After a brief and exhaustingly hot trip through the shimmering crustiness of Death Valley, where Eddie spent his birthday, we took the most direct route we could, which turned out to be not very direct at all, to the Sequoia National Park. The fresher air was a relief and there was certainly something inspirational about knocking around with living things that have already been knocking around for over two thousand years more than you have. It also prove a good spot for enjoying a few more chapters of War and Peace, by the way. Unfortunately the giant sequoias only reach their magnificent size and age at elevations between five and seven thousand feet and as night fell so did the temperatures. We went from struggling to keep cool in Death Valley to feeling chilly fully clothed inside our sleeping bags.

We therefore changed our plan to go to Yosemite, equally high and presumably equally cold, and headed instead to the road movie drama of Route One. The trouble is it's not easy pretending to be a soave fifties movie star when you're trying to keep a less than soave camper van on the right side of a narrow winding road. Apart from the cliffs and the rolling waves we came across a huge group of elephant seals apparently just waiting to have their photographs taken.

On Saturday we abandoned our gas guzzling home on wheels and were quite relieved it was someone else negotiating the six lane highway into San Francisco. We're staying at the Youth Hostel which as Youth Hostels go is very comfortable and classy. The neighbourhood however is not classy and on arrival the receptionist suggested which roads we might want to avoid. We decided to ignore this advice. Having been travelling for five months with a limited wardrobe we felt we were scruffy enough to blend in. Also we figured it was important for the boys to see all aspects of the American dream, the insane and the homeless the crowd as well as Macys and Tiffanys.

Tomorrow after a ridiculously early start we have a long flight to New York, last stop.
- posted by Vivien @ 9:30 PM

 
Leaving the Grand Canyon we drove along mile after mile of straight road through dramatic red sandstone. Navajo land, with only the odd tatty roadside stall selling Indian blankets and jewellry. It was beautiful and yet slightly overwhelming, like one of those dreams where however hard you try you just can't seem to get moving.

The road on the horizon stayed stubbornly in the distance until eventually we reached the respite of Zion National Park, with trees and spring flowers nestling amongst another stunning canyon. We discovered the reason for the greenery when in the space of two days there were two big thunderstorms, the second of which sent a bolt of lightening down a tree about thirty metres from our camper van.

The couple in the van immediately under the tree accepted their fifteen minutes of fame graciously and showed all the other campers who traipsed over nosily the scarred tree and the broken off bark and branches.

So from the sometime tranquility of Zion we headed down to Vegas. The contrast from the beauty of Zion where mankind has had the good sense to leave well alone to the ridiculous excess of Las Vegas where mankind forgot when to stop, is quite astonishing.

I'm glad we went, but I won't be in a hurry to go back. The one good thing about Vegas is that it's not really on the way anywhere so it should be fairly easy to avoid.

Now appropriately it's Good Friday and we've reached Death Valley. We're in a trendy cafe where the boys are playing amongst the sculptures in the garden and Andrew is enjoying his second cappuccino.


- posted by Vivien @ 12:00 PM

 
We had the twenty ninth of March twice. For Andrew and myself this seemed only right and fitting as we lost Oct. 31st in 1989 but the boys are now one day in credit. L.A was weird. Joe was approached by a huge black woman with picture painted nails and responded with a bemused expression we haven't seen since we left India.

Since L.A we have ventured forth into the wild west. First stop the Joshua tree national park which was wonderful and proved that Dr. Seuss was not only influenced by illegal substances.

Next stop the Grand Canyon which is everything we could have expected of it and more. Unfortunately it started snowing shortly after we arrived and my sandals are starting to fall apart. I suppose they've done well.

Internet cafes not easy to come by and expensive so I'm afraid that's it for now.
- posted by Vivien @ 12:21 PM