LA to Badlands SD and return.

[keithg]

Yep, loving the photo's and reading your adventures Keith.



The last time I saw him he was at Redrock Lake in Glacier NP. ;-) Hehe.

Dave.

Must still be there Dave. We did look out for him. We were going to go to Glacier National Park when we were in Montana but half the park was closed due to smoke and then they were turning the tourist bus's around so we didnt go. Moose gets around. ;-)

Keith

[Southwest Dave]

You captured some great shots of the barns and the Tetons Keith !!

Back later for day 27. I know because it's in Margaret's notes. :)

Thank goodness for Margaret !! Lol. Is the date noted Keith ? (I haven't seen any reference to dates and was interested to relate with the weather and crowds etc )

Dave.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Dave,

Keith and Margaret started this adventure in late August, this year.

Mark

[keithg]

Thank you for that Mark. I have no idea if the crowds are now an all year around thing or if we were just unlucky this time. Lucky for tourism. Unlucky for us. hehehe.

Keith

[keithg]

Woke up which was really good. Margaret's notes say she woke up to see me creeping around like an old person. ( I am) We wern't feeling the best apparently after eating rubbish the night before including the huge shake i had that was piled up on top with whipped cream. They asked me if i wanted that. How could i refuse.
We checked out and went to find the waterfalls. They weren't what we expected and were disappointed. Apparently they are man made ones and as much as they did a great job wern't very big.







We had to make the decision on where we were going next. We thought about heading across to Lassen County to the National Park there but that would have mean't travelling over the road from Susanville down through Reno which we had done before. We wanted to travel through Tioga Pass once more while it was open. So we decided we would head down through Salt Lake to Cedar City, say G'day to some friends there and then head west to Mono lake. Thought once we had passed through Tioga Pass and Yosemite, we could head back up to Lassen County on that side.

Had a good run down to Salt Lake City and as we had been there before decided to take the interstate right through the middle. That was an experience. Mostly 5 lanes wide and in parts 7. Speed limit is 80 mph. About 2-30pm in the afternoon and heavy traffic. Everybody doing 80 mph. Couple of HWY Patrol Dodge Chargers parked on the side waiting to book someone for going to slow i guess hehe. If there had been a crash at that speed, i dont think there would have been much left of the tin cans we were in. Margaret was terrified and screaming. I said shut your eyes. She asked when will we be out of this. I said when we come out the other end. I had no idea. Took about an hour from one end to the other i think. She was growling at me and saying we should have gone the other way. we pulled up out of town for a coffee and shop lady said we were lucky it wasnt after 3-30 pm. She said it comes to a standstill. We got off the interstate and on to Hwy 89. beautiful drive down there and lots more to see. We stayed at Salina once again.

Next morning we had breakfast and then i went over to the Peterbilt agent and bought a hat. Further down the road we came to Marysvale where we pulled up for a giant bag of marshmallows and a coffee. Across the side road was the only bank around that Butch Cassidy didn't rob. I guess because that's where his or his mothers money was. A bit further down the road, we came across the house Butch grew up in. The house has been fixed up and it was interesting to read the signs there about his life. Apparently he wasn't killed in South America but died of old age not that far away from where he grew up. George Parker was his real name.



Where Butch Cassidy grew up as a boy.







Coey wants to be an outlaw now.





It was very interesting to see and read.

We carried on to Panguich and had a quick look. Then on to Cedar City where we had lunch at the American Diner. It was great and we were looked after well by young lady waitress. She loved learning all the Aussie slang. She wasn't to bad at it by the time we left hehe. We rang some good friends who lived just out the south side of town to see if they were home. They were so we went out for a quick visit to say g'day and then went back to our motel in Cedar City for the night.

Back later. Keith.

[Mark Sedenquist]

We checked out and went to find the waterfalls. They weren't what we expected and were disappointed. Apparently they are man made ones and as much as they did a great job wern't very big.

Keith, they didn't look like this when the first settlers established the city. They've been calmed considerably since they are in the middle of town. A lot of people died trying to get around the falls when they were still "wild."

To edit the title (you need to click on the "go advanced" link)

Mark

[keithg]

Slept in. Clock was an hour slow. Nearly missed Breakfast. We headed out of Cedar City west into the wilderness. Went through Newcastle, then over the border into Nevada. Went through small towns of Panaca and Caliente. We are very careful and look after our rental cars but we couldn't stop the bottom of our windshield getting 2 chips at the bottom from one small stone. We hoped they wouldn't get any worse.
We kept going and ended up on the Extraterrestrial Hwy.



Must have been some Aussie visitors there as i see a Geelong Cats sticker.

Felt a bit spooky out there in Area 51. We never saw any Aliens but we felt we were being watched. Nothing out there at all.





The only tree's out there so Coey made the most of it.
Our imagination was running pretty wild by now. Could feel all these binoculars watching us. We waved every now and then and smiled. Then we arrived at Rachel. We have a daughter in law named Rachel spelt that same way. Maybe she was named after this place. Nahhh hehe.





Must have been a baby from the mother ship.



All that was there in the middle of nowhere.
We had coffee and i had apple and rhubarb pie with ice cream. There were lots of alien stuff for sale. There were some aliens hanging there about the same size as my grandson. I wanted to get one but Margaret said no way. To scary looking. Maybe they were out of that small spaceship hanging off the back of the tow truck.



This is about the size of the ones you could take home. Have no idea what they eat but Coey wasn't afraid of it.

We carried on up through Tonopah and crossed the border into California. Checkpoint there and inspected our apples. No problems. We then arrived at Mono Lake. Was really cool. Bit of a walk which we needed down to lake for a close look. Not that far.



Interesting reading about what has happened there.









We left the Tufa's and headed into Lee Vining. Checked out the accommodation and it was very busy and very expensive. We decided to go north a few miles to Bridgeport which was cheaper and closer to the Ghost town of Bodie which we wanted to see.

Back Later with some more adventures.

Keithg

[Mark Sedenquist]

Wow, that first photo of the tufa is REALLY GREAT!

[keithg]

No breakfast this morning. Cheaper motel. But we had fruit to eat as we headed off see Bodie Ghost Town. Found the turn off not that far south of Bridgeport. Wound our way around the hills to get in there but good road though until the last 2 miles. Then it was corrugated dirt. That tested the chips in windscreen. Became cracks. We paid $18 to get in gate. Very dry and obvious fires had gone through there at some time. Staff doing a great job in trying to keep Bodie intact. No where near as big as it was once but still great to go and see. At one stage there was 65 saloons in town according to the paperwork and signs. Lots of gunfights. The undertaker was very busy. Hard to imagine all this now when you see the place but with 65 saloons and all the people that must have been there at one time, you can see it happening. Just read, about 8000 people at one time lived there.



Main street.



According to a small sign there was someone living in the second one along still.



Pictures on wall show how big it was there back in its glory days.



I think they got a lot of there supplies from San Francisco. Must have been a big job. Especially before they got this truck. We are so spoilt these days.

We had a good look around and then headed out again. There had been a good number of people there. No shoot outs. We carefully drove out over dirt again and headed back to Bridgeport where i bought some Duct tape and stuck it over the two cracks to stop it going further. I stayed in room to download the days pics onto a hard drive and Margaret went for a walk down town. Timed it right as they were having a parade for a local who had just been accepted into the Military. Fire engines and all. People all out there waving there flags she said. She was even given an American flag to wave. So much pride that we don't see here.



Next morning we headed out and down through Lee Vining and took the turn off to Tioga Pass and Yosemite. Just up a few hundred yards from turn off, we had coffee and breakfast. Pretty busy place. Nice and friendly.
Tioga Pass. Amazing drive. We had been through here once before in late May and we thought it was better then with the snow on the mountain tops. But there is a risk at that time of the year of it being closed. Probably another week or two after we went this time, there would have been more snow. Still an amazing drive though. We would love to spend a whole day in there.



Coey tried fishing for a trout but didn't catch anything. He wanted to stay there longer but we had to move on.







Just some of many pics we took in Tioga Pass.

Though the gates into Yosemite. Another park we love going to. This time was a disaster. Parking area's were all full. Roads to some of the view points were closed. Managed to get a park in one spot and then walked to the centre. Was going to have a bite and a drink but way to busy. We had a look at the Ansell Adams Gallery. Some great pics but the place wasn't very big. Thought there would be more.







At this point we decided not to head north to Volcanic National Park as a service message had come up on the dashboard. I checked everything out under the bonnet and it was all fine. All belts, hoses and fluids were all spot on and it was running well. Put it down to the car was due for its 10000 mile service which turned out to be right. But we decided that with the service and the cracked screen which was holding well with the tape, we would slow down and head back to L A via the coast.
We headed out of the park and headed for Gilroy where we booked into a Super 8. $93 for the night and you get breakfast. Next day we headed off across through Monterey and went to Carmel By The Sea. Clint Eastwood was mayor there at one time. Very pretty place. Lots of road works going on there this day but we had a good walk around and had the usual coffee and ate something. Just cant remember what. No, it wasnt Ice cream Dave hehe.



Time to move on. We headed off down the coast with all the turnouts or parking bays on our side of the road like this forum recommends. Very important on this road as it twist and turns all over the place. Wouldn't want to have a head on crash crossing over. We were looking forward to the views you get driving down there but luck wasn't with us once again. Heavy fog and couldn't really see anything. We also had hundreds of bicycle riders going the same way riding from San Francisco to Los Angeles. We arrived at Big Sur River Inn. Very busy and i think it was a stop over for the bike riders for the night.



Oh look. Ice Cream. :-)



Out the back of Big Sur Inn. Can sit out there cooling your feet off while having a cool drink.

We headed out again and went south towards San Simeon. about five miles north of Hearst Castle is Piedras Blancas. Pull into a turnout there and you will see all the Elephant Seals laying around and throwing sand over themselves. Lazy looking lot. They don't throw frisbies or fly a kite or anything like that. Just lay there and go for a swim now and then.



Elephant Seals.

Few miles south is Hearst Castle. We didn't go this time as we went last trip in 2013. We carried on and booked into San Simeon By the Sea for two nights. Tune out time. This was day 32, the 24th of September according to Margaret's notes. We fly out on the morning of the 29th. Back later.

Keithg

[keithg]

We booked one night to start with at Sands By The Sea but next morning grabbed a 2nd night. Told them we would probably be doing that. Such a great spot away from crowds and to be able to walk on the beach. Handy there for visiting Hearst Castle and other places around. Also they have three fire places down from the motels overlooking the ocean. Gentleman comes around late afternoon and light the fires there. Comes back every now and then with his ride on towing a little trailor loaded with wood for fire. Chairs there and you get to meet all these wonderful people from all over country and world.



We were down there before dark. Everybody loved Coey. Wanting to shake his hand.

Three ladies there were making S'mores. Cooking the marshmallows over the fire. They offered me a go. It was great. Never had them before. Will try here one day. Can get the marshmallows and the Hershey's chocolate ok but will have to make the biscuits. Pretty hard to find Graham's biscuits here. People have told me they have tried other brands but its real hard to get some that work properly. Found recipe on line.



Different view of the fire places.

After our first night there and some exploring on the beach, we drove into Cambria not that far away. Pretty place full of friendly people. Had a good look around. Went back out across the hwy and had a look at the coast. Watched a gentleman land a fish. Then back to motel and the rock pools and fire place.



Locals seem to hang around for ever in Cambria.



This couple never said a word. Just stared all the time. Some strange people in Cambria. (kidding)



And the sun goes down on another wonderful stay in San Simeon.

Next morning we checked out and headed for Moro Bay. Lots of fog again. Elephant Seals swimming around just off the jetties. Pics we have dont do the place justice.
Off we went down to Avila Beach. Slightly brighter day by this time. Lots of cafe's here across from beach. Coey made more friends.



He would have liked to have stayed there i think with the ladies.



Clam Chowder. Coey didnt like it so i ate it.

Back on the road and we arrived at Santa Maria where we booked in to a Best Western. We asked about the cat that used to live there in a previous visit but it had passed away a year before. Went and checked some shops out but nothing of interest as with our dollar being so low, it wasn't worth it.
Next day we headed south some more and went to Solvang one of our favourite places. Very pretty place based on Denmark. Make sure you have a good meal before you go there though as the pastries are to die for. If we had stayed there for a couple of days, i wouldn't have fitted in my seat on the plane. Have pics in our previous trip report in 2013 so havnt added any here. Except this one.



Couldn't tell you now what it was but it was real nice. We drove on down to Santa Barbara. Had a walk along the beach front but it was a dirty untidy place. I guess the Gold Coast has spoilt us. So on we went to Oxnard where we stayed at the Best Western. Cant wait to go home now. Looking forward to seeing family again plus we dont like cities. Drove into Los Angeles and we think its peak hour all day long now by the amount of traffic. Tried to have a look at Santa Monica but to much fog. We drove over near LAX and found a Quality Inn for the night that had airport transfers. After booking in we went to do some shopping. went to one shopping centre and it was mostly closed due to renovating. Went to another and nothing there we were interested in. So we decided to take the car back instead of in the morning when it was due back. Made it easier than rushing the next day. Hotel said to ring them and they would come and get us from Alamo. When we arrived at Alamo, it was a crazy place with all the cars being returned. Asked if there was a phone we could use to ring motel and the boss there said to take a seat and he would get one of there people to run us back. Oh yeah the tape we put on the cracks held everything ok and i told the boss about the message on dashboard. Told him what i thought it was for and that i had checked everything over and all was good. He thanked us and we gave him the bear spray to give to someone else that may want it. We sat on the seat and couldn't believe how busy they were. There were cars being returned into about 4 rows and young ladies were flat out, as soon as people were out of the cars and had there belongings out, hopped in and drove them up into some more rows to be washed and serviced. The boss guy cam up and said it wouldn't be much longer, that he had someone on the way to pick us up. We mentioned how we couldn't believe how busy it was. He told us that depot alone has 25000 cars and that a few thousand of them would be going out that day.

Our ride arrived and we headed back to our motel. Next morning after a good breakfast we were taken to the airport. Not sure what was going on but the fun and games started. Must have been renovations going on. Other times it was no problem. This time we walked into the terminal we were told and there plenty of check in counters for Delta i think it was but none for Virgin. Walked along way past these ones and checked in our bags. Then we had to walk for ages again and got on this bus waiting. That took us for a drive across and down runways which had signs there saying asking the driver to watch out for planes hehe. Really did. We got dropped off at this other building with no facilities and other people started to arrive. Then this little lady arrived and started pulling panels off this wall and hidden in behind was a counter withe drinks and sweets, No coffee though. After a period of time a long bendy bus arrived and off we went again for what seemed ages. Arrived at what looke like an old world war 2 gun turret. We climbed off bus and walked up concrete ramp and on to plane sitting there. As i said, i have no idea what was happening. Had to have been renovations.
We had a good flight back home to family. Hopefully we will get back for another trip and see some more new territory and hopefully our dollar will climb back up a bit. Anybody thinking of a trip, do it. Dont leave it to late. Travel Insurance jumped up because i was still breathing at 70.

Will be back later with all the costs. The Secretary Margaret, sorry the Boss has all the figures somewhere. Have to get them off her.

Keith