Day 13: General Sherman's last stand (of trees)

After getting a very restful night of sleep at our motel, Geries and I headed out for Sequoia National Park to see some of the largest and oldest trees in the world. The start of the trip was a bit of a nightmare, since the air conditioning was acting up, and the temperatures grew in excess of 100 degrees. Eventually we stopped at a Walmart to get some refrigerant, and that cleared the problem up, but just a little while earlier we were literally cooking in the car.

Once back on the road we followed the highway alongside the Rocky Mountains for a ways, then took a turn that delved deep into the mountains. After navigating ever more convoluted roads we finally made it in to the park. Since we just planned to drive through on our way to Yosemite, we decided just to visit General Sherman in the Giant's Grove before making good our escape.

The roads of the park wound along the side of the mountains with nothing but incredibly stubborn trees clinging to bare rock on one side, and a precipitous drop to the other. It's an incredible sensation almost like flying being only feet from nothing but a several hundred foot drop to the valley floor below. However, it didn't take long for the view on the other side of the car to eclipse the feeling of flight, because we soon came upon the namesake trees of the park. Colossal barely begins to describe the sequoias that occasionally dotted the side of the road in sparse groves. The car could easily have driven through the base of their trunks, and their gnarled branches dwarfed even the normal sized trees that surrounded the giants.

Almost an hour into our drive through the surprisingly expansive park, we came to the Giant's Grove, where General Sherman, the largest tree in the world, resides. Although a few trees in the world may be wider or taller, General Sherman is the most massive, holding the largest volume of wood of any other, and still growing. To stand next to the tree is to feel like an ant only barely able to see its skyward extent. As if the incredible size of the trees wasn't enough, even more awe-inspiring is their age. General Sherman is 2,200 years old, and not even the oldest of the sequoias. To be around a living thing that has lived longer than a large portion of civilized humanity is humbling to say the least.

We wandered through the garden of impossible trees for a little while before heading back to the car to make our way to Yosemite. Before we made it too far out of the park, however, we stumbled upon a grizzly bear crossing the road. We stopped to check it out (from the safety of the running car) as it went about its business without offering us a second glance. By then the sun had nearly set, and we were unfortunately faced with another night drive.

In general I hate night driving because it offers little in the way of views, and especially if I'm traveling through a place I've never seen I inevitably feel as if I've missed something noteworthy. Nonetheless we left the dark forest behind us to dip out of the mountains for a spell before winding our way back up into them as we neared Yosemite.

Not having learned our lesson from the camping situation in the Grand Canyon, we neglected to solidify our campsite before embarking. To our credit, though, all of the reserved sites were filled before we checked them, and the documentation we found was vague on the status of first-come first-served camping. Regardless of who was at fault, we ended up driving around Yosemite, this time knowing we were missing out on spectacular views since the moon was bright enough to unsatisfactorily sample them for us. A few hours, and dozens of miles later, we found a parking spot in an inconspicuous location and-- you guessed it!-- slept in the car. 

Day 12: Beverly Hills is where I wanna be

This morning we said goodbye to Jim and the Chinese ladies on our way out to explore Los Angeles. Our first stop was to see the Hollywood sign. After a short drive the from the little suburb town of Alhambra where we stayed the previous night we were in Hollywood, with its iconic palm tree-lined streets and view of the mountains in the distance. As with everywhere else in LA, there was a dense layer of smog that obstructed distant views, but we were close enough to make out the sign a couple miles before we got there. We took some narrow winding roads that seemed to switch back endlessly through neighborhoods filled with expensive homes before we finally made it to a dead end with some gates that prevented us from getting any closer. Thankfully, a break in the trees revealed an excellent view of the sign, so we took our pictures and headed on to Hollywood Boulevard and the walk of fame.

Parking was a nightmare in Hollywood, and all of the Los Angeles really, but we finally managed to find a spot that would give us two hours to explore Hollywood Boulevard. We spent most of the time with our eyes glued to the ground, trying to spot the Walk of Fame stars that belong to some of our favorite celebrities, only diverting our gaze long enough to gape at Grauman's Chinese Theater, and Kodak Theater where they hold the Oscars. It was extremely crowded, but it was a fun experience walking around in a place I've seen so many times but have never been to.

At times it was pretty hectic with all sorts of street performers and costumed panhandlers fighting each other to impede our progress, but in spite of it all we managed to walk most of the street and find all the stars we were looking for (it took a particularly long time for me to find Scarlett Johansson's star, but it made it all the more satisfying when I did). Once we had our fill of the movie tourist crowd, we made a trip to Santa Monica beach, which no doubt had its share of tourists, but was large enough that we didn't feel suffocated by the densely packed crowd.

Santa Monica was beautiful, especially later in the day with nearly setting sun streaming shafts of orange light through the palm trees dotting the beach. It was here that we both got our first sight of the Pacific Ocean which stretched away in three directions as far as we could see. After taking a bike ride along the beach-side path I went out to dip my feet in the water and watch the waves roll in.

Next I came back to play around on what essentially amounted to a huge area of jungle gyms for adults. There were balance beams and pullup bars, swings, climbing ropes, and dozens of rings where people swung from ring to ring like something out of the circus.

Once the sun had set and our parking time had run out, we drove just a little south down to Venice Beach to get some dinner. Since it was dark, it wasn't quite as lively as I would have hoped, but it definitely was a stark contrast to Santa Monica. Venice is like the Little Five Points of beaches-- a place where all the hipsters and hobos go to hang out-- which gave it an interesting flavor that set it apart from the other areas we had seen so far.

We got some dinner at Mao's Kitchen right along the beachside highway, and had some more excellent Chinese food before heading out. Unfortunately the host that we originally had for tonight bailed on us at the last minute, leaving us too short of notice to call for Jim's aid again. So for the first time, we ended up paying for lodging at a Motel 6 along the highway to our next destination. The damage wasn't bad, and we each got our own beds, so everything turned out a little better than expected considering the situation we were in.

Day 11: Free Wifi. I'm lovin' it

Today was just one of those pretty relaxed days that we're bound to have (and need) occasionally. We spent most of it just outside of Joshua Tree National Park in a McDonald's trying to find a last minute couchsurfing host, since all of our previous requests had been denied. Thanks to the emergency couch request group for LA on the Couchsurfing site, we were found by Jim, who offered to host us for the night.

The drive from Joshua Tree to Los Angeles was a short one, although we were greeted with some familiar traffic right outside the city. It was a nice change of climate as we exited the desert and entered the much more temperate coastal region of California.

Our host took us, and the other couchsurfers, two Chinese ladies whose names I can't spell, to an excellent Chinese restaurant near his place in Alhambra, which is about 5 minutes drive from downtown LA. Unfortunately we couldn't find a place right in the city, but we were close by, so we'll have easy access when we head out to explore Los Angeles in the morning.

Day 10: Oh the places you'll go

We started the day nice and early because our host, Connor had to go to work. It was sad leaving Las Vegas because we had such a great time both in the city and just hanging out with the people we met. The group of people we met in Vegas was absolutely phenomenal, and while Las Vegas itself is a great place to be, I don't think we would have had anywhere near as good a time without our new friends. As much as I would have loved to stay, we had to press on and make our way to Joshua Tree National Park.

Mojave Desert road

The ride over was very relaxed, and at only about 4 hours in length, it was a cake walk compared to some of our other drives. We even took a small break along the side of the road to take pictures of some interesting trees (which we later found out were Joshua trees) when we passed through the Mojave Desert. The scenery was beautiful in the desert, and unlike anything I had ever seen before. Tough, ugly vegetation blankets the coarse sandy gravel and jutting rock formations of the Mojave, forming a unique landscape that's as harsh as it is beautiful.

Joshua trees

We got to experience quite a bit more of the Mojave when we reached Joshua Tree National Park, since the entire park is located in the desert. Our first stop was the visitor center where we learned that the Joshua tree is actually only found in the Mojave, and got some tips for some good areas to visit and hikes to go on.

Doing a bit of climbing

Before setting up our campsite, we drove up to Key's Point, a lookout point on one of the tallest mountains in the area where we were afforded a far reaching view of the surrounding valley. Driving through the park itself also offered some spectacular views. The grounds are littered with huge rock formations that look like large smooth boulders. It's almost as if some demented giant decided to make random piles of oddly shaped rocks. In fact everything in the park looks strange enough that it could have been ripped straight from a Dr. Seuss book, especially the park's titular tree with its twisted trunk and spiky leaves that make it look more like a cactus than a proper tree.

Our first adventure of the day after setting up our camp in the aptly named Jumbo Rocks campsite was to explore another well named pile of boulders called Skull Rock. We took a short, but beautiful hike through some other rock formations before reaching Skull Rock, which, as expected, looks like a large deformed human skull-- maybe even belonging to the park's long gone rock curator.

Next we hung around the camp for a bit and relaxed until about an hour before sunset when we hopped in the car to visit the cholla cactus garden, which is an especially lovely place to watch the sun go down. Like everything else in the park, these cacti are twisted, cruel looking plants that seem right at home in the desolate landscape. The dramatic lighting of the almost setting sun made for some excellent photo opportunities, and we spent the next hour just wandering through the deadly garden.

The cholla cactus garden

Joshua Tree Park was an incredible place, and I'd love to come back to explore more of the trails and do some rock climbing, but we only had time for one night, so it's on to Los Angeles in the morning.

Day 9: Goodbye to Fabulous Las Vegas

We started off our second day in Vegas with a trip to the "Welcome to Vegas" sign where we got a couple pictures in spite of the fake workers rushing people along and fishing for tips. After the sign we said goodbye to Danny and Charlie, who were headed off to the alien town a little further north in Nevada near Area 51.

Our new friends at the Vegas sign

By the time we made if back from the sign it was right around lunchtime, so we made a stop at In-n-Out Burger, a chain that can only be found in the West. The quality was much better than your average fast food burger joint, and not overpriced. Apparently there is a whole "secret menu" (most of which can be found on the restaurant's website) that you can order from to get some special options. Since I didn't have time to study the secret menu, I just ordered the standard double-double with fries, and I wasn't disappointed.

Everybody loves Spike

Once lunch was finished, there was some time to relax and get caught up on blog posts and pictures, and I even managed to squeeze in a few minutes to play fetch with Spike, one of the bungalow complex's dogs.

Around 4pm we met up with Adam again and went downtown to El Cortez to try out some gambling. We played a few games of penny slots, which were pretty unsatisfying, even though I did manage to come out five dollars ahead. It was just kind of boring sitting there and pressing a button for something you have no control over. I would have liked to try out some poker, but where we checked in The Venitian was a little too rich for my blood.

Next we got some dinner on Fremont Street and waited around until Chris, aka "Foggy" and a friend of Charlie's, made it into Vegas. Once he arrived we took a trip back to The Strip to show Chris around and check out the Bellagio fountain show at night. Even after multiple viewings, it still impressed with its well choreographed streams, and explosive water canons that towered over even the extravagant hotels.

Chris, aka Foggy

The Strip at night was as busy as ever with a roiling mass of humanity blocking our path at every step. In spite of the Memorial Day weekend crowd we made it from The Bellagio to The Venitian at the other end of The Strip. Just walking along The Strip was exercise in more ways than one. It was exhausting just trying to look at all the incredible light shows and buildings at every turn. Even if I had a few more pairs of eyes it would have been overwhelming.

We finally reached The Venitian and walked around it for a bit. It had similar styling to Caesars Palace, but with even more lavish decorations including a life-sized canal complete with gondolas. Once we had our fill of The Venitian we made our way back to the car, and were fortunate enough to catch the show outside of Mirage, which combined waterworks with an incredible fire display. Dozens of torches sitting in the lagoon puffed up large fireballs in time to the music, as the volcano spouted huge torrents of water and flame that I could feel from the sidewalk 100 feet away. It was quite an exciting way to end our final day in Las Vegas.

Geries at the indoor Venitian canals

Next stop is the Joshua Tree National Park just outside of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert, where we should have better luck camping this time.

Day 8: Forget the Dam Tour

After our early start we made good time on our trip to Las Vegas. It was barely mid day when we arrived at Hoover Dam just outside of the city on the Arizona-Nevada state line. The drive through the mountains around the dam was very scenic, and the view of Lake Meade from the road was quite pretty. We stopped just long enough to walk the dam to take in its sheer size and snap a few pictures before moving on to Las Vegas.

The Hoover Dam Memorial Bridge

We came into Vegas around 1:30pm which gave us the rest of the day to explore the city with our host, Connor. One of the coolest parts about couchsurfing is that often you'll get to meet even more people than just the host. Connor had accepted a last minute request just after hours, and a pair of surfers from the UK, Danny and Charlie, were already there from the night before. Everyone was extremely cool, and we had a great group to go partying around the city. Since we were just in time for lunch, Connor took us out to the Palace Station to experience the ubiquitous Las Vegas buffet dinner complete with 99 cent margaritas.

Charlie taking a break from his margarita to play some slots

Once we were fed stuffed we took a trip to the Bellagio to catch the fountain show in the lagoon outside the hotel, and to wait for the final couchsurfer, Adam from Chicago. The show was impressive and just as outrageous and over-the-top as everything else on The Strip. Since it was Memorial Day weekend, the streets were packed, but I can't imagine Las Vegas as anything other than a bustling metropolis of excess. Massive hotels with striking designs dominate the landscape, and the themes are taken to such extremes. Along the strip you can visit Paris, Egypt, Rome, Venice, or any other number of far off places.

Adam (right) joined up with us at the Bellagio lagoon

The incredible amount of detail put into the buildings is mind-blowing. In Caesars Palace, the ceiling of the mall is convincingly painted to look like the sky, and all of the shop entrances are complete with Roman-style architecture and frescos. Everything is done so lavishly and at such expense that it's hard not to be impressed by these shrines to hedonism.

Geries in Caesars Palace

We came back to Connor's place for a short break before taking a stroll in downtown Vegas, where the older casinos are located. Fremont Street downtown is a huge show in itself complete with music blaring from every corner and enough neon signs to turn night into day. "Sensory overload" is really the only way to describe downtown at night.

Our awesome host, Connor

After walking Fremont Street for a bit we ducked into Bisson's Casino where we took a photo with a million dollars and finally crashed in a little sports bar to pick up a couple of pitchers and shoot the breeze. It was a lot of fun just hanging out and chatting with Connor, Danny, and Charlie and hearing about their experiences with their travels. It was a great and relaxing way to end an exciting day.

A million dollars!

Danny in Bisson's

Day 7: You can't drive your house, but you can sleep in your car

The drive to the Grand Canyon wasn't very notable, although the winds we experienced in Arizona were pretty ridiculous. When we stopped for gas just outside of the Grand Canyon park the wind was blowing so hard that it required quite a bit of force just to open the door of the car to get out.

At the Grand Canyon, the wind didn't let up much. We were told that winds can reach 40mph on the rim of the canyon, and I believe it. Aside from the constant breeze, the temperature was much cooler on the canyon than it was on our previous drives. It actually necessitated a change to jeans and a jacket from the shorts and short sleeves that I had been wearing up until then.

Bundling up in the Grand Canyon

After fighting our way through a bit of traffic to get a parking spot at the visitor center we made our way to Mather's Point, which is the traditional first view of the canyon. The view was literally breathtaking, but that may have just been the gale force winds that ripped over the rim of the canyon to our little spit of rock that jutted out into the abyss. It's hard to describe the immense size of the canyon, but it feels like you could drop a mountain in the bottom and it would still be dwarfed by the rift that enveloped it.

Mather's Point

The view is just as good upside down

Next we made our way to Yavapai Point which affords a great East-West view perfect for watching the sunset. We were able to get right up to the edge where we bundled up and waited for the sun to go down. Our shadows steadily grew longer, and eventually the sky was awash with a vivid orange for a short while before the sun sunk below the horizon formed by the rim of the canyon.

Geries on Yavapai Point at sunset

Once the sun had set, we went back outside the gate of the park to get some dinner before heading back in to do some night photography. Since we were unable to find any legitimate camping areas, we ended up camping out in the car. Originally we planned to move everything from the trunk and back seat to the front seats so we could fold down the back seats and sleep in the trunk, but laziness got the better of us and we ended up just sleeping in the front seats. We took a nap and woke up again once the moon had gone down, then made our way back out to Mather's Point.

The night sky from Mather's Point

With the disappearance of the sun came even more frigid temperatures-- not to mention that the wind was blowing with renewed zeal. Even so we went out in the pitch black to Mather's Point, and took in the incredible starscape, where hundreds of thousands of stars dotted the inky black sky, and the translucent white streak of the Milky Way was clearly visible even to the naked eye.

We went back to sleep not long after, and woke with the rising sun streaming through the windows of the car. Even though we woke up pretty early, we felt surprisingly well rested, so we got an early start on our journey to Las Vegas.