goal-- Lake Tahoe, Sacramento for lunch, then dinner in San Francisco
Wake up in Carson City, Nevada!!
Tour the Capitol grounds and historic houses in the area. Breakfast at Mom & Pop diner. Wonderful breakfast!!! Other dining guests suggested to us to see Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe. We pulled out our maps and were off to Lake Tahoe!! Driving around the lake, touring some very nice neighborhoods with private lake access. We just made our selves at home stopping in a driveway to take pictures!!
Then made our way to Emerald Bay- the only island on the lake! It was beautiful- snow covered grounds, tall evergreens lightly frosted with snow, and mountains across the lake. The drive to see the island reminded me of highway 1 on the coast of California. On one side was the lake and the other evergreens trees and mountains. Julie was glad she was not driving!
As we are driving away from the lake we pass this area with snow mobiles. Julie says, "That sure looks like fun. Have you ever done that before?" I replied, "No. Do you want to go?!" Then Julie says with a huge smile, "I think it looks pretty safe. I can handle that!" I turned the car around and we went snow mobiling at Lake Tahoe!!! It was such a blast and the people running it were laid back and let us each have our own snow mobile and we got to ride for a whole hour even though we only paid for 30 minutes!!! We would have stayed longer but honestly after 1 hour it was enough and we wanted to get to San Francisco before dark.
Sacramento for lunch!
Touring the Capitol, wander the streets of Old Sac, lunch at an ice cream shop- hot dog & drink special for $3 plus validation for free parking . . . totally worth it!! Also, we saw the golden bridge over the river.
San Francisco for dinner!
Arrived into the city just before dusk. Got an awesome parking spot just down from Fisherman's Wharf and it was FREE!! Walked down this pier and we were able to see the whole city lights come to life as the sun went down. To the left was the Golden Gate Bridge, straight ahead was Alcatraz, and the right was the Bay Bridge and to the far right was the city!! Julie and I then wander the streets down Fisherman's Wharf, then Pier 39 hearing the sea lions barking just off shore!!! We grabbed a bit to eat at this Italian/ Seafood restaurant and had shrimp pasta that was amazing plus it came with fresh sourdough bread!
Then we got in the car and drove around the city! We went down Lombard Street twice! Finally making our way to Chinatown and parked along the street for FREE! Wandered the main streets and stopped in one of the many many shops for some wonton soup and pot stickers. It was delicious and my stomach was so so full.
We departed the city around 10pm and arrived to Fresno, California around 1am.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Roadtrip SATURDAY pics
Julie & I in Death Valley
me & Julie in Death Valley
at the Salt Flats
me
sunset in Death Valley
dinner in Lone Pine
Motel 6 in Carson City
Roadtrip FRIDAY pics
grand canyon
julie and i at the grand canyon
fountains at the bellagio
margaritaville
dealertainers at imperial palace
Roadtrip Thursday PICS
dinner in Albuquerque at Little Anita's
Miraculous Staircase at Loretto Chapel
Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
Santa Fe Capitol
Roadtrip to Cali . . . SATURDAY
plan- drive to Fresno late Sat night, Sun all day in San Francisco
Wake up in Vegas!!
Julie and I decide to stay in Vegas most of the day seeing more hotels and casinos and just relaxing. Julie has been to Vegas many times before and I have only been once before. Wander the Flamingo hotel and see all the flamingos outside!! Over breakfast Julie and I look at the maps and decide maybe we'll go to Death Valley then over to Fresno.
On the road again . . .
While driving to Death Valley my Aunt Zanne calls and asks how we are doing and if we would be interested in staying at their time share in Napa Valley. I told her that we were planning to sleep in Fresno tonight but thanks for thinking of us. After getting off the phone and pulling over to get more gas before going into the valley Julie and I discussed a new plan.
Why were we going to Fresno tonight?? It had never occurred to us to not spend the night there. So we looked at the maps again and decided that we could just drive to Sacramento via Carson City and Lake Tahoe and spend the night there then enjoy all day in San Francisco without waking up super super early. Going from Death Valley to Sacramento would be a long drive but we would stop in Lake Tahoe area at the gas station to get t-shirts and magnets. Just so we could say we had been there.
DEATH VALLEY
I know it might sound like a huge desert with nothing to see but Julie and I decided that if it's a national park there MUST be something to see there! And we were right, its absolutely beautiful!!! Mountains, deserts, hiking trails, sand dunes, salt flats, and more mountains.
Did you know??
- Death Valley is the driest and hottest spot in North America.
-- Less than 2 inches of rain annually
-- Recorded high of 134 degrees
- Death Valley is the lowest point on the continent
-- 282 feet below sea level
- Over 1 million people visit each year
After spending several hours in Death Valley we made our way out of the 3.4 million acre park and headed towards Lake Tahoe! Driving out of the park was a 9 mile stretch up the mountains at 11% grade followed by a 11 mile stretch down the mountain at 9% grade . . . lots of brakes!!! After coming down the mountain we stopped at the salt flats.
Continuing to drive out of the park we noticed these giant mountains all around us. It seemed like every minute there was a different view and bigger mountains. We stopped to watch the sunset over the Sierra Nevada Mountains- it was beautiful.
Lone Pine, California
Dinner at local diner. It was only once were here did we realized that the mountains we had been driving though were home to Mount Whitney- the tallest point in the continental US at 14,494 feet. After dinner and a quick stop at a souvenir shop we headed towards Carson City, Nevada.
Driving through the mountains at night was uneventful. We could see the giant trees in the darkness and snow covered mountains but we knew that if we wanted to spend Sunday in San Francisco we had to keep driving! All the roads were clear, no ice, no snow, and not much traffic but our late night in Vegas caught up to us.
We decided to stop in Carson City, Nevada to get some much needed sleep and then we would be able to see Lake Tahoe during the day!!
Wake up in Vegas!!
Julie and I decide to stay in Vegas most of the day seeing more hotels and casinos and just relaxing. Julie has been to Vegas many times before and I have only been once before. Wander the Flamingo hotel and see all the flamingos outside!! Over breakfast Julie and I look at the maps and decide maybe we'll go to Death Valley then over to Fresno.
On the road again . . .
While driving to Death Valley my Aunt Zanne calls and asks how we are doing and if we would be interested in staying at their time share in Napa Valley. I told her that we were planning to sleep in Fresno tonight but thanks for thinking of us. After getting off the phone and pulling over to get more gas before going into the valley Julie and I discussed a new plan.
Why were we going to Fresno tonight?? It had never occurred to us to not spend the night there. So we looked at the maps again and decided that we could just drive to Sacramento via Carson City and Lake Tahoe and spend the night there then enjoy all day in San Francisco without waking up super super early. Going from Death Valley to Sacramento would be a long drive but we would stop in Lake Tahoe area at the gas station to get t-shirts and magnets. Just so we could say we had been there.
DEATH VALLEY
I know it might sound like a huge desert with nothing to see but Julie and I decided that if it's a national park there MUST be something to see there! And we were right, its absolutely beautiful!!! Mountains, deserts, hiking trails, sand dunes, salt flats, and more mountains.
Did you know??
- Death Valley is the driest and hottest spot in North America.
-- Less than 2 inches of rain annually
-- Recorded high of 134 degrees
- Death Valley is the lowest point on the continent
-- 282 feet below sea level
- Over 1 million people visit each year
After spending several hours in Death Valley we made our way out of the 3.4 million acre park and headed towards Lake Tahoe! Driving out of the park was a 9 mile stretch up the mountains at 11% grade followed by a 11 mile stretch down the mountain at 9% grade . . . lots of brakes!!! After coming down the mountain we stopped at the salt flats.
Continuing to drive out of the park we noticed these giant mountains all around us. It seemed like every minute there was a different view and bigger mountains. We stopped to watch the sunset over the Sierra Nevada Mountains- it was beautiful.
Lone Pine, California
Dinner at local diner. It was only once were here did we realized that the mountains we had been driving though were home to Mount Whitney- the tallest point in the continental US at 14,494 feet. After dinner and a quick stop at a souvenir shop we headed towards Carson City, Nevada.
Driving through the mountains at night was uneventful. We could see the giant trees in the darkness and snow covered mountains but we knew that if we wanted to spend Sunday in San Francisco we had to keep driving! All the roads were clear, no ice, no snow, and not much traffic but our late night in Vegas caught up to us.
We decided to stop in Carson City, Nevada to get some much needed sleep and then we would be able to see Lake Tahoe during the day!!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Roadtrip to Cali . . . FRIDAY
goal- see the Grand Canyon
Julie and I enjoyed continental breakfast from the hotel and were off to the Grand Canyon!
Grand Canyon
Located in northwestern Arizona is the Grand Canyon. The canyon is 277 miles long and averages 10 miles across. Elevations range from 1,200 feet on the canyon bottom to 9,000 feet on the north rim. Yearly over 5 million visitors come to the Grand Canyon.
Arriving just after 11am we were both surprised to see only a few other visitors and empty parking lots. The weather was perfect- few clouds and sunny and the grounds were covered with snow!! First stopping point was the Yavapai observation station, which was really cool!! They had binoculars inside and maps of the canyon everywhere as well as tons of information about the canyon, rocks, and the Colorado River. Next we made our way to Market Plaza to get souvenirs and I got a t-shirt for only $9!!! Then we tried to make our way towards the watchtower but got lost inside the park and ended up near all the lodges and Kolb studio. So we got out and took a couple dozen more pictures and then headed in the right direction. The Watchtower was built in 1932, is 70 feet tall and built from stones in the canyon. From the top there are excellent views of the river, the canyon, the desert, and the forest!!! Just wonderful!!!!
After 6 hours we had seen enough and taken hundreds of pictures we headed out of the park.
Williams, Arizona
Population 2,842 Elevation 6,752 feet
Dinner on Route 66 at the Route 66 café and it was wonderful!! Over dinner we discussed our next route and plan. It was decided that we would drive to Las Vegas and stay either downtown on Fremont Street or on the strip. After calling several hotels and all having available rooms we decided we would just figure it out once we got to Vegas.
Hoover Dam
Built from 1931-1935 in Black Canyon on the Colorado River for flood control and water storage, it impounds Lake Mead- one of the largest man-made lakes in the US.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Population 478,434 Elevation 2,174 feet
Highlights from the night
* Fountains show at the Bellaigo
* Dealertainers at Imperial Palace
* Margarita at Margaritaville at the Flamingo
* And the rest stays in Vegas!!
Roadtrip to Cali . . . Thursday
Adventures to Fresno California from San Antonio Texas with Julie (Andrew's mom). After returning from Kenya I knew I only had a limited number of days in Texas before moving and with Andrew not able to drive with me to Cali I just figured I would be on my own. Yeah, sure my friends wanted to come with me and travel the country but they have jobs, responsibilities at home, and limited budgets. So after talking with Julie over hot tea she asked if she could join me. At first I was shocked and then excited to have a driving partner. Everything worked out perfectly and within 4 days we were off for our journey!
THURSDAY
Goal- drive towards the Grand Canyon
Lots of driving towards the West. We departed San Antonio at 5am through the fog until the sun came out. Stopped for breakfast in San Angelo at McDonalds (not my fav place) but I had a McGriddle and it was pretty tasty. Then we kept driving and stopped in Roswell for lunch at Wendys (not my fav place either) and happy to report we were not attacked by aliens :)
Then we made our way to Santa Fe!
Population 62,203 Elevation 6,989 feet
fun fact- Oldest capital in North America and the second oldest city in the US
--Loretto Chapel is home to the "miraculous staircase" which has two-360 degree turns and no visible means of support.
--Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi was founded in 1610.
--State Capitol building is designed in the shape of the Zia sun symbol, the state's official emblem.
Dinner in Albuquerque!!
Population 448,607 Elevation 4,957 feet
fun fact- Dried chili peppers called ristras are hung for good luck and to welcome guests
-- Old Town is the city's original settlement and was founded in 1706. Also here is San Felipe de Neri Church which was founded in 1793.
-- Little Anitas has awesome Mexican food and that is really hard for me to say being from Texas but its true. If you are ever there I would recommend this place!!
Sleep in Holbrook, Arizona.
THURSDAY
Goal- drive towards the Grand Canyon
Lots of driving towards the West. We departed San Antonio at 5am through the fog until the sun came out. Stopped for breakfast in San Angelo at McDonalds (not my fav place) but I had a McGriddle and it was pretty tasty. Then we kept driving and stopped in Roswell for lunch at Wendys (not my fav place either) and happy to report we were not attacked by aliens :)
Then we made our way to Santa Fe!
Population 62,203 Elevation 6,989 feet
fun fact- Oldest capital in North America and the second oldest city in the US
--Loretto Chapel is home to the "miraculous staircase" which has two-360 degree turns and no visible means of support.
--Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi was founded in 1610.
--State Capitol building is designed in the shape of the Zia sun symbol, the state's official emblem.
Dinner in Albuquerque!!
Population 448,607 Elevation 4,957 feet
fun fact- Dried chili peppers called ristras are hung for good luck and to welcome guests
-- Old Town is the city's original settlement and was founded in 1706. Also here is San Felipe de Neri Church which was founded in 1793.
-- Little Anitas has awesome Mexican food and that is really hard for me to say being from Texas but its true. If you are ever there I would recommend this place!!
Sleep in Holbrook, Arizona.
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