The day has come - Tue. 27th June. I woke up even before the alarm sets off at 4.30am and rushed out of the house at 5am. I'm buzzing though I hadn't had any coffee yet.
I'm surprised to see so many people already awake and going around their business. The Piccadilly line is packed with people like me heading towards Heathrow Airport.
In a couple of hours I'm about to embark on my journey to travel the West coast of the United States. It'll be my first visit and I'm very excited to explore the country on the road and hiking trips.
Overall, I'll be flying into Los Angeles before heading to Las Vegas where after reuniting with my friends the main trip begins.
From there we'll be driving to Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. After this first phase we'll cross Death Valley on our way to Lake Mono, before entering Yosemite from the east route (120) via Tioga Pass. The last part of our trip will lead us to Monterey Bay and then up the coast to our final destination San Francisco.
I guess you can imagine already how different and diverse the impressions and pictures will be. So take your time and enjoy the tour ...
Los Angeles
Wed. 28th June
HOOVER DAM
Death Valley
xxx July
Yosemite
xxx July
Day XXX on the road.
I have finally found my writing spot. I’m sitting on a rock at the Mercede river in Yosemite House keeping Camp waiting for my friend to return. It’s so peaceful here. The water is rushing slowly, kids are playing at the shore and I can see Mt. XXX in front of me.
It’s been a warm day and temperature is finally dropping. Let’s see what the night brings. We are sleeping in a weird type of tent. Three concrete walls plus canvas roof and entrance. One bunk, one double bed and a metall shelf that’s there is inside.
Before I got settled, I had to go through all my stuff to make sure all food and ‘scented ‘ items are stored in the outside bear-proof containers. Let’s hope there’s no one snooping around tonight.
After yesterday’s arrival and a night in Oakhurst (in an RV!!!), we finally hit Yosemite’s famous hiking trails. It’s definitely good to leave the car and take the free shuttle instead – though you might have to wait for some time to get into one. Bus stop 16 is the trail head for the spectacular ‘Mist trail’. From here you are crossing the bridge and turn right. This trail promises breath-taking views of first the Vernal and later the Nevada falls. Indeed a very wet and misty experience but totally worth it. My cloths were completely sodden after approaching the first of the waterfalls. There’s so much spray in the air that seeing a rainbow is a given.