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2 links because there are so many!
Alison
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Day 23-24
Day 23
Location: Yosemite National Park, CA
Miles Driven: 6143
Price of Gas: Paid - $3.25, saw 3.89
Today we drove into Yosemite and explored here. We first went to the visitor’s center to get some information, then we went to set up our tent to make sure we had a campsite. After that we got to explore the sites, we drove down to Wawana to see the Pioneer Yosemite History Center. Then we went to see the Giant Sequoias, they were beautiful. We took an almost 2 mile hike to see the Grizzly Giant and the Tunnel tree. After that we drove to Glacier Point. The view from there was amazing, you could see three different waterfalls, half dome, and the valley below.
We then drove back towards our campsite pulling off to watch the sunset over the mountains. Now its sleep time! Hope the bears don’t come near.
Alison Goins
Day 24
Location: Utah/Nevada border town
Miles Driven:
Price of Gas: Saw between 2.98 and 3.99, paid 3.09 and 3.99 (but only 2 gallons)
Today we finished seeing Yosemite before driving to the Nevada/Utah border.
We did a short hike to a waterfall this morning, then drove through Yosemite stopping at one of the large lakes there on the way out. The water was much warmer than you would expect. I wanted to go swimming but Megs did not. Then we drove to the Travertine Hot Spring which was about 2 miles off the highway – It was beautiful. And I went swimming for a bit after we both had our legs in for a while.
After that we drove towards Salt Lake City which is one of our stops tomorrow. We ran into a huge thunder/lightening storm on the way. After we got through the storm, we saw around 6 forest fires, one was somewhat close to the highway and was large. Another was right over the hillside from the town we were originally going to camp in. We decided to keep moving due to the fires and weather and found a 25 dollar hotel/casino to stay in for the night.
Utah tomorrow!
Alison
Location: Yosemite National Park, CA
Miles Driven: 6143
Price of Gas: Paid - $3.25, saw 3.89
Today we drove into Yosemite and explored here. We first went to the visitor’s center to get some information, then we went to set up our tent to make sure we had a campsite. After that we got to explore the sites, we drove down to Wawana to see the Pioneer Yosemite History Center. Then we went to see the Giant Sequoias, they were beautiful. We took an almost 2 mile hike to see the Grizzly Giant and the Tunnel tree. After that we drove to Glacier Point. The view from there was amazing, you could see three different waterfalls, half dome, and the valley below.
We then drove back towards our campsite pulling off to watch the sunset over the mountains. Now its sleep time! Hope the bears don’t come near.
Alison Goins
Day 24
Location: Utah/Nevada border town
Miles Driven:
Price of Gas: Saw between 2.98 and 3.99, paid 3.09 and 3.99 (but only 2 gallons)
Today we finished seeing Yosemite before driving to the Nevada/Utah border.
We did a short hike to a waterfall this morning, then drove through Yosemite stopping at one of the large lakes there on the way out. The water was much warmer than you would expect. I wanted to go swimming but Megs did not. Then we drove to the Travertine Hot Spring which was about 2 miles off the highway – It was beautiful. And I went swimming for a bit after we both had our legs in for a while.
After that we drove towards Salt Lake City which is one of our stops tomorrow. We ran into a huge thunder/lightening storm on the way. After we got through the storm, we saw around 6 forest fires, one was somewhat close to the highway and was large. Another was right over the hillside from the town we were originally going to camp in. We decided to keep moving due to the fires and weather and found a 25 dollar hotel/casino to stay in for the night.
Utah tomorrow!
Alison
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Day 20-22
Day 20
Location: San Fran
Miles Drive: 5546
Gas Price: $3.29
Today we went to Lincoln Park to see the Holocaust Museum and the Art Museum there. The art museum had a exhibit of Rodin’s sculptures which was very interesting. They also had paitings by Picasso, Dali, and Renoir. They were amazing.
Then we drove downtown to the Cable Car Museum which also houses the mechanics and such for the cable cars. It showed the history of cable cars and how they work.
After that we drove around a little bit- the roads here are awful! Lots of hills, you cant see where you are doing because of them! Then we drove to Lombard street – curviest road in the world! And drove down it twice – very fun.
Then we drove over to the Golden Gate Park to see another art museum before heading back to the same campsite for a second night. This is the first time we have stayed at the same campsite on the trip.
More San Fran tomorrow and then we will head north to Napa Valley.
Alison
Day 21
Location: Petaluma, CA
Miles Driven: 5634 miles
Gas Price: $3.29
Today we woke up and drove a few miles to the neighboring park of Muir Woods. This is one of the national forests with Redwoods in it. We took a small hike and took lots of funny pictures with the trees. They are magnificent!
After that we drove back into San Fran to see the Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39. We toured a WW2 Victory ship and Megan toured a WW2 Submarine. We also went though a musueum with lots of game machines, from arcades throughout the 1900’s. We ate lunch at Bourdin sourdough bakery, we shared a sourdough pizza – delicious!
We then went to the Modern Art Museum of San Fran. This was something I really wanted to do – some amazing work! After that we drove through Chinatown before heading north towards wine country.
This is where the day went downhill, we drove over the Oakland bridge which is the most god awful bridge ever made, not only is it 8 miles long it is 2 stories, with one story going east and the other going west – pretty much a nightmare. Oh and it had a tunnel in the middle going through a mountain on an island. It was horrible – but we made it.
We are staying in Petaluma which is a small town about 30 miles from Calistoga which will be our first stop in the wine country tomorrow! We found a campground with laundry facilities – we are both out of clean clothes!
Alison
Day 22
Location: Groveland, CA
Miles driven: 5925 miles
Gas Price: $3.25
Today we explored the wine country. We took one tour of a winery at Sterling Vineyards, very good wine. Then we decided to take advantage of the many spas in Calistoga and have a mud bath! This town was built around a hot spring so there are many spas in the area. We had a mud bath, mineral bath, and steam. Amazing!
After that we headed down the Silverado trail to another winery that offered a free wine tasting. I liked the wines at Sterling Vineyards much better! After that we continued down Silverado trail for a while before cutting over to another scenic highway that would take us down into Napa. We stopped at one more winery before grabbing dinner and driving towards Yosemite.
All in all it was a very good day!
We are camping tonight five miles outside of Yosemite, probably the worst campsite we have stayed at yet – but oh well, we will get some sleep.
Alison
Location: San Fran
Miles Drive: 5546
Gas Price: $3.29
Today we went to Lincoln Park to see the Holocaust Museum and the Art Museum there. The art museum had a exhibit of Rodin’s sculptures which was very interesting. They also had paitings by Picasso, Dali, and Renoir. They were amazing.
Then we drove downtown to the Cable Car Museum which also houses the mechanics and such for the cable cars. It showed the history of cable cars and how they work.
After that we drove around a little bit- the roads here are awful! Lots of hills, you cant see where you are doing because of them! Then we drove to Lombard street – curviest road in the world! And drove down it twice – very fun.
Then we drove over to the Golden Gate Park to see another art museum before heading back to the same campsite for a second night. This is the first time we have stayed at the same campsite on the trip.
More San Fran tomorrow and then we will head north to Napa Valley.
Alison
Day 21
Location: Petaluma, CA
Miles Driven: 5634 miles
Gas Price: $3.29
Today we woke up and drove a few miles to the neighboring park of Muir Woods. This is one of the national forests with Redwoods in it. We took a small hike and took lots of funny pictures with the trees. They are magnificent!
After that we drove back into San Fran to see the Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39. We toured a WW2 Victory ship and Megan toured a WW2 Submarine. We also went though a musueum with lots of game machines, from arcades throughout the 1900’s. We ate lunch at Bourdin sourdough bakery, we shared a sourdough pizza – delicious!
We then went to the Modern Art Museum of San Fran. This was something I really wanted to do – some amazing work! After that we drove through Chinatown before heading north towards wine country.
This is where the day went downhill, we drove over the Oakland bridge which is the most god awful bridge ever made, not only is it 8 miles long it is 2 stories, with one story going east and the other going west – pretty much a nightmare. Oh and it had a tunnel in the middle going through a mountain on an island. It was horrible – but we made it.
We are staying in Petaluma which is a small town about 30 miles from Calistoga which will be our first stop in the wine country tomorrow! We found a campground with laundry facilities – we are both out of clean clothes!
Alison
Day 22
Location: Groveland, CA
Miles driven: 5925 miles
Gas Price: $3.25
Today we explored the wine country. We took one tour of a winery at Sterling Vineyards, very good wine. Then we decided to take advantage of the many spas in Calistoga and have a mud bath! This town was built around a hot spring so there are many spas in the area. We had a mud bath, mineral bath, and steam. Amazing!
After that we headed down the Silverado trail to another winery that offered a free wine tasting. I liked the wines at Sterling Vineyards much better! After that we continued down Silverado trail for a while before cutting over to another scenic highway that would take us down into Napa. We stopped at one more winery before grabbing dinner and driving towards Yosemite.
All in all it was a very good day!
We are camping tonight five miles outside of Yosemite, probably the worst campsite we have stayed at yet – but oh well, we will get some sleep.
Alison
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Day 19
Day 19
Location: San Fran, CAMiles Driven: 5494 miles
Gas Price: $3.29 paid but have seen from 3.15 to 3.55
Today we drove up the coast on Highway 1/Pacific Coast Highway to San Fransisco with lots of stops on the way!
We went over to Big Sur State park to see the coastal Redwoods. They were amazing! You could see some that had been partially burned in a fire in the past but kept growing. Very neat – we went exploring a little ways and saw a river. Took lots of silly pictures – Megs has a new obsession with making silly faces at me and the camera.
After that we drove up the coast to Point Lobos state park to see some wildlife. We saw otters, deer, sea lions, and many types of birds. It was beautiful.
After that we went to the Dennis the Menace playground and the Fisherman’s Wharf. We got to try many samples of Clam Chowder from the various restaurants and ended up stopping at one to have a bowl and artichoke hearts.
Then we tried to go see a Lighthouse that was closed but pretty. We then drove along Seventeen Mile Drive stopping at various places to see animals, rock formations, and a lone cypress.
After all of that we headed north to San Fransisco. We drove through the Golden Gate Bridge park before driving over the bridge and stopping at an overlook on the other side of the bay. We got to see the bridge, San Fran, and Alcatraz from the overlook. We then had sandwiches and drove in search of a campground or cheap hotel. In our search, we were offered a top suite for $950!!! And finally found a campground after driving quite a ways on a curvy mountain road.
We met a family from Durham at the campground before setting up our tent and going to sleep!
Alison
Location: San Fran, CAMiles Driven: 5494 miles
Gas Price: $3.29 paid but have seen from 3.15 to 3.55
Today we drove up the coast on Highway 1/Pacific Coast Highway to San Fransisco with lots of stops on the way!
We went over to Big Sur State park to see the coastal Redwoods. They were amazing! You could see some that had been partially burned in a fire in the past but kept growing. Very neat – we went exploring a little ways and saw a river. Took lots of silly pictures – Megs has a new obsession with making silly faces at me and the camera.
After that we drove up the coast to Point Lobos state park to see some wildlife. We saw otters, deer, sea lions, and many types of birds. It was beautiful.
After that we went to the Dennis the Menace playground and the Fisherman’s Wharf. We got to try many samples of Clam Chowder from the various restaurants and ended up stopping at one to have a bowl and artichoke hearts.
Then we tried to go see a Lighthouse that was closed but pretty. We then drove along Seventeen Mile Drive stopping at various places to see animals, rock formations, and a lone cypress.
After all of that we headed north to San Fransisco. We drove through the Golden Gate Bridge park before driving over the bridge and stopping at an overlook on the other side of the bay. We got to see the bridge, San Fran, and Alcatraz from the overlook. We then had sandwiches and drove in search of a campground or cheap hotel. In our search, we were offered a top suite for $950!!! And finally found a campground after driving quite a ways on a curvy mountain road.
We met a family from Durham at the campground before setting up our tent and going to sleep!
Alison
Day 16-18
Day 16-18
Location: Los Angeles up to Big Sur, CA
Miles Driven: Still haven’t checked – Promise tomorrow!
Gas Price: $2.99-3.21 paid, we saw $3.79!! It was in a small town in CA.
Ok, so rewind … We spent Sunday in Los Angeles also before heading up the coast. On Saturday, we went to see the La Brea Tarpits and the Automobile Museum before shopping on Rodeo Drive. The tarpits were very interesting with skeletons of saber tooth cats and camels from the tarpits under downtown Los Angeles. There was a large park area dedicated to finding more fossils. The Automobile Museum was Megan’s favorite; we saw lots of old cars as well as new Ferrari’s!
We got in our first fight on Saturday but all is well now. On Saturday, we ate at a sandwich shop called Sandbags – very good. We also had gelato after walking Rodeo Drive.
On Monday, we got up and drove to Laguna Beach for breakfast. Megan picked the most expensive place to eat breakfast spending 32 dollars for two on breakfast but it was delicious! Then we wandered around Laguna before heading up to Venice and Santa Monica beaches.
At Venice beach, we walked up and down the boardwalk seeing many interesting people! One man was selling pieces of driftwood for 30 dollars or more, he had not carved it or anything, just plain ol’ washed up driftwood!! Santa Monica was fun too with more vendors and a fair on the pier! After Santa Monica, we drove up to Santa Barbara and had the BEST burritos at a place called Freebirds. Santa Barbara is the prettiest town we have seen so far, I think. We saw an old courthouse, a mission, and some old adobe houses before driving about 20 miles north to camp.
This morning we woke up to drive up the Pacific Highway more. The highway is beautiful and overlooks the Pacific on the LEFT the whole way. We saw San Louis Obispo, Morro Bay, and many other small coastal towns on the way. We stopped in Morro Bay to have a cup of Clam Chowder for a late lunch at a local seafood restaurant, great food – horrible service.
After our late lunch, we continued up the coast to the Hearst Castle. AMAZING. See our pictures, but this man collected all kinds of antiques from rugs to sculptures to books to paintings. He also had mantles, fireplaces, choir chairs, and ceilings from old buildings in Europe. It was beautiful.
After the castle, we headed up to Big Sur to camp under the REDWOODS. We will explore the rest of the coast tomorrow before heading up to San Francisco.
Alison
Location: Los Angeles up to Big Sur, CA
Miles Driven: Still haven’t checked – Promise tomorrow!
Gas Price: $2.99-3.21 paid, we saw $3.79!! It was in a small town in CA.
Ok, so rewind … We spent Sunday in Los Angeles also before heading up the coast. On Saturday, we went to see the La Brea Tarpits and the Automobile Museum before shopping on Rodeo Drive. The tarpits were very interesting with skeletons of saber tooth cats and camels from the tarpits under downtown Los Angeles. There was a large park area dedicated to finding more fossils. The Automobile Museum was Megan’s favorite; we saw lots of old cars as well as new Ferrari’s!
We got in our first fight on Saturday but all is well now. On Saturday, we ate at a sandwich shop called Sandbags – very good. We also had gelato after walking Rodeo Drive.
On Monday, we got up and drove to Laguna Beach for breakfast. Megan picked the most expensive place to eat breakfast spending 32 dollars for two on breakfast but it was delicious! Then we wandered around Laguna before heading up to Venice and Santa Monica beaches.
At Venice beach, we walked up and down the boardwalk seeing many interesting people! One man was selling pieces of driftwood for 30 dollars or more, he had not carved it or anything, just plain ol’ washed up driftwood!! Santa Monica was fun too with more vendors and a fair on the pier! After Santa Monica, we drove up to Santa Barbara and had the BEST burritos at a place called Freebirds. Santa Barbara is the prettiest town we have seen so far, I think. We saw an old courthouse, a mission, and some old adobe houses before driving about 20 miles north to camp.
This morning we woke up to drive up the Pacific Highway more. The highway is beautiful and overlooks the Pacific on the LEFT the whole way. We saw San Louis Obispo, Morro Bay, and many other small coastal towns on the way. We stopped in Morro Bay to have a cup of Clam Chowder for a late lunch at a local seafood restaurant, great food – horrible service.
After our late lunch, we continued up the coast to the Hearst Castle. AMAZING. See our pictures, but this man collected all kinds of antiques from rugs to sculptures to books to paintings. He also had mantles, fireplaces, choir chairs, and ceilings from old buildings in Europe. It was beautiful.
After the castle, we headed up to Big Sur to camp under the REDWOODS. We will explore the rest of the coast tomorrow before heading up to San Francisco.
Alison
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Day 15
Day 15:
Gas Price: $3.05-3.19
Miles Driven: Didn’t check before coming inside-I’ll check tomorrow!
Today we drove around LA.
We went to Hollywood, saw the Chinese Theatre, went shopping, drove down towards Beverely hills, saw the Hollywood sign, and shopped some more! We also went to The Grove shopping area and to this great Farmer’s Market.
Megs and I both got some new clothes and I actually found 2 pairs of teacher shoes that FIT me!
For dinner, we went to an In ‘n’ Out Burger – fast food chain out west. Our friends at USC had told us it was a must because it was ‘better’ fast food and it was. But before making it there Megan got us lost in Compton before settling for a restaurant in Inglewood. Quite the adventure – I was freaking out.
More exploring LA tomorrow.
Alison
Gas Price: $3.05-3.19
Miles Driven: Didn’t check before coming inside-I’ll check tomorrow!
Today we drove around LA.
We went to Hollywood, saw the Chinese Theatre, went shopping, drove down towards Beverely hills, saw the Hollywood sign, and shopped some more! We also went to The Grove shopping area and to this great Farmer’s Market.
Megs and I both got some new clothes and I actually found 2 pairs of teacher shoes that FIT me!
For dinner, we went to an In ‘n’ Out Burger – fast food chain out west. Our friends at USC had told us it was a must because it was ‘better’ fast food and it was. But before making it there Megan got us lost in Compton before settling for a restaurant in Inglewood. Quite the adventure – I was freaking out.
More exploring LA tomorrow.
Alison
Day 14
Location: Los Angelas
Gas Price: $2.99-$3.03
Miles Driven: Forgot to check
This morning we slept in a little bit before going to find the Wilmington, NC 2,554 miles away sign!!! This is the sign that started this whole adventure and the reason I have been talking about driving cross country for years and years!
So we found it and took some pictures before driving to San Diego .. very exciting!
We drove to San Diego and went to the Zoo. It was amazing, tons and tons of animals, some I had never seen or heard of before. We got to see the pandas too!
Then we went to Belmont Park, Megan rode an old wooden rollercoaster, we walked along a boardwalk by the PACIFIC ocean, and then ate at a corner taco shop. The tacos were amazing – Meg had a fish one that I tried and it was really good.
After that we drove the hour and a half to Los Angeles to stay with a friend from Charleston. Tomorrow we will explore LA.
Alison
Location: Los Angelas
Gas Price: $2.99-$3.03
Miles Driven: Forgot to check
This morning we slept in a little bit before going to find the Wilmington, NC 2,554 miles away sign!!! This is the sign that started this whole adventure and the reason I have been talking about driving cross country for years and years!
So we found it and took some pictures before driving to San Diego .. very exciting!
We drove to San Diego and went to the Zoo. It was amazing, tons and tons of animals, some I had never seen or heard of before. We got to see the pandas too!
Then we went to Belmont Park, Megan rode an old wooden rollercoaster, we walked along a boardwalk by the PACIFIC ocean, and then ate at a corner taco shop. The tacos were amazing – Meg had a fish one that I tried and it was really good.
After that we drove the hour and a half to Los Angeles to stay with a friend from Charleston. Tomorrow we will explore LA.
Alison
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