PHOTO'S ADDED - BOO! 31 October 2011 SAN FRANCISCO - Grand Hyatt Monday

Left Marin RV Park extra early to hand back Doris the RV.  It was great fun but now for our hotel, the Grand Hyatt in San Francisco - WOW.
Off for shopping to our favourite store, Macy's and a late lunch with special Halloween Pumpkin Spice Latte - yum.  Halloween shopping included an ANGRY axe-wielding-music-playing-dancing pumpkin for Al and pumpkim smiley face earrings for me.  So many people walking around the city in weird costumes - such fun.

30 Otober 2011 SAN FRANCISCO Sunday

Back on bus #80 for a tour in San Francisco bright and early.

This is the bus stop at Marin Park where we were staying.

Our first tour stop was the Golden Gate Bridge, so named because it spans the Golden Gate straits, not because of it's colour - it is painted International Orange.

We were there!!!

We had many other picturesque stops, such as Twin Peaks, Ocean Beach, and Golden Gate Park.  Our most interesting stop, however, was a visit by ferry to Alcatraz Prison. 

Al did the audio tour and said it was a dark, damp hole that he would have hated to be imprisoned in.

This was the bad behaviour cell, where they were kept for a week at a time, then let out for 1 hour to shower, and sent back again, until their time in there was done.

This was a normal cell - with en-suite facilities.

Uh-oh!  I've been a b-a-a-a-d girl.





29 October 2011 SAN FRANCISCO Saturday

Hopped on bus #80 to San Francisco city over the impressive Golden Gate bridge for the first time.  Second bus to Fisherman's Wharf where we walked along the water's edge and watched a few boats on the bay.

We had a delicious lunch at Oliata's, overlooking the bay and Golden Gate Bridge. 

Afterwards we rode on a trolley/tram to a computer shop, Best Buy, and bought me a laptop! Yay.
Bussed back to Marin Park - no stressful driving - wonderful.  How's that hill the tram has to go up and down - it was fun to ride it though.  We found the citizens of San Francisco to be wonderfully friendly and helpful.

28 October 2011 YOSEMITE TO CALIFORNIA Friday

Okay so we've done our bush-wacking, tree-hugging bit, now for some big city lights.  San Francisco here we come. 
Oh my!  The I-580 is a 6 lane Interstate with high-speed cars and 18-wheeler trucks flying by while the GPS is bleating directions that need split-second decisions - give us mountain passes anyday!  We ended up in a Fastrack buslane through the toll without paying - Al's first adult traffic violation.  We crossed at least 5 bridges in error without noticing the beautiful bay area and eventually arrived, rather rattled at Marin RV Park.  Yay - it has everything we need to be able to function normally.

Had a quiet walk on a boardwalk where homes are built over a natural marshland and then we walked to the Larkspur Ferry.  Very pretty water surrounding the area.

27 October 2011 YOSEMITE N/PARK Thursday

Upper Pines

Not much to report today - low RV battery beep woke us up really, really early but we did manage to go back to sleep for ages.  Found the local wifi hotspot later and had a quiet "home" afternoon.

A Chikaree we tried to sneak home!

26 October 2011 YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK Wednesday

Upper Pines Campground

What bliss!  A late, lazy start reading and coffee in bed till we warmed up enough to venture out.  It's freezing here with the sun only peeking out the top of the huge monolithic granite rocks after 7am and disappearing behind them again at 3.30pm, not much sunlight in the campsite and no electricity!

We decided to hike the Vernal Falls trail, 1000" elevation with 600 steps after 1 mile of steep incline.  Strenous but totally invigorating.  We once again, felt on top of the world - being taller than some of the gigantic Sequoia Pines that grow 300" high - dubbed Nature's Forest Masterpiece by naturalist John Muir, and for good reason.
I will now let the pictures do the talking, enjoy...

Higher than the Pines (and yes I am rounder, it's not your imagination)

Al - Pine country HAHA

We found it hilarious, but maybe it was the altitude.

Halfway up



The trail we hiked up plus more

The top of the waterfall

On our way back to the campsite, we stopped on Sentinel Bridge to take this world-famous shot of Half Dome reflecting in the Merced River.  Inspiring even to non-artists.





25 October 2011 BISHOP TO YOSEMITE N/PARK Tuesday

Third early start for poor Al to drive another long stretch.
After a relatively easy start, we arrived at the start of the highest man-made pass at 9945" - Tioga Pass

The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows when
But I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

The views didn't disappoint though, but it was very stressful.  Three small tunnels later and into Upper Pines Campground, surrounded by the neverending Sequoia Pine trees and itinerant black bears.

24 October 2011 DEATH VALLEY TO BISHOP Monday

Second early departure for the long drive ahead.  The 190 road out of Death Valley was, to quote Allan, like coming out of the depths of hell, as we rose from -282" up to 7000" elevation with the RV engine rev's screaming, and of course, what goes up, must come down, engine brake screeching once again.
Finally, after breathtaking views and breath-holding cliff drop-offs, we opted to stop at Keeler on Owens Lake - only there was barely a lake and Keeler has a population of 50.  Regardless, we had to stop for a restorative cup of tea and sandwich.  This was Keeler with Owen "Lake" in the background....

And so the journey continues with the Sierra Nevada Range and USA's highest mountain in the lowest 48 States, 14505" Mt Whitney, keeping us spellbound.  To all our American friends reading this blog, please forgive any facts I have misquoted. We passed through Lone Pine and Independance where more famous Westerns have been filmed with their big rocks.  Next was Big Pine, with it's....big pine at the end of the main street:

Onwards to Bishop and our quaint sounding Creekside Campground.  Alas, we had to climb to 6000" up, up and away from all humanity and civilisation.  The campground was in the middle of nowhere in bear country with a weird old owner man and only one other occupied RV.  It was bitterly cold at the base of the snow-capped mountain with winds howling right through the van.  We opted out and spent the night in luxurious : ) Days Inn Hotel in Bishop, had a mexican dinner at Amigo's and a good nights sleep.
Forgot to say - look what we found on the way to Bishop!  A Joshue Tree forest aka Dr Seuss!!

23 October 2011 ZION N/PARK TO DEATH VALLEY N/PARK Sunday

"It's where we go, and what we do when we get there, that tells us who we are."
Joyce Carol Oates

An early departure from Watchman Campground and an epic journey through 4 States in 5 hours - Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California.

Our lunch stop was a real classy joint at Amargosa Valley, complete with Cherry Patch Brothel and Truckies Shower.  Al was keen for a stopover : )

Needless to say, lunch was over quickly and shortly thereafter we arrived at the not-so-welcome-sight of Death Valley National Park and Furnace Creek Campground.  A stop at Zabriskie viewpoint confirmed our worst fears - miles and miles of nothing overlooking Badwater - the lowest point in North America.  Having passed the Nevada (Nuclear) Test Site on the way here, this did not bode well for us.

Undaunted, we set out on foot, once we were settled, to see what we could find, in blazing heat I might add.  To our immense pleasure (and relief) we stumbled upon Furnace Creek Golf Course, right on our doorstep through the bushes and then an avenue of tall date palm trees, -214" below sealevel!  The lowest golf course in the world.  Naturally we had a drink there, and on the recommendation from the barlady (who self-admittedly no longer lives in reality), headed out to the Corkscrew Saloon, 1/2 mile across "town".  Just to make sure of our directions we stopped at the only (and exorbitant) gas station, where we were greeted by a serious urban legend type with "can I help you folks", buckteeth and all!  Presently we found the General Store, bought some jerky and ambled in to the Saloon.  Real simple folk here too with hats on and beards long, complete with juke box playing.  Here, Al tried the local Badwater Ale and I, a Coyote Cooler (Bacardi and Malibu rum).  We merrily wandered our way back to Furnace creek, surrounded by such areas as Devil's Hole, Coffin Peak, Funeral Peak and Deadman Pass.....are you getting the picture?  It's desolate.

In the evening we decided to frequent the 49ner Cafe for dinner which was pleasant, but on our return to our campsite we took a wrong turn in the pitch dark with only the stars and my reading light for guidance.   I was sure I heard coyote growling nearby and bravely fought them off from behind Al as he courageously braced himself, armed with the reading light.

We got home in one piece but were awoken in the night to definate coyote howling! Mmmm.....

The first photo shows the lowest point of -282" below sealevel at Badwater - just shimmering over the mountain.  The third photo is a view of the Furnace Creek Campsite and the last one is the obligatory sunset shot at Furnace Creek.

22 October 2011 ZION NATIONAL PARK Saturday

A chilly early morning run to Springdale and back, followed by RV preening.

The afternoon was spent on a fact-finding mission as we listened to Ranger Sonia's interesting geology talk about the sand dunes turning into Navajo Sandstone 1.4 million years ago. 

Straight on to the Zion information movie where we learnt that the small Virgin River which you can see trickling innocently in many of our photo's, is responsible for forming this entire Canyon.  The river carries 1 million tonnes of sediment away every year.

Last visit of the day was the shuttle stop at Weeping Rock where we were priviledged to witness two enormously wing-spanned (9ft) Condors circling the top of Angels Landing mountain.

We so enjoyed experiencing the bottom of the Canyon after the wonderment of being on top of Grand Canyon.

Al's version of Canyon "planking".

21 October 2011 ZION NATIONAL PARK Friday

A cold and blustery morning delayed our "great expedition" to Emerald Pools.  However, undaunted, we packed a picnic and set off.

The trail consists of 3 levels of Emerald Pools - lower, middle and upper.  We headed to Upper Pools first, over a sandy and rocky trail and nestled ourselves into a niche, amongst the inquisitive rock squirrels, for our lunch.  At the base of the cliff, we were dwarfed by the dizzying height while the Emerald Pool soothed our senses, 200ft above groundlevel.

The next part of the trail had long drop-offs and precariously balanced mammoth boulders, until we reached the plateau of the waterfall system where we stood atop the trickling water, watching it fall 150ft.

The last part was a slippery section behind the waterfall, gently splashing us as we gingerly stepped our way across the massive arched slimy ledge.

Aother awesome experience.



20 October 2011 ZION NATIONAL PARK Thursday

Today was a much-needed lazy start and late brekky.

Later on we took a shuttle ride to the Temple of Sinawava and meandered along the 1.5mi Riverside Walk.  This leads to The Narrows, a strenuous trail not for the faint-hearted, as you might be able to see by the two men wading their way back (in the photo).  The height of the mountains was astounding and they cast a golden glow on the Virgin River as it babbled along its way.

Standing at the base of these mountains, we realise that although mankind has conquered so much, we are still so insignificant in Nature's grand scheme of things.

Quoted from Deon Meyer
"There is a good spot on this route, .... where millions of years of geological forces have piled massive rocks on top of one another like beacons.... and I go and stand there to gain perspective of  our place in the universe.  We are all small, insignificant, invisible if you draw back, away from the Earth, the solar system, the Milky Way."

See how tiny the people are in comparison to the rock.  Let’s hope there’s no earth tremor while we’re here.

19 October 2011 ZION NATIONAL PARK Wednesday

With an extra early waking and a mad dash in the RV to get to Wahweap Lookout before the sunrise, we made it with barely a second to spare – still wiping the sleep out of our eyes and in our jammies (OK just me).

We made our wake-up coffee and sipped it as we watched the sun herald another glorious day.

Enter Utah and the drive to Zion National Park was death-defying to say the least, with ridiculously high passes and huge cut-aways, and little did I know – THERE WAS WORSE TO COME!!

After a roadside tea break in the car park of a dentist’s rooms in Kanab, dubbed Little Hollywood for all it's cowboy movies filmed there, we were again on our way and soon hit the cliff edge switchbacks and our first tunnel, which was a breeze.  The second tunnel was 2km long in the pitch dark with barely enough space either side of our RV.  The tunnel measurements in the photo are 11”1’ height on the sides of the tunnel and our van measures 12”0’ in height – WTH!  The ranger has to stop oncoming traffic and allow wide vehicles to go through single file over the middle yellow lines – scary stuff. Al is my new hero xx



After settling into Watchman Campground with no electricity and no onsite showers : ) we went on our first walk.  The Archaelogy Trail, all of 0.4 miles but 80ft high, to see the outlines of prehistoric buildings. A little distant but exciting nonetheless.

18 October 2011 WAHWEAP Tuesday

(Monday 24 October 2011)
Ta-Dah! Finally we have wi-fi and I can find out what day and date of the week it is.
We have accomplished many a mean feat since we last caught up, prepare to be amazed.

An early departure for Wahweap, through the seemingly endless desert of Navajo Reservation.  Passed Little Colorado Gorge, Moenkopi with its moonlike mounds and a promising morning tea stop, which turned out to be no more than a few scattered huts….as did The Gap and Cedar Ridge, so no stopping till Page for a quick top up of our necessities.

Wahweap campsite is set right on the waters’ edge of Lake Powell (second largest man-made lake in the US), so we walked through scrubby bushes, amongst hares, chipmunks and chiggers (we think ‘cheeky buggers’) to enjoy the beginnings of the sunset over Lake Powell.

On return to our campsite, we sneaked our huge RV “inconspicuously” into a different site so we could enjoy the rainbow colours as the sun settled with the mountains creating a spectacular pink backdrop.

 

20 October 2011 Zion National Park

Watchman Campsite

We have no wifi in our campsite; am sitting in shopping courtyard, "borrowing" wifi. Will update asap.

Mountains are indescribable!

17 October 2011 Monday BRIGHT ANGEL TRAIL

This morning we woke early, before sunrise and headed down to the Bright Angel Trail.  Our hike began in the soft glow of dawn with no-one about but us and the wilderness.  As the sun started to peep over the mountain edge, so the canyon began to fill with light, creating magical shadows beckoning us to explore them.
Once again, awe-struck by the magnitude and presence around us we felt so small in the grand scheme of the universe.
We reached our turn-around point, 1.3 miles down into the Canyon, and this was only a quarter of the way to the bottom.  The climb back up was pleasant with the sun becoming warmer and a cheeky squirrel looking for food.   A pack of mules carrying tourists passed us on their way down - I had a small panic attack on their behalf as it looked very unstable and narrow, as you will see by clicking on 'location' after today's photo's.

16 October 2011 Sunday DESERT VIEW DRIVE

Before we even started our scenic drive, we came up close and personal with the local elk in the park. The last of the autumn trees lined the road as we drove along Desert View Drive, stopping at several scenic lookouts along the way.  Of the 5 lookouts, Navajo Point was the highest with an elevation of 7461 ft, also showing the Supergroup Rocks of red shale, fossil-algae-bearing limestone and dark lava, having tilted due to expansion from land mass pulling apart. The base of the Grand Canyon is 1.8 trillion years old.
The last stop, Desert View, has a watchtower with 360 degree views, higher than the plateau itself!