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.

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..

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.

Photos.. not on FACEBOOK?

Anyone, yes that means you, who's not on Facebook can look at our trip photos by clicking HERE

Ben

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.

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.