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.
No comments:
Post a Comment