Day 20 - The Final Countdown

Well here we are, it’s my last day and tonight I’m headed to the airport for my flight home, but not without a little bit of introspection and reflection.

So last night I get a message from my girl asking me to look out for a certain perfume while I’m travelling.  I respond that it’s my last day tomorrow, but I’ll have a look at the duty-free and see what I can do.  A quick Google shows that there is none available at either LAX or BNE duty-free stores, so I figure it’s not going to happen.

This morning I do a search to see if there’s a store nearby that I could get it.  There’s a Walmart about 5 miles from my hotel, in the opposite direction.  They have it in stock, but only one bottle.  The store opens at 7am, so at 7.20am, I find myself walking a mile to the bus-stop and travelling 11 stops and walking another half mile to get to the store.  I go to the aisle, and can’t immediately see the bottle but the assistant assures me they have it, and brings it out from behind the counter.  Mission accomplished.  I only hope Jordan realises how much I would do to bring a smile to her face!

So the rest of the day was spent cruising the stores at Downtown Disney, riding a few rides.  Initially I had reserved to go back to Disneyland for day 3, but halfway through the previous day I realised there was nothing I wanted to do back at Disneyland, and would prefer to spend the day in CA.  Ate ice cream from Sally’s Crazy Cone number 4, drank more lemonade, had a cokeslushy, had an American sub (pastrami, salami, ham and cheese) and spent a great deal of time people-watching.  I just happened to be at the parks at the same time as the D23 convention, and there was plenty to watch, as there was a plethora of customised t-shirts and Disney-bounding costumes throughout the park.  

For those who don’t know what Disney-bounding is, adults can’t wear Disney costumes into the parks (obviously they don’t want regular humans being confused with actual cast members in costume).  So people will “bound” as a character.  They wear regular clothes that represent the same colours as the character, match hats/accessories etc.  So you can tell what character they may be, but they aren’t in an exact costume.  It’s fun to look at people and try to guess who they are bounding as.  There was a cute little kid in a green shirt and purple pants (the Hulk), whose brother was in Spiderman red and blue.  A woman and her boyfriend who were both bounding as Donald Duck, a couple of Leía and Han bounds, a cool Darth Vader - they are really quite cool to see and there are some great unique choices.

Walk back to my hotel, where my shuttle will be picking me up at 5pm.  It’s been a really interesting holiday and I’ve had a bit of a chance to think things through.

Some little pearls I saw along the way:

• I saw my first hummingbird in San Francisco.  I stood mesmerised for about ten minutes watching it busily working its way around a garden of flowers.  It was truly something beautiful to behold
• Alcatraz Island has spectacular gardens along the east side - they were created and tended by inmates and their perfume was so nice to breathe in when I visited the island.
• I loved seeing the generational holidays taken by families - grandparents, children and grandchildren who traditionally spend their holidays each year camping at Yosemite.
• Discovering bears in the wild and sharing space with them (with a good bit of distance in between)
• Camping on the shore of Lake Mead in 35 degree heat at night with a tiny rechargeable fan to circulate air was still a great opportunity, and I wouldn’t change it.
• I had more compliments about my hair in my three days at Disney than for the entirety of the rest of the holiday.  I only saw about a dozen other people with brightly coloured hair in my whole trip - very different to last time.

Finally, thanks to everyone who has read my blogs, liked my posts, or commented on my page.  This has been a real adventure for me, and has been more than a number of steps out of my comfort zone.  Driving in a foreign country, car camping solo in national parks and wilderness areas, staying alone in big cities - these have all been experiences that have been both exciting and anxiety-inducing in equal amounts.  When I compare the challenges I felt on my Spanish adventure last year, and the mental health issues I faced, to this year’s adventures, it is a mile apart.  

I still had moments of loneliness and worry on this trip.  I still got homesick and had a countdown to get me home to my family, but this trip I felt more in control and really enjoyed my time away.  Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to travel with a buddy (or even my hubby), but sometimes, when that’s not possible, it’s also great to know you can travel alone quite comfortably.  I had to be mindful not to disclose my solo travel plans a couple of times (male Uber drivers dropping me back to my hotel in Vegas, random strangers who talk to you in restaurants etc), and I really only felt uncomfortable one night - the third night in Yosemite, I had a neighbouring camper who sat and watched me set up, then pretty much set himself up to watch me coming and going to and from camp. While it may have been innocuous, it made me uncomfortable and I was aware that he was watching.  Thankfully it was a busy campground so there was always somewhere around.

To anyone who is thinking of making the jump and doing some solo travelling, do it.  It’s scary, it’s exciting and it’s worth every minute.

Day 19 - The Devil is in the Detail

Day 2 at Disney, and today it’s the California Adventure park’s turn.  The park has the Avenger’s Campus, Cars Land, Pixar Pier, San Fransoyko, Grizzly River Country and Hollywood Studios.  

First stop, Avenger’s Campus, where I made a beeline for the Guardian of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout - which previously housed the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.  Not quite a giant drop, as you are accelerated up, dropped down, accelerated up and dropped down multiple times.  Wait times range from an hour to 2 hours most days, so was excited to be in and done within 30 minutes.  The ride is spectacular, in that you wind your way through the Collector’s inner sanctum to view his latest attraction - the Guardians of the Galaxy.  Once you are on the ride, it’s a fast-paced adventure as you bounce up and down, with doors opening to reveal the Guardians battling to escape the Collector’s clutches.

Explored the campus a bit further, watched the Spiderman stunt show, the Avengers fight show and sampled some of the food and drink from Pym’s Test Lab and Pym’s Test Kitchen.

Next stop, Cars Land.  This one is my favourite Disney movie, from the toe-tapping soundtrack, through to its star-studded cast, Brendon and I watch this one regularly.  And Disney does not disappoint.  The road along Main Street is darker and smoother than the other cross roads, like Lightning McQueen has just freshly relaid the bitumen.  You mosey on past Sarge’s Surplus Hut, the Cozy Cone, Flo’s V8 Diner, Luigi’s Tyres, Stanley’s Oasis and the Firehouse at the end of the street. Music is piped over speakers and everything is themed around the movie.  There are three rides - Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters where the cars spin and swirl around in time to the music (it’s like a beautiful synchronised dance), Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree where the cars twirl in a square dance than slings and spins around on spring trailers and finally, the piece de resistance, Radiator Spring Racers where you commence your ride as a gently ride through the town of Radiator Springs, prepping your car to race with new tyres or a fancy paint job, which culminates with you on a race start line and fast drive through around Ornament Valley (a parody of Monument Valley) to the finish line.  Easily the best ride in the park, always a long line to get on and thankfully has a single rider line to be able to get on a little faster.

I love the single rider option when it’s available, however just like at Disneyland Paris, there are always people who flaunt the single rider, and then complain when they get split up at the end.  The best part about CA is that cast members manage those people the same consistently - they are always split up and no matter how loud, how whiny or how much they plead, they don’t get to ride together at their insistence.

One of my biggest worries of the day was the Grizzly River Rapids ride - very similar to the ill-fated ride that resulted in multiple deaths at Dreamworld - I really wanted to ride it (it was extremely hot, and it would be a great way to cool down) but of course it was all in the back of my mind as I waited for 45 minutes in line.  But oh boy, was it worth the anxiety! It was a fun ride and I got saturated, which meant I stayed cool for hours afterward.

Rather than go through the rest of the timeline for the day, let’s explore some of the food that I indulged in on day 2.  Breakfast was a really ordinary “Calculated Breakfast = Ex2+(B+P)/T - eggs with crispy potato bites and focaccia toast”.  Cold eggs and bacon, the only really redeeming factor was the potato bites. Made a strong mental note not to order again.

Had a concoction of mango sorbet with chilli-lime syrup soaked mango chunks at the Adorable Snowman at Pixar Pier, which was interesting but not really my kind of iced treat.  Mango sorbet yes, chilli-line mango chunks not so much, but had to try it.

Watermelon slushy from Stanley’s Oasis was ultra-sweet but the perfect thirst-quencher on what was proving to be a hotter than average day for this time of year.  Note: paper straws are useless in icy drinks.  It turned out to be a 4-straw drink!  

Also had multiple Minute Maid Lemonades throughout the day - they will be the biggest thing I miss when I’m back home.  Now for those who’ve never been to the US, their lemonade is not like out lemonade.  If you want a fizzy lemon drink, that’s a Sprite.  If you want a thirst-quenching, sweet lemon drink that is not fizzy, that’s lemonade, and it is delicious!

Dinner that night was thanks to Shawarma Palace on the Avengers Campus, a gorgeously spicy chicken shawarma - fast, hot and full of flavour.  Washed it down with a Blue Hawaiian cocktail from Pym’s Tasting Lab, which came in a cutely-branded Pym’s plastic beaker. 

Food aside, the highlight of the day was definitely being on Main Street in Cars Land just before sunset.  The music gets a little louder, cast members flow into the street and when Shaboom, Shaboom starts to play, there is dancing and playing in the street as they turn on the neon.  Everyone cheers and claps and there is a feeling of absolute delight emanating up and down the street. Once again I found myself dancing in the street of a Disney park - but this time Bernie Clarke wasn’t there to record it.

As the title says, it’s all about the detail.  When you walk into a store or a restaurant there are details like the whiteboard in the photo above that reference parts of the movies and recreate scenes.  It’s just another part of the magic that is Disney.

Once the sun had set, I did a final lap of the park and started the short walk back to my hotel.  It’s a busy walk until I get to the parking structures, and a bit quiet for the last ten minutes - well lit, busy road beside, but not a lot of pedestrian traffic.  Still, I never felt unsafe on the multiple early morning and late night walks to and from the parks.

Watched the fireworks from the balcony of my apartment tonight, and wondered at the pace in which 3 weeks can pass.  Tomorrow is my last day in the parks and in the US as I fly home late in the evening.  

Day 18 - Can Disney change my mind about their theme parks

Can I do three days at Disneyland without hurting someone. Good question. I guess we will find out soon enough.

An early start at 4.30am onto the Deuce to take me to the bus terminal.  This journey has seen so many transport modes - plane, train, bus, cable car, private camper, Uber, tram and boat - but what better way to learn the lay of the land than travelling on its roads and highways.  

5 hours to Santa Ana went relatively uneventfully, with a meal stop in Barlow and quick rest stops in San Bernardino. From Santa Ana it was public transport to Anaheim, and a short walk to my hotel for the next two nights. Way too early to check in, so I dropped my luggage and walked to Disneyland.

 

First stop, security, where they check your bag and suddenly you are in Downtown Disney - a whole precinct of shops and restaurants before you even get into the parks. Had a browse through the stores for gift ideas for the family and finally made my way to the Disneyland entrance, where they took my photo and suddenly I’m in.

 

Had decided to make my way to Galaxy’s Edge straight away and I’ve got to say that Disney has done the Star Wars universe absolute justice. Every little detail is thought of from the backdrops, the way they camouflage drink fountains, piping, electrical requirements - it really is next level.  As I rounded the corner and caught sight of the Millenium Falcon for the first time, I will admit to taking a big gulp and blinking back a few tears. Suddenly that teenager who watched the original movies over and over again on the weekends was in the midst of a desert outpost at the edge of the galaxy.

 

Smuggler’s Run saw me assigned as an engineer and sitting in the cockpit of the Falcon. The jump to lightspeed was nothing short of spectacular and the visuals and sound effects were like really being there.

 

Next stop Rise of the Resistance and thanks to a kind couple in line in front of me, I was able to tag along with them as a party of 3 and evade the interrogation of the Empire’s agents and get transported safely home.

 

Walked back to my hotel to check in and have a rest, then back to the park for some dinner and a ride on Star Tours, pretty much time wasting until 9.30 for the fireworks and the short walk home.

 

Disney has come up in my estimation since Magic Kingdom and Paris. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Day 17 - A day spent time wasting in Vegas

No plans for today after I decided not to do the kayaking session I’d looked at - my rehabbed shoulder probably isn’t up to 5-10km and the heat under this Vegas sun would result in radiation burns off the water that would put Australia to shame.

Had a bit of a lie in before staying in the air con of our neighbours at the Venetian, where I cruised the shops. Breakfast at Denny’s, which was not great - the food was fine but I’m over holiday meals now and am just craving normal food.

Walked South on the strip, through the Miracle Mile of shops, did a bit of gift purchasing for the boys and then jumped on the Deuce again and cruised downtown to Fremont St which is much quieter and dirtier in the daylight.  Got some photos of the Plaza to compare to Biff’s images I found online and got promptly back on the air conditioned bus!  The ride would have been lovely, except for the very loud Arizonan who insisted, at the top of their voice that Phoenix was much cleaner than Vegas, much prettier, better planned, had more beautiful women, better transport, would never have taken tourists through these dirty, shitty streets - you get the gist. And it wasn’t like he was sitting next to me that I could hear this conversation - he just spoke with the volume and authority that only (some) Americans speak at, like everyone wants (and needs) to hear them  and their opinions.  I stood 20m from him on the street after we got off the bus and could still hear him loud and clear.

I seem to be a lot less tolerant this trip, this heat has been really doing a number on me, so after a walk up and down the Linq promenade and a delicious Ghirardelli’s Gold Rush sundae (vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, chopped almonds and a chunk of white chocolate with sea salt) I went back to my room for a rest and to plan my travel for the MJ Live show at the Sahara and my trip to the bus station for my ride to Anaheim tomorrow.

After a quick nap, I was back waiting on the strip for the bus to the Sahara. It is so hot at the moment that just that 5 minute wait in the sun is energy-sapping, and when the bus pulls up and it is full and you have to wait another ten, you wonder if you’ll just melt into a pulpy blob on the sidewalk.

Thankfully no blobby mess this time, but the next bus was packed too, so it was a squishy, hot mess on the bus too.

Had a great meal at the Sahara at one of their signature restaurants, Noodle Den.  Beef and broccoli, brown rice and vegetable spring rolls - those vegetables were so welcome after only eating fries and bananas and watermelon for a few days! Delicious meal and very attentive wait staff but phew, those meals are expensive - US$60 including tip makes for expensive dinners post conversion.

The tipping has been interesting here. I have no issues (well I have a whole issue with paying people a liveable wage - but that’s for another time) tipping wait staff, housekeeping, shuttle drivers etc, but with the new tap machines for cards, everywhere now asks for a tip (or select no tip). Buy a pair of socks? How much would you like to tip? Go to McDonalds and get a burger. How much would you like to tip? I don’t know if it’s just that that is how point of sale readers are set up now, but it seems that everyone has their hand in your pocket now, looking for a tip for their service.

But I digress. I was at the Sahara to see arguably one of the leading Michael Jackson impersonators - Jalles Franca and he did not disappoint. Sang and danced to a whole swathe of MJ songs and did a really authentic job of it. Would definitely recommend seeing it if you’re in town. But you do have to get past a little bit of hype-up woo-hooing that just doesn’t sit well with us Aussies.

 

Last night in Vegas, tomorrow is the last leg of my trip, with two nights in Anaheim and a three day pass to Disneyland. Goddess grant me the patience to stand in line in the hot sun.

Day 16 - Farewell Joanna, Hello Vegas (again!)

Driving from Palm Strings to Los Angeles today to drop off the camper and fly to Vegas.

It took over 3 hours to drive the 200km - the freeway traffic was really stop start, but not to worry as my flight doesn’t leave until 2.40pm, so I just need to have the car back by 10 and then I can take my time getting to the terminal.

At drop off, I worked out that I had driven 1635 miles (2730km) in the nine days, much of it up and down mountain ranges. Starting at San Francisco, to Yosemite, to Sequoia, to Vegas, to Palm Springs and finally to LA. I certainly enjoyed the driving more in the parks, where speed and attitudes are kept in check.  Highway/freeway driving is a little more anxiety-inducing as there are some drivers who have a very high opinion of both their own abilities and those of the drivers around them.

 

What I have learned from driving here though is that a four way stop intersection would never work in Australia (heaven forbid the road rage that these stops would induce in our drivers), and I wish we had left turn on red rules like they do here - it is so convenient and easy to do.

 

With Joanna safely dropped off, I hopped an Uber (which I’ve been trying to avoid) and made my way to Terminal 1, checked in my bags and settled down with Chick-Fil-A for lunch and a 4 hour wait to board.

 

Flying South-West and there are no allocated seats, which is an interesting social experiment in itself! Nabbed a window seat and enjoyed the view as we flew into Vegas.

 

This trip I was determined to try to avoid ride shares, taxis or shuttles, and to utilise public transport whenever possible. So today I got on the 109 at the airport that took me to South Strip Transportation Terminal and then the Deuce to my accommodation at The Linq.

 

After some issues with using the self-checkin kiosks, the lovely Joshua got me organised and after finding my room, did a quick bag drop as I had 7pm entry tickets to the Neon Boneyard Museum located just out of the Fremont Street Precinct.

 

The boneyard has an abundant display of many retired signs from across Las Vegas, and I spent three hours there from early twilight to full dark watching the sky change and the neon pop.  They are currently looking for new premises to expand as they have reach max capacity.  I paid for a tour that talked about how some of the signs appeared in movies and a bit of their history - really insightful and found out that the Plaza Hotel on Main Street was actually Biff’s Pleasure Paradise and Casino ipn Back to the Future 2.

 

Back to the hotel at 10pm and a quick In’n’Out burger for dinner before settling into my comfy bed in hope of getting some sleep. My room overlooks a live music venue and it doesn’t sound like it’s stopping anytime soon!

Day 15 - Not so wasted days and wasted nights

With no ETA in sight for the car, I decided to do a little googling to find out if I can get a bottle of Brother’s Bond bourbon anywhere local. The label refers to the Salvatore Brothers from The Vampire Diaries and is owned by Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder who starred as Stefan and Damon in the series.

 

Google assured me there were stocks at Walmart in Desert Hot Springs, which was only an hour and a half away via three buses. So I bought another daily bus pass ($3 such a bargain) and in the early heat made my way to Walmart.

 

The air conditioning on the buses is quite frosty, so getting on and off is something of a shock initially and the 1km walk from the bus stop to the store was largely unshaded. By the time I got to the shop, my shirt was plastered to my back, my hair looked like I’d poured a bottle of water over my head and I was glad that I hadn’t put on any makeup that day - although the tinted sunscreen was doing a number on my eyes!

 

Now if you haven’t been to Walmart, these places are huge, and this one is a Supercentre so it’s like a Walmart on steroids. Thanks to google I knew I had to be in aisle 27a and after walking up and down a few times, I finally found a bottle. Mission accomplished.

 

Walk back to the bus stop and was thankful I had thought to pack a fan to keep the air circulating when the sweating kicked in.

Took the bus back to where the car was, in the hopes that perhaps they might call, however with still no ETA I made my way back to the hotel for a bite to eat and a nap.

 

Finally get a message that my car is ready so another hour across two buses and Joanna and I have been reunited.

 

It’s 5pm. I have about 3 hours of daylight left. Should I? Or do I just write off that I won’t see Joshua Tree NP this trip. Hang it, we are off to Joshua Tree which has an entrance about 40 minutes away.

 

I’m glad I made the effort. While I only had an hour in the park before I needed to head home (I left my transition sunglasses in my bag at the hotel, so need daylight to use my regular prescription sunnies).  That perfect golden hour light made for some beautiful photos to whet the appetite for a return visit - maybe in a cooler month next time. Funnily enough, the NP is at a higher elevation so it is cooler up there than it is in Palm Springs.

 

Couldn’t get the grin off my face the whole drive home - a small tick in the box with so much more to see and do.

 

Tomorrow, we are toff to LA to drop off the car and hop a plane back to Vegas.

Day 14 - Marking time in Palm Springs

I’m beyond frustrated today as I should be in my air-conditioned camper exploring Joshua Tree National Park.  Instead I’m dropping the camper off to get checked and making my way around town by bus.

I dropped the car across town, and went and had breakfast at a nearby Maccas. I’d already been warned that they would have the car all day, so planned to do a full day at Joshua tree the next day to at least salvage some of the trip.

While sitting in Maccas I scrolled through social media and realised that a way to keep cool and finally avoid all of the Deadpool and Wolverine spoilers was to go to the cinema, so I downloaded the local public transport app and bought an all day pass and jumped the number 2 bus to Cathedral City and the closest cinema.

Pleasantly surprised to pay $10 Australian for recliner seats that were so comfy if the movie was bad I could easily sleep in them. No fear of that though, as Ryan and Hugh delivered an absolute spectacle.  Movie over and I thought I might see another, but I refrained in the hope I might get a call to pick up the car and could plan some star gazing in JTNP.

Jumped the number 1 bus to go back to my hotel only to realise after ten minutes I’d gotten on the wrong bus and it was going the opposite direction. Meh, I had nothing else to do, so rode it to the end and then took it all the way back to my hotel. 

Now the saddest thing about the bus is that this is the only way that some of the city’s homeless population can get out of the heat, so they ride the bus back and forward all day to stay in the cool.  It is really tough to watch these poor souls spend their money on a bus ticket, and the bus drivers often just let them on if they don’t have the money. They are mainly harmless, but can be quite territorial and if someone gets on the bus they don’t like it can escalate into a yelling match.  I just smile and try not to make eye contact too often.

Looked at some local things to do and decided to walk to the main business district (5k round trip) to see the controversial “Forever Marilyn” statue, the Lucille Ball sculpture and the Palm Springs Star Walk (their version of the Hollywood Boulevard of stars).

Called the rental company to see when I can expect the car and they’ve advised they have to get parts in and I won’t get it til tomorrow “some time” so it looks like Joshua Tree will have to be another time.  And now I need to find something to do tomorrow.

Back via the liquor store and I’m holed back up in my room, eating leftovers from last night and planning. Let’s see what I can find (that I can get to with PT).

Day 13 - Holding my breath while driving

Texted my rental company about the dash lights, and after getting no response I just decided to risk it and drive the four hours to Palm Springs.

 
I was originally meant to be camping at Joshua Tree National Park, but had received increasingly worrying updates from the NPS about excessive heat warnings, monsoon storms and flash flooding, so I cancelled my booking and found a cheap hotel in Palm Springs to stay at, with the aim of driving into the NP for a couple of day trips - all dependant of course on whether the car could be serviced.
 
No dramas on the drive, but very excited that I drove a good amount of time on the Mother Road - Route 66, and was just blown away by the landscapes as they changed from desert to mountains to desert again.
 
Finally got hold of the rental company after check in and because it’s Sunday they can’t tell me if the car will be fixed until tomorrow, so I’m stuck in my cool, air conditioned room til I hear from them.
 
I did decide to go for a walk to find some dinner and walked the 2.5km to a nice little family-owned Chinese restaurant. This was at 6.30pm in 38!degree heat - I walked home with my meal and it was still piping hot when I sat down to eat in my room.  The wind is like the rush of hot air you get when you open up an oven door - only constant.  There are misters outside a lot of businesses but it’s so hot you barely notice the mist and it’s not always cooling. I certainly have an appreciation for people who live here permanently!
 
The walk back was worth it though, as I had a chance to chat with Hayden about the footy and then Brendon called and walked me the rest of the way back. It’s funny how just a voice from home can be a lifeline when you’re feeling a bit homesick and lonely. Been did the same thing when I was in Spain on one of my walking days he talked to me for about half an hour as I walked into Sarria, watching my little dot move along on the Find my iPhone app.
 
The pool looks inviting here and I might have a dip tomorrow - providing it doesn’t feel like bath water. I did laugh when I looked at reviews for the hotel and they asked if the pool was heated. But then winters are cold here so maybe I should cut them some slack.

Day 12 - Roy Kent said my name

Ok, so camping in bear country has its challenges with food lockers, washing up water having to be walked to a central disposal point, teeth brushing happening in the restroom and not at taps in the camp areas etc.

 
For me, the biggest challenge is waking up to go to the bathroom before sun up. Not a big deal in Yosemite where the toilet blocks are in each loop and no more than 30 metres away in the middle of all the campers.
 
At Lodgepole (Sequoia), the nearest loos were over 250m away, with plenty of forestry between my campsite and the building. I would wake at 4 and quietly curse the mountains that meant it wasn’t light until 5.30.
 
That is, until today. At 5am I thought, I can’t wait, I’m going to have to get my flashlight and brace it. So I put on my noisy shoes, grabbed my headlamp and made my way to the toilet, scanning side to side for movement and listening for any noise to indicate there was a bear nearby.  Success - made it there and back without incident.
 
And while we are talking about loos - I saw a TikTok a while back where a US woman was complaining about toilets in Australia because you had to use your hands to flush them.  Didn’t think about it much at the time, but it is quite cool that many of the loos here have the flush mechanism down low so you flush it with your foot!  Not exactly life-changing but a different take during COVID I imagine.
 
Long 8 hour day driving from camp to Lake Mead, where I am camping for the night so I can drive the 40min into Vegas to see Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent from Ted Lasso), do his standup routine.
 
Pulled into camp and it was a hot and blustery 45 degrees.  Sorted a few things for the night, then made my way to the Cosmopolitan for the show, where I intended to splurge and pay for parking in their parking garage.
 
Made a dodgy turn at the Bellagio that had a few tourists wondering what the crazy chick was doing and parked the car.
 
Brett was very funny and worth the stress of driving on the Strip at peak afternoon time, he even read a question I’d asked him and told a story about it, and thanked me for travelling so far for the show. It was even worth it driving on the strip at 11pm following a 45 minute wait to get out of the parking garage.
 
It was even worth the ABS light and anti-swerve lights coming on on the dash and being terrified my brakes would fail on the short drive home.  And it was even worth the night time temps which stayed in the low 30s with no aircon in my camper.  Thankfully I’d bought a small rechargeable fan that ran for six hours and made just enough breeze to allow for a sweaty but rested night of sleep.
 
So my firsts (and hopefully a couple of lasts) - dark sky toileting in bear country and driving on the strip in Vegas - I’m not sure which one scared me most!

Day 11 - walking in the footsteps of giants

Listening to a ranger talk this morning at the General Sherman tree got me thinking. He was talking about the feeling he gets when he comes to the park and sees the trees. That all those people walking beneath their boughs are insignificant in the scheme of a sequoia life. He talked about how he loves to just stop and listen to the sounds of the forest and I had to agree that these majestic beings are so close to grandeur - they were around long before us and will be here well past us.

 
Today I hopped the shuttle to Moro Point where I climbed over 350 stairs to get to the top of a huge granite outcrop that stretches out across the valley. I won’t say it was easy, I took the ascent very slowly, stopping regularly to catch my breath and slow my heart rate.  It was tough, it was hot, it was thin oxygen level air but I made it to the top to be rewarded with 360 degree views around the valley.  I even got some nice pics of me thanks to a friendly family.
 
Back on the shuttle I walked the Giant Trees Trail again in the hopes of seeing bears again. No luck this time but I wasn’t surprised as it was early morning and they would be sleeping.
 
Onto the shuttle again to the General Sherman tree - the largest of the sequoias in the forest by wood volume. There are taller ones but not with the same thickening of the trunk that occurs once they stop growing up.  I like to think I was a sequoia in a previous life!
 
Back at camp just after lunch I had to buy a new hat as I lost my cap on the shuttle so I now have a Sequoia National Park bucket hat which I think will do me much better than the old cap I had.  I also bought a new book as I imagine some of my time at Joshua Tree will be spent in the shade trying to beat the midday heat.
 
I’m currently reading “Mark of the Grizzlies” by Scott McMillion, which I picked up in my hostel in Seattle.  It’s a collection of stories about Grizzly attacks and a really insightful read.  My next book is “The Last Season” by Eric Blehm - a story about a High Sierra rescuer who one day goes missing himself. I also have “Bears I Have Known” by Bob Murphy on my to-buy list.
 
It started to rain this afternoon so I made my way back to the car, snuggled in for an afternoon nap and then a short hike toward a waterfall before changing my mind and heading back to camp.  Bears and solo walkers don’t mix and there weren’t any people on the trail for me to pace with so I made the safe choice and returned to camp to read again.
 
There has been some thunder rolling late this afternoon so we may get some spectacular light shows later tonight.
 
Last night here, I will miss the beauty of the high country but will be happy not to have to completely clear my car out each day and put things into good lockers.  To show you how seriously they take it, my neighbours here left some stuff out before going for a walk. The rangers drove past and saw it and issued them with a fine.
 
At least at my next few nights I just have to worry about coyotes, scorpions and rattlesnakes - so not too different from home!
 
Next stop - Lake Mead and the Boulder Beach Campground.

Day 10 - Hello Sequoia National Park

After a lot of hilly driving it was nice to have about an hour of my four hour trip on a regular highway, until the climb began again.

 

I had a quick stop into Target at Fresno to buy a suitcase because my duffel bag has split and I really don’t want to risk it tearing on my next flight. Stocked up on some more food and have to remind myself to look left at roundabouts for traffic entering after a very close encounter exciting the shopping precinct.

 

The land around here is beautiful too, with sweeping views down into the valleys.  Once again I had to pull over for a refresher nap as I found my eyes drifting closed around a technical stretch of road.

 

The campground was easy to find and thankfully the bear locker gets a little shade - I’m spending a fortune on ice as the coolers sit inside those steel boxes in full sun all day.

 

Couldn’t get out of the car fast enough and I walked down to the market and visitor centre to get my bearings and hop the shuttle to the Giant Trees Museum.  There are hundreds of walks that can be done from the centre, winding all around the national park.

 

I decided to do a walk that would take me across the highway and around a meadow filled with flowers.  The educational panels told the story of the park and the sequoia and with the exception of children being loud and either asking a million questions at the top of their voices or whining that they didn’t want to walk any more, it was a very peaceful and world-confirming experience. 

 

And then it happened. A small group had stopped and were looking up the hill. About 40 metres up on the ridge were bears eating berries and foraging in the bush. Cursing myself for leaving my camera at camp, I got the best pics I could with my phone, along with a bit of video footage.  There was a smaller, darker black bear, a slightly larger brown black bear and may have been a third but he/she stayed down in the berry bushes, while the other two came out to look at us and keep an eye on us.

 

My day was complete - I had seen a bear in the wild.  Jumped the shuttle again down to Crescent Meadow and walked the loop, got a little lost, a little anxious I would miss the last shuttle back to camp and that the sun was going down and bear activity would increase.

 

Thankfully spotted a couple of walkers ahead so kept them in sight and followed them back out to the parking lot.  Panic attack averted.

 

Had a glorious shower once back at camp (coin operated $1 for 4 minutes) and tried a drop of local rosé which could not hold a candle to the Spanish wines I was drinking last year. Safe to say the rest of the bottle will be going in the trash.

 

Camping in bear country brings a lot of challenges - as previously mentioned, there’s the whole scented items being locked up in bear lockers issue. You can’t discard your dishwater or laundry water at camp - it gets walked to a sink at the toilet blocks to be disposed of, you can’t just cast that last mouthful of warm soda into the bush and you have to go to the bathroom to brush your teeth. Minor inconveniences I know but they all add up to things to remember NOT to do as an Aussie camper.

 

Time for bed now - I’ve planned out tomorrow’s adventures so let’s see what they bring.

After a lot of hilly driving it was nice to have about an hour of my four hour trip on a regular highway, until the climb began again.

 

I had a quick stop into Target at Fresno to buy a suitcase because my duffel bag has split and I really don’t want to risk it tearing on my next flight. Stocked up on some more food and have to remind myself to look left at roundabouts for traffic entering after a very close encounter exciting the shopping precinct.

 

The land around here is beautiful too, with sweeping views down into the valleys.  Once again I had to pull over for a refresher nap as I found my eyes drifting closed around a technical stretch of road.

 

The campground was easy to find and thankfully the bear locker gets a little shade - I’m spending a fortune on ice as the coolers sit inside those steel boxes in full sun all day.

 

Couldn’t get out of the car fast enough and I walked down to the market and visitor centre to get my bearings and hop the shuttle to the Giant Trees Museum.  There are hundreds of walks that can be done from the centre, winding all around the national park.

 

I decided to do a walk that would take me across the highway and around a meadow filled with flowers.  The educational panels told the story of the park and the sequoia and with the exception of children being loud and either asking a million questions at the top of their voices or whining that they didn’t want to walk any more, it was a very peaceful and world-confirming experience. 

 

And then it happened. A small group had stopped and were looking up the hill. About 40 metres up on the ridge were bears eating berries and foraging in the bush. Cursing myself for leaving my camera at camp, I got the best pics I could with my phone, along with a bit of video footage.  There was a smaller, darker black bear, a slightly larger brown black bear and may have been a third but he/she stayed down in the berry bushes, while the other two came out to look at us and keep an eye on us.

 

My day was complete - I had seen a bear in the wild.  Jumped the shuttle again down to Crescent Meadow and walked the loop, got a little lost, a little anxious I would miss the last shuttle back to camp and that the sun was going down and bear activity would increase.

 

Thankfully spotted a couple of walkers ahead so kept them in sight and followed them back out to the parking lot.  Panic attack averted.

 

Had a glorious shower once back at camp (coin operated $1 for 4 minutes) and tried a drop of local rosé which could not hold a candle to the Spanish wines I was drinking last year. Safe to say the rest of the bottle will be going in the trash.

 

Camping in bear country brings a lot of challenges - as previously mentioned, there’s the whole scented items being locked up in bear lockers issue. You can’t discard your dishwater or laundry water at camp - it gets walked to a sink at the toilet blocks to be disposed of, you can’t just cast that last mouthful of warm soda into the bush and you have to go to the bathroom to brush your teeth. Minor inconveniences I know but they all add up to things to remember NOT to do as an Aussie camper.

 

Time for bed now - I’ve planned out tomorrow’s adventures so let’s see what they bring.