After a 7.5 hour journey from Great Falls Montana today I have arrived safely in Salt Lake City Utah, I managed to dodge almost all of the snow showers that plagued the entire route so that was great. I even began thinking I might get some shots of sunset over the great salt lake but as I booked into the hotel the skies filled with cloud and a huge snowstorm hit bringing with it a "winter weather advisory" for 24 hours, so anything outdoors isn't an option. I've decided to treat myself to a nice steak dinner in the hotel and get an early night ready to pick Sarah up at the airport in the morning. I just posted this to let people know I arrived safely, this is a shot of the interstate (I-15) that I used for the entire journey today taken as I approached the Montana/Idaho border, it was an easy journey with very little traffic and cruise control all the way.
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Our permanent residency cards finally arrived meaning we no longer need to mess around with visas and the like to come and go across Canadian borders. In celebration we've decided to spend a week or so roaming around Utah with just a peek into northern Arizona along the way. So today I made the drive south into the US, stopping over tonight in Great Falls, Montana.
I took the 'back roads' today and the snow showers covered the mountains to the west for the entire journey so I stopped a couple of times for photos. Below is a shot of Chief Mountain in Glacier National Park with Alberta highway 800 leading toward it, then Chief Mountain again as the snow encircles it (click images for larger) Luckily for me I stayed in sunshine for the entire route, tomorrow is a long and boring leg on the interstate to Salt Lake City, Utah where I'll pick up Sarah from the airport and begin our desert storm. I hope to post a few shots as we go along (wi-fi permitting) so check back for updates. All the photos and all the text covering our fantastic road trip to San Francisco have now been sorted, grouped and posted on one continuous chain for any interested parties. It was a spectacular trip by any measure. The post has an interactive map, several galleries and detail of the route and sights along the way. Grab yourself a cup of tea and click here for the full story.
After overnighting in Hope BC we had breakfast and made the short drive to the Othello Tunnels hike close to the town, the clouds hung low over the mountains and it was a lovely hike along the old 'Kettle Valley Railway'. After hiking we made a short hop to the town of Penticton in the Okanagan region of BC where vineyards and fruit growing are the main attractions on the route in. We stopped for a short roadside hike in the forest and by a small roadside lake where we saw local fishermen having little luck (main pic below). Tomorrow will be our last leg heading home via Glacier National Park (the Canadian one not the US one) then through Banff and back home along the familiar stretch of the TransCanada Highway. It has been a fantastic trip and I'll post more detail in a week or so when we've got home and sifted through all the photos. For the last gallery of the trip, click the small images below for larger captioned versions.
With rain promised for most of the day today we stuck with the truck and drove back up through Washington and across the border back into Canada. After a nice dinner at a chinese restaurant in Abbotsford (that tasted just like the ones back home in the UK) we made a short hop further east along the TransCanada Highway to Hope BC where we are staying tonight so we can hike the Othello Tunnels in the morning. I've added a few unseen shots from the previous days as the camera stayed in the bag all day today. As always click smaller images for larger captioned versions.
Today we had our last wander on a Californian beach by spending far too long exploring the central beach in Crescent City this morning before getting back on the road north into Oregon. As soon as we crossed the border we stopped at Crissey Field welcome centre and took a walk on the beach there which is covered in massive driftwood pieces. Back on the road we stopped and started at beach after beach as we made our way along the coast. At Meyers Creek we stopped for a paddle in the incredibly cold water, so cold that as it hit the hot sand of the beach it caused mist to rise immediately after every wave, walking out of the sea meant burning feet on the hot sand...it was quite an experience. We then stuck to the plan for a few miles and though we passed some spectacular scenery we kept moving to Cooks Chasm where a huge hole in the rocks acts as a blowhole for the sea with each swell breaking up through the hole and then disappearing down into it again, another incredible sight, we also found a rainbow wall where almost every wave created a spray and with it a nice rainbow, it's a great little spot but only has limited parking by the roadside and you do need to be on the lookout for it or you can drive right past (as we did initially) We finally arrived at the town of Newport Oregon at 6pm and after checking into our hotel we went downtown for dinner where we sat in a harbourside restaurant watching through the windows as fishermen boiled huge tubs of crabs and filleted some reasonable sized fish they had landed today, it was a lovely end to another enjoyable day on the coast.
Today saw us making a relatively short hop from Fort Bragg to Crescent City (our last stop in California) so we really took our time and enjoyed lots of beach stops and sightseeing along the way including from the coastal headlands seen in the main shot below. The day started with a visit to Glass Beach just outside Fort Bragg (this is where a bottle dump in 1947 - 1960 turned into a modern day tourist attraction as the broken glass from the dump was ground into rounded pebbles of colour along the shoreline) We then called into a beach with a small inlet and a trestle crossing it. This was followed by a visit to the 'Drive Thru Tree' in the redwood National Forest, then paddling and sitting around on a lovely empty beach before reaching Crescent City. We checked into our hotel and then immediately went out and hiked 'Stout Grove' which is one of the best giant redwood sites in northern California (and is just outside the city) We ended the day with lovely fresh fish and chips before heading to the hotel for bed. Click small images below for larger captioned versions.
We left San Francisco this morning and made the short drive to Vista Point on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge before parking up and walking halfway across and back. We then went into the 'Golden Gate National Recreation Area' northwest of the bridge to explore a little before setting out along the Pacific Coast on the impossibly scenic 'Highway 1' from the Golden Gate Bridge to Fort Bragg (around 200 miles). We stopped at so many beaches and overlooks it's hard to remember where they were. We saw some spectacular sights along the way and ended the day with a lovely sunset on the beach in Fort Bragg where we are staying tonight. As always click smaller images for larger captioned versions.
We had a fantastic day in San Francisco today, the temperature was in the high 80's but the sea breeze was blowing so it didn't feel so hot. We set out on the tram to the Mission District this morning to view the murals in Balmy Avenue and elsewhere in the area. From there we walked over to Alamo Square to see the 'Painted Ladies' (Victorian houses beside the square with the city perfectly placed behind them) We then took the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) which is an underground metro service like the tube at home, we got out at union square for some shopping where I bought Sarah a new suit as an anniversary gift. We hopped back on the tram and this time stood on the running boards all the way across town to Lombard Street. We disembarked to take some shots of the winding road with hundreds of vehicles queuing patiently to make the short journey down the tight series of 'S' bends. After this we returned to the hotel and dropped off bags before walking the short distance to the wharf where we took a boat trip around the bay via the Golden Gate Bridge. Once back on dry land we had a bite to eat and a drink before heading back to the hotel with aching feet. Click images below for larger captioned versions.
Just a few shots today owing to very poor wifi at the hotel in San Francisco. We started out this morning from Carson Nevada and made the 30 minute drive to Lake Tahoe where we spent 4 hours walking, swimming and clambering around the rocks, it was a wonderful start to the day. We then drove west to San Francisco arriving at 6pm, just in time for dinner in a restaurant on the harbour overlooking Alcatraz Island. After dinner we walked around pier 39 and then returned to our hotel ready to explore San Francisco tomorrow. We are here for 3 nights now so will likely post just a few pics tomorrow and Tuesday too. As always click gallery for larger captioned shots.
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AuthorWe arrived in Calgary, Canada on 29th December 2011 to continue our journey. This blog is intended to keep our family and friends informed whilst we explore Canada.You can use the RSS feed below to stay updated. Categories
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January 2024
The Shaman, West Texas
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