Hello all from Big Sky Country! We finally made it to Bozeman, MT to my Nonnie and Papaw's house last night where we were welcomed with loving arms. It is so nice to be back at a "home base" of sorts, and consequently we enjoyed a simple, if not mundane day of enjoying some of the comforts of home.
For starters, we were able to sleep in as long as we liked without the threat of a "housekeeping" knock at our door. And we took full advantage of it!!! Wandering out of bed at around noon, we were welcomed by bagels, doughnuts and coffee all at our disposal, and soon after good company arrived back home to chat and spend time with us. But we had a mission: to get our lives in order. We relished the moments spend "in town" doing errands. We finished our laundry, which was a very necessary. Then we gave the car a much needed wash at the local carwash. After that we went to the drugstore to pick up some things, and to a local store to pick up a birthday/thank-you gift for my grandparents. All trips were quite successful as was the complete inside renovation of the car! No more trash, and we can even find our stuff...imagine!!
Perhaps the most successful part of our day was concerning our GPS. After a day or two of trouble with our "lifeline," Matt called the Garmin dealer to report the problem. We anticipated some heartache and inconvenience, but we got the opposite. We will be shipped a brand new system tomorrow that we will get to keep with just a deposit to put down refundable when we return the broken one. This is a HUGE load of our minds! Just thinking about trying to get back without the device we have relied on for so long is unnerving,a nd is is nice to have that settled, and rather pleasantly at that!
This evening we enjoyed good food, drink and company as we had a tostada dinner outside with my Nonnie and Papaw, their nephew Bob and his wife Sue and Tom their neighbor. We had a great time talking and laughing into the evening, and it was so nice to have some company and familiar faces. Now we are ready to get another good night's sleep, and we are ready for an adventure tomorrow! We are going out to Virginia City to see a good ole western ghost town and spend some quality time with Nonnie and Papaw. For now, goodnight!
Stats: negligable, only driving was in town =)
Tomorrow: Virgina City! A real live commericalized ghost town!
Friday, July 21, 2006
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Day 28: Canyonlands UPDATED!
Having arrived in Utah late last night, we slept and prepared ourselves for a feat we have only achieved once before...not one but TWO national parks in one day! Matt has been raving about Brice and Zion Canyons since the preliminary planning stages of this trip, daring to say that they rivaled even the Grandest Canyon of them all (the little hole in the ground in AZ). I was suspicious, since we are indeed a little "deserted out" as earlier posts have suggested. In the end, however, I was glad we made the trip!
This daring mission required us to drive about a half hour from where we stayed last night to Zion, do as much of Zion as humanly possible, drive an hour and 40 minutes to Brice, do as much of Brice as humanly possible then drive four and a half hours to Salt Lake City. How did we do? Well, we are now in Salt Lake after having spent a fabulous day exploring two gorgeous parks! I would say we succeeded and are officially champions in my mind!!!
We started the day at Zion, famous for its amazing formations including the White Throne, the largest sandstone monolith in the world. In this park, you are not allowed to drive on the scenic road during the summer because of the traffic on the narrow roads, so a shuttle carts visitors to several different points of interest throughout the park. This system was indeed convenient and efficient with knowledgeable guides and beautiful stopping points where visitors could hike trails and take photos at their leisure with the assurance that another shuttle would arrive shortly. The only drawbacks have to do with the experience. These shuttles increase the concentration of people at a given site and don't allow people to blaze their own trails, in my mind breaking the illusion that the park belongs to you alone at a given moment. However, Zion is a beautiful park with amazing redrocks and the shuttle system is a clever way to cut down on traffic and pollution in a delicate environment.
Perhaps the most spectacular views came on our way out of Zion on the way to Brice. We drove windey roads carved from the red rocks and even drove through a tunnel built in 1930 that went right through one of the rocks, which was truly impressive for the time. After a good amount of driving, we arrived at Brice Canyon, arguably our favorite park thusfar. The park contains a few small and, of course, one large (Brice) Canyon. All around are hoodoos, tall, thin pieces of red rock that have eroded from the canyon walls and will eventually be eroded away, constantly changing the face of the park. Magnificent pink cliffs run through the park, and their colors are something to behold. The best part of our trip to Brice was the 1.6 mile round trip hike that took us to the floor of the canyon, giving us a variety of different angles at which we could view the amazing features. It was somewhat strenuous coming back up, especially for us ill prepared and inexperienced hikers, but it was well worth the effort to experience such unique beauty. Overall, we only scratched the surface of this expansive park, but we enjoyed the time we spent and long to go back.
After the canyons, the four and a half hour drive to Salt Lake would have been uneventful if it had not been for the amazing sight we saw along the way. We have been hearing about forest fires for weeks now and even saw smoke from a few while in California. Driving through Utah this evening we actually saw a raging forest fire. It went for miles ranging from dying embers to tall flames engulfing trees. We could not believe our eyes. The whole south side of I-15 was closed for miles because it was right along the fire line (luckily we were on I-15 North!). The smell of smoke permiated our car's walls. Luckily, it seemed to be in a wooded area that was not heavily populated, and the police and firefighters seemed to have it under control. I suppose it is fairly routine for them, but for us it was shocking, as we are not used to such experiences in the east.
Other than that, it was a fairly uneventful drive. We are ready for a good night's rest in Salt Lake, as we have a long day tomorrow once again. We are driving up to Jackson which should take about 5 hours and going through the Tetons, making our way towards Montana. We can't wait to see Nonnie and Papaw on Wednesday! See you on the other side (of the mountains!)
And now without further ado...the Stats
41% of the USA!
Overall Avg: 55.9mph
Moving Avg:63.4mph
Total Time:7h 33 min
Moving Time:6h 39 min
Stopped:53 min 6s
Distance:422.4miles
Distance to go: Moving right along
This daring mission required us to drive about a half hour from where we stayed last night to Zion, do as much of Zion as humanly possible, drive an hour and 40 minutes to Brice, do as much of Brice as humanly possible then drive four and a half hours to Salt Lake City. How did we do? Well, we are now in Salt Lake after having spent a fabulous day exploring two gorgeous parks! I would say we succeeded and are officially champions in my mind!!!
We started the day at Zion, famous for its amazing formations including the White Throne, the largest sandstone monolith in the world. In this park, you are not allowed to drive on the scenic road during the summer because of the traffic on the narrow roads, so a shuttle carts visitors to several different points of interest throughout the park. This system was indeed convenient and efficient with knowledgeable guides and beautiful stopping points where visitors could hike trails and take photos at their leisure with the assurance that another shuttle would arrive shortly. The only drawbacks have to do with the experience. These shuttles increase the concentration of people at a given site and don't allow people to blaze their own trails, in my mind breaking the illusion that the park belongs to you alone at a given moment. However, Zion is a beautiful park with amazing redrocks and the shuttle system is a clever way to cut down on traffic and pollution in a delicate environment.
Perhaps the most spectacular views came on our way out of Zion on the way to Brice. We drove windey roads carved from the red rocks and even drove through a tunnel built in 1930 that went right through one of the rocks, which was truly impressive for the time. After a good amount of driving, we arrived at Brice Canyon, arguably our favorite park thusfar. The park contains a few small and, of course, one large (Brice) Canyon. All around are hoodoos, tall, thin pieces of red rock that have eroded from the canyon walls and will eventually be eroded away, constantly changing the face of the park. Magnificent pink cliffs run through the park, and their colors are something to behold. The best part of our trip to Brice was the 1.6 mile round trip hike that took us to the floor of the canyon, giving us a variety of different angles at which we could view the amazing features. It was somewhat strenuous coming back up, especially for us ill prepared and inexperienced hikers, but it was well worth the effort to experience such unique beauty. Overall, we only scratched the surface of this expansive park, but we enjoyed the time we spent and long to go back.
After the canyons, the four and a half hour drive to Salt Lake would have been uneventful if it had not been for the amazing sight we saw along the way. We have been hearing about forest fires for weeks now and even saw smoke from a few while in California. Driving through Utah this evening we actually saw a raging forest fire. It went for miles ranging from dying embers to tall flames engulfing trees. We could not believe our eyes. The whole south side of I-15 was closed for miles because it was right along the fire line (luckily we were on I-15 North!). The smell of smoke permiated our car's walls. Luckily, it seemed to be in a wooded area that was not heavily populated, and the police and firefighters seemed to have it under control. I suppose it is fairly routine for them, but for us it was shocking, as we are not used to such experiences in the east.
Other than that, it was a fairly uneventful drive. We are ready for a good night's rest in Salt Lake, as we have a long day tomorrow once again. We are driving up to Jackson which should take about 5 hours and going through the Tetons, making our way towards Montana. We can't wait to see Nonnie and Papaw on Wednesday! See you on the other side (of the mountains!)
And now without further ado...the Stats
41% of the USA!
Overall Avg: 55.9mph
Moving Avg:63.4mph
Total Time:7h 33 min
Moving Time:6h 39 min
Stopped:53 min 6s
Distance:422.4miles
Distance to go: Moving right along
Day 27: Viva Las Vegas UPDATED!
After our room debacle from last night, we finally got to enjoy Vegas today. We set out for “The Strip” early this afternoon in search of adventures. I must say I was thoroughly and consistently by all of the wonders of Las Vegas. Where else can you go to New York, Paris, Venice, Ancient Rome, Treasure Island and Sherwood Forest circa Medieval Age in one day? I hadn’t thought I would enjoy it as much as I did, being new to the gambling scene (and not really wanting to delve into it) and having seen actual wonders without signs in front of them for 16.95 prime rib specials. It truly is impressive the way that these casinos create an adult wonderland that allows you to escape the sweltering desert complete with ads for strip shows and adult stores and lose yourself in flashing lights, fancy restaurants, games and high end shopping, all but losing your sense of space and time. Worries give way to illusions, and anyone can feel like a “high roller” as they bask in luxury (even if it is only through window shopping).
Of course Vegas is not without fault. It is, after all, very much in the middle of the desert and one does have to brave the 100+ degree heat to get from one playland to the next. Prices are rather high for anything that doesn’t have to do with gambling (though amazingly parking is free!). And it is overrun with tourists who, like you, are just there for the fleeting feeling of luxury and freedom from care that you are there to enjoy as well. And they often want to document every moment on film, much to your chagrin. But everyone is free to enjoy “sin city,” except of course for children, who aren’t allowed within 100 feet of a gambling area.
Sadly, or thankfully, our day was rather tame by Vegas standards. We began in New York, New York where we felt closer to home than we have in weeks. We had lunch and began our gambling. Luck smiled on me for a little while at the slots (sadly luck was NOT as much of a lady to Matt) and I came out about 50 dollars ahead. But of course, the day was young and so are we, so it was on to the next casino to try our luck. We traveled on to the Aladdin, one of the older casinos on the strip and were whisked away to an Arabian paradise, and again I came out on top. My luck changed completely when we got to Paris. I was surprisingly dazzled by the building itself (as I have seen Paris in the flesh), complete with Eiffel tower, Louvre and cafes with delicious crepes (I had to spend my winnings somewhere!). But after learning to play roulette and promptly losing $20, my disillusionment and losing streak began.
Our gambling waned after our trip to Paris, we decided to stick to the less expensive activity of sightseeing. We walked the marble halls of Caesar’s Palace, saw the fountains dance in front of the Bellagio (truly a sight to behold) and waited eagerly for the ship sinking at Treasure Island, which sadly was cancelled due to high winds. I even spotted an Elvis impersonator! We ate dinner at, what else, but an all you can eat buffet at King Arthur’s table at the Excalibur (unfortunately, the king himself was not in attendance.) After all of that, I felt that we had “done” Vegas, but I feel an itching to go back again. The glitter has drawn me in; the tourism board has done its job. But that’s another story for another time. Now we are in Utah, getting ready to go to Zion and Brice Canyons together before beginning our Northern ascent and our true trip back east, back home. The time has flown…even if some moments have felt long.
Without further ado…The STATS
Overall Average: 56.5mph
Moving Average: 65.5 mph
Total Time: 3h 22 min
Moving time: 2 h 55 min
Stopped: 27min 53 sec
Miles Traveled: 190.9 miles
Distance to go: It will be over before we know it…
37% of the country travelled
AND THE MAP:
Of course Vegas is not without fault. It is, after all, very much in the middle of the desert and one does have to brave the 100+ degree heat to get from one playland to the next. Prices are rather high for anything that doesn’t have to do with gambling (though amazingly parking is free!). And it is overrun with tourists who, like you, are just there for the fleeting feeling of luxury and freedom from care that you are there to enjoy as well. And they often want to document every moment on film, much to your chagrin. But everyone is free to enjoy “sin city,” except of course for children, who aren’t allowed within 100 feet of a gambling area.
Sadly, or thankfully, our day was rather tame by Vegas standards. We began in New York, New York where we felt closer to home than we have in weeks. We had lunch and began our gambling. Luck smiled on me for a little while at the slots (sadly luck was NOT as much of a lady to Matt) and I came out about 50 dollars ahead. But of course, the day was young and so are we, so it was on to the next casino to try our luck. We traveled on to the Aladdin, one of the older casinos on the strip and were whisked away to an Arabian paradise, and again I came out on top. My luck changed completely when we got to Paris. I was surprisingly dazzled by the building itself (as I have seen Paris in the flesh), complete with Eiffel tower, Louvre and cafes with delicious crepes (I had to spend my winnings somewhere!). But after learning to play roulette and promptly losing $20, my disillusionment and losing streak began.
Our gambling waned after our trip to Paris, we decided to stick to the less expensive activity of sightseeing. We walked the marble halls of Caesar’s Palace, saw the fountains dance in front of the Bellagio (truly a sight to behold) and waited eagerly for the ship sinking at Treasure Island, which sadly was cancelled due to high winds. I even spotted an Elvis impersonator! We ate dinner at, what else, but an all you can eat buffet at King Arthur’s table at the Excalibur (unfortunately, the king himself was not in attendance.) After all of that, I felt that we had “done” Vegas, but I feel an itching to go back again. The glitter has drawn me in; the tourism board has done its job. But that’s another story for another time. Now we are in Utah, getting ready to go to Zion and Brice Canyons together before beginning our Northern ascent and our true trip back east, back home. The time has flown…even if some moments have felt long.
Without further ado…The STATS
Overall Average: 56.5mph
Moving Average: 65.5 mph
Total Time: 3h 22 min
Moving time: 2 h 55 min
Stopped: 27min 53 sec
Miles Traveled: 190.9 miles
Distance to go: It will be over before we know it…
37% of the country travelled
AND THE MAP:
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Day 26: The Hottest Place on Earth UPDATED!
Beamed right to you for your enjoyment. Today we went to Death Valley. It was pretty cool. We had to stay two hours out of Death Valley since the park is so big and flanked by a Navy weapons testing ground and an Air Force testing ground. So by the time we got into the park it was about 1:00. We stopped to get gas since we were running on fumes and in a desert that reached to 122ºF, that wasn't good. Then we continued to the park's visitor center.
If there was one place that needed a make over it is this visitor center all the exhibits look like they are straight out of the 1960s, there is even a slide show, where the color fade has rendered it almost completely useless. Death Valley is the biggest park excluding Alaska so driving around it takes time. And you do not want to hike the majority of the death due to the suffocating heat. So we did not get to see that much.
After the Visitor Center we saw Scotty's Castle, which was neat but we got there too late to go inside. This building was made during the 1920s by a wealthy investor who wanted a place to escape his troubles and his pack pain. His name was not Scotty, instead it was Johnson. John and Scotty were close friends. They met when Johnson first visited the desert and fell in love. There Johnson built an amazing house for him, his wife and Scotty. During the depression they opened it up as a place to stay and Scotty entertained the travelers with his tall tales. This continued even past Johnson's death. He left the house to a charitable organization he started that controlled the house and cared for Scotty. Scotty died in 1954 and was buried on a hill over looking the Castle. And Thus it was known as Scotty's Castle. Its very beautifully done in the vien of the Span ish missions, with bell towers, stucco and spanish shingles. There is tons of decorative titles all over the grounds which provide a nice colorful landscape to the same time dreary desert.
After that we headed back to the visitor center area to see Dante's View. This is 11,0000 feet up, (our highest point yet) and looks over all of Death Valley. Really gave us a great view of it all, and helped us settle our qualms of not seeing much. I enjoyed Death Valley as did Alie but i think we are a little burned out of the desert. We've driven through so much its become matter fact. Even though this desert is very unique, it still reminds of previous long hauls.
Getting to Vegas was easy, but we were arrived there were no rooms available in all of Vegas due to this huge Boxing match alie nor I had any idea about. All of Vegas book we got desperate, one of the resorts we called connected us to a hotel Booking Agency. We got a great room for a good price at a place called the Desert Paradise Resort. However when we arrived there the person at the desk had no information on us whatsoever. According to the agency she was going to send a fax, but according to the man at the disk there was nothing. So we were screwed, we tried a few more places and they were all booked solid.
I ended up calling my friend Will. He recently moved to Vegas and is currently on tour with Little Women, so his room was available. He was very generous in allowing Alie and I to stay and basically pulling our ass from the fire. I checked my credit card and the room hadn't posted yet so I'll have to wait to get the money back there. I might send an email to the booking agency, but I rather not deal with them or the Desert Paradise anymore and just block payment on my card. I'll let you know how this gets sorted out as well.
As for my power block. The hotel has it and I have to call tomorrow to arrange for shipments. But for now I must sleep since its been an excruciatingly long day full of fun, and frustration. I knew our luck was going too well on the return trip hopefully this will be the last for a while.
Stats will come with tomorrow's post. (Sorry I'm just exhausted.)
A few days late but there are here now:
Distance: 309.7mi
Overall avg: 36.3mph
Moving avg: 51.2mph
Total time: 8h 31m
Moving time: 6h 2m
Stopped: 2h 28m
Destination Tomorrow: The Strip and then Salt Lake since Jackson Hole is just a little too far.
If there was one place that needed a make over it is this visitor center all the exhibits look like they are straight out of the 1960s, there is even a slide show, where the color fade has rendered it almost completely useless. Death Valley is the biggest park excluding Alaska so driving around it takes time. And you do not want to hike the majority of the death due to the suffocating heat. So we did not get to see that much.
After the Visitor Center we saw Scotty's Castle, which was neat but we got there too late to go inside. This building was made during the 1920s by a wealthy investor who wanted a place to escape his troubles and his pack pain. His name was not Scotty, instead it was Johnson. John and Scotty were close friends. They met when Johnson first visited the desert and fell in love. There Johnson built an amazing house for him, his wife and Scotty. During the depression they opened it up as a place to stay and Scotty entertained the travelers with his tall tales. This continued even past Johnson's death. He left the house to a charitable organization he started that controlled the house and cared for Scotty. Scotty died in 1954 and was buried on a hill over looking the Castle. And Thus it was known as Scotty's Castle. Its very beautifully done in the vien of the Span ish missions, with bell towers, stucco and spanish shingles. There is tons of decorative titles all over the grounds which provide a nice colorful landscape to the same time dreary desert.
After that we headed back to the visitor center area to see Dante's View. This is 11,0000 feet up, (our highest point yet) and looks over all of Death Valley. Really gave us a great view of it all, and helped us settle our qualms of not seeing much. I enjoyed Death Valley as did Alie but i think we are a little burned out of the desert. We've driven through so much its become matter fact. Even though this desert is very unique, it still reminds of previous long hauls.
Getting to Vegas was easy, but we were arrived there were no rooms available in all of Vegas due to this huge Boxing match alie nor I had any idea about. All of Vegas book we got desperate, one of the resorts we called connected us to a hotel Booking Agency. We got a great room for a good price at a place called the Desert Paradise Resort. However when we arrived there the person at the desk had no information on us whatsoever. According to the agency she was going to send a fax, but according to the man at the disk there was nothing. So we were screwed, we tried a few more places and they were all booked solid.
I ended up calling my friend Will. He recently moved to Vegas and is currently on tour with Little Women, so his room was available. He was very generous in allowing Alie and I to stay and basically pulling our ass from the fire. I checked my credit card and the room hadn't posted yet so I'll have to wait to get the money back there. I might send an email to the booking agency, but I rather not deal with them or the Desert Paradise anymore and just block payment on my card. I'll let you know how this gets sorted out as well.
As for my power block. The hotel has it and I have to call tomorrow to arrange for shipments. But for now I must sleep since its been an excruciatingly long day full of fun, and frustration. I knew our luck was going too well on the return trip hopefully this will be the last for a while.
A few days late but there are here now:
Distance: 309.7mi
Overall avg: 36.3mph
Moving avg: 51.2mph
Total time: 8h 31m
Moving time: 6h 2m
Stopped: 2h 28m
Destination Tomorrow: The Strip and then Salt Lake since Jackson Hole is just a little too far.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Day 25: The Long Haul
Today we drove a very long time from San Francisco to Death Valley. We had to scrap the Napa plans because we plotted out our time and we found we just do not have enough to cover everything we wanted. This is a little bit a shot to our moral, but thats what we have to deal with. Instead we'll boost it by staying in Montana a few days and from some R&R. I think the road is finally getting to us.
Alie and I are both looking foward to Maggie's wedding of course and Visting Alie's grandparants but the drives to get to these places are starting to weigh on us. We figured we will have to do a few more long days to cover the ground we need to, this constant need to be moving east is a little trying. I would like to remain in one place longer then a day or two soon but that does not seem to be in the cards until Montana. Add some slight homesickness to it and well its harder to gain back the momentum we had on our way out. Again this is not due to our destinations its just the driving through nothing.
Side note: our country will not run out of land for a while. There is tons of nothing all over the place so if we ever need its there.
Anyways we got out here and that was an accomplishment we persevered through long nights of driving car malfunctions and the like, but we made it. Now we have to do the same thing but have been on the road for 25 days and nothing having as many interesting places to stay once we pass Montana and before we get to Chi-Town. So in the end I guess what i'm trying to say is that the road is hard, but the experiences we are having are certainly worth it. Thank you again to our parents for enabling this trip of a life time.
Now for some stats:
Still 35% of the country.
Distance Travelled: 505.5mi
Moving Average: 68.2
Overall Average: 31,7mph
Moving Time: 7h 24m
Stopped: 8h 30m Accidently left the GPS in the car when we got to our hotel
Total Time: 15h 55m
Wrong Turns: 1
Distance to go: We are getting there either via the hare's route or the tortoises
PS I've seem to have left my power block for my external hard drive at out previous hotel. (Yes this was very dumb of me. I blame myself for not doing an idiot check like we usually do and lack of sleep. Alas) Tomorrow I'll call them and see if they have it and can ship it to Alie's Grand Parent's house.
What that means for me right now? I can only store 10 more gigs of pictures on my computer. Really only about 7-8 safely. When I average 1 gig a day, I end up a little short. Also I cannot access any pictures from the wedding till yesterday until I get the power block back or I buy a new one. I'll keep you all posted
Alie and I are both looking foward to Maggie's wedding of course and Visting Alie's grandparants but the drives to get to these places are starting to weigh on us. We figured we will have to do a few more long days to cover the ground we need to, this constant need to be moving east is a little trying. I would like to remain in one place longer then a day or two soon but that does not seem to be in the cards until Montana. Add some slight homesickness to it and well its harder to gain back the momentum we had on our way out. Again this is not due to our destinations its just the driving through nothing.
Side note: our country will not run out of land for a while. There is tons of nothing all over the place so if we ever need its there.
Anyways we got out here and that was an accomplishment we persevered through long nights of driving car malfunctions and the like, but we made it. Now we have to do the same thing but have been on the road for 25 days and nothing having as many interesting places to stay once we pass Montana and before we get to Chi-Town. So in the end I guess what i'm trying to say is that the road is hard, but the experiences we are having are certainly worth it. Thank you again to our parents for enabling this trip of a life time.
Now for some stats:
Still 35% of the country.
Distance Travelled: 505.5mi
Moving Average: 68.2
Overall Average: 31,7mph
Moving Time: 7h 24m
Stopped: 8h 30m Accidently left the GPS in the car when we got to our hotel
Total Time: 15h 55m
Wrong Turns: 1
Distance to go: We are getting there either via the hare's route or the tortoises
PS I've seem to have left my power block for my external hard drive at out previous hotel. (Yes this was very dumb of me. I blame myself for not doing an idiot check like we usually do and lack of sleep. Alas) Tomorrow I'll call them and see if they have it and can ship it to Alie's Grand Parent's house.
What that means for me right now? I can only store 10 more gigs of pictures on my computer. Really only about 7-8 safely. When I average 1 gig a day, I end up a little short. Also I cannot access any pictures from the wedding till yesterday until I get the power block back or I buy a new one. I'll keep you all posted
Friday, July 14, 2006
Day: 23 and 24: San Francisco Treats
Day 23 was largely an uneventful. We left Yosemite early in the morning stopped and took a few more pictures and then we on our merry way. It was about a 4 hour drive to San Francisco and went off without many problems of course we arrive during rush hour so that obviously added some time.
Which brings me to my first point or observation. California drivers are by and large the worst drivers we've experienced so far on our trip. They are extremely rude, impatient and at times extremely dangerous. We did not mention it earlier but our first experience with road rage happened on our way in to San Diego where a driver nearly ran us off the road, but that is neither her nor there. As I said above we arrived in San Fran around rush hour, there were tons of cars on the road all going very fast and seemed very cramped in the tight lines of one the four lane highway that goes in and out of the city. Coupled with the fact that the GPS was not very quick on the directions, and the ever present fog around the golden gate bridge, we ended up with a little bit a stress. But not to worry we arrive safe and sound and quickly veged out to Anderson Cooper's 360 on CNN to catch up on some news and then went into the city to catch some delicious Thai food. Afterwards we came back and promptly passed out.
Day 24, was much more interesting. We slept in since we did not have to check out by 11am and got into the city around 1pm. after parking we headed straight to the gold and blue ferry station, so we could get to Alcatraz and really explore the place. right before we got in line a couple approached us asking if we wanted tickets for the 1:45 ferry. They had prepaid and another coupe could not use them. They fofered us normal price, but we did not take them, because we did not have the cash on us. So we waited in line for the real ticket counter and when we got up there we discovered that they have sold out through the weekend for tickets to Alcatraz. This frustrated me a lot because we had a chance to go and blew. Alas live and learn. Just leaves us something to do when we come back.
So instead of the prison we went to eat at a fairly decent seafood restraunt right on Fisherman's Warf. A little over priced but the meal netted us 3 free hours at the garage we parked at. So in the end was worth it. After lunch we tried to go to the City Lights Book Sellers and Publishers. The problem being that the GPS did not have City Lights in it, instead the listing was under Book sellers and Publishers, and our travel book gave us the completely wrong address of 2261 Columbus St. The true address is 261 Columbus, which we found later.
Eventually realized 2261 did not exist and headed down to the Hyde St. Pier, where there is another National Park about the shipping industry in San Francisco. This brought our total cancelations to 11! Woot! (Tying my all time high on one trip.) The park was very interesting chronicling the kinds of trade goods that went through San Francisco and even had some ships that tourists could go on and explore from various eras. There was a sailing cargo ship, under reconstruction (Which was just as neat to see a NPS exhibit work in progress.) a stand plank ferry, a tug boat and some other smaller ship exhibits like a turn of the century house boat and the light from a San Francisco light house.
After the park closed and we were kicked out we went for a walk on the Municipal peir and got shots of both the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz from a far. Then we retrieved our car and explored the City Lights Book Seller and Publisher. It was a very cool trip. Bring in the same palce as Ginsberg, Dylan, Keroack, etc. It was very chill place wwith some slogas here and there, but nothing over the top and tons of sings inviting visitors to sit and read, which I found refreshing. Sure B&B has confy chairs and such but it does not seem like they really want you to sit and read, while sipping coffee. Here they were content if you just sat down and read all the books there. The point is they just want people to read and be enlightened and that was really cool.
To finish the day, we got some take out in China Town located conveniently near City Lights and too it back too our hotel, but before we left San Fran completely we did each take turn driving down the most twisted street in the world, and road on a trolley car.Both great fun and comes highly recommended as cheap thrills in the most expensive city we've ever experienced.
Since its getting late in the month we have restructured our route. Sadaly that required we cut out Napa Valley and the Grand Canyon, but I think during this time of year its better off. But enough downers lets go to the uppers...
Stats for the past two days:
Distance Traveled: 736.3mi
Moving Average: 56.8mph
Overall Average: 47.2
Moving Time: 12h 58m
Stopped: 2h 37m
Total: 15h 35m
Wrong Turns: A few here and there, San Fran is a lot like Boston in the way that it is a pain to drive in.
Distance to go: Lots of long driving days ahead
Tomorrow: Death Valley
Which brings me to my first point or observation. California drivers are by and large the worst drivers we've experienced so far on our trip. They are extremely rude, impatient and at times extremely dangerous. We did not mention it earlier but our first experience with road rage happened on our way in to San Diego where a driver nearly ran us off the road, but that is neither her nor there. As I said above we arrived in San Fran around rush hour, there were tons of cars on the road all going very fast and seemed very cramped in the tight lines of one the four lane highway that goes in and out of the city. Coupled with the fact that the GPS was not very quick on the directions, and the ever present fog around the golden gate bridge, we ended up with a little bit a stress. But not to worry we arrive safe and sound and quickly veged out to Anderson Cooper's 360 on CNN to catch up on some news and then went into the city to catch some delicious Thai food. Afterwards we came back and promptly passed out.
Day 24, was much more interesting. We slept in since we did not have to check out by 11am and got into the city around 1pm. after parking we headed straight to the gold and blue ferry station, so we could get to Alcatraz and really explore the place. right before we got in line a couple approached us asking if we wanted tickets for the 1:45 ferry. They had prepaid and another coupe could not use them. They fofered us normal price, but we did not take them, because we did not have the cash on us. So we waited in line for the real ticket counter and when we got up there we discovered that they have sold out through the weekend for tickets to Alcatraz. This frustrated me a lot because we had a chance to go and blew. Alas live and learn. Just leaves us something to do when we come back.
So instead of the prison we went to eat at a fairly decent seafood restraunt right on Fisherman's Warf. A little over priced but the meal netted us 3 free hours at the garage we parked at. So in the end was worth it. After lunch we tried to go to the City Lights Book Sellers and Publishers. The problem being that the GPS did not have City Lights in it, instead the listing was under Book sellers and Publishers, and our travel book gave us the completely wrong address of 2261 Columbus St. The true address is 261 Columbus, which we found later.
Eventually realized 2261 did not exist and headed down to the Hyde St. Pier, where there is another National Park about the shipping industry in San Francisco. This brought our total cancelations to 11! Woot! (Tying my all time high on one trip.) The park was very interesting chronicling the kinds of trade goods that went through San Francisco and even had some ships that tourists could go on and explore from various eras. There was a sailing cargo ship, under reconstruction (Which was just as neat to see a NPS exhibit work in progress.) a stand plank ferry, a tug boat and some other smaller ship exhibits like a turn of the century house boat and the light from a San Francisco light house.
After the park closed and we were kicked out we went for a walk on the Municipal peir and got shots of both the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz from a far. Then we retrieved our car and explored the City Lights Book Seller and Publisher. It was a very cool trip. Bring in the same palce as Ginsberg, Dylan, Keroack, etc. It was very chill place wwith some slogas here and there, but nothing over the top and tons of sings inviting visitors to sit and read, which I found refreshing. Sure B&B has confy chairs and such but it does not seem like they really want you to sit and read, while sipping coffee. Here they were content if you just sat down and read all the books there. The point is they just want people to read and be enlightened and that was really cool.
To finish the day, we got some take out in China Town located conveniently near City Lights and too it back too our hotel, but before we left San Fran completely we did each take turn driving down the most twisted street in the world, and road on a trolley car.Both great fun and comes highly recommended as cheap thrills in the most expensive city we've ever experienced.
Since its getting late in the month we have restructured our route. Sadaly that required we cut out Napa Valley and the Grand Canyon, but I think during this time of year its better off. But enough downers lets go to the uppers...
Stats for the past two days:
Distance Traveled: 736.3mi
Moving Average: 56.8mph
Overall Average: 47.2
Moving Time: 12h 58m
Stopped: 2h 37m
Total: 15h 35m
Wrong Turns: A few here and there, San Fran is a lot like Boston in the way that it is a pain to drive in.
Distance to go: Lots of long driving days ahead
Tomorrow: Death Valley
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Day 22: Beauty in America
There was a time when I thought one had to go to Europe to find true beauty. Those days have since passed especially since my first trip to Yellowstone Park. Yesterday, at Yosemite, I was the most sure I have ever been that there is abundant beauty in this country of ours. I sat at Glacier Point around sunset, listening to a ranger talk, and I was so moved by the beauty all around me that I could feel my eyes well up with tears.
We arrived at Yosemite National Park a little later than expected yesterday because the entrance closest to the town in which we were staying was closed due to roadwork. Better late than never though, as the saying goes. We drove along the widing, tree lined roads for a while, wondering what made this park distinct from all the others. Suddenly, we discovered the reason. Before us stood magnificent rock faces that were carved by glaciers millions of years ago. We witnessed the views of Half Dome and El Capitain that inspired some of Ansel Adam's brilliant photography.
We drove into Yosemite Village, a little weary from fighting crowds and motion sickness from the winding roads. We refueled and headed up to Yosemite Falls, the fifth largest waterfall in the World and the largest in North America. We climbed up huge rocks to get the best view possible, and were soaked with the cool spray of true spring water.
After the falls, we watched a video about Yosemite, and by that time it was coming upon late afternoon. The video talked about the "spirit" of the park and what it meant to the Native Americans who lived off the land and John Muir who loved the land and wanted to protect it. I understood the message, but I still did not feel a personal connection with this park. I was disenchanted by the crowds and the heat, and convinced that Yosemite may have been just a cliched family vacation spot from the 1950s that happened to have a nice view.
As we drove along the roads the Glacier Point, where a sunset ranger talk was taking place, the crowds began to diminish. The point is off the main road a ways, and it has very few amenities to attract people. The virtue of this place lay in its view alone. There were two hotels up there, but both were destroyed by fire and never rebuilt. While it would have been great to see the hotels or even stay in them, I liked the feeling of seclusion and peace that it seemed to uphold. There were still many people up at the rock, but as I listened to the ranger talk about the memories that were made in the park and thought about the memories that I was making, the other people seemed to melt away. I was in that moment, in that wonderful place. It is hard to say what my favorite place we have visited in our travels is, but I Glacier Point is my favorite single point that I have seen so far.
The night continued interestingly. We had a beautiful late dinner at the Yosemite Lodge Lounge, which after weeks of fast food, was a welcome change. We decided that instead of driving four hours to San Francisco at 11:00 at night we would spend the night in the park. By default, so to speak, we ended up "roughing it" in the canvas tents, complete with wooden floors, beds with linens and an electric light. The hardest part of our camping adventure was taking all of our food, trash and toiletries out of the car and putting it in "bear lockers" so that bears would not smell it and try to break into our car or our tent. All in all it was a fun experience, especially for one without camping experience like me, and it was worth it to spend a few more hours in the park.
It truly turned out to be a wonderful day, despite its challenges. It is an experience I won't soon forget. Stats will be included in the next post with San Fransisco stats.
We arrived at Yosemite National Park a little later than expected yesterday because the entrance closest to the town in which we were staying was closed due to roadwork. Better late than never though, as the saying goes. We drove along the widing, tree lined roads for a while, wondering what made this park distinct from all the others. Suddenly, we discovered the reason. Before us stood magnificent rock faces that were carved by glaciers millions of years ago. We witnessed the views of Half Dome and El Capitain that inspired some of Ansel Adam's brilliant photography.
We drove into Yosemite Village, a little weary from fighting crowds and motion sickness from the winding roads. We refueled and headed up to Yosemite Falls, the fifth largest waterfall in the World and the largest in North America. We climbed up huge rocks to get the best view possible, and were soaked with the cool spray of true spring water.
After the falls, we watched a video about Yosemite, and by that time it was coming upon late afternoon. The video talked about the "spirit" of the park and what it meant to the Native Americans who lived off the land and John Muir who loved the land and wanted to protect it. I understood the message, but I still did not feel a personal connection with this park. I was disenchanted by the crowds and the heat, and convinced that Yosemite may have been just a cliched family vacation spot from the 1950s that happened to have a nice view.
As we drove along the roads the Glacier Point, where a sunset ranger talk was taking place, the crowds began to diminish. The point is off the main road a ways, and it has very few amenities to attract people. The virtue of this place lay in its view alone. There were two hotels up there, but both were destroyed by fire and never rebuilt. While it would have been great to see the hotels or even stay in them, I liked the feeling of seclusion and peace that it seemed to uphold. There were still many people up at the rock, but as I listened to the ranger talk about the memories that were made in the park and thought about the memories that I was making, the other people seemed to melt away. I was in that moment, in that wonderful place. It is hard to say what my favorite place we have visited in our travels is, but I Glacier Point is my favorite single point that I have seen so far.
The night continued interestingly. We had a beautiful late dinner at the Yosemite Lodge Lounge, which after weeks of fast food, was a welcome change. We decided that instead of driving four hours to San Francisco at 11:00 at night we would spend the night in the park. By default, so to speak, we ended up "roughing it" in the canvas tents, complete with wooden floors, beds with linens and an electric light. The hardest part of our camping adventure was taking all of our food, trash and toiletries out of the car and putting it in "bear lockers" so that bears would not smell it and try to break into our car or our tent. All in all it was a fun experience, especially for one without camping experience like me, and it was worth it to spend a few more hours in the park.
It truly turned out to be a wonderful day, despite its challenges. It is an experience I won't soon forget. Stats will be included in the next post with San Fransisco stats.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Day 21: Generals and Trees
Today Alie and I went to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. We saw HUGE trees and beautiful cliffs. The story of this park is all about conservation, but unlike Petrified Forrest its not about people destroying the park before it became a park or even people taking things from the park. Instead the damage was done by the National Park Service.
Sequoia National Park is our nations 2nd National Park after Yellowstone. As it be came more accessible thanks to a WPA group called the CCC, the park became more popular. In the 1950s at the beginning of the Giant Forrest there was a little village set with cabins, a gas station a gift shop and many other buildings. These buildings were built upon the shallow roots of the giant trees, cutting them so electric lines and plumbing could be run where needed. As time marched on the damage this caused be came apparent. Today only one building remains and has been turn into a museum, telling you about the Red Woods and the flora that populate the grove. Adding prescribed burns that were picked up again in 1969 enabled the trees to be rejuvenated and be restored to their former glory as John Muir first saw them.
The biggest tree in the park is titled General Sherman. Its not the tallest or the widest but is in fact the biggest thanks to its volume. 4 tractor trailers can fit inside it. Its biggest branch can hide a VW Bug completely. And if it were chopped down it could make billions and billions of tooth picks. (I'll try to find and exact number that was quoted to me today.)
What was most interesting about the park is the visual damage that fire does. The smaller trees leaves are brown and its branches white where the fire licked up and burned them. On the Giant Sequoias you can see where the hairy red bark has burned away and left the tree almost hollow. Apparently these trees can be so strong that a fire can burn at the base virtually hollowing it out and it will still grow. But as mentioned above their frailty is always present, when one of these trees falls it is felt through out the entire park. First the is the cracking of the roots, which there are many, then there is the crashing through the branches of the other trees and then the thud thud of a 270' tall tree hitting the forrest floor. It is intense.
Kings Canyon is our nations 3rd National Park and is right next to Giant Sequoia. Kings Canyon has a lot of the same features, but is more geared to the camping and hiking kind of group. There is only one main road and it only covers a VERY small section once it ends you need a permit to go further into the park and do low impact camping along its trails to further explore it.
Again the story of this park is of conservation. John Muir lectured and pushed for the canyon to be protected. The area was thought to be a great developmental opportunity. First hydroelectric damns were considered there, then logging, then tourism, and so forth. So many different interests laid claim to the area that is now the park that they kept each other at bay just long enough for congress to protect it. But when they did they did not include the canyon floor. It took another act of congress 20 years or so later to protect it.
So that covers our first two National Parks in California. Tomorrow we cover what many consider to be the greatest National Park Yosemite. But first our daily stats.
Still 35% Of the nation.
Distance: 265.8 miles
Moving Average: 43.1mph Very twisty turning roads in the High Sierra.
Overall Average: 31.8mph
Moving Time: 6h 10m
Stopped: 2h 10m Including lunch and dinner.
Total Time: 8h 21mIncluding parts of the parks.
Distance to go: Seems to be getting longer...hmmmm
Sequoia National Park is our nations 2nd National Park after Yellowstone. As it be came more accessible thanks to a WPA group called the CCC, the park became more popular. In the 1950s at the beginning of the Giant Forrest there was a little village set with cabins, a gas station a gift shop and many other buildings. These buildings were built upon the shallow roots of the giant trees, cutting them so electric lines and plumbing could be run where needed. As time marched on the damage this caused be came apparent. Today only one building remains and has been turn into a museum, telling you about the Red Woods and the flora that populate the grove. Adding prescribed burns that were picked up again in 1969 enabled the trees to be rejuvenated and be restored to their former glory as John Muir first saw them.
The biggest tree in the park is titled General Sherman. Its not the tallest or the widest but is in fact the biggest thanks to its volume. 4 tractor trailers can fit inside it. Its biggest branch can hide a VW Bug completely. And if it were chopped down it could make billions and billions of tooth picks. (I'll try to find and exact number that was quoted to me today.)
What was most interesting about the park is the visual damage that fire does. The smaller trees leaves are brown and its branches white where the fire licked up and burned them. On the Giant Sequoias you can see where the hairy red bark has burned away and left the tree almost hollow. Apparently these trees can be so strong that a fire can burn at the base virtually hollowing it out and it will still grow. But as mentioned above their frailty is always present, when one of these trees falls it is felt through out the entire park. First the is the cracking of the roots, which there are many, then there is the crashing through the branches of the other trees and then the thud thud of a 270' tall tree hitting the forrest floor. It is intense.
Kings Canyon is our nations 3rd National Park and is right next to Giant Sequoia. Kings Canyon has a lot of the same features, but is more geared to the camping and hiking kind of group. There is only one main road and it only covers a VERY small section once it ends you need a permit to go further into the park and do low impact camping along its trails to further explore it.
Again the story of this park is of conservation. John Muir lectured and pushed for the canyon to be protected. The area was thought to be a great developmental opportunity. First hydroelectric damns were considered there, then logging, then tourism, and so forth. So many different interests laid claim to the area that is now the park that they kept each other at bay just long enough for congress to protect it. But when they did they did not include the canyon floor. It took another act of congress 20 years or so later to protect it.
So that covers our first two National Parks in California. Tomorrow we cover what many consider to be the greatest National Park Yosemite. But first our daily stats.
Still 35% Of the nation.
Distance: 265.8 miles
Moving Average: 43.1mph Very twisty turning roads in the High Sierra.
Overall Average: 31.8mph
Moving Time: 6h 10m
Stopped: 2h 10m Including lunch and dinner.
Total Time: 8h 21mIncluding parts of the parks.
Distance to go: Seems to be getting longer...hmmmm
Monday, July 10, 2006
Day 19: The First Wedding Day
Last time I posted, Alie, Aneta and I were waiting for Leslie and her family to leave for the church well they did and we got ready. Alie kept commenting on how rare it was for her to see me in a suit and how much she enjoyed it, so much that she wanted me to wear my jacket in 104 degree heat to our Pre-Church Starbucks run. I gracefully declined citing that I did not want to die by drowning in my own sweat. But enough of that lets talk about the happy Bride and Groom.
Leslie and Brian tied the knot in a small traditional and classy wedding. The Reverend discussed how it was not up to Brian and Leslie to lean on each other but rather lean on God to help solve disputes. The Reverend also made everyone in attendance help Leslie and Brian work on the marriage when they needed it. An interesting look at marriage to say the least.
After the ceremony all 63 people headed to San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, which was very cool, well except for the first hour. The hot California Sun forced us to drink a few more drinks then we thought and seek shade in a big red object. Eventually it did cool off and we were allowed to head inside. The sunset grave the entire party great lighting and amazing pictures. The entire time both Leslie and Brian were beaming with happiness, something I do not think they will loose any time soon, if at all. The table settings the food and even the drinks, were personal to Leslie and Brian. Decorations were Sodoku puzzles, Leslie Brian Trivia and wonderful food that they ate during their first date.
Around 10pm Aneta, Dan, Alie and I were exhausted and decided that we should head back the 30 minute drive back to Leslie's. We said good bye wished the bride and groom good luck and thanked Leslie's parents for their hospitality. Once we got back we all just went to bed and passed out.
The wedding was very wonderful and it was great for Alie and I to be able to relax. I loved Leslie's attitude during the weekend; very calm and what happens happens. She and Brian looked so content!
To Leslie and Brain: Alie and I wish you luck and have a great time in RI, also Alie and I are very proud to call you both friends. Leslie its been great living with you and thank you for everything you have taught me and being there for me. I know you and Brain will have a great life together. Stay in touch and of course have fun!
PS Pictures to come!
PPS No stats yet. Thankfully this wedding was our first destination.
Leslie and Brian tied the knot in a small traditional and classy wedding. The Reverend discussed how it was not up to Brian and Leslie to lean on each other but rather lean on God to help solve disputes. The Reverend also made everyone in attendance help Leslie and Brian work on the marriage when they needed it. An interesting look at marriage to say the least.
After the ceremony all 63 people headed to San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, which was very cool, well except for the first hour. The hot California Sun forced us to drink a few more drinks then we thought and seek shade in a big red object. Eventually it did cool off and we were allowed to head inside. The sunset grave the entire party great lighting and amazing pictures. The entire time both Leslie and Brian were beaming with happiness, something I do not think they will loose any time soon, if at all. The table settings the food and even the drinks, were personal to Leslie and Brian. Decorations were Sodoku puzzles, Leslie Brian Trivia and wonderful food that they ate during their first date.
Around 10pm Aneta, Dan, Alie and I were exhausted and decided that we should head back the 30 minute drive back to Leslie's. We said good bye wished the bride and groom good luck and thanked Leslie's parents for their hospitality. Once we got back we all just went to bed and passed out.
The wedding was very wonderful and it was great for Alie and I to be able to relax. I loved Leslie's attitude during the weekend; very calm and what happens happens. She and Brian looked so content!
To Leslie and Brain: Alie and I wish you luck and have a great time in RI, also Alie and I are very proud to call you both friends. Leslie its been great living with you and thank you for everything you have taught me and being there for me. I know you and Brain will have a great life together. Stay in touch and of course have fun!
PS Pictures to come!
PPS No stats yet. Thankfully this wedding was our first destination.
Day 20: Road Trip Goes Hollywood
Today is day three of the great California excursion. We left the Telford compound bright and early to take our friend Dan to the San Diego airport. Consequently, our travels began around 7:30 this morning. With Mexico to the South, ocean to the west and no plans to go east yet, we began your trip northward.
Initially, we planned to go straight up to Sequoia National Park, giving LA only a passing nod. However, given the fact that it was early and we don't know when we will be back in Califonia, we decided to get a little SoCal experience. We travelled about two hours north of San Diego to the beautiful beaches of Santa Monica. After walking along the Third Street Promanade and looking at the upscale shops and cafes, we put our toes in the sand and then the Pacific Ocean! It's hard to believe that only two weeks ago we were diping our feet in the Atlantic! We have come so far and still have a ways to go! We had some lunch on the famous Santa Monica Pier and rode on the Carousel before deciding to move on to bigger and better things.
From Santa Monica we went into Hollywood. There we visited the Grauman's Chinese Theater and spent a moment in the shoes of stars (so to speak), among them Gene Kelley, Marylin Monroe, the Marx Bros, Julie Andrews and the "governator" himself. And what would a visit to Hollywood be without some star sightings? We saw Mickey Mouse, Yoda, Batman and of course Elvis, just to name a few!
When we were finished oogling at famous footprints and "stargazing" on the walk of fame, we decided to drive up to "the hills:" to get a good look at the Hollywood sign. We caught a good glimpse of it and snapped some pictures before getting lost up there and deciding to be satisfied with the view we got. Our final point of interest was a cruise down Rodeo Drive on our way out.
This afternoon we decided to leave the glitz and glamour (and expenses) of "Hollywierd" behind in search of more natural surroundings. We drove about four hours Northeast to the town of Three Rivers, about 15 miles outside of Sequoia National Park. On the way we saw (and smelled) the billowing smoke of a forest fire along the edge of the interstate (luckily not the side we were on), and we felt that now we had truly seen California.
Now we are resting in Three Rivers, getting ready for a big day of big trees! It is on to Sequoia National Park, and don't worry everyone we WILL drive through the tree!
More on that tomorrow.
Now the California stats (from the Past 2 days):
Been to: 35% of the USA!
Overall Average: 39.0 mph
Moving Average: 50.2mph
Moving Time: 13h 18m
Stopped Time: 3h 47m
Total Time: 17h 6m
Distance Traveled: 667.9mi
Distance to go: Back to the begining
Initially, we planned to go straight up to Sequoia National Park, giving LA only a passing nod. However, given the fact that it was early and we don't know when we will be back in Califonia, we decided to get a little SoCal experience. We travelled about two hours north of San Diego to the beautiful beaches of Santa Monica. After walking along the Third Street Promanade and looking at the upscale shops and cafes, we put our toes in the sand and then the Pacific Ocean! It's hard to believe that only two weeks ago we were diping our feet in the Atlantic! We have come so far and still have a ways to go! We had some lunch on the famous Santa Monica Pier and rode on the Carousel before deciding to move on to bigger and better things.
From Santa Monica we went into Hollywood. There we visited the Grauman's Chinese Theater and spent a moment in the shoes of stars (so to speak), among them Gene Kelley, Marylin Monroe, the Marx Bros, Julie Andrews and the "governator" himself. And what would a visit to Hollywood be without some star sightings? We saw Mickey Mouse, Yoda, Batman and of course Elvis, just to name a few!
When we were finished oogling at famous footprints and "stargazing" on the walk of fame, we decided to drive up to "the hills:" to get a good look at the Hollywood sign. We caught a good glimpse of it and snapped some pictures before getting lost up there and deciding to be satisfied with the view we got. Our final point of interest was a cruise down Rodeo Drive on our way out.
This afternoon we decided to leave the glitz and glamour (and expenses) of "Hollywierd" behind in search of more natural surroundings. We drove about four hours Northeast to the town of Three Rivers, about 15 miles outside of Sequoia National Park. On the way we saw (and smelled) the billowing smoke of a forest fire along the edge of the interstate (luckily not the side we were on), and we felt that now we had truly seen California.
Now we are resting in Three Rivers, getting ready for a big day of big trees! It is on to Sequoia National Park, and don't worry everyone we WILL drive through the tree!
More on that tomorrow.
Now the California stats (from the Past 2 days):
Been to: 35% of the USA!
Overall Average: 39.0 mph
Moving Average: 50.2mph
Moving Time: 13h 18m
Stopped Time: 3h 47m
Total Time: 17h 6m
Distance Traveled: 667.9mi
Distance to go: Back to the begining
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Day 18: "Here I was at the end of America -- no more land..."
Well we made it. Yesterday we got in around 2:00pm to Leslie's house. You would think that every one would be running around crazy, trying to get things done all over the place, but in fact everyone is calm cool and collected. Leslie is not nervous and here thought is that everything will work out fine. Things will get done on time and everything will work great. This is how I'd like to feel at my wedding. Not be rushing around all crazy, just plodding along, time is but a reference point but not set in stone.
After a while Alie, Aneta (a friend from college) and I followed Leslie and Brian to La Jolla and then walked around had lunch at a cool surf shop and went to the beach, while they rehearsed. Afterwards we went back for the dinner which was very low key, very relaxing and calm. Alie and I have been doing so much during the day that its not to have to worry about getting some place or be on a specific time frame we are on someone else's and it feels good.
After dinner we went to the beach again and sat talked and laughed; overall a very good time. Now we are waiting for the bridesmaids to get their hair done and then they are off to the church. At this point Aneta, Alie and I will be getting ready and heading to the church. It’s going to be great. The Church is right across from The San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, where the reception will be so that shall be very exciting.
For now stats will have to wait until tomorrow when we will post both days of Cali, but I will leave you with something our very proud of our map.
After a while Alie, Aneta (a friend from college) and I followed Leslie and Brian to La Jolla and then walked around had lunch at a cool surf shop and went to the beach, while they rehearsed. Afterwards we went back for the dinner which was very low key, very relaxing and calm. Alie and I have been doing so much during the day that its not to have to worry about getting some place or be on a specific time frame we are on someone else's and it feels good.
After dinner we went to the beach again and sat talked and laughed; overall a very good time. Now we are waiting for the bridesmaids to get their hair done and then they are off to the church. At this point Aneta, Alie and I will be getting ready and heading to the church. It’s going to be great. The Church is right across from The San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, where the reception will be so that shall be very exciting.
For now stats will have to wait until tomorrow when we will post both days of Cali, but I will leave you with something our very proud of our map.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Day 17: Welcome to Triassic Park
Today was a great day. When our car originally broke down, we thought we would have to drive straight to San Diego and cut out both Canyon De Chelly and the Painted Desert. But once our heads cleared, we decided we could do the Painted Desert and that's what we did today.
The Painted Desert is inside of Petrified Forrest National Park. We first traveled to the Painted Desert, and it's quite a beautiful palette of muted pastels. It got its name when Coronado came through the area and saw the hues in the rocks and described as "the painted desert."
From there we got onto the road, part of which is historic Route 66, and travelled to ancient Pueblonean ruins and went on a guided tour of native dwellings. The buildings there are not the kind you see at Canyon De Chelly, but are only partially excavated ones; meaning they looked like foundations of buildings, when in fact the rest of the walls and such are still beneath the ground being protected from the elements and humans. We also saw petroglyphs the natives left there thousands of years ago. The differences between pictographs and petroglyphs is that petroglyphs are carved and pictograms are painted. Apparently there are some pictographs in the park, but they are in a remote and protected area. The most common drawings found here are petroglyphs.
After that we traveled and stopped off at many pullovers taking pictures and seeing the general sites. But our final stop was truly our best. It is called Crystal Forest. Before the park was a National Park, during the turn of the last century, this field was covered in petrified logs that glistened in the sun and had been there for 225 million years. Back then all the continents were still joined together. That area of Arizona was a sub tropical climate located near present day Panama. In this land there were HUGE trees and all kinds of Triassic animals that resembled crocodiles, rhinoceros, and other pre-dinosaur creatures. Over time these trees fell into a river and floated down stream till they reached a flood plain and sank to the bottom when they were completely water-logged. Then layers of sand, ash, etc. were piled on top. The silica in the ash seeped through the pourous wood and reacted chemically with it. As time marched on, the silica replaced the wood cell by cell with stone and other semi-precious rocks. Resulting in beautiful colors wrapped around petrified bark.
Today the filed is almost barren; only a few of the pieces of petrified wood remain. People have been stealing it since the railroad came by and established a link to the remote area. The pilfering of the wood is what made the park become a park so it can be protected. But that still hasn't stopped people. The rangers estimate that 1 ton of petrified wood is stolen from the park each month; soon there will not be any petrified wood left at all.
However the park has been fighting back. They do vehicle checks on the way out and they like to permiate the idea that there is a curse upon stealing rocks from the park. It isn't something they came up with and they do not tell it over and over again, but reminders are here and there about it. Each year the park gets tons of mail and packages with pieces of petrified wood and other rocks from the park. In the letters some tell of how terrible their luck has been since they've stolen a piece of the park and are hoping it will change when they return the property. They do not seem to follow up on it though. Would be an interesting investigation.
Alie and i very much enjoyed the park. Our hike around Crystal Forrest was very beautiful despite the thefts. I got a good bunch of pictures mostly macro shots that I will post soon. We could not help but think about what it would've been like if people were not so greedy with the petrified wood and left it there for all to see. I'd imagine it would rank up there with the colors and sites we saw in Carlsbad Caverns or even the painted desert. But alas people are greedy and the view of Crystal Forrest is lost to history, at least now we still get to see what is left and that is still worth the trip.
I've typed a lot here, but I cannot elave with some quick stats for you all
We are still in AZ so it keeps us at 35% of the Nation.
But that does not mean we haven't gone anywhere.
We travelled 430miles
at an overall avgerage of 64.8mph
and a moving average of 67.8mph.
It took us 6h and 38m
with 6h and 20m of moving time
stopping for only 18m and 7s
Wrong Turns: 0 Its so much easier out here with all this land and planning.
Distance to go: about 2h 20min YESSSSSSS!
The Painted Desert is inside of Petrified Forrest National Park. We first traveled to the Painted Desert, and it's quite a beautiful palette of muted pastels. It got its name when Coronado came through the area and saw the hues in the rocks and described as "the painted desert."
From there we got onto the road, part of which is historic Route 66, and travelled to ancient Pueblonean ruins and went on a guided tour of native dwellings. The buildings there are not the kind you see at Canyon De Chelly, but are only partially excavated ones; meaning they looked like foundations of buildings, when in fact the rest of the walls and such are still beneath the ground being protected from the elements and humans. We also saw petroglyphs the natives left there thousands of years ago. The differences between pictographs and petroglyphs is that petroglyphs are carved and pictograms are painted. Apparently there are some pictographs in the park, but they are in a remote and protected area. The most common drawings found here are petroglyphs.
After that we traveled and stopped off at many pullovers taking pictures and seeing the general sites. But our final stop was truly our best. It is called Crystal Forest. Before the park was a National Park, during the turn of the last century, this field was covered in petrified logs that glistened in the sun and had been there for 225 million years. Back then all the continents were still joined together. That area of Arizona was a sub tropical climate located near present day Panama. In this land there were HUGE trees and all kinds of Triassic animals that resembled crocodiles, rhinoceros, and other pre-dinosaur creatures. Over time these trees fell into a river and floated down stream till they reached a flood plain and sank to the bottom when they were completely water-logged. Then layers of sand, ash, etc. were piled on top. The silica in the ash seeped through the pourous wood and reacted chemically with it. As time marched on, the silica replaced the wood cell by cell with stone and other semi-precious rocks. Resulting in beautiful colors wrapped around petrified bark.
Today the filed is almost barren; only a few of the pieces of petrified wood remain. People have been stealing it since the railroad came by and established a link to the remote area. The pilfering of the wood is what made the park become a park so it can be protected. But that still hasn't stopped people. The rangers estimate that 1 ton of petrified wood is stolen from the park each month; soon there will not be any petrified wood left at all.
However the park has been fighting back. They do vehicle checks on the way out and they like to permiate the idea that there is a curse upon stealing rocks from the park. It isn't something they came up with and they do not tell it over and over again, but reminders are here and there about it. Each year the park gets tons of mail and packages with pieces of petrified wood and other rocks from the park. In the letters some tell of how terrible their luck has been since they've stolen a piece of the park and are hoping it will change when they return the property. They do not seem to follow up on it though. Would be an interesting investigation.
Alie and i very much enjoyed the park. Our hike around Crystal Forrest was very beautiful despite the thefts. I got a good bunch of pictures mostly macro shots that I will post soon. We could not help but think about what it would've been like if people were not so greedy with the petrified wood and left it there for all to see. I'd imagine it would rank up there with the colors and sites we saw in Carlsbad Caverns or even the painted desert. But alas people are greedy and the view of Crystal Forrest is lost to history, at least now we still get to see what is left and that is still worth the trip.
I've typed a lot here, but I cannot elave with some quick stats for you all
We are still in AZ so it keeps us at 35% of the Nation.
But that does not mean we haven't gone anywhere.
We travelled 430miles
at an overall avgerage of 64.8mph
and a moving average of 67.8mph.
It took us 6h and 38m
with 6h and 20m of moving time
stopping for only 18m and 7s
Wrong Turns: 0 Its so much easier out here with all this land and planning.
Distance to go: about 2h 20min YESSSSSSS!
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Day 16: Movin Right Along (Thank Goodness!!)
Hello all!
Thankfully the car is up and running once again!! After waiting until 4, we found out that there was a problem with the computer which they replaced. The test drive showed that it was running fine, so here's hoping that there are no other problems (that would be costly in both time and money). All in all we didn't lose much in the whole ordeal. We got to explore Santa Fe, stay in a nice place and celebrate the fourth and we didn't have to pay for repairs because they were under warranty!
We drove the car for about four hours yesterday without incident, so our confidence is coming back. Which brings us to where we are today...in ARIZONA! We decided to drive to the Petrified Forest National Park yesterday so that we could find a place to stay and see the park the next day. We were under the impression, however, that the park was in New Mexico, but it turns out its in Arizona, so we were very excited. Oddly enough we are also in a different time zone of sorts, because apparently they don't do daylight savings around here, so we went back another hour. Three hours from you east coasters! Basically there is not much to report from yesterday; we had another 'forced' relaxation day where we sat at cafes and walked around.
We did see the Palace of the Governors, which was the center of Santa Fe politics whether it be rule by the Spanish or the Indians. It is also the oldest continually run building in the US! We caught a guided tour, on which we learned a lot about New Mexico's long and rich history. Unfortunately there will be no photos to follow because photography is not allowed in the museum, sadly. If you ever find yourself in Santa Fe and are hankerin for some history, I recommend the Palace of the Governors; I think you will learn a lot.
Now we are getting ready to head out and explore the Petrified Forest. Then its on the California (or as close as we can get)!!!
But first some Stats:
Been to: 35% of the USA!
Overall Average: 69.4mph (speed limit is 75! ;)
Moving Average: 71.0mph
Moving Time: 4h 23m
Stopped Time: 6m 2s
Total Time: 4h 29m
Distance Traveled: 311.9mi
Distance to go: Not much at all!
Thankfully the car is up and running once again!! After waiting until 4, we found out that there was a problem with the computer which they replaced. The test drive showed that it was running fine, so here's hoping that there are no other problems (that would be costly in both time and money). All in all we didn't lose much in the whole ordeal. We got to explore Santa Fe, stay in a nice place and celebrate the fourth and we didn't have to pay for repairs because they were under warranty!
We drove the car for about four hours yesterday without incident, so our confidence is coming back. Which brings us to where we are today...in ARIZONA! We decided to drive to the Petrified Forest National Park yesterday so that we could find a place to stay and see the park the next day. We were under the impression, however, that the park was in New Mexico, but it turns out its in Arizona, so we were very excited. Oddly enough we are also in a different time zone of sorts, because apparently they don't do daylight savings around here, so we went back another hour. Three hours from you east coasters! Basically there is not much to report from yesterday; we had another 'forced' relaxation day where we sat at cafes and walked around.
We did see the Palace of the Governors, which was the center of Santa Fe politics whether it be rule by the Spanish or the Indians. It is also the oldest continually run building in the US! We caught a guided tour, on which we learned a lot about New Mexico's long and rich history. Unfortunately there will be no photos to follow because photography is not allowed in the museum, sadly. If you ever find yourself in Santa Fe and are hankerin for some history, I recommend the Palace of the Governors; I think you will learn a lot.
Now we are getting ready to head out and explore the Petrified Forest. Then its on the California (or as close as we can get)!!!
But first some Stats:
Been to: 35% of the USA!
Overall Average: 69.4mph (speed limit is 75! ;)
Moving Average: 71.0mph
Moving Time: 4h 23m
Stopped Time: 6m 2s
Total Time: 4h 29m
Distance Traveled: 311.9mi
Distance to go: Not much at all!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Day 13: Photo Dump Stalactites and Mites
Here are the promised photos of Carlsbad Caverns. Again they do not do justice to the cavern at all but they at least wet your appetite for geological formations. MMMMM flowstone!
Famous Rock of Ages:
Famous Rock of Ages:
Day 15: Happy 4th of July from Santa Fe
Today was a very relaxing day and thus uneventful. Alie and I slept in for our forced day of non driving. Then we got up and went to a restaurant called The Upper Crust recommend by my Uncle Paul. (Thanks!) It was delicious and as an extra super duper 4th of July bonus they served Sam Adams on tap! This excited Alie and I. There is nothing quite like Sam on the 4th of July with a pizza. It tasted like home, and it tasted good. A lot of beers down here are minimally hoppy. Instead they go for a thirst quenching kind of beer whereas we are used to the hoppy Sam and Harpoon IPAs so once the Sam hit our lips it brought back home to us. Which was refreshing since we've been on the road for 1/2 a month.
After that we returned to our hotel and went for a swim. This was also very relaxing, sitting poolside reading. After that we walked around downtown Santa Fe and entered the Cathedral they have here. It was very neat, one of the oldest structures in town and had some interesting artifacts brought over from the Old World. Alie and I took some pictures so we will be posting them eventually. Then we returned to our room and posted some pictures and did some digital cleaning of the blog.
Around 8:30pm we headed to Santa Fe High School to watch the local fireworks. It was interesting being a major city with the fireworks being at a local high school. Alie and I were discussing this, and in general, we feel there is a disconnect from the holiday and what it means to people around here. Here they have their own local history that is very disconnected from our "Nation's History." When we won our freedom from the British this land was still controlled by the Spanish or the Native Americans. (Not sure which hopefully a reader can correct me.) So when they celebrate the 4th it might mean something to them symbolically, but it's not the same as it is with people in the Cradle of Liberty; at least that's what if feels like to us.
The final thing we want to mention is the cab drivers around here. Since our "Iron Horse" is in the shop. We've had a total of 3 cab drivers. So far all of them are 50+ men who seem to have come here because they were tired of were they were and are laid back kind of people. They also seemed to have done a lot of drugs in the past and continue to while enjoying the new age kind of vibe found around here.
So overall we've enjoyed our stay in Santa Fe. We'd certainly come back here, but I do not think that we would move here any time soon.
Tomorrow at 9am we have an appointment with the dealership and we get to find out if we are to fly out of New Mexico or drive. Here's hoping for driving. Wish us luck!
After that we returned to our hotel and went for a swim. This was also very relaxing, sitting poolside reading. After that we walked around downtown Santa Fe and entered the Cathedral they have here. It was very neat, one of the oldest structures in town and had some interesting artifacts brought over from the Old World. Alie and I took some pictures so we will be posting them eventually. Then we returned to our room and posted some pictures and did some digital cleaning of the blog.
Around 8:30pm we headed to Santa Fe High School to watch the local fireworks. It was interesting being a major city with the fireworks being at a local high school. Alie and I were discussing this, and in general, we feel there is a disconnect from the holiday and what it means to people around here. Here they have their own local history that is very disconnected from our "Nation's History." When we won our freedom from the British this land was still controlled by the Spanish or the Native Americans. (Not sure which hopefully a reader can correct me.) So when they celebrate the 4th it might mean something to them symbolically, but it's not the same as it is with people in the Cradle of Liberty; at least that's what if feels like to us.
The final thing we want to mention is the cab drivers around here. Since our "Iron Horse" is in the shop. We've had a total of 3 cab drivers. So far all of them are 50+ men who seem to have come here because they were tired of were they were and are laid back kind of people. They also seemed to have done a lot of drugs in the past and continue to while enjoying the new age kind of vibe found around here.
So overall we've enjoyed our stay in Santa Fe. We'd certainly come back here, but I do not think that we would move here any time soon.
Tomorrow at 9am we have an appointment with the dealership and we get to find out if we are to fly out of New Mexico or drive. Here's hoping for driving. Wish us luck!
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Canon NP Contest Reminder
Hi all Happy 4th! Alie and I will be posting a full update later tonight. But right now I am just taking a quick moment to remind everyone to let me know which pictures in this photo set you like so I can then submit the best one to the Canon National Parks Photo Contest. You can post a comment here or in any post at all or even email me with the name(s) of the photo(s) you like. Rock on and have fun!
Day 14: The good the Bad and the Car Troubles
We are new in Santa Fe, New Mexico! This place has been pretty neat, but its been a little odd too. Its largely a tourist town but Alie and I have found that a few restaurants are closed for the holiday. This doesn't seem right especially since a lot of people will be coming into town to celebrate the 4th. We figured they just did not need the extra money.
We've also heard that Santa Fe is expensive; we did not find this to be necessarily true. Our dinner and our lunch were very reasonable for a city. Though compared to places like Carlsbad or Rosewell, Santa Fe is expensive but its nothing like the major cities we've been to in the past. In the end its right up there with any other tourist destination. A little expensive but nothing unexpected.
The road to Santa Fe from Carlsbad was rather boring except for the last 40 minuets where it was hilly mesas. Once we got through Roswell, which was 2 hours from Carlsbad, there was nothing. Just small brush and desert for miles and miles and miles. Alie and I were supposed to eat and switch 3 hours into our drive, but after we got 3 hours out there was no place to eat, just small picnic areas or unpaved shoulders. So we did not end up eating or switching until we got to Santa Fe.
This leads me to the third part of the title. Once we ate we decided to go back to the car and book a hotel. When we turned on the car we got a MAJOR Engine Error! We called a Toyota Dealer and made arrangements for the car. On the phone the service department said we could drive it as long as it was driving okay. Well it was before we turned it off to eat, and the dealership was 2mi away so we figured why not? The car barely made it there. It would only average 20mph and right when we were turning into the dealership it wouldn't go at all. We turned the car off in the turn lane turned it back on and that was just enough to get us there.
Tomorrow the Toyota dealer is closed so we are required to spend the 4th in Santa Fe, not bad, but it puts the rest of the trip in peril. Hopefully they can fix it on the 5th and we can still see the Petrified Forrest. Canyon DeChelly is too far out of our way to hit on this leg but its not far from Zion National Park, so we might pick it up after the wedding. time will tell. In the worst case scenario, we will fly the rest of the distance to San Diego and fly back to pick up our car later. Time will tell and right now we think about how lucky we've been and the memories we have created thus far. Alas what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. ;) But enough crappy things.
Tomorrow will be better and we'll be able to give a more rounded view of the city. For now the stats...
Still 33% of the USA!
Distance Traveled Today: 281.1mi
Moving Avg: 55.5mph
Overall Avg: 36.0mph
Moving Time: 5h 4m
Stopped: 2h 44m
Total Time: 7h 49m
Gas Used: 44mpg! Yay Hybrid! when it works
Wrong Turns: 0 Straight lines all the way!
Distance to go: 600+ miles: Will we make it?
We've also heard that Santa Fe is expensive; we did not find this to be necessarily true. Our dinner and our lunch were very reasonable for a city. Though compared to places like Carlsbad or Rosewell, Santa Fe is expensive but its nothing like the major cities we've been to in the past. In the end its right up there with any other tourist destination. A little expensive but nothing unexpected.
The road to Santa Fe from Carlsbad was rather boring except for the last 40 minuets where it was hilly mesas. Once we got through Roswell, which was 2 hours from Carlsbad, there was nothing. Just small brush and desert for miles and miles and miles. Alie and I were supposed to eat and switch 3 hours into our drive, but after we got 3 hours out there was no place to eat, just small picnic areas or unpaved shoulders. So we did not end up eating or switching until we got to Santa Fe.
This leads me to the third part of the title. Once we ate we decided to go back to the car and book a hotel. When we turned on the car we got a MAJOR Engine Error! We called a Toyota Dealer and made arrangements for the car. On the phone the service department said we could drive it as long as it was driving okay. Well it was before we turned it off to eat, and the dealership was 2mi away so we figured why not? The car barely made it there. It would only average 20mph and right when we were turning into the dealership it wouldn't go at all. We turned the car off in the turn lane turned it back on and that was just enough to get us there.
Tomorrow the Toyota dealer is closed so we are required to spend the 4th in Santa Fe, not bad, but it puts the rest of the trip in peril. Hopefully they can fix it on the 5th and we can still see the Petrified Forrest. Canyon DeChelly is too far out of our way to hit on this leg but its not far from Zion National Park, so we might pick it up after the wedding. time will tell. In the worst case scenario, we will fly the rest of the distance to San Diego and fly back to pick up our car later. Time will tell and right now we think about how lucky we've been and the memories we have created thus far. Alas what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. ;) But enough crappy things.
Tomorrow will be better and we'll be able to give a more rounded view of the city. For now the stats...
Still 33% of the USA!
Distance Traveled Today: 281.1mi
Moving Avg: 55.5mph
Overall Avg: 36.0mph
Moving Time: 5h 4m
Stopped: 2h 44m
Total Time: 7h 49m
Gas Used: 44mpg! Yay Hybrid! when it works
Wrong Turns: 0 Straight lines all the way!
Distance to go: 600+ miles: Will we make it?
On the Road Again Texas Pictures
These are a few pictures I've snapped while Alie and I are on the road.
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