We’re just now heading to San Francisco, after traveling highway one along to Monterey. The late post is due to the lack of service as you travel between the Pacific and the Santa Monica mountains, essentially a 40 mile stretch of dead zone. The loss of LTE is hardly missed however as the coast is everything it’s hyped to be. The evidence of the ocean’s raw power is everywhere, the remnants of its destructive crusade against the coast seen as the battered shoreline of central California. A staggering amount of spires, caves, and pools populate the area, which can change from a sheer 150 foot drop to a gentle sloping beach in just a few minutes. The rocks were not only magnificent in construction, but also strikingly colorful. Kelp pools created areas of water painted a shade of deep red, contrasted by neon blue shallows and the kind of moss coverage that you always imagined would make an incredible bed. As I ventured out onto the rocks, a condor decided to ride the wind directly in front of, and subsequently right over me. 100% worth the stop, but get there earlier than ten a.m. or plan to come back tomorrow, because parking will be completely and totally nonexistent.
The first thing you notice about Yosemite is the smell. You’ll travel for miles through the Sierras, narrowly avoiding car and cliffs alike, every so often spotting a hint of the valley along the road; a colossal boulder, a winding river chocked with granite, a patch of sequoias sticking out of a cliff at 30 degrees. The anticipation builds as much at the tension, the road would be amazing if it weren’t so terrifying, switchback hairpin turns on an 8% downhill grade, a fatal drop lying only feet away, waiting anxiously for you to make your one final mistake. Then, after your ears pop for the hundredth time, you level out. A magnificent shunt of granite juts out over the road, a natural tunnel heralding your arrival into the valley. You open the windows, craning your neck to see the trees that time forgot, ancient relics from the Cenozoic era; the Giant Sequoia, one of only 3 remaining species, stands almost 300 feet tall, and is responsible for the first and most notable aspect of Yosemite you will encounter. The smell.
We’re blazing through Southern California on our way to Yosemite and the Madera Speedway. The sun had just risen over the mountains when we started about an hour ago, so naturally it’s now positioned to annihilate our entire field of vision. The traffic is treacherous, the 6+ lane highways are packed full, but somehow everybody still manages to be breaking the 65mph speed limit. About 15 minutes ago we stopped for the usual McDonald’s breakfast, incredibly clutch for anyone doing this journey, their breakfast is actually the best thing they offer. Back on track the the Yosemite Valley, we have a long journey through the heart of California ahead of us. More updates to come
Los Padres. Located just north of Santa Barbara, this dynamic area encompasses rolling hills, towering cliff sides, and even a few of southern California’s lakes. The drive up into the park is through sweeping vineyards and cliffside villas, Smokey the bear pops up to warn you of high fire dangers in the area today, and camp sites become more and more frequent as the palms turn into pines. We went in search of a visitor center, a base of operations from which one could venture out into the best trails and roads the park had to offer, this proved difficult however, as there didn’t seem to be one. This was ok however, because we ended up simply driving through the mountains, drinking in the scenery. The lack of proper park accommodations was completely overshadowed by the winding 30mph roads that twisted through tunnel and mountain alike.
We just got our first sight of L.A. after what should have been a 30 minute journey took four times as long thanks to the infamous L.A. traffic. The smog is absolutely real, a thick haze of grey hangs over the entire area for miles, it’s absolutely unreal. The sky is perfectly clear, but it’s not blue on the horizon, just pale and drab. It effectively conceals the city from view until you find yourself swallowed up in it, caught in the crushing jaws of gridlock. The weather is still gorgeous though, I hear it might even rain this weekend. More updates to come.
We’re on the road again and headed to Lego Land. It may not be a staple land mark, but for any child of our generation it was the dream. 15 years later and we’re finally on our way, but not without some detours. As the biggest fallout fans you can find, we’re making it a point to hit up all the in game locations we can. First up is home sweet home, Goodsprings. On our way we’ll hit Primm, home of the Mojave express, the Ivanpah dry lake, the mountain pass, and of course the Mojave itself. The terrain has changed again from mountains to flat desert pans, but war, war never changes.
As we cruised into Vegas, we decided to check out Red Rock Canyon, a well renowned park on the east side of the city. The first thing we noticed is how quickly the city disappeared, one minute we were driving through lush palms and suburbs, the next all we could see in every direction was desert. The canyon itself was semi hidden behind some spectacular mountains, just a glimpse of brilliant red over the tops of hills as you get closer and closer. When you finally do make it to the visitor center, a clean and modern haven of tourist info and air conditioning, you will see a completely alien stretch of rock jutting out of the ground through a massive window-wall that wouldn’t be out of place on a star destroyer.
We’ve made it through Route 66 and are on our way to Lake Mead. The terrain has changed to something like desert, but the underbrush is still thick and there are no cacti. Slightly disappointing. The heat is back, it’s 90 degrees and rising, and although it’s dry it doesn’t take long to really sink in. There’s not much here, but with Vegas as the light at the end of the tunnel we don’t much care. More updates to come.
The Grand Canyon is a hard park to describe. We got in around 9AM Pacific, after driving though terrain that essentially looked like the alps. Pine forests, green mountains (even saw some ice on a couple) and winding roads. In my mind I had always envisioned the canyon in the middle of a desert, or perhaps surrounded by the same mesas we saw on the border of Arizona; but no, it was concealed entirely by forests, you’d have no idea it was there except for the unbelievable and very sudden rise in tourists.
We’ve had our obligatory McDonalds breakfast (on point), and are on our way to the Grand Canyon. I personally couldn’t be more excited, as the natural aspects of this trip are really the biggest pull from my perspective. It’s been a dream of mine to see our countries national parks for years now, and the Grand Canyon is right there at the top. The painted desert was so magnificent I was reduced to screaming obscene exclamations and pointing wildly, I’m slightly worried the canyon will just break my vocabulary flat out. The area around us is not at all what you’d picture in Arizona. We’re driving through massive pine forests with a gorgeous mountain backdrop looming over us, it almost feels like we’re in the alps. Our cell coverage is shoddy, so we’ll update when we can. More updates to come.
The World As We Know It 