Looong bus ride I thought I was the only one crazy enough to take a looong bus ride LOL. It was an experience.....of a lifetime - I don't want to do it again LOL.
The Loony Tunes Express! Greyhound is famous for its characters, and congratulations, you got to experience several of these wonders, proving that bad experiences make great stories. Glad you survived! Here in South America, I often meet misguided young people who want to go to the States, so they can visit Los Angeles and Las Vegas--can you imagine! Anyway, excellent idea to spend some time in The Big Apple, so your last memory of our country isn't this epic journey on The Big Dog.
Spectacular! What wonderful photos of this amazing place--Ansel would be proud! How lucky that you had good weather and were there after winter rains, so the waterfalls were so thunderingly rainbow full. Also, wise that you got out before the crowds, and you're right, summer is impossible. But then, I think they now bar cars from entering and have trams that take people around. Excellent idea to stay a week in the park next time.
Yosemite N.P. Beautifully written and exciting excursion of discovery of this famous National Park, Richard. Oh to have caught the fire in the Falls...oh so close. I thought you had it. Then...!
Re: Yosemite NP You win some, you lose some... Though even without the fire falls I felt like a winner. Yosemite was by by far the hardest place for me to leave and I considered not doing so!
Surviving Death (Valley)! Brilliant road trip and incredible photos of a little-visited destination. So many visitors see nearby Las Vegas and don't even bother with this park with its fantastic features! Love those extreme names and the wild geological shapes and colors. Congratulations on arriving when the desert was in bloom, and on surviving Death Valley (really, how could you resist that name?) and those long drives. Yosemite will reward you for this!
Death Valley Very impressive pics of Death Valley, Richard. Another spectacular part of the US south-west. The striated geological formations with salt flats and the desert in flower...right time, right place!
Amazing Memories Beautiful photos. Thank you for capturing a great adventure - from spectacular mountains to seedy casinos to engineering fears to Walmart!
Mittens and Beasties Loved your Horseshoe Bend blog and earlier ones as you've explored this magical corner. I used to drive from California to Santa Fe each summer through these amazing rock formations, and I never got tired of them. Your photos are fantastic, and great that you explained the geology of the mesas, buttes and spires. No offense to the Navajo, but I imagine your picnic may have been tastier than mutton and fried bread. Your photos are worthy of the magazine, "Arizona Sunsets."
Re: Mittens and Beasties Hi Tara, thanks for your very kind comments. I'm very jealous of anyone who gets to drive regularly though California and Arizona... I don't think I'd tire of the views either. Glad we didn't miss out on culinary delights! I shall definitely check out Arizona Sunsets... An awesome title for a magazine.
Re: Follow that Road What a great thread... I love seeing roads leading into landscapes... Makes you wonder and consider the possibilities. MV must have looked amazing with a layer of snow, thanks for sharing Dave.
Monument Valley One of our favourite places in the whole World. The Navajo revere this area as sacred. From your fantastic pics it is easy to see why. Truly breathtaking to be transported back to this magic place. Thank you.
Painted Desert SW USA has to be some of the world's most spectacular landscapes. Great to read of your excitement and awe of the striations of colours changing as light and time adjusted and your incomprehension that same is not captivating to all. We drove through the Painted Desert covered in heavy snow but fine weather in early 2015 and the colours and contrasts were astounding. Looking forward to where you go next.
Fabulous trip Sorry to hear that your Mexican trip ended in the way that it did, but I've really enjoyed following your journey - especially this post on Chichen Itza. The detailed carvings look amazing and I can't wait to see it for myself in a few weeks. Safe travels!
Re:Fabulous Trip Thanks for your comment RENanDREW. Our Mexico trip certainly had some (very high) ups and some (very low) downs... But at least we have some great stories to tell. I had a captivated audience at a family wedding last weekend! Hope you have an amazing trip - Chichen Itza is definitely as awesome as you will have heard.
Mayan Mastery Really warms the heart to see Mayan sites so lovingly restored to their ancient grandeur and elegance. Great pics Richard of what must be a truly spectacular site to walk through and be.
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Looong bus ride
I thought I was the only one crazy enough to take a looong bus ride LOL. It was an experience.....of a lifetime - I don't want to do it again LOL.