I'm not in the mood to write a blog about this park: I took about 140 beautiful pictures and when I imported them to my computer they all got lost. I'm pissed. I really made an effort to take the best pictures ever.
It wasn't easy cause this canyon is so vast, so big and we humans are so tiny, that it seems impossible to catch the whole canyon in your frame. It is 400 kilometers long, 16 kilometers wide and about 1500 meters deep. Can you imagine such a huge wonder of nature ? If not, try imagining it with the pictures that my Mom took. The colors of the canyon are even more beautiful in real life..
I selected the best ones for you :
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
From Desert to Canyonlands - a 360 mile drive
We're heading for the Grand Canyon today. The GPS leads us via back roads and shortcut highways.
As we make our way through the vast desert, all we see are shrubs, rocks and the road ahead of us. It is beautiful and daunting at the same time - this truly is an endless road.
It's even sort of scary once you can't see anyone else driving on the same road as you and there's no one around for miles and miles.. what a difference compared to LA !
I can't help but wonder.. what if one of our tires goes flat ? Or the engine overheats and we're stranded in the middle of nowhere. No cell phone reception (T-mobile sucks btw), no car in sight, no towing service nearby. I'm actually glad I decided not to drive the '94 Plymouth from West to East.
Once we drive out of the Coachella Valley and leave the desert plains are behind us, we see more greenery popping out of the ground. What are those things again ? Oh right, trees !
These lands are abundant in farms and little towns that have nothing more than a saloon, a church, a grocery store and some houses. We even see some people walking around. Real hill-billies, wearing Stetson hats, cowboy boots and lumberjack shirts. Pick up trucks seem to be getting bigger and bolder with every town. Dirtier too.
In the distance, dark gray clouds float over the plains. It's an amazing thing when you're able to see rain falling from afar. A rainy mist, curling like a curtain, covering the distant horizon. Here and there, streaks of sunlight break through the clouds.
The last 50 miles are always the hardest. At this point, my foot lays heavy on the pedal: we're doing 85 where the speed limit posts 75. Also, being stuck in a car with three people is stressful, especially since I got used to being alone so much.
Ton seems to sing along with every song the radio plays. Not that he knows every tune, he just kind of hums along with it.. loudly.
Mom is never comfortable in the car. It's either too warm, too windy, too rocky, we're going too fast to take pictures or driving too slow up the slopes. They're putting my patience to the test.
Then finally, the blue Motel 6 signs welcomes us in the town of Williams. This is where we will be staying the night. There's no wireless internet in this hotel. The idea alone horrifies my Mom, who is anonymously addicted to e-mails.
I have to admit I am too. That's why I'm now sitting in a local coffee place - not a Starbucks - in downtown Williams, having a strawberry Smoothie that's way too icy for the chilly temperature here. At least I can blog and e-mail you guys.
Tomorrow, we will drive another 60 miles heading North for the South Rim Entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park. Check back for pictures !
As we make our way through the vast desert, all we see are shrubs, rocks and the road ahead of us. It is beautiful and daunting at the same time - this truly is an endless road.
It's even sort of scary once you can't see anyone else driving on the same road as you and there's no one around for miles and miles.. what a difference compared to LA !
I can't help but wonder.. what if one of our tires goes flat ? Or the engine overheats and we're stranded in the middle of nowhere. No cell phone reception (T-mobile sucks btw), no car in sight, no towing service nearby. I'm actually glad I decided not to drive the '94 Plymouth from West to East.
Once we drive out of the Coachella Valley and leave the desert plains are behind us, we see more greenery popping out of the ground. What are those things again ? Oh right, trees !
These lands are abundant in farms and little towns that have nothing more than a saloon, a church, a grocery store and some houses. We even see some people walking around. Real hill-billies, wearing Stetson hats, cowboy boots and lumberjack shirts. Pick up trucks seem to be getting bigger and bolder with every town. Dirtier too.
In the distance, dark gray clouds float over the plains. It's an amazing thing when you're able to see rain falling from afar. A rainy mist, curling like a curtain, covering the distant horizon. Here and there, streaks of sunlight break through the clouds.
The last 50 miles are always the hardest. At this point, my foot lays heavy on the pedal: we're doing 85 where the speed limit posts 75. Also, being stuck in a car with three people is stressful, especially since I got used to being alone so much.
Ton seems to sing along with every song the radio plays. Not that he knows every tune, he just kind of hums along with it.. loudly.
Mom is never comfortable in the car. It's either too warm, too windy, too rocky, we're going too fast to take pictures or driving too slow up the slopes. They're putting my patience to the test.
Then finally, the blue Motel 6 signs welcomes us in the town of Williams. This is where we will be staying the night. There's no wireless internet in this hotel. The idea alone horrifies my Mom, who is anonymously addicted to e-mails.
I have to admit I am too. That's why I'm now sitting in a local coffee place - not a Starbucks - in downtown Williams, having a strawberry Smoothie that's way too icy for the chilly temperature here. At least I can blog and e-mail you guys.
Tomorrow, we will drive another 60 miles heading North for the South Rim Entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park. Check back for pictures !
Monday, May 5, 2008
Joshua Tree National Park
JTNP is an amazing stretch of desert on the edge of the big San Andreas fault near Palm Springs. It's the home of the Joshua Tree, a tree-like cactus that grows only in this part of the world. You can also find a lot of strange looking rocks here. That seems boring at first, but if you know what those rocks are, it's really amazing: these are remnants of the forming of mountains. These rocks used to be lava, turned into stone by oxygen.
Driving through this part of the desert feels like being warped onto another planet in another dimension. At some point, you can easily imagine seeing dinosaurs crossing the land or giant flying birds zooming over your head. This place is amazing.
The beauty of the flowering cacti, the reddish rocks that stand out to a deep blue sky, the form of the Joshua trees and the vast views.. it makes you forget you're standing in the middle of a scorching desert.
We even got to see a coyote. He strolled over the road and looked at our car with eyes that said "intruders"!
Of course, Mom felt like she was an Native Indian again, gazing out in the valley and standing on top of the mountain. Ton had fun yelling to the rocks, hearing his echo talk back to him. And me, I WAS just there. Taking in every bit of color, every moment of silence, feeling the sun in my face and the cool breeze coming from the plains. To me, All time was lost.
Enjoy the pictures :
Driving through this part of the desert feels like being warped onto another planet in another dimension. At some point, you can easily imagine seeing dinosaurs crossing the land or giant flying birds zooming over your head. This place is amazing.
The beauty of the flowering cacti, the reddish rocks that stand out to a deep blue sky, the form of the Joshua trees and the vast views.. it makes you forget you're standing in the middle of a scorching desert.
We even got to see a coyote. He strolled over the road and looked at our car with eyes that said "intruders"!
Of course, Mom felt like she was an Native Indian again, gazing out in the valley and standing on top of the mountain. Ton had fun yelling to the rocks, hearing his echo talk back to him. And me, I WAS just there. Taking in every bit of color, every moment of silence, feeling the sun in my face and the cool breeze coming from the plains. To me, All time was lost.
Enjoy the pictures :
Sunday, May 4, 2008
The Queen Mary - Long Beach - day 6
The Queen Mary is a British ship that resembles the structure of the Titanic, though slightly smaller. Still, this is a large vessel that looks impressive. The ship was used between the 1920's until the 60's for commercial transatlantic traveling. For many immigrants, this was the gate to the promised land.
The QM still hasn't lost it charm. The rooms have been remodeled into hotel rooms, but the rest of the structured remained intact. You get the feel of how it must have been traveling three to 5 days over the Atlantic on this big ship. Despite the rocky surface of the ocean, the ship seemed to have a steady course throughout it's journey. Actually, the accommodation of the ship was quite comfortable: you had a bar, shopping stores, a spa, the rooms were cozy, the bar inviting and you even had a gymnasium and outdoor entertainment.
For me, the ship reminded me most of the Titanic. I'd like to believe that some parts of the movie were also shot here but I'm not sure of that. Still, if you look at the pictures, I'm pretty sure you will get the same idea:
PS: the last few pictures were taking in and around the El Segundo High School, a film location for many movie and TV productions.
The QM still hasn't lost it charm. The rooms have been remodeled into hotel rooms, but the rest of the structured remained intact. You get the feel of how it must have been traveling three to 5 days over the Atlantic on this big ship. Despite the rocky surface of the ocean, the ship seemed to have a steady course throughout it's journey. Actually, the accommodation of the ship was quite comfortable: you had a bar, shopping stores, a spa, the rooms were cozy, the bar inviting and you even had a gymnasium and outdoor entertainment.
For me, the ship reminded me most of the Titanic. I'd like to believe that some parts of the movie were also shot here but I'm not sure of that. Still, if you look at the pictures, I'm pretty sure you will get the same idea:
PS: the last few pictures were taking in and around the El Segundo High School, a film location for many movie and TV productions.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Along the coast - Santa Barbara & Malibu - Day 5
Today has been the day that I needed a "time out". We drove for two hours to Santa Barbara, I dropped Mom and Ton off at historic downtown Santa Barbara and headed straight for the deep green grass along the pier. I folded out my beach towel and leaned against one of the palm trees, enjoying the cool breeze coming from the ocean. A moment that lasted forever.
You can read all about Santa Barbara in this previous blog.
After SB, we headed for the beaches of Malibu. The drive down there is amazing. Red and brown cliffs loom over the PCH that winds along the coast line. Big waves break and leave stretches of foam on the water. Surfers trying to catch the biggest waves..
We relaxed on Zuma beach for about an hour, returned to El Segundo for a quick bite and went to sleep. It seems like all I do is relax and sleep, isn't it.
A few more days and our journey continues. I'm really looking forward to start driving through those beautiful national parks.
I know, this is a pretty lame report of my day, but at least you get to see some pictures:
You can read all about Santa Barbara in this previous blog.
After SB, we headed for the beaches of Malibu. The drive down there is amazing. Red and brown cliffs loom over the PCH that winds along the coast line. Big waves break and leave stretches of foam on the water. Surfers trying to catch the biggest waves..
We relaxed on Zuma beach for about an hour, returned to El Segundo for a quick bite and went to sleep. It seems like all I do is relax and sleep, isn't it.
A few more days and our journey continues. I'm really looking forward to start driving through those beautiful national parks.
I know, this is a pretty lame report of my day, but at least you get to see some pictures:
Friday, May 2, 2008
From East to West - A day in LA - Day 4
Our alarm clock went off early this morning: we had a long day ahead of us. We jumped into our white Pontiac and took Highway 110 along downtown LA. I had so much fun using the carpool lane for the first time. In LA, as an effort to unclog the road, the highways have designated car pool lanes for cars that have two or more people in them. Unfortunately, a lot of people in LA still drive a big car to work, and they use it just for them selves. They drive big trucks, Vans, or Hummers. Silly isn't it? The carpool lane is usually almost completely empty.. and so we could avoid all the traffic jams on our way to Griffith Park.
It was still kinda hazy up there. We could see Downtown LA sprouting in the distance. And I managed to point out the road that we would be taking that day.
Our next stop was Hollywood Boulevard. The day before yesterday, the intersection of Hollywood and Vine was closed off due to a fire that burned down a night club. Luckily, it was all cleared again and we soon arrived in downtown Hollywood. Not much to see there except for the stars in the pavement, Mann's Chinese Theater and the Kodak Theater. Also the mall of Hollywood and Highland is nicely built, with giant elephants and a real 'Arc de Triumph". Enniewho, I won't write much more about Hollywood, look for a previous blog here.
We continued our "road of discovery" on Sunset, making our way to the Sunset strip. From there, Doheny takes us right into Beverly Hills. Ton and Mom were amazed at the beauty and richness of Rodeo Drive. To me, it's still beautiful but it's kinda sad to realize that you get used even to this kind of thing.
We stopped in the Beverly Center, the celebrity mall in Beverly Hills, for a quick bite. I had a big plate of greasy Chinese food : fried orange chicken, grilled chicken and a lot of noodles with veggies. Bring on the carbs !
From here, we drove back to Sunset and passed the Bel Air estates, crossed the 405 and ended up in Lake Shrine, the spiritual temple of Yogananda.
I realized today that this would be my last day driving through LA with the feeling that this is where I live. It feels so cool to know your way around here. We were sitting in a bar in Santa Monica today and a woman came up to me asking me if I knew where the nearest mobile shop on Wilshire blvd in Santa Monica was. I was proud to be able to direct here in the right way and to recommend a taxi since it was still about 10 blocks away.
Yet, from now on, I'm a tourist again, just like every other European visiting LA.
Still, having a Californian driver's license has many advantages. People know that you know. Airlines don't bother you with strict passport checks. And renting cars is so much easier.
Speaking of renting cars; we headed out tonight to pick up our new car for the big tour. It was a lot less pricey than the other reservation.. and Mom was able to use here regular credit card again. Yay !
Oh, I did put some pictures up from their flight yesterday, so you might want to scroll down to the previous blog and look for the slide show. You can also click on it to go to the album and see the pictures in a large format.
Here are the pictures of today:
Now that I have company, I finally show up in a picture every once a while. Well, maybe that is not such a good thing after all. :-)
Tomorrow : a visit to Santa Barbara and Malibu.
It was still kinda hazy up there. We could see Downtown LA sprouting in the distance. And I managed to point out the road that we would be taking that day.
Our next stop was Hollywood Boulevard. The day before yesterday, the intersection of Hollywood and Vine was closed off due to a fire that burned down a night club. Luckily, it was all cleared again and we soon arrived in downtown Hollywood. Not much to see there except for the stars in the pavement, Mann's Chinese Theater and the Kodak Theater. Also the mall of Hollywood and Highland is nicely built, with giant elephants and a real 'Arc de Triumph". Enniewho, I won't write much more about Hollywood, look for a previous blog here.
We continued our "road of discovery" on Sunset, making our way to the Sunset strip. From there, Doheny takes us right into Beverly Hills. Ton and Mom were amazed at the beauty and richness of Rodeo Drive. To me, it's still beautiful but it's kinda sad to realize that you get used even to this kind of thing.
We stopped in the Beverly Center, the celebrity mall in Beverly Hills, for a quick bite. I had a big plate of greasy Chinese food : fried orange chicken, grilled chicken and a lot of noodles with veggies. Bring on the carbs !
From here, we drove back to Sunset and passed the Bel Air estates, crossed the 405 and ended up in Lake Shrine, the spiritual temple of Yogananda.
I realized today that this would be my last day driving through LA with the feeling that this is where I live. It feels so cool to know your way around here. We were sitting in a bar in Santa Monica today and a woman came up to me asking me if I knew where the nearest mobile shop on Wilshire blvd in Santa Monica was. I was proud to be able to direct here in the right way and to recommend a taxi since it was still about 10 blocks away.
Yet, from now on, I'm a tourist again, just like every other European visiting LA.
Still, having a Californian driver's license has many advantages. People know that you know. Airlines don't bother you with strict passport checks. And renting cars is so much easier.
Speaking of renting cars; we headed out tonight to pick up our new car for the big tour. It was a lot less pricey than the other reservation.. and Mom was able to use here regular credit card again. Yay !
Oh, I did put some pictures up from their flight yesterday, so you might want to scroll down to the previous blog and look for the slide show. You can also click on it to go to the album and see the pictures in a large format.
Here are the pictures of today:
Now that I have company, I finally show up in a picture every once a while. Well, maybe that is not such a good thing after all. :-)
Tomorrow : a visit to Santa Barbara and Malibu.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Universal Studio's - Movie Capitol of LA - Day 3
After making 2 waffles and stuffing bread and jam into our bag, we headed out for what was going to be a long and fun day.
I was excited to show my Mom and Ton the place where I have worked. Finally someone to share this with. The theme park was fun as ever. I had done the studio tour a million of times before, so I knew exactly what to expect. They loved it.
The Mummy roller coaster ride and the Jurassic Park ride was my favorite part of the day. They take you at thrilling speeds through magical places like mummy caves and dinosaur jungles.. I'm not telling more about the park itself 'cause I wrote a blog about it long ago.
At night, we walked up and down the city walk and went to iFly Hollywood ! Ton immediately wanted to fly, but Mom seemed to have a headache. But, after she saw the instruction video she wanted to fly too. I was lucky to get both of them to fly them twice for free. What a great gift !
And they were amazing. I'm telling you, I sorta know now how it feels to see your kids flying while you're out there taking pictures. Seeing your Mom fly is kinda special. She was the first to go in and after she got her bearings a bit she did excellent. She was stable, held her hands right, her chin up and there she was, flying in front of me, smiling but with an expression in her eyes that said, wauw, this is amazing. And the instructor gave kissing signals with his hands, telling her that she's doing a great job.
Then it was Ton's turn. Of course, he's a bigger person, so they had to jack the wind up a little. His first flight was kinda rocky, even though he held his legs straight and seemed to hold his body still. The instructor had to hold on to him a few times and when he pushed Ton sideways toward me to take a picture of him, I saw in his eyes that he too was having the time of his live.
The second time they went in, the instructor took them high up the tube. I love it when they do this. They fly like superman and take them all the way up and down again, so it feels even more like you're falling in the wind. Mom's eyes went from 'hey, I can do this', to 'OH MY GOOOD !"
Of course, Ton already knew what to expect his second time around. He had jumped in like it was a pool and he was on fire. The instructor took him way up and Ton practically had a skydiving orgasm.
After their flight, both of them looked frazzled but kinda stoned too. Mom's headache was gone. When we went for dinner at Bubba Gump, they still were high on adrenaline. No need to tell you that we had a great night. The waitress loved us so much that she stopped waiting for a few minutes and came to sit next to me for a chat. I love this country. :-)
We got back home around 9:30 PM and went straight to bed. We were pooped.
Tomorrow, the big LA day : Traveling from East to West and seeing all of the famous LA highlights !
I was excited to show my Mom and Ton the place where I have worked. Finally someone to share this with. The theme park was fun as ever. I had done the studio tour a million of times before, so I knew exactly what to expect. They loved it.
The Mummy roller coaster ride and the Jurassic Park ride was my favorite part of the day. They take you at thrilling speeds through magical places like mummy caves and dinosaur jungles.. I'm not telling more about the park itself 'cause I wrote a blog about it long ago.
At night, we walked up and down the city walk and went to iFly Hollywood ! Ton immediately wanted to fly, but Mom seemed to have a headache. But, after she saw the instruction video she wanted to fly too. I was lucky to get both of them to fly them twice for free. What a great gift !
And they were amazing. I'm telling you, I sorta know now how it feels to see your kids flying while you're out there taking pictures. Seeing your Mom fly is kinda special. She was the first to go in and after she got her bearings a bit she did excellent. She was stable, held her hands right, her chin up and there she was, flying in front of me, smiling but with an expression in her eyes that said, wauw, this is amazing. And the instructor gave kissing signals with his hands, telling her that she's doing a great job.
Then it was Ton's turn. Of course, he's a bigger person, so they had to jack the wind up a little. His first flight was kinda rocky, even though he held his legs straight and seemed to hold his body still. The instructor had to hold on to him a few times and when he pushed Ton sideways toward me to take a picture of him, I saw in his eyes that he too was having the time of his live.
The second time they went in, the instructor took them high up the tube. I love it when they do this. They fly like superman and take them all the way up and down again, so it feels even more like you're falling in the wind. Mom's eyes went from 'hey, I can do this', to 'OH MY GOOOD !"
Of course, Ton already knew what to expect his second time around. He had jumped in like it was a pool and he was on fire. The instructor took him way up and Ton practically had a skydiving orgasm.
After their flight, both of them looked frazzled but kinda stoned too. Mom's headache was gone. When we went for dinner at Bubba Gump, they still were high on adrenaline. No need to tell you that we had a great night. The waitress loved us so much that she stopped waiting for a few minutes and came to sit next to me for a chat. I love this country. :-)
We got back home around 9:30 PM and went straight to bed. We were pooped.
Tomorrow, the big LA day : Traveling from East to West and seeing all of the famous LA highlights !
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