Wednesday 30 September
We opened our curtains to trees - lots of trees! The trees that we hadn't seen yesterday evening.
And it was quite humid and still very warm but overcast. And that was how it stayed all day.
So we ate a hearty breakfast - garlic potatoes with sausage and waffles with strawberries - before we set off to Yosemite NP.
There was a beautifully restored fire engine kept in a shed in the grounds of where we are staying. Full of all the equipment needed for fighting forest fires.
As we drove to Yosemite we saw lots of trees...
And more trees... but all very beautiful. And such wonderful scenery...
We missed the valley ground tour that had been booked - it was a lot further than we thought to get to the place in time. But we weren't too bothered as we did our own! And we saw some amazing places that the tour didn't stop at - we know this because we saw them going sailing past!!
Shame that the sun didn't come out but at least we were able to walk without being too hot as the temperature was still in the 70s.
And we had another wonderful day.
So it was time for a glass of prosecco and some nibbles on our little terrace before wandering off to the restaurant to eat a burger.
And yet another tired but happy early night!
Stayed at: Narrow Gauge Inn, Oakhurst
Travelled: 128 miles
Thursday 1 October
Today was definitely a day of contrasts and extremes! We took plenty of water with us...
We set off from our accommodation early as we had a long journey ahead. As we left the weather was 41°F - that's 5°C - and overcast. The forecast was for showers in Yosemite which was a shame as today was the 125th birthday of the park and big celebrations were planned.
Happy birthday Yosemite!
We had to cross the park to pick up the road for Death Valley. It should have taken us 3½ hours to do this but with all the photos stops it took us more than 5 hours!
Beautiful scenery - even the bits we had seen yesterday seemed to have changed overnight with everything looking a bit more autumnal.
We said goodbye to El Capitan and saluted him...
... And we both laughed our socks off as we made our way back to the car after taking more photos. We both realised at the same time that we'd walked to the wrong side - and both changed direction at the same time...
Well we thought it was very funny but I suppose that you had to be there...
We stopped at an area called cathedral to take yet more pictures. When I turned round to look where Siobhan was I saw that she seemed to be chatting to a man. After a few minutes she started to look a bit fed up so I wandered across to hear him explaining to her about the different types of pine cones and trees that were found in the area. Siobhan immediately said ' I'm just going to take a photo - right over there' and left me to get the rest of the lecture!
We escaped eventually - still laughing!
As we stopped to take photos yet again later a bearded man approached Siobhan and started telling her about the trees in the area. Two tree enthusiasts in the same day!! Her lucky day!
Some cyclists coming down the pass said that it had been snowing higher up. And as we drove on we could see a covering on some of the mountains - we weren't expecting that!
But the clouds did eventually clear and the sun shone as we made our way towards Death Valley.
And it got hotter...
... and hotter! It was 96° at half past four in the afternoon. We got out of the car and it really was hot!
Eventually the temperature went up to 105°F - that's 41°C - at its peak and for several miles you were advised to turn the air conditioning off on the car to prevent overheating.
The colours of the rocks and hills were amazing. It was not at all what we were expecting. There was actually only one bit with sand dunes - which was more how we thought it would be.
The colours really were incredible...
We stopped for another snack while the sun set. None of the vivid colours of previous evenings on the coast but still very pretty - and it stayed there for much longer.
A long day (about 415 miles of driving for Siobhan) but so picturesque! We went on the highest road in California and we went on the lowest. We went from cold and rain and snow to desert heat. We went from lakes and rivers to arid plains.
And all in a day!
Stayed at: Holiday inn, Pahrump
Travelled: 417 miles
Friday 2 October
Well the day must have stayed with me in my dreams as Siobhan was awake in the early hours and heard a voice out of the darkness say 'You can drive now!'. I didn't know I talked in my sleep! But severl times through the day at some of our photo stops I'd jumped out of the car and Siobhan had stayed in it. Then when I got back in I'd said 'OK drive on' and Siobhan said she felt like Parker from Penelope Pitstop!
We saw loads of little plants/trees that we thought were cacti - turns out they were Joshua trees! Sounds like a good album name...
We went to look at Lake Mead above the Hoover Dam and then we drove up to the dam and walked across the magnificent bridge.
Very high but I did it!
Mainly because I could hug the concrete side near the road which was well away from the railings and the view. But there were several other people doing the same thing so when we passed we sort of sidled round each other.
I couldn't watch Siobhan stand at the railings to take pictures and I did mine by just holding the camera out and not looking!
We then went down to the walls of the dam and looked back up to the bridge.
I'm glad we do it that way!
The huge scale of the bridge and dam was quite breath taking. But then again almost everything we've seen has been the same awesomeness!!...
Great sculpture..
.
We had a picnic right up at the top overlooking the dam and bridge. And we made a new friend...
We stopped again later for something to eat at Wendy Burgers! I've not eaten one of those for a very long time. Perhaps I should have asked for discount!
Another couple of hours driving bought us to our motel for the evening - at a place called Williams!
It looked so quirky that we had to go for an explore. The temperature had been well into the nineties all day but had dropped quickly.
So the sensible people were out in jeans. As we weren't planning on staying out longer just put up with cold knees.
The main street in Williams was like a cross between a scene from a spaghetti western and a scene from Happy Days and the Fonz. Sort of quirky, tacky kitsch but quite entertaining!
We opened our curtains to trees - lots of trees! The trees that we hadn't seen yesterday evening.
And it was quite humid and still very warm but overcast. And that was how it stayed all day.
So we ate a hearty breakfast - garlic potatoes with sausage and waffles with strawberries - before we set off to Yosemite NP.
And more trees... but all very beautiful. And such wonderful scenery...
Shame that the sun didn't come out but at least we were able to walk without being too hot as the temperature was still in the 70s.
And we had another wonderful day.
So it was time for a glass of prosecco and some nibbles on our little terrace before wandering off to the restaurant to eat a burger.
And yet another tired but happy early night!Stayed at: Narrow Gauge Inn, Oakhurst
Travelled: 128 miles
Thursday 1 October
Today was definitely a day of contrasts and extremes! We took plenty of water with us...
We set off from our accommodation early as we had a long journey ahead. As we left the weather was 41°F - that's 5°C - and overcast. The forecast was for showers in Yosemite which was a shame as today was the 125th birthday of the park and big celebrations were planned.
Happy birthday Yosemite!
We had to cross the park to pick up the road for Death Valley. It should have taken us 3½ hours to do this but with all the photos stops it took us more than 5 hours!
Beautiful scenery - even the bits we had seen yesterday seemed to have changed overnight with everything looking a bit more autumnal.
We said goodbye to El Capitan and saluted him...
... And we both laughed our socks off as we made our way back to the car after taking more photos. We both realised at the same time that we'd walked to the wrong side - and both changed direction at the same time...
Well we thought it was very funny but I suppose that you had to be there...
We stopped at an area called cathedral to take yet more pictures. When I turned round to look where Siobhan was I saw that she seemed to be chatting to a man. After a few minutes she started to look a bit fed up so I wandered across to hear him explaining to her about the different types of pine cones and trees that were found in the area. Siobhan immediately said ' I'm just going to take a photo - right over there' and left me to get the rest of the lecture!
We escaped eventually - still laughing!
As we stopped to take photos yet again later a bearded man approached Siobhan and started telling her about the trees in the area. Two tree enthusiasts in the same day!! Her lucky day!
Some cyclists coming down the pass said that it had been snowing higher up. And as we drove on we could see a covering on some of the mountains - we weren't expecting that!
We said that we'd stop for a picnic lunch when it warmed up to 70°F but as the weather didn't seem to be improving at all we ate it in the car!
But the clouds did eventually clear and the sun shone as we made our way towards Death Valley.And it got hotter...
... and hotter! It was 96° at half past four in the afternoon. We got out of the car and it really was hot!
Eventually the temperature went up to 105°F - that's 41°C - at its peak and for several miles you were advised to turn the air conditioning off on the car to prevent overheating.
The colours of the rocks and hills were amazing. It was not at all what we were expecting. There was actually only one bit with sand dunes - which was more how we thought it would be.
The colours really were incredible...
We stopped for another snack while the sun set. None of the vivid colours of previous evenings on the coast but still very pretty - and it stayed there for much longer.A long day (about 415 miles of driving for Siobhan) but so picturesque! We went on the highest road in California and we went on the lowest. We went from cold and rain and snow to desert heat. We went from lakes and rivers to arid plains.
And all in a day!
Stayed at: Holiday inn, Pahrump
Travelled: 417 miles
Friday 2 October
Well the day must have stayed with me in my dreams as Siobhan was awake in the early hours and heard a voice out of the darkness say 'You can drive now!'. I didn't know I talked in my sleep! But severl times through the day at some of our photo stops I'd jumped out of the car and Siobhan had stayed in it. Then when I got back in I'd said 'OK drive on' and Siobhan said she felt like Parker from Penelope Pitstop!
We saw loads of little plants/trees that we thought were cacti - turns out they were Joshua trees! Sounds like a good album name...
We went to look at Lake Mead above the Hoover Dam and then we drove up to the dam and walked across the magnificent bridge.
Very high but I did it!
Mainly because I could hug the concrete side near the road which was well away from the railings and the view. But there were several other people doing the same thing so when we passed we sort of sidled round each other. We then went down to the walls of the dam and looked back up to the bridge.
I'm glad we do it that way!
The huge scale of the bridge and dam was quite breath taking. But then again almost everything we've seen has been the same awesomeness!!...
Great sculpture..
.
We had a picnic right up at the top overlooking the dam and bridge. And we made a new friend...
We stopped again later for something to eat at Wendy Burgers! I've not eaten one of those for a very long time. Perhaps I should have asked for discount!
Another couple of hours driving bought us to our motel for the evening - at a place called Williams!
It looked so quirky that we had to go for an explore. The temperature had been well into the nineties all day but had dropped quickly. So the sensible people were out in jeans. As we weren't planning on staying out longer just put up with cold knees.
The main street in Williams was like a cross between a scene from a spaghetti western and a scene from Happy Days and the Fonz. Sort of quirky, tacky kitsch but quite entertaining!
We had left McDonald's coke cups in the car overnight - with the ice left in the bottom. When we went to throw them away the following morning there were still ice cubes in there! Shows how cold it had been overnight - no wonder our knees had been cold when we went out for a walk!!
Stayed at: El Rancho, Williams
Travelled: 278 miles
Saturday 3 October
Stayed at: El Rancho, Williams
Travelled: 278 miles
Saturday 3 October
Breakfast in a cowboy saloon on the main street - complete with sherrif!
Proper cowboy breakfast with eggs sunny side up!...
Proper cowboy breakfast with eggs sunny side up!...
The sherrif asked if we'd enjoyed our breakfast and we said it was 'spot on!'. He quite liked that and wandered off saying 'spod on' to everyone in his American accent!
A quick stop at the quilt shop before we left... Siobhan managed to come out of the shop with just one dollar!
Then off to the Grand Canyon. It took us 4 hours to travel 26 miles!!
This spectacle speaks for itself!...
'
Stayed at Lake Powell Resort, Page
Travelled: 241 miles
Sunday 4 October
Monument valley - lots of very red sand stone. Bit cloudy when we arrived but we decided to go on a tour rather than go around ourselves
Great fun in a Jeep - our American Indian driver Gary was very patient with us when we wanted to take loads of photos. The sun came out again and he made sure that we were in a good position to watch the sunset. It moved very quickly from monument to monument and was gone in minutes but what a spectacle!
There were wild horses out on the scrubland kicking up their hooves and raising clouds of red dust as they galloped around.
We stayed at Monument Valley for a meal - Navajo Tacos. Absolutely delicious - and we couldn't finish them even though we'd only had the small portions.
We ran between showers and thunderstorms to the restaurant next door for a quick meal which was interrupted by the owner showing us magic tricks while ourkmeal got cold - not impressed! - and that was as much as we managed for the whole day. But it was nice to have a day off
Then off to the Grand Canyon. It took us 4 hours to travel 26 miles!!
This spectacle speaks for itself!...
Stayed at Lake Powell Resort, Page
Travelled: 241 miles
Sunday 4 October
Monument valley - lots of very red sand stone. Bit cloudy when we arrived but we decided to go on a tour rather than go around ourselves
Great fun in a Jeep - our American Indian driver Gary was very patient with us when we wanted to take loads of photos. The sun came out again and he made sure that we were in a good position to watch the sunset. It moved very quickly from monument to monument and was gone in minutes but what a spectacle!
We had come to here from Page, where we were staying - we were surprised to see 10 churches in a row in the town. But we were told that there are actually 14 and that they had been built to encourage families to live there - and the reason that they were all in a row was so that the concrete could be laid more easily!
As we booked the tour the man referred to the UK as the United Queendom which we thought was rather nice.
There were wild horses out on the scrubland kicking up their hooves and raising clouds of red dust as they galloped around.
Despite the clouds Gary our American Indian guide got us to just the right spot to get the few short breaks in the cloud as the sun set and the sky filled briefly with fire as the sun touched the tops of the rock formations.
As we neared our accommodation after driving back in the dark we started to see flashes of lightening in the sky. No rain, no thunder and no sound.
We stood out on our little balcony and watched as the lightening flickered and flashed over the harbour in front of us. Really strange but really interesting!
Stayed at: Lake Powell Resort, Page
Travelled: 270 miles
Monday 5 October
The lightening turned to a proper display and there was a terrific thunderstorm through the night with thunder which seemed to shake the room at times (or so Siobhan tells me - one of the few advantages of being a bit deaf is that you sleep through these things!)
We had set an alarm to get up at 5.30am to see the sunrise. But we both woke up at 4.30am and decided that there was too much cloud and rain so we switched it off.
The rain continued for a while in the morning and then we had sunny intervals for the next couple of hours.
But the consequence of all the heavy rain was that Antelope Valley was closed for the day due to the possibility of flash floods.
So we went off to McDonald's for breakfast (and more importantly internet!) and pondered over what we should do next.
Having spoken to a couple the previous evening who said that the scenery round Kanab was wonderful we decided to go there as it was within easy reach of our next planned destinations.
We arrived early at our motel but the room was available so we took all our luggage in for a good sort out.
It started raining again - very hard - so we settled down with the internet and a glass of wine.
We ran between showers and thunderstorms to the restaurant next door for a quick meal which was interrupted by the owner showing us magic tricks while ourkmeal got cold - not impressed! - and that was as much as we managed for the whole day. But it was nice to have a day off
Stayed at: Rodeway Inn, Kanab
Travelled: 80 miles
