I think it might be about time to let you know the 'end' of the story as we've almost been back in the UK two weeks and have just about finished the whirlwind of seeing all our friends etc and settled into a new job (Ben) and a familiar university (me).
The state park in Pennsylvania was pleasant enough, but we had quickly walked ALL of the trails within it and were left stumped for something to do. As we were soon to be leaving our car (sob) we sorted out our kit and donated the trusty coolbox that had travelled all the way from California to a family in a nearby camping spot, as well as our other various bits and bobs we had collected on our way but would no longer be necessary. It was a sad moment as this handful of possessions had been carefully chosen and looked after at every turn, and this signalled the closing in of the final leg of the journey.
Being relaxed and rested after the holiday, I don't really want to go into the fury of returning the car in Baltimore. Suffice it to say we left the Alamo office with two bills: one for over $1000 (which we didn't pay) and one for around $200 (which was where my powers of bargaining - as well as my patience - ran out).
Baltimore was, contrary to popular opinion it seems, rather pleasant. Having never watched an episode of The Wire I couldn't tell you how the city is portrayed, but judging by the responses we had on facebook regarding our whereabouts I think it might be the setting of a crime drama??! There is a beautiful harbour which has a fantastic mexican restaurant called Chipotle (for all English readers: this isn't pronounced how you might think...) - oh, and the national aquarium of course. I also managed to drag Ben into a few vintage shops, which I could get away with after the numerous guitar shops we'd been into on the trip! Thanks to Melissa and her housemate Cherie (sp?) for putting us up!
Off to New York on a bus . Yep, public transport in the USA. $13 for a 2 hour bus ride with extra leg room, wifi and leather seating? Not what we were expecting at all! Having negotiated the New York streets and found ourselves a cab, we showed up at our hotel, East Village Bed and Coffee. Now, I don't know if you've ever been to New York, but I'm sure you have an impression of the city; maybe there are some must-see sites, or some shops you are just dying to visit; maybe you have always dreamt of scaling the Empire State Building, or chilling out in Central Park? Well, first on our list was... a haircut. We were in desperate need by this point. That done, we headed out to some local bars with a schoolfriend of Ben's and his girlfriend, Ollie and Shyla. Ever heard of a sake bomb? Google it. We did 3 and then stumbled home.
The next day was my birthday. What is a girl to do in NYC on her birthday? Visit the Sadowsky workshop, of course! We had a beautiful walk over the Manhattan bridge trying to out-do each other on photo-taking, me with my new PINK camera Ben had got me for my birthday, and Ben with his skills. Damn those skills. The workshop was pretty cool, although very well hidden, and Ben tried out a few basses and pedals, bought what he'd come for and met the man himself: Roger Sadowsky. Another incredible walk over the Brooklyn bridge took us to Wall Street and Ground Zero, where we had a quiet lunch and considered the total devastation caused 8 years ago and its impact around the world today. There is an worthwhile display of the events of 9/11 in a store nearby, as well as details on the reconstruction of the site. It was humbling to be there having seen the twin towers only 11 months before the atrocity in 2001 and feel for ourselves the atmosphere of the area.
The free shuttle ferry to Staten Island gives great views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, and was another photo-taking opportunity. We then took the subway to Times Square before heading back to a brilliant surprise engineered by Rain and Sach of a bottle of Champagne on ice in our room. Thanks, guys! Best birthday surprise ever! Ollie and Shy showed us some cool bars and a gorgeous tapas restaurant, and then came with us to see a friend of a friend's gig in the Lower East Side. All in all, it was a pretty cool birthday.
We started the next day at Grand Central Station, where we bumped into a friend I had made in Kabul (random!) and then took a tour of the New York Public Library, walked to Central Park and the Natural History Museum and met up with Ollie and Shy for afternoon wine and antipasti. In the evening we went for breathtaking views of the city at night from atop the Empire State Building and said our goodbyes to the city and our friends.
Heading out to Cape Cod we hired another car for a couple of days, and escaped city life in favour of camping for one last time. It was a good side trip, with sunshine, beach walks and some seafood. We were feeling the looming flight home and the open space seemed to relieve us from the impending inevitability of the return.
One of the highlights of the trip was the Regina Spektor concert in Boston, which just blew me away. That girl has some serious talent, and the live show was a spectacle of one small person just filling not only the stage, but the entire venue, with her unmissable vocal and instrumental experiments. In fact, it was so good I have tickets for the London show in December too and I recommend you all to find out when she's in your town. Do it! Of course, we also walked the well-beaten path of the freedom trail outlining the places of interest in the struggle for American independence and giving a good overview of the city of Boston in general. I had remembered this route painted on the ground from a childhood visit to the US, and was very happy to be re-tracing those steps indeed. On our last day we headed to Harvard and took a tour around the University, discovering some of its quirks and learning the history of the institution. Of course, what sticks in my mind in the fact that women couldn't graduate from Harvard until as late as 1999, but I'm sure Ben's top story from the tour would be that it's the second richest private institution in the world; second, that is, to the Catholic Church. From Harvard, we went to Quincy Market for a 'last supper' of lobster, and from there we headed to the airport, unbelieving that this adventure had come to end so quickly, but excited for all the adventures to come on the other side of the Atlantic.
Thanks for reading the blog. I hope you've enjoyed it. I've tried to give a flavour of both the landscape and activities, as well as our feelings and impressions along the way. The US is a vast, diverse and inspirational place and maybe, just maybe, I've encouraged you to explore part of it for yourself. I couldn't recommend it more highly.
Tuesday 6 October 2009
Friday 11 September 2009
Wildlife and bad weather
It was good to be back to camping in the parks, although the battles with the insect life are something I will not miss about this trip. Great Smoky Mountains is proud to be the US's most visited National Park, with an astonishing 9 million visitors per year. It is, however, the most underfunded, as there is no entrance fee: this is due to a condition made upon the lands being donated to the federal government that the age-old tolls to cross the area from North Carolina in to Tennessee, and vice versa, be abolished. I would question its visitation figures for a couple of reasons.
1) We were there on Labor Day weekend, the holiday marking the end of summer and, as pointed out by a friendly ranger, this park is within a day's drive of 70 million Americans. It was hardly what you'd call crowded.
2) Does visiting the tourist-tat filled neighbouring town of Gatlinburg (or Ghastlinburg) for pizzas, 70oz sodas, ghost-train rides, the aquarium (where's the water?), every kind of 'Smokies' memorabilia and a ride on the 200-yd long shuttle bus REALLY count as going to the park?
As with every other National Park we have explored, our first challenge was the find the steepest, scariest looking trail recommended by our National Geographic guidebook and take it on. Alum Bluffs Trail: Ok, so you climb 2600ft and it's a 5 mile round trip, which doesn't sound too bad - but the suggested timing for it was 6-8 hours, and this had largely been accurate from our experiences so far, so we were expecting something a bit rugged and slow-going. Add to this the mention of assisting cables for the last part of the journey, and we were convinced - Angel's Landing in Zion had been a short, strenuous climb and this sounded similar. It was lame: no life-threatening drops on either side of us, no sheer granite faces to scream over, no exhilarating dangling from ropes to get the blood racing. It was just a walk. Nice views from the top, but just a walk. Hmph. Maybe we're becoming travel-weary? Maybe.
The next day took us straight out of this rut, though. The map showed an unpaved road down to a quiet area of the park, called Cataloochee, where we were off to hopefully see some Elk. After bumping and boucing along for 30 minutes, thankful for the 4x4, knuckles turning white and expletives coming from under our breath at every pothole, we came upon some horse-riders. 'You lost?', they asked. 'We're heading to Cataloochee', we replied. 'You're on a bridalpath', came the answer. More bumping, more bouncing, whiter knuckles and louder expletives back the way we had come, to try a new route, which seemed a bit more like it.
We were rewarded: a whole family of elk were making their way across some open plains, with an enormous male leader bellowing orders to the pack to follow him. It was just magical to watch these beautiful, elegant creatures roam around in the wild. Great Smoky Mountains has had a successful programme to reintroduce the elk to the park, including initial phases in a special enclosure we happened upon during our hike that afternoon. It was a large circular expanse, where the first few elk had been accustomed to the area before being released to go freely. A similar programme had been undertaken with black bears, and we had a couple more encounters with these incredible creatures - from a somewhat safer distance this time, though! Watching a sow with her two cubs crossing the road, and the tearing off the bark of a tree to feed on, is one of the most memorable moments of the trip. We sat in the car, not even daring to breathe - I'm sure Ben will put up some of the few photos we managed to sneak soon.
Moving on to Shenandoah National Park, which was lost in a foggy haze for most of our time there, took a mere 12 hours driving. This was the longest we've spent in the car in one day, and I am happy to say we got out of the car still smiling and counting our blessings, and not screaming and at each other's throats..somehow! Maybe it was the thought of the well-deserved beers we had to enjoy on arrival.. Miserable weather kept us up all night, and drove us out of the park to the nearest town the day day. We whiled away the day in cafes and record shops in Charlottesville, the home of the University of Virginia, and took refuge in the cinema in the evening, to watch a book we've listened to en route - The Time Traveller's Wife. Read the book, leave the movie.
We're now in Washington, D.C., and having seen the White House and walked to Capitol Hill went to Chinatown for dinner last night. The kindly server was doing the right thing to ask for our IDs when we asked for beers, but his maths got the best of him and he couldn't quite work out how old I was: it must be confusing because here it looks like I'm born on the 9th day of the 18th month. Once he'd figured it out, he took Ben's. This also stumped him, and it took a few goes to get to the right answer. His eyes lit up. 'She very young', he told Ben. We laughed and he handed us back our licenses. 'She very young', came with the food.. and then with our drinks.. and then with our bill. Ok, we get it! In the US, you also need your ID to sneeze in public, buy pints of milk, and cross the street. Buying a gun, however - no problem. Ben has caught a bit of a cold and Sudafed is safely guarded by an armed (what else?) pharmacist here, but his ID wasn't accepted this morning at the local pharmacy. We're going to try to obtain arms later on, so we'll let you know how that goes.
We had planned to go to the coast for the next couple of days, but when I called to book a campsite this morning I was told I couldn't due to severe weather and flooding danger. Instead, we will try our luck inland a bit further before heading to Baltimore to see Melissa on Monday, where will be timing our arrival with the end of the medical students' first exam of the year. Don't expect to hear from us for a while after that night out! Bye for now.
1) We were there on Labor Day weekend, the holiday marking the end of summer and, as pointed out by a friendly ranger, this park is within a day's drive of 70 million Americans. It was hardly what you'd call crowded.
2) Does visiting the tourist-tat filled neighbouring town of Gatlinburg (or Ghastlinburg) for pizzas, 70oz sodas, ghost-train rides, the aquarium (where's the water?), every kind of 'Smokies' memorabilia and a ride on the 200-yd long shuttle bus REALLY count as going to the park?
As with every other National Park we have explored, our first challenge was the find the steepest, scariest looking trail recommended by our National Geographic guidebook and take it on. Alum Bluffs Trail: Ok, so you climb 2600ft and it's a 5 mile round trip, which doesn't sound too bad - but the suggested timing for it was 6-8 hours, and this had largely been accurate from our experiences so far, so we were expecting something a bit rugged and slow-going. Add to this the mention of assisting cables for the last part of the journey, and we were convinced - Angel's Landing in Zion had been a short, strenuous climb and this sounded similar. It was lame: no life-threatening drops on either side of us, no sheer granite faces to scream over, no exhilarating dangling from ropes to get the blood racing. It was just a walk. Nice views from the top, but just a walk. Hmph. Maybe we're becoming travel-weary? Maybe.
The next day took us straight out of this rut, though. The map showed an unpaved road down to a quiet area of the park, called Cataloochee, where we were off to hopefully see some Elk. After bumping and boucing along for 30 minutes, thankful for the 4x4, knuckles turning white and expletives coming from under our breath at every pothole, we came upon some horse-riders. 'You lost?', they asked. 'We're heading to Cataloochee', we replied. 'You're on a bridalpath', came the answer. More bumping, more bouncing, whiter knuckles and louder expletives back the way we had come, to try a new route, which seemed a bit more like it.
We were rewarded: a whole family of elk were making their way across some open plains, with an enormous male leader bellowing orders to the pack to follow him. It was just magical to watch these beautiful, elegant creatures roam around in the wild. Great Smoky Mountains has had a successful programme to reintroduce the elk to the park, including initial phases in a special enclosure we happened upon during our hike that afternoon. It was a large circular expanse, where the first few elk had been accustomed to the area before being released to go freely. A similar programme had been undertaken with black bears, and we had a couple more encounters with these incredible creatures - from a somewhat safer distance this time, though! Watching a sow with her two cubs crossing the road, and the tearing off the bark of a tree to feed on, is one of the most memorable moments of the trip. We sat in the car, not even daring to breathe - I'm sure Ben will put up some of the few photos we managed to sneak soon.
Moving on to Shenandoah National Park, which was lost in a foggy haze for most of our time there, took a mere 12 hours driving. This was the longest we've spent in the car in one day, and I am happy to say we got out of the car still smiling and counting our blessings, and not screaming and at each other's throats..somehow! Maybe it was the thought of the well-deserved beers we had to enjoy on arrival.. Miserable weather kept us up all night, and drove us out of the park to the nearest town the day day. We whiled away the day in cafes and record shops in Charlottesville, the home of the University of Virginia, and took refuge in the cinema in the evening, to watch a book we've listened to en route - The Time Traveller's Wife. Read the book, leave the movie.
We're now in Washington, D.C., and having seen the White House and walked to Capitol Hill went to Chinatown for dinner last night. The kindly server was doing the right thing to ask for our IDs when we asked for beers, but his maths got the best of him and he couldn't quite work out how old I was: it must be confusing because here it looks like I'm born on the 9th day of the 18th month. Once he'd figured it out, he took Ben's. This also stumped him, and it took a few goes to get to the right answer. His eyes lit up. 'She very young', he told Ben. We laughed and he handed us back our licenses. 'She very young', came with the food.. and then with our drinks.. and then with our bill. Ok, we get it! In the US, you also need your ID to sneeze in public, buy pints of milk, and cross the street. Buying a gun, however - no problem. Ben has caught a bit of a cold and Sudafed is safely guarded by an armed (what else?) pharmacist here, but his ID wasn't accepted this morning at the local pharmacy. We're going to try to obtain arms later on, so we'll let you know how that goes.
We had planned to go to the coast for the next couple of days, but when I called to book a campsite this morning I was told I couldn't due to severe weather and flooding danger. Instead, we will try our luck inland a bit further before heading to Baltimore to see Melissa on Monday, where will be timing our arrival with the end of the medical students' first exam of the year. Don't expect to hear from us for a while after that night out! Bye for now.
Thursday 3 September 2009
Can I get a hell-yeah?
HOW-DEE! I'm jus' so proud to be here!
Space travel. The next frontier, huh? Or is world-domination just not enough for this super power? The NASA visitor centre was a huge must on this trip and I had been brimming with excitement ever since seeing its little dot on the Lonely Planet map of Texas so it was with great anticipation that we paid for our tickets to get the experience. The bubble was quickly burst when it became evident that of all the excellent tours we have done in the US, this was the one most filled with propaganda. The 'necessity' of mining the moon and space exploration was drilled hard - this is unsurprising considering the cost of the industry to the American taxpayer, but I'd like to give the American people more credit than believing in the web of spin you must wade through whilst navigating NASA. Granted, the fascinating exhibits of the 'race to the moon', and the technology which enable such feats was totally mind-boggling and, as usual, beautifully presented. But please don't try to justify to us that we NEED to do this. Can't it just be cool for cool's sake? In a nation where the idea of an affordable family car which does 50 mpg is a total revelation, and a lorry looks like something out of the 1920s, I think other steps could be taken to preserve the life to which the West has been accustomed, at far less monetary and (inter)-planetary cost. Although, I can't say I've not found shoe-insoles handy from time-to-time so you gotta give them that.
From outer space to New Orleans. Hang on, did we go anywhere different? New Orelans is a veritable whirlwind of indulgent pleasures, from beignets for breakfast, to scantily clad women beckoning you into nightclubs from around 5pm onwards. Our experience of New Orleans included a lot of walking. You may have noticed from other posts that we are quite experienced walkers, and we enjoy trawling around cities looking for general amenities also. One of the troubles we have frequently encountered on this trip has been a search for food. Yes, you read correctly, in the world's fattest nation, we have not been able to find food. Here, they sell likenesses to food which come in all manner of glittery plastic, cardboard or canned easy-open, resealable containers, but trying to find anything that looks likes it might have been grown is a different story. Similarly, the post office is an enigma. How is it that we can send a batch of postcards from Yosemite National Park, yet finding a USPS office in New Orleans is like searching for good, cheap sushi in London (oh I will miss that about the US)? Of course, this isn't all we got up to in New Orleans. We enjoyed the vibe of the French Quarter at both day- and night-time; we watched a fantastic blues/motown band on Frenchmen St in the Marigny district; wandered around a lifeless shopping mall - the recession has hit hard here; listened to someone 'play' a steamboat's sirens; sipped coffee at a faux-french cafe; made the compulsory excursion to 'International Vintage Guitars' and debated the impact of the economic crisis on the guitar industry; sampled local creole and cajun cuisine.. all in the space of around 48 hours.
And then? We toured the Louisiana swamplands, of course. What else? For two hours we lazed on the green, narrow waterways of the swamplands, listening to a broad Southern drawl explain the history of the local logging industry of the 1920s, and the trials and tribulations of caring for alligators. We met his whole family, right from 'Little Elvis', a 6 month old who we each had a cuddle with, to 'Baby', the 11 foot gentle giant performing leaps out of the water for day-old chicken meat. Yum.
5 hours driving due North took us to Memphis, the home of Elvis and the beginnings of rock and roll. As a rule, the tours we have taken on this trip have been exceptional, and the hour we had around Sun Studios was way up there with our sunshiney day at Alcatraz. We first heard snippets of the biggest records to have left the building, the history of Sam Phillips, Elvis, and the woman workign behind the scenes of it all, Marion Keisker. We saw the original equipment used to record and cut the discs, and then we were taken to the room where the magic happened: the small, white, sun studio. There's the microphone Elvis sang into, the piano Jerry Lee Lewis played on, the million-dollar quartet photo. Phenomenal. Of course, no trip to Memphis could be complete for a guitar-aficionado without touring the Gibson factory, and so we did. Here, they make the semi-solid bodied guitars, which is a real art-craft. The factory floor is small, and employs only around 55 people, but from here they churn out at least 45 guitars per day. The best bit (although Ben will surely disgaree) was hearing what they do with the not-quite so good ones: smash 'em up Fridays, baby!! Man, I'd have loved to be there for that.
This brings us on to Nashville, from where I am writing this post. Nashville has captured us, and it is the longest we have stayed anywhere, jointly with Yosemite. We have read every sign at the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum, had another excellent tour, this time of RCA Studio B, 'the 1000 hit record studio' of Dolly Parton, Elvis, Johnny Cash, and spent an evening being truly entertained by hit country stars we'd never heard of at the Grand Ole Opry. We've seen local bands, bands in tourist-trap bars, the Gruhn shop (some guitars or something), been to a drive-in movie, and, of course, seen where Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey is made. That will knock your socks off - a brief whiff of the vat in which it ferments feels just like a snort of vodka... or so Ben tells me as I wouldn't know..!
Today we drive to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and on to Shenandoah a few day later, where it'll be back to nature until we hit the capital sometime next week. 6 weeks down, 3 more to go - time has flown by for us, but the next 3 weeks stretch out ahead, full of more adventure to come!
Space travel. The next frontier, huh? Or is world-domination just not enough for this super power? The NASA visitor centre was a huge must on this trip and I had been brimming with excitement ever since seeing its little dot on the Lonely Planet map of Texas so it was with great anticipation that we paid for our tickets to get the experience. The bubble was quickly burst when it became evident that of all the excellent tours we have done in the US, this was the one most filled with propaganda. The 'necessity' of mining the moon and space exploration was drilled hard - this is unsurprising considering the cost of the industry to the American taxpayer, but I'd like to give the American people more credit than believing in the web of spin you must wade through whilst navigating NASA. Granted, the fascinating exhibits of the 'race to the moon', and the technology which enable such feats was totally mind-boggling and, as usual, beautifully presented. But please don't try to justify to us that we NEED to do this. Can't it just be cool for cool's sake? In a nation where the idea of an affordable family car which does 50 mpg is a total revelation, and a lorry looks like something out of the 1920s, I think other steps could be taken to preserve the life to which the West has been accustomed, at far less monetary and (inter)-planetary cost. Although, I can't say I've not found shoe-insoles handy from time-to-time so you gotta give them that.
From outer space to New Orleans. Hang on, did we go anywhere different? New Orelans is a veritable whirlwind of indulgent pleasures, from beignets for breakfast, to scantily clad women beckoning you into nightclubs from around 5pm onwards. Our experience of New Orleans included a lot of walking. You may have noticed from other posts that we are quite experienced walkers, and we enjoy trawling around cities looking for general amenities also. One of the troubles we have frequently encountered on this trip has been a search for food. Yes, you read correctly, in the world's fattest nation, we have not been able to find food. Here, they sell likenesses to food which come in all manner of glittery plastic, cardboard or canned easy-open, resealable containers, but trying to find anything that looks likes it might have been grown is a different story. Similarly, the post office is an enigma. How is it that we can send a batch of postcards from Yosemite National Park, yet finding a USPS office in New Orleans is like searching for good, cheap sushi in London (oh I will miss that about the US)? Of course, this isn't all we got up to in New Orleans. We enjoyed the vibe of the French Quarter at both day- and night-time; we watched a fantastic blues/motown band on Frenchmen St in the Marigny district; wandered around a lifeless shopping mall - the recession has hit hard here; listened to someone 'play' a steamboat's sirens; sipped coffee at a faux-french cafe; made the compulsory excursion to 'International Vintage Guitars' and debated the impact of the economic crisis on the guitar industry; sampled local creole and cajun cuisine.. all in the space of around 48 hours.
And then? We toured the Louisiana swamplands, of course. What else? For two hours we lazed on the green, narrow waterways of the swamplands, listening to a broad Southern drawl explain the history of the local logging industry of the 1920s, and the trials and tribulations of caring for alligators. We met his whole family, right from 'Little Elvis', a 6 month old who we each had a cuddle with, to 'Baby', the 11 foot gentle giant performing leaps out of the water for day-old chicken meat. Yum.
5 hours driving due North took us to Memphis, the home of Elvis and the beginnings of rock and roll. As a rule, the tours we have taken on this trip have been exceptional, and the hour we had around Sun Studios was way up there with our sunshiney day at Alcatraz. We first heard snippets of the biggest records to have left the building, the history of Sam Phillips, Elvis, and the woman workign behind the scenes of it all, Marion Keisker. We saw the original equipment used to record and cut the discs, and then we were taken to the room where the magic happened: the small, white, sun studio. There's the microphone Elvis sang into, the piano Jerry Lee Lewis played on, the million-dollar quartet photo. Phenomenal. Of course, no trip to Memphis could be complete for a guitar-aficionado without touring the Gibson factory, and so we did. Here, they make the semi-solid bodied guitars, which is a real art-craft. The factory floor is small, and employs only around 55 people, but from here they churn out at least 45 guitars per day. The best bit (although Ben will surely disgaree) was hearing what they do with the not-quite so good ones: smash 'em up Fridays, baby!! Man, I'd have loved to be there for that.
This brings us on to Nashville, from where I am writing this post. Nashville has captured us, and it is the longest we have stayed anywhere, jointly with Yosemite. We have read every sign at the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum, had another excellent tour, this time of RCA Studio B, 'the 1000 hit record studio' of Dolly Parton, Elvis, Johnny Cash, and spent an evening being truly entertained by hit country stars we'd never heard of at the Grand Ole Opry. We've seen local bands, bands in tourist-trap bars, the Gruhn shop (some guitars or something), been to a drive-in movie, and, of course, seen where Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey is made. That will knock your socks off - a brief whiff of the vat in which it ferments feels just like a snort of vodka... or so Ben tells me as I wouldn't know..!
Today we drive to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and on to Shenandoah a few day later, where it'll be back to nature until we hit the capital sometime next week. 6 weeks down, 3 more to go - time has flown by for us, but the next 3 weeks stretch out ahead, full of more adventure to come!
Monday 24 August 2009
Tex Mex
I didn't want y'all to be reading a long post, so I've broken these up into two.
After the creepiness of Roswell we were off to Carlsbad, to complete another 300 miles of the trip that day. In total so far, I may add, we are on a whopping 5300 miles. We've had to change the car because it needed maintenance after all this!
Carlsbad's main attraction is the Caverns National Park, but we were kind of more excited by the swimming pool, ponies, tortoise and showers in our campsite to care about that the night before our visit. Having enjoyed all such facilities, we heading 750ft underground, on a 2 mile trail which led us through some of the most impressive calcite stalagmites and stalactites on Earth and right under the Chihuahuan Desert. I would challenge this to not impress the most wearied of traveller and really all I can add to Ben's staggering photos, is this: imagine 400 000 bats doing there business in an underground cave. It kind of smells.
Next stop was Big Bend National Park in Texas (HOORAY - OUR INTERMEDIARY DESTINATION AND SOMEWHERE TO STAY FOR MORE THAN ONE NIGHT). Our mood was quickly flattened by the second whirr of the police siren and being told that, apparently, 72 in a 45 zone, especially within a National Park, was an almost jailable offence. Hmph.
We both admitted a bit of fear at letting the other down on the backpacking trip we had planned for this park, but vowed to support/push/drag/beat each other up the mountain if it was the last thing we did. We set out with almost 20 litres of water and all our camping gear for a night in the wild, on the South Rim. Reaching the top was a serious effort, and took so much out of us - those 3.3 miles were easily the hardest of our trip so far, and the 90-100 degree temperatures took their toll very early on. Arriving at our pre-determined camping spot (you must have a permit and a bear box to camp out) we zonked out in
the tent, waking to an awesome thunderstorm and playing cards to while away the rain, as well as take our minds off the fact we were out there and the storm was preeet-ty close. We woke early the next day to walk to the edge of the South Rim, where the view over the desert stretches into Mexico, and the landscape looks like a crepe in a pan - flat, but with isolated bumps sporadically distributed around the place. The descent was long but much easier and the washroom at the base was a truly necessary convenience - we could not have happily sat next to each in a car for 200 miles, without the minimum of a rinse off.
A truly deserved rest at a spring-fed swimming pool for the next day was in order. Balmorhea State Par is an example of gun-ho Americans crushing the natural environment and making it bend to their ways by channeling the 20 million gallons of water into somewhere for their leisure back in the 1930s, forgetting there was a natural order to things and some creatures has made that place their home. Now, regneration work is in progress and the endangered local species are well protected. It was, nonetheless, welcome respite from the heat and the hiking, if not the bugs and the thunderstorms. Ben was stung by a hornet and the tent got flooded from underneath as the rain came in and a lake formed around our site. In the midst of this, though, we went to a 'star party' at the University of Texas McDonald Observatory and enjoyed a tour around the night sky and an explanation of the techniques used in both mapping and categorising the stars. We were comforted to know the sun has around 9 billion years to go. Don't worry, this blog post doesn't.
We have spent the last three days eating, swimming, eating, drinking and eating in Austin with our friends Matt and Amber, who have been the greatest hosts. We met them in Egypt last year, on one of the world's most harrowing border crossings, and I guess bonds made under such stress are pretty strong! They have shown us the local music venues, hangouts to seek refuge from the heat, and the effects of the extreme weather this year on local water supplies - the river is 60ft down in some places. We've had barbecue ribs, 'biscuits and gravy' - that was breakfast - nachos, queso catfish, blueberry pie, sushi, all washed down with plenty of the local Lone Star beer. We've held guns, flown the US flag, played some guitar and taken care of all the loose ends we needed a local to aid us with (finding fresh produce, battling car rental companies and navigating the complex road signals - yes, this is a bit late, we know).
That brings us to this evening, and us sitting in their beautiful home, wishing we didn't have to leave, but excited for what is yet to come - including the visit to NASA Johnson Space Centre in Houston tomorrow.
Don't forget to look at our photos Click here and flick to the end of the album for those of you who've looked before.
After the creepiness of Roswell we were off to Carlsbad, to complete another 300 miles of the trip that day. In total so far, I may add, we are on a whopping 5300 miles. We've had to change the car because it needed maintenance after all this!
Carlsbad's main attraction is the Caverns National Park, but we were kind of more excited by the swimming pool, ponies, tortoise and showers in our campsite to care about that the night before our visit. Having enjoyed all such facilities, we heading 750ft underground, on a 2 mile trail which led us through some of the most impressive calcite stalagmites and stalactites on Earth and right under the Chihuahuan Desert. I would challenge this to not impress the most wearied of traveller and really all I can add to Ben's staggering photos, is this: imagine 400 000 bats doing there business in an underground cave. It kind of smells.
Next stop was Big Bend National Park in Texas (HOORAY - OUR INTERMEDIARY DESTINATION AND SOMEWHERE TO STAY FOR MORE THAN ONE NIGHT). Our mood was quickly flattened by the second whirr of the police siren and being told that, apparently, 72 in a 45 zone, especially within a National Park, was an almost jailable offence. Hmph.We both admitted a bit of fear at letting the other down on the backpacking trip we had planned for this park, but vowed to support/push/drag/beat each other up the mountain if it was the last thing we did. We set out with almost 20 litres of water and all our camping gear for a night in the wild, on the South Rim. Reaching the top was a serious effort, and took so much out of us - those 3.3 miles were easily the hardest of our trip so far, and the 90-100 degree temperatures took their toll very early on. Arriving at our pre-determined camping spot (you must have a permit and a bear box to camp out) we zonked out in
the tent, waking to an awesome thunderstorm and playing cards to while away the rain, as well as take our minds off the fact we were out there and the storm was preeet-ty close. We woke early the next day to walk to the edge of the South Rim, where the view over the desert stretches into Mexico, and the landscape looks like a crepe in a pan - flat, but with isolated bumps sporadically distributed around the place. The descent was long but much easier and the washroom at the base was a truly necessary convenience - we could not have happily sat next to each in a car for 200 miles, without the minimum of a rinse off.
A truly deserved rest at a spring-fed swimming pool for the next day was in order. Balmorhea State Par is an example of gun-ho Americans crushing the natural environment and making it bend to their ways by channeling the 20 million gallons of water into somewhere for their leisure back in the 1930s, forgetting there was a natural order to things and some creatures has made that place their home. Now, regneration work is in progress and the endangered local species are well protected. It was, nonetheless, welcome respite from the heat and the hiking, if not the bugs and the thunderstorms. Ben was stung by a hornet and the tent got flooded from underneath as the rain came in and a lake formed around our site. In the midst of this, though, we went to a 'star party' at the University of Texas McDonald Observatory and enjoyed a tour around the night sky and an explanation of the techniques used in both mapping and categorising the stars. We were comforted to know the sun has around 9 billion years to go. Don't worry, this blog post doesn't.
We have spent the last three days eating, swimming, eating, drinking and eating in Austin with our friends Matt and Amber, who have been the greatest hosts. We met them in Egypt last year, on one of the world's most harrowing border crossings, and I guess bonds made under such stress are pretty strong! They have shown us the local music venues, hangouts to seek refuge from the heat, and the effects of the extreme weather this year on local water supplies - the river is 60ft down in some places. We've had barbecue ribs, 'biscuits and gravy' - that was breakfast - nachos, queso catfish, blueberry pie, sushi, all washed down with plenty of the local Lone Star beer. We've held guns, flown the US flag, played some guitar and taken care of all the loose ends we needed a local to aid us with (finding fresh produce, battling car rental companies and navigating the complex road signals - yes, this is a bit late, we know).
That brings us to this evening, and us sitting in their beautiful home, wishing we didn't have to leave, but excited for what is yet to come - including the visit to NASA Johnson Space Centre in Houston tomorrow.Don't forget to look at our photos Click here and flick to the end of the album for those of you who've looked before.
All the big names
Hi everyone,
it's been a little while since we've let you know what we've been up to, and that has been mainly because of two things: the availability of internet, and we have been so dang (Texan for 'damn') busy. Try 2000 miles, 3 National Parks, 2 thunderstorms and the biggest creepy crawlies you have ever seen keeping you awake all night long in only 7 nights, camping all the way.
First off was the Grand Canyon. You know, that place is big. I mean, it's unfathomable how big it is until you are a teeny, tiny dot in a photo of a chasm in the ground which opens up to a mile deep and 17 miles across. We gave ourselves the day off hiking that day, considering we were driving over 500 miles to get to our spot in Monument Valley for the night.
I feel like I'm name-dropping a bit here. Grand Canyon, Monument Valley... yep, you read right. We pitched up at Monument Valley just in time for one of the more spectacular showing you'll see as the Earth turns on its axis: sunset. If the gravity-defying, wind-carved sandstone fingers pointing into the sky can't say it alone, the burning sky behind them, silhouetting them against the Utah sky screamed it at us: LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME! And them our campsite happened to show us this all over again for sunrise the next morning.
The next day was a big driving day again, the 400 miles to Santa Fe taking us a good 8 hours and leaving us hungry and tired and totally unprepared for showing up in the dark at a quirky little state park just West of town, where there seemed no one to direct us to a spot. I needed feeding, and Ben isn't ready to argue when this is the case, so we had to then head out in search of sustenance. After an ok sandwich in what we could tell even in the dark was a beautiful, arty city, we drove back for some sleep. But we were locked out. A curfew in a campsite and no way of unlocking the heavy padlocks or getting passed the spiky exit-only route, our options were limited to walking in the dark with only a vague sense of the direction of a site. We found it, to our great relief, and spent a restless night hoping our car didn't get jacked.
Santa Fe is just beautiful, and it is FULL of art and (irresistible) jewellery. We were lucky enough to be there on a day where all the local artists were showcasing their work, and spent several enjoyable hours in the sunshine admiring their crafts: stonemasonry, wood carving, photography, oil painting, watercolours, clay sculpture... Anything you can think of.
Of course, we had to make tracks - this is a roadtrip after all - and we had another appointment. With the extra terrestrial of New Mexico, the epicentre of this community being in Roswell, a happy detour en route to Texas. It was a short photo stop but there was definitely a funny feeling in our stomachs. Or maybe that was because we'd had our first McDonalds of the trip and were feeling a little guilty..
it's been a little while since we've let you know what we've been up to, and that has been mainly because of two things: the availability of internet, and we have been so dang (Texan for 'damn') busy. Try 2000 miles, 3 National Parks, 2 thunderstorms and the biggest creepy crawlies you have ever seen keeping you awake all night long in only 7 nights, camping all the way.
First off was the Grand Canyon. You know, that place is big. I mean, it's unfathomable how big it is until you are a teeny, tiny dot in a photo of a chasm in the ground which opens up to a mile deep and 17 miles across. We gave ourselves the day off hiking that day, considering we were driving over 500 miles to get to our spot in Monument Valley for the night.I feel like I'm name-dropping a bit here. Grand Canyon, Monument Valley... yep, you read right. We pitched up at Monument Valley just in time for one of the more spectacular showing you'll see as the Earth turns on its axis: sunset. If the gravity-defying, wind-carved sandstone fingers pointing into the sky can't say it alone, the burning sky behind them, silhouetting them against the Utah sky screamed it at us: LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME! And them our campsite happened to show us this all over again for sunrise the next morning.
The next day was a big driving day again, the 400 miles to Santa Fe taking us a good 8 hours and leaving us hungry and tired and totally unprepared for showing up in the dark at a quirky little state park just West of town, where there seemed no one to direct us to a spot. I needed feeding, and Ben isn't ready to argue when this is the case, so we had to then head out in search of sustenance. After an ok sandwich in what we could tell even in the dark was a beautiful, arty city, we drove back for some sleep. But we were locked out. A curfew in a campsite and no way of unlocking the heavy padlocks or getting passed the spiky exit-only route, our options were limited to walking in the dark with only a vague sense of the direction of a site. We found it, to our great relief, and spent a restless night hoping our car didn't get jacked.
Santa Fe is just beautiful, and it is FULL of art and (irresistible) jewellery. We were lucky enough to be there on a day where all the local artists were showcasing their work, and spent several enjoyable hours in the sunshine admiring their crafts: stonemasonry, wood carving, photography, oil painting, watercolours, clay sculpture... Anything you can think of.
Of course, we had to make tracks - this is a roadtrip after all - and we had another appointment. With the extra terrestrial of New Mexico, the epicentre of this community being in Roswell, a happy detour en route to Texas. It was a short photo stop but there was definitely a funny feeling in our stomachs. Or maybe that was because we'd had our first McDonalds of the trip and were feeling a little guilty..
Sunday 23 August 2009
Quick update..
We've been suffering from an internet drought whilst in New Mexico and Texas, but we're back online in Austin, Texas. So here is a quick photo update until we get a full blog update for you all soon. Click here and flick to the end of the album for those of you who've looked before.
Thursday 13 August 2009
Wednesday 12 August 2009
This week's highlights..
Hi everyone, sorry its been a while since I've been able to do this. We've been camping out in the back of beyond and internet is pretty scarce to say the least.
On to business then:
Alcatraz
San Francisco didn't exactly blow us away, what with the sketchy district we ended up in, but having checked out we felt far more at ease (even with all our possessions in the car parked on the side of a road) and spent the morning wandering along the tourist-crazy boardwalk waiting for our tour of Alcatraz, sharing a carafe of wine in the Ferry Building to while the time away.
I am so grateful for the lovely Argentine man who advised us to book this tour a week in advance. Without him, we would have been left stumbling from vendor to vendor and receiving the same blank 'no' from each one, passing the signs that notified us the next available tickets were 10 days away. Ouch.
The tour is excellent; another fantastic example of the US approach to doing things properly. We started with a guided trip up the hill to the cellblock, where we learnt the much less famous history of the island as an Army base and it's time under Native American control. Afterwards, we were led around the cellblock itself with handheld audio recordings of real life guards and prisoners telling about their experiences of Alcatraz; memories of escape stories and the more mundane aspects of the daily life out there. At the very end of the tour there was an exhibit of rehabilitation stories of prisoners in the area describing their attitudes towards prison and turning over a new leaf.
It was a quick drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and on to the Napa Valley wine region next.
Yosemite
After a day of our own rehabilitation in Napa, we set out for the long drive to Yosemite National Park, starting at the unearthly time of 5am to secure a spot in a walk-up campground. Reservations can made up to 366 days in advance and although we've been pretty organised we certainly weren't planning time in the US from Egypt!
The US take on a National Park is starkly different from that in the UK. Here, there are burger joints, outdoor shops, RVs roam around and people wander about in flip flops and pretty sundresses. Our Merrell walking shoes and free tshirts looked dowdy in comparison, but then we were here to hike. And boy, did we hike.
We took it easy for the first full day, splashing around in the pool that a spectacular waterfall had bequeathed as a gift from the heavens. This was in preparation for a 17 mile walk/climb which took us up (and then back down) 4800ft, 900 of which was a sheer granite face reached only by hauling up on cables and between planks every 8ft to provide rest for those taking on the challenge - rest was necessary, it was 8800ft above sea level after all, and we'd started 5 hours previously.
I cannot describe what it felt like to be up there, though. The fear of getting back down was supressed by the literally breathtaking views down Yosemite valley. As far as the eye could see was unsurpassed natural beauty, and there was a definite satisfaction at having finally made it to the top, too. Ben took some fabulous pictures so check them out on the site he has created.
We camped with black bears in Yosemite, and I know this blog post wouldn't be complete without a brief nod to Ben's bravery in facing up to the one that interruped our sleep one night, scavening for food in the bear-proof box the dumbass Italians we were sharing a site with had left unlocked. It was the sight of Ben in his undies that did it, I think.
Sequoia and Death Valley
Of course we couldn't miss the world's largest tree. So we spent one night in Sequoia National Park and checked it out.
I have to say, I love the signs here. On every 'trail' there are signs letting you know the distance and height climbed along the way in case you don't think you'd be able to manage it. Getting to the General Sherman tree is probably less walking than an hour spent in Selfridges, yet you are told at about 5 or so places how much is involved in this 'hike' and to make sure you carry adequate water. C'mon people!
Leaving Sequoia we headed for Lake Isabella as a stop off on the way through to the long-anticipated hotel room in Vegas. How long it was without a shower I won't tell you, but let's just say it was overdue. The drive took us through Death Valley at around 44 degrees celsius, where we saw a pool that has been evaporating since a flash flood in 2004!! We were lucky enough to show up just at the point a ranger was explaining the formation of the salt flats on the Valley floor and listened, fascinated by desire to live out here and his hat.
Vegas
Vegas is a bit like Butlins on steroids. If you could imagine it, it's there and I'm sure I'm not telling you anything new. We stayed in a pyramid, of course, and walked down the road to Excalibur Castle, New York, Paris and Venice. Hmmm.
We did spend a excellent night dancing in the Coyote Ugly bar, though. Those girls would wear ANYONE out but they challenge you to try anyway.
Now, we're at Zion National Park (yes, we do have an Interagency pass which gets us into them all) and I am blown away by the pink rocks. What a great idea, Mother Nature.
We miss you all and love to hear from you with all your news, so stay in touch. Bye for now.
On to business then:
Alcatraz
San Francisco didn't exactly blow us away, what with the sketchy district we ended up in, but having checked out we felt far more at ease (even with all our possessions in the car parked on the side of a road) and spent the morning wandering along the tourist-crazy boardwalk waiting for our tour of Alcatraz, sharing a carafe of wine in the Ferry Building to while the time away.I am so grateful for the lovely Argentine man who advised us to book this tour a week in advance. Without him, we would have been left stumbling from vendor to vendor and receiving the same blank 'no' from each one, passing the signs that notified us the next available tickets were 10 days away. Ouch.
The tour is excellent; another fantastic example of the US approach to doing things properly. We started with a guided trip up the hill to the cellblock, where we learnt the much less famous history of the island as an Army base and it's time under Native American control. Afterwards, we were led around the cellblock itself with handheld audio recordings of real life guards and prisoners telling about their experiences of Alcatraz; memories of escape stories and the more mundane aspects of the daily life out there. At the very end of the tour there was an exhibit of rehabilitation stories of prisoners in the area describing their attitudes towards prison and turning over a new leaf.
It was a quick drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and on to the Napa Valley wine region next.
Yosemite
After a day of our own rehabilitation in Napa, we set out for the long drive to Yosemite National Park, starting at the unearthly time of 5am to secure a spot in a walk-up campground. Reservations can made up to 366 days in advance and although we've been pretty organised we certainly weren't planning time in the US from Egypt!
The US take on a National Park is starkly different from that in the UK. Here, there are burger joints, outdoor shops, RVs roam around and people wander about in flip flops and pretty sundresses. Our Merrell walking shoes and free tshirts looked dowdy in comparison, but then we were here to hike. And boy, did we hike.
We took it easy for the first full day, splashing around in the pool that a spectacular waterfall had bequeathed as a gift from the heavens. This was in preparation for a 17 mile walk/climb which took us up (and then back down) 4800ft, 900 of which was a sheer granite face reached only by hauling up on cables and between planks every 8ft to provide rest for those taking on the challenge - rest was necessary, it was 8800ft above sea level after all, and we'd started 5 hours previously.
I cannot describe what it felt like to be up there, though. The fear of getting back down was supressed by the literally breathtaking views down Yosemite valley. As far as the eye could see was unsurpassed natural beauty, and there was a definite satisfaction at having finally made it to the top, too. Ben took some fabulous pictures so check them out on the site he has created.
We camped with black bears in Yosemite, and I know this blog post wouldn't be complete without a brief nod to Ben's bravery in facing up to the one that interruped our sleep one night, scavening for food in the bear-proof box the dumbass Italians we were sharing a site with had left unlocked. It was the sight of Ben in his undies that did it, I think.
Sequoia and Death Valley
Of course we couldn't miss the world's largest tree. So we spent one night in Sequoia National Park and checked it out.
I have to say, I love the signs here. On every 'trail' there are signs letting you know the distance and height climbed along the way in case you don't think you'd be able to manage it. Getting to the General Sherman tree is probably less walking than an hour spent in Selfridges, yet you are told at about 5 or so places how much is involved in this 'hike' and to make sure you carry adequate water. C'mon people!
Leaving Sequoia we headed for Lake Isabella as a stop off on the way through to the long-anticipated hotel room in Vegas. How long it was without a shower I won't tell you, but let's just say it was overdue. The drive took us through Death Valley at around 44 degrees celsius, where we saw a pool that has been evaporating since a flash flood in 2004!! We were lucky enough to show up just at the point a ranger was explaining the formation of the salt flats on the Valley floor and listened, fascinated by desire to live out here and his hat.
Vegas
Vegas is a bit like Butlins on steroids. If you could imagine it, it's there and I'm sure I'm not telling you anything new. We stayed in a pyramid, of course, and walked down the road to Excalibur Castle, New York, Paris and Venice. Hmmm.
We did spend a excellent night dancing in the Coyote Ugly bar, though. Those girls would wear ANYONE out but they challenge you to try anyway.
Now, we're at Zion National Park (yes, we do have an Interagency pass which gets us into them all) and I am blown away by the pink rocks. What a great idea, Mother Nature.
We miss you all and love to hear from you with all your news, so stay in touch. Bye for now.
Monday 3 August 2009
Highway 1
In the few days we spent in Morro Bay, we busily drove around the local State parks, enjoying the the monumental landscapes (the continent's largest sand dunes at Guadalupe and the 4 mile sandspit separating the Bay from the Pacific) and getting out of the city into the fresh air. I quickly changed my mind about all this beautiful countryside on encountering a snake. I couldn't move. Totally frozen to the spot, seemingly mesmorised by this slippery black and yellow creature on the ground only inches away from me Ben yanked me away and we watched it slither into the undergrowth.
On our last day in this area we went to the garish and overstuffed 'Hearst Castle', the manifestation of one (very rich) man's obsession with European art and architecture. Filled with real antique statues, oil paintings, carpets and even walls lines with church pews, this place screams the old motto 'money cannot buy you taste'. Over the course of 29 years Hearst built somewhere to entertain famous guests, and as a home to his long-term partner Marion Davies, only requiring guests would stay sober and busy, and come to dinner in the evenings where he would preside and listen to their stories of the days' activities. The views from the top were breathtaking, and it was fascinating to listen to the knowledgeable guide talk us through the three re-fashionings of the Neptune pool and see how so much money and such vision and determination can come together to make dreams come true.
Monterey and Big Sur
Having decided to book ahead we took what we could and booked a couple of nights at Pinnacle's National Monument Park near Monterey. 'Near' isn't strictly true, although if we could have borrowed Hearst's private plane it would have been far easier. The roads seemed to run mockingly parallel, forcing us to drive 3 sides of a square to get to the site, which was itself 40 miles inland. Teething troubles of travelling a foreign country I guess!
We spent a day at the world famous Monterey aquarium, playing with Bat Rays and starfish, as well as freaking out at the jellyfish and hammerhead sharks swimming far too close for comfort. Thank god for the reinforced glass between us is all I can say..
Time is running out here on our pcs at St Helena, Napa Valley public library so I will leave you pondering this: what is it, do you think, that could have been the reason our hotel in San Francisco was so cheap? Option one: ghetto location, option two: crazed, porn-addicted fellow residents or option three: Norman Bates-esque hotelier.
On our last day in this area we went to the garish and overstuffed 'Hearst Castle', the manifestation of one (very rich) man's obsession with European art and architecture. Filled with real antique statues, oil paintings, carpets and even walls lines with church pews, this place screams the old motto 'money cannot buy you taste'. Over the course of 29 years Hearst built somewhere to entertain famous guests, and as a home to his long-term partner Marion Davies, only requiring guests would stay sober and busy, and come to dinner in the evenings where he would preside and listen to their stories of the days' activities. The views from the top were breathtaking, and it was fascinating to listen to the knowledgeable guide talk us through the three re-fashionings of the Neptune pool and see how so much money and such vision and determination can come together to make dreams come true.
Monterey and Big Sur
Having decided to book ahead we took what we could and booked a couple of nights at Pinnacle's National Monument Park near Monterey. 'Near' isn't strictly true, although if we could have borrowed Hearst's private plane it would have been far easier. The roads seemed to run mockingly parallel, forcing us to drive 3 sides of a square to get to the site, which was itself 40 miles inland. Teething troubles of travelling a foreign country I guess!
We spent a day at the world famous Monterey aquarium, playing with Bat Rays and starfish, as well as freaking out at the jellyfish and hammerhead sharks swimming far too close for comfort. Thank god for the reinforced glass between us is all I can say..
Time is running out here on our pcs at St Helena, Napa Valley public library so I will leave you pondering this: what is it, do you think, that could have been the reason our hotel in San Francisco was so cheap? Option one: ghetto location, option two: crazed, porn-addicted fellow residents or option three: Norman Bates-esque hotelier.
Tuesday 28 July 2009
The whirlwind of LA
Click here for photos!
I left you last time with a serious hangover, from which it took an entire day to fully recover. Los Angeles is restless and unrelenting (and so is Ben), so the first stop was The Guitar Centre (does exactly what it says on the tin), where even I was blown away by the size and beauty of the shop. The entrance on the 'sidewalk' is a mimic of the Chinese Theatre, with handprints of famous players embedded in the ground. We had a wander around the mini museum next door, full of memorabilia and relics of past music heroes.
Next stop on the Strip was Bootstar, a very dangerous place. Imagine the best boots you can, and now imagine an entire shop full from floor to ceiling of more of the same. And imagine us, with a healthy account (meant for eeking out over months of camping and travel) in this very shop. Of course, we couldn't resist and came out with two gorgeous pairs. They were on sale, I swear!
Quickly stocked up on hangover repair food at Mel's Diner, where I was once again transported into the movie world, listening in on a film deal going down at the table next to us. Ben was spotted by a passing tour bus as a writer. It's the glasses.
Drove through The Hills and Bel Air to the coast and walked from Santa Monica beach down to Venice, and back along the boardwalk. Saw some Baywatch-esque lifeguards, some excellent street performers and some of the underwolrd of Venice beach engaging in dubious activities too.
Finally got in touch with Ben Hill and headed to Guns n Roses hangout, Rainbow Bar and Grill for dinner.
Universal Studios
Just go. Go, go, go. The rollercoasters, the log flume, the 3-D movie, the House of Horrors, the Simpsons simulator, the Studio Tour, the special effects show, the pyrotechnics exhibition... it's just fantastic, and worth every single one of the 6700 cents it costs. Everything there is done to an impeccably high standard and with the best of the best in engineering, technology and attention to detail.
It was an exhuasting experience for us all, but Ben had booked tickets to see Gilby Clarke at The Viper Room months ago and there was no way we were going to miss it. Again, this was an example of how the Americans get the service and music industies right. The venue was clean, nicely done-out and didn't have that dodgy smell you get in similar places in the UK. Even the second support act were excellent musicians, the sound was spot on and there was enough space to move so you didn't feel like you were lining the pockets of the owners at the expense of your enjoyment of the evening. The following band were Semi Precious Weapons, a New York pop-punk band with an eccentric (to say the least) frontman giving the show his all in some fantastic outfits. There was no comparison, though, with the gig we'd been waiting for, for so long. Gilby Clarke and co blew us away with Stones and Beatles covers, some of his own stuff and even 'It's so Easy' and 'Knocking on Heaven's Door'. This was the stuff dreams are made of.
Heading North
Our last day we spent cruising LA with Ben Hill, and enjoying the view from the roof of his hotel, swimming in the pool up there and enjoying the classic tunes the DJ kept bringing out. We drove up to the Hollywood sign, where I managed to take an awesome photo of Ben where he almost totally obsucures the sign. It was emotional leaving Ben Hill at his 5 star hotel, although I'm sure he'll be well looked-after there.
We hit the road (the first journey on this epic trip) and were at our campsite in Morro Bay, CA 3 hours later where we are staying for a few days to explore the coast. Luckily, we took the last tent spot available at 8pm on a Sunday evening. Hmm.. maybe we need to book ahead in future!
I left you last time with a serious hangover, from which it took an entire day to fully recover. Los Angeles is restless and unrelenting (and so is Ben), so the first stop was The Guitar Centre (does exactly what it says on the tin), where even I was blown away by the size and beauty of the shop. The entrance on the 'sidewalk' is a mimic of the Chinese Theatre, with handprints of famous players embedded in the ground. We had a wander around the mini museum next door, full of memorabilia and relics of past music heroes.
Next stop on the Strip was Bootstar, a very dangerous place. Imagine the best boots you can, and now imagine an entire shop full from floor to ceiling of more of the same. And imagine us, with a healthy account (meant for eeking out over months of camping and travel) in this very shop. Of course, we couldn't resist and came out with two gorgeous pairs. They were on sale, I swear!
Quickly stocked up on hangover repair food at Mel's Diner, where I was once again transported into the movie world, listening in on a film deal going down at the table next to us. Ben was spotted by a passing tour bus as a writer. It's the glasses.
Drove through The Hills and Bel Air to the coast and walked from Santa Monica beach down to Venice, and back along the boardwalk. Saw some Baywatch-esque lifeguards, some excellent street performers and some of the underwolrd of Venice beach engaging in dubious activities too.
Finally got in touch with Ben Hill and headed to Guns n Roses hangout, Rainbow Bar and Grill for dinner.
Universal Studios
Just go. Go, go, go. The rollercoasters, the log flume, the 3-D movie, the House of Horrors, the Simpsons simulator, the Studio Tour, the special effects show, the pyrotechnics exhibition... it's just fantastic, and worth every single one of the 6700 cents it costs. Everything there is done to an impeccably high standard and with the best of the best in engineering, technology and attention to detail.
It was an exhuasting experience for us all, but Ben had booked tickets to see Gilby Clarke at The Viper Room months ago and there was no way we were going to miss it. Again, this was an example of how the Americans get the service and music industies right. The venue was clean, nicely done-out and didn't have that dodgy smell you get in similar places in the UK. Even the second support act were excellent musicians, the sound was spot on and there was enough space to move so you didn't feel like you were lining the pockets of the owners at the expense of your enjoyment of the evening. The following band were Semi Precious Weapons, a New York pop-punk band with an eccentric (to say the least) frontman giving the show his all in some fantastic outfits. There was no comparison, though, with the gig we'd been waiting for, for so long. Gilby Clarke and co blew us away with Stones and Beatles covers, some of his own stuff and even 'It's so Easy' and 'Knocking on Heaven's Door'. This was the stuff dreams are made of.
Heading North
Our last day we spent cruising LA with Ben Hill, and enjoying the view from the roof of his hotel, swimming in the pool up there and enjoying the classic tunes the DJ kept bringing out. We drove up to the Hollywood sign, where I managed to take an awesome photo of Ben where he almost totally obsucures the sign. It was emotional leaving Ben Hill at his 5 star hotel, although I'm sure he'll be well looked-after there.
We hit the road (the first journey on this epic trip) and were at our campsite in Morro Bay, CA 3 hours later where we are staying for a few days to explore the coast. Luckily, we took the last tent spot available at 8pm on a Sunday evening. Hmm.. maybe we need to book ahead in future!
Friday 24 July 2009
The very beginning
Two days in and there already seems so much to write about. I will start this blog post with an apology for any typos - I am extremely hungover this morning after an indulgent night in LA.
On picking up our car we opted for an upgrade - we are driving around the US in a white Toyota Rav4 - it's pretty awesome. I wanted to drive it from the rental place to our hostel as we'd spent so much making sure I would be insured on the damn thing that it seemed like good sense to put this to use. Of course, after around 5 minutes I was pulled over by the police for not using the 'turning lane' to turn left. Just like in all the movies, that short whirring siren was switched on, I checked my mirrors, swore, pulled over and gave my best smile.
'I know you're out of town, lady, but you can't drive like that here'.
'Thanks, officer. I'm ever so sorry and I'll know for next time'.
Trying to cure ourselves from jetlag we walked out of our place, and round the corner to Hollywood walk of fame and saw all the stars. It was around midnight to our bodies, but everyone around us was at 2pm so we soldiered on and grabbed a few beers, crashing out around 10.
Yesterday, our first full day here, we spent.. shopping! Maybe it's this place, but everything we seem to do here feels like it's straight from a TV show/movie. Putting all the (many) bags in the 'trunk' felt rather 'Clueless' to me, although I'm sure Ben wouldn't agree.. I think he probably felt more 'penniless' after the spree!
Last night we went out on a tour around Hollywood, organised by our hostel. They put on two massive 4x4 limos (one Hummer) and gave us bottles and bottles of peach and strawberry champagne, plus a couple of cases of beer, then drove us to Rodeo Drive (we saw the balcony of the hotel room that much of Pretty Woman was filmed in - a cool $11k for one night in that suite), Sunset Strip and on to a club. Luckily, this was right next door to the hostel, or I wouldn't have made it home.
Today we're off to Universal Studios and hooking up with our friend Ben Hill (or Bath-famous DJ Dick Stroker). Oh, and heading for the obligatory tour of the guitar shops on Sunset...
On picking up our car we opted for an upgrade - we are driving around the US in a white Toyota Rav4 - it's pretty awesome. I wanted to drive it from the rental place to our hostel as we'd spent so much making sure I would be insured on the damn thing that it seemed like good sense to put this to use. Of course, after around 5 minutes I was pulled over by the police for not using the 'turning lane' to turn left. Just like in all the movies, that short whirring siren was switched on, I checked my mirrors, swore, pulled over and gave my best smile.
'I know you're out of town, lady, but you can't drive like that here'.
'Thanks, officer. I'm ever so sorry and I'll know for next time'.
Trying to cure ourselves from jetlag we walked out of our place, and round the corner to Hollywood walk of fame and saw all the stars. It was around midnight to our bodies, but everyone around us was at 2pm so we soldiered on and grabbed a few beers, crashing out around 10.
Yesterday, our first full day here, we spent.. shopping! Maybe it's this place, but everything we seem to do here feels like it's straight from a TV show/movie. Putting all the (many) bags in the 'trunk' felt rather 'Clueless' to me, although I'm sure Ben wouldn't agree.. I think he probably felt more 'penniless' after the spree!
Last night we went out on a tour around Hollywood, organised by our hostel. They put on two massive 4x4 limos (one Hummer) and gave us bottles and bottles of peach and strawberry champagne, plus a couple of cases of beer, then drove us to Rodeo Drive (we saw the balcony of the hotel room that much of Pretty Woman was filmed in - a cool $11k for one night in that suite), Sunset Strip and on to a club. Luckily, this was right next door to the hostel, or I wouldn't have made it home.
Today we're off to Universal Studios and hooking up with our friend Ben Hill (or Bath-famous DJ Dick Stroker). Oh, and heading for the obligatory tour of the guitar shops on Sunset...
Monday 11 May 2009
10 weeks to go
Although the most interesting part of this blog will the adventures we have between July 22nd and September 24th in our 6000+ mile journey across the US, some may like to read about the preparation involved in planning something like this; choosing a guidebook, finding a car rental agency, estimating a budget and all the behind-the-scenes organisation necessary to avoid the pitflass of turning up in the dead of night to an unknown city with a reservation (or a clue)!
Last week, after months of having excitable conversations about the sights we wanted to see, Ben and I went to a lovely pub in Primrose Hill, ordered a couple of pints and sat down with the Lonely Planet and a notebook. The idea was, having already decided on destinations, to agree on the rough timings of how long we would stay at each stop and how long it might take to drive between them - longer than you might think..
Ever since, I've been unable to concentrate on much. How are we going to squeeze it all in?
Last week, after months of having excitable conversations about the sights we wanted to see, Ben and I went to a lovely pub in Primrose Hill, ordered a couple of pints and sat down with the Lonely Planet and a notebook. The idea was, having already decided on destinations, to agree on the rough timings of how long we would stay at each stop and how long it might take to drive between them - longer than you might think..
Ever since, I've been unable to concentrate on much. How are we going to squeeze it all in?
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