Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Friday 3rd April
Started the trip with the longest day of my life and finished it with the shortest. Was a mixture of feelings this morning, sadness at the trip coming to an end and saying goodbye to the car that had taken us all of the way down the west coast of America, but happiness at thinking of going home and the good things waiting there. There was only one change in Philadelphia this time, so the flying was quicker and much more straightforward. Had a good chat with a guy on the first flight who was travelling to his grandmother’s memorial service in Philadelphia, a final exchange with the instantly familiar and easy-going American people, it was a nice way to ease out of the American way. Although there are certain things about it that have really stuck with me, things about the whole trip really, things which will hopefully subtly integrate themselves into my life in a positive way. The trip was quite overwhelming at times, just with the sheer quantity of spectacle and experience, and it has made me realise that I definitely want to go back and spend more time in some of these places, and in the country in general. The place can inspire quite a mix of opinions, but the range of places and people is so vast that it can inspire an unlimited amount of exploration, geographically, socially and personally.
Thursday 2nd April
Another late-ish start to the day after the jollities of last night, when we were up we found a place to eat called Karl Strauss Brewing Company, also a brewpub. It was a little trendy but on just the right side of it. I had my first taste of Ahi steak, seared tuna which is basically raw, which I liked more than I thought I would. We drove out to have a look at the Hotel Del Coronado where Some Like It Hot was filmed, but with the expense of parking just as a visitor we decided we weren’t too fussed about going in. We then took a drive out to Ocean Beach, our final bit of time with the coastline. It is quite a strange place, the more bohemian of the beaches in San Diego with a mix of hippy and skater types. It should have been really cool but somehow felt quite insular, if not hostile. As Greg commented, it is probably to do with the fact that it is so close to a city, a city that already has an interesting mix of military retirees and young hipsters. It felt very different to Arcata, which seemed much friendlier and less showier. We walked out onto the pier, which I believe is the longest one on the West Coast, and saw plenty of surfers. We actually saw a pair of dolphins moving in towards the beach which was quite exciting, I don’t think I had ever seen dolphins in the wild before.
After getting back to the hotel and emptying out the car, we headed out for our final meal and few drinks in America. We went back to Karl Strauss and opted for their suggested combo of Double IPA (very strong!) and Shrimp and Andouille Lollipops, which was excellent. And being the creatures of habit that we are, we went back to Rock Bottom for some more of their great Sunset Stout and the final wedge of Triple Chocolate Stout Cheesecake. We got friendly with the barman and he gave us our beers on the house, and also a creation of his own involving Goldschlager, Jagermeister, Blue Curacao and Rockstar energy drink. He calls it the Time Traveller as apparently after a few of those, the name is realised. We piled on the pressure by asking him for the perfect place in San Diego to have our final drink of the trip, and he suggested a rooftop bar called Altitude. We took a bicycle taxi there, the guy transporting us played in a band that was planning on visiting the UK, and the journey ended up being on the house yet again. The bar was atop the Marriott on the 22nd floor, and the views were amazing, looking out over the city, the baseball stadium and the bay. It was indeed a great way to finish off our final night.
After getting back to the hotel and emptying out the car, we headed out for our final meal and few drinks in America. We went back to Karl Strauss and opted for their suggested combo of Double IPA (very strong!) and Shrimp and Andouille Lollipops, which was excellent. And being the creatures of habit that we are, we went back to Rock Bottom for some more of their great Sunset Stout and the final wedge of Triple Chocolate Stout Cheesecake. We got friendly with the barman and he gave us our beers on the house, and also a creation of his own involving Goldschlager, Jagermeister, Blue Curacao and Rockstar energy drink. He calls it the Time Traveller as apparently after a few of those, the name is realised. We piled on the pressure by asking him for the perfect place in San Diego to have our final drink of the trip, and he suggested a rooftop bar called Altitude. We took a bicycle taxi there, the guy transporting us played in a band that was planning on visiting the UK, and the journey ended up being on the house yet again. The bar was atop the Marriott on the 22nd floor, and the views were amazing, looking out over the city, the baseball stadium and the bay. It was indeed a great way to finish off our final night.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Wednesday 1st April
After stocking up on supplies at the local store, we headed west on the 164 along the top of the Mojave National Preserve. I had found a website about ghost towns, so we were going by directions from that site to find a couple that sounded interesting. We took the Ivanpah road south into the preserve, to a ghost town called Goldome. When we got there, we found a gate with a sign saying “No Trespassing”, and beyond it were some industrial buildings that looked like they wouldn’t have been built more than 50 years ago. There were supposed to be some older buildings further up a dirt road, but the road was so bad that we decided just to head for the next town. We went deeper into the preserve in search of Death Valley Mine, south of Cima. We had to go quite far down a dirt road to get to it, but we were well rewarded when we got there. There were a few buildings still standing, some residential, some workshops, and some mining equipment and filled-in mine entrances. It was a very eerie place, especially when we were exploring inside the buildings. We weren’t entirely sure if there might still be someone about there, but the buildings were bare and we didn’t encounter anyone. We found a lot of junk (plus electrical sockets) that suggested people had been living there not too long ago, and we found a newspaper dated July 8 1984, my fourth birthday.
We then drove further south into the preserve to see the Kelso dunes, I was pleased about this seeing as we missed the dunes in Death Valley a few days before. The dunes were very impressive, sloping hundreds of feet upwards. We walked quite far up them although not all the way to the top, as it was tough going and the sand was blowing around pretty fiercely the higher we got. We just about managed to hear the strange sound that causes them to be described as “singing dunes”, a low tone generated by sand being blown down the dunes by the wind creating friction with the static sand. The day was drawing on so we decided to head straight for San Diego. We took the I-40 west to join with the I-15 that skirted LA and took us straight down to San Diego. We went with a Lonely Planet recommendation and checked into the 500 West hotel which was fairly centrally positioned, a converted YMCA.
We had a wander into the Gaslamp district where all the bars seemed to be, and we found a Rock Bottom, the same chain that we had been to in Portland. Each one has a different brewmaster, so we were able to try some beers that were different to the one in Portland, and the ones here were considerably better. I had some enchiladas and enjoyed the return of the fabulous Triple Chocolate Stout cheesecake. We had a beer in another bar called The Bitter End, and then decided to head to one of the bars that Bradley from San Francisco had recommended to us, the Turf Club. It was quite a way away so we got a cab there, but it was worth it, a nice cosy bar that was less trendy than the places in the Gaslamp District. We met a guy called Dan who operates one of the bicycle taxis, and he told us a bit about San Diego, and recommended that we go to Ocean Beach tomorrow. Another late night but good fun, San Diego seemed to be another friendly and very manageable city and already we thought it was a shame that we were only going to be here for a very short time.
We then drove further south into the preserve to see the Kelso dunes, I was pleased about this seeing as we missed the dunes in Death Valley a few days before. The dunes were very impressive, sloping hundreds of feet upwards. We walked quite far up them although not all the way to the top, as it was tough going and the sand was blowing around pretty fiercely the higher we got. We just about managed to hear the strange sound that causes them to be described as “singing dunes”, a low tone generated by sand being blown down the dunes by the wind creating friction with the static sand. The day was drawing on so we decided to head straight for San Diego. We took the I-40 west to join with the I-15 that skirted LA and took us straight down to San Diego. We went with a Lonely Planet recommendation and checked into the 500 West hotel which was fairly centrally positioned, a converted YMCA.
We had a wander into the Gaslamp district where all the bars seemed to be, and we found a Rock Bottom, the same chain that we had been to in Portland. Each one has a different brewmaster, so we were able to try some beers that were different to the one in Portland, and the ones here were considerably better. I had some enchiladas and enjoyed the return of the fabulous Triple Chocolate Stout cheesecake. We had a beer in another bar called The Bitter End, and then decided to head to one of the bars that Bradley from San Francisco had recommended to us, the Turf Club. It was quite a way away so we got a cab there, but it was worth it, a nice cosy bar that was less trendy than the places in the Gaslamp District. We met a guy called Dan who operates one of the bicycle taxis, and he told us a bit about San Diego, and recommended that we go to Ocean Beach tomorrow. Another late night but good fun, San Diego seemed to be another friendly and very manageable city and already we thought it was a shame that we were only going to be here for a very short time.
Tuesday 31st March
We made a reasonable start and got on the 64 heading for the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The amount of traffic on the roads showed us what to expect when we got there. It was quite something to drive in there, park up on the side of the road, walk a few dozen feet through some trees and then have the unimaginably vast panorama of the Grand Canyon laid out before you. I wasn’t quite ready for just how wide it is, let alone how deep. Like many sights we have seen on this trip, it doesn’t quite seem real as you are looking at it, almost like your brain is having some difficulty comprehending the messages being sent by your optic nerve. We walked a little way along the heavily populated rim path, then decided after a trip to the visitor’s centre that we would head out on the Desert View Drive, to see if we could do a little hike to a less populated part of the rim from somewhere along the road.
After a Reuben sandwich and a fabulous chocolate brownie, we started on the drive and found a very appealing looking trail just a little way along it. The road had curved away from the rim a little so we thought it would make a good bit of a hike through the trees to get there. We parked up and started walking out amongst the trees, soon realising that there was no trail as such to follow. The trees were sparse enough that we could easily find our way through. It was great to arrive at the rim at a much less trodden section of it. We went towards an appealing looking promontory to see if we could get an even better view. When we got there we found that we could safely get all the way to the end of it, and were well rewarded with spectacular views that the vast majority of visitors probably do not see from this angle. From the position that we were in, we actually could not see any other people in any direction, it felt like we had the entire Grand Canyon to ourselves!
Very satisfied with how things had worked out today, after the disappointment of not being able to do our hike yesterday, we got back on the road heading west on the I-40 towards the Mojave National Preserve. We knew we were back in Nevada when we started seeing all the casinos again. We stayed in a town called Searchlight on the 95, probably the smallest town we had stayed in so far. We went for dinner in the Golden Nugget Casino, as it seemed to be the only option other than McDonalds, and I had my first taste of meatloaf! Before going to bed, we actually drove a little way into the Preserve with hopes of getting some good views of the night sky. Unfortunately it was fairly cloudy, and it seems that the Vegas light pollution was affecting us even this far away. However, it was quite a strange experience to be out in the desert in the middle of nowhere in the dark.
After a Reuben sandwich and a fabulous chocolate brownie, we started on the drive and found a very appealing looking trail just a little way along it. The road had curved away from the rim a little so we thought it would make a good bit of a hike through the trees to get there. We parked up and started walking out amongst the trees, soon realising that there was no trail as such to follow. The trees were sparse enough that we could easily find our way through. It was great to arrive at the rim at a much less trodden section of it. We went towards an appealing looking promontory to see if we could get an even better view. When we got there we found that we could safely get all the way to the end of it, and were well rewarded with spectacular views that the vast majority of visitors probably do not see from this angle. From the position that we were in, we actually could not see any other people in any direction, it felt like we had the entire Grand Canyon to ourselves!
Very satisfied with how things had worked out today, after the disappointment of not being able to do our hike yesterday, we got back on the road heading west on the I-40 towards the Mojave National Preserve. We knew we were back in Nevada when we started seeing all the casinos again. We stayed in a town called Searchlight on the 95, probably the smallest town we had stayed in so far. We went for dinner in the Golden Nugget Casino, as it seemed to be the only option other than McDonalds, and I had my first taste of meatloaf! Before going to bed, we actually drove a little way into the Preserve with hopes of getting some good views of the night sky. Unfortunately it was fairly cloudy, and it seems that the Vegas light pollution was affecting us even this far away. However, it was quite a strange experience to be out in the desert in the middle of nowhere in the dark.
Monday 30th March
Up and out of the miserable (but still friendly!) Vegas motel to find Hash House A Go Go for breakfast, as recommended by the fellow from last night. He said to get the chicken waffles so I dutifully obliged. It is quite possibly the most food I have ever had put in front of me in one go, 3 breaded chicken breasts and 4 huge waffles with bacon strips embedded. I got about halfway through and got a take-out box for the rest. We hit the road heading east on the 93 past Lake Mead to have a look at Hoover Dam, a man-made spectacle amidst all of the natural ones. And very impressive it is too, although naturally crawling with tourists like us. There was some sort of construction going on there which was intriguing, looks like a bridge being built over the dam.
We continued east and hit Arizona straight after the dam, our fifth state! We were headed for the 66 south of the Grand Canyon, looking for the hike that Gary from Mariposa had told us about. The road passed through pleasantly arid and mountainous landscapes. We stopped off at the visitors centre in Chloride(!), a strange little town full of ramshackle houses and decorated trees. The lady in the centre showed us how to get there, we had to get to Peach Springs in the Hualapai Indian Reservation on the 66, and ask in the hotel about the hike. When we got there, we were told that it wasn’t a hike as such, but a 21 mile drive down a dirt road that is only open to 4WD vehicles. There was another hike nearby but the road to that one was closed until the start of May. We were disappointed but we got straight back on the road to head towards the main part of the Grand Canyon. It won’t be our private hike, but should hopefully be impressive enough to make the inevitable tourist population tolerable. So back on the famous Route 66 and then the I-40 to the town of Williams, where we got a cheap motel and an early night.
We continued east and hit Arizona straight after the dam, our fifth state! We were headed for the 66 south of the Grand Canyon, looking for the hike that Gary from Mariposa had told us about. The road passed through pleasantly arid and mountainous landscapes. We stopped off at the visitors centre in Chloride(!), a strange little town full of ramshackle houses and decorated trees. The lady in the centre showed us how to get there, we had to get to Peach Springs in the Hualapai Indian Reservation on the 66, and ask in the hotel about the hike. When we got there, we were told that it wasn’t a hike as such, but a 21 mile drive down a dirt road that is only open to 4WD vehicles. There was another hike nearby but the road to that one was closed until the start of May. We were disappointed but we got straight back on the road to head towards the main part of the Grand Canyon. It won’t be our private hike, but should hopefully be impressive enough to make the inevitable tourist population tolerable. So back on the famous Route 66 and then the I-40 to the town of Williams, where we got a cheap motel and an early night.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday 29th March
Another day of recovery after a very late night, we booked another night at the motel which fitted in fine with our schedule we had worked out for the rest of the trip. We had a look at a couple of casinos round the corner from us on Fremont, firstly The Golden Nugget which has the The Hand of Faith nugget, the largest chunk of gold ever discovered, from somewhere in Australia. We went to eat in Binion’s casino, having signed up for a free card purely to get a discount on the chicken and ribs dinner. I went to do the final laundry run, chose to walk rather than drive as it didn’t seem that far on the map. Bad idea really, it was a long way and seemed to be in an insalubrious part of the town, which our motel was on the edge of. Took a cab back and then we headed out to have a proper look at The Strip. Had a wander around The Flamingo and Caesar’s Palace, massive and impressive places but lacking any real substance. It’s easy to get sick of seeing people gambling everywhere, and the whole lifestyle of the city that is built around it. Hard to think of the place as a family holiday destination, but I guess it all depends on your perspective.
We took a cab back to the Downtown area that we were staying in. This is the original part of the city so it has the oldest casinos, it’s now for the more serious gamblers that want to get away from the showy glitz and overpricing of the strip. We went for a drink in an Irish bar called Hennessey’s, met a local guy there who told us about another bar to go to called the Griffin, and he also recommended a place to go tomorrow for the best breakfast in Vegas. We moved on to the Griffin and were delighted with it, it was a really cosy, genuine place with not a gambling machine in sight. It was clearly a place for locals to escape from the tourist side of the city. It was really nice to find that such a place could exist in Las Vegas, and we were happy to spend the rest of the night in this haven. A very pleasant ending of a trip to a city that would otherwise have left somewhat of a bad taste in the mouth.
We took a cab back to the Downtown area that we were staying in. This is the original part of the city so it has the oldest casinos, it’s now for the more serious gamblers that want to get away from the showy glitz and overpricing of the strip. We went for a drink in an Irish bar called Hennessey’s, met a local guy there who told us about another bar to go to called the Griffin, and he also recommended a place to go tomorrow for the best breakfast in Vegas. We moved on to the Griffin and were delighted with it, it was a really cosy, genuine place with not a gambling machine in sight. It was clearly a place for locals to escape from the tourist side of the city. It was really nice to find that such a place could exist in Las Vegas, and we were happy to spend the rest of the night in this haven. A very pleasant ending of a trip to a city that would otherwise have left somewhat of a bad taste in the mouth.
Saturday 28th March
Around this point we realised that we had pretty much abandoned L.A. and the Quantum Leap convention, but we were both perfectly happy with that decision. We were glad to be inland seeing some great sights unlike anything else so far. We got up and went for breakfast burritos at a café called The Indian Trading Post, great way to start the day. We had heard that the road east towards Mount Whitney was a good place to go, so we went for a quick look before heading to Death Valley. The road takes you into the Alabama Hills, which is basically a landscape of boulders nestling up to the base of the mountains. A lot of Westerns have been filmed here and you can see why, it’s really cool terrain, very Wild West indeed.
We then took the 190 east into Death Valley National Park, and hit some classic dried mud and brush desert landscape. It streched out for miles away from the road in all directions, against a mountainous backdrop. There are tons of different sights to see in Death Valley, so we had to be selective. It almost seems as if it has been designed as a progression of different sights as you drive on through, like a natural theme park. Still on the trail of the ghost towns, we took a dirt road off the 190 to a place called Skidoo. We had to take the road very slowly, would have been better suited to a 4 wheel-drive really. After a few very slow miles, we got to the site and found that there were no buildngs left there! A bit disappointing, but we saw some of the old entrances to the gold mine which was pretty interesting. It was quite a strange feeling of really being in the middle of nowhere, although there were a few other people coming and going.
It was now pretty hot, the temperature gauge in the car was reading around 80 degrees F. We had seen it ascending quite rapidly as we had headed down into the heart of the valley. We stopped for coffee in Stovepipe Wells village, pretty much just a rest point for tourists. As we left the village we saw some big sand dunes a little way away from the road. I was tempted to go closer to have a look, but we had already chosen a few other things to look at, sacrifices had to be made as time was pushing on. We went to the Devil’s Golf Course next, an expanse of crystallized salt. Some very strange terrain, it looks like a carpet of jagged rocks covered in frost. Next was Badwater, salt flats that are at the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, 282 feet below sea level. You can walk right out onto the flats, and there are areas of it that have a few inches of salt water.
The last sight before leaving the valley was Artist Drive, a winding scenic loop through volcanic foothills. And then we were back on the 190 and heading out towards Las Vegas. When we reached the end of the 190, we saw a sign for the State Line Road, a direct route to Vegas that wasn’t on our map for some reason, it didn’t seem particularly new. It was now completely dark, so it was quite something seeing the glare of Las Vegas appearing out of the desert night. We headed straight to the strip for a cruise, the traffic was pretty terrible as it was a Saturday night, but that worked in our favour as we were able to take in the sights. The place was really crowded, and the casinos were huge and elaborate as expected. Greg had heard about a rock bar that sounded really good but couldn’t remember the name, so we stopped to use the wi-fi in Mcdonalds, and had our one meal of the trip beneath the cursed yellow arches. We located the bar and found a motel nearby, not terrible but probably the worst place that we had stayed in so far, very dingy and depressing, perfect for the Las Vegas losers I suppose. They didn’t have any twin rooms, but we got two singles for $70 total so we weren’t complaining. We headed out to the bar, it was now about midnight so it was a good job that they were open until 4am. It was a real bikers bar, hard blues music, plenty of raucous beer-swilling and barmaids that shouted around the place with megaphones and danced upon the bar. Not the typical Vegas night, but one suited to us.
We then took the 190 east into Death Valley National Park, and hit some classic dried mud and brush desert landscape. It streched out for miles away from the road in all directions, against a mountainous backdrop. There are tons of different sights to see in Death Valley, so we had to be selective. It almost seems as if it has been designed as a progression of different sights as you drive on through, like a natural theme park. Still on the trail of the ghost towns, we took a dirt road off the 190 to a place called Skidoo. We had to take the road very slowly, would have been better suited to a 4 wheel-drive really. After a few very slow miles, we got to the site and found that there were no buildngs left there! A bit disappointing, but we saw some of the old entrances to the gold mine which was pretty interesting. It was quite a strange feeling of really being in the middle of nowhere, although there were a few other people coming and going.
It was now pretty hot, the temperature gauge in the car was reading around 80 degrees F. We had seen it ascending quite rapidly as we had headed down into the heart of the valley. We stopped for coffee in Stovepipe Wells village, pretty much just a rest point for tourists. As we left the village we saw some big sand dunes a little way away from the road. I was tempted to go closer to have a look, but we had already chosen a few other things to look at, sacrifices had to be made as time was pushing on. We went to the Devil’s Golf Course next, an expanse of crystallized salt. Some very strange terrain, it looks like a carpet of jagged rocks covered in frost. Next was Badwater, salt flats that are at the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, 282 feet below sea level. You can walk right out onto the flats, and there are areas of it that have a few inches of salt water.
The last sight before leaving the valley was Artist Drive, a winding scenic loop through volcanic foothills. And then we were back on the 190 and heading out towards Las Vegas. When we reached the end of the 190, we saw a sign for the State Line Road, a direct route to Vegas that wasn’t on our map for some reason, it didn’t seem particularly new. It was now completely dark, so it was quite something seeing the glare of Las Vegas appearing out of the desert night. We headed straight to the strip for a cruise, the traffic was pretty terrible as it was a Saturday night, but that worked in our favour as we were able to take in the sights. The place was really crowded, and the casinos were huge and elaborate as expected. Greg had heard about a rock bar that sounded really good but couldn’t remember the name, so we stopped to use the wi-fi in Mcdonalds, and had our one meal of the trip beneath the cursed yellow arches. We located the bar and found a motel nearby, not terrible but probably the worst place that we had stayed in so far, very dingy and depressing, perfect for the Las Vegas losers I suppose. They didn’t have any twin rooms, but we got two singles for $70 total so we weren’t complaining. We headed out to the bar, it was now about midnight so it was a good job that they were open until 4am. It was a real bikers bar, hard blues music, plenty of raucous beer-swilling and barmaids that shouted around the place with megaphones and danced upon the bar. Not the typical Vegas night, but one suited to us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)