Lucy

I love America because it has Disneyland.

We looked at sea lions, they were funniest things ever, they made me giggle out loud. They went “owh owh owh”, were super stinky and kept on pushing each other off the floating things.

I liked Yellowstone, it was covered in yellow stones. We saw lots of Bison. Once loads came across the river into our campsite. Alisha and I stayed in the truck to keep safe. The bison were just one foot away from our camp, we were having s’mores that night but we had to wait for the bison to go.

I am a really good walker, once I walked 13km in one day. My legs were quite tired after that.

I loved the princesses at Disneyland. We went to see Merida from Brave first, then we went on Dumbo. We saw two shows with princesses in them.

We are going to Mexico next.

My painting of sea lions

Alisha

I also really liked America. My favourite bits were Disneyland, Las Vegas and meeting the dogs Dillon and Lily. I really loved Disneyland, although I did not like the Mr Toad ride or the Finding Nemo ride. I loved meeting the Princesses and seeing the special shows. I also loved Las Vegas the lights and the noise. Whilst I love living in the truck I liked having the big bath at the hotel and also the big pool.

We also met two lovely dogs, Dillon and Lily at Daddy’s friends. They have been our imaginary friends as we have been out walking since then. I also liked Yellowstone National Park but I wanted to see some wolves.

Merida from Disneyland

Gilly

I thought there would be few surprises when we came into the US. After so much exposure in books, tv and movies, lots of American friends plus a couple of visits years ago it was almost like I felt I knew the country as well as my own and certainly better than Czech Republic and Russia where we have lived over the last 15 years. However, bits of it certainly surprised me. Yes there were the usual cultural stereotypes which Europeans get terribly snobby about: very loud voices in peaceful places, a general lack of interest in the world beyond their borders and don’t get me started on portion sizes (our record was a KIDS meal with an enormous pile of chips and 10 fish fingers!!!). I wasn’t expecting the sheer beauty, proliferation and isolation of the national parks. That was a definite highlight, until they were unexpectedly closed down. They are all so well organised and maintained, so people really get a chance to enjoy the splendour of their surroundings. The people we met were generally incredible polite, kind and certainly in places like the national parks more internationally minded.

The truck is still an object of fascination for the people we meet. Here the most common question is about its fuel consumption, where as in Canada we were frequently being asked where we were going to in such a beast. People here rarely ask where we are going to, most people assume that we have imported it here once they heard it is from Germany to drive around the US only. “Sweet Rig” seems to be the most frequent moniker we hear about it, which is nice.

The Size of RVs has really surprised us here, initially we pointed out the exceptionally large ones to each other when we were on the road. Now however, it seems common place to see massive caravans of 12m or so which are so large they can only be pulled by huge pick up trucks. So called 5th wheelers are often 14m long when hooked up to a vehicle on the road. They all have “slide outs” too, up to 4 different sections of the body that come out to give more space when stationary. The coach type RVs are also surprisingly massive at between 10-12 m long and as tall as us with their 3 air-con units on the top and they all seem to pull a car behind then for when they park up. Not some little polo sized city car though, often they are massive jeeps or pick ups behind. We feel comparatively tiny and agile beside them.

This one with a built in loft is just bizarre.

We’ve all settled into our life on the road. We’ve slowed considerably down since Canada with 8 weeks in the US. It was inevitable I suppose that it would take a while for us to change from our usual home pace. It’s been good to have more time to do things as well as not be in too much of a rush to get things done.

Steve

I imagined the US would be just a warm up before we really started traveling but I have to admit I have really enjoyed our 7 weeks here. The scenery, particularly in the mid- west is stunning, and the National Parks are a real credit to the country. The scenery is stunning with some great campgrounds. They are also very well run and with the junior ranger program had great things for the kids. They are also great value. It was a shame they were closed down in the recent government shutdown but we were lucky we managed to visit 9 parks and only really missed out on Yosemite.

It’s 25 years since I last did a road trip in the US and it’s a bit different with your family than with 2 mates. A number of things have changed most notably the beer. The beer is now very good with the explosion of craft beers everywhere. I have not touched a Bud since I have been here and have become very fond of “Fat Tire” brewed in Colorado.

People have been very friendly and helpful and this is particularly true out in the countryside and when camping in the National Parks. We have also had fantastic weather with the only rain in 7 weeks been in Colorado when there was so much a federal emergency was declared.

We are all now used to living in the truck and find it very comfortable. On cold nights it’s much mor pleasant climbing in the back than into a tent. We can also have a decent shower too. Living together 24/7 is going pretty well although I am sure we would all admit the odd break from each other would be welcome but we are managing well. It’s not all one long holiday though. Planning the trip and doing all the chores takes time and we do need to think ahead for things but these are hardly great stresses.

We have spent our last few days in America on the beach and getting ready for Mexico. Unfortunately after 17,000kms of stress free driving we had 2 minor bumps in the space of a few days. Bump number 1 was clipping a palm tree when pulling away from parking which knocked the rear marker light on the top of the truck at the back off. We had pulled in to get some cash and did not realise this tree was leaning into the road.

Southern California is very beautiful and the weather fantastic but it is a lot busier and not so easy in the truck. Since we knew places to camp would be at a premium at the weekend we had booked ahead to camp near San Diego on Silver Strand Beach. Having just had a the bump I was not in a good mood and when we turned up at the campsite the lady was not going to let us in as she thought we were a commercial vehicle. After insisting we were not she wanted to see the vehicle registration document to prove it was an RV. I said we had an English registration document and we did not use the term RV in England. This flumaxed her and she let us in without looking at the document.

Whilst we were camped on a beautiful beach.

The camping space was nothing more than a car park which was pretty full so not great.

The beach itself was not that busy and we spent a nice afternoon on it. It is right next to a naval base so note the signs. We also saw an aircraft carrier sailing into port.

We have spent our last day in the US doing jobs, shopping, laundry etc and bump number 2. This was when parking on another palm tree lined street. I was too busy focusing on the trees I inadvertently reversed into a car. As we are much higher than the car only minor damage was done and a small cash payment sorted it.

For our last night in the US we headed inland to Portero County Park which is a lot quieter and a much more picturesque place to camp with the trees just starting to show their autumn colours.

This meant a nice relaxing end to the day before the border crossing tomorrow.

From Santa Barbara we headed down the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu where we headed to the Malibu Country Mart to shop with the film stars. Alas none were out shopping but we did meet an old work colleague of mine, Steve Perkins for dinner. It was great to catch up and hear how he has settled into life in LA. We camped that night in the Santa Monica hills behind Malibu which was a world away from the hustle and bustle of LA.

The next day we headed into that hustle and bustle with the truck. We did not plan to spend much time in LA but still took the truck off the highway to see some of the highlights ie Beverley Hills, Hollywood etc

We arrived in Anaheim as we had promised Lucy a trip to Disneyland for her birthday. So the next morning we set off for Disneyland and what promised to be a long 12 hour day. Of course the kids absolutely loved it. Whilst they did not want to go on any rides that were remotely scary, they loved meeting the characters from films they had seen and also saw some live shows. We did manage to do a few rides too.

Gilly and I also thoroughly enjoyed it, much to my surprise. It was very well done with lots to do although the queues were a little tedious and this was mid week outside school holidays! But the real pleasure was seeing how much Alisha and Lucy loved it. I suspect we will be hearing a lot more about it from them in the coming days.

The day finished with the traditional parade.

And at the end of a long day we walked back to the truck with 2 very happy daughters. I am sure they could go back the following day but one day will have to do.

After hearing how tricky it was for RVs and larger vehicles, we were pleasantly surprised how easy it was to get around San Francisco. Admittedly we didn’t stay downtown but after several hours researching where was the best place to stay, we ended up in Larkspur on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Marin RV park, although it was another example of a very expensive city RV park (actually literally a car park) with more rules than Alcatraz it was perfectly located for the ferry that took us straight into the city.

We spent two days exploring the city and had a great time. Entering the city from the water, even on a commuter ferry gave us a taste of the harbour, including the closed Alcatraz (another victim of the federal close down). We did the usual tourist things including Fisherman’s Wharf and the sea lions.

Other highlights were fabulous dim sim in Chinatown, trawling up and down those steep hills for the views and the Exploratorium museum for the kids and I (way too many school kids to be in Steve’s comfort zone).

As Yosemite is still closed we then headed southwards to a couple of state beaches north of Santa Barbara. It is warm enough for them to be pretty busy and it’s too rough and cold in the sea to swim but it is perfect weather for kite flying and digging in the sand.

It’s also given us time to play with our new kitchen “toy” a Dutch oven, a cast iron pot with 3 little legs that sits in the coals of the fire. We’ve made a couple of delicious stews in it so far and are looking forward to see if we can bake something in it another night.

We left Montana D’Oro State Park and headed up California Highway 1. This is a famous drive as the road hugs the cliff edges with wonderful views of the ocean below. Mind you as the driver, I only got to see bits of it as the road is narrow and twisting so it needed a lot of attention. On the way we stopped to see Elephant seals on the beach. These are only juveniles as the adults arrive in December.

We camped among the Redwoods at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.

And this is where we celebrated Lucy’s 5th birthday. Of course she had to have a cake and Gilly made a beautiful chocolate cake in the truck oven.

That afternoon we went out on a drive along the coast once more and saw an amazing sight. On the road we were in brilliant sunshine with blue sky above us. Less than 200m below us was the ocean, but it was covered in a blanket of cloud as far as the eye could see, literally just resting on top of the waves. It was like the view from an airplane above the clouds.

The following day we headed up to Monterey and visited the aquarium. Gilly was disappointed the sea otter exhibit was closed as she had been looking for them along the coast. However even better than seeing them in the exhibit, we saw some in the sea from the viewing platform outside the aquarium. The kids loved the aquarium and there were some great exhibits. The tuna they had in there were massive and just what I would have loved to have caught on fishing trips of old. However the jelly fish exhibit was perhaps the most impressive.

As we push on up the coast it is getting cooler but the beaches are still very beautiful.

We had heard that driving in San Francisco was a nightmare and not something you should do in a large vehicle so we approached the city with some trepidation as we needed to drive through it to get to an RV park that was near to transport into the city centre. As it happened driving was a breeze and before we knew it we were crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.

Leaving Las Vegas we weren’t sure what was awaiting us in Death Valley. Since the Federal Government shut down the preceding day all the national parks have been closed. If the situation continues it will really put a dampener on our plans. We had been hoping to go to Death Valley,Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP in the next few weeks. Mind you it is just a small inconvenience to us compared to everyone who works there who have been put on unpaid leave until they can get their acts together in Washington. We figured Death Valley was a good test to see what the situation was as it has a main road running through it which they can’t actually close. Driving through we were able to experience the desert: 38 degrees Celsius and the beautiful desolate scenery.

However nearly all the side roads to overlooks and places of interest were closed, as were all the campsites.

Eventually when we were almost through the park we found a lodge that had a few RV sites open. It was right next to the official NP campsite which was completely closed but they were still open for one more night, so we quickly pulled in.

Cutting our Death Valley plans short we headed west. We drove through some fantastic scenery through rocky desert canyons until we hit Bakersfield…. suddenly the sky turned brown and constant oiled refineries and dusty farms was up there vying for our least attractive drive spot.

So we decided to press on, after a mammoth 9 hour drive we arrived just after sunset on the stunningly beautiful pacific coast at Montana de Oro State Park. The following morning once we could appreciate how unexpectedly lovely the place we just picked off the map was we decided to stay for 2 more nights. The coast here is wild and untamed with rocky outcrops, sea lions and howling coyotes at night. We are now looking forward to driving up the Big Sur and seeing what delights that the State Parks might have in store for us while we wait to see if we can make it to Yosemite next week.

When we look along the street we can see the Statue of Liberty, the Eifel tower and the Sphinx. We can only be in Las Vegas. We decided to have a mini break and checked into a hotel in Las Vegas to enjoy the pool and catch up on things.

Alisha and Lucy have loved Las Vegas without understanding a lot of what is going on. They have enjoyed the noise, the lights and the sights eg a roller coaster that goes through a hotel. Gilly and I have been a bit shell shocked. After been out in the National Parks, Las Vegas hits you full on. And we have not even been in the full throng of things as with 2 young children we have been back in our hotel room by 9 each night.

We have spent our time here enjoying a few good meals, doing some shopping, lazing by the pool and wandering around the Strip looking at the surreal sights.

We also enjoyed the fountain show at the Bellagio.

After 3 nights Gilly and I are ready to get back on the road and into the wilds again. It is 25 years since I have been to Vegas and I think once every 25 years is enough but it did make for a nice relaxing rest.

We are not quite sure where we are heading as we had hoped to visit a few more National Parks but because of the government shut down here in the US all the National Parks here are closed.

I know we are guests here in the US so we should be polite but after watching the politicians on the news for the last few days it is clear the odd balls in Vegas are far more sensible than the politicians in Washington.

Leaving the big one: the Grand Canyon, we headed north east to see two other scenic red sandstone canyons. First Bryce Canyon, famed for it’s picturesque hoodoos on the canyon floor. The red sandstone has eroded away over millions of years to make otherworldly shaped pillars.

The Native American legend is that they are badly behaved animals turned to stone in action. You can see why, the shapes are almost Tolkienesque or like creatures the White Witch has turned to stone in the Narnia books. After a late afternoon preview from the rim of the canyon, the following day we headed off down a steep winding track to the bottom of the canyon to hike among the hoodoos. Billed as one of the world’s best day hikes (I’m not sure by who, maybe just the Bryce visitor centre), it certainly didn’t disappoint. Steve and I held tightly to a girl each as we negotiated the gravel track, frequently stopping for 360 degree views of these incredible structures.

After a couple of hours on the trail it was time to head upward back to the canyon rim, an ascent of about 300m. The trail entered a very narrow gorge between two sets of hoodoos and then wound its way upwards in multilevel switchbacks. The light in that small space was a marvellous almost iridescent orange.

Schooling that afternoon was yet again supplemented by the fabulous “Junior Ranger” booklets that are available at each National Park. Alisha had to apply her mathematical skills to what she learnt about dendrochronology (tree ring dating) and Lucy is getting a dab hand at animal identification and the rock cycle. This great programme have been a huge hit with everyone (the girls and myself as parent/teacher alike) with the girls earning badges from each park after completing a booklet, going to a Ranger talk, being quizzed by a Ranger about what they have learnt and then eventually taking an oath to protect the park and the world. The Rangers always take a lot of time to ask the children questions about what they have learnt and encourage them to find out more.

We then headed off in the truck to see the whole canyon from various viewpoints scattered around the rim. It was a cold night on the campground that night, dropping to zero degrees. Yet again we were very thankful for the truck.

Driving to Zion National Park the following day we had to drive through a mile long tunnel through a massive sandstone rock. It was built in the 1920′s before vehicles were as large as they are now. We had to pay an additional fee for them to stop the two way traffic so we could drive down the middle of the narrow road in the tunnel. Both Steve and I kept a anxious eye out on the top corners of the truck. Unexpectedly the park was heaving with people as it is too hot in the summer for people to visit, so there was no space to camp. We hopped aboard the mandatory shuttle to view the beautiful red sandstone canyon. The real jewel of a walk in this park is the hike through the freezing Virgin River through the narrowest part of the canyon. Unfortunately it is not advised for children as most of the hike is wading through the river with possible bits of swimming, the start looked fantastic though. We took ourselves off for some of the more usual type of hiking under the striking red canyon walls.

The following day as we dropped 2000m heading south west the temperature rose. The scenery became more desert like and we looked for an interesting place to camp. We found a national recreation park on Lake Mead and pulled in for the afternoon and night. We couldn’t understand why this beautiful very well equipped campsite that only cost $10 was almost completely empty. When we went to the lake we understood. The water level was so low in the reservoir that people couldn’t launch their boats. It was like a ghost town with a lodge, 3 campgrounds, petrol station and massive marina all closed up until the water level rose again.

After more than 60 nights in the truck we are now having a little break in a hotel for some R&R, can you guess where?

As we headed to Monument Valley we drove down a road that we had seen before because the view epitomised the very idea of an American road trip and has appeared in films and posters.

We spent 2 nights at Monument Valley, one night at the established campground and one night closer to the valley with great views but no facilities. The scenery was amazing with spectacular buttes, mesas and spires. This was the area the John Wayne films were made and his memorabilia was everywhere. The track around the valley was rough and only suitable for 4wd with RVs not been allowed. Nevertheless we took the truck into the valley. The truck coped well but with all the shaking we were worried about our contents so only drove part of the track.

In any event the best views were from the visitor centre.

We were also lucky to be there at full moon which only added to the spectacular vista.

From Monument Valley we drove to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It’s true you can not see the Canyon until you are almost on the lip and then it just appears. An amazing vast Canyon with the river over a mile below you.

We did the traditional scenic drive stopping at all the viewpoints. The photos do not do it justice.

The next day we decided it was time for a good hike and all managed to complete the spectacular 13km crater rim hike. A new walking record for Alisha and Lucy. As the hike is one way we were grateful for the shuttle bus back to the campsite.

Whilst it is only 15kms from the South Rim to the North Rim it is 300kms by road. When we arrived at the campground at the North Rim we were disappointed to find it full. However we were told that you could camp for free in the forest just outside the park. In the forest were designated campsites with just a fire ring. We drove 8kms down a gravel road and found a perfect site perched right on the edge of the Canyon. What a view. Canyon on one side and beautiful forest with the quaking aspens turning yellow with the onset of Autumn on the other. This was a really special site and for anyone following in our footsteps drive down forest road 611 and drive along to site 611V.

Reluctantly we left the site to do the normal sightseeing on the North Rim. The North Rim is much greener than the South and it is also over 300m higher. Whilst the views are not as spectacular it is still amazing.

We left the canyon for another night camped in the Forest outside.

We left the mountains of Colorado and headed west into the deserts of Utah. Even here in the desert there had been a lot of rain the the week before, enough to damage some of the roads as well. Moab is the nearest town to two stunning national parks: Arches and Canyonlands. The town was surrounded by the red sandstone cliffs that the area is famous for. It was atop the steep mesa (flat topped mountains) at Arches that we came across the unbelievable structures that the park is named after. These delicately coloured half hoops are scattered throughout the desert landscape, accompanied by tall spires and buttes of sandstone. In the evening and morning light they constantly change colour from flaming oranges, reds, pinks and purples all within minutes. A photographer’s dream but also quite frustrating as it was hard to capture the exact shade on the camera (Steve will attest to this as he moans constantly about shifting through the hundreds of photos I take).

Canyonlands National park is made of the canyons formed through the red sandstone by the Colorado and Green rivers and where they converge. The park road took us to the top of the mesa with scrubby desert all around, nothing special so far we thought…until we saw the view down! The canyon stretched out below at least 500 metres at least, in thousands of jewel coloured layers. The different view points strung out across the top of the canyons gave us an unbelievable lesson in geology and how beautiful it can be. This area is aptly named “Islands in the Sky”.

Our campsite in the park was just the sort of place we love: an amazing view, very few people, with no facilities and surrounded by stunning scenery. An evening under the stars and an almost full moon with a distant thunderstorm lighting up the clouds completed the evening. We had realised again in Moab that RV parks are not really our thing: lots of huge RVs (way bigger than us) squashed into a small lot in a town. The Moab one even had a high school band that practiced every morning at 7am right next door. However we do need something like that once a week or so, to get all the jobs done, so needs must.

On our second day in Canyonlands we decided to visit the other part of the park and although it was 20km away from where we were the preceding evening because there was a wacking great big canyon between them we had to take a 200km round trip to get there. Also stunning the “Needles” sections had far more sandstone spires and bizarre mushroom shaped sandstone structures than the northern section.