Day 13: San Simeon

8am - Woke up to pack up everything
9am - Went to our free breakfast buffet which was pretty good
10:30am - We check out and pack up our car.  Somehow, things fit less and less in the car.
11:30pm - We pass into California!  No welcome sign to be seen... :(

12:15pm - We stop in Barstow, CA to eat lunch.  We ate at Costa Azul - I got a chile relleno with a taco and pin got a huge burrito.

As my mom warned me, at some point, there was an agricultural inspection check point at Rt15.  I blatantly had a houseplant wedged between the 2 front seats and a cactus in the front cupholder.  We were stopped.  I was really worried he was going to make me throw out my plants, but he just looked at my houseplant - felt the leaves to make sure it was real, poked in the dirt to check for bugs, and asked questions as to where it had been prior to my car.  After asking us 2x if we had fruit - (we did, but we said no...I through the apples out later) and glancing at the back of my packed car, he let us through! 

During this drive, we were going through the Mojave Desert.  Needless to say, it was super sunny and hot, and a pretty uncomfortable drive all around.  I wouldn't really recommend it.

It didn't get better until we got past El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles), which began wine country.  We also passed to Wasco, which seems to be rose country - this weekend there will be the festival of roses there - we will miss it! 

As we neared closer to Cambria, we were driving up in the mountains (though only 1700ft elevation) and looking to the left and front, we actually saw that we were above the cloud line!  It was so beautiful because it looked like white water, and the mountain tops were islands. 

6pm - In Cambria, we were actually in the clouds, which was really cool and cold.  After filling up gas ($3.79/gallon!), we took a detour towards the coast and drove through a beautiful little neighborhood.  Turning down a side street, we found it was a dead end - right to the coast line!  There was an aptly marked sign saying "END" and we realized we had exactly made it to the Pacific Ocean!  A little bitterswe7et as it means we are very near the end of our journey...

6:30pm - We arrive at our hotel and check in.  We ended up getting a room that is more like 2 ajoined rooms each with a queen bed.  We walked down to the shore and it was so foggy!  It was kinda gross though because there were millions of these little sand colored jumping bugs in the washed up seaweed.  THere were lots of beautiful rocks though and I collected a bunch.  Pin went and hunted down some paper towels to wrap them up in.

7:45pm - It was finally getting pretty dark so we walked back up the hill to the Best Western's restaurant called Cavalier.  I saw they had butternut squash ravioli and immediately new what I wanted.  Pin ordered the fettucini alfredo which was really good.

9pm - Since we missed out on the pool at the MGM Grand, we wanted to go to the heated outdoor pool at our San Simeon hotel.  We run out in the freezing cold. Pin tries the water out and its warm at first until he puts his whole body in.  It doesn't look warm enough to me so I decide I don't want to go in.  Pin is not happy with this!  He has to jump out of the water and we run back to our room.  He pretty much ran straight into our hot shower.

10pm - We play a game of Elections - I win.

Distance Traveled: coming soon
Total Distance: coming soon
$ Spent: $146.08
Total $: coming soon

Day 12: Vegas

coming soon...

Distance traveled: 0mi (lots of walking...)
Total Distance: 4009mi
$ Spent: $314.51
Total $ Spent: $1440.83

Day 11: Bryce Canyon/Vegas

6am - This day, we got up early to go to Bryce Point overlook to see the sunrise. When we get there, there are already a few hardcore photographers waiting (with super cameras and tripods ready).  We wait about an hour for the sun to really come up.  During this time, a tour bus of japanese tourists arrive and flood the overlook.  Pin was happy that he could take pics over their heads.  I was annoyed that they kept butting into my tripod space.  But I got some good pics of the sunrise with their silhouettes. 

8am - Overhearing one of the photographers recommend a better spot, we drove down to Inspiration Point to get somer more sunrise pics.  At this point, the view was really amazing. 

9am - We head back and pack up our campsite.  Then go to the Bryce Canyon Lodge store so I can buy a bucket hat and exchange some of the coasters I got to get a better match.  I end up also buying a necklace and a pair of earrings...

10am - We head to Sunrise point and take the Queens Garden trail then connected onto the Navajo Trail.  These took us down into the canyon to see the hoodoos up close.  At the very end of the Navajo, we came upon "Wall Street" which is a basically a narrow crevasse for everyone to walk through.  Then to walk up, the park had built basically a Lombard Street - we had to wind back and forth to get up the steep side.

11:30am - We head out of Bryce Canyon and towards Vegas!  Right before Arizona, we stop for lunch in St George.  We find a Thai restaurant that was pretty good.  I got pad thai and pin got drunken noodles.  Around here, there were some beautiful hillside houses - but you could see remnants of the geology that was there and it was sad to think they had torn it down.  It might be like them seeing us replace forest with developments or a strip mall? 

We pass through Arizona and then almost immediately into Nevada. 

We get to the MGM grand and its a beautiful hotel.  We get pretty confused trying to park, but finally get to the self parking lot.  Inside, it was like culture shock for us.  Going from being out in nature and camping for a few days, then entering a building that has more than one place to eat - marble floors and chandeliers was so weird.  The check-in counter had about 15employees with a full line at each.  It took forever to check in.  At least we found out the valet parking was free so we wouldn't have to take down the annoying roof rack bag (and clean it). 

The beds in the hotel room were amazing.  We both showered and then went to the buffet.  Our room package came with 2for1 buffet.  It was really good buffet.

Pin had gotten $25 for slot play by joining the players club so we spent that up and actually won $27.50!  Though tempted to continue gambling - we stopped while we were ahead.  Then we walked up and down the strip in search of gambling deals.

On the way we passed the Bellagio fountains and they started up.  The fountain show was amazing, and the music was perfect.  It was super dramatic and powerful to see.

12:30am - When we finally make it back to the MGM, I'm beat but pin stays down for more gambling (wins $10!).

Distance Traveled: 262mi
Total Distance: 4009mi
$ Spent: $112.70
Total $: $1126.32

Day 10: Bryce Canyon

coming soon...

Distance Traveled: 343mi
Total Distance Traveled: 3747mi
$ Spent: $73.49
Total $ Spent: $1013.62

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Day 9: Yellowstone/Grand Tetons

Morning view on Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park, WY

First of all, average low temp in Yellowstone in September is 32 degrees F.  And I'm pretty sure it got close to that at night.  It was freezing, so we were both curled up in tight balls by morning.

7am - I woke up 30min late, and decided it was way too cold to shower.  Pin got up and we packed up our campsite.

8:20am - Picked up our camera chargers from the ranger station (they were so nice to charge them for us overnight).

9am - West Thumb Basin - This was a beautiful area of hotsprings and geysers right next to the lake so they actually drain into the lake.  The water is amazingly clear and are also extremely blue (sometimes rusty colored on the edges) due to the thermophiles that live in them.  Unlike yesterday's these didn't smell like eggs.

10:15am - We get to the site of Old Faithful, which is so popular, they made the exit like a real highway exit with an overpass, etc.  This geyser is called Old Faithful because the rangers can pretty accurately predict when it will erupt.  The next time was 10:44am (+/- 10min).  We sat there on benches waiting.  At about 10:45am it finally started to shoot out little bursts of water.  It got annoying after the 5th time.  Finally around 10:55am, it really started erupting with really high jets of water.  It was pretty cool, but questionably worth the wait.

11:15am - Midway Geyser Basin - These geysers flowed into a river.  It had by far the prettiest and coolest thermal spring aptly called Grand Prismatic Spring.  This entire area was almost entirely covered with water flowing from that spring.

11:45am - Firehole Lake Drive - this is a one-way loop taking us back to a thermally heated lake.  On the way there was an ultra-clear spring. The Grand something Geyser is also back there.  It was a huge geyser, with cascading layers of water.  However, the predicted eruption time window was 3 hours wide.  There was also this huge white bumpy hill that looked like the classic science-project volcano.  I forget what its name was.  It might have been Firehole?

12pm - Fountain Paint Pot area - Fountain Paint pot is this wide spring that bubbles with a white mud.  It's a little gross looking - there was another call Red Spouter that looked like a mud jacuzzi.  The cooler side were 3 geysers next to each other, spewing water and steam across the valley.

12:30pm - On this drive we passed the continental divide about 5 times - pretty cool.  We head to Grand Teton National Park (just south of Yellowstone).  On the way, there's a ton of construction on the only road there is, so it takes about 1.5 hrs to get 30miles.  This put a huge cramp in the schedule.

2:30pm - Grand Teton National Park is so beautiful!  Mostly because of the Teton mountain range that is constanting looming in the back of any view.  Pin wakes up, we get some food to go from the Colter Cafe (cafe at the Colter Bay area).  We plan to walk one of the Hermitage Point trails nearby, but then I realize we're really far behind schedule, and won't really have time.  So, we go back and drive down to Jenny Lake Visitor Center.

4pm - We get to Jenny Lake and buy tickets for the shuttle boat that takes you across the lake to the western shore.  This cuts out 2miles of hiking (one way) that we didn't ahve time for.  Once we're across, we hike up to Hidden Falls (not so hidden with the signage and arrows) and then up to Inspiration Point.  On the way, it rains in short spurts.  It was really strange, as we saw pockets of rain (like one side of the cafe was pouring rain, the other side was sunny).  The plus side of this, is that there were rainbows in view once we got up to Inspiration Point - definitely adding to the inspirational feel of the view.  Next, we hightail it down to the dock to avoid missing the last boat back at 6pm.

6pm - I wanted to drive along Antelope Flats Road, which is apparently good for wildlife viewing (I wanted to see a moose), but there was definitely no time with a 5.5 hr drive to Salt Lake City ahead of us.  Instead, we just drive through.  Having eaten a late lunch, and having little time to spare, we drove through Jackson, WY instead of stopping for dinner there.  I definitely would want to go back to Jackson, it was a beautiful ski-town with a million different restaurants and shops.


7:30pm - We get to Idaho, and hands down, this was the emptiest state we've encountered so far. 

9pm - We get to Utah.

10:45pm - We stop to get gas and some food (notice we didn't get dinner yet!).  There was a Taco Bell, but it was Brigham City, UT on a Sunday - it was closed.  We succeeded in finding a McDonald's though.

11:45pm - We get to the hotel finally.  It's a beautiful hotel, but we're both beat.  VERY long day.

Distance Traveled:463mi
Total Distance: 3404mi
$ Spent: $134.85
Total $: $970.13