Willy Wendy | Willy Graham | Travel Blog

North America » United States » California November 2nd 2006

Promised major update but Internet access here (LA Airport) is poor terminal has no legible keys so excuse typos. Trip down the coast was phenomenal at least as a drive . Will have to review entries when/if we get better access in Fiji. Anyhow from San Francisco we took Greyhound bus down to Santa Barbara, partly for te experience and partly to avoid getting lost coming out of SF. Santa Barbara looked a nice lazy kind of little resort but we didn't stop much beyond picking up a hire car. Thenoff down the coast as it was getting late we by passed Monterey and headed straight for Big Sur. Fantastic drive with the sun setting over the pacific to our left and another breathtaking vista round each corner but would we find a campsite before dark? ... read more

leaving LA

North America » United States » California November 2nd 2006

Big Sur - Elephant Seals

Willy Wendy

Flying out of LA tomorrow - arriving Fiji Saturday AM will hopefully do full update the n (unless we can get access to Net whilst hanging around LA waiting for flight Big Sur was fantastic - lots of wildlife (dolphins surfing yes surfing in the sea, pelicans a colony of elephant seals , a humming bird, and lots more plus huge trees . More ... read more

Mountain Biking

North America » United States » California October 30th 2006

Willy Wendy

We got a chance to mountain nike down a 2.5 mile stretch of hillside. I did it but Willy can't ride a bike and didn't think a mountain side with vertical drops was the best place to start. It's really hard work going down - hurts your wrists knees and thighs - but I didn't fall off, which was a huge surprise. Went for a hike doiwn the canyon along an old railway/stagecaoch track - it was very hot, the etemperature was up in the eighties. We couldn't get doen to the river for a swim, as there was slimy green algae in all the accessible bits. We 're now back in San Francsico... read more

More photos

North America » United States » California October 29th 2006

Willy Wendy

Just added some more photos - try clicking on the "Gallery" icon to see them... read more

Mainly Yosemite

North America » United States » California October 29th 2006

Yosemite from Sentinel peak (I think)

Willy Wendy

Well we spent a morning sorting out the trips we wanted nto do while in San Francisco and booked a Greyhound for the next leg of our trip - Greyhound to to Santa Cruz, then hire car to LA, camping on the way. Our first trip was a tour of San Francisco itself with a youngish guy called Dylan - Welsh father who liked Dylan Thomas and Bob Dylan. He pointed out all the sights to us - took us to Haight Ashbury (again) - and past the Grateful Dead House - now a yuppified des res. We went over the Golden gate bridge to the John Muir Redwood park. We had about an hour and a half to wander round it - the trees are big - no photos cos they just don't fit in ... read more

Photos at last

North America » United States » California » San Francisco October 27th 2006

Willy Wendy

We've added a gallery of photos from our trip to date. We have taken over two hundred, so this is a representative sample. Not sure how you look at them - we added them as a "gallery" called "USA"... read more

Leaving Las Vegas

North America » United States » California October 26th 2006

Las Vegas Fountains

Willy Wendy

The back packs are getting really heavy and bulky now - we have a tent, sleeping bags and softy sleeping mats too, which we've been lugging round in a hire car. So eventually carrying two full packs each, we got to the airport and headed for San Francsico. There are even slot machines in the airport lots of banks of them - even at at the departure gates. (And yes people were using them). Arrived San Francisco, negotiated the public transport system from the aiport to the centre of town and then walked about a mile to the backpackers' hostel, with two full packs each, on a very warm day. San Francisco is on lots of hills and they're steep and it's no fun carting a pack. The hostel is great, very helpful staff, free breakfast ... read more

Update 3

North America » United States » California » San Francisco October 25th 2006

Cliffs in Zion

Willy Wendy

Saturday - took shuttle up Zion canyon - brilliant day did several trails (all those that didn't have ridiculous ascents. Weather sunny is it ever anythin else). Fantastic autumn colours - red maples, yellow cottonwoods + poplars, , oaks, birch plus numerous evergreens, junipers + pines, still lots of wildflowers. More mule eared deer, wild turkeys drinking from river and various exotic butterflies. Incredible rock formations - 1000 ft cliffs, and huge pillars all with biblical names ( the guy who mapped it was a methodist preacher - colours awesome reds, pinks, and near yellows all in brilliant sunshine. Early bed as Utah is run by mormons and therefore no bars!! Sun. Drove up to Bryce canyon en route passed through typical mid west America, small ranches with cattle and horses grazing by the creeks, Bryce ... read more

Big update part 2

North America » United States » California » San Francisco October 25th 2006

Willy Wendy

Broke camp watchded by a mule eared deer that seemed to have no fear of humans. We set off for Zion Canyon, through the painted desert - it looks like a giant builder's yard with heaps of different coloured sands and stretches for miles and miles - in fact at least a hundred miles. It was kind of boring despite the romantic name. There were no cafes or petrol stations or habitations apart from a few Indian s selling jewellery. Eventually we arrived at Page - a toen with a McDonalds and little else. We were forced to have a burger. Will update again, but there's a queue for the nachine and we've run out of our alloted time. If you're pissed off by getting blog update emails, let us know and we'll unsubscribe you! ... read more

Big Update

North America » United States » California » San Francisco October 25th 2006

Grand Canyon 1

Willy Wendy

Wednesday - eventually got to Vegas some 23 hours after leaving home. Sadly, Wendy's pack went to Denver instead. Got a taxi to the hotel had a crappy sandwich and passed out. Thursday - Wendy's pack arrived. We picked up a hire car and headed off on the freeway for the Grand Canyon, stopping off en route to buy a tent and sleeping bags. Navigation perfect thanks to Wendy's advance organisation. Got to Grand Canyon mid afternoon and went for a short walk along the rim trail with a samall percntage of the 5 million other tourits it gets annually. It's really too vast to take in - 5000 feet deep, 8 - 16 miles wide and 277 miles long, which is like from John o Graots to Gretna. Pitched the tent and had another early ... read more

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