Photos: 1) in Calico ghost town, 2) with the "arc de triumph" at the Parisian, 3) with the "Venice" from Los Vegas, 4) the girls at the Hoover Dam, 5) off of Hwy 1 on the CA coast going toward San Fran, 6) view from top of Hearst Castle, 7) with the Templeton family and their cool car, 8) Devin and the rest of us (Kelby was taking the photo) at the 50s diner, 9) Hollywood sign, 10) in Rainbow Basin
The closer we got from cool Flagstaff to Hoover Dam, the hotter it became. By the time we went through an "agricultural checkpoint" where they made us unzip the bag atop the car to make sure we weren't hauling fruits and veggies (so weird), it was 115 degrees. I don't know how those checkpoint people could bear to be out there for 3 minutes, much less an entire shift. Next we had to go through a security checkpoint where we assured them that we did not have firearms before approaching the dam. Finally, we made it to a parking lot of the dam, where it took a 20 minute walk to reach the dam - in the sweltering heat. The dam is unbelievably huge. The views to the right of the lake offered boaters, windsurfers, etc. To the left, you could look down to the bottom and practically get vertigo it is so high. Enrique and I paid $11 to see the film on Hoover Dam and then go on an engine room tour and to the visitors center. It was pretty neat. Some people say it was the greatest feat of engineering since the pyramids at the time it was built. It has enough concrete to build a 4 ft wide sidewalk around the whole equator. It is over 60 ft wide at the top, and over 600 at the bottom. The only part I was bummed about is that since 9-11 you can no longer go outside at the bottom and look up to see the grandure from that view. Stupid security.
When we finished, we continued the last leg of our drive to Las Vegas and and arrived in the early evening. The first room we were given was uncleaned with trash everywhere. Given that it was at Treasure Island Casino, we were rather shocked, however we were given another room on the 26th floor (higher than our first) with a view out over the strip. The room was quite nice with WiFi, a nice TV, desk, etc. We got a really good deal on it though "place your own bid" on priceline, but when we arrived we had to pay an additional $22.50 for a "resort fee," so it should have been nice. Wish we had the time to appreciate any of the resort amenities like the pool or gym.
Once we settled in, we showered and went out to find somewhere to eat dinner. We walked all through the Venetian which, on the inside, looked like walking through streets of Venice with a canal and gondolas and everything. Outside, there was a recreation of St. Marco's Square and the Rialto Bridge. It was really, really, cool. Every restaurant seemed to be a minimum of $15, so after walking through, we settled on Chinese at the food court.
From there we walked to the Bellagio where we saw a fountain show. It was similar to the one in Barcelona, but in my opinion, not as cool. The fountains were not different colors and while there was music, the water didn't seem to be dancing with the music. Also, the man standing next to us while we watched the show was from the coast of NC. Small world.
From there we walked to the Parisian and saw the Arc de Triumph and the Eiffel Tower. Enrique headed back to the room so he could shower and rest a bit, while the girls all walked through the Parisian which on the inside recreated the streets of Paris.
From there we practically ran back to Treasure Island to see the free "Pirate Show" out front of our hotel. What a let down. It was basically just scantily clad women dancing around (not very well) and pirates without shirts who swung from ropes upon occasion. The best part was when a couple pirates did flips and dives off the gangplanks. It was almost midnight when the show ended and I went up to the room to update my last blog and go to sleep. Enrique was just rousing himself to out out on the town, and Theresa and Carmen had left from the show to wander around.
I slept quite well, and the next morning we didn't wake up until after 10 which was quite unusual for us. It turns out, they hadn't gotten home until 4 am. Enrique had also heard his first gunshots when we was down on a lone part of the strip. I think he was quite shaken and all of a sudden his impression of America's safety was diminished. It was actually a little amusing.
It was Monday morning, and after driving the whole strip, we drove to Calico Ghost Town which was an old CA silver mining town from the 1800s. It was pretty neat and many of the buildings were very old. Next we drove to nearby Rainbow Basin. Rainbow Basin was basically a desert with dunes that look solid, but are actually some sort of shale or other movable gravelly rock. Driving on the 3 mile dirt road loop through the basin, the dunes appear all different colors. It is really beautiful. We pulled over a couple times to take pictures. At one point we pulled over and Enrique climbed to the top of one of the dunes. I began to follow in my flip flops. It was a little slippery going up, but not too bad. However, when I started to descend I realized the problem. Every step basically started a slide of gravel, and in my flip flops, it was practically impossible to stop. I slid a little at first, and the girls heard we holler a bit and asked if I was okay, I said yes, but my keys had fallen a few feet away from me. As I reached to get them, I slid again, this time about 8 feet or so, on my palms, feet, and butt (I was wearing a skirt). Luckily when I stopped I'd almost reached the bottom. However, my hands and butt were chaffed and stung most of the day. We had first aid alcohol wipes, so we cleaned me up and then left shortly there after.
We drove through the desert and into the mountains, from which we saw the sunset. Then we drove around Big Bear Lake which was beautiful and then down the mountains toward LA. We were looking for a cheap hotel around the lake area, but we did not see anything. Earlier in the day Kelby (my friend from high school) had texted me to ask if we could hang out when I was in L.A. and when I told her we did not yet have anywhere to stay, she offered up her apartment in Burbank. Since we could not find a hotel I called to see if we could come a night earlier, and she said we could which was really sweet of her. We went down the crazy winding roads overlooking the massive expanse of L.A. lights, and made it to Burbank around 10:15 pm. After settling in I got to catch up with Kelby who'd just returned from Hawaii. Her boyfriend Ryan had left that morning to go see his family on the East coast, so it was just Kelby, the dog Kingsly, and Ryan's friend who was staying with them for a bit named Devin. He was staying in the loft, so I slept with Kelby and the others stayed in the living room.
On Tuesday Kelby was kind enough to drive us around a bit and take us to Hollywood Blvd where we could also see the Hollywood sign from afar. We then drove back to Burbank so Kelby could get some errands done. I made a sandwich at her house while the others walked to a nearby Chinese place for lunch. We next wanted to go see the Beverly Hills area and I invited Devin to come with us. We said goodbye to Kelby, and Devin and I went to find the others then we drove over to Beverly Hills. We parked and walked a bit, seeing some of the homes on foot, then we drove down Rodeo Drive, and back to Burbank. Once there we got Kelby and were about to go out to dinner when we saw massive black smoke going by the apartment complex. We ran outside and saw that a building nearby was shooting bulbous flames and tons of black smoke. The firemen hadn't even arrived yet (though they did as we watched). It was really bad, but luckily we found out later that no one was hurt and it had been like a storehouse for candle oils. After we watched the fire a bit, we all went to a cool little 50s diner where we picked up breakfast food to go and drove to a nearby mountain to look over the city at sunset. We had a picnic and then returned to Kelby's house. Carmen, Enrique, and Theresa wanted to go out to the Hollywood area again, and Kelby was kind enough to drive them to the nearest metro station. Kelby, Devin, and I just chilled around the house and after the others got back, we went to bed.
On Wednesday, Devin came with us to go to Santa Monica beach, but Kelby couldn't come because she had to work that night (she's a nurse). It took about an hour and a half to get there thanks to traffic. Once there we had to pay $10 to park and then we walked to the pier. The pier reminded me of Brighton Pier in England with a carnival on top, street performers, vendors, etc. We walked to the end and watched the fishermen and enjoyed the views of the water. Carmen, Enrique, and Theresa wanted to see the carnival, so Devin walked with me to the area where there were exercise things like metal rings, ropes, pull-up bars, swings, etc. We watched this one guy swing from ring to ring like a dancing gymnast. Devin and I climbed to the top of the ropes, and then we decided that was enough exercise for one day. We went over to the beach to soak in the warmth of the sun and try to combat the chill of the breeze.
After a while we all met up again and then started the drive back to Burbank. It took two HOURS!! I'd never been in such horrid traffic. It was so totally frustrating because there was no reason for it other than a lot of cars on the road. We didn't end up leaving for Templeton (where our next CS hosts lived) until after 4 pm.
We arrived to their farmhouse at about 10 pm. Their names were Lynn and Ken and they had a daughter named Noa who was 11 and reminded me a lot of my cousin Lilly. They were very kind and we all chatted in their beautiful home (that Ken and his relatives had made themselves) until about midnight. The next morning Noa showed us their garden and Ken & Lynn made yummy croissants with fresh fruit for breakfast. I wish we could have stayed and enjoyed their company longer. Enrique was especially impressed with Ken's 1950s car.
From there we went to San Simeon where I dropped the girls off at the nearby town of Cambria and Enrique and I went to Hearst Castle where the Hearst family built a mansion in the 1930s that was visited by many famous guests. Before going to the castle Enrique and I visited the long San Simeon Pier. The water was so beautiful and the drive to San Simeon from Templeton redeemed my view of CA - the beautiful rolling golden hills and the green/blue water were all so lovely (compared with LA life that is).
The castle was really cool with three large guest houses, beautiful gardens, huge pools, and a main house that looked like a cathedral. William Randolf Hearst built the place in period themes, getting old tapestries, choir seats, gates, etc. from Europe. Many things were 400 to 700 years old. The rest was made to look old. The indoor pool was created to resemble the Roman Baths and statues all over the garden looked authentic, though they were not. The best part about the palace was the view to the coast and at the rolling golden hills around it. They still have cows and zebra roaming the property.
After the tour Enrique and I picked up the girls and then we continued to drive along the 1 toward San Francisco. The coastal road was very beautiful, though with many curves. We pulled off a couple times to get photos. Traffic around San Diego was bad, but we still arrived in San Fran a bit before dark. My cousin Erin let us stay at her place even though she is out of town, which is so nice. After we unpacked we went to the nearest grocery store and bought food for the next three days.
It is now Friday morning and we are trying to decide what to do today. I feel overwhelmed - there is so much I want to see and not enough time!!
Pics soon
No comments:
Post a Comment