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Published: June 25th 2008
An unexpected Winter Wonderland in summer
Snow and a thawing lake greeted us soon after our entry into YosemiteDue to not really knowing what was going on with the storm chasing prior to the start of the tour, we left booking our flight out of Oklahoma City, if you recall, somewhat late. This meant that when we did get the chance to sort out a flight, our only (early and cheapest) option to Vegas was via Atlanta, Georgia, which you’ll know, if your US geography is any good, is in completely the wrong direction. But get there we did, and soon we were signing the forms for our latest mode of transport.
Our independence was firmly back in our own hands in the shape of a lengthy 25ft RV (Recreational Vehicle - as they call them here). We reserved the smallest one they had, and at 22ft long it was still much bigger than the campervans we’d rented in Oz and NZ - but even this grew another 3ft when they didn’t have a 22ft available. Well, it’s true what they say, everything’s bigger in America. I mean it makes perfect sense, why have a campervan big enough for two, when you can have one big enough for five! Although, judging by the size of some American folk, this
could well be for two people. In truth, we think it’s too big, but the extra space allows for its own shower and toilet, so the bonus is that we are completely self sufficient.
After a lengthy shop, we had our own food (no dog meat), and the necessities - a 12 pack of Corona and a bottle of Sauv’ Blanc. We were on our way. No coffin-class train compartments, no Dick Turpin wannabe cab drivers, no heavy packs to carry and no language barrier, we like to think we’ve earned it.
We’ll be breaking the road trip down into manageable size blogs, and this one will cover our journey from leaving Las Vegas, to our arrival in San Francisco. It’s title will become obvious, plus the fact, the Blur track is a personal favourite.
So without even entertaining a cruise down the famous (or infamous, depending on your experiences) ‘Las Vegas Strip’, we left the lights, limos, slots and shows for our return in a little under five weeks time. For now, manmade themed casinos were out, what we were heading for, were those magical places carved by nature’s hand.
It was late afternoon by the
A midget between monsters
Sam in between two Giant Sequoias time we arrived at our first park, Red Rock Canyon State Park to be exact. It was an ideal time to complete the 13 mile scenic loop, as the deep fiery colours are further enhanced by the setting sun.
We had trouble locating a stop for the night and ended up, wearily, making it all the way to Pahrump. Although tired, this would make our journey the following morning shorter, allowing us more time for Death…….....................Valley, that is.
Death Valley National Park is (based on average temperatures) the hottest place on planet earth, and once recorded 154 consecutive days of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or more. It has a barren beauty about it and Dantes View at 5000ft affords a simultaneous look at both Mt. Whitney (the highest point) and Badwater (the lowest), although temperatures at the viewpoint were deceptively cool…ish. We were lucky to make it to the viewpoint, with our RV struggling to make the incline. Any bigger and it would have been a no go.
It’s surprising that anything can actually live in this area at all, but plenty does. In fact, this landscape is home to at least two creatures most of us are familiar
Remind me....
...why they call it Red Rock Canyon? with, albeit in cartoon form; they are, of course, the roadrunner and the wily coyote.
We did some exploring and spent the night in Furnace Creek, which is 214ft BELOW sea level. Rather surprisingly, there is a golf course here, the lowest in the world; a novelty that, I have to admit, was very tempting. However, this was still 58ft higher than Badwater, the lowest point in North America at 282ft below sea level. Here, we walked a short distance out to the salt flats, which left us gasping on our return to the van, which at 116 degrees wasn’t that surprising - and the ground here is even hotter than the air.
We drove to a few other notable places that you’ll see in some of our photos including; The Devil’s Golf Course, Artist’s Drive, Zabriskie Point and the Devil’s Cornfield. The devil always seems to get a mention in these hot desolate places.
There are tragic stories of short hikes ending fatally after only a few hours, which act as a warning for visitors who regularly underestimate the heat, and the amount of water, sun protection and preparation required to venture out for any period of time
in these conditions. But there is also the odd heroic story with a happier ending, like the father who had to make the toughest choice of his life faced with a broken down vehicle, 18 miles from anywhere, in one of the remotest locations in Death Valley. His dilemma was to either make the walk with his three children, or to leave them in the vehicle why he tried to make it alone to get help. He decided to take the kids (one teenager and 2 young ones), and started the gruelling hike at dusk. At one stage they were followed by coyotes, and later one of the small children began vomiting from heat exhaustion after walking all night. They decided to take cover under a large rock as the ferocious sun began to rise, and down to 3 out of 18 pints of water that they started with. As luck would have it, they were picked up by a rare car of tourists on the same route for a happy ending.
We kind of broke down ourselves whilst attempting to leave Death Valley. On a long and winding downhill stretch, our brakes became too hot (even in low gear)
and would send us into an unstable wobble when applied. So we sat on the roadside for a while allowing them to cool slightly before resuming; a rare sensible moment. No-one stopped to see if we were OK, which was nice.
We drove from Death Valley with its scorching temperatures, to another National Park that still had snow on the ground and ice on the lakes. We’d come from 214ft below sea level to almost 10,000ft above. Our new home for the next two nights was the jaw-droppingly, picture perfect Yosemite National Park.
This place is almost too gorgeous for words, with its immense granite rock formations, waterfalls, pine forests, streams, meadows, rivers, mirror lakes and wildlife. Yosemite is the USA’s third largest park and is the epitome of the great outdoors. A major difference between Yosemite and Jiuzhaigou (the park we visited in China) is that you’re able to stay in the park overnight, amidst the stars and the wildlife.
Now, about that wildlife; this is bear country, and the warnings and advice with regards to storing food is posted on all the camping and parking areas. Coming into the park from the east entrance at Tioga Pass
allowed us those stunning vistas of mountain, pine and snow, but this end of the park, still thawing, was closed for camping. However, with evening drawing in, we decided to stay in one of the closed sites hoping not to be discovered and subsequently moved on.
It was a little unnerving being the only vehicle, and focal point, around with the knowledge that there are bears about, but also undeniably exciting. As the notices instructed, we packed up all our food and placed it in the bear-proof boxes provided at the campsites. These are large metal outside lockers with modified latches (these are smarter than your average bears) to house all food items so that the bears don’t break into your vehicle searching for the peanut butter that it can smell from a mile away.
When moving your food from van to box, you can’t help it, but your mind plays mind tricks on itself. You know, it’s like being in the sea when you start to play the ‘Jaws’ theme tune in your head. It’s almost the same except ’Teddy Bears’ Picnic’ isn’t quite as sinister, and the trees play the part of the water and the idea
Deer in the meadow
Tioga Pass - Yosemite of a maneater out there remains the same, just in a different form.
So with all the food out of the van we attempted to retire for the night. We both really wanted to see a bear, but we didn’t really want one in the RV. It turned out to be a restless night, but unfortunately, no bear.
There was a thick frost on the ground in the morning as we went through the food routine in reverse, this time bearbox to van, and I’d long since convinced myself that, unable to get into the box during the night, the bear was now lying in wait.
After surviving the food run, we drove right down into Yosemite Valley, taking advantage of just a few of the five billion photo opportunities as we descended. Arriving in the valley, we were able to take in the full splendour of the 7569ft El Capitan mountain, as well as the park’s centrepiece, Half Dome. Due to the continuing thaw, the waterfalls were in good flow, notably Yosemite Falls, which is considered to be the tallest in North America, dropping 2425ft in three tiers. Later in the evening we made our way up to
Glacier Point, a lookout that rewards the fairly long detour with dizzying views of the valley below and Half Dome, it's a must while here!
It was tucked out of the way up here, in a small wooded area (another non-official campground), that we decided to spend our second night. Slightly risky and undoubtably cheeky, these freebee nights are the best. This spot looked even more beary (think I might have made that word up?) than our stop the night before. We went through the same routine with the food, except this time the bear boxes were further away from the vehicle. As I unhooked the very loud and squeaky latch on the bear box, which a familiar noise for the bears, that was bound to alert every one within a five mile radius, Sam said that the forty yards back was probably the perfect distance for a bear to cover quickly….. Once the food was away and the squeaky-latch-food-alarm had been sounded a second time as I locked the box, I mustered up my best Grizzly Adams walk back to the van as a show of confidence to my, probably non-existent, furry foe. Whilst in the van we had
Shadows on the rock
A view from Zabriskie Point - Death Valley a couple of deer come within ten feet, but again no bear.
We left Yosemite and all its beauty for two more National Parks that kind of merge into one another, but both have their own individual merits and highlights. The first on our list was Sequoia NP, and although we wanted to see the giant sequoias, we did wonder if they could hold our attention for more than an hour. We were however, pleasantly surprised, and the ‘Big Trees Trail’, which is no more than a mile long, was the most tranquil of places, and the path and other trees were dwarfed by these giants of the forest. The sequoias surround a meadow that is too wet to support their weight but supplies perfect conditions for the trees to grow around the perimeter, and we spent almost three hours there. Sam thought it was a ‘magic forest’ and her mum would have loved it. And, apparently, fairies probably live here....whatever!
These huge trees, quite literally, burn up the competition, needing a good forest fire to regenerate. This not only kills the other trees and bushes clearing the surrounding area and allowing sunlight to penetrate the forest floor,
but it also gives the seeds a fertile ash bed in which to grow. The strange thing is, these massive trees can grow in just three feet of soil, as their roots spread wide but not deep. Some are over 3000 years old and were lucky to survive the early logging trade. However, we saved the biggest till last. And we’re not just talking about the biggest in this forest….sequoias are the biggest species of tree in the world, which makes this particular tree the largest on the planet! It’s name (yes it has a name) is General Sherman, and although it may not be the tallest or the widest, trees are measured in trunk volume, and General Sherman’s trunk has a volume of 1487 cubic metres. If that figure doesn’t mean much to you, and lets face it, why should it, here is something you can hopefully relate to; General Sherman’s trunk could hold enough water to supply you with a bath every day for the next 27 years!! Now you get the picture, but if you don’t, we’ve supplied one for you.
From Sequoia NP we made the short drive into Kings Canyon NP. This too is
Getting arty at Sequoia NP
A 6' man looking up at 'General Sherman' is equivalent to a mouse looking up at a 6' man. bear country and although there are mountain lions in Yosemite, the warnings here for the cougars are more abundant. Now, encounters are rare we’re informed, but here are some quotes from the free Park supplement:
Cougars roam throughout the park.
Watch children closely, never let them run ahead.
Avoid hiking alone.
Don’t run! Cougars associate running with prey and give chase.
Don’t crouch or hide.
If attacked, fight back!
So there was another potential maneater to avoid. The last one of those helpful tips is particularly useful, as if attacked by a cougar you may have thought about lying back and enjoying the experience, perhaps even reaching up and scratching it behind the ears. All joking aside playing dead has saved numerous bear attack victims so I suppose it's worth noting that these cats don't appreciate a fight.
We simply drove all the way down into Kings Canyon admiring the beautiful scenery, jumping out once or twice to shoot the landscape. We ended up stopping in a relatively peaceful spot, if you consider, like we do, the sound of the roaring Kings River that seemed to be in full flow, and whose banks were only five paces from
Admiring the view
Yosemite Falls in the distance our van to be peaceful. At that time of night I would have taken a substantial bet on us being the only ones in the entire park. We ignored the bear warning this time, with the river to our right and steep canyon rock to our left we considered it safe enough to cook pasta, sauce and roasted pine nuts, that bears in Canada could probably have smelt. I wish we could tell you we saw one, but for now it looks like our bear sighting will have to wait…...
The next morning we made the drive that took us to the end of the canyon before leaving the park and beginning the long drive northwest to San Francisco.
Visiting some of the USA’s beautiful National Parks has been superb, but we’re far from finished. In blogs 31, 32 and 33 we’ll be setting foot in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado to see some more of Mother Nature’s fine artwork. For now it’s a short city break, followed by one of the world’s most beautiful coastal drives…………
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