still bearable.
The walk begins pleasantly enough as we follow the river for a short while before we veer away and begin the uphill climb. Soon enough we are zig zagging our way along the path and after a very thin section cut into the sheer rock face we find ourselves in refrigerator canyon, so named due to the fact it barely receives and direct sunlight and is therefore usually cooler than the areas around it.
Reaching the end of the canyon we were then faced with the task of climbing out of said canyon. This task was accomplished by the means of 20 or so steep switchbacks in the path at the top of which you found yourself on the ridge with the main canyon on one side and refrigerator canyon on the other.
From here it was a very precarious walk along the knife edge ridge which was no more than a metre wide at its thinnest point with vertical drops of about 1000 feet on either side. This did absolutely nothing for Fiona’s vertigo! But with the aid of some gentle persuasion and some frantic scrambling we made it to the top of Angels Landing. The trek was definitely worth it as we sat having a snack in the early morning sunshine looking down into the canyon still swathed in shadows.
After recovering from the climb up there it was time to begin the descent before the temperatures picked up too much. Going down was definitely a lot easier than the coming up but still not that easier as by now it was getting pretty hot.
We were glad we weren’t one of the many people only beginning the trek as we were about finished, especially the old Chinese ladies in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops who appeared to have zero water with them. We suspected another emergency call out for the park rangers was imminent.
Back at the car we had to climb out of the canyon for the second time that day, definitely a lot easier when all you have to do is push your right foot down.
Managing to put a sneaky overtake on the RV in front of us, just before it reached the tunnel and only way out we saved ourselves a possible long wait as all large vehicles need to be escorted through. I guess when the tunnel was originally constructed to open up access to the canyon, no one could really envisage the size of the mobile mansions people would be driving round in come the 21st Century.
From Zion we headed south through the towns of Kanab and Fredonia where we stopped for a spot of lunch and stocked up on supplies for another night under canvass. In fact we stocked up on enough supplies to keep us going for a couple of days just in case things didn’t run as smooth as we were hoping. Our destination was Toroweap Overlook on the north rim of the Grand Canyon which lay at the end of about 70 miles of gravel tracks. Now depending on which advice we chose to believe these tracks were doable in a 4 wheel drive vehicle at best or if we took the most pessimistic advice; completely impassable! But like I’ve said before, what are rental cars for if not attempting the things you wouldn’t dream of doing in your own vehicle!
So fully laden with plenty of water, a sack of charcoal and a rack of ribs we turned off the tarmac road and begun our bumpy trek cross country.
Things were initially slow due to having not driven on gravel tracks for a long time but after a while the pace was back up to South American standard. Unlike South America though the tracks were not consistently bad in all places. You’d find fairly reasonable places where you would get lulled into a false sense of security before turning a corner to find a gully running across the road requiring you to slam all on to stop you from ripping the wheels off. Not an easy thing to do on gravel in a car without ABS!
Can’t have been driving too badly though as not long into the journey the familiar snores began emanating from passenger seat.
Having fallen asleep on dry, dust, gravel roads it must have been a bit of a shock for Fi to wake up faced with a vast quagmire of water, mud and cow shit.
I’d come to a stop and was contemplating my next move as Fiona woke up. The road had been heading down a slight incline for a short while, at the bottom of which appeared to be numerous corrals for cattle. This meant what little road there was had been trampled by thousands of hoofs. In conjunction with the recent rainfall it meant we now had to some how make our way through the muddy lake and up the hill at the other side in a 2 wheel drive vehicle with virtually no ground clearance. After weighing up our options we decided on “gun it and hope it doesn’t get too deep in the middle” approach.
Moments later as we ploughed into the water the car was swamped with stagnant brown water but thankfully we kept the wheels turning and we made it safely out the other side.
Compared to that the rest of the journey was fairly uneventful and we made it to the tiny Ranger Station unscathed. It would appear that the ranger hadn’t though as the place seemed deserted!
Reading the notice boards we discovered that the single campsite here had only a total of eight places which were rented on a first come first served basis and there were no other campsites in the area and no camping outside the campground. This did slightly worry us as the thought of having to turn around and drive back along the seventy miles of dirt roads didn’t really appeal. We needn’t have worried though as after driving the further five miles or so (which felt like twenty as the road had really deteriorated making things hard going) we arrived at the campsite to find only one other tent in place.
We picked a spot and pitched the tent quickly just in case there was a Shearing’s coach full of pensioners just over the horizon. When I say picked a spot, I mean we took the only available space that we could physically get to without serious risk of grounding the car.
After that we jumped back in the car and once we’d negotiated the final horrendous stretch of road we arrived at Toroweap Overlook itself.
Unlike the busy South Rim of the canyon and even the North Rim visitors centre, here there are no museums, restaurants or gift shops. There aren’t even any barriers to stop you from taking a nose dive straight down to the canyon floor. There’s simply you, a vertical drop of about a 1000ft and the Colorado River way down below. Simply breathtaking!
The South Rim had been pretty fantastic due to having the massive expanse of the canyon spreading out before you. But here, a few miles further west, without any tributaries from the river to carve through the rock the canyon has been simplified to two vertical walls on either side and the river in the bottom.
And with it being so difficult to get to it meant that there were no other tourists to jostle for position with.
So making the most of it we fetched our red wine from the car and sat there in the evening warmth and watching the sunset with our legs dangling into the Grand Canyon.
Unfortunately, once the sun had dropped the weather took a bit of a turn for the worse. This didn’t happen straight away though, it held off long enough for us to be halfway through barbequing our tea before the wind picked up and the heavens opened.
Rescuing what we could of our beef ribs we started slinging stuff into the car and then I wandered out into the darkness trying to collect the various bits and bobs that had been blown away.
Next thing I hear is a shout from Fiona and I look up to see the tent flying through the air towards me! Not wanting my bed for the night to end up in the bottom of the Grand Canyon I braced myself for the impact and grabbed hold of the tent as it smacked into me. Thankfully, Fi came running over quickly and between the two of us we dragged the tent back to the car and tied the guy roped round the alloys.
The wind was howling by now and even with the protection of the car the tent was being blown pretty much flat and the rain was driving through the seams.
If this carried on it was not going to be a very pleasant night’s sleep. And then, as suddenly as it had started the wind and the rain stopped. Bending the tent back into a tent shape we tucked into our food which was now cold and after mopping up the water we fell soundly asleep.
Another early alarm woke us to a fairly none descript pre-dawn. Bleary eyed we made our way back to the canyon’s edge and sat there tucking into a bowl of cereal each as we waited for the sun to rise.
Again, not the spectacular sunrise we were after but good fun sat atop our lofty perch watching the crazy white water rafters take on the rapids way down below us.
After some precarious balancing for a couple of heart stopping photographs it was time we were on our way again. Loading the car up we headed back along the dirt track which was now a lot muddier due to the previous night’s rain. This was not boding well for lake crossing we’d done on the way out and as expected as we crested the hill we were faced with a larger and deeper looking lake than the one we’d crossed on the way out. This time however we had a downhill run up and after getting a little bit sideways mid crossing we again made it safely to the other side. From there it was plain sailing and after stopping for a picnic mid route we made it back onto tarmac again.
Heading north we arrived back at the town of Kanab and with us both feeling shattered we decided to go with the option of sleeping in a real bed for the night rather than under canvas. Personally I was feeling absolutely knackered so as Fi headed out to find herself an evening meal I tucked myself up in bed.
8th of August 2006
Home!
Next morning we had a long lie in as I think Fiona was feeling almost as tired as I was and after a late breakfast we continued north towards Bryce Canyon National Park.
Sticking to the usual routine, once we’d entered the park (once more for free with our fantastic parks pass) and picked up a map and guide we found a campsite and pitched the tent.
Then it was time to go exploring and we drove to the amphitheatre area of the park. Looking down from the rim we were greeted with the fairly unusual sight of the all the Bryce Canyon Hoodoos.
Native Indians say that the Hoodoos are the petrified remains of the areas early inhabitants. Apparently they were a rowdy bunch, always making loads of noise at night so in order to teach them a lesson, Coyote tricked them and as they were hit by the first rays of sunlight they were all instantly turned to stone.
Geologists say that the Hoodoos are columns of rock which have been left standing as the wind has eroded the surrounding material.
Either way, they are very funky looking, multicoloured towers which seem to glow as the sun hits them.
Heading further into the park we discovered more panoramic views, strange rock formations and another natural arch.
Heading towards the amphitheatre area we spotted some more mule deer grazing in the meadow. Not sure they were entirely aware of the chaos they were causing as numerous motorists tried to drive and watch them at the same time, nearly crashing into the other cars that had screeched to a stop in the middle of the road.
Ditching the car we began a walk round the rim of the amphitheatre and just happened to be starting at the same time one of the park rangers was starting his guided tour.
Tagging along we got to find out all about the history and geology of the area, as well as pretending to be birds and trees at one point!
After the tour had finished we walked back to where Fiona had decided would be the best place to watch the sunset. As I was still feeling under the weather as the temperature dropped I was in dire need of a warm fleece so walked the half mile back to the car to get it. Walking the half mile back I arrived at the ‘perfect’ spot to discover the only one waiting for me was a small chipmunk!
After some careful consideration I made the decision that perhaps Fi had made her way to Sunset Point, a further half mile round the rim.
I see clearly now how foolish my logic was and after a lot more walking I eventually found her watching the sunset at Sunrise Point!!!
Heading back to the campsite we cooked up the last of our food although I barely ate any of it due to my illness and complete loss of appetite.
However, the time spent back at the campsite had given the moon time to climb high into the sky. Returning to the amphitheatre we were greeted by an amazing transformation. Where there had earlier been towers of red and gold, they were now an eerie milky white colour.
What was even more eerie were the strange scratchy noises coming from the cliffs below us. After a bit of searching with the torch we were able to find the culprits, a couple of raccoon like creatures starting their night time forage!
Our night was over however and heading back to the tent I donned most items of clothing I had with me in an attempt to stop my shivering. It didn’t work and I had a truly horrible night’s sleep followed by yet another early start to see the sunrise.
Heading over to the amphitheatre once again we made our way to Inspiration Point which, we had been told was best for sunrise. So the sunset is best watched from Sunrise Point and the sunrise is best watched from Inspiration Point, I really don’t understand this country!
Anyway, Inspiration Point has three viewpoints, the first of which is right on the edge of the amphitheatre giving you a good close up of the hoodoos. As you walk to the second and third viewpoints you climb up away from the rim but you getter a better overall view of the amphitheatre. Hedging our bets we went with the middle one and wrapped up in our fleeces we stood there shivering and waited for the sun.
As the hoodoos began lighting up I thought it might be nice to have some pictures from the lower viewpoint, but didn’t want to miss out on the photos of the overall colour changes from the middle viewpoint. Rather than messing around going backwards and forwards between the two as the distance was a reasonable walk, not to mention a steep climb, I decided to leg it back to the car and grab the other camera.
Note to self; when you’re not feeling very well, you’ve hardly slept the night before and you’re at altitude the last thing you want to start doing is running up and down steep gravel slopes!
Fighting the urge to throw up in public, I was just about managing to keep control. A long hike down amongst the hoodoos, however beautiful they were, would have tipped me over the edge unfortunately and I don’t think I’d have made it back out again.
So that was it, we called time on the National Park and as Fiona began the driving I curled up in the passenger seat and tried to forget I existed.
A couple of hours sleep did me the world of good so after we’d pulled over for petrol it was my turn to drive. We still had a lot of miles to cover before we would get to our planned destination. Finally though, after about six or seven hours and 400 miles we were back at Silverthorne, just down the road from Keystone.
Struggling to find a bargain hotel we did make a bit of headway when we traded our camping gear with the woman on the front desk. Seeing as we’d got our moneys worth out of it and it wasn’t worth the luggage allowance to take it home it seemed logical to use it to get a discount on a double room!
We had a hefty evening meal at The Mint, a steak restaurant with a bit of a difference. You pay for your meat but you get given it raw. You the stand around a huge barbeque grill, supping your drinks and cooking the steak exactly how you like it, a very novel idea!
The next morning we set about sorting through all the crap we had put into storage in the Keystone Lodge. With enough to fill three lockers as well as the boot of the car it was going to take a lot of effort and sorting to get it down to a manageable amount for the plane ride home.
After a lot of jumping up and down, nearly destroying a number of zips and numerous visits to the charity shop we were finally done.
After that we had to sort out the dull jobs like closing bank accounts and PO Boxes before we headed to our ‘local’ cinema for one last time.
Then to round of the trip properly we paid our final visit to Pug Ryan’s, one of the best restaurants in America. Strangely, we weren’t feeling too sad about the trip coming to an end although that might have been down to the fact that when we emptied our post box it had contained a load of travel brochures we’d sent off for. So rather than dwelling on the end of one trip, we were excitedly discussing possible future adventures!!!
After collapsing into bed both tired and happy, we awoke to one last ‘early start’ in order to drive to Denver airport and catch our plane back home.
No hiccups this time, well except for being charged for one extra bag. Mind you, we didn’t complain too much as the ‘extra bag’ weighed about the same as two grown men and would have cost us a fortune to post home!!!
So after a fairly uneventful flight we were back on English soil once again. We even managed to make it to the same airport my parents were waiting at with the car, so a definite improvement on last time.
So I guess that’s the end of that…… for now!
All content and photos are Copyright of Minglebox Enterprises 2006
