| Highlights of California (May 2006) | ||||||||||||
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Our journey across 4 continents begins with a northward trek through California, towards a turnaround point in the chilly Arctic north of Alaska.
En route we plan to hike in awe-inspiring mountains, encounter wildlife, be dwarfed by giant redwoods, feast on the finest foods (and at cheesy roadside diners) while driving the legendary Route 1 traversing the coast of California. All this in our trusty VW Pop-top Vanagon! |
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Here Today, Vanagon Tomorrow
On May 6th, months of planning, saving and anticipation bore fruit as we set out. The objective: a year-plus journey across the Americas and Africa. Sad to leave our lives in San Francisco but "pumped" by the opportunity to learn Spanish, volunteer in developing countries, sign up for crazy expeditions into the wilds, and have a great time while learning about the countries and cultures we encounter. |
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Mr & Mrs Gavin Carlton!
Is Gavin Carlton really 8ft tall? These and other thoughts played through our minds as we watched our friends get married in a classic pool-side L.A. wedding. Seeing Alissa so happy and Gavin manfully choking back the tears was a wonderful start to our trip! |
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The Happiest Place on Earth
Unless Cheryl has just beaten you at the Buzz Lightyear ride, of course. The choice for a morning's fun in L.A. was either the Getty Museum - home to one of the world's premier collections of fine art - or Disneyland. Obviously there was no contest and big ears won out! |
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Rosebud
The luxurious private indoor pool at Hearst Castle. Here publishing magnate - and inspiration for Citizen Kane - William Randolf Hearst, splurged his massive fortune on a crazy structure hosting bizarrely mismatched masterpieces of European art & architecture. |
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Cliffhanger
Up the coast between L.A. and San Francisco is the incomparable coastline of Big Sur. Here, Route 1 is narrow, winding and hosts jaw-dropping views at each turn. It was a constant challenge not to get so distracted that we drove our van off the edge of a cliff! |
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Cheryl, fancy a monstrous hike? For Sur!
In Big Sur, we hiked through redwood forests, up mountains, camped by firelight, dodged poisonous snakes and relaxed in natural geothermal hot springs (before turning around and hiking all the way out again!). Cheryl loved it - insisting on much more hiking for the rest of the trip. |
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Epic Grandeur at Yosemite
Arriving in Yosemite under a full moon we were literally awestruck by towering granite peaks and thundering waterfalls. There we scampered like little kids, photographing the incredible scenery and embarking on an incredibly slow hike up 3000ft to the Little Yosemite Valley (still recovering from our Big Sur trek). As we walked, we were careful not to surprise any bears as we went... |
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Who's been eating my porridge?
But of course, the bears weren't up in Little Yosemite Valley, were they? Nope, they were having a little picnic down in the parking lot, ripping the sunroof from our Camper. Fortunately all food was safely in bearproof containers, so our guest departed leaving a hole in the roof, and a nice big paw print on the windscreen. The authorities have taken the prints and hope to make an arrest shortly. |
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The French Laundry
A change of pace from rustic camping, we indulged in a fine-dining fantasy at the French Laundry, one of the best restaurants in the U.S.. This would be a last treat before a year of slumming it with tinned beans on the road! There we dined on 13 separate courses of exquisite morsels such as tapioca, caviar and oysters; fois gras terrine and melt-in-your-mouth sous vide beef. Courtesy of Auntie Marg we washed this all down with sumptuous wine pairings. Barely able to walk, we abandoned the symbolism of our planned camping spot (the local Wal-Mart parking lot!) and stealth-camped on the street outside the restaurant. Our Verdict: overall, a trouser-tighteningly yet unique gastronomic experience. One complaint, we couldn't find the washing machines, so we had to wear old t-shirts the next day... |
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Frontierland
Heading through coastal northern California we left behind the mall sprawl of central CA and hit rustic farmyards and even more rustic residents. ...such as Pioneer Dan, who stopped us to let us know that he wanted Bush to take action "NOW!" to get rid of "THEM IM'GRANTS!". He certainly wears those britches well. |
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