A CALIFORNIAN ODYSSEY 2010.....A live trip report from the Golden State
Jun 22nd, 2010, 03:57 PM
#84
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Hi Guys. I did think twice when I wrote Mohave but I was in such a rush to write that piece, and under the influence of a Margarita or 2, that I didn't check it before posting.
I am actually in Yosemite at the momment and trying to get my last few days committed to print after a big day of hiking.
As for the tyre, the guy that helped out and rang the hire company seems to think that they will reimburse me. He deals with other hire companies and bills them direct. Anyway, if I am out of pocket it wont dampen the fantastic time I am having.
Anyhow, on with the story....
I am actually in Yosemite at the momment and trying to get my last few days committed to print after a big day of hiking.
As for the tyre, the guy that helped out and rang the hire company seems to think that they will reimburse me. He deals with other hire companies and bills them direct. Anyway, if I am out of pocket it wont dampen the fantastic time I am having.
Anyhow, on with the story....
Jun 22nd, 2010, 04:07 PM
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Just before I go on, I think the reason that the drive to Vegas was less than inspiring is that it is similar than the long haul from Mildura, where we live, to Melbourne. We do this trip often and the scenery has got quite tiresome. I must preferred the trip to the Canyon from Vegas as the changes in altitude provided a bit more variety in landscape.
Jun 22nd, 2010, 04:08 PM
#86
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SATURDAY JUNE 19th.
The two things that I had wanted to do on our trip to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon was to see this natural wonder at sunset and sunrise. So far, I had missed the chance to do both, as due to our unscheduled stop, we had arrived after sunset and were just too pooped to try to get up in time for sunrise.
We had booked 2 nights at the Best Western Squire in Tusayan which is only a few miles from the park entrance. The town seems to have only one purpose, to service travelers to the South Rim who like myself, were unable to secure accommodation inside the park or were looking for a better style of lodging than the on site cabins offer. Apart from a handful of large chain hotels, Tusayan offers a few restaurants, a gas station, an Imax theatre and general store. The Best Western was a good choice for us with really good facilities for the kids including a 6 lane bowling alley and a large amusement parlor. The rooms were large and comfortable and the entire complex had that friendly, “lived-in” feeling. Some would find it a little “tired”, but we were more than satisfied.
We decided to take advantage of the complimentary breakfast at the Best Western Squire Hotel, and for what was billed as a continental buffet, we were pleasantly surprised with both the quality and variety of what they offered. Plenty of hot items such as eggs, potatoes, sausages’ and French toast, shared space with an array of muffins, bagels and fruits. We were refueled and ready to tackle our first hike of the day.
The drive from the hotel to the park entrance was only a few minutes. At the main gate, there was a small line of cars at each of the 5 entry booths and after a short wait, we paid our $25 per car entry and drove a further few miles to the actual Rim itself.
Our first glimpse of the Canyon was indeed breathtaking. It filled me with a dizzy sense of anticipation of what lied ahead and certainly left me in awe. We had parked at Yavapai viewpoint and spent about an hour taking photo’s from different angles and looking at the exhibits in the observation station where they supply binoculars which allowed you to view the Colorado river and the bridge a long way below.
Next stop was about a mile or so west where most of the lodges sit along or close to the rim. If we come back we will get in early and book one of these, virtually steps away from one of the most inspiring views imaginable. I had decided that we would tackle the Bright Angel trail that runs all the way to the river, but has a few stopover points along the way with restrooms and fresh water. The trail was well maintained and very safe but with the kids with us and some sheer drops, we had to proceed with caution. It took us about an hour to descend the mile and a half to the first rest point with plenty of stops for photos and water breaks along the way. As it was so hot at this time of the day, this point was where we turned and faced to challenging climb back up to the Rim. You do need a reasonable level of fitness to attempt this trail but it is well worth the effort with some amazing vistas of the Canyon below and the Rim above. It gives you a completely different aspect to just peering over the edge and the kids particularly enjoyed waiting for the “Mule-Trains” to pass. It would take a full day to try to climb down to the river and back but there are signs up warning of the perils of attempting this feat in a single day.
The boys were exhausted at this point so we drove into Tusayan for an ice-cream and to watch the movie at the Imax theatre. The film was impressive visually but it disappointed all of us in that it failed to really provide much insight into how this natural wonder was formed preferring to document the story of human discovery of the Canyon. We then returned to the Hotel for a rest whilst the boys went bowling and planned to return to the Rim in time for sunset.
The sun was due to disappear below the Rim at 7.45pm, so we got back to the park just after 6, planning to explore the visitor centre for a while first. Strangely, I thought, the visitor centre closed at 6 so we had to make do with a stroll along the Rim trail which certainly didn’t disappoint. The different colors and textures produced by the failing light provided an amazing show and by the time the sun dropped below the horizon, I had taken almost 200 photo’s.
We were back in the hotel at 8, had dinner at a small bar area on the ground floor near the amusement parlor and I managed to down a few Margarita’s as we discussed the magical sight we had just witnessed.
The two things that I had wanted to do on our trip to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon was to see this natural wonder at sunset and sunrise. So far, I had missed the chance to do both, as due to our unscheduled stop, we had arrived after sunset and were just too pooped to try to get up in time for sunrise.
We had booked 2 nights at the Best Western Squire in Tusayan which is only a few miles from the park entrance. The town seems to have only one purpose, to service travelers to the South Rim who like myself, were unable to secure accommodation inside the park or were looking for a better style of lodging than the on site cabins offer. Apart from a handful of large chain hotels, Tusayan offers a few restaurants, a gas station, an Imax theatre and general store. The Best Western was a good choice for us with really good facilities for the kids including a 6 lane bowling alley and a large amusement parlor. The rooms were large and comfortable and the entire complex had that friendly, “lived-in” feeling. Some would find it a little “tired”, but we were more than satisfied.
We decided to take advantage of the complimentary breakfast at the Best Western Squire Hotel, and for what was billed as a continental buffet, we were pleasantly surprised with both the quality and variety of what they offered. Plenty of hot items such as eggs, potatoes, sausages’ and French toast, shared space with an array of muffins, bagels and fruits. We were refueled and ready to tackle our first hike of the day.
The drive from the hotel to the park entrance was only a few minutes. At the main gate, there was a small line of cars at each of the 5 entry booths and after a short wait, we paid our $25 per car entry and drove a further few miles to the actual Rim itself.
Our first glimpse of the Canyon was indeed breathtaking. It filled me with a dizzy sense of anticipation of what lied ahead and certainly left me in awe. We had parked at Yavapai viewpoint and spent about an hour taking photo’s from different angles and looking at the exhibits in the observation station where they supply binoculars which allowed you to view the Colorado river and the bridge a long way below.
Next stop was about a mile or so west where most of the lodges sit along or close to the rim. If we come back we will get in early and book one of these, virtually steps away from one of the most inspiring views imaginable. I had decided that we would tackle the Bright Angel trail that runs all the way to the river, but has a few stopover points along the way with restrooms and fresh water. The trail was well maintained and very safe but with the kids with us and some sheer drops, we had to proceed with caution. It took us about an hour to descend the mile and a half to the first rest point with plenty of stops for photos and water breaks along the way. As it was so hot at this time of the day, this point was where we turned and faced to challenging climb back up to the Rim. You do need a reasonable level of fitness to attempt this trail but it is well worth the effort with some amazing vistas of the Canyon below and the Rim above. It gives you a completely different aspect to just peering over the edge and the kids particularly enjoyed waiting for the “Mule-Trains” to pass. It would take a full day to try to climb down to the river and back but there are signs up warning of the perils of attempting this feat in a single day.
The boys were exhausted at this point so we drove into Tusayan for an ice-cream and to watch the movie at the Imax theatre. The film was impressive visually but it disappointed all of us in that it failed to really provide much insight into how this natural wonder was formed preferring to document the story of human discovery of the Canyon. We then returned to the Hotel for a rest whilst the boys went bowling and planned to return to the Rim in time for sunset.
The sun was due to disappear below the Rim at 7.45pm, so we got back to the park just after 6, planning to explore the visitor centre for a while first. Strangely, I thought, the visitor centre closed at 6 so we had to make do with a stroll along the Rim trail which certainly didn’t disappoint. The different colors and textures produced by the failing light provided an amazing show and by the time the sun dropped below the horizon, I had taken almost 200 photo’s.
We were back in the hotel at 8, had dinner at a small bar area on the ground floor near the amusement parlor and I managed to down a few Margarita’s as we discussed the magical sight we had just witnessed.
Jun 22nd, 2010, 05:33 PM
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The sun rises very early during mid June in Arizona. This realization came over me as my alarm went off at 4.25am to arrest my Tequila fueled slumber. My natural reaction was to smash the source of that incessant buzzing and return myself to the land of nod. But my heart was set on taking in a South Rim sunrise so I pealed my head from the pillow, splashed some cool water on my face, tied on my hiking shoes and set off alone and disorientated.
I drove back into the park and turned eastwards on Desert View Drive, towards Yaki point, where the Kaibab trail begins. The turnoff was signposted “NO ACCESS. SHUTTLE BUS ONLY” and there was “NO PARKING” signs on both sides of the road near the entrance. I returned to a viewing area about ¼ of a mile back up the road, parked there and found a trail that seemed to be going in the right direction. Even though it was still about 40 minutes before the official sunrise time of 5.27, there was sufficient light to see reasonably clearly, which was a good thing as this track joined onto the Rim Trail which hugged the edge of the Canyon quite closely and may well be hazardous in the dark.
After about 10 minutes, I reached Yaki point and was surprised to find a small car park there that was partially full. I would suggest to anyone who was thinking of doing this hike early in the morning, to ignore the signs as they seem to be there just to discourage large amounts of cars from entering as only a few dozen parking spaces are provided. I found the trail-head quite easily and looked down to an almost sublime sight of light beginning to appear from the eastern horizon, filling the Canyon with an eerie glow of earthy red, brown and yellow tones. This alone, made it worthwhile being so abruptly jogged out of my deep sleep, but what was to follow would prove to be priceless.
Only a small handful of other hikers were on the trail at this time and at most stages of my descent, it felt like I had it to myself. The drop into the Canyon was far more rapid than the Bright Angel track with switchbacks’ and deep steps, constructed of wood and rock, much more frequent. The beauty of this sight unfolding in front of me kept my mind from thinking how difficult the return journey would be. My intention was to watch the sunrise at a point called Cedar Ridge, a large plateau that narrows to, as it’s name suggests, a small wedge of rock that overhangs the lower part of the Canyon. I fell just short of this goal, but found a small rocky outcrop not far from the ridge to watch the sun break over the rim, and then continued down. I spent the best part of an hour just absorbing the morning splendor and shooting another 100 or so photos.
The climb back to the top was a constant challenge to both my legs and my lungs and as I needed to get back and pack for our onward journey, I had to ascend at a reasonable pace with no time for rest stops. The euphoria that I felt when I reached the top was indescribable. I felt that I had pushed a personal boundary and had been duly rewarded for the effort. The walk back to the car should have been an anticlimax, but just as I was about to reach the main road, I heard a rustle in the scrub and what I think was a wolf appeared on the track in front of me. A slight panic and instinct of self preservation stood me in my tracks and stopped me from retrieving my camera from my pack before it calmly dissolved into the bushes on the other side of the track. My legs moved a bit quicker and my heartbeat rose again from its only recently recovered state.
Before long we were back in the car and traveling back to Vegas. We were so impressed by the Mandalay Bay, that we booked into there again rather than stay further along the strip. We departed Tusayan at a few minutes after 9am so to reach Vegas with plenty of time to explore a bit of the main drag.
The return journey was far less eventful, thankfully, and my legs enjoyed being able to sit for 4 hours after the work out they had received. I absorbed more along the drive this time and I was surprised that I was unable to find what I perceive as the traditional “fork-style” cactus tree’s. Isn’t that what the desert in Arizona is famous for. The only ones that I spotted were painted on a billboard for Mexican restaurant in some “two-dog” town that we passed. All the Cacti were either of the small succulent variety with rounded leaves or taller types with “weedy” tufts protruding from the top. What has happened to real cactus? Have they been reclaimed by the Mexican’s or purely just over farmed? I found this to be a major disappointment.
Another thing that stood out was the queue, once again, of cars lining up to cross or visit Hoover Dam. This time, fortunately it was from the opposite direction from which we were traveling. It was lined up all the way to Boulder City! I know that the bridge will ease this problem for the passing traffic, but there really should be multiple checkpoint lanes rather than the current practice of stopping each car, looking through the window to make sure that you don’t look like a terrorist, and then waving you through.
We checked into the Mandalay Bay in moments, now familiar with the procedure, dropped our bags in our 29th floor room with a million dollar view, and then went down to catch the tram that runs to the Excalibur. Our first port of call was the MGM Grand which was accessed by two bridges from the Excalibur. We wanted to see the Lion Habitat on the casino floor there and were met by a fairly active lioness who was jumping over the glass tube walkway that joined 2 sections of the enclosure. The actual gaming area at the MGM was incredibly dark and nowhere near as inviting as the Mandalay. I forgot to mention that on our previous visit to Vegas a few days prior, I had snuck over from Starbucks whilst the kids were finishing their Hot Chocolate and inserted a crisp $5 note into the nearest machine that quickly multiplied to $35. I was looking forward to expanding on this fortune later in the day.
Kerry has two main loves in her life, apart from friends and family, and that is for M&M’s and Coke, of the diet variety. It so happens that both of these iconic brands have multi-story shops dedicated to them and they are both right next door to the MGM. Needless to say, they became our next stop and various purchases were made. Another fabulous thing that the good folk of the worlds most powerful country have decided not to share with their distant relatives down under are Peanut Butter M&M’s. Something needs to be done. You cant keep all the best stuff for yourselves!!
We walked along a bit further and explored Caesar’s Palace ( I enquired but he wasn’t currently in), the Bellagio fountain, marveled at the streetscape of New York New York and then caught the shuttle back to Mandalay. Everything that I saw further justified my choice of lodging based on our budget and circumstances.
Just a few further observations about the Strip. What is it with all those Mexican guys handing out cards for local Call girls? They hand them out to men walking with women, the women themselves, even the kids were offered them. If one was to use this service, are you asked which guys recommended them so they could get a cut or are they just paid hourly? They all have exactly the same “technique” where they slap the card on the palm of their hand to make a clicking sound before they try and insert it in your hand or pocket. The other thing that you notice are people who are dressed up as celebrities, presumably to get a tip for having photo’s with passing fans. We saw Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley from Kiss, Freddy Kruger, Mario and Luigi of Nintendo fame amongst others. The most bizarre of all was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, complete with red shoes and Toto. The thing is, she must have been 75 with the weathered looks of the Wicked Witch of the West. I know that she must be someone’s grandmother and after being duly chastised for my criticism of people on ride-ons, I don’t want to appear overly critical, but it stuck me that she could only be trying to portray the way that Judy Garland looks now, may God bless her soul.
Our new deal at the Mandalay included a 25% discount off all meals and beverages so we decided to splurge and have a meal at their “All you can eat” buffet. We wandered down at about 7pm, after I managed to turn my recently made very small fortune into dust, and were promptly seated. Wow, what a spread. Succulent Turkey breast, juicy beef fillet, crab legs, fresh cooked pasta to order, lot’s of seafood, pizza, it would take less time to list what they didn’t offer. With our discount and inclusive of unlimited soft drinks, this meal fit for a King, Queen and 2 Prince’s, came to all of 80 bucks. We waddled off to bed feeling quite ill and set the alarm for 5.30 in preparation for the long drive to Yosemite.
I drove back into the park and turned eastwards on Desert View Drive, towards Yaki point, where the Kaibab trail begins. The turnoff was signposted “NO ACCESS. SHUTTLE BUS ONLY” and there was “NO PARKING” signs on both sides of the road near the entrance. I returned to a viewing area about ¼ of a mile back up the road, parked there and found a trail that seemed to be going in the right direction. Even though it was still about 40 minutes before the official sunrise time of 5.27, there was sufficient light to see reasonably clearly, which was a good thing as this track joined onto the Rim Trail which hugged the edge of the Canyon quite closely and may well be hazardous in the dark.
After about 10 minutes, I reached Yaki point and was surprised to find a small car park there that was partially full. I would suggest to anyone who was thinking of doing this hike early in the morning, to ignore the signs as they seem to be there just to discourage large amounts of cars from entering as only a few dozen parking spaces are provided. I found the trail-head quite easily and looked down to an almost sublime sight of light beginning to appear from the eastern horizon, filling the Canyon with an eerie glow of earthy red, brown and yellow tones. This alone, made it worthwhile being so abruptly jogged out of my deep sleep, but what was to follow would prove to be priceless.
Only a small handful of other hikers were on the trail at this time and at most stages of my descent, it felt like I had it to myself. The drop into the Canyon was far more rapid than the Bright Angel track with switchbacks’ and deep steps, constructed of wood and rock, much more frequent. The beauty of this sight unfolding in front of me kept my mind from thinking how difficult the return journey would be. My intention was to watch the sunrise at a point called Cedar Ridge, a large plateau that narrows to, as it’s name suggests, a small wedge of rock that overhangs the lower part of the Canyon. I fell just short of this goal, but found a small rocky outcrop not far from the ridge to watch the sun break over the rim, and then continued down. I spent the best part of an hour just absorbing the morning splendor and shooting another 100 or so photos.
The climb back to the top was a constant challenge to both my legs and my lungs and as I needed to get back and pack for our onward journey, I had to ascend at a reasonable pace with no time for rest stops. The euphoria that I felt when I reached the top was indescribable. I felt that I had pushed a personal boundary and had been duly rewarded for the effort. The walk back to the car should have been an anticlimax, but just as I was about to reach the main road, I heard a rustle in the scrub and what I think was a wolf appeared on the track in front of me. A slight panic and instinct of self preservation stood me in my tracks and stopped me from retrieving my camera from my pack before it calmly dissolved into the bushes on the other side of the track. My legs moved a bit quicker and my heartbeat rose again from its only recently recovered state.
Before long we were back in the car and traveling back to Vegas. We were so impressed by the Mandalay Bay, that we booked into there again rather than stay further along the strip. We departed Tusayan at a few minutes after 9am so to reach Vegas with plenty of time to explore a bit of the main drag.
The return journey was far less eventful, thankfully, and my legs enjoyed being able to sit for 4 hours after the work out they had received. I absorbed more along the drive this time and I was surprised that I was unable to find what I perceive as the traditional “fork-style” cactus tree’s. Isn’t that what the desert in Arizona is famous for. The only ones that I spotted were painted on a billboard for Mexican restaurant in some “two-dog” town that we passed. All the Cacti were either of the small succulent variety with rounded leaves or taller types with “weedy” tufts protruding from the top. What has happened to real cactus? Have they been reclaimed by the Mexican’s or purely just over farmed? I found this to be a major disappointment.
Another thing that stood out was the queue, once again, of cars lining up to cross or visit Hoover Dam. This time, fortunately it was from the opposite direction from which we were traveling. It was lined up all the way to Boulder City! I know that the bridge will ease this problem for the passing traffic, but there really should be multiple checkpoint lanes rather than the current practice of stopping each car, looking through the window to make sure that you don’t look like a terrorist, and then waving you through.
We checked into the Mandalay Bay in moments, now familiar with the procedure, dropped our bags in our 29th floor room with a million dollar view, and then went down to catch the tram that runs to the Excalibur. Our first port of call was the MGM Grand which was accessed by two bridges from the Excalibur. We wanted to see the Lion Habitat on the casino floor there and were met by a fairly active lioness who was jumping over the glass tube walkway that joined 2 sections of the enclosure. The actual gaming area at the MGM was incredibly dark and nowhere near as inviting as the Mandalay. I forgot to mention that on our previous visit to Vegas a few days prior, I had snuck over from Starbucks whilst the kids were finishing their Hot Chocolate and inserted a crisp $5 note into the nearest machine that quickly multiplied to $35. I was looking forward to expanding on this fortune later in the day.
Kerry has two main loves in her life, apart from friends and family, and that is for M&M’s and Coke, of the diet variety. It so happens that both of these iconic brands have multi-story shops dedicated to them and they are both right next door to the MGM. Needless to say, they became our next stop and various purchases were made. Another fabulous thing that the good folk of the worlds most powerful country have decided not to share with their distant relatives down under are Peanut Butter M&M’s. Something needs to be done. You cant keep all the best stuff for yourselves!!
We walked along a bit further and explored Caesar’s Palace ( I enquired but he wasn’t currently in), the Bellagio fountain, marveled at the streetscape of New York New York and then caught the shuttle back to Mandalay. Everything that I saw further justified my choice of lodging based on our budget and circumstances.
Just a few further observations about the Strip. What is it with all those Mexican guys handing out cards for local Call girls? They hand them out to men walking with women, the women themselves, even the kids were offered them. If one was to use this service, are you asked which guys recommended them so they could get a cut or are they just paid hourly? They all have exactly the same “technique” where they slap the card on the palm of their hand to make a clicking sound before they try and insert it in your hand or pocket. The other thing that you notice are people who are dressed up as celebrities, presumably to get a tip for having photo’s with passing fans. We saw Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley from Kiss, Freddy Kruger, Mario and Luigi of Nintendo fame amongst others. The most bizarre of all was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, complete with red shoes and Toto. The thing is, she must have been 75 with the weathered looks of the Wicked Witch of the West. I know that she must be someone’s grandmother and after being duly chastised for my criticism of people on ride-ons, I don’t want to appear overly critical, but it stuck me that she could only be trying to portray the way that Judy Garland looks now, may God bless her soul.
Our new deal at the Mandalay included a 25% discount off all meals and beverages so we decided to splurge and have a meal at their “All you can eat” buffet. We wandered down at about 7pm, after I managed to turn my recently made very small fortune into dust, and were promptly seated. Wow, what a spread. Succulent Turkey breast, juicy beef fillet, crab legs, fresh cooked pasta to order, lot’s of seafood, pizza, it would take less time to list what they didn’t offer. With our discount and inclusive of unlimited soft drinks, this meal fit for a King, Queen and 2 Prince’s, came to all of 80 bucks. We waddled off to bed feeling quite ill and set the alarm for 5.30 in preparation for the long drive to Yosemite.
Jun 22nd, 2010, 06:05 PM
#88
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I believe the cactus you hoped to see is the Saguaro Cactus, which grows in the southern part of Arizona. see:
http://www.nps.gov/orpi/naturescienc...aro-cactus.htm
http://www.nps.gov/orpi/naturescienc...aro-cactus.htm
Jun 22nd, 2010, 06:46 PM
#90
Yum to those PB M&M's!! I never knew they existed until I was in LV a couple of years ago. And I live here!!
The elevation at the GC is probably too high for the Saguaro Cactus. We saw them more around the Phoenix area.
Loving your report!!
The elevation at the GC is probably too high for the Saguaro Cactus. We saw them more around the Phoenix area.
Loving your report!!
Jun 22nd, 2010, 07:06 PM
#91
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shanek,
a small area of the Sonoran Desert,where the Saguaro grows, is way down in southeastern CA-look here-
http://www.nps.gov/cagr/forkids/uplo...onora-WNPA.jpg
If you don't see the Saguaro this trip, do try to plan a return trip when AZ is a tad cooler-a day spent at
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, near Tucson, will put you nicely in the midst of Saguaro habitat-
http://www.desertmuseum.org/
R5
a small area of the Sonoran Desert,where the Saguaro grows, is way down in southeastern CA-look here-
http://www.nps.gov/cagr/forkids/uplo...onora-WNPA.jpg
If you don't see the Saguaro this trip, do try to plan a return trip when AZ is a tad cooler-a day spent at
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, near Tucson, will put you nicely in the midst of Saguaro habitat-
http://www.desertmuseum.org/
R5
Jun 22nd, 2010, 07:37 PM
#92
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You probably saw a coyote at the Grand Canyon; I'm fairly sure there are no wolves in that area. Here's a short article and picture:
http://animals.nationalgeographic.co...ls/coyote.html
Lee Ann
http://animals.nationalgeographic.co...ls/coyote.html
Lee Ann
Jun 22nd, 2010, 07:58 PM
#93
"I managed to down a few Margarita’s" LOL! It's a dirty job, and all that! You get five big gold tourist stars for getting yourself out of bed at 4:25am after all that though!
Sorry about the rapid loss of your budding fortune.
I can't wait for the next installment.
Sorry about the rapid loss of your budding fortune.
I can't wait for the next installment.
Jun 22nd, 2010, 08:04 PM
#94
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I'm almost speechless and that's hard to do. Thanks for sharing some of those incredible unexpected 'moments' that happen while traveling.
I toast my Wild Duck Creek Estate Shiraz in honor of the Shanek family-
Here's to an unforgettable journey!
I toast my Wild Duck Creek Estate Shiraz in honor of the Shanek family-
Here's to an unforgettable journey!
Jun 23rd, 2010, 05:28 AM
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Your attitude even in the mids of disappointment (the change of tires, delay, etc) is remarkable. Its so true--those little "hassles" shouldn't dampen the amazing trip you are having with your family. I will always keep that in mind. Thanks for being so positive. Its rubbing on your readers!
Jun 23rd, 2010, 07:21 PM
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Monday June 21st.
The day began early once more. This was to be our longest drive of the trip. Las Vegas to Yosemite National Park. I was “fortunate” enough to be able to secure a “tented” cabin at Curry Village in Yosemite Valley. I was looking forward to this leg of the journey , but with some trepidation. I am NOT a camper. The last trip that I went on that involved me sleeping under a canvas roof was in the early 1980’s. Back when music was trapped on vinyl, video games consisted of 2 paddles and a bouncing ball and Reagan was president. Camping to me is a 3 star hotel. I like to have my bed, toilet and shower under one roof. I do love to hike and I am not at all adverse to the great outdoors, I just prefer not to live in it. But if this is what it would take to experience this natural wonder, so be it.
The trip consisted of 7 and ½ hours on the road and I had allowed for about 1 ½ in stops. I wanted to arrive in the valley at approx 3pm which would give us plenty of time to orientate ourselves and settle in. With limited time and plenty to see, we really had to hit the ground running which made another 6am departure necessary. I promised Kerry and the boys that the pace would slacken a little after this and I think they were looking forward to that prospect.
Even though it was by far our longest drive, up to this point, it proved to be my favorite by far. I had managed to find a “classic rock” FM station amongst a sea of modern “pop” R&B and Christian ballads.. We cruised along to some tunes from an era when I had last camped. Hit after Hit from bands like Chicago, Heart, Fleetwood Mac, Journey and even a bit of AC/DC, I was in a groove and the first few hours flew past like minutes.
We passed some interesting landmarks along the way, like the massive Cold Creek Correctional Facility. This was like a city in itself, and from our view, looked to offer the very best in incaseration amenities. Just a bit further along was the even bigger Creech Air force Base. Most of the traffic in front of us turned right into the main gates as to illustrate just how active this base still is. I believe it was built just after the attack on Pearl Harbor, as the US ramped up their involvement in WW2. I had expectations of seeing mock dog-fights in the sky above me, but sadly, I saw plenty of ground vehicles, but not one aircraft as we went by.
The road we were traveling on cuts a path through immense mountain ranges on each side, some still capped with a dusting of snow, and as the elevation starts to increase, the temperature declines. We passed through an idyllic little town called Goldfield which is packed full of historic buildings. One could just imagine what this would have been like during the height of the gold rush, but it appears now to have a population that you could count without removing your shoes. I had visions of a Honky-Tonk piano playing, punctuated by the sounds of breaking whisky glasses and gunfire.
A little further along, a large billboard proclaims that we are approaching the “Shady Lady Ranch” which offers “Big Rig Parking”. The mind boggles! When we pass the “Ranch” the several caravans parked around a small building paints the picture of what may go on inside.
Our first stop is Tonopah, another old mining town but with a lot more sign of life than Goldfield. I need to put my jacket on here while we refuel and stretch our legs. The staff in the gas station serve us in the extremly friendly manner that we are beginning to get accustomed to, and then we are on our way again. We pass a multi-colored building called the Clown Motel. Paintings of its patron adorn the roof of the building, along with a large sign claiming “Biker’s Welcome”. The mix of bikers and clowns brings back visions of the Shad y Lady for some obscure reason.
The miles fly by and we are beginning to get hungry as it approaches noon. The main turn-off towards the Tioga road and entry to the park is marked by another small town called Lee Vining. It is set on a picturesque lake and here we find a great little roadside eatery that I think was called Mike’s. As we got out of the car, Caleb started taking out all our drinks and snacks and headed for the trash can. When we questioned him on his motives, he replied that he was concerned about Bears breaking in whilst we ate. The fact that we were parked right out the front of the restaurant, it was the middle of the day and we weren’t even in the park yet was no issue to him. He would rather be safe then sorry! For lunch, I ordered Beef Ribs, Joel and Kerry end up with Sandwiches and Caleb settles with the Chicken Nugget kids meal, his signature dish. The food was great, the view was better, I would have loved to order a beer or 2 and stop here for a few hours, but I need to negotiate the Tioga Pass so after a quick look through a few local shops, we were back on the road.
Within a few miles we entered the park and we were astounded by how much snow was still around, not just on the peaks, but right on the side of the road. Caleb’s last experience with snow was before he could crawl, so we stopped and had the obligatory photo’s and an impromptu snow ball fight. All the scenery around us was stunning. Lakes that were still half iced over, rolling streams and the most amazing mountains. We all knew that we had entered a special place. The road was busy but flowed at a steady enough pace. There were plenty of warnings about the danger posed to the local wildlife, in particular the Bears, and most of the traffic seemed to heed these warnings.
I can’t really recall the time it took to reach the Valley from the park entrance as I was concentrating on trying to be safe whilst still enjoying the drive, but it would have been somewhere between 90 minutes and 2 hours. Even the beauty of the Tioga road could not dilute the awesome sight that awaited us as we descended into Yosemite Valley. It reminded me of a scene from Jurassic Park, minus the dinosaurs, as the towering scared granite rock faces and thundering waterfalls had a prehistoric quality to it.
We found Curry Village and booked in with ease. We were given cabin 529 and managed to get a park within a short distance, which was an absolute blessing, rather than have to lug all our luggage across the car park. The tented cabins are what they are, basic accommodation with just enough room for the 4 of us. In actual fact, the room had 3 singles and a double but one of the beds was really the only available space to pile up our cases.
We decided to scope out the common areas of Curry Village and found them to be plentiful. A nice pool, 4 separate eating choices, a lounge area and bar with TV’s and another large room with a dozen or so tables, a few couches and wi-fi. We also came across an amphitheatre of sorts and there was what we thought to be a Ranger talk beginning. This ended up being a comedy show that really appealed to the younger set with a bit of a conservation message and some Yosemite history thrown in. Kerry was keen to escape this but Caleb, and to a lesser extent Joel, were glued to their seats, so we sat through the whole 45 minutes of the presentation.
There is a shuttle bus that runs through the park which we caught at about 5pm and did some shopping and checked out the visitor centre. The rangers there are very helpful with maps and suggestions on what hikes to take and we returned to Curry armed with some drinks, snacks and a plan for the next few days. We went straight from the shuttle to the restaurant area of Curry and found each of the 4 options very busy with long lines to order and find a table. I lined up for Pizza whilst the boys scouted around for a table and they found a place to sit before I had moved through a quarter of the queue. The staff were very apologetic and were bringing slices of pizza down the line as samples and taking drink orders. When we eventually got our meals, we found it to be more than satisfactory, but we vowed to order dinner much earlier on subsequent nights as the waiting was quite painful. We were ready for bed by the time we had finished, made up our beds and all slept solidly.
The day began early once more. This was to be our longest drive of the trip. Las Vegas to Yosemite National Park. I was “fortunate” enough to be able to secure a “tented” cabin at Curry Village in Yosemite Valley. I was looking forward to this leg of the journey , but with some trepidation. I am NOT a camper. The last trip that I went on that involved me sleeping under a canvas roof was in the early 1980’s. Back when music was trapped on vinyl, video games consisted of 2 paddles and a bouncing ball and Reagan was president. Camping to me is a 3 star hotel. I like to have my bed, toilet and shower under one roof. I do love to hike and I am not at all adverse to the great outdoors, I just prefer not to live in it. But if this is what it would take to experience this natural wonder, so be it.
The trip consisted of 7 and ½ hours on the road and I had allowed for about 1 ½ in stops. I wanted to arrive in the valley at approx 3pm which would give us plenty of time to orientate ourselves and settle in. With limited time and plenty to see, we really had to hit the ground running which made another 6am departure necessary. I promised Kerry and the boys that the pace would slacken a little after this and I think they were looking forward to that prospect.
Even though it was by far our longest drive, up to this point, it proved to be my favorite by far. I had managed to find a “classic rock” FM station amongst a sea of modern “pop” R&B and Christian ballads.. We cruised along to some tunes from an era when I had last camped. Hit after Hit from bands like Chicago, Heart, Fleetwood Mac, Journey and even a bit of AC/DC, I was in a groove and the first few hours flew past like minutes.
We passed some interesting landmarks along the way, like the massive Cold Creek Correctional Facility. This was like a city in itself, and from our view, looked to offer the very best in incaseration amenities. Just a bit further along was the even bigger Creech Air force Base. Most of the traffic in front of us turned right into the main gates as to illustrate just how active this base still is. I believe it was built just after the attack on Pearl Harbor, as the US ramped up their involvement in WW2. I had expectations of seeing mock dog-fights in the sky above me, but sadly, I saw plenty of ground vehicles, but not one aircraft as we went by.
The road we were traveling on cuts a path through immense mountain ranges on each side, some still capped with a dusting of snow, and as the elevation starts to increase, the temperature declines. We passed through an idyllic little town called Goldfield which is packed full of historic buildings. One could just imagine what this would have been like during the height of the gold rush, but it appears now to have a population that you could count without removing your shoes. I had visions of a Honky-Tonk piano playing, punctuated by the sounds of breaking whisky glasses and gunfire.
A little further along, a large billboard proclaims that we are approaching the “Shady Lady Ranch” which offers “Big Rig Parking”. The mind boggles! When we pass the “Ranch” the several caravans parked around a small building paints the picture of what may go on inside.
Our first stop is Tonopah, another old mining town but with a lot more sign of life than Goldfield. I need to put my jacket on here while we refuel and stretch our legs. The staff in the gas station serve us in the extremly friendly manner that we are beginning to get accustomed to, and then we are on our way again. We pass a multi-colored building called the Clown Motel. Paintings of its patron adorn the roof of the building, along with a large sign claiming “Biker’s Welcome”. The mix of bikers and clowns brings back visions of the Shad y Lady for some obscure reason.
The miles fly by and we are beginning to get hungry as it approaches noon. The main turn-off towards the Tioga road and entry to the park is marked by another small town called Lee Vining. It is set on a picturesque lake and here we find a great little roadside eatery that I think was called Mike’s. As we got out of the car, Caleb started taking out all our drinks and snacks and headed for the trash can. When we questioned him on his motives, he replied that he was concerned about Bears breaking in whilst we ate. The fact that we were parked right out the front of the restaurant, it was the middle of the day and we weren’t even in the park yet was no issue to him. He would rather be safe then sorry! For lunch, I ordered Beef Ribs, Joel and Kerry end up with Sandwiches and Caleb settles with the Chicken Nugget kids meal, his signature dish. The food was great, the view was better, I would have loved to order a beer or 2 and stop here for a few hours, but I need to negotiate the Tioga Pass so after a quick look through a few local shops, we were back on the road.
Within a few miles we entered the park and we were astounded by how much snow was still around, not just on the peaks, but right on the side of the road. Caleb’s last experience with snow was before he could crawl, so we stopped and had the obligatory photo’s and an impromptu snow ball fight. All the scenery around us was stunning. Lakes that were still half iced over, rolling streams and the most amazing mountains. We all knew that we had entered a special place. The road was busy but flowed at a steady enough pace. There were plenty of warnings about the danger posed to the local wildlife, in particular the Bears, and most of the traffic seemed to heed these warnings.
I can’t really recall the time it took to reach the Valley from the park entrance as I was concentrating on trying to be safe whilst still enjoying the drive, but it would have been somewhere between 90 minutes and 2 hours. Even the beauty of the Tioga road could not dilute the awesome sight that awaited us as we descended into Yosemite Valley. It reminded me of a scene from Jurassic Park, minus the dinosaurs, as the towering scared granite rock faces and thundering waterfalls had a prehistoric quality to it.
We found Curry Village and booked in with ease. We were given cabin 529 and managed to get a park within a short distance, which was an absolute blessing, rather than have to lug all our luggage across the car park. The tented cabins are what they are, basic accommodation with just enough room for the 4 of us. In actual fact, the room had 3 singles and a double but one of the beds was really the only available space to pile up our cases.
We decided to scope out the common areas of Curry Village and found them to be plentiful. A nice pool, 4 separate eating choices, a lounge area and bar with TV’s and another large room with a dozen or so tables, a few couches and wi-fi. We also came across an amphitheatre of sorts and there was what we thought to be a Ranger talk beginning. This ended up being a comedy show that really appealed to the younger set with a bit of a conservation message and some Yosemite history thrown in. Kerry was keen to escape this but Caleb, and to a lesser extent Joel, were glued to their seats, so we sat through the whole 45 minutes of the presentation.
There is a shuttle bus that runs through the park which we caught at about 5pm and did some shopping and checked out the visitor centre. The rangers there are very helpful with maps and suggestions on what hikes to take and we returned to Curry armed with some drinks, snacks and a plan for the next few days. We went straight from the shuttle to the restaurant area of Curry and found each of the 4 options very busy with long lines to order and find a table. I lined up for Pizza whilst the boys scouted around for a table and they found a place to sit before I had moved through a quarter of the queue. The staff were very apologetic and were bringing slices of pizza down the line as samples and taking drink orders. When we eventually got our meals, we found it to be more than satisfactory, but we vowed to order dinner much earlier on subsequent nights as the waiting was quite painful. We were ready for bed by the time we had finished, made up our beds and all slept solidly.
Jun 24th, 2010, 08:36 AM
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Was hoping to see a post from you this morning. Love your treck through Nevada. I live in Reno, and Goldfield is not MY cuppa, but believe it or not, the people who live there, live there because they CHOOSE to. They like the quiet life. You're right, that town has a lot of history.
