Saturday 7 July 2007
I almost forgot...
Here's a map of the route we took. It's not quite accurate, we never went to Salem (we chose Hood River instead) and the numbers showing how many nights we were staying in each place aren't always right but you get the idea.
Day 30 - The Journey Home
Even by 8.30am as we stepped out of the elevator and wheeled our cases over to the car it was already hot in Las Vegas. We cleared the car of all the maps, tickets, sweet wrappers, and other detritus we'd collected over the course of a month, hauled Amy's ridiculously heavy suitcase (it was the first time since arriving that we'd actually tried to pack all our purchases into the case) into the car and set off in search of a gas station and the car hire center.
Expecting rush hour traffic but finding none we were soon dropping off the car keys and getting on the shuttle bus to the terminal (feeling sorry for the poor driver who offered to lift Amy's case). All was going well until we weighed in our bags - Amy's was way over the weight limit and we'd have to pay a $50 excess. Luckily the friendly woman behind the desk pointed out that we were allowed two bags each and directed me towards the gift shops. So I shot off and came back a couple of minutes later with a Caeser's Palace hold-all that I'd bought for $25 dollars. Some hasty rearrangment took place and eventually we managed to get Amy's case back under the weight limit. Phew.
Now, in Vegas everywhere has slot machines, and the departure lounge is no exception. We still had a few dollars left so we tried our luck again, this time managing to work our way up to $8... which we promptly spent on a tin of Jelly Beans. Sweet.
Our flight was on time and straightforward, as was the change-over; because we were transferring from an internal flight to an international one this time (rather than the other way round) there was no messing around with customs and bag reclaim, we just had to walk about 2 gates along and find a place to sit. I even had enough time to find a bureau-de-change and convert our remaining Canadian dollars into US ones to buy some drinks and snacks (I was only changing $6 so it was lucky for me that they were running a promotion which waived the usual $5 exchange fee).
So, with little ado we boarded our second flight, settled into our seats and headed home.
And that ladies and gentlemen is the end of my blog. I hope you've enjoyed it. There are a few more photos left to upload though so keep your eyes peeled.
Fin.
Expecting rush hour traffic but finding none we were soon dropping off the car keys and getting on the shuttle bus to the terminal (feeling sorry for the poor driver who offered to lift Amy's case). All was going well until we weighed in our bags - Amy's was way over the weight limit and we'd have to pay a $50 excess. Luckily the friendly woman behind the desk pointed out that we were allowed two bags each and directed me towards the gift shops. So I shot off and came back a couple of minutes later with a Caeser's Palace hold-all that I'd bought for $25 dollars. Some hasty rearrangment took place and eventually we managed to get Amy's case back under the weight limit. Phew.
Now, in Vegas everywhere has slot machines, and the departure lounge is no exception. We still had a few dollars left so we tried our luck again, this time managing to work our way up to $8... which we promptly spent on a tin of Jelly Beans. Sweet.
Our flight was on time and straightforward, as was the change-over; because we were transferring from an internal flight to an international one this time (rather than the other way round) there was no messing around with customs and bag reclaim, we just had to walk about 2 gates along and find a place to sit. I even had enough time to find a bureau-de-change and convert our remaining Canadian dollars into US ones to buy some drinks and snacks (I was only changing $6 so it was lucky for me that they were running a promotion which waived the usual $5 exchange fee).
So, with little ado we boarded our second flight, settled into our seats and headed home.
And that ladies and gentlemen is the end of my blog. I hope you've enjoyed it. There are a few more photos left to upload though so keep your eyes peeled.
Fin.
Friday 6 July 2007
Day 29 - The Last Day
We turned on the TV in the morning just in time to catch a story on the news about a shooting at the New York, New York casino the night before at just after midnight. Apparently it must have happened while we were watching the Zumanity finale or just after we left the casino. Still, nobody was fatally injured and no trip to America would be complete without a gun story!
Finding some breakfast proved remarkably difficult; people in Las Vegas don't seem to do mornings. After meandering around Circus Circus and then the Sahara we finally found a Coca-Cola themed diner in the Stratosphere. We ordered two breakfasts and two of the souvenir milkshakes which come in plastic replica Stratosphere towers, which must be nearly 2ft long, while a bad Elvis impersonator wound his way between the booths singing equally bad renditions of 50s songs.
Breakfast over, it was time for the dizzy heights of the Stratosphere tower (the real one, not the 2ft plastic ones we'd acquired). From the ground it doesn't appear any higher than the other casino buildings but once you reach the 108th floor and look down all them all, it clearly is. Apart from the obligatory panoramic view and restaurant the tower also houses the world's highest Starbucks (our second Starbucks record of the holiday) and a couple of rides which dangle you right over the side of the tower. We were still aching from the rollercoaster ride the night before and the 2ft of milkshake we'd each guzzled had put us off the idea of a Starbucks so we just sat and admired the view for a while then got the elevator back down - which is harder than it sounds actually, I swear we'd done three full laps of the viewing deck and cut through the middle twice before we finally found it.
Back on solid ground we had a look round the rest of the Stratosphere, and the Sahara, which bizarrely has taken on a Nascar theme inside) We even did our first spot of gambling, winning a whopped $2.55 from a $1 stake (I took a photo of the ticket as proof) then, having exhausted this end of the strip we got the monorail right up to the other end, where we'd started our holiday a month before.
The Luxor hotel has an Imax cinema, and Amy had never been to one before so we purchased some tickets for the Dinosaurs and Deep Sea films and then a couple of frozen margaritas while we waited. Little did we know that that Imax is the one place in Las Vegas where you can't take a drink - so we attempted to down the frozen drinks and ended up with a severe case of brain-freeze as a result. Exactly what you don't want before going to watch a 3D movie with an award winningly loud sound system. Whether down to that or the movie itself, I definitely enjoyed the second one more - there are some crazy crazy creatures living down there in the deep.
After all that movie watching it was time for our last dinner of the whole holiday, which we had at House of Blues, coincidentally just across from the red, white and blue diner where we'd had our first breakfast.
Knackered and stuffed, and knowing we had to rise early for the flight tomorrow, we got a taxi back to Circus Circus and did a spot of packing before turning in early.
Finding some breakfast proved remarkably difficult; people in Las Vegas don't seem to do mornings. After meandering around Circus Circus and then the Sahara we finally found a Coca-Cola themed diner in the Stratosphere. We ordered two breakfasts and two of the souvenir milkshakes which come in plastic replica Stratosphere towers, which must be nearly 2ft long, while a bad Elvis impersonator wound his way between the booths singing equally bad renditions of 50s songs.
Breakfast over, it was time for the dizzy heights of the Stratosphere tower (the real one, not the 2ft plastic ones we'd acquired). From the ground it doesn't appear any higher than the other casino buildings but once you reach the 108th floor and look down all them all, it clearly is. Apart from the obligatory panoramic view and restaurant the tower also houses the world's highest Starbucks (our second Starbucks record of the holiday) and a couple of rides which dangle you right over the side of the tower. We were still aching from the rollercoaster ride the night before and the 2ft of milkshake we'd each guzzled had put us off the idea of a Starbucks so we just sat and admired the view for a while then got the elevator back down - which is harder than it sounds actually, I swear we'd done three full laps of the viewing deck and cut through the middle twice before we finally found it.
Back on solid ground we had a look round the rest of the Stratosphere, and the Sahara, which bizarrely has taken on a Nascar theme inside) We even did our first spot of gambling, winning a whopped $2.55 from a $1 stake (I took a photo of the ticket as proof) then, having exhausted this end of the strip we got the monorail right up to the other end, where we'd started our holiday a month before.
The Luxor hotel has an Imax cinema, and Amy had never been to one before so we purchased some tickets for the Dinosaurs and Deep Sea films and then a couple of frozen margaritas while we waited. Little did we know that that Imax is the one place in Las Vegas where you can't take a drink - so we attempted to down the frozen drinks and ended up with a severe case of brain-freeze as a result. Exactly what you don't want before going to watch a 3D movie with an award winningly loud sound system. Whether down to that or the movie itself, I definitely enjoyed the second one more - there are some crazy crazy creatures living down there in the deep.
After all that movie watching it was time for our last dinner of the whole holiday, which we had at House of Blues, coincidentally just across from the red, white and blue diner where we'd had our first breakfast.
Knackered and stuffed, and knowing we had to rise early for the flight tomorrow, we got a taxi back to Circus Circus and did a spot of packing before turning in early.
Thursday 5 July 2007
Day 28 - From Whence We Came
Today would be our last day of driving, taking us back to Las Vegas, where the whole road trip started.
Before setting off we noticed that the restaurant next to the hotel had been voted 'Best Breakfast in Ogden' 4 years running. Slightly suspicious that there was little in the way competition we decided to check it out anyway, it wasn't like we could see anywhere else to it. Before we even reached the front door though we could see that the queue extended out into the car-park. Thinking of the drive ahead (plus it was already 25°C and rising) we decided to abort the plan and get some food on the way instead. Best breakfast or not, we'll never know.
We drove straight on through Salt Lake City, the guidebooks didn't have much to say about it and the skyline looked decidely dull. At the time we didn't realise how close we'd passed to the actual salt lake or we might have stopped to have a look (3 times as salty as the sea apparently).
All the way down throuh Utah the scenery is much the same, on your right (travelling south) are mountains, on the left are plains and low hills, and on both sides there's little vegetation. The temperature slowly increased the further south we got, although once it got into the mid-nineties fahrenheit (that's about 35°C) and midday passed it seemed to level out.
We stopped briefly at the entrance to Zion national park with ideas of taking the 10 mile scenic drive into the park but like all American national parks they only do a 5-day pass, the price of which seemed a little step for a half hour excursion (it was too hot to stay out of the car for long so we couldn't have hung round much longer than that).
It turned out that we'd get to see some pretty spectacular scenery anyway just driving along Interstate 15. A few miles south of Zion the road passes through St George, right on the Utah border and then plunges headlong into the Virgin River Gorge. The transition is almost instant, one minute you're driving across a plain, the next you feel like you're on another planet. The gorge is so steep and narrow that much of the road is up on stilts, simply because it couldn't sit flat on the bottom.
In interesting effect of the mountains is that they seem to form a weather barrier between Nevada on one side and Utah on the other (only about 10 miles or so of the road is in Arizona). While the temperature in Utah had been consistently warm, when we hit the gorge it turned hot, and then scorching. In the space of 15 minutes we went from 35°C to 45°C... Every now and then Amy would open the window to take a photo (otherwise they always came out with a big reflection of the dashboard or us in) but we couldn't keep the window open for more than a few seconds before the car filled with dry hot air and we had to close it again. Thank god for air-conditioning.
Just past the mountains, as the road begins to stretch out across the desert, is a town called Mesquite, which is a crazy looking place. There are huge mansions perched up on the top of rocky ridges, several large casinos and even golf courses (which would explain why the Virgin river looks so dry). Most bizarre of all, we even saw a roundabout - the first one we'd seen in the USA.
From there it was a short drive across another barren patch of desert, along another dead straight road. The radio had improved though, out with the bible readings of Utah and in with the 24-hour party tunes of Nevada. Before long we were getting into the Vegas spirit - and then there it was, the distinctive Las Vegas skyline...
Before setting off we noticed that the restaurant next to the hotel had been voted 'Best Breakfast in Ogden' 4 years running. Slightly suspicious that there was little in the way competition we decided to check it out anyway, it wasn't like we could see anywhere else to it. Before we even reached the front door though we could see that the queue extended out into the car-park. Thinking of the drive ahead (plus it was already 25°C and rising) we decided to abort the plan and get some food on the way instead. Best breakfast or not, we'll never know.
We drove straight on through Salt Lake City, the guidebooks didn't have much to say about it and the skyline looked decidely dull. At the time we didn't realise how close we'd passed to the actual salt lake or we might have stopped to have a look (3 times as salty as the sea apparently).
All the way down throuh Utah the scenery is much the same, on your right (travelling south) are mountains, on the left are plains and low hills, and on both sides there's little vegetation. The temperature slowly increased the further south we got, although once it got into the mid-nineties fahrenheit (that's about 35°C) and midday passed it seemed to level out.
We stopped briefly at the entrance to Zion national park with ideas of taking the 10 mile scenic drive into the park but like all American national parks they only do a 5-day pass, the price of which seemed a little step for a half hour excursion (it was too hot to stay out of the car for long so we couldn't have hung round much longer than that).
It turned out that we'd get to see some pretty spectacular scenery anyway just driving along Interstate 15. A few miles south of Zion the road passes through St George, right on the Utah border and then plunges headlong into the Virgin River Gorge. The transition is almost instant, one minute you're driving across a plain, the next you feel like you're on another planet. The gorge is so steep and narrow that much of the road is up on stilts, simply because it couldn't sit flat on the bottom.
In interesting effect of the mountains is that they seem to form a weather barrier between Nevada on one side and Utah on the other (only about 10 miles or so of the road is in Arizona). While the temperature in Utah had been consistently warm, when we hit the gorge it turned hot, and then scorching. In the space of 15 minutes we went from 35°C to 45°C... Every now and then Amy would open the window to take a photo (otherwise they always came out with a big reflection of the dashboard or us in) but we couldn't keep the window open for more than a few seconds before the car filled with dry hot air and we had to close it again. Thank god for air-conditioning.
Just past the mountains, as the road begins to stretch out across the desert, is a town called Mesquite, which is a crazy looking place. There are huge mansions perched up on the top of rocky ridges, several large casinos and even golf courses (which would explain why the Virgin river looks so dry). Most bizarre of all, we even saw a roundabout - the first one we'd seen in the USA.
From there it was a short drive across another barren patch of desert, along another dead straight road. The radio had improved though, out with the bible readings of Utah and in with the 24-hour party tunes of Nevada. Before long we were getting into the Vegas spirit - and then there it was, the distinctive Las Vegas skyline...
Day 28 1/2 - Vegas Baby Yeah
We were at Circus Circus, which was right at the opposite end of the strip to the Excalibur. It's one of the older casinos and despite the glitz it is starting to look a little tired. The multi-storey car park was so cramped and depressing that it reminded me of Luton Arndale Center (I'm amazed people get their enormous SUVs round the corners). It was also packed - by the time we found a space we were on the roof, back out in the blistering heat.
There was no avoiding it now, we had to turn off the air-con and get out of the car. The temperature on the dashboard was now reading 50°C (officially it was 47°C in the shade that day) and as soon as we stepped out into the sunshine we could feel our skin prickling. Luckily it was only a short dash to the elevator but even by then we'd had enough.
We checked in, dropped off our bags and then ventured out in search of food, drink and hopefully some tickets to a show. A bit of shopping around revealed that most of the shows were sold out or not showing that day, so with limited choices we opted for Zumanity, one of the Circue de Soleil shows. The show was at New York, NewYork so after a sushi dinner we got a taxi up there (a 2 mile walk in this heat wasn't going to happen) arriving with plenty of time to spare... time that we filled with a ride on the famous rollercoaster that winds its way round the outside of the casino.
The number of warnings as you queue for the ride is intimidating. Anyone with a heart condition, joint problem or who's even feeling a bit peaky is advised not to ride and there's even a list of advice for action to take if you do get injured on the ride. Luckily both Amy and I lived to tell the tale but it really is the most punishing ride I think I've ever been on, made worse because it's getting a bit old and rickety. By the time I got off I felt stiff and bruised, and vey glad we hadn't bought a multi-ride pass.
So, on to the show which, if I'm honest, was exactly what I expected of a Las Vegas show - no more, no less (although I think Amy enjoyed it more than I did). In my opinion there are only so many ways people can jump, dance and prance around. Asbsolutely worth experiencing once, but like the rollercoaster, not something I'm bothered about doing twice.
There was no avoiding it now, we had to turn off the air-con and get out of the car. The temperature on the dashboard was now reading 50°C (officially it was 47°C in the shade that day) and as soon as we stepped out into the sunshine we could feel our skin prickling. Luckily it was only a short dash to the elevator but even by then we'd had enough.
We checked in, dropped off our bags and then ventured out in search of food, drink and hopefully some tickets to a show. A bit of shopping around revealed that most of the shows were sold out or not showing that day, so with limited choices we opted for Zumanity, one of the Circue de Soleil shows. The show was at New York, NewYork so after a sushi dinner we got a taxi up there (a 2 mile walk in this heat wasn't going to happen) arriving with plenty of time to spare... time that we filled with a ride on the famous rollercoaster that winds its way round the outside of the casino.
The number of warnings as you queue for the ride is intimidating. Anyone with a heart condition, joint problem or who's even feeling a bit peaky is advised not to ride and there's even a list of advice for action to take if you do get injured on the ride. Luckily both Amy and I lived to tell the tale but it really is the most punishing ride I think I've ever been on, made worse because it's getting a bit old and rickety. By the time I got off I felt stiff and bruised, and vey glad we hadn't bought a multi-ride pass.
So, on to the show which, if I'm honest, was exactly what I expected of a Las Vegas show - no more, no less (although I think Amy enjoyed it more than I did). In my opinion there are only so many ways people can jump, dance and prance around. Asbsolutely worth experiencing once, but like the rollercoaster, not something I'm bothered about doing twice.
Wednesday 4 July 2007
Day 27 1/2 - Yellowstone and beyond
The second half of our day was taken up with what Yellowstone is really famous for... Geysers!
That's not strictly true actually, although there are several geyser basins, very few geysers erupt with any degree of regularity, Old Faithful of course being the one that's genuinely reliable. As it was we spent most of our time looking at more hot springs. Although these springs haven't built up large mounds as they have at Mammoth the mineral deposits are more varied, colouring the rock bright shades of red, green and blue. I took so many photos of them I almost ran the battery flat on my camera.
Of course the highlight of the afternoon was Old Faithful itself. Its eruptions occur roughly every ninety minutes, although that can vary by half an hour either way. From the length of each eruption the geyser experts can predict the next eruption to with a 20 minute window, so when we arrived we knew we'd only have to wait half an hour or so. In fact luck was on our side and we only had to wait 15 minutes before the geyser erupted, spouting boiling water 130 feet into the air. It was hard to appreciate the true scale of the eruption from the viewing area which is way back from the geyers - but I guess they can't let you wander right up to it.
So, with the camera battery exhausted and us not far behind we set off towards Idaho Falls, where we planned to find a motel. Of course we had to stop on the way out of the park to admire the scenery one last time and wave goodbye to the American wilderness (for this holiday at least).
The drive to Idaho Falls was a pretty dull one consisting mainly of long straight roads. Watching the villages go by, the signs Christianity get gradually stronger; road signs abound advertising Christian radio, television, church services and even Christian museums. It was 6.30pm when we arrived in Idaho Falls but we couldn't see any chain restaurants that took our fancy and didn't fancy finding our way into the city centre so we decided to carry on for a while. We were making good time (there seem to be state troopers round every corner but the speed limit is still a generous 75mph) and the next few towns didn't look far on the map.
Blackfoot and Fort Hall turned out to be pretty small so it was a while after 7pm when we arrived in Pocatello and pulled off the freeway. The first sight that greeted us was a small independence day celebration taking place on a green right by the freeway exit - interesting choice of venue for what looked a lot like an English country fair.
Anyway, just past there we found an Applebees which looked like a pleasant change from fast food. When we got inside too we found the place full of locals, usually a good sign. In fact our first impressions proved correct - it's basically TGI Fridays but with much bigger portions and friendlier staff.
Now Applebees was right next to a Best Western and on reflection perhaps we should have stayed there, but it was still before 9pm and we faced a long drive the next day so it seemed a good idea to get another hour's driving in before checking into a motel...
The problem with our plan was that once you leave Pocatello there isn't much else for quite a long way. Thirty minutes or so into the journey as the last of the dusk light faded, and civilisation along with it, it dawned on us that perhaps we'd made a mistake. The only motel we passed aws at a truck stop and with it's flickering red neon sign looked more like something from a horror movie. Curiously the only signs of any settlement through southern Idaho were the fireworks people were sending up to celebrate their independence. I guess it's only natural that regilious hillbilly fruit-loops living in the middle of nowhere should be patriotic with it.
Just as we conceded that we'd probably have to drive all the way to Salt Lake City we arrived in Ogden, the one place that's actually bigger than it appears on the map. A couple of junctions in (yes, it's big enough to have multiple freeway junctions) we spotted a Best Western so we pulled in and managed to get a room. No hot-tub this time but it was a lot cheaper than the last one we'd stayed at. That's Ogden for you.
That's not strictly true actually, although there are several geyser basins, very few geysers erupt with any degree of regularity, Old Faithful of course being the one that's genuinely reliable. As it was we spent most of our time looking at more hot springs. Although these springs haven't built up large mounds as they have at Mammoth the mineral deposits are more varied, colouring the rock bright shades of red, green and blue. I took so many photos of them I almost ran the battery flat on my camera.
Of course the highlight of the afternoon was Old Faithful itself. Its eruptions occur roughly every ninety minutes, although that can vary by half an hour either way. From the length of each eruption the geyser experts can predict the next eruption to with a 20 minute window, so when we arrived we knew we'd only have to wait half an hour or so. In fact luck was on our side and we only had to wait 15 minutes before the geyser erupted, spouting boiling water 130 feet into the air. It was hard to appreciate the true scale of the eruption from the viewing area which is way back from the geyers - but I guess they can't let you wander right up to it.
So, with the camera battery exhausted and us not far behind we set off towards Idaho Falls, where we planned to find a motel. Of course we had to stop on the way out of the park to admire the scenery one last time and wave goodbye to the American wilderness (for this holiday at least).
The drive to Idaho Falls was a pretty dull one consisting mainly of long straight roads. Watching the villages go by, the signs Christianity get gradually stronger; road signs abound advertising Christian radio, television, church services and even Christian museums. It was 6.30pm when we arrived in Idaho Falls but we couldn't see any chain restaurants that took our fancy and didn't fancy finding our way into the city centre so we decided to carry on for a while. We were making good time (there seem to be state troopers round every corner but the speed limit is still a generous 75mph) and the next few towns didn't look far on the map.
Blackfoot and Fort Hall turned out to be pretty small so it was a while after 7pm when we arrived in Pocatello and pulled off the freeway. The first sight that greeted us was a small independence day celebration taking place on a green right by the freeway exit - interesting choice of venue for what looked a lot like an English country fair.
Anyway, just past there we found an Applebees which looked like a pleasant change from fast food. When we got inside too we found the place full of locals, usually a good sign. In fact our first impressions proved correct - it's basically TGI Fridays but with much bigger portions and friendlier staff.
Now Applebees was right next to a Best Western and on reflection perhaps we should have stayed there, but it was still before 9pm and we faced a long drive the next day so it seemed a good idea to get another hour's driving in before checking into a motel...
The problem with our plan was that once you leave Pocatello there isn't much else for quite a long way. Thirty minutes or so into the journey as the last of the dusk light faded, and civilisation along with it, it dawned on us that perhaps we'd made a mistake. The only motel we passed aws at a truck stop and with it's flickering red neon sign looked more like something from a horror movie. Curiously the only signs of any settlement through southern Idaho were the fireworks people were sending up to celebrate their independence. I guess it's only natural that regilious hillbilly fruit-loops living in the middle of nowhere should be patriotic with it.
Just as we conceded that we'd probably have to drive all the way to Salt Lake City we arrived in Ogden, the one place that's actually bigger than it appears on the map. A couple of junctions in (yes, it's big enough to have multiple freeway junctions) we spotted a Best Western so we pulled in and managed to get a room. No hot-tub this time but it was a lot cheaper than the last one we'd stayed at. That's Ogden for you.
Day 27 - Yellowstone
We awoke to the sound of the annual 4th July parade... well, perhaps parade is too grand a title. It had all the basic elements: people, flags, horses, brass instruments, singing and even baton twirling, but 8 a.m. just isn't the right time for a parade. Some of the participants looked more asleep than I did.
After a pathetic shower and a huge breakfast (we definitely weren't in Canada any more) we checked out of the hotel and started our tour of Yellowstone in the only way Americans know how; by car.
Yellowstone is conveniently laid out so that all the major attractions lie along a 140 mile loop road. We were leaving the park via a different exit to the one we came in, but even so we'd be covering 100 miles during the course of the day.
First stop of course was Mammoth Hot Springs, just a couple of minutes from the hotel. The springs have formed where water bubbles up slowly from deep underground, leaving behind mineral deposits that gradually build to form mounds and pools. The springs are constantly changing as some dry up and new fissures appear - some large pools that were active 20 or 30 years ago are now completely dried up so that the lower slopes look like a barren alien landscape. Farther up, as you reach the active springs, the first thing that hits you is the smell. The steam rising from the pools is thick with sulphur and the whole area reeks of rotten eggs. Nice.
Our next stop (a lone tree believe it or not), was a few miles further on, through an amazingly varied landscape of lush green fields, barren mountains and everything in between. What makes this tree special is that it's over 5 million years old. Back then, a volcanic eruption buried it and as a result of some sciency stuff it was petrified. Ages later the surrounding ash washed away but the stone tree remained. Oddly enough it doesn't look dissimilar to any other dead tree, if it wasn't for the sign you could easily miss it.
Still, enough about a tree. From there we travelled to Tower Falls, the first waterfall of the day. The falls are an impressive sight, taking their name from the impressive rock formations that tower above. I wish we'd had time to take the trail further down towards the fall but we only had one day so after listening to the thundering roar of the water for a few minutes we moved on again.
After various other short stops we arrived at Lower Canyon Falls. This is what I always imagine a waterfall to look like - the water has carved out a deep canyon through red and yellow rock and the volume of water pouring down far surpassed any of the other falls we'd seen. It's not hard to see why the rocky outcrop overlooking the falls is known as Artist's Point.
We stopped just past Dunraven Pass, the highest point on the loop road at a staggering 8,892 ft. It was also the first time I'd seen the temperature gauge on the car rise from its half way mark (I don't think it liked the steep climb and thin air) so it was a good excuse to give the engine a rest. From our vantage point we could look out over one of Yellowstone's major volcanic basins which although inactive for a long period shows several large bare patches where the soil has become too acidic for vegetation. One day it could all blow up again, eek.
After this mountainous section the road winds across a large grassy plain down towards Yellowstone lake. We'd seen the odd bison by the road but here there were suddenly dozens of them. At one point we saw a whole herd wading across the wide river - an amazing sight, and all the more so because it took us completely by surprise. By early afternoon we'd reached the lake front and stopped at the lakeside lodge for a spot of lunch.
And I'll stop typing now too. More Yellowstone tales in the next post.
After a pathetic shower and a huge breakfast (we definitely weren't in Canada any more) we checked out of the hotel and started our tour of Yellowstone in the only way Americans know how; by car.
Yellowstone is conveniently laid out so that all the major attractions lie along a 140 mile loop road. We were leaving the park via a different exit to the one we came in, but even so we'd be covering 100 miles during the course of the day.
First stop of course was Mammoth Hot Springs, just a couple of minutes from the hotel. The springs have formed where water bubbles up slowly from deep underground, leaving behind mineral deposits that gradually build to form mounds and pools. The springs are constantly changing as some dry up and new fissures appear - some large pools that were active 20 or 30 years ago are now completely dried up so that the lower slopes look like a barren alien landscape. Farther up, as you reach the active springs, the first thing that hits you is the smell. The steam rising from the pools is thick with sulphur and the whole area reeks of rotten eggs. Nice.
Our next stop (a lone tree believe it or not), was a few miles further on, through an amazingly varied landscape of lush green fields, barren mountains and everything in between. What makes this tree special is that it's over 5 million years old. Back then, a volcanic eruption buried it and as a result of some sciency stuff it was petrified. Ages later the surrounding ash washed away but the stone tree remained. Oddly enough it doesn't look dissimilar to any other dead tree, if it wasn't for the sign you could easily miss it.
Still, enough about a tree. From there we travelled to Tower Falls, the first waterfall of the day. The falls are an impressive sight, taking their name from the impressive rock formations that tower above. I wish we'd had time to take the trail further down towards the fall but we only had one day so after listening to the thundering roar of the water for a few minutes we moved on again.
After various other short stops we arrived at Lower Canyon Falls. This is what I always imagine a waterfall to look like - the water has carved out a deep canyon through red and yellow rock and the volume of water pouring down far surpassed any of the other falls we'd seen. It's not hard to see why the rocky outcrop overlooking the falls is known as Artist's Point.
We stopped just past Dunraven Pass, the highest point on the loop road at a staggering 8,892 ft. It was also the first time I'd seen the temperature gauge on the car rise from its half way mark (I don't think it liked the steep climb and thin air) so it was a good excuse to give the engine a rest. From our vantage point we could look out over one of Yellowstone's major volcanic basins which although inactive for a long period shows several large bare patches where the soil has become too acidic for vegetation. One day it could all blow up again, eek.
After this mountainous section the road winds across a large grassy plain down towards Yellowstone lake. We'd seen the odd bison by the road but here there were suddenly dozens of them. At one point we saw a whole herd wading across the wide river - an amazing sight, and all the more so because it took us completely by surprise. By early afternoon we'd reached the lake front and stopped at the lakeside lodge for a spot of lunch.
And I'll stop typing now too. More Yellowstone tales in the next post.
Tuesday 3 July 2007
Day 26 1/2 - Yellowstone
Unlike our stay in Yosemite we'd opted for a proper hotel room this time. We were staying at the Mammoth Hot Springs hotel, a grand building situated in a shallow valley close to the hot springs after which it is named. Our room was fairly basic and didn't look like it had changed much since the hotel was built in the late nineteenth century. The bathroom was just along the corridor and equally basic, but at least we wouldn't have to risk meeting a bear in the night if we needed the loo.
After a delicious meal at the one and only restaurant in Mammoth the combination of a 10 hour drive, a full stomach and perhaps a little wine proved too much for us and we collapsed into bed, looking forward to a solid day of sightseeing tomorrow.
After a delicious meal at the one and only restaurant in Mammoth the combination of a 10 hour drive, a full stomach and perhaps a little wine proved too much for us and we collapsed into bed, looking forward to a solid day of sightseeing tomorrow.
Day 26 - Montana
Today we would be bringing the Canada leg of our road trip to an end and returning back to the USA. We rose early, loaded up the car, bade Mum and Ros farewell and set off around 8.30am. The route to Yellowstone was 600 miles so we were in for a long day.
Ninety minutes into the drive we were making good distance so we decided there was enough time to stop off at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump near Fort MacLeod. The buffalo jump is a cliff over which the Native Americans herded buffalo to their deaths (they weren't just cruel, it was a convenient was to ensure they had enough meat and provisions for the winter). Built next to the cliff is an 'interpretive center' though which unfortunately have to pass through to reach the jump itself. We didn't really want to spend long, but we paid the entry fee anyway and headed on inside.
We were told that we should first watch the video reconstruction in the auditorium, which was 10 minutes long and played on loop with a 4 minute break between each showing. So we checked our watches, did some quick calculations about when we needed to get back on the road and decided we had time...
15 minutes later we were still sat in the auditorium with half a dozen other people waiting for the video to start. Just as we decided to give the video a miss and stood up a tour party began pouring in - evidently the reason for the hold up. They proceeded to take another 10 minutes to arrange themselves, at which point the tour guide got up on stage and started running through the itinerary for the day. He was followed by one of the museum staff who gave a short introductory speech (or at least it would have been short if she could remember her lines) and then tried to teach the audience how to say a greeting in their local indian dialect. From this we learnt three things about American tour groups; they love audience participation, they won't give up until they've got something right and they're very stupid. By the time the video started I was about ready to write something extremely rude in the museum's guest book and Amy rolled her eyes in a way that I expect meant the same thing.
We breathed a sigh of relief as the video started, shortly followed by a sigh of despair. The video appeared to have been recorded some time in the seventies, on a budget of ten dollars, onto a VHS tape which had then been played on loop ever since.... quite possibly it has.
Eventually we left the auditorium, hoping over the tour group members as we went, and charged up the stairs so we could at least get to see the buffalo jump in peace for a few minutes before the wheezing, overweight tour group showed and started relating anecdotes about how their aunt Sandy had been here twice and just loved it.
So, after over an hour we got back on the road and headed for the border... A border which turned out remarkably easy to cross. There was hardly any queue and since we already had our visa waiver forms we were allowed straight though. Result.
Not long after the border we came across a small town called Sunburst, it looked rather basic but Montana is a bit thin on civilisation and we were running low on gas so we decided to stop. First impressions weren't wrong, Sunburst was indeed basic. There was just one tarmac road through the middle and the gas station was off down a gravel track. When we pulled up outside it looked deserted, just a couple of pumps in the middle of a big dirt yard, but we spotted someone else filling up so we figured it was open. Amazingly despite how 'rustic' the place was it had a credit card machine attached to the pump, lucky really as I couldn't see any signs indicating where the attendant might be - clearly we wouldn't be getting a Starbucks here. After a short but bumpy ride back through Sunburst, past the trailers and shacks (there didn't appear to be any more substantial buildings), we were back on the highway headed south.
Montana as it turns out isn't quite how I'd imagined. Not that there aren't the lush green rolling hills that look like a Windows XP backdrop, but there's so much else besides. For a state larger than the whole of the UK I guess I was naive to think otherwise. Northern Montana seems to be pretty much a desert, then you hill the postcard look fields and hills, then beyond that the scenic Highway 89 cuts through deep forests and gorges before finally spitting you out into Wyoming and Yellowstone park.
We stopped in Livingston, the last major town before Yellowstone, to fill up with gas for the second time in a day. Not so good for the environment but thankfully not too hard on the wallet. As I was strolling back from the restroom two hitch-hikers wandered over and asked 'You are going to Yellowstone perhaps yes?' in an eastern European accent. I quickly lied 'No' and got back in the car, hoping that we wouldn't bump into them later at the hotel.
From Livingston it was another hour to the park entrance. We drove under a big stone arch indicating that we had crossed the park boundary, then a hundred yards later we found a barrier and a park ranger indicating that we had to pay the entry fee. Not long later we were at the hotel... but I'll leave that for the next blog entry.
Ninety minutes into the drive we were making good distance so we decided there was enough time to stop off at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump near Fort MacLeod. The buffalo jump is a cliff over which the Native Americans herded buffalo to their deaths (they weren't just cruel, it was a convenient was to ensure they had enough meat and provisions for the winter). Built next to the cliff is an 'interpretive center' though which unfortunately have to pass through to reach the jump itself. We didn't really want to spend long, but we paid the entry fee anyway and headed on inside.
We were told that we should first watch the video reconstruction in the auditorium, which was 10 minutes long and played on loop with a 4 minute break between each showing. So we checked our watches, did some quick calculations about when we needed to get back on the road and decided we had time...
15 minutes later we were still sat in the auditorium with half a dozen other people waiting for the video to start. Just as we decided to give the video a miss and stood up a tour party began pouring in - evidently the reason for the hold up. They proceeded to take another 10 minutes to arrange themselves, at which point the tour guide got up on stage and started running through the itinerary for the day. He was followed by one of the museum staff who gave a short introductory speech (or at least it would have been short if she could remember her lines) and then tried to teach the audience how to say a greeting in their local indian dialect. From this we learnt three things about American tour groups; they love audience participation, they won't give up until they've got something right and they're very stupid. By the time the video started I was about ready to write something extremely rude in the museum's guest book and Amy rolled her eyes in a way that I expect meant the same thing.
We breathed a sigh of relief as the video started, shortly followed by a sigh of despair. The video appeared to have been recorded some time in the seventies, on a budget of ten dollars, onto a VHS tape which had then been played on loop ever since.... quite possibly it has.
Eventually we left the auditorium, hoping over the tour group members as we went, and charged up the stairs so we could at least get to see the buffalo jump in peace for a few minutes before the wheezing, overweight tour group showed and started relating anecdotes about how their aunt Sandy had been here twice and just loved it.
So, after over an hour we got back on the road and headed for the border... A border which turned out remarkably easy to cross. There was hardly any queue and since we already had our visa waiver forms we were allowed straight though. Result.
Not long after the border we came across a small town called Sunburst, it looked rather basic but Montana is a bit thin on civilisation and we were running low on gas so we decided to stop. First impressions weren't wrong, Sunburst was indeed basic. There was just one tarmac road through the middle and the gas station was off down a gravel track. When we pulled up outside it looked deserted, just a couple of pumps in the middle of a big dirt yard, but we spotted someone else filling up so we figured it was open. Amazingly despite how 'rustic' the place was it had a credit card machine attached to the pump, lucky really as I couldn't see any signs indicating where the attendant might be - clearly we wouldn't be getting a Starbucks here. After a short but bumpy ride back through Sunburst, past the trailers and shacks (there didn't appear to be any more substantial buildings), we were back on the highway headed south.
Montana as it turns out isn't quite how I'd imagined. Not that there aren't the lush green rolling hills that look like a Windows XP backdrop, but there's so much else besides. For a state larger than the whole of the UK I guess I was naive to think otherwise. Northern Montana seems to be pretty much a desert, then you hill the postcard look fields and hills, then beyond that the scenic Highway 89 cuts through deep forests and gorges before finally spitting you out into Wyoming and Yellowstone park.
We stopped in Livingston, the last major town before Yellowstone, to fill up with gas for the second time in a day. Not so good for the environment but thankfully not too hard on the wallet. As I was strolling back from the restroom two hitch-hikers wandered over and asked 'You are going to Yellowstone perhaps yes?' in an eastern European accent. I quickly lied 'No' and got back in the car, hoping that we wouldn't bump into them later at the hotel.
From Livingston it was another hour to the park entrance. We drove under a big stone arch indicating that we had crossed the park boundary, then a hundred yards later we found a barrier and a park ranger indicating that we had to pay the entry fee. Not long later we were at the hotel... but I'll leave that for the next blog entry.
Monday 2 July 2007
Day 25 - It's All Relative
Today was the allocated day for seeing relatives. The day after Canada, it was a bank holiday so all of Ros's relatives (and by extension my own distant relatives) would be coming over in the evening for a meal. Much of the day was spent preparing food and laying out chairs and tables but we did find time to visit the one relative that wouldn't be coming.
Joyce, my Grandma's sister, is now in her nineties (I forget the exact age) and sadly she's pretty much confined to her bed in a local retirement home. It isn't far from Ros's house so she gets visitors regularly but it was still a shame she couldn't be there to see everyone in the evening.
We stayed at the home for half an hour or so before running out of things so say. It's hard to understand much of what Joyce says so the conversation turns into a monologue before long. She smiles and laughs at all the jokes though and you can see in her eyes that she understands you still. It must be frustrating to live like that but I guess it's something you learn to live with.
After visiting Joyce we went to have a look at the church where Ros's family are buried (see, I said it was a day of visiting relatives). The church is in a slightly surreal location - it's a small white wooden structure, built around 100 years ago when the population of Calgary was just a few thousand, and would originally have stood in grassland, surrounded by expansive ranches. Today Calgary's population has exploded to over a million and expanded out for miles beyond the church so the graveyard is fenced in and surrounded by modern developments with a multi-lane freeway running along one side. Not exactly the peaceful setting of yesteryear.
The evening was a bit more upbeat. Around 20 people came along (I won't bore you by listing them) and we spent the evening chatting and trying to figure out who was related who, and how. One great advantage of Ros's dual level house is that the children all disappeared off to the downstairs lounge where they could be neither seen nor heard.
Luckily the party didn't go on too late and we were able to get an early night, ready for the long drive tomorrow.
Joyce, my Grandma's sister, is now in her nineties (I forget the exact age) and sadly she's pretty much confined to her bed in a local retirement home. It isn't far from Ros's house so she gets visitors regularly but it was still a shame she couldn't be there to see everyone in the evening.
We stayed at the home for half an hour or so before running out of things so say. It's hard to understand much of what Joyce says so the conversation turns into a monologue before long. She smiles and laughs at all the jokes though and you can see in her eyes that she understands you still. It must be frustrating to live like that but I guess it's something you learn to live with.
After visiting Joyce we went to have a look at the church where Ros's family are buried (see, I said it was a day of visiting relatives). The church is in a slightly surreal location - it's a small white wooden structure, built around 100 years ago when the population of Calgary was just a few thousand, and would originally have stood in grassland, surrounded by expansive ranches. Today Calgary's population has exploded to over a million and expanded out for miles beyond the church so the graveyard is fenced in and surrounded by modern developments with a multi-lane freeway running along one side. Not exactly the peaceful setting of yesteryear.
The evening was a bit more upbeat. Around 20 people came along (I won't bore you by listing them) and we spent the evening chatting and trying to figure out who was related who, and how. One great advantage of Ros's dual level house is that the children all disappeared off to the downstairs lounge where they could be neither seen nor heard.
Luckily the party didn't go on too late and we were able to get an early night, ready for the long drive tomorrow.
Sunday 1 July 2007
Day 24 - Calgary Zoo
I expect todays blog entry will be a short one. If I wanted to sum it up in one line I'd write 'Went to the Zoo', but that would slightly defeat the point of having a blog I suppose.
Although you can get the C-Train to the zoo we banked on Calgary being as quiet as the previous day and drove instead. Our hunch was right as the roads were almost empty and it wasn't long until we were parked up and heading in to see the animals.
The first section was a dinosaur area. The observant among you will have noticed that dinosaurs are extinct. Clearly the designers of the zoo knew this (at least I hope they did) so instead they've built some dinosaurs out of plaster. It wasn't very convincing or exciting, although it wasn't a complete waste of time as I discovered a new fact - until 120 million years ago there were no flowering plant species on earth, so most dinosaur species would never have seen a flower, how sad for them.
With that out of the way we moved on to real animals. There were too many to remember, let alone try to list, but some of the highlights were the gorillas, elephants and giraffes. One of the giraffes was licking the rear-end of another and even drank some of the other giraffes wee - I'm not sure if that counts as a 'highlight' of the day but it's definitely a sight I won't quickly forget. From the look on the giraffes face he quickly realised his mistake and he won't be forgetting it either.
And that concludes my zoo summary. Fun wasn't it?
On the way back we mistimed our arrival at Ros's, arriving home just as she and my mum had gone out, so we popped to the nearby shops and got a Starbucks. The Starbucks was part of a large bookstore and was right next to the magazines so I had a quick look at the video games magazines. To my surprise nearly all of them were British imports at marked up prices - quite why they don't import US magazines instead is a mystery to me, perhaps Canada just like to distance themselves from America where possible.
Eventually we managed to rendevous successfully back at Ros's for a third consecutive home cooked meal; quite a welcome break after the barrage of restaurants we've been subjected to previously. We spent the evening sat on the balcony waiting for the Canada Day fireworks which didn't start until almost 11pm (having fireworks that for north in the middle of summer there's isn't really much choice) and in the event were too far away to see clearly anyway. Oh well, it's not like we've never seen fireworks before.
Although you can get the C-Train to the zoo we banked on Calgary being as quiet as the previous day and drove instead. Our hunch was right as the roads were almost empty and it wasn't long until we were parked up and heading in to see the animals.
The first section was a dinosaur area. The observant among you will have noticed that dinosaurs are extinct. Clearly the designers of the zoo knew this (at least I hope they did) so instead they've built some dinosaurs out of plaster. It wasn't very convincing or exciting, although it wasn't a complete waste of time as I discovered a new fact - until 120 million years ago there were no flowering plant species on earth, so most dinosaur species would never have seen a flower, how sad for them.
With that out of the way we moved on to real animals. There were too many to remember, let alone try to list, but some of the highlights were the gorillas, elephants and giraffes. One of the giraffes was licking the rear-end of another and even drank some of the other giraffes wee - I'm not sure if that counts as a 'highlight' of the day but it's definitely a sight I won't quickly forget. From the look on the giraffes face he quickly realised his mistake and he won't be forgetting it either.
And that concludes my zoo summary. Fun wasn't it?
On the way back we mistimed our arrival at Ros's, arriving home just as she and my mum had gone out, so we popped to the nearby shops and got a Starbucks. The Starbucks was part of a large bookstore and was right next to the magazines so I had a quick look at the video games magazines. To my surprise nearly all of them were British imports at marked up prices - quite why they don't import US magazines instead is a mystery to me, perhaps Canada just like to distance themselves from America where possible.
Eventually we managed to rendevous successfully back at Ros's for a third consecutive home cooked meal; quite a welcome break after the barrage of restaurants we've been subjected to previously. We spent the evening sat on the balcony waiting for the Canada Day fireworks which didn't start until almost 11pm (having fireworks that for north in the middle of summer there's isn't really much choice) and in the event were too far away to see clearly anyway. Oh well, it's not like we've never seen fireworks before.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)