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San Francisco - Yellowstone - Denver (Colorado) -
Las Vegas - San Diego - Los Angeles -
San Francisco
The flight via London (Easy Jet) and from there with Virgin Atlantic direct to San Francisco was smooth, the only mishap was the loss of my glasses in the London cab!
The Motel Capri was OK and within walking distance or the Fisherman's Wharf (30 min). There we had, our first dinner after arrival.
The weather was a bit chilly and windy and I got complains from my family to bringing them to a cold, windy place. I assured them that they will get enough heat later on!
We made the mandatory City Tour (Hop-On, Hop-Off).
We visited Alcatraz. A very interesting prison island! Another highlight was the "Crab House" situated on Pier 39 and of course Union Square. My wive was a bit frustrated because I made restrictions and told her to do this at the end of the voyage, where we will have a clearer picture of remaining funds!
From San Francisco we drove, in our rented Dodge Grand Caravan, to Reno where we stayed at the "Harrahs Hotel & Casino", not bad. Reno looked a bit run down and mostly visited by elderly people! Early next morning a long stretch to Salt Lake City, where we stayed at the worst Motel 6 of the tour. Anyway, manageable for one night. Next morning we visited the famous Mormon Temple and than hit the road, destination Yellowstone Park.
Yellowstone National Park - Denver Colorado
Yellowstone - Denver
In Yellowstone West we stayed in a KOA where we had booked a cabin. This was our first test of this kind of accommodation and it proved to be very suitable. We could grill our huge rib-eye steaks, bought on the way, in the Wall Mart of Idaho Falls and prepare our breakfast. All you need is a sleeping bag, a frying pan, a Water heater and a cheap cool box. Everything else can be bought locally. We toured the Yellowstone National Park and touched all major areas. The "Old Faithful" tested our patience since just erupted before our arrival, so we had to wait almost all the 90 minutes before the next one. We also saw some wild live like buffalo, Moose, Eagle.
The 1100 km drive from Yellowstone National Park to Estes (Rocky Mountain National Park) was endless but interesting. We passed the Grand Tenton National Park, and through quite deserted roads down to Cheyenne. Somewhere I rushed over a hill crest and flew by a Police Patrol at maybe 90mph. I heard sirens whiling and saw flashing blue-red lights. I kept to my right, thinking the Patrol Car wants to overtake me and maybe flag me down. They kept behind me, making noise and suddenly another Police Car squeezed in front of me and I had to stop. I asked the officer of his problem and he informed me that I was speeding and not stopping in time. I played surprised but all my Swiss Charm was wasted. I got a ticket over US$ 400. Oliver filmed the whole incident but not before removing all the empty beer cans! From there to Denver Colorado the Highway was busy, than a winding climb to Estes where we stayed also at the KOA. The next morning we took the famous Trail Ridge Road, with stunning views to the Rock Mountains and down to Denver where we stayed in the only hotel of the trip. A private shower was a welcome change otherwise we looked forward to our next KOA in Moab.
From Moab our route took us via Mexican Hat, Monument Valley to the Grand Canyon. A very scenic route. No traffic and very hot! We arrive at the
Red Feather Lodge in the evening and had to eat outside. The local "Italian" Restaurant was horrible but next day at the Steak House was OK. The Grand
Canyon is always spectacular! However a full day was sufficient since we did not wanted to climb down to the bottom of the Canyon. Oliver and Nancy where
looking forward to Las Vegas since they also missed the civilisation, meaning shopping!
On the way we made a brief stop at the Hoover Dam. It was very hot and we went on. We arrived at the Circus Circus Casino and Hotel
and got the very sad news of Mami's death. We considered to abort the trip but after checking our options and consulting with my sisters, we decided to continue... Live goes on.
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Moab, Canyonland, Archer Nat.Park, Grand Canyon
Moab - Grand Canyon
After almost getting involved in a crash with a lady driver and extensive shopping at the Denver Wale Mart we drove via famous and expensive Ski Resorts (Vail to Moab.
The temperature got hotter and hotter and to top it all, we overtook a Highway Patrol in full speed (90 mph) and got, after some chasing, a ticket! I was a bit pissed off but
it was my fault, I did not spot them in time. Was maybe busy with my Budweiser, which Nancy put away before my interview with the officer. Moab is a very hot spot and the KOA had not much shade.
The nearby Arches National Park and Canyonlands are very impressing and we visited them early mornings. The temperature climbed too high (>48°C) in the afternoons, so we used this time for a siesta.
From Moab we our route took us via Mexican Hat and Monument Valley to the Grand Canyon.
A very scenic route. No traffic and very hot! We arrive at the Red Feather Lodge in the evening and had to eat outside. The local "Italian" Restaurant was horrible but next day at the Steak House was OK. Grand
Canyon is always spectacular! However a full day was sufficient since we did not wanted to climb down to the bottom of the canyon. Oliver and Nancy where
looking forward to Monument Valley, they also missed the civilization, speak shopping!
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Las Vegas - San Diego - Los Angeles (Hollywood) - San Franciso
We decided to take the fastest route to San Diego. Initially I opted for the scenic one, but the heat was to intensive and uninviting for a long detour through the desert! My passengers where also a bit tired of long hot drives and where looking forward to the Pacific Ocean. So I programmed my Tom Tom to lead us direct to the Motel 6 Center (very good) where we arrived at approx 16:00. This was not bad since we booked the Great San Diego City Tour, departing "early" morning at 07:30. The tour was OK but they skipped the excursion to Tejuan (Mexico) do to lack of participants. A pity! Next day we visited San Diego Sea World, expensive but the shows were fun. The Harbor Cruise was another must and worthwhile. We saw a lot of military hardware, pelicans and sea lions.
In Las Vegas we got the very sad news that my mother died in Switzerland. We where all shocked but decided in the end to finish the tour. We could not return in time and since we
made all bookings for flights, hotels, etc, in advance it would have been too complicated. We all did not like this conclusion but nothing else was feasible. We did not really enjoy the rest of Vrgas but masde the best out
of it. Than we drove down to San Diego, drove than on to Los Angeles. Hollywood and the Universal Studios where the main attraction and we liked the place.
Since out time was almost up, we drove vis Malibu and Six Flag, Magic Mountains, on to our starting point: San Francisco. From there we flew back to London and on th Zürich
After the visit of Sea World, we drove straight to Los Angeles (Hollywood) where we checked in at the Motel 6. Next morning the 6 hour City Tour.
This always gives a good overview of the most prominent spots. In this case Beaches, Down Town and of course Beverly Hills, etc...The Motel 6 was situated a view steps from the
"Walk of Fame" and was perfect. As always in big cities, the shopping part was for me very stressful. Nancy however has other ideas on this subject!
Oliver was excited to see Michael Jackson's Home and of course the flower decorated star on the Hollywood Blvd. For my part, I liked the outback more but one must make compromises in live!
The 7`760 km trip came to an end. The budget proved to be spot on and there would not been room for one day extension! All bookings and arrangements via internet in advance. Worked perfect and thank to the TomTom (GPS), navigation was absolute stress free.
Only in one case (Salt Lake City), we had to search for the Motel 6 (confusing address), otherwise we where always spot on, also time wise. Also the mix KOA (cabins) and
Motels (Motel 6 can be recommended) proved to be an economical solution. For me it was a first, to prepare a trip in all details in advance, even transfers in London. To my
surprise I did not felt restrained by this rigid framework, to the contrary, it avoided a lot of, otherwise, common problems and confusions. Really a relaxed trip
