http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Steve Mecca/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Steve Mecca en-us Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:36:39 BST Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:36:39 BST Got up this mornin and helped our self 2 the hearty breakfast which the hostel provided. We then made our way 2 pier 33 to catch the boat across to Alcatraz. Now here is the catch its free to actually get into Alcatraz but the only way to get there is by boat which costs 25. I don't know how they actually get away with callin it free. What do they expect us to do. Freakin swim If people are s http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Francisco/North-Beach/blog-281605.html On this day we left LA and headed north on a twelve hour train journey 2 San Francisco.The train wasn't 2 bad as it was through the day and for a large part we were coastin right above by the sea and u could even see dolphins out there havin a fun time.I was readin a Stephen King book that i really shouldn't have started but i now needed to finish. I got a nice distraction from the book by a nativ http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Los-Angeles/Venice-Beach/blog-281529.html Yes yes i know i have been pretty bad on the blogging front as of late and i do have a lot of catchin up 2 do. Well here it goes startin from where i left off.The last day in LA we thought it would be a good idea 2 hire bikes and have a cycle round the beach front glorious day that it was. We got the bikes which were beach cruisers and 2 brake u had 2 pedal back which was strange but once i got http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Los-Angeles/Venice-Beach/blog-281528.html Feelin still very tired i departed the bus in downtown LA it was real early in the mornin and was 2 tired 2 be able 2 navigate the buses in this way 2 big city. I came to the taxi rank and asked a driver how much it would be 2 Venice Beach 'about 30 bucks' he says. 52 bucks later i was pissed. However in the taxi we pulled onto highway 10 i thought 2 myself that it was pretty amazin that i had b http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Los-Angeles/Venice-Beach/blog-276081.html Well i did it i finally left Las Vegas round of applause i thank u Well i best tell u all about my last day in sin city i got up and started chewin through 'on the road' by Jack Kerouac the book that really made me want 2 travel this vast country. After been in Las Vegas and gettin pissed off with it i perhaps needed a reminder of this mighty country.After readin 4 a while i took a walk up 2 http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Los-Angeles/Venice-Beach/blog-276076.html About now i should be headin off 2 LA on the old greyhound drivin through the night. Ballin all the way through the state of California. Arrivin in LA as the sun begins to rise and checkin myself in2 a hostel but alas it wasn't to be. Every hostel in LA is fully booked out for the saturday... FUCKITY FUCK FUCKAnd i think i've done all i want to do in Las Vegas that is without breakin the ban http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Nevada/Las-Vegas/blog-274685.html With Ben in Diego with Debbie me and the aussies headed off to the ominously soundin Death Valley the hottest place in the USA... i wasn't worried i knew as soon as i got there it would be known as Lively ValleyBefore we entered the park we explored a small ghost town called Rhyolite which was an old minin town which was made all the more strange by the sculptures which greeted u as u ent http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Death-Valley-National-Park/blog-274580.html By the time Alice arrived in the rental and we packed our stuff it was about nine. We headed out of Vegas and hit the highway we crossed over the hoover damn where we took snaps interestin fact did u know the concrete has not fully set in the hoover damn even though it was finished in 1934. Hope u were sat down for that factWe got to the Grand Canyon early afternoon and got parked up and wow http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Arizona/Grand-Canyon-National-Park/blog-274579.html We rolled in2 Las Vegas about 530 a.m and were very releived to get off the fuckin coach. Travellin long distances on Greyhound sucks. There r people constantly sniffin... to the point where i wanna just say BLOW UR GODDAMN NOSE But as they probably carry knives i bit my tongue. The first part wasn't to bad crossin through New Mexico and Arizona seein those big old cactuses but as soon as http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Nevada/Las-Vegas/blog-274577.html Well its been a while and i'm sorry for all my readers and i'm missin a couple of blogs from the last couple of days in Orleans and the 30 hour train journey from Orleans to El Paso Texas. But don't worry i've wrote em in my diary so i'll try and bang em up on here at some point.Anyways got into El Paso early evenin and got a lift from the station to our hostel where much confusion did commence. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Texas/El-Paso/blog-274572.html We got in2 the orlando area late mornin and after an all u can eat breakfast we headed 2 universal studios which is seperated in2 two parks. On the first day we went 2 the island of adventure and within been there for 10 minutes i saw people dressed up as super heroes such as spiderman and wolverine and the first theme was about marvel characters so instantly i went from being 22 to feelin 8 wh http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Orlando/blog-272041.html After the previous nights encountered we quickly made breakfast got in the car and began our journey up north but this time on the west coast.After an hour or so we made it 2 Naples where we chilled out on the beach for a while being a lot more cautious due 2 the sun burn from miami. Naples was real nice and the beach was gorgeous. I was of course straight in2 that sea. The nice warm gulf of me http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Naples/blog-272035.html This mornin we jumped in2 the car and hiballed it 2 florida city which is right next 2 the everglades national park. It was only a 40 min drive so we got there in good time checked in2 the hostel and headed straight 2 the national everglades national park 4 a bit of steve irwin action.The everglades is really a really wide river but real shallow which is full of all sorts of creatures that would http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Everglades-National-Park/blog-272033.html Miami Day 1We set off from the hostel and decided 2 head straight in2 Miami as it wasn't 2 far away. We got in2 Miami about mid afternoon... i say we got in2 Miami but we spent 2 hours drivin round lookin 4 a parkin place... it was real frustratin it was a sunday as well so alot of locals had drove 2 south beach 4 a spot of sunbathin. Our frustration was constantly been broken by the real beauti http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Miami-Beach/blog-271145.html We got up packed and headed up the road 2 pick up the car. A nice red nissan was brought 2 us our travelin companion 4 the next week or so.We jumped in2 the car worked out how 2 get on the 10 which would take us all the way in2 Florida. We got on2 the 10 and we were 2 be on this road 4 a LONG TIME. We soon cut through Louisiana and in2 Mississippi we cut through the bottom of that state and t http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/blog-271142.html Another late start we were all definatly feelin as rough as a goats knee. Ben Jackhammer and myself decided 2 head up 2 the french quarter 2 get some proper southern food. We had been recommended a place called coops. We found this place and got proper stuck in2 some good souther cookin. I had southern fried chicken with jambalaya with rabbit. It was good real good but definately not good 4 me http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Louisiana/New-Orleans/blog-271135.html Well it was a bit of a late start this day due to the drunken nature of the night before. But when we finally rose we thought we see what this crazy city looks like through the day.First we treated ourselves 2 some real good southern cooking... Burger King maybe not but it hit the spot. We then walked up 2 Canal Street 2 the mighty Mississippi river which we strolled along. Man i wouldn't have w http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Louisiana/New-Orleans/blog-271134.html B4 i get in2 New Orleans a little story about the train journey.We got on the train at Greensboro and due 2 the fact that it was busy me and Ben had 2 sit near strangers. The train emptied at Charlotte wooooo. I found myself left with 2 seats and in need of sleep so sprawled out 2 get sum kip. Ben did the same aswell a dozen rows up from me. I actually had a reasonable nights sleep and woke up http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Louisiana/New-Orleans/blog-269087.html Hayley drove us from Raleigh 2 Greensboro and we got in late afternoon. Dropped all our stuff off at Hayley's student digs and then headed 2 get some food at an Irish bar there must be more Irish bars in the USA than there is bars in Ireland The food was real good and the pint of Boddingtons went down well. Went 2 back 2 Hayley's 4 2 catch some zzz.In the mornin got up and sorted out r train t http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/North-Carolina/Greensboro/blog-269082.html We got into Raleigh after a 5 hour bus journey from Charlottsville. When we got in2 Raleigh we trundled off 2 get somethin 2 eat as i was meetin my friend Hayley from uni but she was drivin from greensboro so wasn't gonna be here 4 a while. As i was in the south i decided 2 try out some southern food. I had gumbo... which was pretty good. Not the feasts i was prepared 4 thoughAfter some scran http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/North-Carolina/Raleigh/blog-268740.html