The tour is over.
We're in a waiting lounge at the Toronto airport at the moment, following a flight from LA, and waiting for the flight that'll take us to Tel Aviv. Seems like a good time for summaries.
We drove a total of 3890 miles (about 6300 kilometers) through four states: California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona.
Five national parks: Yosemite, Death Valley, Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon, and two national monuments: Devil's Postpile and Montezuma Castle.
We spent 26 nights, in 16 different hotels. The best were The Argonaut in San Francisco and The Mirage in Las Vegas. The worse was Panamint Springs Resort in Death Valley.
We spent a whole lot of money, but we'll leave the exact sum out.
And most of all, we had tons of fun and can't wait to do it again! See y'all on next year's blog of next year's tour.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Day 26
All good things must come to an end, and so the last day of our vacation has arrived. To give a great vacation a fitting ending, we decided to go and have a very fun day.
We went to the Universal Studios theme park and did just that.
After that we went to a nice restaurant on Hollywood Blvd, where Elad had a very tasty rack of ribs.
That's it. Tomorrow morning we're driving over to the airport, and then we'll spend something like 18 hours in an airplane. We guess the big fun ended today.
All in all it was an excellent vacation, full of beautiful views, sparkling cities and a lot of food. We hope you enjoyed the ride. We sure did!!!! See you soon.
The (officially) newly weds.
We went to the Universal Studios theme park and did just that.
After that we went to a nice restaurant on Hollywood Blvd, where Elad had a very tasty rack of ribs.
That's it. Tomorrow morning we're driving over to the airport, and then we'll spend something like 18 hours in an airplane. We guess the big fun ended today.
All in all it was an excellent vacation, full of beautiful views, sparkling cities and a lot of food. We hope you enjoyed the ride. We sure did!!!! See you soon.
The (officially) newly weds.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Day 25
We don't have much to write today (and no photos either), since we didn't do much. The first half of our day we spent in San-Diego. We wanted to visit the art museum, which is supposed to be very good, but unfortunately for us it turns out that on Mondays most of the museums are closed to the public. We ended up at a museum of anthropology, which wasn't very interesting. It was quite small and mostly for kids.
After our (short) museum visit we drove to the antique district and walked around for a while, window shopping.
At around noon we started driving to LA, at first on freeway no. 5 and then on a more scenic route along the seashore (highway 101). We drove through many places, like Orange County and Laguna Beach and other places named after teenage soap operas (sorry, we meant drama series).
We got to LA at around 4 pm and checked into our hotel near the Hollywood blvd.
We decided to finish our trip in style and so tomorrow we are going to Universal Studios, to have a final day of fun before we return…
After our (short) museum visit we drove to the antique district and walked around for a while, window shopping.
At around noon we started driving to LA, at first on freeway no. 5 and then on a more scenic route along the seashore (highway 101). We drove through many places, like Orange County and Laguna Beach and other places named after teenage soap operas (sorry, we meant drama series).
We got to LA at around 4 pm and checked into our hotel near the Hollywood blvd.
We decided to finish our trip in style and so tomorrow we are going to Universal Studios, to have a final day of fun before we return…
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Day 24
Today was Sea World day. Just like yesterday, the day was kind of gray and drizzly, but that worked for us because there were less people and thus – less lines (it was a Sunday, and we were afraid it would be crowded).
We got there just as they opened (can you detect a pattern?) and were a little surprised at the price of the ticket (about $50 per person), but we didn't let that stop us.
We went to all the shows: we watched Shamu and his family, we watched the sea lion show, and we watched the dolphin show. Those animals are amazing, and as you can see in the photo they can jump really (really!) high. Also they're really cute. We saw some weird fish like white arctic whales (that have necks, unlike the killer whales) and Commerson's Dolphins, which are black and white and like to swim upside down.
We rode some roller coasters and got quite wet, and we got to touch Ray fish and Bottlenose Dolphins.
Don't be surprised to see some horse photos. The Anheuser-Bush beer company, that sponsors Sea World, has a team of Clydesdale horses (the second largest breed of horses in the world) that pull it's beer wagon and some of them are kept in the park (along with a tiny donkey that did a TV commercial with the horses).
One last comment: if you want to be a sea world trainer you have to be blonde, white and have a name like Gretchen, Liz or Stephanie. If you're a Maria, a Lucia or a Juanita, you'll probably be selling ice cream or cleaning the toilets…
We got there just as they opened (can you detect a pattern?) and were a little surprised at the price of the ticket (about $50 per person), but we didn't let that stop us.
We went to all the shows: we watched Shamu and his family, we watched the sea lion show, and we watched the dolphin show. Those animals are amazing, and as you can see in the photo they can jump really (really!) high. Also they're really cute. We saw some weird fish like white arctic whales (that have necks, unlike the killer whales) and Commerson's Dolphins, which are black and white and like to swim upside down.
We rode some roller coasters and got quite wet, and we got to touch Ray fish and Bottlenose Dolphins.
Don't be surprised to see some horse photos. The Anheuser-Bush beer company, that sponsors Sea World, has a team of Clydesdale horses (the second largest breed of horses in the world) that pull it's beer wagon and some of them are kept in the park (along with a tiny donkey that did a TV commercial with the horses).
One last comment: if you want to be a sea world trainer you have to be blonde, white and have a name like Gretchen, Liz or Stephanie. If you're a Maria, a Lucia or a Juanita, you'll probably be selling ice cream or cleaning the toilets…
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Day 23
Elad: Today was Noa's big day. Forget the wedding – today was even better…
We got out of bed at 6:30 am so we can arrive before the opening to… the San Diego Zoo!
I'll let Noa tell the rest.
Noa: From the way he puts it you would think he wasn't excited about it…
Anyway, luckily for us the motel where we stayed had tickets for the zoo, so we bought them there and saved ourselves the need to stand in line. Because it was a Saturday we were sure there would be many people there so we got there rather early, and to our surprise there weren’t that many. Maybe it was because of the weather – it wasn't exactly raining but it was drizzling all day and the skies were gray.
We actually got there 20 minutes before opening time. Dad – does that remind you of anyone?
So we spent the entire day (from 9 am until about 4 pm) walking around looking at all the animals. It's a huge place and there were animals there that we didn't even know existed (like some weird animal from Africa called a bearcat).
At around noon we watched a short half hour show about training some of these animals. At some point to our surprise, the trainer brought a dog (a Golden Retriever) up on the stage. She explained that they use him to train some of the animals. Since dogs have the ability to remain calm and collected in many situations that other animals would find frightening, it helps the animals in training to overcome their fears. This specific dog grew up with a cheetah ever since he was 4 months old and she – 3 months old and they still live together. As you can see from the photos they get along very well and the amazing thing is that the dog is the dominant animal in the pair. The trainer said that they have to be fed separately, or the dog will steal the cheetah's food.
Later that day we saw the trainer walking the same dog around the zoo along with a massive white wolf. At first glance we thought she was walking two dogs, but something about the big dog seemed strange, and then we realized it was a wolf. Good thing we didn't try to pet it…
We got out of bed at 6:30 am so we can arrive before the opening to… the San Diego Zoo!
I'll let Noa tell the rest.
Noa: From the way he puts it you would think he wasn't excited about it…
Anyway, luckily for us the motel where we stayed had tickets for the zoo, so we bought them there and saved ourselves the need to stand in line. Because it was a Saturday we were sure there would be many people there so we got there rather early, and to our surprise there weren’t that many. Maybe it was because of the weather – it wasn't exactly raining but it was drizzling all day and the skies were gray.
We actually got there 20 minutes before opening time. Dad – does that remind you of anyone?
So we spent the entire day (from 9 am until about 4 pm) walking around looking at all the animals. It's a huge place and there were animals there that we didn't even know existed (like some weird animal from Africa called a bearcat).
At around noon we watched a short half hour show about training some of these animals. At some point to our surprise, the trainer brought a dog (a Golden Retriever) up on the stage. She explained that they use him to train some of the animals. Since dogs have the ability to remain calm and collected in many situations that other animals would find frightening, it helps the animals in training to overcome their fears. This specific dog grew up with a cheetah ever since he was 4 months old and she – 3 months old and they still live together. As you can see from the photos they get along very well and the amazing thing is that the dog is the dominant animal in the pair. The trainer said that they have to be fed separately, or the dog will steal the cheetah's food.
Later that day we saw the trainer walking the same dog around the zoo along with a massive white wolf. At first glance we thought she was walking two dogs, but something about the big dog seemed strange, and then we realized it was a wolf. Good thing we didn't try to pet it…
Friday, October 21, 2005
Day 22
We drove nearly 500 miles today – from Flagstaff to San Diego.
Originally we thought we'll get tired from all the driving, so we planned to stop somewhere along the way and continue tomorrow. However, we noticed that we can go on driving without a problem so we stopped only when we got to El Cajon, which is about 10 miles east of San Diego.
In the morning, on our way from Flagstaff towards Phoenix, we stopped in a place called Montezuma Castle. It turns out that at around the same time that the Notre Dame was being built in Paris (1200), the local Indians (called "Sinagua", which means "no water") managed to build a "masterpiece" of their own – a mud dwelling on a cliff's face (that's Elad being sarcastic…). Still, it's pretty interesting. We got some pictures for you. Unfortunately you can only view the place from the outside.
It is called Montezuma castle because the first white people that discovered it thought it was a sanctuary built for the Aztec Leader and the name stuck.
At the end of our long drive, when we got to El Cajon, we looked for something to eat, and accidentally stumbled upon a great seafood restaurant, called "Anthony's". We really enjoyed our Friday night's dinner. We had crab cakes, seared Tuna fish, Shrimp Scampi and a Cajun style Catfish. Delicious!
Tomorrow we are planning to go to Sea World or the San Diego Zoo. We'll keep you posted.
Originally we thought we'll get tired from all the driving, so we planned to stop somewhere along the way and continue tomorrow. However, we noticed that we can go on driving without a problem so we stopped only when we got to El Cajon, which is about 10 miles east of San Diego.
In the morning, on our way from Flagstaff towards Phoenix, we stopped in a place called Montezuma Castle. It turns out that at around the same time that the Notre Dame was being built in Paris (1200), the local Indians (called "Sinagua", which means "no water") managed to build a "masterpiece" of their own – a mud dwelling on a cliff's face (that's Elad being sarcastic…). Still, it's pretty interesting. We got some pictures for you. Unfortunately you can only view the place from the outside.
It is called Montezuma castle because the first white people that discovered it thought it was a sanctuary built for the Aztec Leader and the name stuck.
At the end of our long drive, when we got to El Cajon, we looked for something to eat, and accidentally stumbled upon a great seafood restaurant, called "Anthony's". We really enjoyed our Friday night's dinner. We had crab cakes, seared Tuna fish, Shrimp Scampi and a Cajun style Catfish. Delicious!
Tomorrow we are planning to go to Sea World or the San Diego Zoo. We'll keep you posted.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Day 21
It was a beautiful day in Northern Arizona today – sunny and warm. At first we wanted to go to a place called "Wupatki National Monument", which is the ruins of an old Indian settlement. However, we decided that we had enough of this kind of stuff, and instead decided to drive to Sedona. It's about 30 miles to the south east from Flagstaff, and famous for its red rocks, woods of Ponderosa pines, and art galleries. The road there (89A) is beautiful and the town is really nice. We even liked some of the art that we saw in the galleries, which is uncommon for us (not that we can afford buying $20,000 paintings, but still). In short, it was definitely worth the drive.
We returned to Flagstaff early afternoon, and planned to go to the Lowell Observatory (from where Pluto was discovered early last century) in the evening. Unfortunately it is closed today. It looks like we'll spend the evening in the hotel, reading and watching TV.
We returned to Flagstaff early afternoon, and planned to go to the Lowell Observatory (from where Pluto was discovered early last century) in the evening. Unfortunately it is closed today. It looks like we'll spend the evening in the hotel, reading and watching TV.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Day 20
Today the weather was much better. In the morning we returned to The Grand Canyon and walked a different part of the rim trail. Yesterday we walked its western part and today - its eastern part. Before we started we listened to a short lecture about the canyon's raptors (birds of pray), given by a biologist that monitors their migration in the area. Elad thought her job was quite boring, watching birds all day, and I had a feeling she would probably feel the same way about his job…
After finishing the trail we left the Grand Canyon (with a resolution to come back some day and hike down into the canyon itself) and started driving towards Flagstaff (about 70 miles – a short drive in the USA). We headed south east on highway 180, which is a scenic root and indeed very pretty. Along the way we passed by the San Francisco Mountains, and the highest of them already had a snowy peak, as you can see from the photos.
We drove past Flagstaff and headed towards a meteor crater which is about 35 miles east of the city (35 miles of complete nothingness, we might add). It was formed 50,000 years ago. It's the first confirmed meteor crater ever discovered and the most preserved one. The crater is quite huge – you can fit twenty football fields in it and is as high as a sixty story building. We must tell you though that eye sight can be deceiving – when you look at it, it doesn't seem that big. We took a guided tour along the rim of the crater with the head guide – Eduardo, and enjoyed it very much. We learned that NASA astronauts practiced in the crater before missions to the moon, that three Hollywood movies were filmed there, and that Mormons aren't allowed to consume caffeine.
After our crater experience we drove back to Flagstaff, had dinner and went to Barnes & Nobele, where we realized that there are way too many books that we would like to read. Ignorance is bliss…
More on Flagstaff tomorrow. Good night.
After finishing the trail we left the Grand Canyon (with a resolution to come back some day and hike down into the canyon itself) and started driving towards Flagstaff (about 70 miles – a short drive in the USA). We headed south east on highway 180, which is a scenic root and indeed very pretty. Along the way we passed by the San Francisco Mountains, and the highest of them already had a snowy peak, as you can see from the photos.
We drove past Flagstaff and headed towards a meteor crater which is about 35 miles east of the city (35 miles of complete nothingness, we might add). It was formed 50,000 years ago. It's the first confirmed meteor crater ever discovered and the most preserved one. The crater is quite huge – you can fit twenty football fields in it and is as high as a sixty story building. We must tell you though that eye sight can be deceiving – when you look at it, it doesn't seem that big. We took a guided tour along the rim of the crater with the head guide – Eduardo, and enjoyed it very much. We learned that NASA astronauts practiced in the crater before missions to the moon, that three Hollywood movies were filmed there, and that Mormons aren't allowed to consume caffeine.
After our crater experience we drove back to Flagstaff, had dinner and went to Barnes & Nobele, where we realized that there are way too many books that we would like to read. Ignorance is bliss…
More on Flagstaff tomorrow. Good night.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Day 19
Today was a short, wet day. When we woke up the skies were grey, and by the time we went for breakfast it was raining very hard, but after we finished eating it cleared up a little bit so we decided to take our chances and go on a hike in The Grand Canyon.
As the canyon is very deep you get warned time and again not to try and hike into the canyon and back up on the same day. Most people hike down, camp overnight in the canyon and hike up the next day. If you want to hike down anyway, you can take one of the trails leading down and hike only part of it. Because it was a stormy day and the trails leading down into the canyon are very steep, we decided to avoid them and hike along the rim trail, which, obviously, runs along the rim. You can hike all of it in about 3-4 hours, and it's a very easy walk, so we decided to go for it.
We took the park shuttle from Grand Canyon Village to the end of the trail – a point called "The Hermit's Rest", and then started walking back towards the village. At the beginning it was very nice, if some what cold. However, after about 20 minutes it started to rain lightly, and it got stronger and stronger, so that about an hour and a half into our hike we were quite drenched (despite out rain coats). That's when we decided to call it a day. Luckily for us there are shuttle stops along the trail, so we walked to the nearest one and got on the first shuttle back to the village. From there we drove to our hotel (we got there at about 2 pm) had a nice warm bath, ate lunch at Wendy's (not very tasty…) and then watched TV until it was time to go to sleep.
I must point out that our backpack was much drier then us thanks to its own little rain coat.
Oh, and we saw a rabbit.
Let's hope tomorrow will be sunny again.
As the canyon is very deep you get warned time and again not to try and hike into the canyon and back up on the same day. Most people hike down, camp overnight in the canyon and hike up the next day. If you want to hike down anyway, you can take one of the trails leading down and hike only part of it. Because it was a stormy day and the trails leading down into the canyon are very steep, we decided to avoid them and hike along the rim trail, which, obviously, runs along the rim. You can hike all of it in about 3-4 hours, and it's a very easy walk, so we decided to go for it.
We took the park shuttle from Grand Canyon Village to the end of the trail – a point called "The Hermit's Rest", and then started walking back towards the village. At the beginning it was very nice, if some what cold. However, after about 20 minutes it started to rain lightly, and it got stronger and stronger, so that about an hour and a half into our hike we were quite drenched (despite out rain coats). That's when we decided to call it a day. Luckily for us there are shuttle stops along the trail, so we walked to the nearest one and got on the first shuttle back to the village. From there we drove to our hotel (we got there at about 2 pm) had a nice warm bath, ate lunch at Wendy's (not very tasty…) and then watched TV until it was time to go to sleep.
I must point out that our backpack was much drier then us thanks to its own little rain coat.
Oh, and we saw a rabbit.
Let's hope tomorrow will be sunny again.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Day 18
We drove 300 miles today, from Bryce Canyon, through Lake Powell, to the Grand Canyon.
We touched the tip of Lake Powell, near Page, Arizona. It looked like a nice place to go for a boat ride, but that'll have to wait for another time.
Most of our way was through a Navajo Indian reservation. We didn't see any teepees, just some mobile homes (or otherwise shabby dwellings) scattered here and there. It was probably the most boring road we drove so far. There was one exciting moment, when an alpaca appeared out of nowhere, jumped into the road in front of us, and then jumped back off. Dr. Noa Doolittle says that it had an angry look in its eyes, as if someone had hurt its pride. I just think we're lucky we didn't hit it.
When we finally approached Grand Canyon, there were Indians in every scenic lookout, selling jewelry and other Indian paraphernalia. So that's what they're doing all day in the middle of nowhere!
The Canyon itself is grand indeed. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day, so the photos didn't come out very good.
We're going to stay two nights in this area, so tomorrow we'll go on a hike on the canyon's rim, and hopefully manage to take some better pictures.
We touched the tip of Lake Powell, near Page, Arizona. It looked like a nice place to go for a boat ride, but that'll have to wait for another time.
Most of our way was through a Navajo Indian reservation. We didn't see any teepees, just some mobile homes (or otherwise shabby dwellings) scattered here and there. It was probably the most boring road we drove so far. There was one exciting moment, when an alpaca appeared out of nowhere, jumped into the road in front of us, and then jumped back off. Dr. Noa Doolittle says that it had an angry look in its eyes, as if someone had hurt its pride. I just think we're lucky we didn't hit it.
When we finally approached Grand Canyon, there were Indians in every scenic lookout, selling jewelry and other Indian paraphernalia. So that's what they're doing all day in the middle of nowhere!
The Canyon itself is grand indeed. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day, so the photos didn't come out very good.
We're going to stay two nights in this area, so tomorrow we'll go on a hike on the canyon's rim, and hopefully manage to take some better pictures.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Day 17
Well, it rained all night long, but fortunately for us by morning it cleared up quite a bit so we decided to take our chances and go hiking in Bryce Canyon. We made the right decision. Not only did it not rain all day, but the weather was nice and cool – the perfect weather for a long hike.
And a long hike it was! We decided to take the road less traveled, so we took a trail that is normally less crowded with people. The trail's name is "Fairyland Loop", because it ends in a canyon that looks like it's made of castles (you need a little bit of imagination in this place). The trail is less popular mainly because it's quite long (8.4 miles, or 13.4 kilometers). It's also quite strenuous – a lot of ups and downs (we mostly noticed the ups!). Having said all that, it was definitely worth it. The place is beautiful. The colors and the shapes are unbelievable. You can see the photos, but it's nothing like seeing it with your own eyes.
It took us about five hours to complete our hike, and then we drove to a few more observation points in the canyon.
We got back to our motel at around 4 pm and had a buffet lunch (all you can it for just 9.99), which was exactly what we needed because we were both starving. After that it was off to our room to get some rest after our long day.
Tomorrow we start driving to the Grand Canyon via Lake Powell.
And a long hike it was! We decided to take the road less traveled, so we took a trail that is normally less crowded with people. The trail's name is "Fairyland Loop", because it ends in a canyon that looks like it's made of castles (you need a little bit of imagination in this place). The trail is less popular mainly because it's quite long (8.4 miles, or 13.4 kilometers). It's also quite strenuous – a lot of ups and downs (we mostly noticed the ups!). Having said all that, it was definitely worth it. The place is beautiful. The colors and the shapes are unbelievable. You can see the photos, but it's nothing like seeing it with your own eyes.
It took us about five hours to complete our hike, and then we drove to a few more observation points in the canyon.
We got back to our motel at around 4 pm and had a buffet lunch (all you can it for just 9.99), which was exactly what we needed because we were both starving. After that it was off to our room to get some rest after our long day.
Tomorrow we start driving to the Grand Canyon via Lake Powell.
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