Where We Have Been - USA - San Francisco to Las Vegas
Being completely honest the USA wasn’t somewhere particularly high on David’s places he had to visit list although it was somewhat higher on Carolyn’s who had a dream to be in New York for a special birthday.
David said if we are travelling all that way I’m not going for only a week or so.
We thought Australia was big, and it is, as well as being sparsely populated the further inland you head, but the USA is so much bigger. Given our relative late in life new found fascination with history and the people and events that have shaped our world we anticipated that we would find the USA new, loud and crass. In fact we came away saying we’ll definitely be back, some parts, like everywhere we won’t return to but others are calling us back.
We toured the USA by Plane, Train and Automobile.
From San Francisco we grabbed a rental to drive the classic Pacific Coast Highway, unfortunately a bit was closed due to a significant landslide however what we saw lived up to it’s reputation.
Our Route – San Francisco – Monterey – Santa Barbara – Olancha – Death Valley – Las Vegas
Our first stop was in Monterey, (the former capital of California apparently), a very pretty spot, where we spent time on a pleasant stroll along the boardwalk and exploring Old Fisherman’s Wharf. We also grabbed the opportunity to go Whale Watching. While it wasn’t really the right time of the year we did encounter a couple of Whales, a good sized raft of Sea Lions swimming in the open ocean, and a favourite, and first time see in the wild, Sea Otters, in the harbour. We were told that at the right time of the year they can see more than a dozen Whales on a trip.
D & Friend @ Old Fisherman’s Wharf
Old Fisherman’s Wharf from Boardwalk
Monterey
Old Fisherman’s Wharf
Sea Otter, Monterey Harbour
Sea Lion Raft off Monterey
The oil rigs offshore as we headed to Santa Barbara for out next stop were unexpected, although not overbearing. The next day we were forced inland by the road closure (we were actually talking to family in NZ while driving on Ventura Freeway when coincidentally Ventura Highway started playing on the radio, (pretty amazing).
We passed an Aircraft Boneyard near Mojave, where we stopped for lunch before carrying on to our overnight destination, the Olancha RV Park & Motel. We had an executive suite, in name only although it was perfectly fine, under the shadow of the Sierra Nevadas. The young chap who checked us in, also waited on us, cooked our dinner and breakfast and served our drinks with no help, very versatile.
Ventura Highway Playing on Ventura Freeway
Aircraft Graveyard, Mojave
Olancha RV Park & Motel
Olancha RV Park & Motel
From Olancha we hit the road for Death Valley (David has to ride a motorcycle through Death Valley on his bucket list) where we visited Father Crowley Vista Point (where you can watch the USAF Fighter Jets, we heard them but only saw them as specks in the far distance), Zabriskie Point, the Devil’s Golf Course, Artists Palette and Badwater Basin which, at 86m below Sea Level, is the lowest point in North America.
Sierra Nevadas from Olancha RV Park & Motel
Father Crowley Memorial
Father Crowley Vista Point- Rainbow Canyon
Devils Golf Course
Devils Golf Course
C & D @ Zabriskie Point
Badwater Basin
C @ Badwater Basin
Artists Palette
We exited From Death Valley and headed to Las Vegas.
Zabriskie Point, Death Valley
Tip: Allow plenty of time. Passing down the abbreviated version of the Pacific Coast Highway that we travelled, Monterey and Death Valley all deserved more time than we gave them
Highlight: We are struggling to pick from a couple we’ll declare it a tie: Monterey, a very pretty spot and the wildlife, particularly seeing Sea Otters eating on the harbour will remain a special memory for a long time. Death Valley and the amazing vista it presents.
Memory: David convincing Carolyn to divert a number of miles as David was hoping to see some USAF planes from Edwards Airforce Base. Not possible, out in the middle of the desert is a guard post with nothing visible.
We did encounter a young chap wild with excitement and looking somewhat like a time traveller from Woodstock on the salt flats that are Badwater Basin in Death Valley. He’d been buzzed and waved at by a pilot earlier in the day.
Closing Thought: We will be back to travel North from LA all the way up the Pacific Coast Highway to the north of San Francisco (provided the road is open). Carolyn has on her wish list a conference she wishes to attend in Las Vegas, this will present David with the opportunity to ride Death Valley on a motorcycle.
We have been lucky enough over the years to have travelled more than many but nowhere near as much as we aspire to. The world is a big place and there are still many places to see, many places to explore more thoroughly and many favourities to reconnect with.
Elsewhere on Crows on the Go you will find
• more on our travels and the places we have been
• our thoughts, and in some cases tips, in relation to some of these places
• what we consider our special places
• and more!