Sunday, August 15, 2010
Day 3 of 16 on the road
Day 3 produced some great scenery as we departed Monticello UT and headed to Arches National Park about 30 mile up the 191. 3 hours, countless photo stops, and a serious hour and a bit walk by Trev to visit Devils Garden and a couple of out of the way Arches, has led to the best case of sunburn you've seen and has Strahan Senior looking like he took the budget priced Cosmas tour of Hiroshima and Nagasaki around about 1946. Whilst the far more sensible Junior Strahan stayed in the car and kept reading up on how to use this bloody new camera, Trev was cooking up a treat.
From there we headed "over the road" to the Islands in the Sky part of Canyonlands National Park. Some great scenery along the lines of the Grand Canyon (that is from above the rim) and we headed off about 430pm. 150 miles odd later and an unscheduld detour through Price UT, thanks to some lousy signposting , and we arrived at Americas Best Value Inn in Roosevelt about 830pm. A good diner feed at JB's restaurant, conveniently located in the carpark of the motel.....mind you it is the worlds biggest carpark for a motel in a small towm....reminds me of the old Disneyland carpark in Anaheim, and some crap TV (No ESPN which sucks!!) and we were in la la land by 11.
Meanwhile back in Bullhead City, Vanessa and Mack headed off for a lazy afternoon swim and feed at one of Maxine and Larry's friends place. Lucky buggers as the temps on the road are getting cooler at night, the more Trev and Wayne head north.
Today the lads are off to Jackson Wyoming, the gateway to Yellowstone. What more adventures await!!!!
From there we headed "over the road" to the Islands in the Sky part of Canyonlands National Park. Some great scenery along the lines of the Grand Canyon (that is from above the rim) and we headed off about 430pm. 150 miles odd later and an unscheduld detour through Price UT, thanks to some lousy signposting , and we arrived at Americas Best Value Inn in Roosevelt about 830pm. A good diner feed at JB's restaurant, conveniently located in the carpark of the motel.....mind you it is the worlds biggest carpark for a motel in a small towm....reminds me of the old Disneyland carpark in Anaheim, and some crap TV (No ESPN which sucks!!) and we were in la la land by 11.
Meanwhile back in Bullhead City, Vanessa and Mack headed off for a lazy afternoon swim and feed at one of Maxine and Larry's friends place. Lucky buggers as the temps on the road are getting cooler at night, the more Trev and Wayne head north.
Today the lads are off to Jackson Wyoming, the gateway to Yellowstone. What more adventures await!!!!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
First 2 days of the Roadtrip
2 days into the roady and all is well.
Day 1 was spent uneventfully driving (new term!!) from BHC to the Grand Canyon 3 1/2 hours down and we were there. Mather Point which is the first vantage point that you strike after entering from the South entrance, is undergoing some serious renovation and construction which has turned the whole thing into a dogs breakfast. Stupid to be doing all the work in the middle of the summer season when there are a squintillion people in the park...Dead set it was as full as a state school. No vacancies either camping or lodging in the entire park. Luckily the $18 camping spot at Mather Campground worked a treat and Trevor and Wayne spent a more than comfortable night on the $15 Walmart twin airbeds (1 each smart arses). A late afternoon hack on the shuttles out to the Hermits rest meant some great sunset photos. This new Canon 5d MK11 really comes into its own after the sun sets....unbelievable actually. An early rise for Wayne and some sunrise photos whilst Trev slept like a baby (waking every hour crying his eyes out!!), and a 830 departure meant we were on the road in good time.
Lunched at Kayenta in AZ before crossing the border into Utah. Became Mormons at a swearing in ceremony whereby we learnt we are going to be doorknocking in Uzbekistan to try and convert some half Commies......kidding. We booked into the National 9 Hotel in Montecito for $57 inc tax for the night....bonus. Budget is up to $100 each per night so we are well in front tonight at least. Then we took off to the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park for a late afternoon burn. I did the Island in the Sky entrance into the park in 06 with the cricket lads and it was well worth it....the Needles section however was a bust...what a crock. However!!! The drive in to the park entrance which is 34 miles off the 191 is utterly jawdropping. An absolute must do if anyone is ever in this part of the world. I really look forward to showing you the photos and videos that we both took. The colours of the rocks and the sheer size and magnitude of the mountains is beyond description....and unfortunately as my first try at posting photos on here was a bust, you'll have to wait till we get back......and don't expect Ansel Adams type photos either!!
Will post soon!! Arches tomorrow!! and the Islands in the Sky section of Canyonlands as well!!
Day 1 was spent uneventfully driving (new term!!) from BHC to the Grand Canyon 3 1/2 hours down and we were there. Mather Point which is the first vantage point that you strike after entering from the South entrance, is undergoing some serious renovation and construction which has turned the whole thing into a dogs breakfast. Stupid to be doing all the work in the middle of the summer season when there are a squintillion people in the park...Dead set it was as full as a state school. No vacancies either camping or lodging in the entire park. Luckily the $18 camping spot at Mather Campground worked a treat and Trevor and Wayne spent a more than comfortable night on the $15 Walmart twin airbeds (1 each smart arses). A late afternoon hack on the shuttles out to the Hermits rest meant some great sunset photos. This new Canon 5d MK11 really comes into its own after the sun sets....unbelievable actually. An early rise for Wayne and some sunrise photos whilst Trev slept like a baby (waking every hour crying his eyes out!!), and a 830 departure meant we were on the road in good time.
Lunched at Kayenta in AZ before crossing the border into Utah. Became Mormons at a swearing in ceremony whereby we learnt we are going to be doorknocking in Uzbekistan to try and convert some half Commies......kidding. We booked into the National 9 Hotel in Montecito for $57 inc tax for the night....bonus. Budget is up to $100 each per night so we are well in front tonight at least. Then we took off to the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park for a late afternoon burn. I did the Island in the Sky entrance into the park in 06 with the cricket lads and it was well worth it....the Needles section however was a bust...what a crock. However!!! The drive in to the park entrance which is 34 miles off the 191 is utterly jawdropping. An absolute must do if anyone is ever in this part of the world. I really look forward to showing you the photos and videos that we both took. The colours of the rocks and the sheer size and magnitude of the mountains is beyond description....and unfortunately as my first try at posting photos on here was a bust, you'll have to wait till we get back......and don't expect Ansel Adams type photos either!!
Will post soon!! Arches tomorrow!! and the Islands in the Sky section of Canyonlands as well!!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
16 National Parks in 16 days!!!
Well we are a couple of hours from hitting the road for our attempt to cover 16 National Parks in 16 days. Trevor and Wayne are going to hit the frog and toad, whilst Vanessa and Mack spend 2 and a bit weeks with Maxine and Larry trying not to spend our Disneyworld spending money!!! (only kidding honey!!). Mack's 3rd birthday yesterday was a blast with the Little Einsteins themed dinner at Nana's getting a hiding. She was spoiled rotten and deserved every little bit of it.
Trev and Wayne are heading firstly for the Grand Canyon where we've booked a camping spot for tonight. Made the mistake of waiting until about 8 weeks ago to try and find accom in the parks for August....what a joke!! So a borrowed tent from a work colleague of Maxine's and a trip to the Super WalMart for the $15 twin airbeds (x2) and the $9.88 sleeping bags, along with the $5.88 electric lanterns, a bootload of bottled water and pretzels , and the open road beckons!!
From there, we hit Monument Valley, Canyonlands, Arches, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier, North Cascades, Mt Rainier, Olympic, Crater Lake, Lassen Volcanic, Yosemite, Bryce, Zion, Grand Staircase Escalante before winging our way back to Vegas. Add in a few other scenic stops aplong the way depending on time and we could possibly reach 16 in 16!!
Will keep you updated......
Trev and Wayne are heading firstly for the Grand Canyon where we've booked a camping spot for tonight. Made the mistake of waiting until about 8 weeks ago to try and find accom in the parks for August....what a joke!! So a borrowed tent from a work colleague of Maxine's and a trip to the Super WalMart for the $15 twin airbeds (x2) and the $9.88 sleeping bags, along with the $5.88 electric lanterns, a bootload of bottled water and pretzels , and the open road beckons!!
From there, we hit Monument Valley, Canyonlands, Arches, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier, North Cascades, Mt Rainier, Olympic, Crater Lake, Lassen Volcanic, Yosemite, Bryce, Zion, Grand Staircase Escalante before winging our way back to Vegas. Add in a few other scenic stops aplong the way depending on time and we could possibly reach 16 in 16!!
Will keep you updated......
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
My Little Darlings 3rd Birthday
It's a fine Wednesday morning here in downtown BHC. And our little girl is turning the big three. Unfortunately she's still asleep because Trev and Wayne were up at 630am blowing up helium balloons from the kit we bought from Walmart yesterday for $20. Her "Little Einsteins" themed birthday will hopefully go down a treat as Vanessa has bought all the associated plates, napkins, poppers etc etc to go with the rest of her favourite TV shows paraphenalia.
Will fill you in later as to how the day unfolds.
Will fill you in later as to how the day unfolds.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
With the In-Laws...
Just a short update from downtown BHC.
A fairly uneventful last day in Vegas, with nothing untoward to report. Check out at 11am, with Vanessa buying a couple of tickets to see Criss Angel's Mindfreak at the Luxor (with her Mum) when we return to Vegas in early September after our DisneyWorld holiday. The 2 hour drive to BHC went seemingly quicker than usual and we arrived at about 130pm after a leisurely drive through town showing Trevor the sights. A couple of quick trips to Safeway for some much needed food shopping, a home cooked roast dinner and conversation till 1230am rounded out our day.
Today (Monday), we took the 45 minute drive to Lake Havasu to see the London Bridge which was dis-assembled in London and then re-assembled in the middle of the bloody desert. From there we took a drive to Oatman, whose sole claim to fame is the fact that burro's (wild donkeys) roam the streets of this old town. Mac loved the interaction, Wayne was molested by 4 adult burro's when he tried to feed them the $1 bag of carrots purchased from a local vendor, Vanessa crapped herself laughing at Wayne's misfortune and Trevor was picked up from the sidewalk as we departed the tourism "jewel" of the Southwest.
Tomorrow Laughlin!!....................................
A fairly uneventful last day in Vegas, with nothing untoward to report. Check out at 11am, with Vanessa buying a couple of tickets to see Criss Angel's Mindfreak at the Luxor (with her Mum) when we return to Vegas in early September after our DisneyWorld holiday. The 2 hour drive to BHC went seemingly quicker than usual and we arrived at about 130pm after a leisurely drive through town showing Trevor the sights. A couple of quick trips to Safeway for some much needed food shopping, a home cooked roast dinner and conversation till 1230am rounded out our day.
Today (Monday), we took the 45 minute drive to Lake Havasu to see the London Bridge which was dis-assembled in London and then re-assembled in the middle of the bloody desert. From there we took a drive to Oatman, whose sole claim to fame is the fact that burro's (wild donkeys) roam the streets of this old town. Mac loved the interaction, Wayne was molested by 4 adult burro's when he tried to feed them the $1 bag of carrots purchased from a local vendor, Vanessa crapped herself laughing at Wayne's misfortune and Trevor was picked up from the sidewalk as we departed the tourism "jewel" of the Southwest.
Tomorrow Laughlin!!....................................
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Vegas Baby!!!!
Gday to you all!! Blogging from the brand new 10" net/note book purchased from Frys electronics here in Vegas for $320. Sweet deal.
A quick recap since we left Perth last Saturday night. Mac only slept for 1.5 hours on the Perth to Brisbane leg, when we arrived in at 6am. We left Bris at 11am on Sunday and Mac started to look sleepy as we were taxiing and preparing for takeoff. She subsequently fell asleep before the wheels left the tarmac and proceeded to sleep for the first 7.5 hours. We had just passed Hawaii when she awoke and was a charm for the rest of the flight!! We arrived at LA at 7am Sunday and were through customs with baggage by 830am. Booked into Southwest for the massively long flight to Vegas.....an hour, departing at 12 noon. We were met by Maxine and Larry who surprised Vanessa and Mac. We checked into the Luxor which was/is our home until Sunday the 8th. This is our 3rd stay at the Luxor and we have yet to be let down. Mind you when we first checked into our "No smoking" room, it smelt as though a Winfield convention had convened in our room. But to their credit, a phone call to the front desk resulted in a lackey appearing at the door within 15 minutes with a can of "wonder odour" in his hand. No Glen 20 or f**king Nilodor here. Whatever he sprayed worked a treat, and 5 days later there is still not a trace of the smoke smell. Miracle!!
We have hit the factory outlets for clothes shopping as is our want when we come to America. Mac has been spoiled rotten by her Mum, but when you are picking up clothes for $1.99 a piece what do you expect! On top of that her cousins and little Mums group friends have been looked after as well.....and Mum and Dad have picked up a couple of specials as well. Hilfiger jeans for Mum and Dad for $17 a piece, Polos for less than $20 a piece...the list goes on. Even trev has been getting in on the act. Shopping his little heart out. Walking the strip at 2am in the morning from the Venetian down to the Luxor thanks to the early finish for the monorail for the evening (welcome to Vegas Trev!!!).....those who are familiar with Vegas will know that that is a bloody solid walk, especially when the daytime temps are in the 40's and the nighttime temps are still in the 30's. His travelling companion for the Vegas leg of the trip Caroline, has also had a big trip dropping a few k on a timeshare off the south end of the strip. But they got $25 tickets to see Criss Angel's Mindfreak out of it, and are still raving about the show a few days later.
As I said we lashed out on a netbook as well as a camera backpack for my new gear that has arrived at Maxine's this week. Only $100 for the backpack JI!! That 35-350 is a heavy bastard though!! A couple of memory flash cards, a cover for Ness' camera and almost $700 later we were done. Oh well it's only money and we saved a heap on what it would have cost us back home.
The weather really is something else in this part of the world at this time of the year. The 40's that we are experiencing are so dry it's hard to describe. As well, the heat starts by 9am and doesn't cease until about 830pm or thereabouts. Hot Hot Hot!!!
We took Mac to see the Shark Reef attraction at Mandalay Bay. $16.50 which was a bit of a crock. Popular as all buggery, but pretty bloody overrated. A big aquarium with a shitload of fish and sharks. Ho hum. But then we went to the Mirage to see Siegfried and Roy's dolphin habitat and White tigers etc. Bloody magnificent. Especially for a wide eyed 2 year old who fell in love with the dolphins. Highly recommended....and only $15 for adults.
That's about it for now. We will post some photos in the next couple of days with a new report when we get down to Maxine and Larry's. I'm taking Trev and Caroline down to Hoover Dam first thing in the morning after our attempt today was short circuited by the traffic jam from hell. Started 6 miles from the Dam and an hour later we still hadn't reached the security checkpoint. Bugger that for a joke. So we will give it a go in the morning (Sat). We leave Vegas on Saturday for a few days with Max and Larry for Mac's birthday next Wednesday.
Until later.......Viva Las Vegas!!!!
A quick recap since we left Perth last Saturday night. Mac only slept for 1.5 hours on the Perth to Brisbane leg, when we arrived in at 6am. We left Bris at 11am on Sunday and Mac started to look sleepy as we were taxiing and preparing for takeoff. She subsequently fell asleep before the wheels left the tarmac and proceeded to sleep for the first 7.5 hours. We had just passed Hawaii when she awoke and was a charm for the rest of the flight!! We arrived at LA at 7am Sunday and were through customs with baggage by 830am. Booked into Southwest for the massively long flight to Vegas.....an hour, departing at 12 noon. We were met by Maxine and Larry who surprised Vanessa and Mac. We checked into the Luxor which was/is our home until Sunday the 8th. This is our 3rd stay at the Luxor and we have yet to be let down. Mind you when we first checked into our "No smoking" room, it smelt as though a Winfield convention had convened in our room. But to their credit, a phone call to the front desk resulted in a lackey appearing at the door within 15 minutes with a can of "wonder odour" in his hand. No Glen 20 or f**king Nilodor here. Whatever he sprayed worked a treat, and 5 days later there is still not a trace of the smoke smell. Miracle!!
We have hit the factory outlets for clothes shopping as is our want when we come to America. Mac has been spoiled rotten by her Mum, but when you are picking up clothes for $1.99 a piece what do you expect! On top of that her cousins and little Mums group friends have been looked after as well.....and Mum and Dad have picked up a couple of specials as well. Hilfiger jeans for Mum and Dad for $17 a piece, Polos for less than $20 a piece...the list goes on. Even trev has been getting in on the act. Shopping his little heart out. Walking the strip at 2am in the morning from the Venetian down to the Luxor thanks to the early finish for the monorail for the evening (welcome to Vegas Trev!!!).....those who are familiar with Vegas will know that that is a bloody solid walk, especially when the daytime temps are in the 40's and the nighttime temps are still in the 30's. His travelling companion for the Vegas leg of the trip Caroline, has also had a big trip dropping a few k on a timeshare off the south end of the strip. But they got $25 tickets to see Criss Angel's Mindfreak out of it, and are still raving about the show a few days later.
As I said we lashed out on a netbook as well as a camera backpack for my new gear that has arrived at Maxine's this week. Only $100 for the backpack JI!! That 35-350 is a heavy bastard though!! A couple of memory flash cards, a cover for Ness' camera and almost $700 later we were done. Oh well it's only money and we saved a heap on what it would have cost us back home.
The weather really is something else in this part of the world at this time of the year. The 40's that we are experiencing are so dry it's hard to describe. As well, the heat starts by 9am and doesn't cease until about 830pm or thereabouts. Hot Hot Hot!!!
We took Mac to see the Shark Reef attraction at Mandalay Bay. $16.50 which was a bit of a crock. Popular as all buggery, but pretty bloody overrated. A big aquarium with a shitload of fish and sharks. Ho hum. But then we went to the Mirage to see Siegfried and Roy's dolphin habitat and White tigers etc. Bloody magnificent. Especially for a wide eyed 2 year old who fell in love with the dolphins. Highly recommended....and only $15 for adults.
That's about it for now. We will post some photos in the next couple of days with a new report when we get down to Maxine and Larry's. I'm taking Trev and Caroline down to Hoover Dam first thing in the morning after our attempt today was short circuited by the traffic jam from hell. Started 6 miles from the Dam and an hour later we still hadn't reached the security checkpoint. Bugger that for a joke. So we will give it a go in the morning (Sat). We leave Vegas on Saturday for a few days with Max and Larry for Mac's birthday next Wednesday.
Until later.......Viva Las Vegas!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)