Friday, August 10, 2007
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Hello from Munich!
I'm writing from our new hostel as we patiently wait for the rain to stop. The place seems nice so far - clean, a kitchen, friendly enough staff - non-free internet is the big drawback, but we'll live. I can always use the signal from down the street, right?
Our mission tonight is to drink 1-liter beers in a Bavarian beer hall. There's one very cliché and touristy one downtown, which is exactly where we're headed. There are a few more normal ones we'll check out as well. Beer the size of your head! Woo!
Our mission tonight is to drink 1-liter beers in a Bavarian beer hall. There's one very cliché and touristy one downtown, which is exactly where we're headed. There are a few more normal ones we'll check out as well. Beer the size of your head! Woo!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Hello from Salzburg 2
So we are getting ready to leave Salzburg right now and take the train to Munich. Salzburg has been a very realxing portion of the trip, which is just what we needed right now. It is a fairly small city nestled between some large hills. The old city is mainly beautiful, baroqe-style buildings. It really sells itself on Mozart and the Sound of Music. At some points in the city, it is possible to pick out recogniable parts from the movie. I have hummed ´´How do you solve a problem like Maria?´´ more than once! There are actually 4 hour long tours that show all the pertinant sound of music places, but they are a little pricey. Perhaps if they also provided clothes made of out curtains, it would be a better deal.
We got on in Sunday evening and walked around the city and along the river Salzach. It is gorgeous with the river, hills and the Alps in the distance.
On Monday, we went to the old city and then hiked up to the fortress, which had some nice views but the tour cost too much and so we turned around and went back to the old city. In the center, in a pretty touristy area, there is a large chess board (about 15 ft by 15 ft) and the pieces weighed about 5 pounds each. Dave was able to play a pretty serious chess game (1.5 hour long), but sadly he did not win. However, at the end of the game, the crowd applauded! After that, we went for another nice hike in the hills above the city. There are many remains of fortifications and a lovely monastery up there. Also, fabulous views of the the beggining of the Alps, which just rise up out of nothing. Foothills are just non-existant!
Today we hiked in the hills on the opposite side of the river. Again, beautiful views and overall a very relaxing two days.
Now onto Munich....
We got on in Sunday evening and walked around the city and along the river Salzach. It is gorgeous with the river, hills and the Alps in the distance.
On Monday, we went to the old city and then hiked up to the fortress, which had some nice views but the tour cost too much and so we turned around and went back to the old city. In the center, in a pretty touristy area, there is a large chess board (about 15 ft by 15 ft) and the pieces weighed about 5 pounds each. Dave was able to play a pretty serious chess game (1.5 hour long), but sadly he did not win. However, at the end of the game, the crowd applauded! After that, we went for another nice hike in the hills above the city. There are many remains of fortifications and a lovely monastery up there. Also, fabulous views of the the beggining of the Alps, which just rise up out of nothing. Foothills are just non-existant!
Today we hiked in the hills on the opposite side of the river. Again, beautiful views and overall a very relaxing two days.
Now onto Munich....
Hello from Salzburg!
Did you know that German keyboards (it turns out they speak German here in Austria) switch the Y and Z keys? I need a dollar every time I've typed 'Salyburg' the last few days...
So I last wrote in Prague? It's a very beautiful city, but is very, very stuffed with tourists. It's tough to decide how to feel about that - we went there to see the old city, and we're not going to tour the outskirts just to see how 'real Praguers' live. So...if they want to stuff their downtown with souvenier shops and 'Czech Me Out' T-Shirts, so be it.
Despite all that it was nice. I've never seen so many statues. The centerpiece is the Charles Bridge, built in 1300-something across the Vltava river, covered with statues of saints and martyrs (often both). Ironically, jazz is very popular there, and we saw a few good shows in our nights there.
Next was Vienna, which had much more of a big-city feel than expected...really more than any city we've seen so far (except London, of course). For some reason I was completely unable to get a feel for the roads around the city and kept getting lost - they keep changing names and going off at random angles. Also, they have 'Zip Bike' there! I've always wanted to see this in the US...you pick up a bike at a station (at most Metro stops) and can drop it off anywhere else. The first hour is FREE, then onlz y 1 Euro/hour after. We used them to get all over the place. The bikes are a little rough, especially over the cobblestones, but it beat walking. Also, I had a personal connection to the city - my paternal grandparents were both from Vienna, so I found the neighborhood where (we think) they used to live. It was neat to be there 70+ years after they left.
After Vienna we took a train across Austria to Salzburg. Alicia will fill everyone in on the city below...
Oh! We've finalized our plans for the rest of the trip, and they've changed! We were planning to go from Salzburg to Munich to Venice, then fly to Dublin. Instead, we're going from Munich to PARIS, then a bus to London and a ferry to Dublin...saves on those outrageous airline prices, plus get to see more than we would in the air. I'm pretty excited for Paris. Plus, I'll get to see Venice some other time in my life...maybe with a hotel room and everything.
So I last wrote in Prague? It's a very beautiful city, but is very, very stuffed with tourists. It's tough to decide how to feel about that - we went there to see the old city, and we're not going to tour the outskirts just to see how 'real Praguers' live. So...if they want to stuff their downtown with souvenier shops and 'Czech Me Out' T-Shirts, so be it.
Despite all that it was nice. I've never seen so many statues. The centerpiece is the Charles Bridge, built in 1300-something across the Vltava river, covered with statues of saints and martyrs (often both). Ironically, jazz is very popular there, and we saw a few good shows in our nights there.
Next was Vienna, which had much more of a big-city feel than expected...really more than any city we've seen so far (except London, of course). For some reason I was completely unable to get a feel for the roads around the city and kept getting lost - they keep changing names and going off at random angles. Also, they have 'Zip Bike' there! I've always wanted to see this in the US...you pick up a bike at a station (at most Metro stops) and can drop it off anywhere else. The first hour is FREE, then onlz y 1 Euro/hour after. We used them to get all over the place. The bikes are a little rough, especially over the cobblestones, but it beat walking. Also, I had a personal connection to the city - my paternal grandparents were both from Vienna, so I found the neighborhood where (we think) they used to live. It was neat to be there 70+ years after they left.
After Vienna we took a train across Austria to Salzburg. Alicia will fill everyone in on the city below...
Oh! We've finalized our plans for the rest of the trip, and they've changed! We were planning to go from Salzburg to Munich to Venice, then fly to Dublin. Instead, we're going from Munich to PARIS, then a bus to London and a ferry to Dublin...saves on those outrageous airline prices, plus get to see more than we would in the air. I'm pretty excited for Paris. Plus, I'll get to see Venice some other time in my life...maybe with a hotel room and everything.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Hello from the train!
I'm writing this while on the train from Berlin to Prague. Ever since we passed Dresden, we've been in the middle of a narrow river valley between green hills, which sometimes rise into cliffs. There are little towns along the way, with houses by the river and up on the hills. It's like a postcard. We're almost to Prague, and the valley has opened up a bit - much wider and flatter, but still beautiful. I've only heard good things about Prague, so I'm pretty excited. We have a room reserved for tonight, but we'll have to figure out the rest later. If the hostel is nice we'll try to extend our stay there. If it's a party hostel or a bit out of town (like Berlin) we may look elsewhere. The freedom is fun but a bit tiring!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Hello from Berlin
Despite my failure to get some more pictures up here, I'm trying to be good and write at least once per city.
So, now we're in Berlin. It's a very strange city...you can tell that it's had a tough time for the last 70 years or so. One thing that was surprising is that East Berlin is the place to be. Turns out that West Berlin was all residential areas of the city, and despite having all the freedom, East Berlin had all the downtown areas, including important buildings, places and monuments (despite all the Communism). I had expected mostly rubble, but it's actually quite nice in most parts we've seen...I guess you can build a lot in 17 years.
We've spent a lot of time here just touring around, seeing the sights. They do a good in Germany of keeping around reminders of what the country did during WWII. In addition to museums and monuments, there are a few buildings that were bombed during the war that they've left in the same condition...kind of powerful when you see it all.
Anyway, we're heading South to Prague tomorrow afternoon - it will be our first non-overnight trip so far...I look forward to not sleeping on the train.
So, now we're in Berlin. It's a very strange city...you can tell that it's had a tough time for the last 70 years or so. One thing that was surprising is that East Berlin is the place to be. Turns out that West Berlin was all residential areas of the city, and despite having all the freedom, East Berlin had all the downtown areas, including important buildings, places and monuments (despite all the Communism). I had expected mostly rubble, but it's actually quite nice in most parts we've seen...I guess you can build a lot in 17 years.
We've spent a lot of time here just touring around, seeing the sights. They do a good in Germany of keeping around reminders of what the country did during WWII. In addition to museums and monuments, there are a few buildings that were bombed during the war that they've left in the same condition...kind of powerful when you see it all.
Anyway, we're heading South to Prague tomorrow afternoon - it will be our first non-overnight trip so far...I look forward to not sleeping on the train.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Hello from Amsterdam
It's been a while since the last update so rather than dump everything here I'll give some highlights, and fill in the details later if I get the chance.
Dublin was a fun city, but after 3 days we felt ready to move on. We saw the bars, the museums, Guiness Brewery and Trinity College and other assorted sights. They really love James Joyce here. We ended up booking a bus/ferry/bus trip from Dublin to London. The ferry trip was about 4 hours long and left at about 10:00 PM...the ship was huge but had nowhere to sleep and French teenagers were making a racket all night long so we couldn't really fall asleep in the chairs. Fortunately the bus ride was 8 hours long and we both slept for almost all of it.
In London we took the Tube to my brother's dorm towards the East End (he's doing a year at the LSE). He was a very good host and tour guide. He toured us around the city on foot, recommended some restaurants and shows, and showed us a generally good time. Plus, he cooked for us. London is absolutely enormous (8 million people or so) but the amazing thing is how consistently packed the city is with people and places. There's no well defined 'down town' area, just miles and miles of stuff to do and see. We saw the Tate Modern museum, the British Museum (full of things they stole from around the world during the Empire), Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, etc, etc. It was the opposite of Dublin - after 4 days we felt like we had seen absolutely nothing....that's the general memory I'll have from London - it's sooo big.
Leaving London, it turned out that either a flight or a train to Paris was prohibitively expensive (at least when booking last-minute like we geniuses did). But - another train/ferry/train combo into AMSTERDAM was quite a deal, including a cabin on the ship! So, that ride was overnight as well, and much more enjoyable.
We're in Amsterdam now, and it's my favorite so far (I've abstained from some of the city's more unique attractions, so, no, that's not why). It's not as big or overwhelming as London, but it's absolutely stunning. The whole city is ringed with canals, which are clean (take that, Venice!) In addition to water taxis, they're filled with permanent houseboats where people live. The city is fairly compact, so we've been able to cover a lot of it in two days of walking.
If you know me and Amsterdam, you'd agree that the best part is the biking. EVERYONE BIKES EVERYWHERE. They don't just have bike lanes, but individual paths for the bikes and almost every street. Plus, they basically have the right of way, so no need to deal with agressive drivers (no one wears a helmet either, we notices). The most impressive thing are the bike racks. They're everywhere, and filled with hundreds or thousands of bikes. The central train station has a 3-storied BICYCLE parking garage. I love it. Interestingly, almost all the bikes are the same design (a sort of hybrid/womens' thing) and they're all in terrible shape. Bike theft is huge here, so I guess no one wants to draw attention.
Anyway, we leave on Thursday night on an overnight train to Berlin. It's been a little stressful peicing together our trip as we go, but it's fun to not know where we'll go after Berlin (probably Vienna).
Pictures coming soon, hopefully.
Dublin was a fun city, but after 3 days we felt ready to move on. We saw the bars, the museums, Guiness Brewery and Trinity College and other assorted sights. They really love James Joyce here. We ended up booking a bus/ferry/bus trip from Dublin to London. The ferry trip was about 4 hours long and left at about 10:00 PM...the ship was huge but had nowhere to sleep and French teenagers were making a racket all night long so we couldn't really fall asleep in the chairs. Fortunately the bus ride was 8 hours long and we both slept for almost all of it.
In London we took the Tube to my brother's dorm towards the East End (he's doing a year at the LSE). He was a very good host and tour guide. He toured us around the city on foot, recommended some restaurants and shows, and showed us a generally good time. Plus, he cooked for us. London is absolutely enormous (8 million people or so) but the amazing thing is how consistently packed the city is with people and places. There's no well defined 'down town' area, just miles and miles of stuff to do and see. We saw the Tate Modern museum, the British Museum (full of things they stole from around the world during the Empire), Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, etc, etc. It was the opposite of Dublin - after 4 days we felt like we had seen absolutely nothing....that's the general memory I'll have from London - it's sooo big.
Leaving London, it turned out that either a flight or a train to Paris was prohibitively expensive (at least when booking last-minute like we geniuses did). But - another train/ferry/train combo into AMSTERDAM was quite a deal, including a cabin on the ship! So, that ride was overnight as well, and much more enjoyable.
We're in Amsterdam now, and it's my favorite so far (I've abstained from some of the city's more unique attractions, so, no, that's not why). It's not as big or overwhelming as London, but it's absolutely stunning. The whole city is ringed with canals, which are clean (take that, Venice!) In addition to water taxis, they're filled with permanent houseboats where people live. The city is fairly compact, so we've been able to cover a lot of it in two days of walking.
If you know me and Amsterdam, you'd agree that the best part is the biking. EVERYONE BIKES EVERYWHERE. They don't just have bike lanes, but individual paths for the bikes and almost every street. Plus, they basically have the right of way, so no need to deal with agressive drivers (no one wears a helmet either, we notices). The most impressive thing are the bike racks. They're everywhere, and filled with hundreds or thousands of bikes. The central train station has a 3-storied BICYCLE parking garage. I love it. Interestingly, almost all the bikes are the same design (a sort of hybrid/womens' thing) and they're all in terrible shape. Bike theft is huge here, so I guess no one wants to draw attention.
Anyway, we leave on Thursday night on an overnight train to Berlin. It's been a little stressful peicing together our trip as we go, but it's fun to not know where we'll go after Berlin (probably Vienna).
Pictures coming soon, hopefully.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Aye...it's mine
OK...summer 2007 trip #2 is underway!
Alicia and I flew out of JFK in New York yesterday evening, and landed in Dublin at 5:30 AM local time (12:30 AM NYC time!). Aer Lingus was great because they have TV screens for each seat, with on-demand movies and free video games. We played a trivia game against other people on the flight - how cool is that? Sadly, all the fun meant that we didn't really sleep at all on the flight. So, here we are in Ireland. We found a hostel for the night, but check-in time isn't until 2:00. I'm not too tired but Alicia is sleeping on the couch as we speak. I think a quick nap will let us wander around the city until we can check in and take a real nap - maybe an hour or so.
Tonight should be fun. We've passed about 50 bars in the walk here from the bus station, and we haven't even been through the 'bar district' yet. Nice reputation, this city has.
Oh - bonus points for explaining the title of this post.
Alicia and I flew out of JFK in New York yesterday evening, and landed in Dublin at 5:30 AM local time (12:30 AM NYC time!). Aer Lingus was great because they have TV screens for each seat, with on-demand movies and free video games. We played a trivia game against other people on the flight - how cool is that? Sadly, all the fun meant that we didn't really sleep at all on the flight. So, here we are in Ireland. We found a hostel for the night, but check-in time isn't until 2:00. I'm not too tired but Alicia is sleeping on the couch as we speak. I think a quick nap will let us wander around the city until we can check in and take a real nap - maybe an hour or so.
Tonight should be fun. We've passed about 50 bars in the walk here from the bus station, and we haven't even been through the 'bar district' yet. Nice reputation, this city has.
Oh - bonus points for explaining the title of this post.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Apartment hunting
We left New Jersey and got here to my parents' place in Waterford, CT on Monday. Everyone in my family is out of town, so we have the place to ourselves. No parties yet.
On Tuesday we spent the day in Boston, looking at some apartments. We saw some good ones and some crappy ones. It was too early in our search to jump on the good ones, and they weren't quite perfect. If we go another few days without seeing anything great, we'll call them again and hope one is still around. The biggest downside was no basement storage...a killer if you plan to keep a bike around. Our old Boston apartment had the same problem, but instead had a wide fire escape and porch in the back, so it was easier to lug them up that way than through a hallway. I'd hate to deal with 4 flights of a narrow staircase every day. So, the search continues. We'll be back in town tomorrow to see some more - this time, the apartments come from a slightly more refined Craiglist search.
Today we stayed in Waterford, and Alicia and my friends and I came in second in a sandcastle building contest at the beach. We made the Ghostbusters logo. It was awesome. We lost out to a family that made an enormous ship, with masts and everything. The real problem is that we personally know all the lifeguard/judges at the beach, so it would stink of cheating if we actually won. Maybe next year.
On Tuesday we spent the day in Boston, looking at some apartments. We saw some good ones and some crappy ones. It was too early in our search to jump on the good ones, and they weren't quite perfect. If we go another few days without seeing anything great, we'll call them again and hope one is still around. The biggest downside was no basement storage...a killer if you plan to keep a bike around. Our old Boston apartment had the same problem, but instead had a wide fire escape and porch in the back, so it was easier to lug them up that way than through a hallway. I'd hate to deal with 4 flights of a narrow staircase every day. So, the search continues. We'll be back in town tomorrow to see some more - this time, the apartments come from a slightly more refined Craiglist search.
Today we stayed in Waterford, and Alicia and my friends and I came in second in a sandcastle building contest at the beach. We made the Ghostbusters logo. It was awesome. We lost out to a family that made an enormous ship, with masts and everything. The real problem is that we personally know all the lifeguard/judges at the beach, so it would stink of cheating if we actually won. Maybe next year.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Made it!
We've haven't had internet access the past couple days, so it may be a surprise to see that we managed to go all the way from Amarillo to New Jersey in only 3 days. That's right!
On day 4, we went from Amarillo to Oklahoma City to Little Rock. In Oklahoma City we walked around the 'bricktown' area (touristy, I think) and ate at Toby Keith's restaurant (where else?). In Little Rock we drove into downtown and were just about to give up on finding anything when we stumbled into the happening area - we parked and got a pizza and hung around for a couple hours. It was a very fun evening, and we even met someone who was driving from the East coast back home to Oakland. All paths led to Little Rock.
Day 5 was from Little Rock to Memphis to the Great Smoky Mountains. In Memphis we walked to Beale Street, which is full of restaurants and music venues (also touristy). I was there a few years ago - the street is closed to traffic and it becomes a big outdoor party on the weekends. We also walked (on the advice of the guy from Little Rock) to the Civil Rights Museum, which is built around the motel where Martin Luther King Jr was shot. It's full of exhibitions and stories from 400+ years of the struggle for Civil Rights....a very interesting museum. We actually planned to camp outside Knoxville, but somehow ended up camping in the Great Smoky Mountains, about 40 miles south. They live up to their name - as soon as we got near them (~1:00 AM), everything was covered in fog. We found the campsite and fortunately there were sites left. On the drive out in the morning we got to see everything we missed on the way in. The mountains are huge! Knoxville's elevation is around 800 feet, but the highest peaks in the park were well over 6000. I had gotten used to the Santa Cruz mountains, but these were really quite a bit bigger. Surprising to find stuff like that in Tennessee! Also, Dollywood is just outside the park, as well as a sprawling entertainment area - theaters and amusement parks and restaurants...all in a town called Pigeon Forge. We thought it would be all forest in the area, but instead it's a world of Tennessee entertainment. Who knew.
Day 6+ was a doozy. We originally planned to take I-81 North out of Knoxville, but instead decided it would be nice to take the scenic (and somewhat parallel) Blue Ridge Parkway out of Asheville, NC. It certainly is scenic, but the speed limit is only 45, and the plentiful curves limit you to around 35 most of the time. Three hours and only 100 miles later, we took an hour-long detour over to I-81. The result - 4 hours to get 120 miles from Knoxville. We were afraid it would be a lost day until we got our second wind. We stormed through Virginia and looked for a campsite in Maryland around 12:30 AM. Finding none, I decided we might as well try to make the ~220 miles from Maryland to Harrisburg to New Jersey, and finish the journey that night. So, we did. We arrived at Alicia's parents' house in New Jersey at 4:47 AM.
Why I am awake and writing this, I do not know. I have a bunch of pictures, and now that I've got a normal internet connection, I'll put up some of them. Have a nice weekend everyone!
On day 4, we went from Amarillo to Oklahoma City to Little Rock. In Oklahoma City we walked around the 'bricktown' area (touristy, I think) and ate at Toby Keith's restaurant (where else?). In Little Rock we drove into downtown and were just about to give up on finding anything when we stumbled into the happening area - we parked and got a pizza and hung around for a couple hours. It was a very fun evening, and we even met someone who was driving from the East coast back home to Oakland. All paths led to Little Rock.
Day 5 was from Little Rock to Memphis to the Great Smoky Mountains. In Memphis we walked to Beale Street, which is full of restaurants and music venues (also touristy). I was there a few years ago - the street is closed to traffic and it becomes a big outdoor party on the weekends. We also walked (on the advice of the guy from Little Rock) to the Civil Rights Museum, which is built around the motel where Martin Luther King Jr was shot. It's full of exhibitions and stories from 400+ years of the struggle for Civil Rights....a very interesting museum. We actually planned to camp outside Knoxville, but somehow ended up camping in the Great Smoky Mountains, about 40 miles south. They live up to their name - as soon as we got near them (~1:00 AM), everything was covered in fog. We found the campsite and fortunately there were sites left. On the drive out in the morning we got to see everything we missed on the way in. The mountains are huge! Knoxville's elevation is around 800 feet, but the highest peaks in the park were well over 6000. I had gotten used to the Santa Cruz mountains, but these were really quite a bit bigger. Surprising to find stuff like that in Tennessee! Also, Dollywood is just outside the park, as well as a sprawling entertainment area - theaters and amusement parks and restaurants...all in a town called Pigeon Forge. We thought it would be all forest in the area, but instead it's a world of Tennessee entertainment. Who knew.
Day 6+ was a doozy. We originally planned to take I-81 North out of Knoxville, but instead decided it would be nice to take the scenic (and somewhat parallel) Blue Ridge Parkway out of Asheville, NC. It certainly is scenic, but the speed limit is only 45, and the plentiful curves limit you to around 35 most of the time. Three hours and only 100 miles later, we took an hour-long detour over to I-81. The result - 4 hours to get 120 miles from Knoxville. We were afraid it would be a lost day until we got our second wind. We stormed through Virginia and looked for a campsite in Maryland around 12:30 AM. Finding none, I decided we might as well try to make the ~220 miles from Maryland to Harrisburg to New Jersey, and finish the journey that night. So, we did. We arrived at Alicia's parents' house in New Jersey at 4:47 AM.
Why I am awake and writing this, I do not know. I have a bunch of pictures, and now that I've got a normal internet connection, I'll put up some of them. Have a nice weekend everyone!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Don't mess with Texas
Good morning from Amarillo, Texas!
After the canyon we made it as far as Holbrook, in eastern AZ. I took a little nap while Alicia took over the driving. We found a KOA, set up camp and fell asleep.
Yesterday was a big day of driving. We took a break in Albuquerque for lunch and quick sightseeing. (Carol - we saw the Isotopes' stadium AND bought a t-shirt). Looked for Xilinx license plates, but no luck. Also, I have to recommended that you skip eating at La Hacienda next time you're in town.
After Albuquerque we came out of the mountains into the Great Plains, and a huge thunderstorm. I'm pretty sure the cargo bubble is waterproof. We finally made it to Amarillo and got a real motel room. This morning looks pretty gloomy outside...I guess the West Coast is officially behind us now.
Today the plan is Little Rock, but we may get even farther, despite a later start today. After losing 2 hours yesterday between Arizona and Texas, we're actually car-lagged. Weird.
After the canyon we made it as far as Holbrook, in eastern AZ. I took a little nap while Alicia took over the driving. We found a KOA, set up camp and fell asleep.
Yesterday was a big day of driving. We took a break in Albuquerque for lunch and quick sightseeing. (Carol - we saw the Isotopes' stadium AND bought a t-shirt). Looked for Xilinx license plates, but no luck. Also, I have to recommended that you skip eating at La Hacienda next time you're in town.
After Albuquerque we came out of the mountains into the Great Plains, and a huge thunderstorm. I'm pretty sure the cargo bubble is waterproof. We finally made it to Amarillo and got a real motel room. This morning looks pretty gloomy outside...I guess the West Coast is officially behind us now.
Today the plan is Little Rock, but we may get even farther, despite a later start today. After losing 2 hours yesterday between Arizona and Texas, we're actually car-lagged. Weird.
That sure is a grand canyon.
Three days and over 1500 miles already. Yesterday we got a late start from Vegas and reached Hoover dam in the mid-day heat. After a quick photo op at the dam we continued through the neverending Arizona desert towards the Grand Canyon. It's amazing how even in the most seemingly desolate of areas, you can still find houses and little towns.
We got to the Grand Canyon in the late afternoon with enough time to do a little rim walk and fully appreciate the awesomeness of the canyon. We drove East to Lipan point at the eastern edge of the park where we were able to watch the sunset. Pictures don't do justice. It is so beautiful.
We got to the Grand Canyon in the late afternoon with enough time to do a little rim walk and fully appreciate the awesomeness of the canyon. We drove East to Lipan point at the eastern edge of the park where we were able to watch the sunset. Pictures don't do justice. It is so beautiful.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Viva!
We packed, cleaned the house, and finally left San Jose this morning at 7:30 AM. After an uneventful trip down 101 and over to I-5, I noticed that the front of our beloved cargo bubble was beginning to lift up in the wind. Left alone, it looked like the side hinge would eventually get tired and the lid would tear off and disaster would ensue. Fortunately we had some spare bungee cords and they have done the trick so far. Bur when we get back I'll have some stern words for the folks at REI and Yakima.
Once we got going again, we made our way to Bakersfield (a shout-out to Garland), and then on to Barstow and points East and rediculously hot. My guess was the thermometer would top out at 107...but we hit 114 just past Baker...amazing that so many people can live in the desert. It cooled off to a balmy 102 as we rolled into Las Vegas.
We've got a hotel a couple blocks off the strip, and spent the evening and night seeing all the big and famous casinos...I also managed to somehow lose $100 in blackjack over the course of the night. I'm not a big bettor so it was a relative bloodbath for me there.
Tomorrow we're off to the Grand Canyon (south rim) and we'll try to make it at least to Albuquerque for the night.
We're taking pictures but it looks like Blogger doesn't let me post photos from my handheld gizmo...I'll try to find a photo site that will work.
Once we got going again, we made our way to Bakersfield (a shout-out to Garland), and then on to Barstow and points East and rediculously hot. My guess was the thermometer would top out at 107...but we hit 114 just past Baker...amazing that so many people can live in the desert. It cooled off to a balmy 102 as we rolled into Las Vegas.
We've got a hotel a couple blocks off the strip, and spent the evening and night seeing all the big and famous casinos...I also managed to somehow lose $100 in blackjack over the course of the night. I'm not a big bettor so it was a relative bloodbath for me there.
Tomorrow we're off to the Grand Canyon (south rim) and we'll try to make it at least to Albuquerque for the night.
We're taking pictures but it looks like Blogger doesn't let me post photos from my handheld gizmo...I'll try to find a photo site that will work.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Packing packing packing
It's been a slow march of progress to get everything either boxed up, thrown away, or sold. Craigslist has been working well so far - so far we've sold:
- TV
- TV stand
- Rug
- Tent
- Bike helmets
- DVD player
People should be coming over later today to get the microwave and nightstands. It's nice to be able to sell all your possessions...maybe I'll try a vow of silence or some other minimalist trick.
The plan is to leave tomorrow, but it might be pushed back to Sunday. Today is all packing, all the time, so hopefully we'll get everything together. And hopefully it will all fit in the car.
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