Tuesday 25 March 2008

san francisco

Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge
View of the coast from Muir National Park
On the way to the lookout
Looking back across to San Francisco
Bronte at the lookout
Bronte driving down Lombard Street
Street car at Fishermans Wharf
This one is open top!

Sunday 23rd March
Well today is the day we head home. The car had to be dropped back at 9.34am and the rental place was across the street from the motel which was really handy. Once the car was done we caught a street car into the train station to put our luggage into a locker while we spent the day in the city. No lockers in San Francisco to be found due to 9-11 apparently. What to do with the luggage?? We went to the hostel where we stayed when we first arrived in San Francisco and they gladly stored the luggage for us, thank god. We caught the street car down to the warf, had a bit of a look around then caught the street car back to the Castro. We had to get our luggage by 5.00pm so we could catch the train to the airport and be at check in by 6.00pm. Everything went smoothly and our flight was only half full so we were checked in really quickly. The flight left at 8.00pm and we now have 18 hours of flying to go. Back home on Tuesday to the real world.

Saturday 22nd March
Today we wanted to go and check out a few parts around San Francisco we had missed previously, now we had the car it made us more mobile. The first thing we needed to do was wash the car. We have done 9000ks in three weeks and the car was feral dirty, we could not return it the way it was. It took us a couple of hours to get it nice and clean and it almost looked brand new again. Now the car was clean we headed to the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge to Tiburon. Tiburon has a view back across the harbor to the main parts of San Francisco. It was great, there was such a nice view. From there we went to Muir Woods National Park and to the lookout over Muir beach. From there to Stinson Beach which was packed considering it was the spring break and every man and his dog was on holiday. It was still a nice place to go for a drive, the scenery was very nice. We headed back to our motel as we wanted to get some washing done and organise some stuff before our departure tomorrow. We headed out for a drive to Walmart for one more time to buy a small suitcase for carry on luggage. Got some dinner at Quiznos Sub and then drove around San Francisco at night to have a look at the lights of the city.

Friday 21st March
Today we had planned to drive into Hollywood Blvd and buy some shoes I had seen the first time we were there 3 weeks ago. We knew where the shop was with the shoes and it was kind of on our way back to San Francisco. Found a carpark with a parking meter a few metres off Hollywood Blvd and paid for 1 hour. Went and got my shoes and had a bit of a look around and then went back to the car to put some more money in the meter. As we walked to the car so did the parking inspector, the meter was flashing expired and by my watch we were 4 minutes over. I talked to the parking inspector and he said "bad luck it was expired when I got here." So a $40 parking ticket was issued. Anyway we were a little pissed off to say the least. We now had to travel back to San Francisco which was around 500 ks so we hit the road. Got to San Francisco at around 7.00pm and checked into a motel, decided to go to Ihop for dinner which was a little disappointing and then drove around a bit before going back to the room. The room next door had kids in it and it sounded like they were having a party, they made so much noise for half the night.

Saturday 22 March 2008

disneyland

The Ferris Wheel you can see where the
gondolas follow the light blue bars.
Disneyland
Bronte with Pluto
Tower of Terror

Bronte on the roller coaster

As the roller coaster does the loop

Tower of Terror at night

Us at California Disney

Thursday 20th March
Off to Disneyland today and it was only walking distance so not far to go. We first chose the original Disneyland to spend half the day in. We went on the Indiana Jones ride first which was great. The next one was Splash Mountain, and boy did it live up to it's name we got soaking wet all over. We then spent the next 2 hours trying to dry off. Lucky it was warm and sunny and not cold like it had been. Disneyland was packed out as it is spring break here right now. We also went on the Space Mountain ride which was pretty cool, a roller coaster in the dark. Then we crossed to California Disneyland and that was fantastic. The roller coaster was unbelievable and we went on it three times. There was also a ride called Hollywood Hotel Tower of Terror, we went on it four times, it's a bit like the giant drop at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast but it drops and goes back up and drops again and then goes back up and it does that about 4 times. The most scary ride of all was the Ferris wheel believe it or not. It was not just a normal Ferris wheel but one where the bits you sit in move from side to side as you go around. If you look at the photo closely you will see what I mean. Anyway we stayed at Disney all day, watched the fire works and left at about 11pm. It was a really good day but very tiring. Well now we have to head for San Francisco in the morning but we are first of all going to stop at Hollywood Blvd and look at some shoes we saw last time we were here.

Friday 21 March 2008

death valley

Scotty's Castle
The unfinished pool
Scotty's Castle
Ubehebe Crater, small crater
Ubehebe Crater, large crater
Not too close!!

Wednesday 19th March
Today we got up nice and early as we wanted to check out some more of Death Valley. There was a couple of other bits we wanted to see before we headed off. We travelled north from Beatty and went to a place called Scotty's Castle. This was built by a guy (Scotty) between 1922 and 1931 in the middle of Death Valley. It was amazing to see this castle which was it's own oasis in the middle of what looks like desert. It has a long history of ownership from the time building stopped as there was a disagreement with the council on the location it was built. It was 1 mile out of place, it should have been on private property but it was not. Scotty stopped building and began legal proceedings to fix the situation, but he died and so did his wife and to cut a long story short the National Parks bought it to keep it as National Heritage. The building is about 90% complete and would of been unbelievable if it was completed. The largest part not complete was a massive swimming pool in the front. From there we went to Ubehebe Crater which is an old extinct volcano that erupted about 2000 years ago, which is relatively new in terms of age. It exploded from magma heating underground water and left black volcanic ash in a six mile radius. The view was great from the top but it was as windy as all hell. Now we were finished with Death Valley and after negotiation we went back to Stovepipe Wells, out of Death Valley and went to Los Angeles again, this time we wanted to go to Disneyland. We looked up in our trusty discount book and found a cheap motel within 500 metres of Disneyland so we were nice and close. It was only around 300 ks to Los Angeles from the edge of Death Valley so it was really not too much out of our way. The owner of the motel hooked us up with some cheap Disneyland and California Disneyland tickets. There are two Disneyland Parks at the one location and you need a ticket to cover both parks not just one. Off for more roller coasters and fun tomorrow!

Tuesday 18 March 2008

death valley

Death Valley
Stovepipe Wells at sea level
Pupfish at Salt Creek
Salt Creek
Badwater Basin 282 feet below sea level
Devils Golf Course
Artists Palette

Tuesday 18th March
Last night we went to Sizzler in Bishop, the meal was really good be we ate way too much of the salad bar and felt sick. The cheap motel we stayed in was really nice too. Got going today after breakfast and filled up with gas (petrol) and set off for Death Valley. We got to the turn off and started to head for the mountains, the road was very windey and hilly. Once we got to Panamint Springs we stopped and bought a drink. We had travelled down into Panamint Valley and the view was fantastic. We still had to head for Stovepipe Wells which was back up out of Panamint Valley to about 5000ft and back down into Stovepipe Wells which is at sea level. We stopped and had lunch at Stovepipe Wells and took some photos and then headed to Furnace Creek Visitor Centre which is 190 feet below sea level. On the way to Furnace Creek we stopped at Salt Creek where there was a creek (funny about that), which is hard to believe as you appear to be in the desert. In the creek which is salt water live the only fish that are able to live there called Pupfish. These Pupfish can live in water five times more salty than sea water, and water that is up to 90 degrees F in temp. There was only a bit of a trickle of water but there was thousands of fish. We managed to get a couple of photos of the fish. Got to the visitor centre and collected our free map and set off for Badwater Basin which is the lowest point in western America at 282 feet below sea level. The salt plains were cool to look at and you were able to walk out onto the salt for a better view. It kind of looked like you were on the moon. From there we went to Devils Golf Course which had more salt crust coming from the ground in large sharp clumps, they too looked very strange. From there we went to Artists Palette which kind of speaks for it's self in the photos. It's hard to believe there are so many different colours in the earth all in such a close proximity. From there we made our way to Beatty, Nevada where we found another cheap good motel and checked in for the night. Probably will go to the casino for dinner tonight and use their wifi for the Internet as this motel does not have connection. At the moment we are only just over 100 ks from Las Vegas again, we have done a big circle and made our way all the way back. Anyway hungry now and we need to have dinner. See you tomorrow! Also forgot to mention the temp hit 31 today which is 36 degrees more than just a couple of days ago, heat wave!

Monday 17 March 2008

reno

Reno, Nevada

View from our room on the 24th floor

Also from our room

River running through Reno

Car once owned by Elvis

Gold Delorian

Car once owned by John F Kennedy

View of Mono Basin

We were travelling on the road above after this lookout

Monday 17th March
Today we got up and had a walk around Reno for a look. We went into the center of town and looked in a few shops and had a walk along the river. Once we had done that and had some Maccas for breakie we went to the National Automobile Museum. This museum is meant to be one of the best around. It was good, all the cars were in fantastic condition, some restored and some all original. There were cars owned by famous people as the photos above show. There was also the original bat mobile and a gold Delorian used for advertising a gold American Express card in 1981. The Delorian was valued at $85000 back in 1981. After the museum we had lunch and hit the road again this time heading down the eastern side of Yosemite National Park. We only travelled about 300 ks today and along the way we stopped at a look out over the Mono Basin and lake Mono. The view was fantastic as we were so high, once we finished at the lookout we travelled down into the basin and along the road in the photo. We have stopped for the night in Bishop California which seems like a really nice little town. Yosemite is all closed for winter so we are going to head to Death Valley tomorrow, I think.

bonneville

Bonneville salt flat speedway
Me at Bonneville
View across the salt flats

Sunday 16th March

Today we had a long trip planned from Salt Lake City to Reno, Nevada. It was going to be about 830 ks but the entire road was 2 lane highway with no stops or towns to slow down for at all. The road speed limit was 75 mph so we managed the trip in a little over 7 hours with stops for lunch and petrol. It's so good to travel on a continuous road only stopping after taking an exit into a town and not having to slow down for anything. If you didn't need petrol stops you could drive without slowing down. Anyway we did stop for food, petrol and sight seeing. The one sight seeing spot was Bonneville salt flats. The Bonneville speedway if famous for land speed records, and if you have watched "The worlds fastest Indian" you will know what I am talking about. Anyhow the trip went well and we arrived at Reno and found cheap accommodation at Harrahs Casino in the middle of town. Once settled in we went to Ihop again for dinner, yum! After dinner we went back to the motel and watched TV and planned our day for Monday.

salt lake city

Temple Square in Salt Lake City
Lookout on Antelope Island
Salt Lake
Salt Lake
Bison on Antelope Island (look closely)

Saturday 15th March
Today we got up and went in to the city area . We thought we would catch the tram in but the closest tram stop was half way to the city so we walked all the way, it really was not that far. After trying to find the shopping mall or shopping area we went in to Temple Square, which is the square in the very center of town where the Mormons have their church, hall and other buildings. After speaking to a girl at Temple Square who told us there was no shopping in the city area like Australia we then thought we would have a quick look around the square. Once we looked around we went to the tourist info building and got some info on Salt Lake. Once we had the map and recommendation to visit Antelope Island we drove the 40 miles to the National Park and paid to go in. We went to the visitor centre and then drove around and looked at the view of the salt lakes from Antelope Island. They also have Bison roaming free which they farm and sell to make money for the up keep of the island. The salt lake also produces salt and sea monkeys (brine shrimp) for fish food. After we finished at the island we went to Ihop for dinner, the food at Ihop was really good and we both really enjoyed it. It snowed so much while we were in Salt Lake City, it really did not stop. It was very nice with everything covered in snow.

Friday 14 March 2008

denver & jackson

Main Street in Jackson
Side Street showing snow on the footpath
Town Square
Snow on car Friday morning
Town Square in Jackson

Friday 14th March.
Had a bit of a sleep in today to rest from our big drive. The car was covered in about 10 cms of snow and so were all the roads. We went for a look around the town and took some photos and bought some souvenirs. Jackson was a really nice place if you wanted to ski, but alas we had not come prepared for snow. Toady we were heading for Salt Lake City, it was only around 450 ks away. Once we worked out the roads we set off. The first way we wanted to go was shut for cars without chains or 4wd, so I asked for other directions from a local who told us what roads were open. We headed off again and this time with success. Today we had about 40 ks of snow driving where you could not see bitumen and the car slipped and slid a bit but it was not too bad. In Australia you can not even drive any roads in the snow anything like what we did without chains. It was a bit scary and Bronte did panic a bit but we made it with no hiccups to the cars. The entire drive today was through snow covered mountains and a thin layer of snow over most of the road. The temp almost never got above 0, most of the journey was -2 until we hit the city where it was a balmy 7 degrees. Went out for dinner tonight to the local pub and the meals were good. We have just come back from Walmart shopping and we are in love with Walmart, they have so much stuff and it's so much cheaper than home. Can they come to Australia?

Ice build-up from driving on icy roads
Some of the better driving conditions
When the roads got bad
Scene heading to Yellow Stone


Thursday 13th March.
Lesson 1, when you decide to go to a place check and make sure you have all the details. Today we got up early and decided to head to Salt Lake City. On the way I started to read the Lonely Planet guide and realised Yellow Stone National Park was not far out of our way and it would be nice to visit. It was however about 600 ks and around 9 hour drive. I plotted the directions into the Tom Tom and away we went. We stopped for lunch and had Subway with around 300 ks from our destination. The temp outside was -2 and there was a little snow falling. After lunch we continued to Lander where we stopped for petrol and changed drivers. The further we got the colder it was, the more snow was falling and the greater the snow on the side of the road. We drove through a place called Dubois and the snow was even more pretty on the trees. At this point in time I made the comment of "Yellow Stone National Park is going to be cold if we have this much snow here." We kept driving and the road started to get very slushy and wet, then the road got worse and we were still around 60 ks from our destination. The temp had dropped to -5 and the road was just ice, I was only travelling at about 40kph and just taking it easy. The road got steeper and more windey and I slowed even further, at this point in time I sad to Bronte I can't keep going it's too slippery. I pulled the car over and got out, the ground was very slippery to stand on. I got back in and tried to drive off and the wheels spun and we started to move, I put on the brakes and the car slid to a stop. After a couple minutes of debating and only about 40ks from the end we kept going. The road started to get better again after about 10ks. I could actually see parts of the yellow line on the road and in some places it was black with visible bitumen. We made it to the next turn off and now only had 15 ks to go. This road we entered went through the ranger station and to Colter Bay Village, our destination. The road got bad again, all you could see was snow and marker posts to follow the track! We arrived at Colter Bay Village and it was deserted!! no one there at all. I turned the car around and it slipped and slid about a bit. We now thought we would head to a place called Jackson Hole which was another 50 ks and it was a larger town. The road was bad for the 15 ks again till we got back to the turn off. We travelled about half an hour and we were now in Jackson. It was real pretty, we found a motel and checked in. As I was checking in I asked the lady about Yellow Stone Park. She replied "The park closes for Winter and does not open till April." Back to lesson 1, check the details before you drive into a ski resort with a front wheel drive car without chains and winter tyres. We had travelled all that way for no reason, however Jackson was an amazing place, beautiful would be the best way to describe it. We went for a bit of a walk around to check out the town. I was not a bad size and had lots of shops and fast food chains etc. Later that night I checked the road weather maps of the area to get info on us getting back out. The road we had entered was closed to vehicles without chains or 4wd, but the roads out to Salt Lake City were not to bad.

Road on the way to Denver

Wednesday 12th March.
Started our morning from Grand Junction and headed for Denver. The highway was surprising as we went through some very pretty scenery, the mountains were all snow covered and we had snow to the edges of the road. Once we arrived we found our cheap motel that we booked on wotif.com and checked in. Walked down the road a bit and had KFC for lunch. After lunch we went for a drive in to the city to a shopping centre called Cherry Gardens. We had checked out the internet and found a Croc shop. Bronte wanted a new pair of Crocs which are not available in Australia. We managed to find the Crocs and Bronte was excited with his new Crocs! We went back to our motel and had a bit of a rest as we both still have our colds.

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