Coming to America!

[Octoman]

We have booked our flights now which gives the trip much more structure.  We are flying to San Francisco hiring a car to go to Yosemite national park.  Then back to the coast, stopping off here and there till we get to Los Angeles.  Then a flight to Las Vegas and hiring a car again to go to The Grand Canyon.  Back to Vegas then fly back to NYC!!! We have ten days to do all this, it basically works out as two days at each place.
I could definitely use a little help on recommended accomodation in Yosemite national park, Vegas and also at the Grand Canyon, we have friends and relatives in the other cities.  Thanks in advance, Octoman!

[beenthere]

Sounds like you have a good trip planned.

Two ways to do the Grand Canyon from LasVegas
Drive: Going over Hoover Dam (visitor center there), and on to the South Rim of the Canyon. A search of "Grand Canyon Lodge" will bring up good lodges to stay such as Kachina, Thunderbird, and ElTovar.  (ElTovar is an old wood lodge that is a sight to see and possible to stay there, as hanging around at 4 pm, sometimes no-shows will open up a room - it happened for my wife and I ). Then return to Las Vegas by driving East around the east end of the Canyon proper, and back to Las Vegas North of the Canyon through some of the National Parks such as Bryce Canyon, Lyons, and others - a gorgeous drive if time permits).
or Fly:  Fly from Vegas to the Canyon, seeing some spectacular views and more of the Canyon's total beauty than by car. Should be able to book flights over the net or through a travel agency. Can even book lodging overnight for time at the Canyon (south rim is the best for accomodations and seeing the beauty with the sun behind you).

If time permits, drive north from SanFrancisco on Hwy 101 to see some of the redwood forests. Spectacular and some of the Pacific Ocean coast. The best coast (IMO) is above Eureka, CA and on up the Oregon and Washington coast to Puget Sound, but maybe on another trip for you. 

[Ron Scott]

The San Francisco Area is a National Recreation Area and the Muir woods National Park is right near San Francisco. Some great redwoods can be seen there.

[Octoman]

I haven't seen a tree for days!! :( :(



I can't even remember what grass looks like! :(

However the trip is all organised now!  We have had to cancel the trip to Yosemite which is a real shame.  It would have only been a flying visit and i don't think we would have done it justice.  This does give us more time in San Francisco so hopefull we can take in some of the Redwoods instead. (thanks Ron for Muir woods)  This does give us more time to do the coast and will also give us more money to squander in Vegas!!  We are booked up on what sounds to be a great tour of the Grand Canyon, just two days, there might even be a helicopter ride in there!

[Furby]

Ya know, I hear there is a what city folks call a BIG park, someplace in that city you are in.
Probly just a tree or two with concrete all the way around though. :

Have fun on the West coast! 8)

[Octoman]

Last weekend my girlfriend and I went down to Washington to see some relatives and see the sights!  The Korean war memorial made a real impact.



Next up was the Lincoln memorial and catching up on a bit of history.





After that was the all important Little League experience and the baseball v cricket debate!!



Finally, I would like to add that i'm never drinking again!



Looking forward to next weekend now and getting over to the West Coast. 8)

[Roxie]

Looking forward to more pictures!   8)

[Jeff]

After that last photo, they may never let Octoman leave San Francisco.  ;)

[Octoman]

Well, I made it out of San Francisco in one piece and have headed south down the coast.  We have stayed in Big Sur then Pismo beach and having a fantastic time.  Had my best day yet in the States today driving south from Pismo beach to Santa Barbara.  The weather was amazing and we stopped at a few vineyards!    My girlfriend has taken over 150 photos so far but afraid i can't upload without the right software!  They will be added later!
Flying to Vegas tomorrow and off to the Grand Canyon on saturday! 8)

[Minnesota_boy]

I think you will be impressed by the grand canyon.  Try to find out a bit about the California Condors that have be introduced there and watch for them.  They are quite impressive birds and their story will make them more so.

[Tom]

A joke told when I was little about a little boy whose parents took him to the canyon. 
He was keeping a journal of his trip and his parents sneaked a look while he was asleep.


On the Grand Canyon page there was only one entry.  It read,"Today I spit a mile."

[Octoman]

The trip is now over!  We got back into New York yesterday so I would like to take the time to thank everyone who contributed to this post and helped us plan our trip!  It soon came apparent after talking to people and reading the suggestions on this post that there is almost no limit on what you can see and do in the States.  The most helpful advise was to use the time to see areas that would be at their best at this time of year.  We chose the West Coast and Grand Canyon option and I have to say the Lake Superior trip was a close second!  This choice worked out well as we could stay with a few relatives on the coast as well!

So thanks once again, hope I can return the favour one day!




A highlight of San Francisco was sailing out under the Golden Gate bridge!  We also cycled over it as well!



After seeing some ultimate diversity on Haight Street a stroll through Golden Gate park revealed this beauty!



As luck would have it our stay in San Francisco coincided with Fleet Week.  We found a good place to watch with a couple of beers and saw the Red Bull Air Race series.  The Blue Angels above did a fantastic display and an F16 deafened everyone!



Our first stop south of San Francisco after hiring a car was Big Sur via Carmel.  We had a great meal at the Nepenthe cliff top restaurant with an awesome sunset!



After stopping off at Cambria we ended up at Pismo Beach for a night.  We were a little dissapointed with the mist along much of Highway 1 for what is meant to be a sensational drive, we were barely able to see the sea!  The next morning when we pulled the curtains back was luckily a different story!



This was one of my favourite days of the trip, we met up with some friends of the family that live in Santa Barbara who took us on a great winery tour!  This is the Gainey winery. (the first of many that day!)



We flew from LA to Las Vegas where we had a real stroke of luck!  We had a booked a tour of the Canyon and a one night stay at a local ranch.  It involved a three hour bus drive out to the ranch then in the morning they would helicopter us back over the Canyon.  However, they called us just before our departure time to inform us that no one else had booked on the trip and it wasn't worth them driving just two people out there :( :(!  However ;D ;D ;D, they then offered to upgrade our package to a helicopter flight each way for no extra cost!! :D :D  The Ranch was a lot of fun too.  A complete contrast from back home to hear that 30 acres is needed to support one beast!
The Dam was a real spectacle from the air!  A couple of days later I was lucky enough to catch a tv program all about the making of the Dam as well!  A huge accomplishment at the time!



This picture simply does not do justice to the Canyon but I had to put it in anyway!  This will have to be one of those visual panoramic images to keep in my head and never forget!  The pilot flew us into the Canyon below the level of the rim.  It was amazing I would recommend it to anyone!



Vegas was something else!!  It was a lot of fun to walk the Strip and stroll around the casinos!  I managed to keep the gambling/losses to a minimum as well :'( :'(!  The water displays outside the Bellagio were really impressive, Ceasar's Palace is on the right.

So I fly back home to England on wednesday and i'm actually looking forward to getting back to work after a month off!!  I love travelling, I always see new things and get new ideas! ;D ;D

[OneWithWood]

Octoman,
I am glad you enjoyed your stay and got to experience a little bit of our country.  Big and diverse is an understatement.
Come back anytime!

[Minnesota_boy]

I've been told that the mist you drove in is part of the secret of the California Redwoods.  The tiny needles collect much of the water needed by this magnificient tree from the mist in the air.

[SwampDonkey]

 :D :D :D Good thing ya didn't go to the Queen Charlottes, 1200 miles to the north. They don't call'm the 'Mystie Isles' for nuthin. ;D :D

[pigman]

Great pictures Octoman. 8) I have not visited any of the places in your pictures yet. :(   I think I need to make some plans for next year. ;D

[sawguy21]

:D :D :D Good thing ya didn't go to the Queen Charlottes, 1200 miles to the north. They don't call'm the 'Mystie Isles' for nuthin. ;D :D

:D :D Rain 360 days a year and foggy the other six. Thanks for the great pix. The shot of the dam is outstanding.
I have been to the north California  coast once and took a lot of pictures of a beautiful area. Not one turned out. The shutter was boogered :(

[Tom]

I enjoyed your pictures.  They reminded me of my trip to Vegas an the Dam.

[Octoman]

What I would give for some mist now....its been raining solidly the last two weeks I have been back home!! :D :D

Always good to be home though ;)!

Think I might have got the bug after the helicopter trip!!  Amazing what a google search will throw up!  Turns out it will cost £10,000 to get the lessons/license!  I've seen a little second hand two seater helicopter going for £40,000!  Sounds like a lot more fun than buying a house, i'm sure I could sleep in it as well if I had to! :D

[Tom]

Funny how you would use Helicopter and Throw up on the same line.  :D

[SwampDonkey]

The ones that will really bring your stomach to the back of your throat are those fly overs that pass over a sharp peak on a mountain and you hit a dead air pocket. You drop like a rock for about 50 feet, that parts alright. It's the part where the chopper levels off, which feels like you just fetched up on a bungie cord. That part sometimes can be messy. ;D

[Octoman]

Funny you should mention dead air!  The canyon certainly produced a few hairy moments.  The pilot didn't seems worried in the slightest though when we 'hit a few speed bumps!' (his words!) and he just kept chatting away.  That helped settle us a bit!  It was definitely one of those occasions where you are 75% enjoying yourself and 25% just plain scared!  Like a roller coaster ride i guess. _earmuff  ;D

[isawlogs]

Me and the folks are planning to go across Canada next year and see off the beaten trail places, then on return we're hoping to go see the dinosaur museum, yellow stone and take in some of the grand canyon. We're staying away from the big cities.


Just a side note: ;)
Wish there was someone from the Ramouski, Que area that could tell me the name of that Historic Manson near there (or Mont Joli) that was owned by the railroad tycoon. The manson overlooks the ocean. I can't find nothing about it on the Quebec tourism sites. It's not far from the path to the Matepedia Valley.

   Swamp ...  look for "  Le Jardins de Métis

[SwampDonkey]

Yup Marcel, I did eventually find it awhile ago. The Reford Gardens/Le Jardins de Métis was what it was under. Thanks