Pre-Yellowstone Breakfast!

Dad stopped by Granny's Gourmet Donuts and picked up a dozen donuts.    LOVE!

Above: Baker's Dozen from Granny's Gourmet Donuts!  Eat your heart out, folks!

Recharged and ready to go!

Let me warn you - Days 14 - 15 have been "resting" days for us.  We've done nothing, except visit with family, which has been quite nice.  We drove from Twin Falls, ID to Bozeman, MT on Monday (6/28).  It wasn't a bad drive.  Very scenic! Here is our route for Day 14:

Day 14: Twin Falls, ID to Bozeman, MT 

Map courtesy of maps.google.com

If you notice, we only took the interstate.  Dad decided he'd had enough of Mom and her fear of mountain roads, steep cliffs, and hairpin turns. He had no intentions of taking her on another highway through the mountains.  The interstate was longer in terms of mileage, but out here, you can go 75 mph (hmmmm. 85 or 90 mph if I'm behind the wheel) and not feel guilty!

Before we left Twin Falls, we decided to check out Shoshone Falls - "The Niagara of the West."  Sadly, I must report, while these falls are gorgeous and refreshing, they are NOTHING like Niagara. That's NOT a bad thing in my book!  They had very few tourists and didn't even have a gift shop!  It was really nice!  Here are some pictures:

Above: Pictures of Shoshone Falls, Snake River and Snake River Canyon

Cool thing to note:  This is the Snake River and the Snake River Canyon.  My parents were thrilled to see the canyon Evel Knievel tried (and failed) to jump on Sept 8, 1974.  

"I've always said that when the canyon jump comes, if I miss it I'll get somewhere quicker where you're all going someday. ... Dying is a part of living and none of us is going to get out of here alive." -- Evel Knievel

To break up our trip a little, we decided to pull over, pay five dollars and see Register Rock.  It was pretty neat.  The rock had tons of initials and names carved all over the surface. There was also a cool rock (separate from the large rock) that served as a canvas for two carvings - one of a preacher and the other of an Indian.  The carvings were done by a seven-year-old boy, J.J. Hansen, in 1866. At the time, he was traveling with his family on the Oregon Trail to Portland, OR.  

Above: Pictures of Register Rock, ID. The bottom set holds the carvings by J.J.Hansen (sorry for the poor quality).

After finishing up at Register Rock we hit the road hard... headed for Bozeman, MT.  Why Bozeman?  Well, see... I have a cousin that lives in Bozeman.  I think I was four years old the last time we were in a room together, and my parents thought it was time for a family reunion!  Unfortunately, my family is so small we don't get T-shirts when we reunite.  BUT don't worry!  We still get tons of delicious food!  In fact, we hadn't been in town 20 minutes before we hopped back into the car and set out for Sir Scott's Oasis in Manhattan, MT  (you may remember the "headlines" this place made a few years ago).  Let me tell you, the food was fantastic.  By far, the prime rib is the best I've ever had.  The meal also comes with soup, salad, desert and coffee! All of which were fabulous. I promise you folks that you CANNOT find a better steak house than this!!  I can't wait to go back! I'm already craving another prime rib.

Tuesday was a "rest and recharge" day.  We didn't really do much. By "we", I mean me, Dad, Mom and Aunt Pat. Cousin Paul, on the other hand, mowed the lawn, did our laundry and cooked us a superb lunch, which consisted of orange marinated flank steak and potato salad.  What is it with these Montana folk always eating steak?

Our lazy day was a lot of fun. I got to see a little bit of the town and college.  I was pleased to see The Ellen Theatre, which sported a GREAT marquee!  We also got to see Rouse Avenue (not to be confused with a street, okay?) and a couple of buildings my cousin had worked on around the area.

Above (Left to Right):  (1) Rouse Avenue  (2) Sir Scott's Oasis in Manhattan, MT  (3) The Ellen Theatre Marquee

Today we will leave for Yellowstone National Park.  I can't wait! Should be a lot of fun!  Make sure to look for me ;)

Take care!

Never ending Nevada!

Howdy!  Little to say on Day 13:

Day 13: Sacramento, CA to Twin Falls, ID

Map courtesy of maps.google.com

Add another state to the list!  We're in Idaho, and I'm lookin' for the biggest potato in the state!  Today, our trip was 585 mi long.  WOW,  right?!??   

We're tired. I'm going to bed.  Good night!

edit:  I wanted to add a few pictures from today (mainly b/c I know I'll feel guilty in the morning).

Above:  Breakfast from Sweet Dozen in Sacramento, CA.  Obviously, my day started out on a good note!

Above: Scenery from our trip across Nevada on I80.  I was amazed by the miles and miles of open space. WOW!  A little overwhelming to think of the pioneer men and women who migrated to California via the California Trail (only moving at ~15 miles a day). Talk about a never ending trip...

Hello from San Francisco!

Days 11 and 12 were spent in and around San Francisco, California.  No earthquakes!! Thank God! For whatever reason, I've always been scared to death of the earth shaking beneath my feet. I'm happy to be on more stable land (or so I think).

 I don't have a ton to say about our stay.  To save time (yours and mine), I'll just make a quick list of things we did.  But first, here is our travel route for the past two days:

Days 11 and 12:  Starting in Fresno, CA - going around in circles - ending up in Sacramento, CA

Busy, busy:

- Drove down The Embarcadero. Fun!

- Tried to take a decent picture of Alcatraz (no luck). Threatened to lock Pepper up. Right

   now, I kind of wish I had.

- Had Clam Chowder  (in a sourdough bread bowl) down at Fisherman's Wharf!  YUM!

- Was asked if I was from Australia (due to my accent). Hmmmmm. 

- Drove up some super hilly streets. Took pictures of others (see below). 

- Crossed the Golden Gate Bridge (x2) - too much fog to actually see the bridge (both

   times)!

- Visited Muir Woods.  More BIG trees!  Coastal Redwoods are very TALL.  Witnessed

   a wedding!

- Drove around the wine country.

- Stopped in Sonoma and had a delicious lunch.  Enjoyed watching people on the town

   square (including a young man doing "Flips 4 a Dollar")

- Tasted some Wine - here and here!

- Stared in awe of all the vineyards on the countryside

- Fell into my bed (x2) 

Pictures (no captions): 

Tomorrow will be a big driving day.  We have to make it all the way across Nevada and into Idaho.  We should be in Twin Falls tomorrow evening - exhausted, I'm sure.  A boring but necessary day!

Oh My! Mighty BIG!

Ten days in, and we're still alive!  Barely (if you ask my mother)!   

OK folks, despite being in the car for 7 hrs today, we only traveled ~ 40 miles up the road to Fresno, CA.  How did that happen?   Ah well, we went to visit the "big trees"  today in Sequoia National Park, which (contrary to our original understanding) was no small undertaking.   Our route for Day 10:

Day 10: Tulare, CA to Fresno, CA by way of Sequoia National Park

Maps courtesy of maps.google.com

When Dad and I originally mapped out our trip (using information from the National Park website) and google maps, we thought we'd spend 2 hours traveling and 1-2 hours in the park.  I mean, how much time can you spend looking at trees?!?!!  It would be a short day, and if we had time, we'd drive on up to Yosemite before heading back to Fresno, CA.

What this map (and the park website) fails to tell you is - there are mountains (lots and lots of mountains), and the park roads are steep and absolute crap!  The roads are so crappy, in fact, they are doing a lot of repair.  Now, repair is good.  It's always good to fix crap, but having to wait (and wait and wait and wait) while the repair work is being done is BAD!  It turns out they only let cars go through a certain section of road in the park once per hour (at the top of the hour).  So! We spent a considerable amount of time just sitting around waiting on road construction (going up and coming down the mountain).  ARGH! 

The other thing that Dad and I had underestimated was Mom's response to the winding roads.  She was an absolute basket case!  "Jim! Jim! Slow down! Slow down! OOOOOOH OOOOH! SLOW DOWN!" was the only thing (repeatedly) out of her mouth for a good three hours.  I don't blame her.  The roads were pretty scary.  We were all holding our breath.  Even Pepper demonstrated signs of distress (insisting to sit on Mom, Dad or me)!  On the good side, the scenery was beautiful!  We stopped at a few places along the way to take pictures.  I really enjoyed the "Hospital Rock" and the nearby bedrock mortars used for grinding acorns a long long time ago! 

Above:  Scenery on the way to the Sequoias.  TIP: If you want to calm Mom down, point out something "pretty" for her to look at on the mountainside!

Above:  Hospital Rock and bedrock mortars in Sequoia National Park, CA

Once we got to the top of the mountain,  all our waiting and stressing paid off!  We were in the middle of the main attraction.  The trees were amazing.  They didn't look real.  I couldn't believe how big they were.  Dad and I agreed they look very cartoonish - big, exaggerated trunks with tiny tree-tops.   Here are a few pictures - check out these big, big, big trees:

 Above:  Various pictures along the way in Sequoia National Park

Above:  BIG TREES!  Sentinel Sequoia (top middle and bottom) is over 200 feet tall!   Even Daddy looks small standing next to Sentinel! 

Above:  General Sherman Sequoia - "A mighty big tree!"  Note:  Those tiny bits of color at the base of the tree are people!  Really, I'm not kidding! 

Dad and I had a lot of fun walking among the giants!  I felt so small and was highly amused by how tiny my Dad looked standing next to the trees!  I've never thought my Dad was a tiny man, but these trees totally changed my perspective.  Along the way, we found a fabulous pair of gentle giants and had to pose for a picture or two:

Above:  More BIG trees!  Look at how small we look standing at the base of these guys!  The bottom pictures are of us standing against a horizontal cross-section of a fallen Sequoia.  HUGE, right? 

Above:  "Look! I'm too big for the Sequoia!"  James Snyder;  June 24, 2010

All in all, today was a pretty good day.  On the way back from the park, we stopped off at an orchard and bought fresh oranges, cherries and pistachio nuts! YUM!  I can't wait to break into them! 

Tomorrow, we are off to San Francisco, CA.   Should be fun!

Dull(ish) day - Day 9!

Hello friends!

These past few days have taken a lot out of me.  I'm happy to report that I've weathered the worst part of my cold, and  I think I'm on the up swing! Woohoo!  Just in time for Sequoia National Park (and possibly Yosemite National Park).

Anyway, before we ventured out on our trip today, we poked around Las Vegas a tiny bit more.

I must admit I wasn't the happiest camper after our "night on the town" last night.  I was less than impressed with Vegas.  I know, I know!  You're probably thinking "she didn't go into a casino..." but really folks, I could care less about gambling.  My whole fascination with Las Vegas centers around the bright lights (one of the reasons I'm in love with state fairs and amusement parks).  Yes, Las Vegas Blvd has plenty of lights, but I just wasn't impressed. 

It wasn't until this morning, when we stumbled upon Fremont Street, that I realized why my expectations lie flat on the floor.   This is going to sound silly, but my whole image of Las Vegas originated in 1987 after seeing this video:


  
Heh. I was only 6 years old, but I loved loved loved the lights. I had to see them for myself!!  And I did!  Only it wasn't at night, and they weren't lit up... and U2 was nowhere in sight!   BUT it was still fabulous (to me), and I'm glad I saw it.

Here are a few shots from my trip down Fremont Street:

 

Above:  Fremont Street, Las Vegas, NV

Following our early morning adventure in Vegas,  we hit the road headed to Tulare, CA.  Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see along the way except desert, desert and more desert.   Here was our route for Day 9:

Day 9: Las Vegas, NV to Tulare, CA
Maps courtesy of maps.google.com

We hit Tulare, CA around 7pm (Pacific).  Mom and Dad went next door to grab a bite, but I didn't want anymore fast / greasy restaurant food.  When asked what I *would* eat,  I requested a peanut butter-banana sandwich and goldfish crackers.  My parents delivered (as always): 

 Above:  My first "home cooked" meal in 9 days!! Yum!

Alight, I'm going to bed, folks!  The bed is calling.  Til' Tomorrow!

Longest day yet...

Note: Post was originally written on 6-22-10

Good morning from the Grand Canyon! 

Above:  Grand Canyon on 6-22-10 at 5:15 am

Today was a beast!  Dad and I wanted to see the sunrise so we woke up at 4:30 am and drove out along Desert View Drive.  Let me tell you - coffee never tasted so good!  As you can see from the pictures above, the early morning wake up call and hideous bags under my eyes were well worth it.  

After enjoying a peaceful sunrise, Dad and I rushed to the kennel to pick up Pepper (dogs are not allowed in the park housing).  We gave her a quick bath (shhhhhh!), packed up the car and headed out for Vegas!   Vegas or bust, baby!   Here was our route for Day 8: 

 

Day 8:  Grand Canyon Village, AZ to Las Vegas, NV

Map courtesy of maps.google.com

On our way, we got to see the Hoover Dam (sort of).  I was surprised people were allowed to walk alongside cars on the dam.  It made it very difficult and slow to cross.  We didn't stop for fear we'd run out of gas (long story).... so, I took some pictures from the car:

Above: Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam

 We arrived in Las Vegas, NV around 4pm (Pacific) starved and desperate for rest.  Taking a tip from my sister and everyone else I know (and Paris Hilton),  we decided to try In-N-Out Burger: 

 Above:  Drooling yet?  You should be.  Good eats from In-N-Out!

With tummies full of delicious food, we settled in for a quick nap before hitting the town.  I felt silly for opting for my bed over a casino, but  I just couldn't. go. another. step.  I was so sleepy.   

We woke up around 9pm and headed out to see the lights of the Vegas strip!  It was amazing.  Here are a few pictures from the night: 

Above:  Pictures of casinos on Las Vegas Blvd

Above:  The Famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada" sign 

I apologize for the blurry pictures, but it's hard to take decent shots from a moving car!  Next trip to Vegas, I'll make sure to get out of the car and gamble... I'm putting it all on red! 

xo,

Amanda

Check one thing off THE list - Day 6 and 7!

Note: Post was originally written 6-21-10

Hello from the Grand Canyon National Park! It is absolutely gorgeous here! Though we've been in the park for two days, I'm still in shock that I'm actually here. It's always been a goal of mine to visit the Grand Canyon (even made my "30 Things To Do Before 30" list), and I'm so lucky to be here.   

Before I get started talking about our time at the canyon, let me provide the route for Day 6:

Day 6: Flagstaff, AZ to Grand Canyon Village, AZ (Southern rim of the Grand Canyon)

Map courtesy of maps.google.com

We arrived in the park on Sunday a little after lunchtime and couldn't check into the Maswik Lodge until 4pm.  To kill the time, we decided to drive out on the Historic Hermit Road. This route is closed to public vehicles UNLESS you have a handicap accessibility permit, which we had.  It was so nice.  We were able to drive right up to several viewpoints (Mohave Point, The Abyss, Pima Point and Hermit's Point) along the route.  Mom was a good sport. She hates steep cliffs (and heights in general) and was having a hard time enjoying our trip.  I took so many pictures that I ran out of space on my camera! Not a surprise at this point, huh?  Here are a few I hope you enjoy: 

Above Left to Right: (1)Colorado River and associated canyon (AKA the Grand Canyon) (2) The Maswik Lodge (3) Our building -  the Cliffrose

Above:  Pictures of the Grand Canyon from the Hermits Rest Route 

After checking into our hotel room, we decided to grab a bite to eat.  Mom and I had discussed trying to get a reservation at El Tovar to celebrate Father's Day, but I had given up hope earlier in the day when I read it was recommended to make reservations a month in advance. To my surprise, Mom called and was able to get us a 6:15pm reservation - perfect for sunset dining!!  We had a fabulous dinner with a pretty decent view of the canyon.  Beyond doubt, we were lucky to spend our first night in the Grand Canyon in such a great environment. 

Above: Pictures of El Tovar and our view at dinner! 

We caught a little more of the sunset after finishing dinner.  Here are some shots:

Above: Sunset at the Grand Canyon 

Our second day (Day 7) in the park was quite busy.  Mom decided she didn't want to see anymore of the canyon so Dad and I spent the day exploring the park and documenting our adventure together. During the morning, we drove out on Desert View Drive.  We stopped at select locations along the route (Grandview Point, Moran Point, Lipan Point) to see the canyon.  We also stopped at the Tusayan Ruins.   This stop housed a small museum about the Native inhabitants of the area and a nicely exposed Pueblo ruin. After visiting the ruins, we continued to our intended destination - Desert View.  There, I marched out to Desert View alone (Dad's knees were killing him) and climbed the Historic Desert View Watchtower. The view from the tower was quite nice but not worth the effort in my opinion:

 

Above:  Pueblo Ruins at Tusayan Point

Below:  Desert View and the Historic Desert View Watchtower

Around lunchtime, Dad and I decided to meet Mom at the Maswik Lodge lounge for a meal and a break during the heat of the day.  He and I both have a minor cold and needed some rest, but we were determined to see the sunset later in the day.  Our plan of attack was to head out to Yavapai Point to visit the Yavapai Geological Museum.  We'd catch some of the sunset there and then drive on to Grandview Point catch the rest.  

 Above:  Pedestrian bridge across the Colorado River visible from Yavapai Point

Below: Waiting on the sunset  and some amazing pictures from our afternoon trip along the Southern Rim!

As before, the sunset was absolutely breathtaking. I took tons of pictures, and of course, I'll share a few!  

Above:  Sun setting on the Grand Canyon on our second day

The Grand Canyon really is a majestic place.  Words cannot describe the beauty.  I'm glad I finally made it out here to take it all in! If you haven't been to the Grand Canyon, please make time to visit.  It is so spectacular.  We are lucky to have such an awe inspiring natural wonder to enjoy!  Make a point to SEE IT!   OK?!?!!

Above:  Enjoying the Grand Canyon!  Note: My mom deserves props for getting that close to the canyon edge! 

We'll be leaving the Grand Canyon tomorrow to head to the Hoover Dam and Las Vegas! But not before trying to catch the sunrise on the canyon at 5:15 am in the morning.  For that reason, I'm signing off.  I need my rest!

More pictures to come...