The big West Coast tour

I'm very excited right now. Just one more day before the big tour begins. We will cross about 4 states: California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. After that we're flying out to the East Coast. Here's our itinerary :

Mom and Ton will fly into LAX Monday night. I will pick them up and drive them to their Hotel in El Segundo.

On Tuesday, to get Mom and Ton acquainted with the time difference and this weather, we will visit the Beaches: the Pier of Santa Monica and the Boardwalk at Venice Beach. At night, we're expected at the Edlefsen's in El Segundo for a quick visit.

On Wednesday, the movie magic will enchant the three of us: Universal Studio's awaits ! A day full of entertainment, movie magic, rides and of course a sky dive at the Universal City Walk.

Thursday is our big LA day. We'll take the 110 north and pass downtown LA to see the skyscrapers, then drive all the way up to the top of Griffith park and visit the observatory, from where we will be able to take pictures of the Hollywood sign. Then we'll cut through LA from East to West: first stop is Hollywood Boulevard, the place with the stars in the pavement, Mann's Chinese Theater and of course the Kodak Theater, where the annual Movie Academy Awards, the Oscar's, are handed out to the talented and famous.
From there, we will make our way onto Sunset boulevard, gliding via the Sunset Strip to Beverly Hills, home of the stars. After a quick stop at Rodeo Drive, the road continues through Sunset, past the Beverly Hills Hotel and the real estate grandeur of Bel Air. Finally, we will cross the 405 and end up at the beautiful Pacific Palisades, where the spiritual temple of Lake Shrine will bring us peace after this thrilling day.

Friday. We'll take the monstrous 405 to the North and visit Santa Barbara, home of the missionaries. In the afternoon, the Pacific Coast Highway takes us back along the coast line, offering extraordinary views of cliffs and white beaches, until we reach Malibu and stop to wade through the famous Malibu surf.

Saturday. We're still deciding for this day. We can go to Long Beach, where the Queen Mary is the main attraction. A big ship, one in it's sort since the Titanic sank. But we can also visit the world's first theme park ever built: Knott's Berry farm ! Time will tell. :-)

On Sunday, the traveling begins. Click on 'view larger map' the map to see our tour plotted out:



View Larger Map

Palm Springs is first on the agenda. From there we will drive through Joshua National park to the Grand Canyon. We will also visit Williams, Flagstaff and Sedona. The road then takes us North to Page to see Lake Powel and the Hoover Dam. Further North, Moab is our rest stop to visit the beautiful desert Arches. Our journey continues West to the colorful Bryce Canyon. After that, we'll make our way to Las Vegas !
Our adventure continues when we drive through the hottest desert in the world: Death Valley. We will pass the refreshing Mammoth Lakes in the mountains and visit Yosemite National park, a magical place on Earth where the highest waterfall in the world can be found. Heading South again, the giant trees in Sequoia National park will loom over us. After this, we will drive back to LA by taking Bakersfield as our last rest stop.

This tour alone is about 4000 km long ! If you think about the driving we will be doing in LA and the short trips to stores etc, we will probably end up with 5000 km's of driving.

Meanwhile, the weather continues to be hot and sunny. A striking 40 will be reached in the Valley today. Time again for me to flee to the cool beaches.