Santa Fe Motel and Saloon Goldfield

We are in a little town called Tonopah, our halfway stop between Las Vegas and Mono Lake. It is clearly a trucker's town, not much going on here apart from motels, a couple of gambling halls and drinking joints.

We checked into the Tonopah Motel, which is a typical dingy motel, just like the ones they portray in the movies!!! Definitely cheap ...

... to a phone box.

They weren't in!

We left them a message, and went to the Visitor Centre, who told us most of the hotels in Mariposa (nearest town) were full!

Great!


We managed to find a room (!) in the Comfort Inn in Mariposa, and Lyn left another message in Alaska. We then tried to settle down in the slightly dingy room. We were all knackered, it was about 8.30pm.

We then had to contemplate what ...

Today we left Las Vegas and headed through Death Valley. It was very hot and dry. I was expecting a desert with little life. Actually, there were some natural springs, vegetation, and wildlife. I think Uncle Bill accidentally ran over two lizards and a bird or something I think flew into us as we drove down the road. I still have not checked the grill. We did not actually go to the lowest point, but the first visitor's center was 190 ...

After the bright lights of Vegas had dimmed for the second and definitely the last time, we headed on to Yosemite National Park, which is not entirely similar in any way. The weather was very fresh owing to the altitude and there were fewer ways to lose your money - although the gift shop owners may disagree. The only flashing light available to us was in our tent and quite apart from not being particularly bright, the pedants among us would argue that the ...

Saturday- Garbage to the dump, pack the suitcases, leave instructions for the neighbor, put out the dog and get the paperwork together. Lock the house and make our first stop -Turlock, Ca. to say gd-bye to the grandkids. All is in order and the excitement is building. :-) bobk/justright

Today we enjoyed the scenic sites as we drove down the western coast of the Lake Tahoe to South Lake Tahoe, where we took the Heavenly Gondola 2 1/2 miles up to the observation deck. Located at approx. 9200 ft elevation, it offers views of the whole Lake Tahoe. Then, we boarded the gondola again, and then continued to the top of the mountain. There we had an overpriced lunch (it felt that way since we expected ...

What can we say about Yosemite? Its rare beauty makes you feel like you just stepped into an Ansel Adams photograph. We woke up on Sunday morning in Oakdale, and the kids went swimming in the pool before we headed up to the Park. Emilia and Nikola learned to dive! The temperature was already at 95F by 10:00 a.m. It was going to be a very hot day. Since we had so little time to enjoy Yosemite, we opted for the ...

3.46 a, PDT Alright...I should actually be down at the yard getting my truck ready for the day's sojourn. Instead, here I am ******* around with THIS thing. Going to spend an exciting day hauling sulfuric acid, especially noxious ****. Shower time...

Half Dome This is a special entry to the Kelleberg USA Study Tour Journal. We drove to our starting point around 10:45. Then, after getting our gear together, Mr. Troy gave us a pep talk to prepare us for the hike, followed by an Our Father. We split up into our four students per moderator and by eleven o' clock p.m., we were on our way. The beginning of the hike was uphill. We hiked up a set of steps that were close to the Vernal Falls, giving everyone a bit ...

Day 20 After waking from a full eight hours of sleep, we prepared ourselves for not sleeping for another thirty-six. We started our day in Sequoia NP by taking a short hike to see the world's 3rd largest tree, the General Grant Sequoia. It is over 265 ft tall and 40 ft in circumference. (We drove past the world's largest tree last evening in the dark, the General Sherman Sequioa). Along the trail ...