As of today, I have been geocaching for 444 days and so far I found 444 caches! That makes it one cache per day ;)
# 500, here I come!
Dienstag, November 03, 2009
444 Caches in 444 Days
Yeah, here we go!
As of today, I have been geocaching for 444 days and so far I found 444 caches! That makes it one cache per day ;)
# 500, here I come!
As of today, I have been geocaching for 444 days and so far I found 444 caches! That makes it one cache per day ;)
# 500, here I come!
Montag, September 28, 2009
Artsy Weekend Project
Here's my really cool weekend project: a self-made wall tattoo.
I once found this wall tattoo saying "witch kitchen" in an online store, but never got around to buying it...
Firstly, I didn't like the bright red colour that much. Secondly, the bristles of the broom were on the wrong side for what I had in mind. Thirdly, wall tattoos don't stick too well to my woodchip walls.
That was when I decided to do it myself. And here is how I did it:
I used my favorite image processing software to put the bristles on the "right" side. No need to be super perfect as the image will only serve as a stencil. Also the resolution of the product picture was rather low, but this didn't matter much either. After printing it to the proper size (split across 3 pages), I used a pen to draw over the outline (making up for the aliasing effect of my low resolution image) before cutting out all the letters.
The next step was to bring the outlines of my stencil to the wall using a simple pencil. Small corrections can easily be made as the dark paint will cover them anyway.
The last step after taking off the stencil was colouring my wall tattoo with the chosen colour and fine paint brushes. This took about as long as the soccer game I listened to at the same time ;) I was shaking a bit every now and then while painting, but changing position and resting my hand to the wall (carefull with the wet paint!) helped quite a bit. Also small shaky bits didn't matter too much because of the uneven woodchip wall.
So this is what it looks like now :). Cool, he?
Actually the hardest part was not to bump my head on the overhead cupboards and to be able to reach over my counter to paint the wall. It might be a good idea to paint a wall tattoo like this one BEFORE adding the furniture :).
The best part about it though: I didn't have to spend a single cent for my cool new wall tattoo! The paint was a leftover from a friend. You need really little for an image like this.
I once found this wall tattoo saying "witch kitchen" in an online store, but never got around to buying it...
Firstly, I didn't like the bright red colour that much. Secondly, the bristles of the broom were on the wrong side for what I had in mind. Thirdly, wall tattoos don't stick too well to my woodchip walls.That was when I decided to do it myself. And here is how I did it:
I used my favorite image processing software to put the bristles on the "right" side. No need to be super perfect as the image will only serve as a stencil. Also the resolution of the product picture was rather low, but this didn't matter much either. After printing it to the proper size (split across 3 pages), I used a pen to draw over the outline (making up for the aliasing effect of my low resolution image) before cutting out all the letters.
The next step was to bring the outlines of my stencil to the wall using a simple pencil. Small corrections can easily be made as the dark paint will cover them anyway.
The last step after taking off the stencil was colouring my wall tattoo with the chosen colour and fine paint brushes. This took about as long as the soccer game I listened to at the same time ;) I was shaking a bit every now and then while painting, but changing position and resting my hand to the wall (carefull with the wet paint!) helped quite a bit. Also small shaky bits didn't matter too much because of the uneven woodchip wall.
So this is what it looks like now :). Cool, he?
Actually the hardest part was not to bump my head on the overhead cupboards and to be able to reach over my counter to paint the wall. It might be a good idea to paint a wall tattoo like this one BEFORE adding the furniture :).
The best part about it though: I didn't have to spend a single cent for my cool new wall tattoo! The paint was a leftover from a friend. You need really little for an image like this.
Montag, August 17, 2009
(Almost) A cache a day
One year of geocaching!
Wow, and what a year it has been! Thanks a lot to all those cache owners whose caches I have found, thanks to all the nice people I have met (and probably wouldn't have met otherwise) and to anyone who went geocaching with me!
It's been an amazing experience so far: I have been in the outdoors more than ever before in my life (I think - always been more of a couch potatoe, I guess), I have seen places I wouldn't have seen w/out geocaching and I have shed a few pounds, hehe.
I was trying to have 365 geocaches today, making it one per day. Unfortunately we were caching basically in my homezone all weekend and most traditionals already have a big smile on my map... But 361 is not bad either and 0,9890410958904109589041095890411 is almost 1, isn't it?!
Maybe this one should be my next geocoin?
Happy caching!
Wow, and what a year it has been! Thanks a lot to all those cache owners whose caches I have found, thanks to all the nice people I have met (and probably wouldn't have met otherwise) and to anyone who went geocaching with me!
It's been an amazing experience so far: I have been in the outdoors more than ever before in my life (I think - always been more of a couch potatoe, I guess), I have seen places I wouldn't have seen w/out geocaching and I have shed a few pounds, hehe.
I was trying to have 365 geocaches today, making it one per day. Unfortunately we were caching basically in my homezone all weekend and most traditionals already have a big smile on my map... But 361 is not bad either and 0,9890410958904109589041095890411 is almost 1, isn't it?!
Maybe this one should be my next geocoin?
Happy caching!
Freitag, August 14, 2009
Trackable Items Collection
In August 2008 I got introduced to geocaching. Now I am almost celebrating my first anniversary (Sunday!) and I still love it!
Here's a little gallery of trackable items I have sent out with different missions. I own a few more geocoins I am keeping at home and only take to events or log into special caches.
You can see how far they have traveled until now.
If you see a little box in the bottom right corner, then the item is currently located in a geocache. If there's a little smiley, then it's in the hands of another cacher, hopefully on its way to another cache. Grey icons - as opposed to green ones - mean they haven't been moved for quite some time. Get'em going, fellow cachers!
Here's a little gallery of trackable items I have sent out with different missions. I own a few more geocoins I am keeping at home and only take to events or log into special caches.
You can see how far they have traveled until now.
If you see a little box in the bottom right corner, then the item is currently located in a geocache. If there's a little smiley, then it's in the hands of another cacher, hopefully on its way to another cache. Grey icons - as opposed to green ones - mean they haven't been moved for quite some time. Get'em going, fellow cachers!
Mittwoch, Mai 20, 2009
Heartbroken Songs
I figured I have songs for lost relationships. It seems they give some comfort when there's nothing else that can comfort you. I am listening to them over and over again until the pain fades.
Heartbroken Song #1: Against all odds (Phil Collins). Very melancholic.
Later, the song "Almost Lover (A Fine Frenzy)" kept reminding me of that special person...
Heartbroken Song #2: Big Girls Don't Cry (Fergie) - more defiant than sad. Gettin' up again, kickin' his ass.
Heartbroken Song #3 and a very recent split-up: Top of the World (Dixie Chicks) - The lyrics tell a different kind of (love) story, but we've been listening to this song (and similar ones) together in the car...
What are your heartbroken songs?
Heartbroken Song #1: Against all odds (Phil Collins). Very melancholic.
Later, the song "Almost Lover (A Fine Frenzy)" kept reminding me of that special person...
Heartbroken Song #2: Big Girls Don't Cry (Fergie) - more defiant than sad. Gettin' up again, kickin' his ass.
Heartbroken Song #3 and a very recent split-up: Top of the World (Dixie Chicks) - The lyrics tell a different kind of (love) story, but we've been listening to this song (and similar ones) together in the car...
What are your heartbroken songs?
Montag, August 18, 2008
My new hobby: geocaching
I am totally hooked to a new hobby: geocaching. Of course, that's not exactly a new thing, but it's new to me and I love it. I wish I didn't have to sit in the office right now but could go on another hunt.
How I came to geocaching? Well, I had a friend over this weekend. We've talked about geocaching before but it wasn't until she was in my place that I thought about doing it myself. She showed me their website http://geocaching.com and got me all excited. There are soooo many caches hidden around here. I never thought Stralsund oder Ruegen would be offering stuff like that!!!
We quickly set up my PDA with the GPSTuner software (a demo version, but I think I'll actually buy this piece of software) and then picked our first geocaches for Stralsund. The very first one was an easy find for my friend who had been geocaching before. Perfect to get me even more into it. We decided to try again after dinner, but unfortunately we have already been walking around town for too long that day, so we became tired pretty quickly and didn't find any more caches. But the next day we were a lot more successful: 3 caches found on the island of Ruegen, one in Stralsund (the one we had tried the day before), another one nearly found (we didn't bring the flashlight as we didn't think we'd stay out that long) and one more that we started...
I can't wait to get off work this afternoon to retrieve that nearly-found one.
Looking forward to more geocaching now. Will try a few in New Zealand next week, where I'll be on a business trip.
How I came to geocaching? Well, I had a friend over this weekend. We've talked about geocaching before but it wasn't until she was in my place that I thought about doing it myself. She showed me their website http://geocaching.com and got me all excited. There are soooo many caches hidden around here. I never thought Stralsund oder Ruegen would be offering stuff like that!!!
We quickly set up my PDA with the GPSTuner software (a demo version, but I think I'll actually buy this piece of software) and then picked our first geocaches for Stralsund. The very first one was an easy find for my friend who had been geocaching before. Perfect to get me even more into it. We decided to try again after dinner, but unfortunately we have already been walking around town for too long that day, so we became tired pretty quickly and didn't find any more caches. But the next day we were a lot more successful: 3 caches found on the island of Ruegen, one in Stralsund (the one we had tried the day before), another one nearly found (we didn't bring the flashlight as we didn't think we'd stay out that long) and one more that we started...
I can't wait to get off work this afternoon to retrieve that nearly-found one.
Looking forward to more geocaching now. Will try a few in New Zealand next week, where I'll be on a business trip.
Sonntag, Mai 25, 2008
Wuschel in mouse heaven
Today, my favorite mouse died.
I knew it was going to happen one day, but still I am upset.
He was such a tough little mouse having survived Rambo, who ruined his left foot, and a missing part of his tail... After being separated from Rambo he lived with Krümel (Crumby) and Flummi (Bouncy) - again with fights, then with his mouse dad again who died of age after a good half year together. In the end he got along quite well with Krümel again until this afternoon when I found him in his cage licked off by Krümel who seemed as upset as I was when I saw my little Wuschel (Wispy) dead... I suppose he got an inflammation in his foot again. It didn't look so good... Poor Wuschel. May he rest in peace in mouse heaven.
I knew it was going to happen one day, but still I am upset.
He was such a tough little mouse having survived Rambo, who ruined his left foot, and a missing part of his tail... After being separated from Rambo he lived with Krümel (Crumby) and Flummi (Bouncy) - again with fights, then with his mouse dad again who died of age after a good half year together. In the end he got along quite well with Krümel again until this afternoon when I found him in his cage licked off by Krümel who seemed as upset as I was when I saw my little Wuschel (Wispy) dead... I suppose he got an inflammation in his foot again. It didn't look so good... Poor Wuschel. May he rest in peace in mouse heaven.
Donnerstag, April 24, 2008
Time to say goodbye*
Saturday.
This is our last day - incredible how fast those 3 weeks have passed!
After breakfast, packing, and cleaning we drive over to Oakland to the Cruisa America office to return the motor home.
While we take a last look at our dear motor home, the lady in the office hardly casts a glance. We get reimbursed for the day we lost because of the open valve and the weak battery, leave our leftovers with a German couple who starts their 6-week-tour today, and wait for a friend to pick us up. She lives in San Francisco and we can leave our luggage in her place as there are hardly any public luggage lockers available. Since we're five people with 5+ bags, she needs to do two trips, dropping me and my brother off in Chinatown before she gets the rest of us. While waiting for them, we buy some more stamps to mail our last postcards and a state quarter collector's album for my brother.
By then we're reunited, meeting up with a friend from my year in France.
(More pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
Now my brother wants to shop at the Levis store at Union Square. He promised to bring home two pairs of jeans for a friend of his, but first he needs to figure out what the European colour codes relate to in the US - thank God there's wifi in the store's foyer. *smile*
We need a Starbucks coffee as a reward for waiting now! Sitting down at Union Square which 6 years back was only a big construction site, we munch on our sandwiches and just can't figure out what to do next. It is afternoon, we have a few hours left before we need to get to the airport.
So we're trying to find a bus to the Golden Gate Bridge. Not that easy, but we manage *smile* We need to change buses once and walk a bit inbetween, but we make it to the bridge!
(More pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
It's awefully windy out there so we only manage to stay for a couple of minutes before catching the bus back. We go to our friend's house where we left our luggage. She most generously offered to take us to the airport as did the other friend. So we load our luggage into the cars and split up. My parents and my brother are taken to the airport while me and my other brother still need to buy one or two extra bags - too much luggage to take back *g*.
Unfortunately, the nearby Walgreens doesn't have any, the little shops in Chinatown where we saw bags today, are already closed, and there's no Walmart to be seen along the freeway. Bad luck! We're forced to buy two rather expensive and small bags at the airport now, but well...
The check-in takes forever. We should have reserved our seats in advance and my brother can't just get off in Munich instead of coming to Berlin with us. Luckily, there's always an exception to the rule *smile*. Now we've got to hurry, there's hardly any time left to grab a bite to eat - our names are called for immediate boarding! See you in Germany!
* Sarah Brightman
This is our last day - incredible how fast those 3 weeks have passed!
After breakfast, packing, and cleaning we drive over to Oakland to the Cruisa America office to return the motor home.
While we take a last look at our dear motor home, the lady in the office hardly casts a glance. We get reimbursed for the day we lost because of the open valve and the weak battery, leave our leftovers with a German couple who starts their 6-week-tour today, and wait for a friend to pick us up. She lives in San Francisco and we can leave our luggage in her place as there are hardly any public luggage lockers available. Since we're five people with 5+ bags, she needs to do two trips, dropping me and my brother off in Chinatown before she gets the rest of us. While waiting for them, we buy some more stamps to mail our last postcards and a state quarter collector's album for my brother.
By then we're reunited, meeting up with a friend from my year in France.
Now my brother wants to shop at the Levis store at Union Square. He promised to bring home two pairs of jeans for a friend of his, but first he needs to figure out what the European colour codes relate to in the US - thank God there's wifi in the store's foyer. *smile*
We need a Starbucks coffee as a reward for waiting now! Sitting down at Union Square which 6 years back was only a big construction site, we munch on our sandwiches and just can't figure out what to do next. It is afternoon, we have a few hours left before we need to get to the airport.
So we're trying to find a bus to the Golden Gate Bridge. Not that easy, but we manage *smile* We need to change buses once and walk a bit inbetween, but we make it to the bridge!
It's awefully windy out there so we only manage to stay for a couple of minutes before catching the bus back. We go to our friend's house where we left our luggage. She most generously offered to take us to the airport as did the other friend. So we load our luggage into the cars and split up. My parents and my brother are taken to the airport while me and my other brother still need to buy one or two extra bags - too much luggage to take back *g*.
Unfortunately, the nearby Walgreens doesn't have any, the little shops in Chinatown where we saw bags today, are already closed, and there's no Walmart to be seen along the freeway. Bad luck! We're forced to buy two rather expensive and small bags at the airport now, but well...
The check-in takes forever. We should have reserved our seats in advance and my brother can't just get off in Munich instead of coming to Berlin with us. Luckily, there's always an exception to the rule *smile*. Now we've got to hurry, there's hardly any time left to grab a bite to eat - our names are called for immediate boarding! See you in Germany!
* Sarah Brightman
Mittwoch, April 23, 2008
If you're going to San Francisco*
Friday.
Our yesterday's hostess has to go to work today, but her husband takes us out for breakfast to the International House of Pancakes. This place has been on our list anyway *smile*
Whew! Sooo full already at breakfast! *g*
Let's go to San Francisco! We have chosen a campground just in the north of the city and close to public transportation as Dad does not want to drive the motor home through the city and up and down the hills. But where's the bus? Is this going to end like it did in Malibu?
No, it is not. After a good half hour, our bus arrives and unhurriedly takes us across the Golden Gate Bridge and into the city.
We're getting off at Lombard Street to take a look at the world's most crookedest street. For the way down we choose the stairs though.
(More pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
We're walking over to the wharf to look for tickets to Alcatraz. The ferry company must have changed since I have visited the island, we have to walk from pier 39 to 33, but there are already signs posted saying 'Next available tickets: Monday'. Bad luck! We didn't learn from our last effort to get Mom and Dad to see Alcatraz. We really should have booked in advance.
(More pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
But we won't be bored in this city! Back over to pier 39, doing the touristy thing: Souvenirs, clam chowder, and then a cable car ride! A must-do in this city - not sitting inside, but hanging on the side!
Down at Market Street we only manage a Starbucks coffee to warm ourselves up before taking the bus back to our campground. We need to pack our bags and tomorrow we'll say good-bye to our dear motor home...
* Scott McKenzie
Our yesterday's hostess has to go to work today, but her husband takes us out for breakfast to the International House of Pancakes. This place has been on our list anyway *smile*
Whew! Sooo full already at breakfast! *g*
Let's go to San Francisco! We have chosen a campground just in the north of the city and close to public transportation as Dad does not want to drive the motor home through the city and up and down the hills. But where's the bus? Is this going to end like it did in Malibu?
No, it is not. After a good half hour, our bus arrives and unhurriedly takes us across the Golden Gate Bridge and into the city.
We're getting off at Lombard Street to take a look at the world's most crookedest street. For the way down we choose the stairs though.
We're walking over to the wharf to look for tickets to Alcatraz. The ferry company must have changed since I have visited the island, we have to walk from pier 39 to 33, but there are already signs posted saying 'Next available tickets: Monday'. Bad luck! We didn't learn from our last effort to get Mom and Dad to see Alcatraz. We really should have booked in advance.
But we won't be bored in this city! Back over to pier 39, doing the touristy thing: Souvenirs, clam chowder, and then a cable car ride! A must-do in this city - not sitting inside, but hanging on the side!
Down at Market Street we only manage a Starbucks coffee to warm ourselves up before taking the bus back to our campground. We need to pack our bags and tomorrow we'll say good-bye to our dear motor home...
* Scott McKenzie
Dienstag, April 22, 2008
We're in Sacramento, a wonderful town*
Thursday.
Waking up early, Dad wants to hit the road as soon as possible. We have quite a bit to go until Sacramento, especially since yesterday we didn't get as far as we wanted because of the fire.
So no coffee, no breakfast; bathroom and dressing on the road. We make it as far as the road barrier thinking 'Oh no, it's still not open!' I get out of the car to ask, Dad gets out a little behind me, and there's already an officer coming towards us telling us to drive the car up to the barrier, then follow the CHP car through the barrier. Neat! The California Highway Patrol leads us through the fire site!
Looks like they managed to put it out, there's only little smoke left and some firemen guarding it.
We're continuing north along Highway 1 until we finally reach Big Sur and its gas station. $4,959 per Gallon! That's the most expensive gas we have found so far! Dad doesn't want to risk anything again, so we don't just stick with the couple of Gallons needed to reach Monterrey or Santa Cruz. Deep cut into the budget. Ouch!
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
Some time later we stop for more gas, breakfast, and some internet as dad needs to work a bit. Then we're back on the highway heading towards Sacramento, arriving there around a quarter past 2. Funnily familiar taking the highway into the city and somehow not familiar at all. It's been 6 years!
We find a parking spot in downtown or actually 2 *smile*, then walk over to Old Sacramento down by the river. Old Sacramento still looks like it was from the times of the wild west, all wooden houses, wooden sidewalks, and old-fashioned stores. I loved this place back then and I still love it today. Even the salt water taffy store is still there so we stock up on those tasting a few along the way through the store *smile*
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
Then my brother and I head off to the nearby mall. There's not much time left before we want to head over to our friends' house, so we gotta hurry but I really want to shop at GAP where we used to shop 6 years back *smile*
And I do, buying a pair of pants and a sweater. Even my brother buys pants for himself. A Starbucks frappuchino on the way out and back to the car.
The BBQ at our friends' house is great! Soooo good seeing them again. Mom's got her admission ticket to California, her famous cherry pudding *smile*, ready and to the delight of our hosts even prepares another one live during the course of the evening. We eat and chat until late that night before we go to sleep in our home sweet motor home in front of their driveway.
This is probably the nicest evening of the whole trip!
* Middle of the Road
Miles travelled by RV: 250+
Current location: Sacramento, CA
Next stop: San Francisco, CA
Waking up early, Dad wants to hit the road as soon as possible. We have quite a bit to go until Sacramento, especially since yesterday we didn't get as far as we wanted because of the fire.
So no coffee, no breakfast; bathroom and dressing on the road. We make it as far as the road barrier thinking 'Oh no, it's still not open!' I get out of the car to ask, Dad gets out a little behind me, and there's already an officer coming towards us telling us to drive the car up to the barrier, then follow the CHP car through the barrier. Neat! The California Highway Patrol leads us through the fire site!
Looks like they managed to put it out, there's only little smoke left and some firemen guarding it.
We're continuing north along Highway 1 until we finally reach Big Sur and its gas station. $4,959 per Gallon! That's the most expensive gas we have found so far! Dad doesn't want to risk anything again, so we don't just stick with the couple of Gallons needed to reach Monterrey or Santa Cruz. Deep cut into the budget. Ouch!
Some time later we stop for more gas, breakfast, and some internet as dad needs to work a bit. Then we're back on the highway heading towards Sacramento, arriving there around a quarter past 2. Funnily familiar taking the highway into the city and somehow not familiar at all. It's been 6 years!
We find a parking spot in downtown or actually 2 *smile*, then walk over to Old Sacramento down by the river. Old Sacramento still looks like it was from the times of the wild west, all wooden houses, wooden sidewalks, and old-fashioned stores. I loved this place back then and I still love it today. Even the salt water taffy store is still there so we stock up on those tasting a few along the way through the store *smile*
Then my brother and I head off to the nearby mall. There's not much time left before we want to head over to our friends' house, so we gotta hurry but I really want to shop at GAP where we used to shop 6 years back *smile*
And I do, buying a pair of pants and a sweater. Even my brother buys pants for himself. A Starbucks frappuchino on the way out and back to the car.
The BBQ at our friends' house is great! Soooo good seeing them again. Mom's got her admission ticket to California, her famous cherry pudding *smile*, ready and to the delight of our hosts even prepares another one live during the course of the evening. We eat and chat until late that night before we go to sleep in our home sweet motor home in front of their driveway.
This is probably the nicest evening of the whole trip!
* Middle of the Road
Miles travelled by RV: 250+
Current location: Sacramento, CA
Next stop: San Francisco, CA
Freitag, April 18, 2008
Fire!
Wednesday.
Yesterday took us as far as Oceano, some 30 miles south of Morro Bay, where we enjoy our first RV park offering a heated pool and jacuzzi. Too bad they close at 10pm! We could have stayed there all night *smile*
Miles travelled by RV: 221
Current location: Oceano, CA
Next stops: Hearst Castle, Big Sur, Monterrey, and Santa Cruz, CA
Today we headed to San Simeon to visit Hearst Castle. This 'ranch' was built by William Randolph Hearst to house his art collection and to entertain his guests - pretty impressive and with awesome ocean and mountain views. We're taking a 75 minute experience tour offering a great overview of his property: 1 main house with 110 (!) rooms, 3 guest houses, and 2 pools. He also had tennis courts and his very own movie theatre! That's one fine summer cottage, he? *smile*
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
Afterwards we're heading further north along scenic Highway 1 that winds along the coast. About 20 miles south of Big Sur
we're stopped by a car coming from the opposite direction, it's passengers waving at us. The road is closed ahead because of a fire and we better turn around, they say.
Hm, what do we make of this? Should we trust them? Maybe someone else will tell us the same thing? We didn't have much gas when we reached Hearst Castle, had returned to the nearest gas station, but only gotten very little gas as it seemed awefully exensive there. Turning around here because of the fire could run us out of gas now... Eventually, at some turnout along the road we see smoke, we stop and are told by some other travellers, that the road indeed is closed and will be for at least another 6 hours making it midnight until anyone might be able to pass.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
They advise us to just spend the night out here. Certainly, tonight no-one would fine us for overnight camping while it is usually forbidden not to stay at designated campgrounds. Well, not exactly where we wanted to spend the night (no wifi, hehe), but we wanted to boondock at least once anyway. We heat up all our left-over food for dinner, have a glass of wine, and go to bed.
Miles travelled by RV: about 117
Current location: about 15 miles south of Big Sur
Next stop: Sacramento, CA
Yesterday took us as far as Oceano, some 30 miles south of Morro Bay, where we enjoy our first RV park offering a heated pool and jacuzzi. Too bad they close at 10pm! We could have stayed there all night *smile*
Miles travelled by RV: 221
Current location: Oceano, CA
Next stops: Hearst Castle, Big Sur, Monterrey, and Santa Cruz, CA
Today we headed to San Simeon to visit Hearst Castle. This 'ranch' was built by William Randolph Hearst to house his art collection and to entertain his guests - pretty impressive and with awesome ocean and mountain views. We're taking a 75 minute experience tour offering a great overview of his property: 1 main house with 110 (!) rooms, 3 guest houses, and 2 pools. He also had tennis courts and his very own movie theatre! That's one fine summer cottage, he? *smile*
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)Afterwards we're heading further north along scenic Highway 1 that winds along the coast. About 20 miles south of Big Sur
we're stopped by a car coming from the opposite direction, it's passengers waving at us. The road is closed ahead because of a fire and we better turn around, they say.
Hm, what do we make of this? Should we trust them? Maybe someone else will tell us the same thing? We didn't have much gas when we reached Hearst Castle, had returned to the nearest gas station, but only gotten very little gas as it seemed awefully exensive there. Turning around here because of the fire could run us out of gas now... Eventually, at some turnout along the road we see smoke, we stop and are told by some other travellers, that the road indeed is closed and will be for at least another 6 hours making it midnight until anyone might be able to pass.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)They advise us to just spend the night out here. Certainly, tonight no-one would fine us for overnight camping while it is usually forbidden not to stay at designated campgrounds. Well, not exactly where we wanted to spend the night (no wifi, hehe), but we wanted to boondock at least once anyway. We heat up all our left-over food for dinner, have a glass of wine, and go to bed.
Miles travelled by RV: about 117
Current location: about 15 miles south of Big Sur
Next stop: Sacramento, CA
Mittwoch, April 16, 2008
Everybody goes to Hollywood*
Tuesday.
Since we didn't manage to catch a bus from Malibu to Hollywood yesterday, we're going there by RV today. Can't really visit LA without seeing Hollywood Blvd., can you?
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
I don't really remember the exact location of the Walk of Fame from 6 years back, and since there's a handy parking spot on the corner of Sunset and Fairfax, we need to walk a bit. Time to admire the beautiful flowers which seem to grow and bloom at ease over here, while in Germany it is sometimes pretty tough to get them to survive a winter.
At La Brea, we finally find those famous stars on the sidewalk. Really touristy, we're reading the names of those persons we know aloud. Try our feet and hands on the celebrities' prints at Graumann's Chinese Theatre. Take our picture with the Hollywood sign in the back at the Kodak Theatre. Not really touristy: We don't buy a single souvenir *g*
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
The walk back to the car gets a bit annoying as my feet hurt from new shoes and blisters and we're trying to walk a bit faster than normal as those 2 hours of our parking spot have run up. Don't want our RV being towed away in the middle of LA...
But it's still there, no need to worry. And I am finally returning to my comfy Brasilian flip flops or havaianas.
We're on the highway again, left Los Angeles behind. Highway 101 winds beautifully along the coast. Between Valencia and Ventura we marvelled at lemon and orange trees growing along the road. In Summerland we finally found a post office to mail our postcards home and had some delicious burgers. Some 80 miles still to go. Our navigation system says 2,5 hours. Let's see.
* Madonna
Since we didn't manage to catch a bus from Malibu to Hollywood yesterday, we're going there by RV today. Can't really visit LA without seeing Hollywood Blvd., can you?
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)I don't really remember the exact location of the Walk of Fame from 6 years back, and since there's a handy parking spot on the corner of Sunset and Fairfax, we need to walk a bit. Time to admire the beautiful flowers which seem to grow and bloom at ease over here, while in Germany it is sometimes pretty tough to get them to survive a winter.
At La Brea, we finally find those famous stars on the sidewalk. Really touristy, we're reading the names of those persons we know aloud. Try our feet and hands on the celebrities' prints at Graumann's Chinese Theatre. Take our picture with the Hollywood sign in the back at the Kodak Theatre. Not really touristy: We don't buy a single souvenir *g*
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)The walk back to the car gets a bit annoying as my feet hurt from new shoes and blisters and we're trying to walk a bit faster than normal as those 2 hours of our parking spot have run up. Don't want our RV being towed away in the middle of LA...
But it's still there, no need to worry. And I am finally returning to my comfy Brasilian flip flops or havaianas.
We're on the highway again, left Los Angeles behind. Highway 101 winds beautifully along the coast. Between Valencia and Ventura we marvelled at lemon and orange trees growing along the road. In Summerland we finally found a post office to mail our postcards home and had some delicious burgers. Some 80 miles still to go. Our navigation system says 2,5 hours. Let's see.
* Madonna
We got our kicks on Route 66
Monday.
Our first breakfast outside in the morning sun turns out to be a little difficult with blossom pedals and pollen flying around. It almost looks like snow, but this time we're not worried *smile*
A quick stop for gas, but no post office in sight, and we're on the highway again. LA, we're comin'!
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
No more 'nothing' to keep us company but houses, cars, fast food places, and gas stations everywhere. Our travel guide tells us to catch the last bit of Route 66, so we're trying to find our way to Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards. It's almost rush hour, driving's not easy at all. At Ocean Avenue, almost at the waterfront, Santa Monica Blvd comes to an end. And so does Route 66.
With some minor difficulty we find a parking spot for our RV, then head off to the beach to dip our feet into the Pacific Ocean. It is warmer than the Colorado River a couple of days ago *smile*
We're walking once up and down the Santa Monica Pier, then across the street to Palisades Park to visit the Route 66 Historical Plaque dedicated to Will Rogers in 1952.
It reads:
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
Will Rogers Highway
dedicated in 1952 to
Will Rogers.
Humorist. World Traveler. Good Neighbor.
This is the Main Street of America.
Highway 66
was the first road he travelled in a career
that led
him straight to the hearts of his countryman.
And Route 66 was the road we travelled for almost 2 weeks. Ok, we did not travel it all the way, but come on, we travelled Route 66.
From Santa Monica Pier we're heading north to Malibu Beach RV Park where we have an ocean view campsite for tonight.
Miles travelled by RV: 134
Current location: Malibu Beach, CA
Next stop: Morro Bay, CA
Our first breakfast outside in the morning sun turns out to be a little difficult with blossom pedals and pollen flying around. It almost looks like snow, but this time we're not worried *smile*
A quick stop for gas, but no post office in sight, and we're on the highway again. LA, we're comin'!
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)No more 'nothing' to keep us company but houses, cars, fast food places, and gas stations everywhere. Our travel guide tells us to catch the last bit of Route 66, so we're trying to find our way to Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards. It's almost rush hour, driving's not easy at all. At Ocean Avenue, almost at the waterfront, Santa Monica Blvd comes to an end. And so does Route 66.
With some minor difficulty we find a parking spot for our RV, then head off to the beach to dip our feet into the Pacific Ocean. It is warmer than the Colorado River a couple of days ago *smile*
We're walking once up and down the Santa Monica Pier, then across the street to Palisades Park to visit the Route 66 Historical Plaque dedicated to Will Rogers in 1952.
It reads:
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)dedicated in 1952 to
Will Rogers.
Humorist. World Traveler. Good Neighbor.
This is the Main Street of America.
Highway 66
was the first road he travelled in a career
that led
him straight to the hearts of his countryman.
And Route 66 was the road we travelled for almost 2 weeks. Ok, we did not travel it all the way, but come on, we travelled Route 66.
From Santa Monica Pier we're heading north to Malibu Beach RV Park where we have an ocean view campsite for tonight.
Miles travelled by RV: 134
Current location: Malibu Beach, CA
Next stop: Morro Bay, CA
Leaving Las Vegas*
Sunday.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
Daytime Las Vegas looks more friendly than I remembered it from 6 years ago. We wake up late after this short night and therefore, miss the free pancake and coffee breakfast that this KOA offers. Since the check-out is at 11am, we just have a cup of coffee before leaving the campground, heading over to see the famous 'Fabulous Las Vegas' sign. It is almost noon and we still haven't eaten breakfast, so we stop at Target, on the outskirts of the city where we have our first Starbucks coffee of this trip. A frozen one.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
Now it's time to hit the road again towards Los Angeles. We would like to spend the night in one of the State Parks around San Bernardino, but we don't get this far. The night was short, the day, too, and now the evening sun makes it really hard to drive and see. After some 40 miles on the historical Route 66 with - guess what: nothing! - we end up in Victorville, on a shabby campground as it seems. This one used to be a KOA, it still is in the catalog, but all KOA signs are covered. We have another BBQ with marshmallows for desert. Yummy!
* Sheryl Crow
Miles travelled by RV: about 200
Current location: Victorville, CA
Next stop: Los Angeles, CA
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)Daytime Las Vegas looks more friendly than I remembered it from 6 years ago. We wake up late after this short night and therefore, miss the free pancake and coffee breakfast that this KOA offers. Since the check-out is at 11am, we just have a cup of coffee before leaving the campground, heading over to see the famous 'Fabulous Las Vegas' sign. It is almost noon and we still haven't eaten breakfast, so we stop at Target, on the outskirts of the city where we have our first Starbucks coffee of this trip. A frozen one.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)Now it's time to hit the road again towards Los Angeles. We would like to spend the night in one of the State Parks around San Bernardino, but we don't get this far. The night was short, the day, too, and now the evening sun makes it really hard to drive and see. After some 40 miles on the historical Route 66 with - guess what: nothing! - we end up in Victorville, on a shabby campground as it seems. This one used to be a KOA, it still is in the catalog, but all KOA signs are covered. We have another BBQ with marshmallows for desert. Yummy!
* Sheryl Crow
Miles travelled by RV: about 200
Current location: Victorville, CA
Next stop: Los Angeles, CA
Dienstag, April 15, 2008
Viva Las Vegas*
Saturday.
Yesterday we skipped Oatman as it is said to be a tough road to drive. So this little gold mining town is on today's schedule even if that requires a little detour. The road we're on is prohibited for trucks longer tham 40 feet and we soon understand why: it goes up and down and up and down all the time making us feel like we were on a small roller coaster.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
In Oatman the first inhabitants we meet are a bunch of burros waiting for carrots in the parking lot. They even seem to pose for our pictures! Apart from those burros - or in addition to them Oatman is pretty touristy but charming somehow. We watch a little set-up gunfight in this perfect setting, shop for souvenirs and enjoy another ice cream cone.
Then it's time to hit the road again. We want to reach Las Vegas tonight. By late afternoon we stop at Hoover dam to hop from Nevada over to Arizona and back again *smile* Lake Mead looks awesome, tinted in bright blue in front of those red and orange mountains.
Reaching Las Vegas at sunset, the city just starts to sparkle. Our campground is very close to the famous strip at the Circus Circus hotel and casino. A huge concrete place surrounded by hotels, parking garages, and a construction site. No camping romance, but hey, we're in fabulous Las Vegas!
Hungry as we are, we're heading straight over to the Sahara where we've seen an ad for a $6,99 buffet offer. Unfortunately this price only applies to 'value card holders' which we are not. Becoming one seems to be connected to handing over your credit card - a thing that only 3 of us could do anyway. Since we don't really understand how this is supposed to work anyway and we're uncertain about what to do with my youngest brother being less than 21 years of age, we end up in McDonald's for dinner. Oh well.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
Afterwards we browsing Las Vegas' largest souvenir store. I am thinking about buying a jacket as it is a bit chilly but I can't find one so I am wearing my brother's new CSI Las Vegas sweater which is about 3 sizes to big for me *smile*
We're taking to elevator up the Stratosphere tower to catch a glimpse on all those lights. The view is fantastic. I love watching cities by night. Over here, you can clearly see the city being neatly devided into blocks, among them, the twinkling headlights of dozens of cars and inbetween, the colorful, glittering Strip.
Back on ground floor we start a really poor attempt with some of the slot machines before getting on to a taxi up the Strip. Not bad having all those hotels and casinos fly by! We get of at the MGM intending to walk some of the Strip back towards our campground. Only halfway through we need another taxi. We're too tired to walk any more and our feet hurt. Nighty night!
* Elvis Presley
Miles travelled by RV:
Current location: Las Vegas, NV
Next stops: San Bernardino, CA
Yesterday we skipped Oatman as it is said to be a tough road to drive. So this little gold mining town is on today's schedule even if that requires a little detour. The road we're on is prohibited for trucks longer tham 40 feet and we soon understand why: it goes up and down and up and down all the time making us feel like we were on a small roller coaster.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)In Oatman the first inhabitants we meet are a bunch of burros waiting for carrots in the parking lot. They even seem to pose for our pictures! Apart from those burros - or in addition to them Oatman is pretty touristy but charming somehow. We watch a little set-up gunfight in this perfect setting, shop for souvenirs and enjoy another ice cream cone.
Then it's time to hit the road again. We want to reach Las Vegas tonight. By late afternoon we stop at Hoover dam to hop from Nevada over to Arizona and back again *smile* Lake Mead looks awesome, tinted in bright blue in front of those red and orange mountains.
Reaching Las Vegas at sunset, the city just starts to sparkle. Our campground is very close to the famous strip at the Circus Circus hotel and casino. A huge concrete place surrounded by hotels, parking garages, and a construction site. No camping romance, but hey, we're in fabulous Las Vegas!
Hungry as we are, we're heading straight over to the Sahara where we've seen an ad for a $6,99 buffet offer. Unfortunately this price only applies to 'value card holders' which we are not. Becoming one seems to be connected to handing over your credit card - a thing that only 3 of us could do anyway. Since we don't really understand how this is supposed to work anyway and we're uncertain about what to do with my youngest brother being less than 21 years of age, we end up in McDonald's for dinner. Oh well.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)Afterwards we browsing Las Vegas' largest souvenir store. I am thinking about buying a jacket as it is a bit chilly but I can't find one so I am wearing my brother's new CSI Las Vegas sweater which is about 3 sizes to big for me *smile*
We're taking to elevator up the Stratosphere tower to catch a glimpse on all those lights. The view is fantastic. I love watching cities by night. Over here, you can clearly see the city being neatly devided into blocks, among them, the twinkling headlights of dozens of cars and inbetween, the colorful, glittering Strip.
Back on ground floor we start a really poor attempt with some of the slot machines before getting on to a taxi up the Strip. Not bad having all those hotels and casinos fly by! We get of at the MGM intending to walk some of the Strip back towards our campground. Only halfway through we need another taxi. We're too tired to walk any more and our feet hurt. Nighty night!
* Elvis Presley
Miles travelled by RV:
Current location: Las Vegas, NV
Next stops: San Bernardino, CA
It's a small world
Friday.
In the still icy cold my brother takes sunrise pictures and we wait for the KOA office to open so we get the wifi code.
At 8am we walk over to find neither the office open nor the clock inside the office to show 8am. So our guess was right.
An our later the offices does open and we're learning that Arizona indeed does not change to daylight savings time. It's pretty easy, says the owner, in summer they
have the same time as California and in winter it's the same as in Colorado.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
At the same time as 3 bus loads of frenchmen we walk along the touristy part of Seligman. Heureusement, we are the only ones to discover Frank and Lynne's Historic Seligman Sundries, a small and cramped but colorful shop. Just like the original sundries this one offers a little bit of everything, except for the pharmacy part, explains Lynne. We're telling her, we're from Germany, and she mentions her last name: Geyer. She's from Tauber-Bischofsheim, which to our educated guess is about 400 miles from Berlin. 'It's a small world,' she says.
The rest of the shows is filled with those typical souvenirs we have seen along the way, a little kitschy, but nice somehow. I want to have an ice cream cone at the Snow Cap, but the guy tells me I can't have a sundae since it is only Friday. Ha ha.
Back on Route 66 towards Kingman past Peach Springs. We stop at the Grand Canyon Caverns to do a 45-minute-tour. Cute little Kay rattles down her text with some jokes here and there, making it quite a fun tour - even for my brothers *g*
Back on the surface and on Route 66 there's some more of our beloved nothing. The landscape is scarce, but nice somehow. In Mesa Vista, on the outskirts of Kingman, there's civilization *smile* Larger houses and even a golf course sporting bright green grass.
We need a coffee break now before we continue through what is left of Route 66 in Kingman. A bit disappointing - or did we miss something? Eventually, we're back on the interstate to Needles. Not much Route 66 left here either: a run-down motel, out of service but at least occupied by someone. No use to stay, so we continue along the Colorado River going north to Bullhead City. On our way we stop for a beautiful sunset (and more pictures *smile*).
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
Bullhead City is larger than we expected, streching out along the river. On the northern end of it, we find the RV park we were looking for. El Rio Waterfront, at the immediate waterfront indeed. But the river has to wait for the next day. For now we're enjoying our BBQ, marshmallows and the nice evening temperatures.
Miles travelled by RV: 177
Current location: Bullhead City, AZ
Next stops: Oatman, AZ, Hoover Dam and Las Vegas, NV
In the still icy cold my brother takes sunrise pictures and we wait for the KOA office to open so we get the wifi code.
At 8am we walk over to find neither the office open nor the clock inside the office to show 8am. So our guess was right.
An our later the offices does open and we're learning that Arizona indeed does not change to daylight savings time. It's pretty easy, says the owner, in summer they
have the same time as California and in winter it's the same as in Colorado.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)At the same time as 3 bus loads of frenchmen we walk along the touristy part of Seligman. Heureusement, we are the only ones to discover Frank and Lynne's Historic Seligman Sundries, a small and cramped but colorful shop. Just like the original sundries this one offers a little bit of everything, except for the pharmacy part, explains Lynne. We're telling her, we're from Germany, and she mentions her last name: Geyer. She's from Tauber-Bischofsheim, which to our educated guess is about 400 miles from Berlin. 'It's a small world,' she says.
The rest of the shows is filled with those typical souvenirs we have seen along the way, a little kitschy, but nice somehow. I want to have an ice cream cone at the Snow Cap, but the guy tells me I can't have a sundae since it is only Friday. Ha ha.
Back on Route 66 towards Kingman past Peach Springs. We stop at the Grand Canyon Caverns to do a 45-minute-tour. Cute little Kay rattles down her text with some jokes here and there, making it quite a fun tour - even for my brothers *g*
Back on the surface and on Route 66 there's some more of our beloved nothing. The landscape is scarce, but nice somehow. In Mesa Vista, on the outskirts of Kingman, there's civilization *smile* Larger houses and even a golf course sporting bright green grass.
We need a coffee break now before we continue through what is left of Route 66 in Kingman. A bit disappointing - or did we miss something? Eventually, we're back on the interstate to Needles. Not much Route 66 left here either: a run-down motel, out of service but at least occupied by someone. No use to stay, so we continue along the Colorado River going north to Bullhead City. On our way we stop for a beautiful sunset (and more pictures *smile*).
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)Bullhead City is larger than we expected, streching out along the river. On the northern end of it, we find the RV park we were looking for. El Rio Waterfront, at the immediate waterfront indeed. But the river has to wait for the next day. For now we're enjoying our BBQ, marshmallows and the nice evening temperatures.
Miles travelled by RV: 177
Current location: Bullhead City, AZ
Next stops: Oatman, AZ, Hoover Dam and Las Vegas, NV
Samstag, April 12, 2008
The Grand Canyon
Thursday.
Being in Flagstaff, we couldn't miss out on the Grand Canyon! But with all our morning routines and little delays like a broken waste water hose cap we only reached the National Park at 1pm.
There were quite a few people in the park already, but only little compared to the crowds during the summer months. We parked in lot E and walked over to take the red bus towards Hermit's Rest which, due to road construction only operates until Hopi Point. Already at the 1st of the 4 stops, the view is awesome!
A squirrel catches our attention, jumping up and down the rocks, getting as close to the rim as possible. We decide to walk the 1.1km over to the next bus stop that takes us along the rim with ever new views appearing in front of us. Of course, we're tempted to go closer to the rim than the trail suggests. And we try, but this tickeling feeling in my tummy keeps me from overdoing it. Sitting on a large stone at the rim, taking in this gigantic view - I have no words to describe that!
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
Time is running, so we hop back on the bus towards the 4th and last stop, Hopi Point. Over here, you can even see the river down at the bottom of the canyon giving you an idea of its depth. Just incredible!
In the nearby IMAX theatre, we fly through the Canyon, take a rafting tour and learn some history about it. Pretty amazing!
But we have to leave, put a couple of miles on the meter. Williams' main street is kind of cute with at least some Route 66 flair.
Its RV park only offers Wifi in its laundry, but if the owner puts us 'really close to it, then we should get some signal'. No, thanks. This RV park doesn't look that nice anyway.
So we continue through Ash Fork (just as run down as most of the places along the route, and also no internet at the RV park) towards Seligman. On our way, we're waiting for the sunset at 6.58pm, but at 10 to 6, the sun's still quite high up in the sky. Strange. Did we miss a change in time zones? Or does Arizona boycott daylight savings time? We might have read something about that...
An hour later the sun sets beautifully in front of our cameras.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
Thanks to late registering we'll stay at the KOA campground in Seligman, but we'll only get the coupon for the wifi the next morning. Bad luck.
We walk over to the motel that has a pizza joint attached, but looks so shabby and empty that I first ask if there was any pizza left for us. And there was! 2 large spinach and 1 large hawaii pizza feed the 5 of us. We're stuffed! Giggeling and laughing we sign a souvenir dollar for the owner and crawl into our beds.
Miles travelled by RV: 197
Current location: Seligman, AZ
Next stops: Kingman and Bullhead City, AZ
Being in Flagstaff, we couldn't miss out on the Grand Canyon! But with all our morning routines and little delays like a broken waste water hose cap we only reached the National Park at 1pm.
There were quite a few people in the park already, but only little compared to the crowds during the summer months. We parked in lot E and walked over to take the red bus towards Hermit's Rest which, due to road construction only operates until Hopi Point. Already at the 1st of the 4 stops, the view is awesome!
A squirrel catches our attention, jumping up and down the rocks, getting as close to the rim as possible. We decide to walk the 1.1km over to the next bus stop that takes us along the rim with ever new views appearing in front of us. Of course, we're tempted to go closer to the rim than the trail suggests. And we try, but this tickeling feeling in my tummy keeps me from overdoing it. Sitting on a large stone at the rim, taking in this gigantic view - I have no words to describe that!
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)Time is running, so we hop back on the bus towards the 4th and last stop, Hopi Point. Over here, you can even see the river down at the bottom of the canyon giving you an idea of its depth. Just incredible!
In the nearby IMAX theatre, we fly through the Canyon, take a rafting tour and learn some history about it. Pretty amazing!
But we have to leave, put a couple of miles on the meter. Williams' main street is kind of cute with at least some Route 66 flair.
Its RV park only offers Wifi in its laundry, but if the owner puts us 'really close to it, then we should get some signal'. No, thanks. This RV park doesn't look that nice anyway.
So we continue through Ash Fork (just as run down as most of the places along the route, and also no internet at the RV park) towards Seligman. On our way, we're waiting for the sunset at 6.58pm, but at 10 to 6, the sun's still quite high up in the sky. Strange. Did we miss a change in time zones? Or does Arizona boycott daylight savings time? We might have read something about that...
An hour later the sun sets beautifully in front of our cameras.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)Thanks to late registering we'll stay at the KOA campground in Seligman, but we'll only get the coupon for the wifi the next morning. Bad luck.
We walk over to the motel that has a pizza joint attached, but looks so shabby and empty that I first ask if there was any pizza left for us. And there was! 2 large spinach and 1 large hawaii pizza feed the 5 of us. We're stuffed! Giggeling and laughing we sign a souvenir dollar for the owner and crawl into our beds.
Miles travelled by RV: 197
Current location: Seligman, AZ
Next stops: Kingman and Bullhead City, AZ
Donnerstag, April 10, 2008
Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona*
Wednesday.
We're leaving the campground and go looking for an ACE hardware store where my brother hopes to finally get his MagLite 6. On the way we cross downtown, but none of us really wants to get out of the car for some sight-seeing. It is still snowy/rainy - not enjoyable at all. Next disappointment: No MagLite 6 here either. Maybe they'll at least have those shoes Sebastian wanted in Gallup's Walmart (they didn't have his size in the one in Canyon, TX, and he's been asking for a Walmart ever since)...
He's lucky as is the rest of us. We all find one thing or the other so at least this little shopping was successful today.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
Back on I-40 towards Flagstaff. There are a couple of touristy points on our schedule today, but the snow gets thicker and thicker. After only half an hour with the snow piling up on our windshield, strong winds, and trucks passing like it were the easiest driving conditions, we give up and stop at a gas station, stocking up on gas in case we need to overwinter somewhere *smile*
The cashier is very slow (this gas station is our first one without self-service), he had cleaned his modem yesterday and had trouble with it ever since. So no credit card payment here.
Meanwhile, the snow has stopped. We continue westwards, reaching the Petrified Forest National Park around 1pm. Given the unsteady weather we are expecting to keep it short, just drive those 28 miles through the park. But already the first view onto the southern rim of the Painted Desert lets us jump out of the car to take in the view - and tons of photos. *smile*
It is still chilly, but we stop at almost every view point and spend almost 3 hours in the park - definitely a must-see in better weather!
We're trying to speed up to reach Flagstaff stopping in Winslow ("Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona", The Eagles), at the Meteor Crater (to discover that it is closed for today; it' 6:35pm already), at the Twin Arrows which look even more run-down than my travel guide depicts. That's what you call 'Faded glory' I suppose. Mom's more practical: Someone travelling Route 66 in 10 years will find hardly anything left with all this wear and tear. The last gas price at the (also closed) gas station attatched shows 1.369 per Gallon, so it's definitely been a while...
We exit the interstate in Winona (Don't forget Winona!), not much to see here, but the road leads a bit into the San Francisco Mountains and we enter Flagstaff from the north. The first campground offers neither Wifi nor showers - what a no-go! *smile* The second one, a KOA again, is way better in terms of its equipment so we stay here, taking a walk to a nearby BestBuy for an external hard disk to put all the photos on (still no MagLite for my brother) before our frozen microwave dinner. 10 for 10 Bucks was the offer - it shows or rather it tastes, but not all that good *g*
Oh well. Mom asks to go out for dinner tomorrow. She has not yet been to KFC, so that's on our list of must-do's *smile*
* The Eagles
Miles traveled by RV: 225
Current location: Flagstaff, AZ
Next stops: Grand Canyon and Williams, AZ
We're leaving the campground and go looking for an ACE hardware store where my brother hopes to finally get his MagLite 6. On the way we cross downtown, but none of us really wants to get out of the car for some sight-seeing. It is still snowy/rainy - not enjoyable at all. Next disappointment: No MagLite 6 here either. Maybe they'll at least have those shoes Sebastian wanted in Gallup's Walmart (they didn't have his size in the one in Canyon, TX, and he's been asking for a Walmart ever since)...
He's lucky as is the rest of us. We all find one thing or the other so at least this little shopping was successful today.
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)Back on I-40 towards Flagstaff. There are a couple of touristy points on our schedule today, but the snow gets thicker and thicker. After only half an hour with the snow piling up on our windshield, strong winds, and trucks passing like it were the easiest driving conditions, we give up and stop at a gas station, stocking up on gas in case we need to overwinter somewhere *smile*
The cashier is very slow (this gas station is our first one without self-service), he had cleaned his modem yesterday and had trouble with it ever since. So no credit card payment here.
Meanwhile, the snow has stopped. We continue westwards, reaching the Petrified Forest National Park around 1pm. Given the unsteady weather we are expecting to keep it short, just drive those 28 miles through the park. But already the first view onto the southern rim of the Painted Desert lets us jump out of the car to take in the view - and tons of photos. *smile*
It is still chilly, but we stop at almost every view point and spend almost 3 hours in the park - definitely a must-see in better weather!
We're trying to speed up to reach Flagstaff stopping in Winslow ("Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona", The Eagles), at the Meteor Crater (to discover that it is closed for today; it' 6:35pm already), at the Twin Arrows which look even more run-down than my travel guide depicts. That's what you call 'Faded glory' I suppose. Mom's more practical: Someone travelling Route 66 in 10 years will find hardly anything left with all this wear and tear. The last gas price at the (also closed) gas station attatched shows 1.369 per Gallon, so it's definitely been a while...
We exit the interstate in Winona (Don't forget Winona!), not much to see here, but the road leads a bit into the San Francisco Mountains and we enter Flagstaff from the north. The first campground offers neither Wifi nor showers - what a no-go! *smile* The second one, a KOA again, is way better in terms of its equipment so we stay here, taking a walk to a nearby BestBuy for an external hard disk to put all the photos on (still no MagLite for my brother) before our frozen microwave dinner. 10 for 10 Bucks was the offer - it shows or rather it tastes, but not all that good *g*
Oh well. Mom asks to go out for dinner tomorrow. She has not yet been to KFC, so that's on our list of must-do's *smile*
* The Eagles
Miles traveled by RV: 225
Current location: Flagstaff, AZ
Next stops: Grand Canyon and Williams, AZ
Ice (cream) and snow
Tuesday.
Albuquerque's Old Town is kind of cute with those adobe houses and matching decoration. It's pretty touristy of course, but well worth a visit and perfect for some ice cream out in the sun.
(more pictures at http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
Going east for a couple of blocks on historical route 66, here called Central Avenue, we get scared when we're supposed to go underneath Hwy 25 with only 13'11'' clearance on a very steep underbridge. The instructional video we watched back in Denver indicated a clearance of 12 ft, the rental staff even spoke of 14. Now this bridge shows clear signs of others who have tried and failed, so we don't want to risk ruining our AC unit on top of the car. We turn around and head west towards Gallup, stopping a couple of times on the way. Our travel guide suggests arriving in Gallup at sunset, so we have some time to spend.
On our way we cross Rio Grande a couple of times, but it is somehow disappointing: it is not that grande... Maybe last year was a dry one.
The travel guide also tells about Mount Taylor, the bald mountain, for at about 3000 m height there are no more trees. But where is it?
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
In Budville we stop at some abandoned trading post for some coffee - gotta make it ourselves. There's not much left here of those golden days of Route 66. Looking straight ahead, down the road, we finally see Mt. Taylor, which really looks kind of naked around its top.
In Villa de Cubero, Hemingway is said to have written his 'Old man and the Sea'. He definitely found enough solitude here. *smile*
Through San Fidel, past abandoned gas stations, motels, and shops that suggest better times, into McCarthys. Easy enough to discover the little mountain-hugging Santa Maria de Acoma church. A little later we're impressed with black lava rocks covering the ground for miles.
Grants, Prewitt and Thoreau are just further small places along the way that leeds to the Continental Divide, also called the Nation's roof. Up here, all rain water to the left flows into the Pacific ocean, to the right it drains into the Atlantic. The Indian market nearby is already closed, so we miss out on 'rubber-tomahawks and other indian kitsch' as our travel guide calls it.
Now we really want to reach Gallup as it is slowly getting dark. We still need a supermarket and have to find tonight's campground. The latter seems to be a real treat. At 8:02pm its owner, John, assigns us a spot that was reserved until 8pm. 'It's your lucky day,' he says.
Next to our site, there's another Cruise America motor home - the first one we see - but there's no sign of its owners, not tonight and not the next morning, when we find it is snowing! It doesn't last, but still we're worried about the road conditions. Do we have to skip the Grand Canyon?
Miles travelled by RV: 179
Current location: Gallup, NM
Next stop: Flagstaff und Williams, AZ
Albuquerque's Old Town is kind of cute with those adobe houses and matching decoration. It's pretty touristy of course, but well worth a visit and perfect for some ice cream out in the sun.
Going east for a couple of blocks on historical route 66, here called Central Avenue, we get scared when we're supposed to go underneath Hwy 25 with only 13'11'' clearance on a very steep underbridge. The instructional video we watched back in Denver indicated a clearance of 12 ft, the rental staff even spoke of 14. Now this bridge shows clear signs of others who have tried and failed, so we don't want to risk ruining our AC unit on top of the car. We turn around and head west towards Gallup, stopping a couple of times on the way. Our travel guide suggests arriving in Gallup at sunset, so we have some time to spend.
On our way we cross Rio Grande a couple of times, but it is somehow disappointing: it is not that grande... Maybe last year was a dry one.
The travel guide also tells about Mount Taylor, the bald mountain, for at about 3000 m height there are no more trees. But where is it?
(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)In Budville we stop at some abandoned trading post for some coffee - gotta make it ourselves. There's not much left here of those golden days of Route 66. Looking straight ahead, down the road, we finally see Mt. Taylor, which really looks kind of naked around its top.
In Villa de Cubero, Hemingway is said to have written his 'Old man and the Sea'. He definitely found enough solitude here. *smile*
Through San Fidel, past abandoned gas stations, motels, and shops that suggest better times, into McCarthys. Easy enough to discover the little mountain-hugging Santa Maria de Acoma church. A little later we're impressed with black lava rocks covering the ground for miles.
Grants, Prewitt and Thoreau are just further small places along the way that leeds to the Continental Divide, also called the Nation's roof. Up here, all rain water to the left flows into the Pacific ocean, to the right it drains into the Atlantic. The Indian market nearby is already closed, so we miss out on 'rubber-tomahawks and other indian kitsch' as our travel guide calls it.
Now we really want to reach Gallup as it is slowly getting dark. We still need a supermarket and have to find tonight's campground. The latter seems to be a real treat. At 8:02pm its owner, John, assigns us a spot that was reserved until 8pm. 'It's your lucky day,' he says.
Next to our site, there's another Cruise America motor home - the first one we see - but there's no sign of its owners, not tonight and not the next morning, when we find it is snowing! It doesn't last, but still we're worried about the road conditions. Do we have to skip the Grand Canyon?
Miles travelled by RV: 179
Current location: Gallup, NM
Next stop: Flagstaff und Williams, AZ
Dienstag, April 08, 2008
A small town called Las Vegas
Another KOA campground - with wifi! *g*
Before uploading my last post in a small town called Las Vegas, NM, this morning, we left our campground in Santa Rosa, heading for breakfast at Denny's. For the first time during our trip we had some trouble finding free internet access, finally finding a public network near the uni campus in Las Vegas. Apart from that, there was not much more to see; only our favorite 'nothing'.
We continued through sleepy little places along the route towards Santa Fe, which was quite charming somehow. Almost a bit European, but certainly with a strong hispanic influence.
Afterwards we went food shopping at Albertson's, hoping for a campsite equipped with a BBQ grill - and our hopes were heared. At KOA in Bernalillo, we met an extremely friendly host who, even though there were no grills at the individual sites, went to fetch one with his little golf car.
Another camping addict from Washington, D.C., told us to buy an RV, it was worth its money and he even had 3 TVs in his.
So we had our first, very delicious BBQ in the very mild evening air, deciding to repeat this as soon as possible, since there's still some meat left and also I forgot to buy marshmallows. No BBQ w/o marshmallows! *smile*
Anyway, tomorrow we'll visit Albuquerque, NM, and continue towards Gallup. We already booked a camp site in the real Las Vegas in Nevada, the one very close to the Strip. We're planning to be there this weekend.
Miles travelled by RV: 195
Current location: Bernalillo, NM
Next stops: Albuquerque and Gallup, NM
Before uploading my last post in a small town called Las Vegas, NM, this morning, we left our campground in Santa Rosa, heading for breakfast at Denny's. For the first time during our trip we had some trouble finding free internet access, finally finding a public network near the uni campus in Las Vegas. Apart from that, there was not much more to see; only our favorite 'nothing'.
We continued through sleepy little places along the route towards Santa Fe, which was quite charming somehow. Almost a bit European, but certainly with a strong hispanic influence.
Afterwards we went food shopping at Albertson's, hoping for a campsite equipped with a BBQ grill - and our hopes were heared. At KOA in Bernalillo, we met an extremely friendly host who, even though there were no grills at the individual sites, went to fetch one with his little golf car.
Another camping addict from Washington, D.C., told us to buy an RV, it was worth its money and he even had 3 TVs in his.
So we had our first, very delicious BBQ in the very mild evening air, deciding to repeat this as soon as possible, since there's still some meat left and also I forgot to buy marshmallows. No BBQ w/o marshmallows! *smile*
Anyway, tomorrow we'll visit Albuquerque, NM, and continue towards Gallup. We already booked a camp site in the real Las Vegas in Nevada, the one very close to the Strip. We're planning to be there this weekend.
Miles travelled by RV: 195
Current location: Bernalillo, NM
Next stops: Albuquerque and Gallup, NM
Abonnieren
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