Yosemite and Tioga Pass

We had a wonderful morning on the valley floor - at the visitors centre, on the shuttle bus and doing a few walks. We did what I would call a strenuous walk up to Vernal Falls (although I did not go all the way to the top) and then an easier walk to Bridleveil Falls. Whilst there was not a huge amount of water in either they were still both beautiful. We also managed to get lots of photos of El Capitan and Half Dome.

After lunch we headed off along Tioga Pass which was incredible. It is hard to describe the climb we had (as high as 9500 feet) and the sites we saw along the way. It was the highlight of my day. The sheer size of the cliff faces and bare mountains, along with clear alpine lakes was nothing like what we had imagined. It was truly amazing and I am so glad that we had the chance to travel along this road.

At our lovely hotel in Bishop - the boys had a swim in the pool whilst I sat beside a beautiful man made creek that runs around the hotel buildings.

A busy day tomorrow (aren't they all) - off to travel through Death Valley before hitting the bright lights of Vegas.

Yosemite

A really long day but what a way to end a day. We were on the road by 9 and heading down into the old gold country passing through towns like El Dorado, Sutters Creek, Angels Camp and Sonora. We had a scenic drive at one stage which took us about 45 mins out of our way when Karen (our GPS) decided she wanted to go a different way.

We had an amazing lunch in Sonora on gourmet hot dogs (check out the photos). Before hitting the road to Yosemite. We travelled up to Glacier Point first which overlooks the valley - amazing. I still cannot believe that we are actually here. After that we headed down to the valley stopping along the way to take photos.

We haven't had the chance to go for any walks yet - that is scheduled for tomorrow, but what I have seen do far has been breath taking. We have just returned from watching a documentary on bears - maybe we will see one tomorrow!

Whitewater fun

Today we drove to a small town called Coloma. It is in the Sierra Nevada hills and is where gold was discovered in California in 1848. (hope you all enjoyed the history lesson).

The real purpose was for Ian and the boys to go white water rafting down the American river. I stayed back at the spot where they started and had a leisurely afternoon sitting under the trees on the bank of the river reading my book. The boys had an action packed afternoon on the water in class 2 and 3 rapids. They had a ball.

We have some amazing photographs of them on the river because there is a photography company that takes photos of all rafts as they travel along the river. I think we have about 60 photos - the boys faces are a glow with excitement.

So now we are in Placerville and tomorrow we are off to Yosemite. Woo hoo!

Alcatraz, the Pampinito and arcade games

Our last day in San Fran - so back to an early start. We had a 9.30 ferry booked to go to Alcatraz. Kim had been looking forward to it for a while and the tour did not disappoint. The have a free audio tour that walks you around the prison (voices of past prison guards and prisoners). It was a little spooky to walk around the abandoned buildings knowing that people had actually been imprisoned there. The weather was quite okay - not as cold as we thought it was going to be but once again any views of the city and the Golden Gate bridge were obscured by fog.

After our trip to Alcatraz we headed to pier 45 where the USS Pampinito is located. It is a world war 2 submarine. We were able to climb down into it and walk through it. It was pretty squishy in there - can't imagine what it would have been like to be on it with a full crew and be underwater.

Finally we went to the museum mechanique - which is a building filled with old arcade and sideshow machines. Ian gave the boys a pile of quarters each and we let them lose for a good hour or so. Kim loved the machine that involved a crane and bubblegum balls. He now has a massive bag filled with gum that he managed to win. Han loved the old Street Fighter and Tekken games.

Our day has ended in the capital of California - Sacramento. It is hot here - about 30 degrees at 5.20pm.

Oh the hills of San Francisco!

Let me begin by saying that my poor legs are aching. Even though you know San Fran is hilly nothing can prepare you for the steepness of the streets.

We began our day with a cable car ride along Hyde and Powell which was really fun given our car actually broke down and we had to stop near the cable car museum for the men to come out and replace the entire crank shaft that connects to the cable. It was really interesting to watch them replace it.

We spent today walking around the city looking at a beautiful cathedral, The Cable Car museum, Chinatown (including the most amazing Dim Sum - 3 pork buns, 12 dumplings, noodles and bread sticks for $12.70), and then a hike up to Coit Tower. Unfortunately the lift at the tower was broken so we didn't get to go up to the top.

Back to our hotel - into the car and a drive to see the Painted Lady houses near Alamo Square and then finally to see Yoda at the Presidio. Ian has just returned from picking up our washing from the wonderful laundromat - all beautifully washed and folded.

We are all well - Han's foot is doing great. He is back to tricking and appears to have no pain anymore. The hardest thing so far is sharing a room and getting Han to spend less than 30 minutes in the bathroom! Hope Handsome and Shadow are doing ok- we miss them both.

Tick one off my bucket list!

A lazier start to our day today (we missed our alarm yesterday and so had a mad rush to get out and on the way) as we were staying in Monterey and our first stop was the aquarium which didn't open till 10. Had a lazy drive around 17 Mile Drive - a gated community where the rich people live. Picked out a house or two that we could have but alas Ian said no.

The aquarium was great - although I do think the aquarium in Melbourne is just as good if not better. Enjoyed seeing the feeding of the fish in the big ocean tank especially the schools of sardines. We want in search of some food to eat on the way to San Francisco but could only find an ice cream - sooooo yummy.

We hit the road for San Francisco - great to drive through different countryside - saw sand dunes, vast market gardens, forests of gum trees (yes - I did say gum trees) and then tall conifer forests. So pleased we have a GPS which we program at the start of the day and then Karen (that's the Australian voice) tells us where to head.

And so finally - my bucket list item. The Golden Gate bridge. I have always wanted to go there and I was so excited when I got to stand on the bridge and take my photos. Unfortunately it was shrouded in fog but we still got to see it and walk over it. I am a very happy girl!

Comments open

Hello all (again). We have adjusted the settings on all of our blogs to allow you to add comments. I didn't realise that we had to open the blogs up. Cheers.

The Pacific Coast

I know this is day two and for those who are checking the dates of when I write these it is being written on the same day as yesterday's post. Suffice to say that by the time we got to San Luis Obispo last night, found a Walmart to do some shopping for snacks, water and other essentials, found our hotel, checked in, showered (we were filthy after the MASH hike) and got some tea it was close to 9.30 and we had essentially been awake and on the go for 32 hours. Bed was the only option so I didn't post last night and now I am playing catch up.

Today has been amazing. We headed off on our journey along the coast with the first stop actually Bubblegum Alley at San Luis Obispo - a tiny little alley where people stick their gum on the walls. Amazing but absolutely disgusting! The boys added their gum as a memory of the visit.

Then off to Hearst Castle - which was fantastic. It took 28 years to build with many parts being built, pulled down and rebuilt because of fussiness of William Randolph Hearst. You can not believe how over the top it is. The boys were a bit reserved about going but at the end of the tour were happy that they had seen it. Kim hated the drive up to the castle which was very steep and on the way down sat in his seat with his jumper over his head.

Our drive along the coast was lovely (my family will understand that I wasn't too happy about the windy road - remember Lorne), though an overcast and at times foggy day meant the photos I have taken were not as nice as they could have been. Road works slowed us down a little but we made it to the mission at Carmel 20 minutes before closing time so they let us in for free. It was nice to see such a beautiful old church - which is currently having some renovation done.

We have arrived at our hotel and have been and had something to eat. Han is pleased to have discovered that they do have fruit and veggies in America! The whole family is currently sitting with a device of some sort in their lap - this hotel has free wifi so we are all adding posts, checking emails (or Facebook) and the boys are watching some YouTube!

Our journey begins

For those who are keeping track of this blog I apologise for the delay in getting something written. The last couple of days have been very hectic. We managed to get away successfully on Sunday. Unlike most times that we have booked a taxi to the airport it arrived on time and we were there just after 7. We then had the long checking process, security and immigration.

The plane trip went well - except for the annoying role sitting behind us who spent the bulk of the trip either coughing, getting up to go to the toilet (which involved pulling on our seats to stand up), and complaining to the stewards.

Having arrived we headed off to collect the car, spent 5 mins working out how to drive it and then we were off. Ian is coping brilliantly with driving on the other side of the road. Venice beach was our first stop - and I can cheerfully say it was just weird. The people who go there are an odd group - from people playing handball, racket ball and basketball, to skateboarders and hippies galore. It also included some korean born australian doing some fancy tricks on the beach (earning him cheers and claps from the crowd) The boys were querying the idea of medical marijuana which is available at any number of "doctors" on the boardwalk.

After Venice beach we headed off to do our hike into the MASH site. Now Ian had decided we should do the scenic hike which involved a bit of a climb. The temperature in Malibu Creek State Park was meant to be about 26 degrees but by the time we got there it was just shy of 40. Suffice to say the hike in was hard work but the hike out nearly killed me! It was the hardest thing I have done for a while but it was worth it. We loved standing at the base of the helicopter landing pad looking over the site - getting to work out where the hospital, the swamp and the officers mess had all been. They had an old ambulance and jeep there as well as the signpost. If you are not a MASH fan - I apologise, but we loved it. We took in our Australian and Korean flags.

Getting ready to go ....

After months and months of planning we are only days away from leaving for our long awaited trip to America. Ian and I have been eagerly looking forward to this trip for a very long time but tonight the boys actually started to get excited too.

So - we are going to use this blog to let you know what we are up to as we travel. Follow along if you like. We will post photos along the way.

We hope you enjoy.