Yosemite

Sunday July 15, 2012

Well that was one less than comfortable night of sleep. I slid down the hill all night long and no amount of repositioning myself would keep my body from continually cramming into the edge of the tent. Valuable lesson learned: don't set up the tent on an obvious grade.

Today we head for Yosemite which is not that far. Audrey and Jill seemed to be doing better. It had been a while since we had a sit-down meal, so we  stopped at what looked like a quaint local Mexican restaurant along the way. This was not a good decision.

The place looked like it had great possibility due to the colorful signs and charming ambiance. I'll give them kudos for cleanliness, but the menu was way too big which is a definite red flag. It was the worst Mexican food I've ever had. Not only was the food horrific, but the service was bad. Word to the wise, never order anything with "gravy" from a Mexican diner. Bottom line: terrible.

Avoid Like the Plague

Lucky for Jill, she didn't eat anything from this place due to her lingering queasiness. She could only imagine at the magnitude of our disdain.

Entering Yosemite we stopped for a quick snapshot of the entrance. The sign was really underwhelming.
 

Not far down the road, we enter a long tunnel that exits onto a stretch of road with a parking area for photos. From this vantage point, the vista of the Yosemite valley is in full display. It's a magnificent view of El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall. From there we keep going into the valley for sight seeing and picture taking.

We started leaving the park as the day was winding down and took highway S-120 to S-6 through Nevada. We were hoping to find a hotel outside the park. It was well after dark when we came to the first opportunity in a little town called Lee Vining. Since it was Sunday evening, I thought the hotels would have vacancies due to weekend visitors returning home. I was wrong and a little concerned at this point because we had seen no signs of civilization other than this little town and the GPS wasn't showing a whole lot of businesses on our route. We continued on.

Let me tell you, there's nothing like traveling in the middle of the night, in the desert, and not seeing any signs of civilization for almost 130 miles. It's about 2:00AM and my gas gauge is reading less than a quarter of a tank. We're about ten or fifteen miles from a little town called Tonopah when we see a rest stop. The GPS indicates there's one gas station in Tonopah and the next one is 40 miles in the wrong direction. It's so late, after about five miles we decide to turn back for the rest stop. I would rather sleep at the rest stop instead of the gas station if it is closed.

It was a pleasant rest stop and the weather was perfect. I can't speak for everyone else, but I actually got some sleep.

Monday July 16, 2012

Rise and Shine

Arriving in Tonopah the next morning after a blissful night of sleep in the van, we discovered about five hotels and multiple gas stations. There's even a McDonalds. In retrospect, I should not have trusted my GPS and used my smart phone when I had service. Tip: Never stop at the first gas station off the desert. They always have the highest prices.

We're all pretty grungy at this point and haven't slept in beds or showered for two nights. At least we can get a little food and a drink at the McDonalds before setting out on the long drive across the desert.

The scenery in Nevada along S-6 is fascinating. It's mostly mountainous with desert valleys. The mountains are visually striking and there's not a soul or house to be seen for miles and miles. In fact, the only signs of civilization we saw between Tonopah and Ely, which are 160 miles apart, were two residences/farms between.

 

The next town is Ely where we fuel up again and take on some new ice and refreshments. I also get some Windex to clean the van windows. Since I'm taking pictures from inside the van, I want it to be as clear as possible. We're off again with clean windows.

After only a few miles, we come upon wet roads from a recent down pore and get sprayed by some huge trucks. My clean windows are no more.

Now That's a Wide Load

On down the road, we stop for an emergency bathroom break (in the middle of the desert a la natural) so I use this opportunity to clean my windows again. Sure enough in about five minutes, we get pelted with more rain. The clean and rain sequence happened about two more times before I gave up on clean windows. The drive through Nevada on S-6 was most interesting.

After Nevada, we enter Utah through Provo to Salt Lake City. The landscape changes to salt flats and the smell becomes quite distinct. It's quite funky near the Great Salt Lake.

Salt Flats

Great Salt Lake

Onward to Fort Collins, CO we go passing through Wyoming. Southern Wyoming is not nearly as spectacular as the northern part of the state, but it has it's interesting views.

Another Wind Boondoggle

You see wind farms more and more these days. I cringe every time they come into view. I'll believe in wind power when it is no longer subsidized by the government. For now, it appears to be a typical government sponsored swindle that makes people feel good while their pockets are being picked. End of rant.

Well into Wyoming, we have lunch at a rest stop. I do enjoy the rest stops.

There was one section of Wyoming that looked very similar to the badlands of SD. It wasn't as extensive or spectacular, but it was interesting.

 

After a long day of driving and a beautiful sunset, we roll into Laramie, WY. We find a hotel and happily stop for the evening. We're beat and most grateful for a shower and bed.

Photos

Sequoia National Park

Saturday July 14, 2012

Getting up this morning we ran into some real trouble. Everybody but me is having a digestive disorder of some sort. Audrey seems to be having the worst of it and is very nauseated. I feel a little guilty for being somewhat skeptical of the seriousness, but all doubt was removed when she ran for the bathroom to "unload". Unfortunately, Jill just happened to be in the bathroom with her own issues that were manifesting in more of a southerly direction when Audrey popped in to make her contribution. I'm not sure what happened in the bathroom, but I am sure they'll laugh about it one day.

This is not good, but we have no choice but to load up and get going. Staying in a Motel6 in Bakersfield is just not an option.

On down the road a ways, we stop again for Audrey to purge herself. She did feel a little better afterwards and we're hoping the worst is over. We continue on to the park.

Sequoia National Park isn't that far from Bakersfield, so we're arriving early in the day. That's good, because we don't really have a place reserved for the evening and with Audrey sick, I would like to get her settled early if possible.

First up for photos at the park entrance sign is Jill. I'm just about to snap her photo when she dashes to the side to purge. This came on suddenly and now we have two travelers down with what appears to be food poisoning. Now we're wondering what could be the cause of this. We're thinking the hot dogs, except we all ate hot dogs. Was it the hot chocolate at Terrible's? We'll probably never know for sure, but I'm leaning to the hot dogs since Audrey and Jill had two each.

 

Oh No, Patient Number Two

After some time, they managed to put on a brave face and pose for a picture.

Putting on a Brave Face

There's really nothing to do at this point but try and make them as comfortable as possible. We have to move on though, cause there's nowhere to stop at this juncture. I do regret the nature of the roads as they are mountainous and very curvy. Hopefully that won't aggravate the already queasy stomachs of the back seat occupants.

The scenery is very nice in the park and really starts to get interesting at the higher altitudes. The trees are magnificent and we are upon the giants in very little time.

Land of the Giants

We park in the lot for the shuttle that goes to the largest living tree in the world: General Sherman. The tree is about a half a mile downhill on a path from the parking lot; we can hike or take the trolley. Audrey and Jill have to rest before attempting either, so we find a nice shady spot and set up some chairs.

Resting Before the Hike

After quite some while, I insist that we must do something other than sit in the shade of the parking lot. Jill is not quite as bad as Audrey so I take her first on the trail to the tree. It's a struggle, but she makes it and manages to muscle her way to the photo spot.

Jill and General Sherman

After a while, I sit Jill on a bench and head back up the path to see what has become of Debbie and Audrey. About half way up, I find them sitting on a bench. I hate to be the bad guy, but somebody has to get this show on the road or we'll be here all day. After much prodding, Audrey drags herself up and we continue down the path. Finally, we make it.

Debbie, Audrey and General Sherman

Mike, Debbie, and The General

Being a southerner from Georgia, I'm not crazy about the name of the tree. However, it's still an amazing sight and a wonder of nature. BTW, if anybody sees Harvey Updyke wandering around this or any other tree with a Yankee name on it, call the authorities immediately.

Now all we have to do is wait for the trolley bus to carry us back to our van in the parking lot. Hopefully, nobody gets sprayed on the bus for the short trip back.

Back in the van, we're seriously looking for a place to stay for the evening. I don't like it, but the only good choice at this time is to camp. It takes quite some time to find a spot due to the busy season. Ultimately, we find a camp site on the far end of the park and set up before it gets dark.

After setting up camp and getting the girls into their beds and comfortable for the evening, Debbie and I settle down for dinner. It's a little unusual this evening in that I'm boiling our roast beef that was in the cooler. We're concerned that the food poisoning may be from the cooler. The beef was actually pretty good that way and nobody got sick.

What is wrong with people? There's appears to be a large international contingent at one of the larger campsites. They are literally partying and screaming until midnight. Perhaps no one hipped them to the rules about being quiet after 10:00PM. To make things worse, our tent is on a down-hill grade and I keep sliding to the edge cramming my feet into a ball. I don't think I'll sleep very well tonight.

Photos

Death Valley

Friday July 13, 2012

Before heading out of Vegas, we wanted to visit the "Pawn Stars" store and also get our picture in front of the iconic "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. Both are on the strip with the "Gold and Silver" pawn shop north and the fabulous sign south. We go north first to the pawn shop.

Pawn Stars

Then we head south.

Fabulous

What the heck. I'm feeling especially festive so we stop at a Duncan Donuts and get a dozen donuts for breakfast. After that acquisition, we have one last stop to get fuel and we'll be ready to go. While at the gas stop, Audrey and Jill decide to get some hot chocolate to go with the donuts.

Is This a Good Idea?

Now it's off to Death Valley. This is the part of the trip that will be new to me. I wanted to visit the park on my spring trip, but I decided to bypass Death Valley and Yosemite due to time constraints.

We entered the park from the south on S-178. This road goes north through the valley and the scenery is spectacular. My preconceived notions of Death Valley were obliterated. It is one of the most dramatic landscapes one could ever behold. As a bonus, we had the good fortune of an overcast day so the temperatures were moderate for the season. In fact, we had a little rain at the beginning of the passage.

Death Valley was awesome! The scenery was jaw dropping and the roads entertaining. I couldn't help thinking how much fun this would have been on my motorcycle.

Exiting the park, we ran into a traffic jam. That's right, there's only a handful of cars in hundreds of square miles and we hit a traffic jam. Apparently there was a flash flood and the road was washed out. Luckily we showed up after it had been blocked for a couple of hours. We only had to wait about five minutes.

Washed Out

We've covered a lot of ground today and now are headed to the Sequoia National Park and Yosemite. It's way past lunch time, so we decide to stop at a rest stop for a picnic. We still have six Nathan's hot dog wieners, so I get out the burner and pan to do some hot dog cooking.

Yummy Hot Dogs

Since there were only six wieners, the adults let the junior travelers have two dogs each. Debbie and I each had one hot dog and a sandwich. It was all good, but I was a little concerned about cooking the dogs completely with the pan I was using. I didn't have any oil and the heat transfer was a little iffy using my warped cookware. Nobody complained so I must have done it right.

On the road again, we are headed to Bakersfield, CA for the evening. Once there, we find a hotel and pile in for the evening. I'm not feeling that great and Jill is still coughing. A good rest is very welcome at this point. The only thing I know about Bakersfield is Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Dwight Yokham. Buck moved here, Merle hailed from here, and Dwight sang about the place.

A long day comes to an end.

Photos

Hoover Dam and Vegas

Thursday July 12, 2012

Last night was the beginning of sorrows as it relates to my cold. My throat was sore and I didn't sleep as well as the nice accommodations provided. Regardless, we have a full day planned starting with the Hoover Dam and bypass bridge.

We crossed the bypass bridge last night, but it was rather anti-climatic as the high walls prevented us from seeing the grandeur of the Hoover dam from the lofty perch of the bridge. I'm very anxious to walk across the bridge today as I was unable to do so on my last trip (I was in my motorcycle garb and the logistics were just too difficult). The bridge is over 900 feet to the river below and the view should be fantastic.

To get to the bridge walkway, we have to scale a couple of stairways and some switchbacks along the path leading to the walkway. Just as we are completing this hike and turn the corner to the entrance, we notice crowds of people coming from the bridge walkway and what appears to be a small crowd gathered on the walkway itself. There's murmuring in the crowd and it's soon apparent that a troubled soul has climbed over the guard rail and is perched on the edge. The person is far enough away that it's not easy to see, but it's painfully obvious what is happening. It is only moments later that a short-tempered man flashing his official credentials tells us all to back away from the walkway entrance. Shortly thereafter, we are all informed that we must leave the area.

There's nothing left to do but go tour the dam.

We took the official super tour of the dam and were able to walk inside the corridors and see the inner workings of the operation. It was most interesting and educational.

After all our touring of the Hoover dam facility was finished, we headed on to Vegas. I regret not getting to walk across the bridge, but I regret more the troubled soul who felt his only option was to jump from a bridge. We left Hoover Dam not knowing the fate of the confused individual.

Vegas is just a short twenty miles or so from Hoover Dam and we plan to eat at a restaurant I discovered on my spring trip. It's of the Mexican variety and is in the Eastside Cannery casino. After much mis-navigation, we finally find the casino and head inside; it's really hot out in the desert sun today.

Unfortunately, the restaurant doesn't open until 4:00PM and it's only about 3:30PM. What to do, what to do? There are so many slot machines just sitting there, I decide to tempt Debbie into giving it a go. We find the least confusing looking machine and proceed to insert a dollar bill. After about three spins of the wheels, the money is gone. That wasn't much fun. After a little head scratching and deliberation, we conclude that the wager was set too high and insert another dollar. This time, it takes several spins before we deplete our dollar's worth of credits. Just as we're having fun loosing our dollar bills, a security guard queries us about the ages of Audrey and Jill. As it turns out, minors can't be in the gambling pits. Who knew? From this point forward, we have to play the machines on the perimeter. Jill can watch from the restaurant entrance which is about ten feet away.

No Slots for Jill

Finally 4:00PM comes and still the restaurant is not opening. What is the problem? Someone in our group finally read the sign on the door with some comprehension and noticed the days of operation were Friday -- Sunday, or something to that effect. We haven't eaten all day and the meal we had been saving our appetites for has just vanished. Bummer!

We head out to the car and start doing restaurant queries on the GPS and smart phone. It appears that a restaurant that was featured on "Diners Drive-ins and Dives" is very close by. The GPS is programmed with the address and we're off.

When we get to the address, the restaurant is nowhere to be seen. Another wild goose chase it appears. That of course doesn't stop us from continuing a futile search for this elusive dining establishment. Finally, we give up. We are just north of the stratosphere close to Las Vegas Blvd at this time, so we might as well cruise the strip and gawk at all the big casinos.

This takes about thirty minutes or so and afterwards, we are really hungry. Nobody is interested in searching for a local eatery so the first decent looking place is where we're stopping. That happened to be Chili's and everybody is happy again.

It's getting a little late so we need to find a place to stay for the evening. After consulting Trip Advisor on my smart phone, it looks like Circus Circus is a good option. Once again, we get a room for $40 that's really very nice considering. Parking is free also, so I'm really happy at this point.

After checking in, we decide to walk up the strip and gawk at the sights. Things in Vegas look way closer than they are. We make it to the Venetian and tour the facilities.

Inside the Venetian

After the Venetian, we're beat and head back to our hotel which is about a mile north on the strip. When we finally get back to our room, we're exhausted and ready for baths and bedtime.

Photos