Blogs from Barstow, California, United States, North America

Nachdem mir der Joshua Tree N.P. so gut gefällt, fahre ich heute nochmal rein. Der Sonnenaufgang wird diesmal noch kurz vor dem Parkeingang inmitten eines Waldes voller Joshua Trees verbracht. Nachdem ich dort ein wenig herumstapfe, fahre ich zum Parkplatz vom Barker Dam, wo ich den Trail gehe. Am Damm selbst (von Cowboys erbaut) ist es wunderschön, die felsige Umgebung spiegelt sich im unbewegten klaren Wasser. Hab ich schon erwähnt, dass um diese Uhrzeit kaum jemand unterwegs ist? Beim Intersection Rock beobachte ich noch Felskletterer und mache mich dann – schweren Herzens – auf dem Weg raus aus dem Park – zurück ein Stück Richtung Westen zur Route 66. Der erste geplante Stop dort ist die Bottletree Ranch. Ist total nett anzusehen: zusammen mit ein paar alten Schilder, Schreibmaschinen etc. hat dort ein Künstler einen „Flaschenwald“ ... read more

Still Sedona: R didn't get to eat cactus salad because the restaurant where he had eaten it before had poor reviews now. AZ is on standard time, breakfast was not till 7 am, we woke up at 5 am local time, got ready, went to uptown Sedona and enjoyed the vistas in the cool morning air. R showed me some buildings that still were like they were 20 years ago - wooden structures, low with porches. The renovated and newer ones now are red stucco and brick, still low. Would be crazy to build any taller, as they would obstruct the magnificent red rock buttes surrounding the town. They are what make Sedona an attraction. I could see how he thought on his first visit, that it had potential as a major tourist attraction with enough ... read more

Day 4 - Las Vegas to Barstow, Distance Travelled 157 miles So here we go, time to say goodbye to Las Vegas and luxury and hello to the good old 30 foot RV and back to basics... It was an early start as we knew we had some distance to travel and we weren't sure how long everything would take. A 7:00 alarm call was a massive shock to the system after the previous evenings wine and late night gambling session. Breakfast consisted of 'as much coffee, orange juice and toast' that room service could deliver to the room on one of those silly little tables, but it did the trick. Suitably revived, we packed, cashed in the thousands of chips we had won over the weekend (no need to call securicor for that!) and picked ... read more

Geo: 34.893, -117.026... read more

Today has been one of great contrast and it bordered on the emotional for part of it. Gordon our Tour Guide and Las Vegas resident said as we left Ruby’s Inn that today at 8am we would be surrounded by natural beauty and twelve hours later we would be in the most plastic city in the world. You don’t get a change like that too often. Our ultimate goal was to be in Vegas by 4.30pm but it was our trip to Zion National Park that will dominate today. If I said that the Grand Canyon was a “wow” day then today needs greater adjectives as I am not sure I have seen a more fantastic vision of natural beauty. I already know I will return one day. It was so good that I find it ... read more