TravelStream™ news feed for member trip09 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/trip09 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:01:41 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trip09/1/1245352994/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trip09/1/1245352994/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/trip09/1/1245352994/tpod.html Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:01:41 -0400 Trippin'

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Flagstaff, Arizona, United States


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Tye, Texas, United States


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Santa Rosa, New Mexico, United States


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Kanab, Utah, United States

The Grand Canyon is our next stop, but we were pretty close to the Hoover Dam so we left Vegas in that direction.

On the way in, we saw Lake Mead, a big blue oasis in the desert, kept there by the dam. We moved on into slow traffic to see the dam, but most the cool views were from vantage points only accessible from the fee parking spots. We would have paid if we had the time to walk around and see what the place had to offer, but as it was we would have paid $7 for a couple of pictures. We stopped on the Lake Mead side, got a couple of shots and started to head back in the direction of Vegas to reach the North Side of the Grand Canyon, but first we found a beach.

Lake Mead had a beach, so we swung in for a dip. The water was very warm and the beach was hot, so we hopped back in the water before leaving.

Then we just drove for the day finally ending up in the Crazy Horse RV/camping park. We did a ton of laundry and sat outside and uploaded the pictures from the last couple of days. The weather is cooler here, I think we're higher elevated. Anyway it made for a great sleep in the camper which still beats a hotel room.

we had a good night and this morning, for the first time in weeks, we are caught up on this blog. I eats at us to be behind...we like sharing this experience with you guys, and this will help us remember the details of the trip after we are back to real life.

We miss you all and as of San Francisco, officially headed back east, but with many things still to come.

Next time Grand Canyon.....
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Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

In the morning, we had to re-load the camper and get used to the quickly rising temperatures. we were going to Las Vegas.

We were originally going to go through Death Valley to get there but it is surrounded by mountains, and the truck takes the hills a little slower in this heat. No need to push our luck.

On our way into Vegas, Vanessa was checking the AAA book for campgrounds and found only one in town, which charged $45 - $70 for a spot, but I think they had 7,500 spots. We realized we'd be better off in another hotel room. As we hit the strip, we saw the Tropicana advertising the lowest rates on the strip and it sounded like a good place to start.

$40 bucks got us a room. We walked in to a stink. I thought it was fifty years of stewing in gambler's smoke, but Vanessa insisted it was more like sewage. We opened the door to the balcony and for some reason did not get a new room. I guess we figured we'd get use to it, and the front desk was on the other side of the complex. We sat outside and waited to go out after dark.

We did a little light gambling, but lost quickly, so we just walked the strip. There were great musical acts playing right around the time were there, but not on that night and none good enough to hang around for. So....No clubbing for us, we were back in our hotel by 10:15, and looking for a cheap meal. We ate in a hotel restaurant and went back to our room which wasn't too stinky 'cause we left the balcony door open the whole time.

However, at 7:30 am, the smell woke me, quickly. Vanessa had shut the door (due to heat) a half an hour before that and in thirty minutes time, the stench was unbearable. I knew that the pool area had wireless Internet and I wanted to get caught up, so I headed down, leaving Vanessa to marinate in the stinky room.

It was a long walk to the pool. I got all set with the lap top, has a short battery life and needs plugged in. As soon as Internet Explorer opened, it was after a room number to bill me for $14.95 for 24 hours of wireless service. So instead I gambled for an hour before going back to the room to make sure V hadn't suffocated.

So while we liked sin city, there's not enough sin left in us to truly appreciate it. Attn; max and Erma's peeps: I saw that Katelyn was going to be here, now she will probably have some Vegas worth stories when she gets back!
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Yosemite National Park, California, United States

We went to Yosemite in the morning packed for the river float.

Inside the park, the combination of huge cliffs and water ways made for spectacular sights. We left the truck and walked along a rapid section of river.

After checking out the waterfalls and rapids, we started toward the raft rental place. they gave us some instructions, but we were going on a leasuirly float, no rapids. The cliffs towered right over us as we searched for a beach to relax and eat lunch. See half dome pic for other rafts and beaches. And while you're at it click on the upper and lower fall pic for what could be a post card for yosemite. All V's pictures for the day rock.

After the rafting we headed in the direction of Vegas, our next stop. We couldn't find any campgrounds in the vacinity where we planned to stop, so we cracked....... and got a room. First one of the trip!

It had good internet service and we were able to get a little caught up with you guys, but not real caught up because we were busy taking long showers.

The next day we're in Vegas, Baby!
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San Francisco, California, United States

Rejuvinated, we left casper beach and drove through agricultural lands of California. The hills were bad in the begining then we hit pretty flat lands. We've been living on fruit stand fruit from a man who I'm pretty sure picks up and sells fallen fruit. The fruit was is so ripe its like bitting into a water balloons. Vanessa been covered in cherry juice for days.

We were headed to Yosemite, via San Fransico.

We hit the Golden Gate Bridge, stop took some pictures. It was cool, then I had to pump myself up to drive through the city. It was the biggest city we've driven through, but we had no problems, thanks to the GPS we borrowed. It especially comes in handy through towns at the end of long day's but this time, without it we never would have found the roads we needed to get to Oakland.

So we buzzed through the cities and had a campground in mind, just outside of Yosemite. it was located in Groveland, which was were Vanessa sent our alive message from. We hit some big old mountains heading toward the park and our campground. To keep my spirits up Vanessa spilled the beans about a Yosemite river raft plan she investegated before we left.

We camped next to a dad, his son and his son's best friend. They were good neighbors and we hung with them for the night.

park in the morning
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Caspar Headlands State Beach, California, United States

We left Eureka on a path to the Redwood Forest. Originally, we were going to the National Park, but it was out of our way and with the state covered with mountains, we decided to head for a state redwood park.

Wow, the forest was amazing. It must be the cool northern air that created a good smelling forest without bugs. I can handle bugs but there was no need to. We found a path and strolled around for a while. The forest ground was covered in clover. The sun would break through the largely shaded area to highlight, or create, great shrines to the fallen trees. It makes you feel little. i see why Bigfoot lives there.

As we continued through the forest, we spotted a beach along a river bend. We took an hour out of what has become long, rainy driving days to enjoy the sun and what turned out to be a great swim. The water was completely clear and clean and as I said...no bugs. It was a great find. We got back in the truck ready to head south, out of the mountains and to the coast. Little did we know they are one in the same.

We knew that the coast was hilly and windy, so we were going to take the highway for some time before venturing over there. Well the high way was extremely twisted and curvy, so, not believing the coastal highway could be worse, we jumped on Highway 1 right at the beginning of it, but getting there took us through a bad patch. As we entered it a sign said "narrow and curvy, next 22 miles." It was like nothing I ever experienced before. Speed limit 55, except for every ten feet were the curve dictates you slow to 10. I was trying to get us out of there in less than an hour. Vanessa was getting carsick (she's motion sensitive to those who don't know). I asked if she wanted me to stop, she said no, the only thing she said for a while. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her keep her mouth covered with a sweatshirt. Now going down hill, and still trying to get us out of there, I was driving as fast as I could, braking at every turn, which still appeared immediately after the last one, Vanessa still green, and my hands covered in sweat, when the truck made a decision.

i told Vanessa the brakes felt spongy. She said something smelled hot. We turned off on one of the S curves and as soon as we stopped, smoke rose form the wheels. The brakes were smoking hot and making a crackling sound. Vanessa threw herself under the truck and saw the flames on the back side of the tire. I grabbed the fire extinguisher out of the camper, but it didn't work. Vanessa grabbed a jug of water and we threw it on the flaming tire until the crackling stopped.

I checked for brake fluid leaks, the pressure came back to the brake pedal. we waited 25 minutes on the side of the road until they cooled some, put the truck in second gear for the rest of the way down and took it nice and slow. We kept a good sense of humor throughout, but we were ready to call it a day.

We hit the coast and the driving was nothing in comparison. We rolled up on a campground located across the street form a beach. We found a home for a couple of nights. We had a couple of fires and hung around the beach. Just what the doctor ordered. Now that was vacationing, but poor internet service, so sorry about the length of this text, but I've been dying to tell that story.
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Eureka, California, United States

Its been a long time since we could get to proper internet. On this, our first day in california, we happened to have a good connection, but decided to wait 'til the next night to upload the message. Well you all see how that turned out.

We drove out of Reno, which relieved Vanessa. Before we left, she made me check the rear of the camper for street kids hitching a ride on their skateboards. We entered California and the mountains again. As you've seen from previous pictures, we've seen the mountains. well here's more...still an impressive sight

We stayed the night at an expensive RV park that we should have just driven by, but those mountains beat me into submission.

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Groveland, California, United States

Hey, sorry about the lag. We've been without decent internet for 3 days now. We have the internet this morning, but we are heading out to raft in Yosemite. Everything is going great. California has been awesome. The sun is finally shinning! We have to head out but we will get this updated in the next day or so. Hope everybody is well.
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