Day 50 – Tall Trees And California Route 1 |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:03 |
The first day of our two day drive from the Bay area to Los Angeles began with us visiting Big Basin State Park. Its a short drive from San Jose and is best known for its redwood grove. We took the main trail around the grove and saw a number of trees similar to the giant sequoias of sequoia national park. ... |
|
Day 49 – Boat Tripping And More Of Downtown |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 16:00 |
Our third day in San Francisco began with us hoping to take a trip over to the island of Alcatraz. We woke up nice and early and drove straight to Lombard Street, which is famous for being the windiest in the world. It features five hairpin bends on a hillside, and all drivers must start at the top and work their way down. ... |
|
Day 48 – Exploring The City By The Bay |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:59 |
Today was mainly spent completing the 49 mile scenic drive around the city. We started out heading to where we joined the drive yesterday, and going in the opposite direction around the loop (which actually turned out to be the correct way). This firstly took us through Golden Gate Park, which is the Hyde Park/Central Park equivalent for San Francisco. ... |
|
Day 47 – Bay Area And The Pacific |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:57 |
The morning and early afternoon today were spent driving from our motel in Mariposa to San Francisco. The drive went up the central valley, and then west to the Bay area. It was one of the busiest stretches we have driven, with the motorway reminding me quite a bit of the M1. ... |
|
Day 46 – Last Of The National Parks |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:51 |
The day began driving from Mariposa to the entrance of Yosemite. This took us on US Route 140 through the Sierra Nevada mountains. The road ran mostly along the Merced river and it was a nice scenic drive. At one stage we had to take a detour down a single track road since part of the main road has been blocked since 2006 by a rock slide. ... |
|
Day 45 – Some Very Tall Trees |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:47 |
Our main destination today was Sequoia national park, which is home to the world’s largest trees. The drive began with us heading further up the Central Valley of California to Visalia, where we got some lunch. While we were there we got some petrol and the woman working at the station had been to Middlesex University and had lived in Barnet – small world! ... |
|
Day 44 – The Valley Of Death |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:45 |
Today was mainly a driving day, with us heading to our accommodation in Bakersfield, California via Death Valley National Park. The morning began with us checking out of the Venetian, which was definitely a shame given we are going back to hit-or-miss motels for the next few nights. ... |
|
Day 43 – The Last Day In Vegas |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:43 |
Our last full day in Vegas began with us treating ourselves to a buffet breakfast at one of the hotels. We chose the Mirage since we wanted to see the famous Siegfried and Roy ‘Secret Garden’ animal park there after. The park was opened by the famous illusionists to conserve the rare white lions and tigers featured in their acts. ... |
|
Day 42 – Welcome To The Venetian |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:42 |
This time three weeks we will be home! Its strange how quickly the last few weeks have gone, and we can’t believe we only have one proper day left in Vegas. On a more cheerful note, today was a successful day of sightseeing in Vegas, which was free of rain or intimidating grey clouds. ... |
|
Day 41 – A Day At The Stratosphere |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:37 |
When we woke this morning the weather seemed to be back to the usual desert climate: around 95 degrees and bright sunshine. As a result we headed straight down to the pool to take advantage of it, and to take a dip. After drying off, we had some lunch at the poolside cafe, though the service was much worse than the other day – probably as a result of the Saturday crowds. ... |
|
Day 40 – More Clouds, More Hotels |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:35 |
Today we woke up to more clouds and puddles of water on the street; evidence of rain during the night. While very unlucky for a trip to Vegas, at least 35 degrees and clouds is better than the miserable forecast for London! As a result we headed straight out to see some hotels, in case it brightened up by the afternoon. ... |
|
Day 39 – Winning And Shopping |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:26 |
When we woke up today it was very cloudy out (though still over 90 degrees), so we decided to delay time by the pool and instead visit the other major outlet mall. This one happened to be near our hotel and we spent a couple of hours there altogether. It is run by the same company as the outlet we went to in Chicago, so there were no real surprises in the shop selection or pricing. ... |
|
Day 38 – Relaxing On The Strip |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:24 |
This morning began later than usual, as we took advantage of not having to check out of our hotel by a certain time. Well rested, we decided to relax by the pool until the early afternoon. The pool was really nice, and there is a large Jacuzzi right next to it. We spent our time between the two, and it was great to finally be able to cool off from the heat in a pool. ... |
|
Day 37 – An Introduction To The Gambling Capital |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:17 |
Today was our first day without a national park, state park or national monument in over two weeks! While we have seen some amazing places and had a great time doing all that travelling, it is great to be back in a major city for the next week or so. ... |
|
Day 36 – The Last Day In Canyon Country |
Saturday, July 14, 2012 - 15:15 |
Waking up at the North Rim had its benefits, since we got to have a very filling breakfast at the North Rim Lodge, while overlooking the canyon itself. We also took the opportunity of the sun being on the other side of the canyon to take some more photos, with the light coming from a different direction. ... |