ARID AND ORANGE, ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

The beauty of camping is a nice early start, most of the time, perfect for our 150 mile journey to our next destination, Arches National Park. This is once again a very unique geological wonder. It differs in its formation in that it was created essentially by salt. Around 300 million years ago a sea covered the area becoming cut off and eventually evaporating to leave a huge salt layer subsequently covered with different sand and minerals over the ages. The incredible weight eventually liquefied the salt that had to find a way to the surface and, having been pushed against a lifted rock fault pushed upward to fracture the essentially Entrada Sandstone surface. This along with the constant barrage of the wind, washing of water and cracking expansion of ice has created the parks unique density of arches, the most famous being Delicate Arch. The park is home to over 2000 arches, impossible to see all in a day.

Our visit to the information center sees us take in a film of the park and also chat with some very helpful Rangers who give us valuable information for further camping and also arm us with maps to take in Scenic Routes in this area and beyond into Colorado. From the visitors center we climb the zigzag road ascending approximately 1000ft upward into the park. It is a day of blue skies that accentuate the spectrum of reds and orange through to sand coloured structures that make this park so unique.

We see arches of all sizes, from a small double arch window to the dizzying heights of Delicate Arch or the football field expanse of Landscape Arch in the Devils Garden region. It is an ever changing world as the elements never stop eroding these structures, destroying some and beginning others, creating balancing acts of rocks atop a spire, huge buttes of orange splendor, cliffs of solid rock faces that can peal away to deliver boulders into the valley below, a field of petrified sand dunes to make your jaw drop. We walk ourselves ragged till sunset, thoroughly enjoying our visit, before heading off to the outskirts of our next destination to find ourselves a spot to camp. We have to be forever mindful of the local inhabitants of this arid scenery, the rattlesnake and the scorpion. Stepping from the car could be dangerous but so far so good. This area truly reminds us of Australia with its red billowing dust, so we keep our steps to a minimum.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album NATIONAL PARKS OF UTAH.

MOVING ON TO CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK

On the road again, we just can’t wait to be on the road again! The morning light treats us to spectacular scenery. We are traveling through some amazing high hills strewn at their base with the rock rubble shredded from the cliffs above. The cliffs are very white sandstone carved by the elements to create some amazing shapes and structures. Some parts are similar to the Badlands with mounds of grey silt looking rivulets streaming down the sides. These are actually petrified sand dunes. On the seemingly flat valley floor the ice capped river snakes its way across the landscape, its colour a lovely turquoise reflected by the white sediment washed down from above. In parts the naked deciduous trees, cottonwoods I believe, giving a ghostly atmosphere, surround the river. There are higher mountains with a tabletop plateau, their cliffs showing the changing colours in layers through the ages. Just spectacular and this is just while we are traveling along the road.

This drive leads us into the Grand Staircase Escalante area, also home to large ranches complete with their cattle and strong hardy looking horses. Although there are sunny blue skies the ice on the water belies the temperatures the stock around here would have to cope with. What more will this day divulge?

The landscape opens wide as we climb and descend a more gentle undulating area, with surprise gorges carved into the ground. We pass over a hill and around a bend and the landscape spreads a magnificent view before us of the Escalante River Basin. It is a huge area of limestone gulches and chasms that we are about to descend into and cross. It is surrounded with some of the mountains of the Henry Range and the Navajo mountains that help to feed this waterway that feeds to the mighty Colorado River. Every turn provides another vista of the most interesting limestone formations. As we take a deep descent we stop to view the gorgeous gorges, turning more red as we go deeper seeing the ribbon of the river snaking along the floor. This river provides a lifeline to all the wildlife that calls this arid landscape home, from mountain lions to otters and many species of birds.

How rugged this world was for the new pioneers to the area, a most inhospitable land that only the bravest must have explored. No snaking bitumen road winding an easy trail across this land back in those days.

We rise up to traverse along the very top of the ridge, a road with no safety rails, and a nasty end if you leave the road. We traverse Buffalo Mountain and as our altitude grows we start to see patches of snow and mighty Aspen and Ponderosa Pine trees dot the slopes. We come across what must be a Thanksgiving tradition for a group of about 8 cars that are choosing and chopping down their Christmas trees, not sure if this is legal or not.

Stopping for lunch atop the mountain is a reward of one of the most jaw dropping views of the plateau, the orange ridges with their tabletops and beyond the grey silted tabletop slopes. The plateau is doted with the odd body of water shinning a steel blue amongst the dark green Aspen. Words do not do this view justice, a body of land that was the last chartered in the USA late 1800’s. It is certainly a treat to see this world.

We finally reach our destination for this day and enter Capitol Reef National Park. This is another environment similar to what we’ve seen in Utah, yet unique to its immediate surrounds. It got its name as a Barrier Reef to the early settlers and became Capitol after a rock formation within the park was likened to the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. This park is known as a Waterpocket Fold or literally a wrinkle in the earth that stretches for over 100 miles, creating a long narrow park.

The formations are just incredible, in some places looking like coral sponges and others like Swiss cheese and all through with ever-changing colours. There is an ever-present “reef” of a yellow/grey colour that dominates throughout the rock formations, laid down many millions of years ago.

This reef caused much damage in the 1950’s and 1960’s when it was decided this could be rich in Uranium. This began a rush of mining throughout this National Monument, though damage was done it was lucky that there was not enough uranium to make a profit and mining was ceased. This is a spectacular park that has once again been kept very accessible with views of so many highlights that are just a short walk away from the road. We particularly enjoy a long drive through Cohab Canyon showing so much diversity and incredible beauty. Every corner you turn is just fantastic.

This is a park very rich in history, other than the infamous uranium. There are the Petroglyphs, for our Aussie friends – rock art, thought to date back to between 600 and 1300 AD and drawn by the Fremont Indians descendants of the Archaic Indians that have roamed this region for many thousands of years. More recently, in the 1800’s, the Mormons and the ranchers settled this land. Today there is still a flourishing orchard of over 3,000 trees preserved from these pioneering days along with an original homestead, Gifford House.

This park, like many others, has its very own flora and fauna. You can hike for miles should you choose out into the backcountry but for us today a few short hikes are enough. Our day is coming to a close, we head just outside the park to find a free camping spot for the night. We are very lucky to spot a road that takes us to the top of a gorge of sandstone, perfect. It is a chilly night so we expect those frosty windows again, but we are quite cozy under our sleeping bags and doona. This has been a day so jam packed with beauty and it doesn’t end with the setting sun but soon shines bright with the stars and half moon, our parking spot a spectacular sandstone backdrop to the magic of the night skies.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album NATIONAL PARKS OF UTAH.

ZION NATIONAL PARK AND A REST AT BRYCE CANYON

We head northeast out of Nevada and into Arizona, briefly, then into Utah, a semi arid landscape of rolling rugged hills. We are heading for Zion National Park, highly anticipated. The days are closing early and we have stopped at a gallery that we make more purchases at, not sure how these will pack, so are heading into the park as darkness descends. We head to the first come first serve South Campground to grab a spot and meet the very pleasant camp hosts who help us find one of the few sights left. It is perfectly flat and near to a very nicely kept toilet block, lucky. The sun sets over the mouth of a spectacular canyon of craggy mountains towering above us and the colours are amazing, one of the highlights of this park. We are full of anticipation for the next day.

Let me give you a background on Zion. We have spent a lot of time lately in the parks that showcase the mighty power of earth and all her forces. We have seen effects of the rupturing strength pushing the ancient layers skyward creating spectacular landscapes, some once the floor of huge oceans. We have experienced the power of glacial ice carving, cracking the earth apart. Now we are in a landscape that was essentially huge sand dunes deposited and then compressed into rock over the ages, through which a river system has carved a spectacular landscape.

In Zion one is at ground level with the mountain cliffs sheering upward, a vision of rocks, some smooth and rounded by the power of water and others craggy massive blocks that defy gravity. The Virgin River constantly flows through this landscape continuing to sculpt a wonderful world for all visitors to see, over 3 million a year, all craning their necks upward to experience this stupendous landscape.

This is an area largely developed by the Mormons who came west and populated and broke the land into viable fertile farms that provided a harsh but special life out west. The area surrounding the park is still ‘ranching’ land that we have loved driving through to get this far, with livestock roaming the huge expanse of acres. It is an area full of various gems and rocks of beauty which are displayed for sale at numerous outlets along our journey, rocks we would love to be able to return home with but alas this would be impossible.

We awake early but don’t rush to jump up, it is freezing. Eventually we walk down to the visitor’s center to start our explorations. The majority of this park runs off a road that snakes its way for 18 miles up the canyon. Because it is one way in and the same way out the park has devised a shuttle bus system to try to decongest the area. At this time of year the buses only run on the weekends, and it being Sunday we are obliged to take the shuttle. We spend the day jumping on and off and taking the small hikes to see the sights, along with many others.

It has all been gorgeous, but on reflection that evening we feel we have not done this park justice. There is a highly recommended 4/5 hour hike called Angels Landing, a switchback climb that takes you 1500 feet up the mountain at which point a challenging climb begins out to the top of a huge rocky buttress. We decide this is what we need to do and, after a good nights rest and securing our site for yet another night, we set off to greater heights.

We have spent our coldest night yet in Jetson, how do we know that, the ice on the inside of the car is a good guide. We are soon warming up though as the steep climb unfolds. We eventually reach the challenging part. It is time to get over the fact that it is a very long way down and grab onto a seemingly well attached substantial chain that is a small comfort as one edges their way over smooth sandstone sloping cliff edges traversing around the side of the cliff, eventually coming to a large flat area. This is the spot that decisions need to be made. Some say anyone who gets this far has done really well but from here one can see the real challenge. Angels Landing is actually a huge buttress across a narrow saddle that actually heads down from our present position and then ascends seemingly straight up for quite a climb. We take our time to decide along with many other hikers, taking advice from those on their way down on how tough it actually is. It seems it is more than doable, the general advice being just do it at your own pace. It is decided to head on to complete the challenge.

The chains once again aid the short distance downward and I decide if I can get back up this part I can probably do it all. Guess what, I could, so we continue. At first the edges seem very close and we move with trepidation but eventually it is all about the climb and not about the view, which comes later as a reward.

We eventually reach the top, about 3 hours from our starting point at the car. The view is amazing on the rocky outcrop, not the highest point in the canyon, but definitely one of the most scenic. We meet a very lovely local couple, he has been a wild beach bum Californian traveler in his early years and she is a woman apparently scared of heights, though you certainly wouldn’t guess that, who has completed her second climb to this point. They tell us about the pros and cons of other hikes in the park and yet more history of the area and are really interesting to talk to. We grab a bite to eat and take some amazing photos in glorious sunshine. After about an hour we decide it is time to take the challenge of the decent, something that is in the back of your mind all the way up, how the hell am I going to get down?

In 50 minutes we are back at the decision point, I have spent quite a lot of time on my backside feeling much more connected to earth this way. It has actually not been that bad and we are now the ones encouraging others to keep on going. The biggest trouble was the wind that sprung up just as we were starting our decent, a major danger as you can actually be blown off the mountain. Did I mention there is a sign reminding people to do this at their own risk, 6 having died trying. We have been so lucky again with the weather.

We return to the valley floor 5 hours from beginning and are pleased with our efforts and make our way to the general store just outside the park, ravenous. We have discovered their home made treats and their free to use microwave for campers like us, haha. We devour our hot treats back at our campsite as the sun sets again. We reluctantly endure our cold water washes to clean away the days dust before slipping into our comfortable PJ’s. Not going to be any trouble getting to sleep tonight, though we have rented a DVD, Cast Away, and enjoy watching Tom Hanks and Wilson battle the elements before we call it a night.

Not quite as cold, but still ice on the inside of the windscreen, when we wake to start a day moving on to yet another famous National Park, Bryce Canyon. It is with regret that we move on from Zion knowing now about some other lovely hikes we could have done. This is one of our favorite parks so far and think we should make another visit one day.

Sadly the cold I have started is taking it’s toll, picked up in Vegas somewhere, and energy levels are low. It is a beautiful 60 mile drive to Bryce, so close and yet we are in for a quite different landscape. There will be no long hikes today but we are very lucky in our destination. Bryce is a park that takes in the view from the rim of the Colorado Plateau, spectacular vistas laid before you over this dominantly orange world of hoodoos and windows and other wondrous sculptures. Once again this is a world carved by the elements of wind and water into the sandy stone that has been pushed skyward and is the Plateau. We are treated to easy walks to amazing views, just the trick for our failing energy levels. We are back in snow-covered landscape on the high plateau and it is pretty chilly, though sunny.

More motel time needed is the decision made and we leave the park and the touristy villages and find a very small, almost non-existent in fact, town that has a 3-story hotel with a vacancy sign, The Grand Staircase Inn in Cannonville. We book a very reasonable night and settle in and it is so good that we end up staying 3 nights and not even walking further than the front desk for all this time. Our last day is actually Thanksgiving and we are really thankful to have found this gem in the desert. The family run business is just fantastic. I think the thing that made it so good was the room having a very high vaulted ceiling and king size beds. This probably sounds really strange but it created so much space that we have obviously been missing in our subconscious. Thanks to the Grand Staircase Inn, we will recommend a stay to as many as possible.

The other bonus of downtime is that this blog sees us completely caught up to real time, WOW. We are very pleased with our efforts as we venture on, hopefully with renewed energy. We are sadly running very low on time now and still lots to see. This area is full of National Parks and we will try to see as many as possible with some that are a priority.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album NATIONAL PARKS OF UTAH.

LAS VEGAS MADNESS

As we have spoken to people along the way we have mentioned Las Vegas as one of our destinations and in general the comment has been “do not hold that against us”, haha. As our day of splendor in Death Valley ends we head out of the hills and before us lies a mass of light, out in the middle of nowhere, that sparkles and twinkles on the horizon. As we sink into its midst we are amazed at the brightness and grandeur of this unique city. We settle into our hotel that is very cheap, just off ‘the strip’, and crash, excited about what is to come over the next few days. Vegas is known as a pit of gambling and sin, bright lights and recreations of world icons, a must see that many will tell you to avoid.

Our first day we decide to go out to Hoover Dam. This is quite a feat of human excellence. It was built between 1931 and 1936 giving employment to 21,000 people during the Great Depression. Sadly it cost the lives of 100 men during this time. It is built in the Black Canyon on the Colorado River on the border, literally, of Arizona and Nevada. During our visit we lost an hour crossing the dam wall into Arizona and gained it back on our return to Nevada. The surrounding ground is made up of rock of volcanic origin making it hard and very durable. The structure of the dam is like a whole lot of concrete Lego blocks varying in size that are reinforced and joined together and grouted to give its smooth appearance. It is said that there is enough concrete within the structure to pave a road from San Francisco to New York, now that’s a lot of concrete.

In creating this dam and the hydroelectric power plant, still one of the largest in the country but once the largest in the world, a massive body of water was created, now known as the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. It provides over 9 million visitors a year with all sorts of water based sports and activities. All in all this is a tourist destination of National pride, being the largest dam of it’s time and still considered to be one of Americas’ Seven Civil Engineering Wonders. Needless to say we enjoyed our visit and also very much enjoyed just heading back to a motel to refresh before we made our first visit to ‘the strip’.

Bright lights and crazy images of grandeur and also some crazy people. This has to be the most interesting city we have been to, not in an architectural way or a learned way but in an out there kind of way. There are many shows you can go to from show girls to Cirque du Soleil to Santana and Rod Stewart, love him but saw him back in Perth only a couple of years ago, and many, many more but we have decided to save our pennies and just take in the show that is Las Vegas. The streets are lined with buskers of varying talents, singers, artists, show girls and musicians, some fantastic and others just bazaar. There are the homeless people down on their luck just begging, but not too many. There are some people just dressed up as movie characters or stars that have their photos taken. Then there are others that seem rather sad as they are dressed to attract attention baring all, their costumes grubby and lurid and their demeanor affected by substances. These people we feel sad for, is this what life intended for them, though they seem happy enough?

There are hundreds of hawkers selling tickets, women and bars. The general atmosphere is party town and the lights and grandeur of the many casinos show a world of fun and excitement. It is a town of stretch limousine’s, never seen so many in one street before. There seems to be loads of tourists just taking it all in like us. Lots of families out and about clutching many bags from the M&M store and other themed outlets, girls in higher than high heals that are more often than not in their hands. Young and old mix together to create a fantastic world for people watching.

We venture into quite a few of the casinos and hotels to just take a look at this colourful world and are amazed that Mikayla is allowed to walk through, at 16. The casinos are huge and all have quite a large clientele. We think about the one casino we have in Perth in comparison to the hundreds here and boggle at the thought of how many people are in this city of lights in the middle of the desert. How do they all make enough to survive?

Hotels range from the average to the spectacular, from a New York City skyline, Paris and the Eiffel Tower to the land of Fantasia to Hooters and Super 8, but there are some special spots you just have to see, one of them being the Bellagio. First we head inside to soak up the gorgeous richly decorated spacious interior, probably just a little more expensive than the motel we stay in just around the corner. This is a fantasy world decorated for fall with talking trees, a waterwheel, unicorns, pumpkins and flowers galore, just gorgeous. But all that spectacular extravagance is nothing compared to the water show that is played to music every half an hour at the front entrance. WOW. This is the best show we have seen anywhere, thousands of gallons of water pumped by the second into the air in time to all sorts of music from Singing in the Rain to Top 40 hits. Our first show is to a song that talks of footprints on the world, what could be more apt for us. We are amazed and liken it to fireworks but agree it is perhaps even better. We take in three full shows over our time on the first night before we decide our feet and minds have had enough for one day and crash back into our beds.

We decide we would like to stay yet another night and pop out to get in supplies for lunch, taking our time to just enjoy our own little space and then we head into the movies, this day being the first release of Mockingjay Part One, third movie in The Hunger Games series. Being huge movie fans we are excited to see this follow on and love it. We have timed our visit to end in darkness so we can begin our next night on the strip, heading for the other end of the strip to explore new territory. We stop in at the famous shopping complex, Fashion Show, and spend some time trying on clothes, each finding something nice at a bargain price to add to the ever stretching suitcase, in Macy’s.

We then set off back into the bright lights and head for the other absolute must see hotel of The Venetian and its gondolas. Outside there is yet another spectacular show to see, this time fire. Out of this world burning red hot orange plumes of fire and sparks dance into the night skies every half-hour, amazing. Fatigue is starting to set in again but we must have another couple of Bellagio water shows before we call it a night, our last night here having had our fill of the wondrous, many faced city that is Las Vegas.

It’s not all fantastic but it is unique. Some will visit over and over and some will just see it once because you just have to see it to believe it. Some will lose a fortune and decline to the streets, sadly, and others will just take in the sights and shows and wonder who on earth came up with the idea of this entertainment mecca. You can do it on a budget or go all out. It is a place for everyone yet is probably one of the most transient places in the country. Our time has been fantastic fun but we are now ready to head back to nature where the only lights are the stars in the sky and the spectacular sunset/sunrise vistas provided in this amazing neck of the woods, oh I forgot, we have left the trees behind, its all rocks now.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album LAS VEGAS AND HOOVER DAM – NEVADA.

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

This post was written a week ago in Death Valley National Park. We’re still posting in flashback but we’re very close to being up to date, we promise!

I have woken early and have decided to give you a moment-by-moment description of the rising sun on this magnificent location. We are in the middle of nowhere with a couple of other cars about half way down into a valley surrounded by rolling mountains. The night sky is a mass of stars, always amusing us to see the large saucepan up the wrong way and the little one up the right way, opposite to in Gidgegannup. The moon is a slither sitting on its back and is a direction point to where the sun will rise, as it is about to do. The sky is slowly developing a few clouds that make for a spectacular pink highlight for the sun to hit and a few moments later, it seems, the sun hits the western peaks and they shine silver, just for minutes before the sky lightens.

By now the clouds are quite a bit heavier and grey, oh dear may be in for some weather today. This region only experiences two inches of rain in a year, and yes we do get a little precipitation, amazing. There are few things that beat the smell of new rain, It is soon over and I am sure will not register as ever having happened but hopefully some small creatures felt the big drops for a few minutes, we have been wondering how they survive out here. The many peaks and undulations surrounding us show us a palate of colours that are a painters dream. As daylight develops we know we are in for some stupendous views today, tell you about it later, on with the experience…

Yes, this was a most fantastic day. Death Valley National Park is preserving the northwest of the Mojave Desert, an ancient world that is now desert but was once a sea. It is home to massive mountains pushed up by the earths forces leaving a basin that is the lowest point of North America, being 282 feet below sea level. It is a hugely diverse environment of sand dunes, canyons, salt flats, badlands and salt flats. Yes, the basin fills a little bit more every day but the earth’s movements keep ahead of it and the basin drops enough to keep it the lowest point. Nothing can prepare you for the magnificence of this experience, it is truly humbling to stand and view this amazing landscape.

We start our day in the Mosaic Canyon, walking along the base of the marble and limestone ravines interspersed with the deposits of rock in sediment laid over millions of years, these small rocks giving a mosaic of colour, hence the name. We meet a ranger who answers our questions. It is interesting to learn that even though this area experiences such a small amount of rain, when it does come it can be very powerful causing flash floods. The narrow canyons funnel water, it runs fast and alluvial rock is pushed along in it’s fury creating an ever-changing environment. There have been unlucky travelers caught in these deluge conditions causing injury and occasionally death. Never underestimate the power of nature.

Our ranger gives us some great tips to explore the area and what to look out for. We continue on to the sand dunes, the largest being 100 feet, seemingly dwarfed by the mountains around but significant none the less, being the creation of the wind forces in the basin. We head to Dante’s peak to take in a fantastic view of this spectacular and diverse land. From this vantage point one can really take in the sheer size and also particularly good for viewing the alluvial fans that explode from the canyons onto the basin floor.

We head on to the badlands outlook, different to anything we have seen before, these limestone heights and hollows topped with lava flow provide an amazing landscape. Next is a loop road called Artists Palate, a journey through, over and around the badlands and mountains with an ever-changing hue. Our day is drawing in again as we stand at the lowest point in North America, 282ft below sea level. This dried salt-crusted area has an ever-present lake that is fed by water from the melted ice age glaciers. Can you believe that, water that is millions of years old traverses through the tundra to come out here and now. Did I mention how humble one feels in this landscape! I’m sure I did.

This has been a night and day of discovery, the over riding theme being colour and light that changes from moment to moment transporting one through a wonderful unique world of raw beauty. Imagine how hot it is in summer, similar to the middle of Australia. What an amazing world we live in. As we drive out of the park we reflect on all we have learnt and wonder how much more knowledge and vision of splendor we can fit in our brains. This adventure is mind blowing, fantastic. Speaking of mind blowing, guess where we are headed now, Las Vegas, a little change of scene and pace.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK – CALIFORNIA.

LEAVING THE TREES – GOING EAST AGAIN TOWARDS DEATH VALLEY

After three nights camping in the big trees and canyons of Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks it was time to move on toward the East again, our next destination being Death Valley and then onto Las Vegas where we were a week ago.

We wake fairly early, as the sun lightens the sky over the mountains, to the shenanigans of deer, doe and buck. It is like she is saying “if you really love me you will follow me anywhere”. She seems to want to skittishly visit every sight, weaving her way around and he following along looking like he thing she has lost her marbles. Really funny to watch.

We have to finish our drive down off the mountain along the very windy switchback road and love seeing the early morning colours down through the valley. The road finally straightens as we hit back into the flats again. After a little highway driving through a very fertile farming/orchard area we stop to shop for food and treat ourselves to another corn dog. They are delicious and this time cost only $1.50, bargain. Onward we travel over dead flat land obviously very good for producing.

We lunched overlooking a very depleted but beautiful Isabella Lake, south of Wofford Heights then heading on we started into a very different climate zone. We have crossed over the High Sierra and down the Eastern side and the land is very arid. We are now in a desert conservation area. These are large hills of rocky outcrops and pasture at first and then the hills begin to look like papier mache as they are like piles of granite doted with a cactus type plant/shrub that we have never seen before. There is also a huge Naval Air Weaponry Base here, sounds a bit scary but guess they have to try things out somewhere.

Soon we are passing through huge basins surrounded by these wild hills into the Trojan area, home of Searles mining. This company uses eco friendly solution mining to produce borax, sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate. These are used to create so many things we use every day such as your windscreen, your flat screen TV, dyes and detergents and many more things. I actually swear by Borax to solve any ant problems at home, mix a teaspoon of honey and borax and put in ants pathway on a flat tray. It will turn black with ants but by morning they will be gone, having delivered the borax back to the nest, very effective.

We are just discussing that the hills remind us a little of the Scottish Highlands although the hills are further apart. This is the most remote we have felt in USA. There are a few cars crossing paths with us but for long lengths of road there is nothing. This feels much more remote than the Prairies or the Plains. We turn a corner up and over the top of a hill and the view is jaw dropping amazing, we all exclaim WOW at once and pull over to see this fantastic sight. We are at the top of a mountain overlooking a massive basin, the Panamint Valley and Range. The valley is huge with mountains surrounding, it actually was a 30 mile drive down and through to the other end, spectacular, and we are not yet in the Death Valley National Park, rather gazing at the outskirts to the West.

By now the sun is nearly down and the colour of the mountains just gorgeous, purples, greys, pinks, orange and white, breathtaking. We arrive in Death Valley and search for a free campsite we have looked up in advance. On finding it we are setting up in the dark, wondering what the morning will bring. We have just climbed up to 5000ft and descended to 4000ft in only a mile along a road like a roller coaster, so think we are in for something special.

KINGS CANYON AND SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARKS

Our next destination is Kings Canyon National Park and we pull in after dark again to set up camp. Tonight is a little different at dinner time though, Mikayla is suddenly making a strange noise of distress when she realizes a raccoon is pulling on our plastic bag right next to her. She was in shock as she had just turned to look straight into two very large bright eyes that just shouldn’t have been there. Our fellow campers must have been having a good laugh as they listened to us as we chased off 3 raccoons and then tried to keep them at bay whilst eating our wraps, very cute persistent little fellows. Good fun and I guess we were lucky it wasn’t the bears.

The morning reveals we are once again in the forest with a pine needle carpet softening our steps but this time we are under some of the largest trees in the world. This is what this area has to offer us. We pop into the Visitors Centre and are helped by a couple of lovely ladies to plan our time here and in Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, and also take in a movie about the area. It is describing the wonder of the trees and apparently I exclaim a very loud WOW at one point that sends the girls into a fit of laughter, (a bit like the NO over the potatoes at Christmas lunch last year for those who remember haha). We also discover that the road to the High Sierra had been closed only a week before our arrival, rather sad but lucky to have seen a glimpse of this true wilderness during the movie.

We start off on this road to see as far as we can and near to the end we encounter a young fox who we think has been hit by a car and, on initial inspection, seems to have damage to it’s hind leg. He otherwise seems in good health with a very shiny and healthy coat and clear eyes, no mangy appearance or saliva issues. Dilemma. Can’t leave the poor creature just dragging itself along so decide to wrap it in a towel and pop it into a plastic bag, for obvious fluid loss problems, and take it back to the Visitors Centre, hoping they have some sort of rehabilitation centre in the park. It is a hairy ride holding the small creature, being sure to have a secure hold behind its neck so no biting can occur, though he now seems to be in some shock and mostly quite relaxed though still conscious. On our arrival we are greeted by surprised staff and even more surprised fellow visitors. The poor creature is secured in a box and it is decided to take it to a sanctuary just outside the park for a diagnosis. We try to explain that on the initial look that there did seem to be an injury as the ranger is suspicious that he is just sick with rabies, eek. Our decision was based on the fact that if repair is not possible that at least he could be humanely destroyed. In hindsight, a wonderful thing, we were probably mad to have interfered with nature at all, but is being hit by a car a natural thing? At no point did we actually touch the creature and had him quite securely contained with wrapping and gloves so feel we are all quite safe. What would we do if we encounter another injured creature? Probably the same thing. If he had been snarling and seemingly dangerous we would have had to let him struggle on but all we can say is that it seemed the right action to take at the moment.

We are off again to explore the park and our next stop is to see the General Grant Tree, this being the second largest tree in the world. The Sequoia is not the tallest, that honour being claimed by the Redwoods, but because of their width they do take up the largest area, hence the largest in the world. They start from a seed the size of your porridge oats and spend their first years of life striving to gain height and light. Once they are approximately 250 to 300 feet tall they stop growing up and start putting on some weight, a lot like humans really. They just keep on growing outwards though, no see-sawing diets for them. If the conditions are right they become absolutely massive and the conditions here seem to be perfect.

It has been discovered that fire is the Sequoias’ best friend, cleaning out the undergrowth and providing perfect growing conditions. For this reason these massive trunks are scared by fire adding to their beauty. It is a humbling experience, as it was in the Redwoods, to walk between these majestic giants. We move on to the Sequoia National Park and the Crescent Meadow area to meet the General Sherman Tree, the largest tree in the world. WOW again. As we have said before the East may have the leaves, and they are out of this world, but the West has the trees, also some of the most majestic moments of our journey.

We add in a hike up the 400 odd steps to the top of Moro rock, an extraordinary geological specimen that was formed millions of years ago and continues to shed its layers into the valley below. Pictures show it over some 150 years and it is an ever-changing shape. We are inspired by the stupendous views and the actual size of the rock jutting out from the forest floor. The steps have made it easy for us to experience this splendid area. On to the Crescent Meadow for a late afternoon wander hoping to spot a bear or two, very common in this area, to finish off our wildlife experience but we are only able to spot the deer. Perhaps that is for the best but would love to see another bear. Not to be this time as we end our time here and head for campground number three in this fantastic region. It is a long and winding road to head down and takes us about an hour to get to our destination, once again setting up in the dark.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album YOSEMITE, KINGS CANYON AND SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARKS.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

The Sierra Nevada is a huge mountain chain on the Eastern side of California and stretching into Nevada. On its western side sit three very special parks that have been preserved for all to enjoy; Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. These parks were our next stops after San Francisco. Snow has closed the High Sierra in all parks but there is still so much to see, it is truly a special place on earth.

West of this mountain range is a farming area of California that is basically flat. It is a bright blue sunshine day as we set off from Westley toward our next adventure. After a couple of hours the land starts to break into hills of pasture where the road just rolls along between. We stop to lunch at a boat ramp/recreation area on a huge dam. Only problem was that the water is just a thin little stream at this end of the outer reaches from the dam wall, no boat launching going on here for a while, until there is some serious rain.

A little more driving and climbing and we are finally heading into Yosemite. We start our drive down toward the valley floor where we thought we might camp. Along the way we are taking in views of some of the most spectacular granite cliffs you will ever see. Over 3 million people visit this valley every year and you can understand why. Along the valley floor it is a neck breaking view up to the top of the cliffs from the meadows dotted between the dense forest.

On arrival at the campsite we are told reservations were needed and we should have been there in the morning. We had thought it would be OK to just turn up being winter but had not taken into consideration the beautiful weather and it being a Saturday. There are people everywhere and it is muddy and wet and we are not too upset at having to retrace our steps back to near the entrance again to camp. This campsite is just gorgeous, atop the mountain in a treed area with pine needles carpeting the ground. Once again it is a set up in the dark and a picnic dinner in the blackness.

With the dawning of light we are able to fully appreciate the beauty of this area and are so glad we had not stayed down with the masses in the valley. Back on the road again we take in the valley for the third time in yet a different light. This is even more beautiful as the morning sun lights the sheer granite faces on the west side that then seems to reflect over to the east.

We decide to hike the Mirror Lake trail and surprisingly share it with only a few others. It is evident as we travel along that there is no lake at this time so the reflections of Half Dome, a world famous sheer granite rock with a sheer north face, will not be happening. We meet a lovely couple who are actually locals and they explain more of the extent of the drought. They are shocked to see that there is no water at all, something they have not known to happen their entire lives. As we stand in the middle of the sandy lakebed and take in the majesty of the dome we are told that this is its most spectacular lighting in which to view it, once again we just pick the perfect moment to be there. Jon goes on to tell us of the climber, Alex Honnold, the only person to free climb this massive granite face. This is an ascent of 2,000ft without a rope or harness, just a bag of chalk and climbing shoes and a whole lot of nerve. WOW. I truly believe that of all the sportsmen in the world, rock climbers are the most incredible. The fitness and agility required to hang on a rock face by your fingers and toes and traverse hundreds of feet upward is beyond a challenge and absolutely marvelous. What a rush it must be to get to the top, I take my hat off to those who manage this. What a lovely couple we have met again, sharing tales of travels and getting more valuable advice of must see spots to fit into our last weeks here. Thank you Sara and Jon, would love to have spent more time with you both.

We move on to find a picnic spot in the meadow for lunch and take in El Capitan, another famous climbing face and spot a couple of climbers two thirds of the way up just sitting on a ledge taking a break, they are just two little specks of yellow and red, once again you are just amazing guys. We then take another road into the higher lands of Yosemite. This takes us to the Glacier trails and here we are looking out at the Dome from yet another angle, taking in the size of the dome. We have photos from many angles around the park of this dominant natural wonder and they are all amazing. We are standing at 7,000 feet looking straight down and what a view we have of the valley carved by the ancient ice glaciers. This is certainly a view to rival any we saw in Europe, magnificent.

This area offers glacier carved valleys, huge waterfalls, caves and groves of massive trees. We can see the falls that are still running and they are a just a trickle to what we have seen in photos. The extent of the drought is scary. Lets hope it is a very wet winter for California. One can certainly understand why this is one of the most popular parks in the entire world but the day is closing and it is time to move on to Kings Canyon National Park.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album YOSEMITE, KINGS CANYON AND SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARKS.

STUNNING DAY IN SAN FRANCISCO

Still posting in flashback, this time to our visit to San Francisco about two weeks ago. What a great time we had in this city that reminds us of Perth.

Off to an early start we head into the famous San Francisco, approaching from the North East. We have a plan of attack that takes us over the Oakland Bay Bridge that gives us our first view of the famous Golden Gate Bridge across the bay. The weather is kind and visibility is good in the city today, blue skies shinning bright. Our route takes us through the centre of the city with its high-rise buildings some shining gold and all sorts of interesting designs. The traffic is heavy but this gives us lots of photo opportunities hanging out the window to take in the sights.

We head to Fisherman’s Harbour first where we spend time just soaking in the atmosphere and have our very first Corn Dog. It is a sweet tasting cake coated frankfurt that is really bad for you but just yummy, surprisingly. At $5.50 each we are sure we are being ‘ripped off’ but just have to have the experience. This area is designed for tourists but is a lot of fun to wander through with lots of interesting eateries and shops ending down on the wharf. It reminds us of the time we were walking around Universal Studios Orlando when Georgia said, “imagine if there were places in the real world like this!” Turns we have come across many places all over America that remind us of this. From here there is a wonderful view of the harbour and also the famous Sea Lions put on their show. There are many sea worn platforms for the sea lions to choose from but they all like to stick close together and only choose a couple to gather on. This makes for funny sights as some just can’t fit so slither back into the water. It is delightful to watch the ones that just say ‘here I come’ and launch themselves forward, crowd surfing to a resting spot. All the while there is a constant honking and chattering going on, such fun. These gorgeous sea creatures arrived at Pier 39 in the January of 1990, a couple of months after the Loma Prieta earthquake hit San Francisco in October 1989. Since then the number have ranged from between 300 and 1700 depending on the seasons, but there are always some sea lions there to entertain the visitors.

Our time on the wharf over we decide to move on to the most famous icon in the city, you guessed it, the bridge. We stop at a near by marina to take more shots of the harbour, Alcatraz (sadly all tours are booked up for a week so we have to be content with the view of this famous island) and the bridge. Next we take a drive over the Golden Gate to the north side where one can drive to the hilltops of the Golden Gate Recreation Area to take her in from all angles. It really is a special structure and we loved that the weather was kind giving us stupendous views. Whilst up here we took a walk through a tunnel built during World War I to house huge guns to defend from attack. Nearing completion it was decided that the guns were ineffective as a defence and never installed. It makes for an interesting short cut through the hill and up to a magnificent view of the bridge. We have a snack to lengthen our stay overlooking this icon and eventually have to drag ourselves back down for the return journey, more photos taken from every angle to remember we were here.

Now we decide to take to the streets heading for the infamous most crooked street in the world, Lombard St. Traversing the hilly streets is fun and we have a great laugh thinking about how Vincent might have coped living in this town, not very well. We end up at the bottom of the street and take in the view down to the harbour and up at the people traversing the windy switchback road. Then it is time to traverse from the top and it is surprisingly easy but we still have photos to prove we did it. The gorgeous houses and gardens complete the experience and we wonder how annoyed the people must get with the constant stream of traffic that just has to drive down their road, guilty as charged.

We then head deeper into the streets and go to the mosaic staircase, 16^th Avenue Tiled Steps project, just a gorgeous piece of artwork that snakes up the steep hillside steps. This project begun by neighbours in January 2003, took until September 2005 to complete. What an effort by all those concerned. What was once 163 steps straight up to a road above is now a piece of art that takes you from the ocean depths to the night skies. It is an ongoing effort to maintain the landscaping on either side of the staircase and is just a lovely spot in the middle of a very desirable neighbourhood. The views are just awesome too when you remember to look away from the stairs.

We have loved our day here and decide it is an area that has a feel of Perth and all its surrounds in one spot. The wharf is like Fremantle and Mindarie, the city a little like Perth set on a gorgeous waterway. The surrounds are flat until you hit the hills, just like Perth suburbs and the colour is very similar, big blue sky with a parched landscape, due to the drought no doubt, but giving a similar feel. The people are friendly, but there are a lot of them. This is the second most densely populated city in the US after New York City with approx. 17,500 people per square mile. The biggest difference is the sheer size, like McDonalds, it is upsized hugely. There is much more to do here than we have managed, many art galleries and museums, architecture to delight in, nightlife and supposedly awesome shopping but it is nature we are still here to see. We realize we have only seen a tiny snippet of all there is on offer but have really enjoyed our time none the less. Maybe we will get back another time with more time to explore.

Day is coming to an end and we decide to head out of town and on toward our next destination, the mighty Sierra Nevada. This path takes us through an amazing road system that Georgia navigates perfectly and eventually into the outer suburbs and beyond. We pass areas made famous by the Sons of Anarchy and, although we love Jax we don’t want to run into any of his buddies, push on until we are well out of town. The last part of the journey is through an area called Patterson’s Pass Road, a scenic short cut through some amazing hills, the narrow road running like a roller coaster until it pops out the other end into a flat area as far as the eye can see. We drop into a hotel bed absolutely exhausted, another amazing day under our belts.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album SAN FRANCISCO.

THE MIGHTY REDWOODS AND ROUTE 1 COAST TIME

The East has the leaves but the West has the trees. This is a flashback to about two weeks ago, making our way through the Redwoods and along the coast of Northern California.

Our day starts early, as all camping days do and we set off to explore the mighty Redwood Trees. We have met a very helpful fellow camper who gives us some tips on walks we should do today and also of other camp spots we could head for over the next few days.

Our first stop is Stout Grove, a trail that takes us along the river and into a particularly lovely grove of these giants. The Redwoods are the tallest trees in the world. It is a similar area to the South West of Western Australia, where we have some very tall trees, called Pemberton. We meet a very helpful gentleman in this grove who gives us some more helpful advice and information.

These trees are majestic giants stretching high into the sky. It is a struggle to see to the top they are so tall. The fallen trees show their length even better as you can walk right along side these lost treasures. We are told that the roots of the trees are surprisingly shallow, only about 12ft down and that they intertwine to help hold each other up, actually joining roots and taking nutrients from each other.

We move along to another grove called Boy Scout and here we hike through a hilly section of forest that delivers gorgeous valley views of the giants. We come across two fallen trees that show us their root system exactly as our ranger had described. The two trees had fallen apart and their root system was still attached in parts. Even though they are helping each other it is remarkable that so few shallow roots can hold up these amazing trees. This trail has some of the largest trees in the area and the silence of the forest walk is just magical. We see lots of different undergrowth as well, such gorgeous habitat for forest creatures; perhaps there really are fairies under the mushrooms?

We move on to another trail, Nickerson Ranch, and enjoy another wander through beautiful forest. Each walk has something different to offer and all have been lovely. Our day is ended with a scenic drive through the trees, Redwood National Park and small villages of log cabins and Redwood carvings, all sorts of lovely things that we can’t fit in the suitcase. We end up reaching a town called Arcata and find a Howard Johnson that is so good that we wake up and decide to stay another day/night to catch up on everything and just take a rest.

All recharged we head off to a much anticipated famous road, Route 1, which traverses the coast of Northern California all the way to San Francisco. We finish off our tree time with a scenic drive through The Valley of the Giants, taking in a few more galleries and shops before finally heading on to the coast again. This road is quite spectacular, as all the travel guides will tell you. The Northern end is a very curving road making its way through the mountains, up down and around some spectacular forest scenery until you hit the water.

This is a wild coastline that the road hugs giving the most spectacular views. We spend the day stopping at many pull offs just soaking in the ocean views of sea stacks and river mouths and cliff faces of this wild land. We end the day in a very touristy surf area that seems to charge a fortune even to camp but we find a campground right near the beach where I beg a better deal. We wake to a morning of heavy rain, can’t be perfect all the time.

Continuing on the coast road we pass through some very average scenery before coming to a famous stretch of more magnificent winding coast and seem to outrun the rain in time to stop for lunch high on the hill. We are joined by a lovely couple from Sasquatch in Canada and spend an hour chatting with these lovely people before moving on to enjoy such a fantastic piece of coast. We visit Goats Beach famous for a couple of Toyota ads.

We stop numerous times to take in a view that is ever changing with its crashing sea and fresh fragrance that only the ocean can give. It has astounded us how much land along the coast and lakes in the USA are private property and along route 1 we came across some houses that were built way too close to the edge. These houses are gradually falling over the cliffs and into the ocean, only the front doors and surrounds hanging on, very interesting, we hope they had a good insurance policy!

All too soon another day is coming to a close, these early sunsets cutting the days shorter. We have booked a motel in Vacoville, an outer suburb of San Francisco to ready ourselves for yet another much anticipated visit to another city we’ve only seen in the movies.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.