You can start using the larger images anytime you want!Quote:
Originally Posted by UKCraig
Where was this airstream lodging?
Mark
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You can start using the larger images anytime you want!Quote:
Originally Posted by UKCraig
Where was this airstream lodging?
Mark
Autocamp in Joshua Tree. Amazing place. Well worth a stop!
I had never heard of this place before.
I screengrabbed the photo to post here:
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...ee_Camping.jpg
Courtesy of AutoCamp Joshua Tree
Here is another. Just about to leave for the day. Again, really enjoyed this site and would recommend to anyone who finds this post later.
Will try and work out the photos thing when I am home hut struggling to nake it work ffom my mobile.
Attachment 5143
OK. Good to know. We chose the WP platform specifically because it was easier to upload from mobile phones and then repost on the Forum. When you get home, would love feedback on what didn't work on your mobile.Quote:
Originally Posted by UKCraig
Happy road trippin!
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...21-rotated.jpg Young roadtrippers "relaxing" in the pool
Is this at the Wigwam Motel in San Berdu?
Mark
Cool, I stayed at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, AZ this past January.
It was indeed!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist
Safely home now although it was a worry for a few hours. Woke at 4am, checked my phone and.. bam!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66644369
Thankfully our plane was already out of UK airspace and we were able to board 12 hours later and we were 'back home in time for tea' the next day!
When did the US get so expensive though? Wow! All budgets were completely blown... will sadly be a while before we can get back now I suspect. Great trip though, thank you all for your input!!
Glad you missed that fubar! With the relative strength of the USD -- it does make travel to Europe and UK seem almost like a bargain. A year or so ago, we were in Switzerland and the pricing seemed comparable to US pricing and that was an unexpected bonus.Quote:
Originally Posted by UKCraig
Glad you had fun on this side of the pond.
Mark
Sounds like you all enjoyed it !
I'm not sure if inflation is much different to here in the UK or elsewhere for that matter, I think the real kicker is the exchange rate now. We enjoyed it when a UK Pound would get us almost 2 USD, now it's more like 1.25 USD.Quote:
When did the US get so expensive though? Wow! All budgets were completely blown...
Dave
We have had runaway inflation here in the USA for the past 2 years. It started with the fuel price, which of course affects all the prices of goods since we rely on trucks to bring us goods.
It's highly political, so I will not go any further into the reasons why.
Donna
Americans traditionally have short memories when it comes to economic trends. The inflation we've seen over the last couple of years has been minuscule compared to past periods. The rates we dealt with in the mid-1970's put the rates we've seen in the last couple of years in appropriate perspective. No one has seen "runaway" inflation in the USA in a couple of decades. And in other countries -- Venezula comes to mind, their true runaway inflation is approaching 9600%. I think the current inflation rate for the USA is 2.7%Quote:
Originally Posted by DonnaR57
This web page shows the inflation rates in the USA from 1929 to 2023 to gain a perspective on what's going on with the inflation here in this country. (I haven't checked the arithmetic-- but it seems reasonable)
And to keep things in perspective about other countries that really seem to be having "runaway inflation rates" as tracked by worldpopulationreview.com:
Venezuela: 9586% 🇻🇪
Zimbabwe: 676% 🇿🇼
Sudan: 71.4% 🇸🇩
Argentina: 46.9% 🇦🇷
South Sudan: 36.4% 🇸🇸
Liberia: 30.55% 🇱🇷
Ethiopia: 22.6% 🇪🇹
Iran: 22% 🇮🇷
Mark
Oh I get that Donna but inflation here has been higher overall I believe. If my sums are correct a US gallon would cost you around $7.2 right now. Our domestic fuel (gas and electric) has rocketed in price and like you say, that leads to everything going up.
Confirmation. Here in the UK it has dropped to 6.8% after reaching double digits earlier in the year.Quote:
I think the current inflation rate for the USA is 2.7%
Dave.
Dave, gas prices in Las Vegas today are about $4.45 per gallon. (Oh, I see you meant in the UK?)Quote:
Originally Posted by Southwest Dave
For the most part, the US economy has kept price increases much lower than just about anywhere else on the planet.
Any price increase in fuel, food, housing, etc. causes stress and concerns, but the economy is still plugging along and the long-thought-to-arrive recession hasn't really happened here yet. Our RTA business plans for 2023-2024 include calcs for such a recession--but the data is still a bit murky.
Mark
Quote:
If my sums are correct a US gallon would cost you around $7.2 right now.
My bad. I should have finished the above sentence with "$7.2 right now here in the UK"Quote:
Dave, gas prices in Las Vegas today are about $4.45 per gallon.
Dave
You can use the RTA Fuel Cost Calculator and check your numbers!
Hopefully, we'll see some more photos from UKCraig's trip.
Bodie after the storm comes to mind!
Maybe this is more a California problem than a US problem to be fair. I have thrown out all the receipts now but from memory regular was around the mid 5s with some maxing out at a shade over 6 in the sticks. Everything else followed suit with food being insane (one eggs/sausage and three pancakes at a Dennys (!!!) coming out at around $110 before the tax and tips!) Even a depressing shrink wrapped ham sandwich in Walmart was just shy of $6 on its own.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist
I hope you meant $11!Quote:
(one eggs/sausage and three pancakes at a Dennys (!!!) coming out at around $110 before the tax and tips!)
"Low-price" hotel rooms are now pushing $100.
I stand corrected; it was $110 including tax. But still a tip expected on top of that. Not being funny but I am pretty sure if a restaurant was charging that then they should be expected to pay the server and not me?
Dreadful tasting (to be expected but the options were Jack In The Box, Dennys, Subway, McDonalds or 7-Eleven!), dirty tables, dirty attitude from the servers... outrageous prices (and, yes, three did have milkshakes followed by soda all around).
Ah, hotels. Don't get me started on hotel costs either! :)
That's one of those American things - restaurant servers have always been paid less than most jobs, with the expectation that they will earn more due to tips they get. A few places are now starting to require they receive the same minimum as other jobs, but that is still more unusual than usual.Quote:
Originally Posted by UKCraig
Denny's can be bad (or good) depending on who is running the specific location, as tends to be the case with most of the chains. I suspect the milkshakes added quite a bit - might be close to $20 for 3 of those in many spots, then probably another $3+ for the sodas (even our local diner, otherwise moderately priced, charges $3.99 for drinks like soda or iced tea these days).
The gas pricing is a California thing (being higher than the rest of the country - as another example, here in the area around Albany NY stations are at $3.999 or lower (there were a couple that bumped up to $4.09 a few weeks ago but have since dropped back - at least one was as low as $3.789 for cash payment). As I understand, California decided to require a specific fuel blend to help with their pollution issues, which makes the higher cost (be it from the actual ingredients or that no one else uses it, thus made in smaller quantities and if one refinery is not able to make it, others can't help out in surrounding regions due to being a different blend).
All understandable when the end price is low (even though I disagree with it) but when you are paying $100+ for what equates to fast food? Surely the margins are there to pay your staff properly? Anyway I know this always divides opinion US vs Europe so I will just keep quiet and avoid chains that price themselves out of the market in future.
Oh - food for how many people?
Fuel prices....I use Gas Buddy app all the time, here locally and when we travel. Hubby and I don't mind driving an extra mile or two for a significant savings. Several times on our trip, we went a half mile away from the highway to save 30c/gal. Over the years, that's worked A LOT.
Right now, using same Gas Buddy, here in MO, regular unleaded fuel is running $3.33-3.63. In our former residence in the state of California, unleaded regular is running $4.99-$5.49.
Food has gone up, of course, and tipping has become a BIG issue in the US. It seems that everywhere you turn around, some electronic gadget or note is asking for a tip. You don't have any idea, when you tip, who actually sees that tip. Does the serve staff have to share with others? You also have to wonder why there's a tip jar on the counter at a fast-food counter, or why the machine asks you if you want to add a tip at said fast-food counter. I've also noticed that in the last year or two, the pre-chosen amounts on said electronic tip has gone up to 18-20-25% from 15-18-20%. (I almost ALWAYS use Custom Tip).
Lodging -- yes, we'd noted this year that lodging has gone up in price. Also noted that a few establishments had a note from the housekeeping staff which was, of course, on an envelope. I have VERY mixed emotions on that tipping, too, and admit that we've rarely left any monetary tip. Instead, we leave the room in as good a shape as possible to make the housekeeping staff job a little easier -- trash in the trash can, an empty and clean fridge, we don't use the coffeepot, we throw all the dirty towels in one place, and if we've moved anything, we try to move it back. (We often move the motel room coffee maker as we bring our own.) These days, most places only service the room before you check in and after you check out, unless you request it, and most ask you to put the trash can outside the room in the hall if it's full.
Donna
Craig, in the USA, most servers, bartenders, etc. are paid minimum wage and management assumes that they will make most of their income from tips.Quote:
Originally Posted by UKCraig
I generally tip 15% to 20% across the board to restaurant servers and bartenders. But I have been known to tip considerably more in certain circumstances.
I almost always tip bathroom attendants and carry a stack of brand-new USD $2 bills for that purpose.
I always tip hotel staff -- room cleaners and others -- Generally I tip every every morning -- rates are dependent on a variety of factors -- but generally I leave two $2 bills on the pillow.
Pre-loaded tips are fine on the devices -- Europe has had the hand-held card chargers for more than three decades - it is only now that the US is finally catching up. I generally don't like my card to go off to the back room with the server -- I prefer to do the tipping and paying at the same time.
This is Labor Day in the USA. I also tip the garbage men, postal workers, delivery drivers, etc., generally anyone who makes my life easier on a day-to-day basis. I don't tip these kind of workers every day -- but every so often.
Mark
Until a few years ago (pre kids - when I was able to do things for myself!) I would spend a lot of time with friends who worked in the service industry in the US so I am aware of the ridiculous wage they get (just over $2 an hour IIRC) and the presumption that they will share tips with those behind the scenes, buying the right to wait tables and needing to pay tax on the presumption that tips will be earned. The trade off was said to be lower prices and better service. I obviously cannot judge the former but the latter definitely seemed to be true at the time. I was shocked this time about the huge increases in pricing but also the lack of service and general bad attitude of the wait staff. Now you need to ask what is in it for the customer? The whole system is a nonsense and the only reason that wait staff don't want it to change is that they are on to a good thing with tips vastly outweighing anything that they could ever earn if they were paid correctly and fairly. As I say I think that with prices higher now than the equivalent in Europe there is no excuse for this out of control roundabout.
Other than throwing in to the mix the fact that I was prompted at one point to tip a self service checkout (!!!!!!!!) I will leave the subject well alone now as it is really not the intention of this forum to get in to these debates!
Interesting idea with the $2 bills. We've done that lately as part of the tip for a local restaurant several times, not trying to but simply because these keep showing up in the mail (those groups that are looking for donations and put in money, half dollars are common as well) - particularly when someone gets 20 requests in one day's mail.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist
The wage does vary from state to state - most still have a lower wage than the traditional minimum (but the restaurant has to make up the difference if the tips don't), but there are a few places trying to make the minimum wage equal to what other workers are making. Just hard to know which is which outside of an area someone is in regularly (sometimes even one city will do something different than the rest of the state).Quote:
Originally Posted by UKCraig
No clue who came up with the ones for self-checkout - almost thinking it's something that is built into the software for card payments (having never had it ask when paying cash anywhere) and for some reason they opt to have one software for all businesses, rather than two separate versions for places where tips would not normally be a factor (like the grocery store in general, self-checkout or not) vs. where they would be (like restaurant served food).
Yeah, this is a departure from what we normally discuss on these trip planning forums, but one more comment about fast food servers. Unlike a server in a traditional restaurant or tavern, because of an alarming lack of interest on the part of entry-level workers to work in fast-food establishments--just about every starting employee earns considerably more than minimum wage.
In fact, new hires at McDonald's, Burger King, and few others make more per hour than US Federal Wildland firefighters. The skill set required to fight wildland fire far exceeds the fitness requirements of the average worker at fast food restaurants + one heck of of a lot technical knowledge about fires, fire behavior and equipment.
So, that's a crazy thing.
I don't have any first-hand knowledge about workers at fast-food restaurants as I generally don't eat at them -- with the exception of Jersey Mikes or other fresh sandwich chains. At those places, 100% of the time my experience is that the staff is friendly, courteous and efficient.
Craig, sorry you found other conditions at the places you and your family ate at.
And, now back to planning road trips!
Mark
Back on track. As requested. Not much going on to be honest; all very much unaffected. Though quite green I thought compared to last time I went?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...22_1224480.jpg
It does seem greener than the last time I was up there.
Nice to have the larger photos displayed here.
What condition was the road into the park? Did you have it pretty much to yourselves?
Mark
Road was pretty bumpy but just needs a grader to run up it really. Putting the boot down a little allowed us to glide over the corrugations (though a couple of the corners were taken a little like this as a reault!
Looking back I think that one of my favourite stops was, again, Yosemite. On our first day we had stayed outside the park at a lovely little place to the south (Narrow Gauge Inn) which benefitted from a lovely deck to the rear:
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...819_153949.jpg
Soon after our arrival we headed in to the park and travelled in to explore the Mariposa Grove which has been redone incredibly well in recent times.
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...34-rotated.jpg
We'd gotten out just as a large storm rolled in and made it back to base for the evening. Next morning we were up early and made our way to Glacier Point; being luck enough to see this along the way. I had been travelling to North America for 6 or 8 years before I'd seen my first bear so the kids were lucky indeed to get to sit and observe this baby after only a week or so on the continent!
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...16.41.50-1.jpg
(Sorry - not the most amazing photo but a great spot off in the trees nonetheless!)
Making our way onwards to Glacier Point it was apparent that it wasn't the most amazing day but I was still gutted to arrive to discover this view:
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...820_075512.jpg
However, 15 minutes later it all cleared away and the majesty opened up:
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...820_082344.jpg
After that it was a dash down in to the valley where we parked up for the day before exploring on the bus. Unfortunately this was a dreadful experience with huge lines to get on the bus. Worse was to come when we finally made it on with the driver insisting that we stood in the rear doorway before caning it round the corners causing us to hold on for our lives! Unfortunately when he pulled up to another stop the doors opened without warning and Dan's arm was trapped in the opening mechanism with the door putting ever and ever greater pressure on his little arm. No amount of pushing, pulling or kicking the door had any effect nor did shouting to the driver for him to help. It was only when I shouted something along the lines of 'if you don't do something I am going to come up there and sort you out (!)' did he hit the override. Unbelievable. Luckily Dan is made of stern stuff and the massive black bruise up his arm had started to subside a little by the time we travelled home a week or so later. Urgh. Best forgotten and lesson learned... leave buses for at home and stick to the car next time!!
Anyway that evening a lovely little cabin here:
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...-1-rotated.jpg
Next morning out over the Tioga Pass and an early evening meal at the Whoa Nellie Deli which I think is popular around here. This isn't a bad snack for a 12 year old I think!
https://www.roadtripamerica.com/blog...821_154921.jpg
As I sat eating my own lunch we all spoke about how we had loved Yosemite and what we had coming up over the next few days. Bodie, then Death Valley, Joshua Tree and onward to Six Flags north of LA; everyone was very excited as this was the part of the trip that the kids had been looking forward to the most. It was at this point I checked my phone to learn of the chaos unfolding at Death Valley and Joshua Tree. "Why are you suddenly grumpy", I was asked. "No reason", I answered, as I wandered over to invest in a large map of the south western states from the other side of the store. Oh boy, how do I explain this, I thought... :s
And the amazing thing is that the damage was so severe at Death Valley that the roads have remained closed this entire time. Much of the park will open tomorrow for the first time since the storm.
Mark
Yes have been watching that. Shame to have missed the stop this year so... the plan is for us to give it another go and try again next August. Watch this space.
Maybe we could even rendezvous with you someplace and meet your wife and kids!
Like the larger photos!
Mark
Sounds good. Although may take some convincing of the other half as she finds it incredibly unusual that I should ever have met up with anyone off the internet! She is probably right based on my experience is some cases!! :)
Attachment 5153
Part 2 coming Summer 2024 :)