Day 129 & 130: Arches National Park, Moab, Utah

Tuesday 12th & Wednesday 13th April

Forrest Gump running film set

Restful afternoon

Delicate Arch, symbol of Utah, sunset

Early morning Devil's Garden and Primitive Trail arches

Hummer ride with dinosaur footprints and sunset

Moab Brewery: Dead Horse

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Turns out that the place where Forrest Gump stops his 2 1/2 year running spree was filmed just outside the Navajo Nation. So we ran on the road up the hill and got a photo each. 

That afternoon we had a rest in our new campsite at Moab.

In the evening we walked up to Delicate Arch for sunset. This is the symbol of Utah. It's on all of the car license plates

The following morning we would get up early to see the rest of this National Park. This is Arches National Park. It is aptly named- there are over 2000 stone arches in the park. We saw old, new, double, crumbling, and deep arches. We walked amongst them all and over this odd landscape.

Much of this desert area is made up of "fins". These are large long rocks all parallel to one another. Cracks are being eroded between these fins as wind and rain wash away the sandstone's surface. These fins have eroded in certain places, holes appearing in the rock, resulting in the arches.

No ones too sure how the arches are formed. The map for the national park came with one theory that this sandstone is formed on a layer of salt that is unstable and movements cause the rock to crack. This crumbles from underneath forming the arches. However most salt layers I've hear of are very solid and the sandstone erosion looks to be more based on wind and rain converting it to sand than the rock crumbling. I prefer the theory the locals, those who spend the most time on the rock.

The fins have a number of deepening round eroded holes in their sides. These are formed as wind blows between the fins resulting in eddies which wear away a specific area of rock. Over a relatively short time for geology the hole grows and widens. Eventually this either eats through the fin of a crack appears in the fin separating the arch from the fin- an example of which was shown to me later by a local.

Either way the place is filled with many weird and marvellous arches, some slowly being formed, others slowly crumbling away.

In the late afternoon we were riding in a Hummer!!!

To the south of the arches is a petrified desert. Here all of the petrified dunes form a great place for people to show off their off roading skills with mountain bikes, motor cross bikes, converted dune buggies, jeeps, and hammers. On the surface of he dunes distinct black lines appear. This are the main "roads"- tracks left as the rubber tyres gain traction on the rock.

The rock is nicknamed "slick rock". This is a historic name. In the days of carts and horses the carts had metal rims and the horses were all wearing metal shoes. Metal doesn't grip well to the sandstone. However rubber tyres do- they grip to the stone exceedingly well. 

This is why the undulating surfaces are so popular. The surfaces we went over with the Hummer were up to 55% but the low pressure specialist tyres kept us stuck to the rock. Our vehicle had 33 inch tyres and the chassis elevated 24 inches. Not only could we go up the slopes but also over the rocks and boulders that litter the area.

There were a few similar vehicles driving around. We got shots of Jeeps going up and over slopes and boulders, as well as converted dune buggies. There were also motor bikes and mountain bikes. It's only $5 to get a pass to drive on this terrain, so it's very popular. There are some minor concerns about the damage that might be done to the land. However people try to stick to the rocky areas-there's no grip in the sand- and in areas that are no longer used the sandstone is eroded away by natural forces that the black tyre tracks disappear within a few years.

It was a great ride although I think the two girls with us were hoping from something a bit faster and exciting. The other guy in our team is a mechanic working on mining machinery so just the Hummer was very interesting for him.

Whilst out we were shown the local rock formations, plants, and the Dinosaur prints. Yes, there are tons of Dinosaur remains in this area! In Moab there are a number of places selling fossils. Many fossils have been found here. Near where we drove, and where we would later watch sunset, there were a selection of fossilised footprints from large and small, carnivorous and herbivorous animals. 

That evening we went to the local brewery. Utah is a "dry" state. That used to mean no alcohol. Now it means limits on the percentage alcohol allowed to be bought from liqueur stores (light beers only) and all stores are manned by the police.

The catch to this is that breweries can bottle and sell their own. This means they can brew and sell what every they want. Even 10% beers. So we visited the the Dead Horse brewery. It was a really nice place with a merchandise shop and restaurant attached. We did stick out quite well, but had a couple of beers past our "just a quick one" plan. Great beer, great night out.

Day 128: Navajo Nation

Monday 11th April

Wind talkers display at Burger King

Monument Valley in the Navajo Nation

Big truck out to the mesas- film set of every Wild West film ever.

Display of Navajo rugs

Hogans, including the one we'd stay in

Sunset dinner

Display of Dog men, Medicine men dances, creation stories

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Having packed up camp we made our way from the Grand Canyon down into the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. The Navajo Nation is effectively a state in a state. They have their own laws and emergency services- I've written about the nation on Day 126.

This morning we stopped off on our way through at a specific Burger King. 

One of the factors that makes the Navajo Nation different is that they lost limited amounts of land to the Euro-Americans. Combined with good management by the Elders, such as banning alcohol and working with the film industry, they seem to have survived into the modern world relatively well. This has been resulted in the Navajo being patriotic about the USA. Part of this patriotism has resulted in Native Indians joining the military. It was during the Second World War that this became fundamental. 

It was decided to use the Navajo as radio operators for the Marines. A code was developed for them to use which has never been broken. The basis of the code is this.

Take a Navajo word

Translate it into English

The first letter of the English word is the letter

So Tank could be radioed as the Navajo words for Tree, Ant, North, and Knot (not these words used, but you get the idea)

They did also use Navajo words for specific, common, words. So infantry where Dog Faces and Tanks were Buffalo. 

The reasons the code is so hard to crack is firstly because the Navajo language is unrelated to the languages of the old world and novel for the world, so would not have been considered by the Japanese code breakers. Secondly it is based on two unrelated languages so there's no cohesion within the code.

The Japanese broke every other code used by the USA but never the Marines code.

Of course one of the limitations was the need to use Navajo- they were the only ones who could understand the code. They did it well, with limited training other than having to qualify for the Marines. The first class was of 29 Navajo, and later classes expanded on this.

Where the Burger King comes in is that the Manager has a grandfather who was a "Wind Talker" or "Code Talker"- the name given to the Navajo Radio Operators. He has a large collection of articles from the Pacific Theatre. This includes a collection of captured Japanese flags and a belt of a thousand stitches- a sacred warding garment made for Japanese troops to magically stop bullets, a very rare, precious item.

This afternoon and evening we would be staying in the Monument Valley Park. This is a national park of the Navajo Nation. It is were nearly every western since the days of John Ford and John Wayne right up to "A Million Ways to Die in the West" has been filmed here. All those big red, square, blocks of rock? The knee high desert bushes? The erratic rocks to stand on in an awesomely theatrical macho manner? That's the stunning Monument Valley. It is the old west for pop culture. 

It's also a beautiful place to be. There are Navajo still living in the park, despite having no electricity or water supply. I can understand why. It's got that great mix of open spaces with the great edifices, the big red monuments, that give the park its name and fame. No wonder it's been used to for all of the films.

We were also taken to some of the Navajo's ancestors favourite spots. These included a large spherical hole in a cave which acted as an amphitheater, where our guide played his newly made drum and sang. Afterwards there was a protected collection of petroglyphs- artwork carved into the surface of the rock around 3000 years ago. Primarily the pictures we saw were of what looked to be big horn sheep, or possibly goats.

We were picked up by a Navajo called Ron. He picked us up in a large SUV with a converted rear section which has two benches to sit on high up to see the park better. We would stop at various sites for photos and to have a walk around. 

He took us over to a place where locals sell handmade jewellery and food to the tourists. They even had a horse that could be taken out onto a rocky outcrop for John Wayne style photos to be taken either of a local on the horse, or for a more you can sit on the horse. It's quite touristy, but that's the point. 

Afterwards we were taken to see Navajo rug making and rugs. These are made of wool using various original and traditional designs. There was also a rug-dress, a rug with a central hole like a poncho, with a rope tied around the waist. Today some Navajo girls wear these at special occasions, such as graduation, but with a light robe underneath as the woollen rug can be uncomfortable. In the same Hogan were more jewellery and horse hair pottery. This pottery is a white china but horse hair is passed across it whilst still warm straight as it comes out of the kiln. This causes the hair to burn and leave irregular black lines across the pottery.

The Hogan was next to ours. "Female" Hogans are huts built from wood (without nails) starting with 9 short pillars to symbolise the 9 months of pregnancy, then with about 8 inches of mud over the top. The hut is domed with a hole in the centre of the roof and a fire in the centre. This keeps the single room warm. Women sleep on the right, as you walk in the door, and men on the left. These are the Hogans they used to live in.

"Male" hogans are used for ceremonial purposes. They are like he female ones but with an extended door way like a long porch.

There are also little Sweat Hogans. These are like saunas, with a fire being lit outside to heat rocks which are then put inside and water added create steam. These might be used communally or singularly.

Tonight we would be staying in a female hogan of our own. We had a little stove to keep us warm. The floor is sand so we brought our tarps and mats to sleep on. Outside was an outhouse. Which had no door. But it did face some beautiful scenery. 

Our dinner for the evening was a Navajo-Mexican dish of fried bread, beans, salad, cheese and steak. We ate this under the Rock of the Rain God which features a cliff streaked with black and white vertical lines.

After dinner our guide, Ron appeared in his competition Medicine Man regalia. He performs Navajo dances, as do his two daughters, at a high competitive level. Normally he comes in his second rate regalia but the day before he'd been to a competition so had his best with him. It was a big comp. He came second. He knows what he's doing.

A Navajo Elder came along too. He played his drum and sang as Ron danced. He also told us about the history of some of the dances, their meanings, as well as some of the creation stories of the Navajo. This included the many stories of how the cayote went from being the most gorgeous, energetic animal in the world to the creature it is today, as well as how it put the stars into the sky.

In the morning we watched the sun rise over the features of the desert. I'm not a sunrise person. That's well established. This was truly beautiful though. Well worth getting up for. 

The modern American breakfast spoiled the day somewhat though. Fruit salad cup and a bowl of cereal. It wasn't until I'd had my breakfast that I realised both the fruit salad with "extra light syrup" and cereal were each about 1/3 sugar. Even the milk had 12g of sugar in it per cup. I totalled about 50g of sugar in just breakfast. And people feed their kids this stuff everyday. What's wrong with you? I don't eat much sugar normally so I had a massive sugar low a few hours later. Since then I've been watching how much sugar is in stuff. The corporations here have managed to keep the main focus on fat. Calories are marked per serving but also what comes specifically from fat, as well as large ads for minimising fat content. However most low fat products replace the fat ingredients with sugary substances such as corn syrup. The body converts these sugars into fats- so it doesn't make any difference in the end! Well, it does, because of insulin. Fatty foods and complex carbs result in a slow insulin increase and decrease giving slower release of energy. Sugar on the other hand results in a spike in insulin which causes glucose in the blood to fall dramatically, the body putting it into storage, resulting in a low energy levels and a need to eat more. Maybe more sugar. Another insulin spike, plus more calories. 

No wonder there's so much diabetes in modern America

Day 131 & 132 : La Sal Mountains

Thursday 14th & Friday 15th April

Ride out to Dead Horse Point

McDonald's

Drove up to Telluride

Lodge

Walk around Telluride

Evening in by the fire

SNOW!

Late morning on the wifi

Others go out to town- I do paperwork

Walk up a track in the hill in the snow

Snowman and playing in the snow

Chicken and bacon dinner

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Before we left Moab we had a quick morning run out to Dead Horse Point.

This high piece of land is formed in a meander of the Colorado River. It is surrounded by cliffs and the connection between point and main land is very narrow. Thus it was used as a place to catch wild horses. Large crews of men would gather them up and her them down to the point. From here the best horses were selected and extracted to be transported to people's ranches. The rest were left where they were.

But horses base most of their behaviour on fear. They remember that which has scared them, and when and where it occurred. All of the pent up fear from being herded hit them deeply. They didn't voluntarily move from the point, even once them men had gone. So they stayed there and died from dehydration, leaving the place littered with bodies.

And that's how it got the name.

It a nice enough place, but we didn't do much in the way of walking, it was cold, and early in the morning- so it wasn't as good as the other national parks we've been to.

Back in Moab one of our crew wanted to get breakfast at McDonald's. Not too different from NZ, although 20 chicken nuggets costs only $4 which is so cheap it scares me. Though it didn't stop me taking the last few Mitch couldn't finish.

From here we were driving towards the Rocky Mountains. 

From Moab we could see the La Sal Mountains. La Sal comes from the Spanish for Salt. Spanish explorers saw them from near the Moab area and thought all of the white stuff was salt, apparently. Really? They didn't know about snow on mountains, nor realise that salt dissolves easily and would soon be washed away? Maybe they truly believed that and were idiots/dehydrated. Or maybe it was just a nickname and it's stuck.

We drove up into the mountainous region until we finally came upon the tourist town of Telluride ("Telly-Ride"). This is a quaint little town of early 1900s architecture surrounded by mountains, pine trees, and snow. It hosts skiers in winter and hikers, mountain bikers, and the lazy people who appreciate a view in winter. Oh, and rich people. House and accommodation prices are ridiculous. We looked at a few $5million houses at the real estate office window. You don't get much, but it looks great.

We had a large lodge-flat. It's part of a complex of flats but which look like 2 storey lodges on the inside. It was big and beautiful and luxury after 9 days in cold tents. In addition we arrived during the "penalty box"- the 2 week period when the town switches from winter season to summer season. The winter locals and staff leave before the summer locals and staff arrive. This leaves half of the shops shut and only the true locals hanging around.

We had a walk around town, checking in on shops and various places before returning to our nice warm flat.

We couldn't get the wifi to work, which was something of a blessing. We had a nice night in by the fire, eating lasagne, and watching TV. Utter luxury after the freezing campsites. Our only concern was our tour guide. He didn't come back for dinner. He's the most experienced, he should know what he's doing and not get in trouble. I'd seen him outside on the phone just after we'd come back from town. Where was he? He returned at 10pm-he'd fallen asleep in the minibus!!!

The next morning we awoke to SNOW!!!

There had already been the reminents of winter left littering the town and mountains. Now we had a half inch and more steadily falling. It was beginning to bring the temperature down enough to settle everywhere and would continue to do so until we left.

Our guide had got the wifi working so we had a morning of catching up on everything internet related that hadn't been done in the past week (emails home, photos, updates, etc.). After this we had bacon and eggs we'd bought specially knowing we'd have a proper kitchen at Telluride.

The others had a few things they wanted to get from town and I had a heap of paperwork to get started on so we organised to meet back up for a late lunch at the lodge. As I worked away in the warmth they were steadily getting covered in an entertaining and novel amount of snow. They arrived back like walking snowmen. The landscape around us had become powder white and has become a winter wonderland.

After lunch we walked up a track into the forest. Ahead of us a local guy was putting on his cross country skiies and slid away. Maybe if the shops and slopes had been open we'd have gone skiing, but without lifts nor skiies we were more than happy enough. We plodded through the snow up hill, having minor snowball fights and jumping into snow drifts. As we got higher we found a place to build a snowman. We moved higher, making snow angels and burying Mitch the Aussie in snow. We reached the clear patch under a ski lift. Here I climbed up the slope until e snow was over my thighs, this was high enough to roll down. Well, we didn't even have a sled! After this we were cold and hungry enough to go back to our fire.

That evening our guide, Don, made cheesy potatoes (like nachos, but with diced potato) and the girls, Laura and Ness, made something amazingly tasty. Bits of chicken breast rapped in bacon, stood on their end for cooking in the oven with homemade garlic butter on top. They were great. Mitch and I did the washing up.

Day 127: Grand Canyon

Sunday 10th April 

Waiting for the three in the helicopter 

Walking down into the canyon on Bright Angel Trail down to one-and-half mile lookout

Rain and wind on way back up

Hail as entered the art gallery first used as base to photograph the canyon

More hail as moved to the art studio which had a balcony for great views of the foggy canyon

Fog began to roll in as we stopped at the Bright Angle Lodge and Hoki House

Finished at Vermont's store as the hail and rain receded 

As walked to catch bus we passed the old railway station where a herd of deer were eating by the tracks

Hail and rain began again so rather than cook outside we went for Mexican food. Mmm, Chimichanga 

Evening by a very warm fire with some massive logs we got for free to burn, and a guide from next door delivering Jim Bean Bourbon to warm us up some more

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I'm not much of a one for flying over stuff. It's great and I'm sure others get much more out of it than I do. Yet for the significant cost and the feeling that I might as well be watching a video mean that it's just not for me. I'd rather walk it, drive around it, climb it, maybe even kayak down it. So when the other 3 from the group opted to fly I was going to go for a wee hike. As it was though they got an earlier flight that booked, as there was a space. This was lucky given the later weather conditions. And given the short time they'd be I just hung out chatting with our American tour guide. Once they'd returned we were off to see some of the park properly.

With the rules that govern the park our tour guide wasn't allowed to accompany us in the park. Go figure. He could give us advice and a plan though. Free shuttle bus, part of a trail into the canyon, then the rim.

The trail we took down was Bright Angel Trail, one of the oldest and most popular. It is possible to go right down to he river at the bottom. However this is requires an overnight stop by the river. The canyon is that deep- ascent takes a whole day. One can also join a mule train, hiring out a mule for the two day trip down into the canyon and back. Provided you can plan a year in advance, as that's how long the waiting list is.

Easier, less time consuming options include all of the various lookouts along the route. There are several of these points and they are advised places to turn around. Most have toilets, a shelter for rest and to eat, plus you can always tell people afterwards exactly how far you made it!

We began just before lunch time. The weather was a little cold but sunny. As we went down though thunder could be heard over the horizon and we got a couple of slight spattering of rain. This worried me slightly. There had been some discussion of going down to the Three Mile Shelter. We stopped for lunch at the One-and-Half Mile shelter for lunch. From here we could see cloud coming in as we got some great pictures and video of the worryingly tame chipmunks that had been trying to steal our sandwiches. Afterward we decided to just go back up. Which was a great decision.

One of the major issues they have with people hiking in the Grand Canyon is the inversion from normal hiking. On the hills and mountains people are forced to go up energy zapping slopes, either getting to the top or as far as they can before coming down, which can require more thought but far less energy. 

A canyon on the other hand allows people to descend first. Many keep going down until they are tired. Then they try to go back up. But they're tired. And going up requires so much energy. And they have none. So 500 people a year call the park authorities to be rescued.

We probably wouldn't have joined that statistic, yet once we did make it back to the rim the rain began to set in. Then became hail! We watched from the windows of an art gallery as the canyon disappeared in the cloud and the landscape became covered in hailstones. We made a dash for the art studio next door. After a few moments by the heater we ventured out onto the balcony. Here we could watch more of the canyon disappear as hail built up.

We carried on around this tourist village along the rim. Cloud built and receded, the hail hit in waves, and the air got colder. The historic Bright Angel Lodge is a large, old, establishment, with hotel rooms, a museum, bar, restaurant, and gift shop. It was very warm and filled with people like ourselves, sheltering from the elements. Needing to get a move on a the day wore on though we went over to the Hoki House. This was built a long time ago for tourists to look like an authentic Indian style house. Inside it is filled with things for tourists to buy, mostly made by local Native Americans. We were kind of hoping for a little history in here too, and didn't find much in the way of novelties we wanted, so went back out into the cold for one last stop. Vermont's is half museum half store. We had a quick look around their history of the Canyon timeline, but we were all becoming tired. 

We went to the shuttle bus via the old railway station. By this point the weather was muggy but improving. Hence we had a little time to take photos of the mule deer foraging in the bushes along the track. Later on the bus our driver would point out three elk by the road, and stop for a moment as we took photos. Finally though we made it back to our tour guide and bus- where the heating was turned up as the cold evening drew in.

A couple of minutes in the cold, wet, campsite it was decided tonight was a good night to go get Mexican food! We had a mix of foods, myself having a Chimichanga. It was the first thing I saw on the menu and my choice had absolutely nothing to do with the Deadpool movie, honest.

Day 122: Las Vegas! Guns! Buffet! Street Performers!

Tuesday 5th April 

Gun Range

Pool: The Tank of Sharks and Slide

All you can shovel in buffet

Downtown Vegas, ceiling videos, street performers

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Las Vegas- where you can do anything! It's the only place where one can drink on the street. They pay big money so that people can smoke indoors. They also pay big money so that no one will notice- ensuring air circulates quickly, drawing smoke away to keep non-smokers happy. There's also the concept of pumping extra oxygen onto the gaming floor to keep people awake longer for more gaming, as well as giving them free drinks and not having any clocks up so no one can see what time it it. Oh, and the casinos being laid out so that you get lost and can't escape. You can check out any time you like but you can never leave.

Our "do anything" for this morning was Guns!!! Discount Firearms offers a wide range of cheap packages of weapons which one can fire on their range. Most with very American, military, or movie names. It was an interesting mix of weapons, most highly illegal in Europe. I've fired shotguns, rifles, semi-automatics, and muskets before, so I wanted something new. The Special Ops package was for me. A handgun, small automatic, M4 automatic rifle, and a belt fed machine gun. Mwahaha!!!

The handgun was a wee 9mm, so not too much kick. Something new, and fun. It's only a little toy gun, why can't everyone have one?

The military automatics were new and cool- I've only fired semi-auto before so it was interesting getting to let rip. 

The belt fed monster was just that. Rip up the field with a hail of flying metal. Ridiculous, but when else am I going to get to fire something like this?

It's great but personally I'm with the Australian government who remade most of these weapons illegal. Having these sort of guns is insane. They're military spec. They're designed to kill with impunity. Equally handguns are easily concealed. The automatics are supposed to mow down enemy troops, or give you a better chance of hitting and killing them. Who the hell needs all of that in their house? It's fun and interesting as a wee day trip to a well controlled firing range but the idea people should have what ever they want freely in their house is stupid. And as a defense? Defense from what? The other idiots who've been allowed them and turned against you, or those who've managed to steal them from "good" citizens who were allowed them. Granted it's not impossible for illegal weapons to make it across the Mexican border, as well as there being many illegal weapons already in the states. But do you really need an automatic weapon to defend against any of them. Even a semi-automatic is terrifyingly dangerous. Even more stupid is the idea that all teachers should have them to stop school shootings- not because there will be more guns around schools but because teachers are by nature humanitarians. They would have to be in a state of insane panic before they would shoot a person- it doesn't, or at least shouldn't, come naturally to a teacher to shoot a person, especially not one of their pupils. What's more people in panic mode are the worst at hitting targets. Between that an the bullets bouncing around the room innocent pupils are more likely to get hurt than the shooter.

But then that's just a Yorkshireman's opinion. 

After being a Republican for a morning it was time for a dip in the pool. The Golden Nugget has a central pool called The Tank. This is not merely due to the whale watching but also because of the large tank that sprouts from the centre of the pool, filled with fish and a number of ugly looking sharks. It's a great sight, especially with the water slide that runs through the middle of the tank. We did this once- the queue isn't huge but one is going so fast as to never be able to notice the Sharks around you.

Eventually enough people cleared off the pool side recliners that we managed to get a seat. We had a few beers, I caught some sun that had been filtered through an ozone layer for a change, and read until I fell asleep. 

For dinner that evening we went to the casino's buffet. For $14 it all you can eat anything you can imagine. With free Coke. Sushi, meats, fried stuff, Italian pasta and pizza, various breads, salads, overly sweet puddings. Three courses later I felt like Monty Python's Mr Creosote. Lovely.

We spent the evening wandering about the Fremont Experience. We watched the ceiling displays from The Doors and Imagine Dragons. The street performers all have to stand within specific black circles on the street, ensuring the place doesn't get too crowded with them. I think the circles used to look like poker chips, but they've been scuffed into darkness. A few costumed crusaders such as those we'd seen on the Hollywood Boulevard were present, alongside an ancient Elvis, and showgirls/strippers young and old. A number of acts played the drums. We saw one excellent duo playing the electric cello- even bought their album which we'll play on the bus at some point. 

Further down we exploded the lands of darkness. After the Fermont Experience area of eternal light comes an area which still has some life to it. Small clubs, casinos and motels. The thing to see though is the Container Park. It's an American versions of what I saw in Christchurch- a small shopping centre made out of shipping containers, of the frames of them, unlike Chrischurch this one had two storeys, with a balcony made of and supported by the steel frames of containers. There's even a playground based around shipping containers with climbing frames, a "tree" house and towers made of upended containers. 

Outside was the show piece for the park, though it wasn't made of shipping containers. A welded sculpture of car parts and gas lines formed a 20 foot long, 10 foot high preying mantis- this fires burning from the tips of its antenna! Fires that were brought into life in time with a song, bursting forth as giant scorching flamethrowers! We felt the heat of them from the other side of the street. It was ridiculous, amazing, mesmerising. So very Vegas.

Day 124: Angel's Landing, Amazing, dangerous hike, The Human History Museum

Thursday 7th April 

Early cold start

Shuttle bus

Hike through scrub, switchbacks, onto ridge.

Scrambling with chains along narrow rocky crest, deadly cliffs on either side

Up onto the top, getting a 360' view of the park

Climb down as temperatures get increasingly hot-lots more people coming up in the midday heat

Buy a National Park Passport

Lunch and nap time

Human History Museum/ propaganda/ over the top American dramatisation of the park video

Australian style burgers

S'mores by the fire

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Being just before sunrise and in a canyon it wasn't too warm in camp at 6:30am. For once I had my long trousers on, a thermal top, a couple of layers, and my light rain jacket. The reason for our early start was Angel's Landing- the best hike to do in Zion National Park, so long as conditions are perfect, one is fit and healthy, and you've no fear of heights. It's a little bit dangerous. 7 people died on it in the last 10 years. Good job the weather was looking good!

We caught the free shuttle bus through the park. A decent number of people were also up and about- not peak numbers, but enough to fill over half of the bus. On the hike we'd be with other people, but not surrounded as we would have been had we gone later in the day.

We started in the brush of the valley floor, taking a bridge over the Virgin River and followed the concrete path through this scrub. Slowly we rose up to see the meandering river and thin trees below. The trail ascended along the valley wall towards the point where Angel's Landing meets it. 

Angel's Landing is a part of the edge of the valley which has not been pushed back in the same way that the rest of the valley wall has been. Thus it stands near to the centre of the valley, a little way down from where it broadens out. It is flanked by sheer cliffs and only remains attached to the walls by a thin ridge of rock. This must be traversed to get to the summit which offers spectacular 360' views of the park, looking down along its length and up towards its beginning. The steep cliffs either side of the access ridge, as well as the narrowness of the ridge itself, not to mention the old weathered sandstone one is standing on, are reason enough to not try this hike/climb in anything but perfect conditions.

We climbed into the gap between the ridge and the valley wall, finding a cold little valley with the path steadily going up. After a little while it cut back on itself giving access to the switchbacks that have been built to enable a slightly easier climb to the top of the ridge. After about 20 turns we were up onto an open area of sand and bushes. It was getting much warmer now so we joined many others in removing layers and preparing for the second half of the ascent. 

The paved trail gives way to a warn estimate of a path on the sandstone, with a little guidance and safety provided by a chain running at 3 feet off the floor. It's not all hands and feet work, but it certainly feels safer and easier that way.

We passed by our first point where the cliffs left and right dug in leaving only a narrow 3 foot strip of rock to walk on. I couldn't help let out a ne vous laugh. It's a long way down.

Between getting used to the sight of the drops of death and the ridge widening we got used to such issues. There were obese people, family's with young kids, people running the whole thing- if those idiots can do it, so can I! 

Personally, as someone who used to be heavily involved with rock climbing at university, I really enjoyed this hike. It was a slow, steady, yet fun and dangerous way to spend a sunny morning.

We all made it to the top eventually. The views were breathtaking. We just sat for a little while taking it all in. Photos were then taken, and our snacks unloaded for morning tea (minus the tea). Then the scroungers arrived. A few Chipmunks, tiny little animals, as well as a couple of squirrels, were skulking around the top of Angel's Landing. They wouldn't wait nor beg for anything. Instead they just sniffed around, darting under people's legs. I never saw one do it but no doubt they were looking for any scraps of crumbs we might drop. I imagine even a crumb is a significant meal for something smaller than my mobile phone.

All done and with the temperature rising we headed down. As we walked the numbers (and weight) of people climbing increased. I don't know how many managed to comets it that day but there were a multitude trying to get through the midday heat complaining bitterly whilst not even being half way up. It's good that they're trying and it's good that they're out- but its foolish to try something so hard in roasting heat with only a litre of water and a camera.

Back at the visitor centre I bought a National Parks' Passport. These are little booklets with information about the parks with a space to put stickers and stamps as one visits each location. My friend from San Diego, Sarah, told me about these and it seems fitting to try to mark what I do with one- even if we're only hitting a tiny fraction of the best parks.

Lunch and a nap in the sun for an hour before two of us decided to use our afternoon to check out the park's Human History Museum. Which was interesting. Lots of pictures, a few words in big font, that's the American Infromation Centre way, it seems. Also limited look into American Indian lives here- although their visits were limited at the time when Europeans arrived. We watched the 22 minute "orientation" video meant to introduce us to the park. It was written in a very American way- many many adjectives (like I wrote as a 14 year old before being reprimanded by my English teacher), simplifications of everything, concentrating on the beautiful aspects of the park, not on the facts of how it was formed or who has ever lived here. The formation of the park and the Native Americans only got a few lines of recognition during the whole thing. It was very entertaining and very American- so I enjoyed it as a tourist, but we'd never make anything so garish in the UK!

This evening's meal surprised and amazed our tour guide. We made Australian/New Zealand style hamburgers. Additions to beef burger and cheese include fried egg, beetroot, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise and fried onions. We could have included pineapple if we'd had some. Instead a couple of us chose to add a little American hot sauce. After one everyone was struggling. With two we barely had room for s'mores.

Having invented the marshmallow, then invented roasting them on a campfire, some greedy, sugar-laced American invented S'mores. Roasted marshmallow with chocolate (melted by its hot friend) between two thin sweet crackers/biscuits. So sweet, so sugary. We decided, after two, that one was really enough. S'more S'mores are too much for our savoury palettes.

Day 123: Las Vegas Buffet Breakfast, Zion National Park, Emerald Pools

Wednesday 6th April 

Finally got a Buffet Breakfast in Las Vegas- like Christmas Day! Loved it.

Travelled through Nevada, Arizona, and into Utah (via state check point)

Into Zion National Park- a massively huge sandstone valley. Bigger than you'd believe.

National Park visitor centre

Shuttle Bus

Paved path up to Emerald Pools

Camping with American style tents

American gas cooker/lamp

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"All you can eat" "Breakfast" "Buffet" "$7" "They have smoked salmon"

I ate about half a fish. No brown bread, no cream cheese, just a little lemon juice and a fork.

The coffe was awful but orange juice was also free. 

And there was everything else too- croissants, bacon, 3 types of melon, something like a spring roll but filled with cream and covered in a strawberry sauce.

Problem with all you can eat is, when you've had the buffet last night too, you're not as hungry as one could be. So only one American sized plate for me, and I didn't even quite finish that.

But fear not! We're going hiking!

We passed through Nevada, a little of Arizona, and into the state of Utah. We were heading for the stunning Zion National Park- a valley formed as the Virgin River rubbed away at the raised sandstone Colorado Plateau. The cliffs, columns, and mesas left behind are unbelievably big. The rock is a sandstone laced with impurities, primarily iron, giving it the red colour, as well as its yellows and whites. The colour reminded me of Uluru (although the red there is from a covering of desert sand, the rock itself is grey). This felt more impressive though.

We parked up the bus just outside the park at our campground. Here we set up the tents we would be using. They are a modern version of those toblerone shaped tents all American movies and cartoons have. The sort I've never seen anywhere else. Being tents that will be carried in a trailer, not on my back, they were far larger and more robust than my usual accommodation. About 8feet long, 4 feet wide at the base, and nearly 5 feet in the centre. I could nearly stand up in it! Plus, with only four in our group, we have 14 sleeping/yoga mats to go around. Even sleeping on these rocks we should be fairly comfy.

We went into the park. It was fairly busy, but later in the afternoon at this point so becoming quiet. American National Parks are strange places after having been to the equivalent in the UK, NZ, and Australia. In all of these places efforts are made to bring people in and make the most of the space in an active manner. People hike, mountain bike, ride horses, go canyoning, swimming, rock climbing, camping, bird watching- it's a natural theme park for peoe wanting to go outside and make the most of both nature and their lives. People can go nearly anywhere in these places and are often invited to do so, within their own personal limits.

The Nationql Parks of the USA by comparison feel more like giant Botanic Gardens. To much an extent they seem to be a federal business enterprise. They advertise widely via being in to documentaries, movies, and drama series. 4th graders are given free access to the parks and at this young age taught how to respect the space whilst enjoying it. The majority of parks have good access roads (compared to NZ or Aus) making it easy for people to come in what ever transportation they have, including giant RV/mobile homes. With all of these people wanting to come visit the parks can charge significant entree fees- Zion was $50 for a day, $80 for a year pass. These fees pay for the Rangers- who are federal cops- advertising, signage, facilities, a free shuttle bus that prevents hordes of cars blocking up the roads, and maintenance of the park. With so many people, and to make access easier, the park only has a relatively small number of hiking routes. It is drilled into visitors to never leaver these paths so as to maintain these places, which is fair given what could happen if thousands of boots tore up the land every day. This seems very effective as the pristine wilderness creeps right up to the edge of the walk ways. Visitors are also made well aware that feeds animals is bad for everyone, as is any interaction with them. This doesn't stop the chipmunks and squirrels knowing that flaky granola bars and trail mix are liable to drop the odd treat around picnickers. Yet it also means that most animals don't view humans as any form of threat. Thus the big eared Mule Deer will happily stand grazing as the hikers walk by.

It's fair and reasonable that the National Parks are maintained in perfection and enable thousands to see such landscapes everyday.

But there's part of me that doesn't find it as fun as the wilderness of UK/NZ/Aus. There's a lot fewer people though so those 3 hikers per day probably aren't eroding the landscape on unpaved muddy tracks. Likewise emptying last nights stale beer or Coke onto some tree roots once a year is simply going to feed the local ant colony. However if a tenth of the Americans who visit these parks did such a thing the place would be over run with ants!

At first I wasn't too sure about the National Parks. They seemed too constrained and uneventful compared to other places. The purpose of them is different however, and it seems fitting that they are run as they are. A museum of North America's geology and a botanic garden rolled into one whilst trying to teach the public here how to look after a place. 

I just wish they'd take the messages of don't litter and look after the environment back into the city with them!

We made use of Zion's infrastructure that evening. Taking the free shuttle bus we went down to the start of the paved track to the Emerald Pools. These are comparative puddles, filled with green slime, compared to their namesakes in New Zealand. The walk was nice though, under a long waterfall, through woodland, over rocks, up cliffs. We even saw a number of the park's Mule Deer- small shaggy coated, big eared, deer, there were a few does and a couple of calves. We'd even see a mother and child pair carefully fording a shallow river later. 

That evening we cooked dinner on the gas stove. Light was provided by gas lamps attached above the gas tanks. In the days of electric lamps, especially solar ones, I feel like this is inefficient and a poor use for a fossil fuel. But this is 'Merica, and it's what they do.

At least we had marshmallows for the camp fire later on that evening.

Day 125: Bryce's Canyon, Cowboy Ranch

Friday 8th April

Hiking down into Bryce's Canyon, looking at Hoodoos

Cowboy ranch including steaks, fire, marshmallows, and s'mores

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Bryce's Canyon National Park encompasses what is technically not a canyon but an amphitheater. At the top of the miles of cliffs one stands looking out onto an ever decreasing gradient as the land falls away. The beauty of Bryce's Canyon though is not in a simple view out towards the distant mesas (the flat topped hills seen in every Cowboy film ever), but in the hoodoos carved by wind and rain that stand along the wall of the amphitheater and down to its floor.

Hoodoos are columns of the local sandstone left behind as the surrounding cliff erodes more quickly. They too are slowly eroding, but are left first as wide sand covered buttresses branching out from the cliff, then as the edges are sloughed of they become narrow ridges of rock. These are further washed by rain and sand blasted by wind, becoming thin until holes appear. Becoming larger and more numerous the holes, or "windows", join together, leaving the pillars behind. The wind smoothies these into increasingly rounded structures, each of unique design. 

The place is littered with hoodoos. It is like a petrified forest. We walked for 3 hours, first along the rim taking in the view, before descending down to walk amongst them. Our tour guide said that he always thinks they look fake. As if Disney Land had just built them all. It's too bizarre, too unusual, too unique. There's just so many of them, and they're so big. I can kind of agree with him. They're so strangely haunting. But amazing and beautiful and well worth spending the three hours exploring.

Then it started raining.

The late afternoon and that night were spent at a ranch. A cowboy ranch. They had the bulls horned skull over the gateway, wooden veranda with swinging doors, horses, amazing views, a barn to party in, everything. Even people in cowboy boots, cowboy hats, leather chaps with tassels, the accents, the works. We were given a steak dinner with potatoes, corn, American style baked beans and homemade lemonade.

It was great.

Except for the rain.

We got the tents up just in time for the heavens to open. And they did open. Within minutes we were hidden under shelter watching out tents getting battered downpour in the middle of a desert. I ran down and got the cooler of beer out of the trailer as firewood was brought in off the back of a quad bike. We watched the rain until bored and cold before retreating into the barn. A couch was dragged over to within a couple of feet of the fire and here we sat, hands and feet spread forth to soak up the heat.

A few marshmallows, a couple of beers, and we decided to forgo tenting for the night. All of our camping gear was hauled up to the barn and here we slept, by the fire, warm and dry, away from the storms outside.

Day 126: Horse Riding, Glen Canyon

Saturday 9th April

Horse riding American cowboy style on a ranch in Utah

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Glen Canyon Dam

Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River

Navajo Nation- dance and Antelope Canyon

Driving down to the Grand Canyon

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"Do you want to go horse riding while we're at the ranch?"

"Hell yeh! Or mah naime ain't Buffalo Bill"

The rain gone we were up and packed early to take a pickup truck ride down to the horses. Our guide for the morning was an old cowboy rancher, complete with Stetson, chaps, and fine white mustachio. A coulee of us, myself included, got beautiful painted horses to ride (hair of tan and white blobs of colour arranged randomly). We were accompanied by two visitor who'd brought their own horses so as to ride in the valley by the ranch. They would only follow us down the road before going up on top of the hills. They were with us long enough for a chat though- turned out one of them flies drones for the Air Force! Don't mess with her if you what to keep your house.

We plodded along through brush and scrub, through little, dry, rivers (despite last night's rain) and into the valley. We passed an old Mormon house. There had once been 6 households living and farming in the valley. That was a hundred years ago and the house is now rotting, with a little graffiti and a selection of beer bottles to mark rowdy visitors. 

Down by the valley wall we'd see another sign of such visitors at a spot known as Break Up Point. A chair and enough ancient glass beer bottles to fill a transit van make the spot. Apparently the Cowboys used to get letters from girlfriends and wives telling them to leave the job and return home- or else the relationship was over. Yet it seems many stayed and drank away their sorrows.

There were a few other sights to see. The valley walls have a number of features that have gotte weird and imaginative names. Clearly some people have been out here too long. I struggled to see the wolf and the old Mexican. The cup cake was very clear though-an abnormally in the straight lines of the rock layers which looked like the classic picture of an American cup cake with frosting. 

The riding style itself was like I had done on the ranch in eastern Australia. This western style uses a saddle designed for long rides across country, making it more like sitting in a chair, with a fat pommel to hold onto. The stirrups were thick leather. As reins there were two cords. In Aus these had been seperate ropes. Here they were two leather strips tied together. Both were held low down in ones non-dominant hand. Turning as standard- pull right for right, left for left. Pressure with the offside leg helped too- left foot in a right turn, right foot in a left turn- helped too, which was mildly confusing given that I'm used to the other way round. None of it really mattered though. These horse knew what the deal was and just plodded along the trail without too much management. Except for preventing them from eating. I told Charlie, my horse, not to do that early on and he never tried again. Others in the group weren't so lucky.

After the ranch we headed over to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (like a national park but people with enough money are allowed to have fun). Here Lake Powell was created after WWII by the building of the impressively large Glen Canyon Dam. It's nearly the size of the Hoover Dam and provides power for the local states, whilst also saving up water for them. The lake itself was once advertised heavily as a place to come play with boats, and especially water skiing. 

Favourite Part of the Trip So Far:

Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado river

The Recreation Area spreads up the tributaries of much of the river. These have all carved out great valleys in the sandstone of the Colorado Plateau. The Colorado river is the main river though, and so has carved out the greatest canyon. And the Horseshoe bend is the most impressive section. A meander that looks to take the river a mile off course has left both a 300 m cleft in the rock with sheer sides, and a central rock that stands immovably above the river. 

It's just huge. I couldn't take it all in. We sat with feet over the edge eating lunch, then simply starred for a while. Ant sized people were in the bottom, a few standing on the shore, many more on rafts and speed boats enjoying the river. The all looked so tiny. Finally I tried to get some idea of perspective by trying to walk either side so as to see the edges of the central rock. A quarter of a mile either side I could just about see down onto the whole breadth of the river as it turned into the meander. It was breathtaking. 

I was out of time though. Arriving back at the meeting point a few minutes later it was worth it. Great place. Hopefully I've got some worthy photos.

In the little tourist town of Page we were in for two treats. 

We were on the edge of the Navajo Nation. This is to much a degree a nation within a nation. It is larger than the four smallest states combined, and even has its own police and laws- such as no alcohol being allowed in the nation as an attempt to stop the alcoholism that is prevalent in native people's the world over. There's not all that many jobs out here either, but, as well as mining and such there is the tourist trade. Some of them make native items such as dolls, musical instruments, and ornamental weapons which are sold in the shops. Others work as tour guides and some do impressive displays of native dance.

Treat one of the afternoon was a display of the Navajo Hoop Dance. Performed by young men as a courtship dance it encorporates the use of many hula hoops used in many ways to create different shapes and images. Anything from butterflies and birds to Cowboys and their horses are now included. The guy we saw was incredible. He could pick up his additional hoops from the floor with his foot, starting with one then ending with seven, creating new shapes and acts as he gathered each additional hoop. In the background traditional music played and the bells around his ankles. He was outstanding. Hopefully YouTube will have plenty of Navajo Hoop Dance videos for you to watch.

Next up from the Navajo was a tour of Antelope Canyon. This very narrow, tall, canyon was once used as a place to take the family for a picnic. It's is slightly damp and very cool, a welcome change from the heat outside. Then in the 90's someone arrived with a camera and began shooting some of the world's most sought after photographs. One even became the world's most expensive photo ever bought. Between the thin stream of light that sometimes comes from a over, the closeness of the space, and the colours of the rock I can understand why good photos have been made here. Not the world's greatest, but then I've not got more money than sense.

The canyon has been formed by water passing through a narrow crack in a wide barrier of sandstone. On either side of the barrier is a dusty, sandy, dry, river bed, used by the tour vehicles as a road to bring in tourists. When it rains here, most often, it is a thunder storm of biblical proportions. This can occur many miles away, but throws out enough water to fill the river bed in a flash flood, tearing out rocks and trees, and throwing them into the narrow crack. Between water and debris the crack has been warn away forming a channel which varies from 2-12 feet in width. One other factor in the beauty of the space is the variation in the cavern, both along its length and its height. The roof opens and closes, the floor height varies each year as sand is removed or settles here. The lower walls can be too narrow for people to cross whilst above us the upper areas can bow out into huge pockets. There's no order and no regularity throughout it.

At the far end our guide allowed us some time to walk outside the canyon, taking pictures of this end. He also entertained us by playing on his native pipe flute- an instrument that looks like a wooden recorder- before taking us back through and into town on the back of a Navajo tour company pickup truck.

It was dark by the time we got to the Grand Canyon, so that was my first sight of it. A dark void and a few local mini-mesas. More to be done tomorrow!

Day 121: New tour, Hollywood and Las Vegas

Monday 4th April

New tour group

Hollywood Boulevard 

In and Out burger

Desert

Las Vegas

Party bus

Casinos 

Nightclub 

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Today started with somethings of a shock. I knew this tour would be relatively small- it's early in the American tourist season and there's a maximum of 14 people for this trip. Yet it baffles me to find that there were only 4 of us travelling from LA to NYC! Two Australians and two Brits, two guys two girls, along with an American guide. It's probably as good of a mix up as one would want, with all of us being around the same age and such.

First stop was Hollywood Boulevard. Granted I did it yesterday, but I put that to use pointing out all of the best stuff in the short hour we had there whilst our guide looked after the bus (not easy to park, nor easy to keep safe here). Whilst there we got to see the setting up of the red carpet and celebrity enclosure for tonight's world premiere of Disney's new Jungle Book. I hope that's on the plane when I fly out of NYC, looks good.

Afterwards (well, after scraping through LA traffic and getting on the highway to Las Vegas) we had lunch at In and Out burger. More Animal Fries, more over sized Dr Pepper, and other great burger. Lovely.

We crept across the desert, through areas of scrub, rocks, and fat, water filled trees. We weren't far enough south for the classical Mexican cylindrical cacti with fat arms. But there's still rattle snakes and scorpions about. Nothing as dangerous as Australia has though.

Late afternoon we got to Vegas, the Adult Disney Land. We drove along the highway looking out at the strip. Medieval/fairytale castles, the Eiffel Tower, a glass pyramid, Caesar's Palace, it was all there with lights and bling. We were further along in Downtown Vegas, staying at the Golden Nugget. From here we'd be able to easily (so long as we didn't get lost on the gaming floor) get out to the Fermont Experience- the local street featuring all manner of street performers, bars, strip clubs, music, restaurants, and the world's largest screen- the entire roof is covered in LEDs which play a video every hour during the evening. 

Being four we got two twin rooms which had a door in between, which turned out to be incredibly useful. We got an hour of rest and had a short look out onto Fermont boulevard, grabbing some food before heading back to prepare for the evenings entertainment.

Our tour guide had organised a "party bus". A bit like a minibus, but with music and the seats down the sides. Oh, and a pole, for reasons. We took a few beers with us and the bus driver showed us the greatest sights of Vegas- the fountain show at the Bellagio, the little white wedding chapel, the classic diamond shaped sign of lights of "The Fabulous Las Vegas", along with views of the famous casinos. 

Finally we made it to the casino where tonight's biggest party was. Our tour guide new one of the organisers, so he got us in straight away for free. It was a big place. A BIG place. Huge dance floor, giant wall of light and video behind the DJ, showgirls as standard, Stag dos as standard. There were a few bars outside but d been told they were expensive ($10-20 for a beer) and I wasn't in a mood to explore that aspect. We stayed for a little while then decided to leave. 

Through, erm, this door? Or this door? Maybe it's down here? Me being me I managed to get split off from the group. In the end I would find out that I had found the exit much sooner than they had, but had to walk home, whilst they took another hour looking around and shared a taxi back. I was tired and hungry, but it was a worthwhile walk. Our Casino/hotel was 5 miles away, at the far end of the strip and then some. This gave me a chance to walk the strip in the quiet morning.

The casinos are as shiny, well tended, and lit up as you'd expect. They were phenomenal and I'd love to come back one day for a better exploration. It was the areas between the casinos and between the main strip and our downtown area that shocked me the most though. So much of Vegas looks destitute. Outside of the main tourist areas where the casinos ensure everything is over the top levels of wonderful there's an economic and human wasteland. People living on the street. Empty lots where shops and restaurants should be. There will be the very occasional bit of random sculpture made from welded together car parts, but nothing more. It's a desert in a desert, with only the bright lights of the casinos as a sweet oasis.

When I got back the rest had also just arrived. They'd been worried about me-we really should have swapped mobile numbers!!! The Aussies went to go find food and I went to bed to rest my heavy legs. It was a good sleep in an excellent bed.

Day 120: Hollywood Boulevard

Sunday 3rd April

Walked through Hollywood, through the rich suburbs of picture-perfect America

Walk of Fame- Walking on the stars (and "stars")

Chinese Theatre

People dressed in superhero costumes

Uber! From hostel to hotel

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A lot of the world's rich and famous have homes near Hollywood. Today most of them are in fenced off neighbourhoods with security to keep us poor plebiscites out. Yet I like imagine some of them live in the streets just off western Sunset Boulevard. These streets are as if set up by Hollywood to provide a background as perfect, pristine, "normal" America. Smaller quaint wooden houses, veranda with rocking chair, occasional little white picket fence, mown lawn, flowers out in bloom. A picturesque quiet  suburb. 

And the hustle and bustle of Hollywood Boulevard just a block away.

The Walk of Fame stretches out through the tourist areas and beyond towards the less popular eastern end. Each celebrity is marked by a 2 foot square paving slab adorned with a pink star, a brass marked of what they did (film, music, tv, etc.) and their name. Some are individuals, some bands, some are even fictitious, such as The Simpsons. There were quite a few I recognised from the last 70 years of Western culture. There were also a number of modern one day that must have never reached me because I have no idea who they are. And there were even a few I have to ask "What are you doing here???"- I guess they'll have been popular choices at the time, but might need to do more to not get replaced in the future. It's interesting to note that there's no positioning system. All celebrities from different media are mixed and how successful one is doesn't define position either. Thus there are some truelly amazing people ar the furthest reaches of the walk. Even down into the less touristy, dare I say dodgey, areas of the street. I imagine this does to some extent help spread tourists hunting for particular stars out- they have to get out of the main areas, taking them away from the most popular areas and spreading their spending out down the street.

You know you've made it if you have a paving slab in the courtyard of the Chinese Theatre though. Here, over 70 years ago, a group of what are now the classic stars of film, pressed their hand and shoe prints into wet cement, along with a message and signature. Around these classics more modern popular stars have been added. No doubt some, such as the Twilight and Hunger Games actors', who presently sit in pride of place, front and centre, will one day be replaced. Others might simply be moved as they become classics, like Harry Potter.

Today this cinema, and the one across the road, are used for the greatest world premieres of the latest Hollywood movie. On the day after this one they would be the premier for Disney's new Jungle Book. 

Outside the theatre there are numerous locals dressed in various costumes. Most are terrible and shop bought outfits- there were about 7 Spidermen (3 were having a heated argument at one point, we nearly had a Spider-Man vs Spider-Man vs Spider-Man video!), 2 Transformers' Bumblebees, 2 Minions, and a few Batmen. One of these was actually really good. The guy had made his own suit to look like the armour from the new Batman vs Superman movie. The reason for them all being there is to have pictures taken with the tourists who then tip them a few dollars. 

The Hollywood Boulevard, given that it's a serious tourist destination, is something of a let down. You get all the stuff you want to be there in the markings of celebrities from past through to present. Yet the streets are dirty- ground in oily dirt alongside chewing gum and cigarette stubs. There are a few good gift stores and places to get a snack but most are dilapidated with not a few places having closed completely. It's sad really. Everywhere else I've ever been the city would be doing something to make this a place tourists wanted to be. Draw them in and draw them back. Make it a place you want to stay for longer than a few pictures with George Cloonies hand prints and Spider-Man. It would seem a worth while investment for the city. More tourists, more money, more jobs. But this is America so to some extent that's the job for individuals and businesses to organise, not the representatives of the public at large. Still it's a place every tourist is going to go to no matter what, I guess.

Back at the hostel I'd left my bags in the storage room. I'd be spending tonight at a hotel where my new tour group would be meeting in the morning. Having my backpack and travel bag, plus the sleeping bag and roll mat for the camping we'd be doing I wasn't keep to try out the public buses. LA has an extensive network of the world's newest version of taxis though, Uber. With an app on ones phone a ride can be organised in someone's car, possibly sharing with people going in the same direction, for around 1/3 of the cost of a taxi. Yep, taxi companies hate it. But the Americans, such as those I'd spent yesterday with, love it. When in Rome and all that. (Even though we now have it in the UK).

Thus I found myself in a small SUV with a skateboarder and an Indian driver. All payments are done via the app, without even the need to tip, which is a big deal in the USA. (Tipping is like the service charge one might pay in a European restaurant but it's pseudovoluntary- which can make people's real wage unpredictable. Some say it means you get better service, but only if you can or want to afford bribing people to love you. I'm not being thoroughly fair to the whole system, but it doesn't seem consistently fair to me. )

I was booked into a shared twin room, but no one else was. So I got a whole room to myself! 

Day 119: Day out with Americans

Saturday 2nd April

Sarah from San Diego/ Australia

Hiking to the Hollywood sign

Batman's Cave

In and Out burgers

Mumford's brewery

Santa Monica Pier

Angel City brewery

The Pie Hole

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Today was a phenomenal day!

I travelled with Sarah up the East coast of Australia. We both share a love of beer tasting which there was ample opportunity for in Australia, and today in LA. Sarah drove up from San Diego bringing friends with here- it was a good chance to talk to Americans in America.

There's a 3.5 mile hike from the parking lot up a very steady slope to the back of the Hollywood sign. It was quite hot by the time we were doing it, at around 10am, so it's probably for the best that it's not steep. The track weaves through the scrub covered, shade-less, Hollywood hills. There are great views of the city below- neither the fog nor the smog were too bad today. However we couldn't see as far as the ocean , which is sometimes possible. During the climb we met a few groups horses. Somehow there are stables in the valleys. They must have to ship in all of the food and looks to be around 30 horses to care for. Tourists pay for it all, taking short rides out to the sign and back. Doesn't look too exciting, I'll be honest, compared to riding in the outback of Aus or the lowlands of Middle-Earth/NZ.

At the summit we had a great view of the surrounding city and suburbs. The letters of the sign have a 7 foot fence around them, as well as cameras. This means photo opportunities are somewhat limited. Yet at the top someone was making a low budget music video. I'd been wondering why this guy was carrying the large case up the hill. Turned out to be a violin and his friend have a camera and tripod to film him playing at the cliff edge over looking Hollywood. He was really good as well!

Being Hollywood this place has been used for a lot of films. Not far from the parking lot was a very popular spot for cowboy films. Here the flat road curves around between two hills making it perfect of chase or general road scenes with horses and carriages. In the 60's some bright spark decided to blow a short tunnel through the hillside. This was used as the exit to the batcave for that era's Batman to series. Whenever he drove the batmobile out of the batcave it was filmed here. It was so good to get into the cave- it was cool and refreshing after the heat of the day. 

Today the location was still being used for something. The set up of tents and cameras looked very impressive, as did the crew. Maybe they were part of it or seperate- because Indiana Jones was looking rough. Up one hillside stumbled Indiana, along with a fat man in a white suit, fez, and dodger woollen beard, followed by a small Indian guy. It's hard to know these days if it was a low budget college project or a high budget project made to look low budget. 

In and Out is the USA's 16th largest food chain. Owned by one family they have successfully out competed McDonalds on much of the west coast. It's rumoured that the only reason they don't move east is that McDonalds pays them to not do so. Officially the reason is that they need the fresh produce that makes their food so good and all of their suppliers are in the west. 

It's a simple menu- burger, optional cheese, optional double cheese and burger. There's also fries and really good, thick, milkshakes. Simple. Oh, and the "secret" menu, which includes such greats as 'animal style'- a covering of grilled onions, special sauce, and cheese, that can be ordered with the burgers or fries. What's more it's as cheap as McDonalds, and I'd guess it's healthier (not by much, but vs McD it's not hard)

Sarah also got me a wee paper hat. The type that the employees wear. Thanks Sarah.

It's quite shocking to drive around parts of LA. The next area we went to was near the wholesale district. On the way though I took note of the large number of homeless people living on the street, especially those who'd gone so far as to invest in cheap tents and set them up on the sidewalk. Later I would watch a news report about LA changing certain laws which limit the amount of stuff the homeless can own, that they must be able to move what they own, and that they can only sleep on the street from (fuzzy memory time-about) 11pm to 6am. The news report showed the law being enforced on the same people as we'd passed. Dear America, outlawing being homelessness doesn't cure homelessness! We tried it in Europe in the Victorian era, over 150 years ago and it didn't work. We used welfare programs, projects, and charity, mostly provided by our richest families, to help such people get into a state where they can find work and housing.

 2000AD's Megacity 1 doesn't feel like such a fantasy all of a sudden.

The reason we were here was for Mumford's Brewery- one of the many new independent craft breweries in America. We grabbed a wee quarter pint of nearly everything to try. I'm not consistently the greatest fan of craft beers- they can be trying so hard to do something "original" or "different" they forget to make something worth drinking. This is, for me, particularly true when they base all of their flavour on the hops instead of the cereals, water quality and yeast. We managed to find some decent ones though and had a pint of our favourites. I went with the Koala Food which had a fruity hint of cinnamon to it.

Nearly sunset and this being the west coast we drove down to see it. Like everyone else.

Santa Monica pier is the end of Route 66 and is filled with bright flashy attractions along with food, music, and someone in a sun burnt Minnie Mouse costume. There's also a large Bubba Shrimp restaurant. Based off the Bubba Shrimp company founded by Forrest Gump in the film it sells sea food and merchandise from the film. There's a bench outside with a statue of the sneakers he was wearing, his little suitcase and box of chocolates as he told his story. This pier also happens to the place he came to when he was running coast to coast across America, hitting this spot as his most westerly point. 

As the sun went down I dipped my feet in the freezing waters of the Pacific Ocean. No one was swimming in the cold. The waves were fierce too- I watched a whole family get swamped when they thought they could be brave.

That done it was time to try out a couple more breweries. Angel city was our second one and we spent a few hours here. Outside they had an area with food trucks. These are very popular here. One of them was a Pittsburgh based truck selling their traditional food including tots- a bit like hash browns in a cocktail sausage shape. So dinner was tots with pulled pork. And cheese. Everything comes with cheese here.

The beers were cool except one we tried which was very, VERY, hot. It was more a cocktail than a beer, featuring a chilli and tomato juice in the recipe. It was nice but I don't think I would have enjoyed a whole one. Especially not in the morning.

The place had been a warehouse of some kind so had a large open space. The breweries here have more than just the usual pool table and darts. There were a number of games such as one where teams of competitors threw bean bags a long distance into a small hole, and the classics of table tennis and foose ball.

On the way back Sarah stopped off to try out The Pie Hole. Savoury pies in NZ and Aus are standard snack food. Here they've made them a posh speciality, high quality and low in fat. It's ruined them! Now it's just a floury mess. But people are prepared to pay for something different.

Great day to catch up with Sarah and spend some time with Americans seeing the highlights of LA.

Day 117 & 118: Getting my head around LA

Thursday 31st & Friday 1st April

Farmers Market

Other random LA stores

Night out with the Aussies

Seth Rogan's film set

Distance:

Total Distance:

I like walking round places just to get a feel of it all. Not going to anything specific, just seeing the people and place- who's about, what they're doing, what's available, what's popular. Having had quite a lot of American friends at university along with all of the movies/documentaries/propaganda I felt like I had some idea of what to expect so complete shocks were limited.

Farmer's Market is a location which was once a stalls and fresh produce place. Now most of the stalls are permanent, and much of the service is for hot food, along with a bar, a few fruit stalls, and a couple of souvenir stores. It's a nice place, quite busy, with old Mediterranean architecture and shade from the heat, although, like most of LA much dirtier than Australian and Kiwi cities. 

Outside of the main market are a number of larger stores, supermarkets, and dinners. There is also something of a modern extension which looks like a Hollywood take on a French or Italian city, with fountains; white, modern stores; and small street kiosks.

I had to also go to T-mobile and Target, which was in the other direction. After a free American style coffee in the hostel I went north. 

The stores could be quite weird here- there were a few places that tried to look very up market, clean layout, and just one rack of clothes. One of these places had a queue of over 50 people outside it. No idea what made it special. There were also tattooing places, psychics, pet food specialists, a "humane" pet store where all of the puppies in the window were apparently rescues.

Between T-mobile and Target I was met with the scene of a cop and a security guard going through a bag on the cop car's hood. Someone's been shop lifting! And is evidently terrible at it. The number of security guards is quite noticeable here. There's one in or near just about every store. Not to mention the number of houses that have an "Armed Response" warning on their security signs. The reason is because of the number of guns in the country- they need a good gunman in case a bad gunman turns up. Ah, America!

That evening the hostel did a $5 barbecue with $2 beers. I sat with the Aussies I'd met the night before, who spawned a few extra Aussies they'd met. Was really nice to have a group to chat with about this new country in a manner I understood. We made a few comments along the lines of:

There's a drought on in California yet the toilets fill with twice as much water than anywhere else I've ever seen.

The streets are so dirty.

Can't find a public toilet anywhere (they're everywhere in Aus and NZ)

There's no switch on the electricity sockets- they're always on, which seems dangerous.

The light switches go the other way.

Packaging and advertising is weird, as is the amount of "organic" food in this area.

But the internet is very good. :)

We chatted with our waiter/barman/chef who suggested a "dive" bar down the road, which is where Guns and Roses formed. One of the Aussies came to check it out and have a beer there. The bar is joined onto a large dinner via a doorway. In the far end of the dinner they were in the process of filming a new Seth Rogan film, Futureman. So we decided to wander down and have a look. For two minutes we stood quietly on set, until the Aussie started talking. As filming was once more about to commence a very angry director noticed us and threw us of the set. I've been thrown off a film set!!! Life goal completed.

Outside we found that they were setting up to film the blowing up of a cop car. We found a small bar to wait in until they where finishing. But as they began the Aussie got bored of another 10 minutes of them messing around. He walked off and so we found ourselves in a 24 hour dinner at 2am being served by a rotund Napoleon Dynamite. As we made our way back to the hostel we found the cop car broken and on its roof in the street, apparently blown up already. 

Day 116: Flying Melbourne to Guangzhou to Los Angeles

Wednesday 30th March- A 39 hour day

Flying on Southern China Airlines

Melbourne, Australia

Ghaungzhou, China

Los Angelese, USA

Distance:

Total Distance:

I hate long flights. I got dehydrated, don't sleep, am left cramped up, and generally feel smelly.

I also didn't realise how long it'd be flying for- beneficial ignorance. The times for flight 1 were 11:30am-6:10pm. But those are Victorian time and Hong Kong time respectively. So rather than around 6 hours it was an 8 hour flight. 

Thankfully I'm getting more experienced at these flights. The main problem for me is dehydration- I'll sleep later. Thus I need water and potassium. There are now a few good potassium rich fluids one can buy at airports to take occasionally on the plane. However one can also use tomato juice- 1 glass is about 400mg, the same as a banana or a portion of sweet potato. (They're great for most hang overs). 

I bought a bottle of the "super flight drink" (not real name) to try out. I was amazed to find, though, that SCA serve free drinks and tomato juice is on offer. In the end I had one of my best long haul flights and I put it down to guzzling their tomato juice. Thanks SCA!

I'd been warned before hand that SCA is cheap and not good. Hating long haul there's not much that can decrease my enjoyment. I actually really enjoyed SCA!

Check in was... Interesting. Everyone else had a suitcase, large cardboard box, plus two pieces of carry on luggage. What are you all carrying?!? Well at least one guy was packing medication- he was over weight, opened up, and showed off half a suitcase of various "PHARMACIST ONLY" medication. Must be stuff you can't get in China.

On the plane I had plenty of leg room, not a vast number of films but enough, regular drinks and meals, and a wide range of peoe from the population of Southern China.

Once in China I had a 3 hour stop over. I walked around the stores looking at all of the knock offs and items that would be illegal anywhere else, as well as items I'll never be able to afford. The airport has a small art museum of traditional Chinese art works. The was a not-Starbucks, and a pizza place, yet it was the noodle bar down by my gate that I decided to have dinner at. I just about managed to have my order understood, then felt quite smug when they brought my noodles with chopsticks and I didn't have to ask for a fork. I'm not well practiced, but I can manage with chopsticks. And I did it in China! Whilst drinking Coke-kind of ruins the image.

My next flight was from 9:30pm-7:40pm. Time travel! Around 2 hours back in time! If only.

Several hours later I made it to US immigration. This took some time. As a British citizen we have a visa-less treaty with the US. ESTA is an online form I signed that will let me in without a face-to-face chat next time. However first time I had to line up with the rest of the world (China) to talk to an officer. Long wait in a queue (well over an hour) before a 2 minute chat.

Finally I was in the USA!

A transfer shuttle bus took me around LA to West Hollywood. It was 11pm when I finally got into my new dorm room. Whilst sleeping would have been smart, I wanted tea.

On the way to the kitchen I met two Australians and a Brazilian. Over tea and random chat we decided to play pool. The Australians had been here a few days and would soon by leaving to go to San Fransisco.

Days 113, 114, & 115: Writing

Sunday 27th, Monday 28th, Tuesday 29th, March

Sunday and Monday were primarily writing 

Tuesday I reorganised my backpack and read.

Afterwards I had a trip out and about around St Kilda

Distance: 6km

Total Distance: (I'll work this out one day!)

Yeh... I'm just writing this to fill you in on these days.

Sunday and Monday:

Wake up, breakfast, write until the tablet and I run out of energy, lunch/recharge/read, write some more, go out to buy food for dinner and the next day's lunch, read a little, watch a film or two with a group in the TV room (with some mead I bought at the honey farm on Kangaroo Island), then shower and bed.

(I did also occasionally talk to people in the hostel)

Tuesday:

After all the data down load it was time for some mental upload. So I spent much of the morning reading. In the afternoon I went for a last look around St Kilda, including walking down to the sea.

My brain didn't really register that this was my last day. 

Do I really have to move on? Can I not go out west, or back up the east coast? 

Nope, time to go

TO AMERICA!

(VIA CHINA!)