Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Rocky Mountain High
Phill: 21/6 to 22/6, Rocky Mountain National Park - We drove back to Nederland and up to Estes towards the park. Disaster had continued to follow us around the world, as the road that we had driven just 2 days ago had suffered a serious landslide and was going to be closed for at least a month. The park was pretty, but busy - although nothing like on the scale of Yosemite. There was loads of snow in the park, and a heavy shower caused an incredible eerie mist to rise from the trees at one lookout point. We managed to see moose and marmots and some great forests, not to mention insane cyclists riding within inches of huge drop-offs, before we headed out, and back west to Silverton, where we stayed at a great value Luxury Inn. Dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s and another day was done.
After an “ok” breakfast, we drove down through Breckenridge, which is a lovely little town even outside of the ski-season. We had a nice lunch overlooking the mountains, whilst Colorado’s ubiquitous cyclists rode by, even in the pouring rain that came that afternoon. Those people must be super-fit as the climbs they were tackling were incredible.
We drove over to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, which was resurfacing its roads at the time, but we managed to get there just as they were opening the roads again. The most impressive thing in this canyon were the “painted cliffs”, where the layers in the rock walls make it look as though it were painted by some sort of giant artist. Our visit was cut short as the rains came in, so we headed into the town of Montrose and stayed at another Days Inn. It’s hard to describe, but the town was really strange - it had that “one main strip” feel that a lot of these places that many tourists just pass through. Luckily, the restaurant we selected at random (Silver Jack’s) turned out to be superb, with Mam having a great soup, and the rest of us having equally good meals.
The next morning we decided to forgo the awful free-breakfast at the hotel and went to The Daily Bread, a local bakery instead. The food there was good, but the staff were even better - helping us out with our order, and even bringing a free pastry over for us to try. As the weather was good, we went back to the Black Canyon for some better photos before continuing on with our tour.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Aspen
Phill: 19/6 to 21/6, Aspen area - We spent a long day driving on the 19th - some of which was utterly stunning. We took in the well-known town of Aspen, where we failed to find some place mentioned in a John Denver song that my parents were curious about (Starwood). The illustrious and expensive town was cute, but the surroundings were breathtaking. Just south of Aspen is a road that passes through Independence Pass, which has the dubious title of “highest road in the USA” - we think they must mean “through road”. Either way, at 12000ft, with lots of snow in the middle of June, it’s still fascinating, and very, very pretty. Again, there were crazy cyclists doing the climb, making us feel a bit lazy, but also very sane. We had great fun, throwing snowballs and admiring the views and waterfalls from the thaw.
We continued the driving loop around back to the expressway, and stopped at Silverton for a brief bit of shopping at some outlet malls. Back on the road, we hit loads of weekend traffic, and were making such slow headway that we figured we might as well be on the back-roads anyway. So (for our records only) we took the 6 and the 119 up to Boulder, where it was late enough that we just checked into the first dodgy Super 8 Motel we found, and we took the convenience of chain-food at Chili’s quite late on - where my Dad outdid himself on the eating front and had a huge dessert.
The 20th was our well-deserved day off the full-on touring, and we did some chores, and went into Boulder for lunch. Boulder is this cool, liberal, slightly alternative, mid-sized city just outside Denver where we ate and drank at the Sun Mountain Brewery - once again, proving that Americans really can do great beer. The cultural eating differences were highlighted by my Dad ordering a cheese and tomato sandwich - which was met by an uncertain “Ooookay‘. This stare turned to bemused amazement when he said that he didn’t want it melted. We did some shopping and chilled out, before heading to the pub attached to a nearby hotel for dinner. It was great - good beer, huge portions of pub-grub and when they closed, they let us finish up our drinks in the indoor pool area. A relaxing end to a relaxing day.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Bryce and Zion
Phill: 14/6 to 16/6, Southern Utah - A random stop at a scenic lookout was a great start to Utah. A perfect blue lake surrounded by rocky desert provided ample photographs for us and the Japanese tour-group that was also there. We drove on to Zion National Park, which is as famous for it’s man-made tunnels as its natural scenery. The tunnels are over a mile long through solid rock, and have windows (called “Galleries”) where they tunnelled out to the cliff-face to dump the drilled-out rock, instead of having to drag it back the whole way. The main scenic drive through Zion is now closed to private traffic, and a frequent, free shuttle-bus is provided to get you around the park’s main sights. Zion is dramatic and attractive, with sheer rock walls surrounding grassy meadows. We were just passing through, and didn’t have time to hike - plus only the truly insane do it in the middle of a summer afternoon anyway! - so at the end of a pleasant afternoon, we headed onwards.
The drive towards Bryce canyon took us through Red Canyon, famous for it’s “Salt and Pepper shaker” rock formations. The sight of these deep-red walls either side of the road was an impressive taster of things to come, and soon we were at Ruby’s Inn - a Best Western Hotel on the edge of the park. Mam and Dad has kindly booked us two nights there - and had given us the luxury room too - which provided some badly needed comfort after our weeks sleeping in the van. The folks also swore that Ruby’s did the best prime rib steak, and it was pretty darn good, not to mention huge.
We had a much-needed lie-in in the next day, and topped it off by lounging in the spa-bath in our bedroom room. Ahhhh - bliss! We did some chores and finished off our leftover food for lunch before heading into the park and its many lookout points. Bryce Canyon is simply stunning. Words can’t really describe the feeling of its vast beauty, or the myriad of colours that different lighting provides from the rock formations there. Bryce is formed from the varying speed erosion of different density rock layers - which is a long-winded way of saying that you get multicoloured grottos and rock-spires called “hoodoos” that make for an amazing fantasy landscape. We had another good meal at Ruby’s that night before heading out to Inspiration Point for the sunset and to research our spot for the sunrise photos.
It was strange, having to persuade my parents to go for the sunrise - when they seem to get up before the sun most mornings anyway - but they came along and very patiently waited for us while we went crazy with the camera. They seemed pretty glad that they did, which was great, and although the angle from the sun wasn’t ideal, the pictures were still quite impressive. Sadly, it was time to leave. Although we heard it many times from various people, we have to agree - Bryce is way more breath-taking than the Grand Canyon.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Meeting the Folks in Phoenix
Phill: 12/6 to 14/6, Arizona - It seemed that our time in the USA was flying by, as it was already time to go get my parents. In an unexpected move, they’d emailed less 2 months before to say that they wanted to join us on our road trip for a while, so long as it took them through Bryce Canyon. Anticipating the fact that we were changing time-zone, and that Arizona (for unknown reasons) doesn’t follow daylight saving with the rest of the states, we were up and away early in the morning. The drive from Las Vegas to Phoenix was long and hot, but the desert landscape was fascinatingly beautiful in it’s own way, with the characteristic cacti dominating the rocky hilltops. We also went over the quite impressive Hoover Dam, which handily has a clock at either end so that you can tell what the heck the time is as you enter AZ. Well, time for me to wear the dunce’s cap. The lack of daylight saving of course meant that we had to put our watches back by an hour, not forward - which offset the hour time-zone difference, and in summary, instead of losing two hours, we lost none. D’oh!
The van needed cleaning anyway, so we pulled off into suburbia near the airport, and after some searching, located a carwash and vacuum so that our “home’ would at least be vaguely presentable. Of course, finding our way into the airport itself when you’re not on major roads took longer than anticipated, but it didn’t matter as the plane was delayed anyway. It was great to see my folks. I’m fairly certain that this last year is the longest I’ve gone without seeing them, plus the thought of Ren and I having some company far outweighed any worries we had about travelling with family. We introduced them the “The Blue Streak” (the van), and set off for our first pre-booked stop in a long time at Camp Verde. We also introduced Mam and Dad to our habit of always trying to eat at local restaurants rather than at “chains”. Don’t get me wrong, we like an Outback Steakhouse, or a Chilli’s as much as the next person, but we can go to those anywhere in the US, right? We had a fair steak in a local steakhouse, and let my parents crash out after their long day travelling.
Our morning drive had some surprises -a canyon complete with market stalls owned by “Nice Indians” or so the sign claimed. That was also where we all enjoyed our first packed lunch in the van together, and Mam and Dad got the terminology for the various boxes around the van (the kitchen, the larder, etc). We were en route to the first of many National Parks to come in the next 2 weeks, and perhaps the most famous - The Grand Canyon. I was the only one that hadn’t been before, so we’d chosen to have limited time here, which meant we spent some time at the lookouts along the Southern Rim. The canyon really is vast, and deep, but I think you’d have to spend a lot more hiking time there to truly appreciate it - I was, like most people I’ve spoken to, not that impressed. It’s huge allright, but that’s about it from the lookout points.
We drove on to a place called Page, and had a great meal and some good beers at a place called the “Dam Bar” before spending the night at another Motel. In the morning, we continued north, stopping at a very scenic lookout over Lake Powell, before heading into Utah
The van needed cleaning anyway, so we pulled off into suburbia near the airport, and after some searching, located a carwash and vacuum so that our “home’ would at least be vaguely presentable. Of course, finding our way into the airport itself when you’re not on major roads took longer than anticipated, but it didn’t matter as the plane was delayed anyway. It was great to see my folks. I’m fairly certain that this last year is the longest I’ve gone without seeing them, plus the thought of Ren and I having some company far outweighed any worries we had about travelling with family. We introduced them the “The Blue Streak” (the van), and set off for our first pre-booked stop in a long time at Camp Verde. We also introduced Mam and Dad to our habit of always trying to eat at local restaurants rather than at “chains”. Don’t get me wrong, we like an Outback Steakhouse, or a Chilli’s as much as the next person, but we can go to those anywhere in the US, right? We had a fair steak in a local steakhouse, and let my parents crash out after their long day travelling.
Our morning drive had some surprises -a canyon complete with market stalls owned by “Nice Indians” or so the sign claimed. That was also where we all enjoyed our first packed lunch in the van together, and Mam and Dad got the terminology for the various boxes around the van (the kitchen, the larder, etc). We were en route to the first of many National Parks to come in the next 2 weeks, and perhaps the most famous - The Grand Canyon. I was the only one that hadn’t been before, so we’d chosen to have limited time here, which meant we spent some time at the lookouts along the Southern Rim. The canyon really is vast, and deep, but I think you’d have to spend a lot more hiking time there to truly appreciate it - I was, like most people I’ve spoken to, not that impressed. It’s huge allright, but that’s about it from the lookout points.
We drove on to a place called Page, and had a great meal and some good beers at a place called the “Dam Bar” before spending the night at another Motel. In the morning, we continued north, stopping at a very scenic lookout over Lake Powell, before heading into Utah
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Yosemite National Park
Phill: 7/6 to 9/6, Yosemite - After hours delay in traffic, we finally arrived at the outskirts of Yosemite National Park. Of all the places in the world, we could not figure out why there were so few campsites around the park. We can only assume that the land for miles around is owned by the government, as there are so few private campsites, but plenty of the very basic government ones. Admitting defeat, and with it getting late, we took a spot on a government site that actually had power, and very little else. This meant that we cooked on the gas stove again that night (tuna pasta bake) under the watchful eye of two huge osprey birds.Renee awoke the next day feeling really sick, and unable to keep any food down - a trip to the park was definitely out - so we drove closer to the park, and eventually found a private campsite with nicer facilities. It wasn’t too overpriced, although the same couldn’t be said for the gas-station next door, which sold unleaded for $3.54/gallon (whereas normally you can almost always get it for under $2.20). Ren passed out, sound asleep for the whole day, which left me to read and play games and relax.
Although not 100%, Ren felt better the next day, so we headed into the park later than we’d have liked. The park (like 3 others) claims to be America’s most popular National Park… this is not a claim to be proud of. It means that it’s overcrowded to bursting point. There were cars and people everywhere, which wasn’t helped at all by the fact that they were in the middle of changing the main road-loop into a one-way system. Hopefully, they’re intending to take the bold move of banning cars from the park and providing a shuttle bus instead. If they added a bike-hire place too, we think it would improve the place hugely, and we’d have to go back to try and gain a different perspective. As it was, it was mostly unpleasant.
There’s something about National Parks, that make people forget how to drive, or be considerate. People do crazy things, like stop in the road without even trying to pull off to the side at all, and get out and take photo’s from the middle of the road. We completely understand that you’re there to see the park, and that means that you’re going to drive at a slow pace at times - but they provide plenty of pull-outs to allow people that want to see the park at the modest speed limit. It’d be great if people actually used them! That’s not to even mention the way they park in the overcrowded car-parks - but then, when you’ve paid your $20 to get in, they really should provide enough parking at the main “attractions”, or perhaps limit the number of vehicles in the park at one time. It was crazy there, simply crazy.
Let’s not dwell on the negative though. The park is stunningly beautiful, with amazing rock formations, waterfalls and a good share of wildlife too. Our first roadside stop was to see two bears a hundred yards or so from the road, which was a great start. We took the short walk up to the base of Bridalveil Falls, which even though we’d been warned, weren’t prepared for the sheer volume of spray there - it was like a full-on rainstorm. We prepared ourselves a little better for Vernal Falls, and after bear-proofing the van as much as possible (getting rid of opened food, etc), we set off with boots and raincoats for the hike ahead. There were loads of people, and huge groups of kids, but the walk was interesting and pretty - although fairly hard going, as you climb to the very top of the waterfall. It gets very wet and windy on the way up, but it was good exercise, and the views were impressive. The route down, as always, was tougher, especially as it had started raining - poor Ren even slipped on some rocks and bruised her elbow quite badly. In some ways though, we were sad to be back at the van, as it meant joining the queues of traffic once again.
We stopped for a few other sights, and managed to see a bald eagle, and a closer look at another bear (some crazy people were way too close, but that’s natural selection for you), but it was still really frustrating, so we left a little earlier than we’d have liked. We pressed-on to Bakersfield that night, stayed at a cheap but cheerful motel, and had dinner at a Logan’s Roadhouse which are always good fun. Yosemite itself was nice, but the masses of people (including us) spoil it - so we vowed to go back some day… at a much quieter time.
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Land of the Giants
Phill: 4/5 to 5/6, Northern California - Having heard Ren (and others) describe them, I was keenly looking forward to seeing the fabled Redwood forests of California. Like many of the things we’ve seen on this trip, no description or photographs can ever really prepare you for that feeling you get inside when confronted with nature’s grand creations. It’s not just about knowing how high, or deep, or tall something is - it’s that feeling of awe you get while your mind tries to deal with the perspective in front of you. “Wow” was all I could say whilst taking the drives through the Redwood National Parks. It’s not just that these trees are the width of our enormous van, nor just that they’re neck-strainingly tall - it’s that there are simply so many of them too. Of all the “styles” of national parks, Ren and I are generally least impressed by the forests - but not so with this one. It’s just phenomenal not just in size, but in beauty, and it also makes you gawk at the fact that it’s all living .Following the recommendations from the geeky, but lovely people in the Visitor’s Centre, we got away from the highway to a campsite called Kamp Klamath. It was pretty and pleasant, and although the bathroom facilities were very basic, the whole place had WiFi and the people were very friendly. They were having a BBQ that night, with music and all you-can-eat local salmon for about $7. Suited us perfectly, as did the offer of a complimentary cooked breakfast. We had time to spare, so we took an “easy” 2.5 hour walk through some of the forest. I’m telling you, we’re not slow walkers, but these “real” hikers are just plain crazy. The walk was pretty, and made interesting by the amount of ducking and climbing we had to do where some of those gargantuan trees had fallen across the path. After a few unmarked junctions, and a little worry at the closing darkness, we eventually made it back out and were very ready for dinner.
It did not disappoint. The memory of the salmon is making my mouth water again as I write this. It was seasoned and grilled on an open BBQ. There was also salad and vegetables and lots of other great food, and we were encouraged to do our best at the comically impossible task of finishing it all. The cooks were a pair of student-chefs that they had employed for the summer, and the owners of the site had a full set-up (amplifiers and all) for a real country-music sing song around a huge fire. The music was good, and the company was great as members of the grey-nomads introduced themselves in that wonderfully forward American way. We met a lot of people “doing the 5th wheel thing” - which is American for selling your house, buying an enormous RV and touring the country. A couple around our age (Ted and Laurie) were touring the National Parks and were great for us to swap tips and stories with, before we eventually turned in for the night.
The next day we continued our Redwoods drive, and despite some confusing signs regarding fee-paying areas we took a very sterile walk at Lady Bird Johnson grove. It was nice… but just a bit flat and almost paved. Our drive was fantastic, even though we accidentally missed all of the trees that are so big that you drive your car through them. It a bit contrived though, as those trees are all on private land (read: money-making), and therefore aren’t actually over any “real” road. We proceeded through the strange hilly-desert landscape of North California, and along the coast a little more when one of my eyes started itching and swelling. Great, it was obviously my turn to get eye-trouble on the trip just as we came to San Francisco.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
USA Route So Far (1)
To help out with the USA geography, we'll post a map occasionally. So, as you know, we flew into California on the East coast, and then onto Michigan, highlighted here:
Then we headed east, dipping briefly through Indiana, north up through Illinois into Wisconsin. From there we went further east through Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington and then south into Oregon. Like this:
Then we headed east, dipping briefly through Indiana, north up through Illinois into Wisconsin. From there we went further east through Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington and then south into Oregon. Like this:
Thursday, June 02, 2005
In a State of Disappointment
Phill: 31/5 to 3/6, Washington - The weather and scenery through Eastern Oregon into Washington wasn’t particularly nice, but it did take us along a section of Interstate with the strongest cross winds we’ve ever felt. We also actually saw tumbleweeds blowing across the road, which made my day anyway. We drove to the outskirts of Seattle, and came up with this great plan to stay on the other side of the bay and take the ferry over, but the campsites were impossible to find, and the one we did find was a primitive one without power and hardly any toilets. We ended up at an overpriced KOA (an American camping chain) that we’d driven past hours earlier - bah!We spent the next day in Seattle, loosely following the Lonely Planet’s tour, which started at Pioneer Square, then we took a street-car (tram) to the fish markets. Both were pretty disappointing, and we ended up eating a fish-less bagel lunch, searching for a bank, and then for alternative transport as the monorail was out-of-order. The rest of their transport system was pretty good though, and we took a bus to the Sky Needle (made somewhat famous by Austin Powers) where we took pictures, and had the obligatory Starbucks - well, come on, it was started here. We had limited time, so we left the city and headed just outside to the capital, Olympia. It was a time of searching it seemed, as we failed to find one campsite, then found another one closed, before eventually arriving at one that turned out to be lovely. Their restaurant recommendation was also great, taking us to a lovely little independent restaurant, with a cute, chatty older German waitress.
We saw Olympic National Park under a very grey sky, an even darker moods as we had a right old time trying to find a walk we wanted to do. We then realised that we weren’t in the park “proper” and that we were rapidly running out of time. Just when we were about to write off the whole park as a rather boring and overrated forest, we followed signs to a giant, and I mean giant Cedar tree, so at least we saw something worthwhile. After much debate, and as the night before had been so pleasant, we headed back for a second night in the same campsite before heading south the next day.
The next morning we drove to Mount St. Helens, a pretty famous volcano, where a friendly old man at the Visitor’s Centre gave us some excellent tips, but advised us that visibility probably wasn’t good at the moment. We fled as several Christian-coach-loads of children descended upon us, and took the long drive up to the lookout points. He wasn’t kidding about the visibility - the mist was as thick as pea-soup, and we couldn’t see across the car-park, let alone the several miles from the lookout to the volcano. We figured it was time to head for sunnier climes, and drove south for Oregon.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Hell's Canyon
Phill: 30/5, Hell’s Canyon - The van, despite only being 6 years old has been a source of worry for us. It’s at that stage where lots of very minor things seem to go wrong. Today it was the turn of the “Service Engine Soon” light to come on for no reason, insofar as we could tell. We stopped at a random rest stop that had a sign for “Free Coffee”, and sure enough there was a fairly old couple there, with pots of coffee on the go, and a whole load of home-baked cookies on offer for a small donation. You have to get so far out into the countryside to get this sort of behaviour in the UK. From the way that people were stopping and chatting to them, it seems to be something they do regularly - which is really sweet. Many of us think that we know what to expect of the USA - and sadly that’s just all the bad stuff - we never realise how much there is over here in the way of friendly people and incredible scenery. Also, when you’re in a country for longer, you have more opportunity to notice little differences in customs, such as the High School Graduate’s car that we saw when we stopped for fuel - over here, it’s the done-thing to decorate your car in much the same way as people do for “Just Marrieds”.Anyway, today we were heading for Hell’s Canyon - a canyon deeper than the Grand Canyon, that sits on the border between Idaho and Oregon. I was expecting a canyon in the sense of a rocky, desert setting, which of course makes no sense in such a verdant state. The canyon was very much green and alive with both flora and people out on the river-reservoir created by the dam. The drive along the canyon-edge to the dam was long and curvy, but it was fun and well worth it for the views.
We crossed the river to the Oregon side, and took a nearby scenic drive towards Joseph which was a pretty route following a river up into the mountains overlooking the canyon. What a view! The hills provided narrow winding roads, surrounded by trees and gorgeous wildflowers. It didn’t end there as the drive went on through the Wallowa mountain ranges.
We finished up at a place called La Grande - which wasn’t - and had an impossible to find campsite. We stopped and asked for directions, which worked out well, as we ended up at a different campsite out of town (Eagles Hot Lake) that was really nice and spacious and had great staff. The owner gave us some food recommendations in a nearby tiny town called Union, which turned out to be closed so we grabbed pizza and buffalo-wings instead. Now, just to clear this up for the Brits and the confused - Buffalo don’t have wings, but it is a place in New York state where a delicious spicy-sauce was invented that you put on deep-fried chicken-wings. What we didn’t know though, was that the chef would accidentally cook us 12 wings instead of 6 and just give them to us anyway, and that the large pizza was colossally bigger than we realised, which we stood no chance of finishing. We returned to the campsite for some gaming and blogging, very full, but happy.
