Ca Sa Vilda Marge Sant Joan de Labritja

Nach der hitzigen und kargen Wuestenlandschaft des Death Valley sind wir heute zurueck ins Baumland des Sequoia National Parks...Hallo Baumbart?!

Im Giant Forest gibt es unzaehlige Riesenbaeume, die wirklich jedes Auto winzig erscheinen lassen. Hier steht auch der groesste Baum der Welt (General Sherman :-)). Er ist zwar nicht der hoechste und auch nicht der breiteste, aber sein Gesamtstammvolumen (1500 m3) ist unuebertroffen.

... Fresno. Both times his parents have had us stay in their home and always made us feel very welcome. His Dad helped him put the finishing touches onto his Halloween decorations and the kids had a ball being scared by the lights, fog and scary music. Greg is really into Halloween and went all out this year.

Greg also gave us an insight into the Global Financial crisis in his part of the world. Many houses in his street have been foreclosed and all the 'toys’ like boats and jetskis ...

Scott

Last night at San Simeon was surreal, and felt quite dangerous. Me and Paul were playing pool and this guy came over, covered in tattoos, smelt of booze and smoke, and he asked us a lot of questions about where we were going, when etc, and invited himself in the pool game. At first I thought he was gay and thought we were too or something, but when he pulled out this medical tub of weed and asked us to smell it we assumed he was ...

... wir aber nicht wussten: das ist auch ein Restaurant und ehe wir uns wieder umdrehen konnten saßen wir schon an einem Tisch für zwei. Und das schlimmste, richtiges Geschirr und eine makellos weiße Stoffserviette. Da muss ich natürlich sofort an Siegis Worte denken: "...und wenn du eine richtige Tischdecke und richtiges Besteck willst, wirds erst richtig teuer...."

ABER: Wir sind ja hier nicht in einer typischen Touristenstadt und so hat es uns ...

... to pass the time and we arrived at Yosemitie only to be disapointed that the main road into the valley was closed due to fires. We did however travel a different route which lead us up the mountains to see some amazing rock features and lakes.

Headed back out of the park and towards San Jose another 180 miles, with the radio bursting with soft rock we knew we were road ...

... in mass in the world.

We left at 4pm and made our way to Vegas! The driving through Bakesfield we saw lots of orchards for miles and miles !!!!!! I know we've mentioned before but the Americans produce an unbelievable amount of food. We then drove through the Mojave Desert past thousands of wind turbines arriving in Vegas at Mid-night!!.

... bought some super cool stuff from random vendors that I know I never have to worry about seeing people here wearing. Venice Beach was just such a melting pot of different people. It was beautiful.

California is definitely way different from Miami. It's for sure a place I can see myself moving to for a year or so just for the adventure. My next trip is being planned for around September.

... We ate in Barstow, and continued on to Fresno. We pulled into our house just after midnight.

So, was our Southwest trip a worthy substitute for the New England trip we’d originally planned? Looking back on it, I’d have to say yes. There are some areas of astonishing beauty to observe. There is also some powerful reminders of culture, both Native American and European, that are worth visiting. But, above all, a Southwest trip reminds a ...

... underlying chill in the air also said that Fall was just around the corner. We headed over to the airport to pick up our car. We had obtained a Dodge Stratus from Dollar Rent-a-Car for our trip. It wasn’t anything too fancy, but it had enough room for our suitcases and the other things we brought with us; like CDs, cameras, and food.

We drove back home and finished packing. Despite our good intentions to leave by 10:30 a.m., we didn’t leave until just after ...

We camped by in a nice campsite and early in the morning headed off on our hike. We were the first hikers of the year to climb the Yosemite Falls trail. Winding along nest to the falls we got soaked. The snow was beautiful at the top and the views were amazing. On the way down, Ryan practiced his 'australian' accent with "g' day mate".