Neena and I had wanted to do a tour of US national parks for quite some time. In addition, for both of us, our favourite kind of holiday is a road trip which seemed like the perfect combination given the large distances that were going to be involved.
One problem was that I had zero leave at work and in fact actually owed them a week. Given this situation, I told my boss that was that I would be quitting work and retiring early. Literally, on the day I was going to hand in my notice I was given a letter from employers granting me 5-weeks unpaid leave, so many thanks to them.
We flew into San Fransisco during the second week of September, spent five days there and then set off on a month long tour of US national parks. We finished up in Denver which we explored for a few days before flying back to New Zealand. We stayed in hotels and also camped.
The national parks were wonderful and America is lucky to have some of the very best scenery in the world.
In stark contrast to the rest of the country, the national parks are really well run, and for the most part, deal with the huge numbers of people visiting them very well.
Mid-week is the best time to visit with somewhat fewer people around and accommodation more available. Campsites within the national parks (and especially Yosemite) were particularly hard to find with many campgrounds booked solid for months on end meaning that we were relying on cancellations or the odd stray campsites that had somehow escaped the booking frenzy.
Looking back, the very best days on this trip were all camping days, so I would highly recommend you give it a go, especially in Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and Yellowstone (which we didn’t camp due to the cold) as this gives you a much more intimate feel for these places.
This will obviously depend on your circumstances, but I reckon September is a great month to visit. Earlier than this and you run into school holidays, crowds and super hot weather. During September itself the kids are back at school, the weather has cooled off somewhat and accommodation is more readily available and cheaper. By the time you get into October (in a typical year) the temperatures really start dropping and camping especially becomes much less viable and also many campgrounds close for the season - we missed out on camping in Yellowstone by arriving too late in the season as we weren’t equipped to cope with the sub zero temperatures we faced.
The fee for visiting national parks was 35 USD per car which quickly adds up if you are visiting multiple parks. My tip is to get an America the Beautiful Pass which costs 80 USD per car but is valid for 1-year and gives you unlimited entry to all the national parks.
The hotels we stayed in were for the most part pretty good. As is our way, it was mostly budget hotels but providing they were clean and comfortable that was good enough for us. Many had “free breakfasts” which aside from the fact that they aren’t actually free were of poor quality, sugar laden and generally spectacularly unhealthy, but the Americans didn’t seem to mind too much. San Francisco aside, all of the cutlery and plates and cups were disposable and wrapped in plastic as were many of the food items all of which were thrown into the trash after use with not even the pretence of recycling - in NZ many “recycled materials” actually end up as landfill, so at least the Americans are upfront and honest.
Cost wise, the US is a mixed bag but overall is an expensive place to visit. Given that we were visiting outside the main tourist season most of the hotels we stayed in were reasonably priced and gasoline comparatively cheap. Food however was really expensive, especially so if eating out and that is before you add on the the various regional taxes and the typically expected 20 - 25% tip - in fact, even the fast food places are getting in on the act and giving the option of tipping! I wouldn’t mind so much but (in my opinion) as a consequence of the US effectively being governed by corporations their food standards are really poor.
Having said all of that, one of the reasons reasons for visiting other countries is precisely because they do things differently and is conversely one of the main attractions.
I have been to the States many time’s before so none of the above came as a surprise to me, although Neena was pretty shocked.
Other than the above grumbles, it was a superb trip and one we would gladly do again, not least as there were a number of national parks we didn’t make it too this time round.
08 Sep 25
We flew from Wellington to San Francisco via Auckland.
Despite the scare stories you read online, from landing it, only took 20 minutes to get out of the airport.
Our initial impressions of San Fransisco are very favourable with the city feeling like a bigger version of Wellington.
Our home for the next 5 nights is the Hotel Cornell De France. The hotel has a colonial French vibe and a lot of charm and character and comes complete with a rickety old-school lift. The hotel had a medieval themed restaurant (which is where we had breakfast) complete with mock stone walls, tapestries and stained glass windows which was all very cheesy in the American way, but also in the American way, somehow worked. The only downside was the lack of air conditioning so I would avoid the place in the heart of summer, but otherwise the place comes highly recommended.
Although tired, we went out in the evening and had dinner in the nearby Chinatown area. I had Mongolian Beef which was lovely and Neena chicken and garlic claypot which was fairly average.
09 Sep 25
We were both super tired so slept well and didn’t get up until 9am, which is a record for me. This is despite the hotel being about the only one in the States without air conditioning - the room was muggy but bearable.
The hotel breakfast was excellent and, amazingly, came complete with the real plates and cutlery. This was not to be the norm.
After breakfast we walked 40 minutes or so to the fabled Fisherman’s Wharf. The weather was warm with temperatures in the low 20’s and some cloud cover making for a very pleasant day.
We visited Pier 39 and watched the equally fabled seals for a while before finding a nice little cafe where I had an excellent caramel macchiato (less sweet than the Starbucks version and all the better for it) and Neena her usual latte. We sat and watched the world go by.
The seals were located on pontoons next to the pier and were an excitable and boisterous bunch. The highlight for both of us was a young seal that was sleeping on top of its mother.
Pier 39 is a real tourist hotspot but given that we are slightly out of season wasn’t overcrowded and had just enough people to give the place some atmosphere.
We then headed off to Pier 33 where we caught a ferry to Alcatraz Island.
Visiting the prison was a fascinating (and sobering) experience and made all the better by taking the free self-guided audio tour which gave us context to what we were seeing and feeling.
One thing they don’t mention in the tour blurb is the islands other residents, namely the flies who were ever present and a constant nuisance when outside. When we got on the ferry we noticed a box of fans but didn’t take any is it wasn’t that hot, only to realise later they were actually for swotting away the flies.
After this we set off on the long walk to Union Square which is close to our hotel. On the way we stopped off at the very expensive and distinctly yuppy Daley Cafe where I had a rather excellent pistachio latte and Neena an even better spicy pumpkin latte - I loathe pumpkin which should only ever be fed to pigs (no disrespect to pigs) so it was a real surprise how good the drink was. We also shared a baklava.
We eventually made it to Union Square and had a look at the many swanky shops there including a Macy’s and a terrific Apple electronics store.
Dinner was yesterday’s left over Mongolian beef and garlic chicken and very nice it was too.
After this we walked to the nearby Lori’s Diner and had New York cheesecake and carrot cake. Neena had never been to a Diner before and was well impressed with the diner booths and the places 50’s vibe.
From an olfactory point of view the days highlight, or lowlight depending on how you view these things, was the smell of cannabis which was pretty well everywhere and very strong at times. Cannabis is legal in California so no one was doing anything naughty and at least it masked the smell of the seals!
All in all a pretty nice day.
10 Sep 25
It’s the mandatory Golden Gate Bridge day.
We took the number 30 bus to Crissy Fields or at least thought we did as about halfway through the journey the driver asked everyone to get off and then drove off. We could have waited for another bus but, as it was a nice day, decided to carry on walking to Crissy Fields which is reputed to be one of the best spots to observe the bridge.
On the way we stopped off at a coffee shop in the rather posh suburb of Marina. What they thought of two dishevelled tourists from New Zealand is anyone’s guess but they were friendly and served us anyway.
After a couple of hours walking we eventually made it to the bridge and took the obligatory snaps.
The bridge was very impressive and I struggled to get my head around the engineering and blood, sweat and tears it must have taken to build the thing. We then set off walking over the bridge itself but only got halfway before turning around as I found the noise from the traffic unbearable and don’t feel these days the need for the bragging rights of having crossed the whole thing.
We then got the 130 bus back into town and then on to the hotel for some R & R before heading down to Loris Diner for dinner.
San Francisco is proving to be a very nice city and is growing on both of us. There was also far less traffic and people in general than I was expecting so there was none of that feeling of over-tourism that we have experienced in so many other places. This means that the locals are by and large friendly and accommodating rather than (somewhat understandably) treating you with disdain and irritation - here’s looking at you Barcelona and Dubrovnik.
Another plus point is the decent and reasonably priced public transport system which obviously contributes to the comparative lack of traffic.
Morning coffee was at the Beanstalk Cafe located directly across from our hotel. Neena throwing caution to the wind had a taro latte while I had a much more conservative mocha.
We took a number 7 bus to Haight-Ashbury. This area is closely associated with the hippy movement in the 60’s and has traded on this reputation ever since. There are loads of hippy and new age shops and like much of San Fran the area has a very chilled out vibe. Neena brought a rather nice hoodie in a charity shop and we had nachos for lunch. After this it was back on the bus and back into town.
Next we took a cable car to Fisherman’s Wharf. The cable car is probably the cities top attraction and certainly its most assessable one and is consequently very busy.
After for queuing for 20 minutes at Union Square it was onto the cable car and on with the journey. You have the choice of either sitting inside which let’s face it is a bit boring or sitting outside facing the road or standing up doing the same - this has the potential to be hazardous as there are no safety barriers between you and the road or other cable cars and assorted vehicles. Of course, it had to be standing up.
It was a really fun journey with the cable climbing up and the cities monster hills.
Eventually we arrived at Fisherman’s Wharf and had a quick mooch around followed by ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s.
By now it was starting to get a bit late so we headed off back to the cable car for the return leg. Trouble was that there were now even more crowds and we queued for over an hour to get on the bloody thing.
The good news was that the cable car passes within metres of our hotel and the driver was kind enough to stop which saved us a trudge up a dirty great hill.
Dinner was at an Italian place called Uncle Vito’s Pizzeria just over the road from the hotel. I had cheese ravioli with a bolognaise sauce which I liked and Neena eggplant parmigiana which she didn’t like so much like.
A pretty good day.
12 Sep 25
We walked for 40 minutes or so the nearest REI shop where we brought a camping gas canister.
This wasn’t terribly exciting but taking a WAYMO self-drive taxi back to our hotel certainly was.
The taxi had an uncanny ability to deal with the traffic and the various pedestrians it encountered on-route and also knew a few shortcuts. Self driving cars were a staple of the Sci-fi books I read in my youth so it was good to see their predictions finally coming true.
On the way to the REI shop we couldn’t help but notice the shear number of homeless and destitute people just a block or so away from the main tourist area. The way these people are treated and that they exist in such numbers really is a stain on American society which like all societies should be judged on the way it treats its less fortunate members. NZ also has increasing numbers of homeless people although not at this level, but I guess that is late stage capitalism for you.
Lunch was at a Ukrainian restaurant of all places called Leleka. We shared lamb and ginger dumplings. They were actually nothing like dumplings, or at least not as I know them, being essentially pasta covered meatballs, but were not bad all the same. For dessert we had Kiev Cake which was divine.
13 Sep 25
We set off to the airport to pick up our hire car, a Nissan Sentra in a rather fetching shade of blue. The pickup went smoothly and we then hit the road and headed off to Lake Tahoe.
I don’t deal with heavy traffic very well so was dreading the drive out of San Francisco. The traffic was indeed heavy but for the most part moved freely. Eventually, the traffic thinned out and I started to relax and enjoy the drive.
We stopped for lunch at a small Mexican grocery store in Dixon and had homemade tamales for lunch, which despite my misgivings, weren’t bad.
As we neared Lake Tahoe the roads became twistier and the terrain more mountains with endless pine tress many of which had sadly been burnt due to forest fires.
After about 5-hours we arrived at the Beaver Den campsite, checked in and set up our tent for the next two nights.
Dinner consisted of some super cheap wiener dogs and some free pizza donated by the family on the pitch next to ours. The dogs weren’t bad and the pizza was delicious and it was nice to have a cheap meal after the comparative extravagance of the last 5 days.
During the night Coyote calls rang out distance which was initially a little disconcerting. The calls progressively got closer and closer until they were within the campground itself.
It took a few hours to get used to sleeping on the ground accompanied by howling Coyotes but we eventually dropped off and slept pretty well.
14 Sep 25
Breakfast consisted of yet more wiener dogs.
We stopped of at a coffee shop just over the road from the campsite and then headed off to Emerald Bay whose water has a lovely blue colour due to the clearness and depth of the water and is evidently the top thing to do in Lake Tahoe.
Being the weekend, the place was very busy as everyone and his dog had decided to head to Emerald Bay meaning that the traffic was murder and it was pretty well impossible to find a parking spot. We eventually found a place to park by the side of the road several kilometres from the main entrance but still managed to capture some nice pictures, albeit at a more oblique angle. This actually felt more satisfying as there were few people about and it felt we were on our own little adventure, rather than being one of the mindless multitude. In any case, nice though the views were they have nothing on Lake Wakatipu back in NZ.
The rest of the day was spent in South Lake Tahoe town organising supplies and accommodation for the next few days.
The result of all this endeavour is that the next two days will be in Carson City (which was surprise to me, but Neena was keen to visit the town) followed by two days camping in Yosemite NP. We were really surprised to get a campsite as, bar a couple of days, the whole of September had been booked out, but there had been a few cancellations as the weather forecast wasn’t that great.
In the evening, we were preparing our gourmet dinner of two cans of cheap ravioli when we had an unexpected guest in the shape of a bear. The bear got within a few metres of us before we saw it, so gave us quite a fright. The bear took some persuading to go away so was obviously a big ravioli fan, although I can’t say we were. Incidentally, the same evening a bear raided the ice cream parlour next to the coffee shop, so was obviously rather peckish and I like to think it was our bear and that it didn’t go hungry that night.
This close encounter with the bear initially left me a little unsettled as I am not comfortable with large animals, but it was an awesome experience all the same.
The rest of the night was mercifully quiet other than a noisy owl and the local coyotes doing their thing.
15 Sep 25
A very quiet day.
There was no more bear action today so we had breakfast and then did a little nature walk through the nearby woods. We saw squirrels, chipmunks and loads of Steller's Jay’s which have a lovely blue colour and an inquisitive nature and seem to be ubiquitous around Lake Tahoe.
After the walk we packed up the tent, had our daily latte and hit the road for the short journey to Carson City.
Carson city is lower than Lake Tahoe and consequently a fair bit hotter. The city appears rather soulless and sits in a bleak, dry arid area so isn’t up to much, although for both of us it will be nice to sleep in an actual bed and with the added luxury of air conditioning.
16 Sep 25
A low key day.
We drove an hour or so out to walk part of the Truckee Legacy Trail. The reason for going was that it is rated on TripAdvisor as the second best thing to do in nearby Reno which got me intrigued as it is 50 miles outside the city, so not exactly a glowing endorsement of the place.
Near the start of the trail we found a very nice bakery and had coffee and some rather excellent blueberry and cinnamon cake.
The trail itself was pretty and a pleasant way to spend an hour or two, although low key scenery wise compared to Lake Tahoe.
After this we hit the interstate and headed into Reno itself. The city, or at least the parts we visited, was rather soulless with a whole host of casinos. Casino’s are fine if you are into that sort of thing (we will doubtless check one out in Vegas, when we get there) which we are not, so contented ourselves with diet coke and taco’s at a Jack In The Box. This was as exciting as the day got.
We then headed back to the comparative pleasures of Carson City which it turned out had a charming city centre which we should have visited instead, but Neena wanted to go Reno and was going to have her way!
Dinner was at a Denny’s and very nice it was too.
17 Sep 25
We set of on the 3-hour drive to Tuolumne Campground in Yosemite NP. On the way we stopped for coffee and cake at the High Sierra Bakery in Bridgetown.
We then set off again and visited the nearby Mono Lake and took the obligatory selfies.
We arrived at the Tuolumne Campground about 40 minutes after Mono Lake via the Tiago Pass.
Unbeknownst to us we had a walk-in campsite, which fortunately was only about 2-minutes from the car.
The campsite was in a beautiful and atmospheric pine forest situated at 8500 feet. It took a couple of goes lugging our camping from the car but we quickly and surprisingly efficiently put up the tent, so I think are getting the hang of things. Mind you, the exertion of putting the tent up got me short of breath and is where the altitude paid its price.
We then did the touristy thing for a couple of hours and visited the nearby Tiago Lake and also a rather impressive super smooth rock face almost opposite the camp which we somehow missed on the way in. By then it was starting to get late so we retired to our campsite and cooked our dinner of Mac and Cheese, with some pepperoni to jazz it up a bit.
Desert was apple cake from the Sierra Bakery followed by some real crime shows and then bed.
18 Sep 25
It’s Yosemite day.
It was a tight and twisty but scenic 90 minutes drive to Yosemite Valley which is the main tourist area. There are campgrounds much closer to the valley but they were all booked solid, hence the long drive.
Probably not a surprise, but Yosemite certainly lives up to the hype but, damn the scenery, we got our priorities right and had our daily caffeine hit at the visitor centre and then started sightseeing.
In order we visited El Capitan, the Bridal Veil Falls and then Glacier Point.
It sounds funny, but stunning though it is, El Capitan initially at least left me slightly underwhelmed, as it just felt so familiar. I love watching climbing videos and am a huge fan of Alex Honnold and have seen Free Solo many times and this I think is where the problem lies, but I still feel super privileged to have been there and payed homage to Alex.
Next up was Bridal Veil Falls. Being at the end of summer the falls didn’t have a huge amount of water falling but were still lovely and I can only imagine how spectacular they would be in Spring with all the snow melt.
Glacier Point was about a 1-hour drive from the visitor centre and towers 3200 feet directly over Yosemite Valley. The views from the top were quite stunning and scenery wise, was for us, the true highlight of Yosemite.
After this we headed on the long drive back to our campsite.
Darkness beckoned so we quickly set about making dinner which, surprise surprise, was bloody Mac and Cheese again.
Our campsite came with a metal fire pit so we thought we would give it a go. We didn’t have anything much to burn (other than Mac and Cheese) but managed to find some logs and twigs. Channelling my inner Bear Grylls, I lit some rolled up toilet paper and carefully added the twigs. I had zero expectation of success but after a couple of failed attempts the fire finally took off. I did however draw the line at eating worms or drinking elephant dung, not least as elephants are in short supply in Yosemite.
We sat beside the fire for quite a while in the pitch dark until rain started falling and sent us scurrying back to the tent.
19 Sep 25,
We woke up in the morning to heavy rain and a flooded tent which had somehow leaked in the night. Despite this, both of us had the best nights sleep of the trip, and that includes the hotels.
We quickly threw our wet tent and sodden gear into the car and headed off on the 6-hour drive to Motel 6 in the town of Visalia, which was to be our home for the next two nights.
Scenery aside, what struck me about Yosemite were the huge numbers of burnt trees which have badly scarred large areas of the park . In addition to that was the absence of sound - Lake Tahoe was full of of bird life and coyotes doing their thing and squirrels and chipmunks flitting around whereas on the fauna front all we have seen in Yosemite is a couple of chipmunks, a squirrel and a few birds. I am not sure if this is down to the forest fires, bad luck on our part or maybe the wildlife is just not there in the numbers we imagined.
20 Sep 25
We first visited Sequoia NP and specifically the General Sherman Tree which is the biggest and one of oldest trees in the world. It was a Saturday so was very crowded which took away some of the shine.
As with Yosemite, a considerable part of the park has been ravaged by fire.
We were going to climb Moro Rock but the crowds were really bad and we didn’t have a hope in hell of getting a parking spot.
This being the case, we decided to drive the hour or so the nearby Kings Canyon NP and what a good move it was. The drive there was nice and twisty and scenic with very little traffic. The park has its own star Sequoia in the General Grant (among others) which is almost as big as the General Sherman and to mind more photogenic and with comparatively few people around to mar the experience. We went for a walk around the forest which was a far more satisfying compared to Sequoia NP.
The target for today was Death Valley where we had booked to stay for one night at the El Portal Motel in the small town of Beatty NV.
Our route took us through Bakersfield, Mojave and Trona.
In dire need of caffeine we randomly pulled of the interstate and stopped at the rather delightful Keene Cafe. The place was in the middle of nowhere, rather rustic and served the best coffee of the trip so far. The place was run by Mexican’s and the first language Spanish which just added to the vibe of the place - there were plenty of other places we could have pulled off at but they were mostly McDonald’s and other fast food joints.
Suitably revived, we hit the road. The closer we got to Death Valley the more the traffic thinned out, the prettier the scenery became and the hotter it got.
For a fair while we were the only car on the road and it was at this point that it truly felt like we were on our very own American road trip.
By the time we reached the valley proper the temperature had reached a properly hot 41ºC.
We stopped plenty of times to take photos including some rather fetching sand dunes.
Despite its reputation, Death Valley received some heavy rain on the 18 Sep courtesy of Tropical Storm Mario as evidenced by lots of flood signs and even some standing water. There was also a surprising amount of vegetation and we saw a small rodent and a number of wild burros, so the place is far from dead and we actually saw more wildlife here than in Yosemite!
Dinner was at Smokin J’s Barbecue. Neena had smoky ribs and I beef brisket which were both a solid 6 out of 10.
22 Sep 25
We drove to Furnace Creek and then Zabriskie Point and Dante’s Peak both of which afforded spectacular views of Death Valley.
We were also going to visit Artists Palette which is apparently an area of spectacular coloured rocks but the road was closed, presumably due to flooding.
After this it was off to Las Vegas where we had booked rooms for two nights at the Excalibur Casino. As it was midweek we only paid $60 a night for the rooms and got a $50 food and drink credit, which was nice.
Las Vegas has grown a great deal since I was last there but is still a monument to mankind’s worst impulses and bad taste in general. Still, Neena had never been there before, so we had to go.
We saved our credit for the casinos buffet, so dinner was hotdogs and fries at some place on the strip whose name escapes me.
23 Sep 25
We used our food and drink voucher and the hit the all you can eat buffet with a vengeance.
On the way out of the casino the day took a strange turn when Neena got chatting to a lady at reception who was promoting cheap Las Vegas shows for $25 as opposed to the usual $120. As the saying goes, and especially in the US, there is no such thing as a free lunch. To cut a long story short, and against my better judgement, in order to get hold of the tickets we ended up agreeing to a 2hr time share presentation!
The timeshare venue/resort was about 10 miles away but free taxi vouchers were also part of the deal.
As soon as we got there we were introduced to our very own designated salesman, for want of a better word. He was super friendly and we spent a fair bit of time chatting with him amiably about all sorts of things, but mostly about vacations past, present and future.
The main presentation then began and was slickly done and also funny and knowing with plenty of jokes about people being after cheap concert tickets.
After this our salesman showed us around the resort. I am sceptical about the whole time-share concept but I have got to admit the resort was very impressive, as were the apartments which were of an infinitely higher standard than the hovels Neena and I normally stay in. There was much emphasis on the quality of the apartments and especially the gadgets they come with such as jacuzzi’s and the like. This represented an incredibly materialistic perspective but was also appropriate, as this the way many Americans (and others) view the world.
The tour around the resort was actually rather enjoyable but then we sat down with our salesman again and the real hard sell began.
The basic premise is that that they offer you a number of credits which can be used for a number of nights accomodation in apartments in resorts scattered around the world. The more credits you buy the more they cost.
To me, the real selling point was that the purchase of the credits was a one-off cost and for life and that there were many timeshare resorts scattered around the world so you are not limited to the same time-share unit until the end of your days, as used to be the case.
The downsides, which were only slightly covered, are the ongoing annual maintenance fees which over the years mounts up to a lot of money and the time-shares themselves, which while sellable, have poor resale value, and for us, although there are a fair number of resorts to choose from, there a huge areas of the world not covered which was never going to work for Neena and I given our propensity for off the beaten track locations.
I had expected a hard sell but the selling pressure was of an intensity I have never experienced. The friendliness of the salesman, who was by now our best mate, was of course all part of the (very slick) operation making you feel almost obliged to sign on the dotted line.
There were around 60 people at the presentation. Each time a time share deal was signed a bell was rung. During our sales pitch/torture/interrogation the bell rang a total of 4 times which at around 30 - 40K USD at time represents a very profitable days work.
After a brutal 2 1/2 hrs we escaped with frazzled brains, but with our wallet (and purse) intact and the main prize of two tickets to Cirque Du Soleil.
The Cirque Du Soleil concert was enjoyable, but in my view, in no way shape or form worth the suffering - if you find yourself in Vegas and fancy going to a show, my tip of the day is just pay the bloody money!
Our salesman
24 Sep 25
A repositioning day.
We travelled the 3hrs or so to Cedar City which we will be using as a base to explore Zion NP and Bryce Canyon NP and are staying at a Super 8.
Absolutely nothing of note happened which isn’t always such a bad thing.
We slummed it for dinner at a Dairy Queen just down the road from our hotel. To be honest, the place and meal weren’t bad and it could have been a lot worse as Neena’s original choice was Arby’s but as luck would have it the restaurant was closed for renovation.
25 Sep 25
Zion NP day.
We drove to the town of Springdale just outside the national park. We then parked our car in a side street and got a free shuttle bus to the park entrance paid and then got on another shuttle which went into the park itself. The shuttle(s) which run every 5 minutes have nine stop off points which are at or near the big attractions or at the start of trail heads.
Cars are not allowed in the main park area and access is only via shuttle. This is a great system and deals with the considerable numbers of people very well and takes away the nightmare of trying to find somewhere to park - other parks please take note.
In order, we visited the Grotto, the Narrows and the Lower Emerald Lake all of which were suitably stunning meaning that this is my favourite national park so far.
As we were waiting for the shuttle back to Springfield we were treated to a thunderstorm and saw dozens of bolts of lightning.
Dinner was a curry at the Red Fort Cuisine of India restaurant. I had lamb Chetinad which was OK and Neena had lamb Rogan Josh which was very tasty and much better than mine.
26 Sep 25
Bryce Canyon.
We set out on the 90 min drive to Bryce Canyon NP.
Within a few minutes of leaving town the road headed into a very picturesque canyon resplendent with red rocks of varying shades and hues.
The road kept climbing ever higher and as we ascended and the temperature cooled and the surrounding trees took on their autumnal colours which ranged between yellow and bright red. The trees really were a magnificent sight.
It was at this point about halfway to the park that we saw a sign to the Cedars Break National Monument and as it was only 7 miles away so decided to check it out.
Getting out of the car was a bit of a shock as it was very cold. It was then I noticed a sign informing us that we were at 10350 feet which is the literal high point of the trip thus far. We knew we had been climbing but hadn’t realised how far but the views certainly made up for the chilly air.
We then resumed our journey to Bryce Canyon stopping off for coffee and bagels at a fine cafe called Sevier Coffee in the town of Hatch in Utah.
Suitably revived we set off again eventually arriving at the park entrance and from here jumped on the free shuttle bus into the park proper. We could have driven in but given how busy it was finding parking spaces would have been a nightmare, so using the shuttle was the most stress free and environmentally friendly option.
We spent most of our time taking pictures of Bryce Canyons crowning glory, its amphitheater. The amphitheater is a huge bowl shaped area full of hoodoos which are strange rock towers shaped the wind, frost, snow and rain.
During the time we were in the park clouds had been billowing up and before long we had a full on thunderstorm. This was a real bonus for a hopelessly addicted storm chaser like me and even Neena was impressed. The storm was high based and with zero rotation but kept both of us well entertained.
Eventually we got the shuttle back to the car and started back to Cedar City. On the way the storm we had been watching continued to grow resulting in a a National Weather Service Flash Flood Emergency Alert sounding on my phone.
We switched accomodation from our Super 8 hotel as they wanted too much money for tonight (Friday) and switched to the much cheaper Mountain Star Inn (also known as the Magnusson Hotel).
The new hotel was easily the worst one we have stayed in with our room in a desperate state of repair and smelling of a combination of perfume, disinfectant and vomit. Looking back on it, we should have paid the extra money and stayed at the far superior Super 8 but both Neena and I are real skinflints when it comes to accommodation and old habits are hard to break.
Dinner was at the All American Diner about 5 minutes walk from the hotel. Yes, we actually walked, which must have amazed the local car drivers who will doubtless one day be recounting the story their grandkids, not that the grandkids would believe such a preposterous tale. Our meals and the Diner in general were great.
27 Sep 25
This was very much a travel day.
We did stop a few times to take pictures of the desert landscape but mostly just got on with it.
Not long after setting off I got nicked for speeding.
The speeding ticket was a little unlucky in that I had (for the entire trip) been keeping close to the speed limits but had been caught when I was overtaking a much slower car, but it was a good wake up call the same.
Given all the YouTube US police videos I have watched I half expected to get shot or at the very least tased, but the woman police officer who stopped me was lovely and friendly. I think it helped that I was upfront and admitted speeding, said I was sorry and played the clueless tourist card. We had a nice chat about how nice NZ was and how lovely her country was - she then issued me with the minimum fine which was nice as I had been going rather fast at the time.
By now we were both desperately craving lattes but most of the route was just desert with the very few towns we did encounter barely more than a collection of few houses. We also passed through the Kaibab Indian Reservation but that had little to offer except stalls selling Indian jewellery, which while nice, was expensive and not what we were actually after.
We eventually arrived at town called Cameron. They had a few fast food joints but no cafes so we settled on burgers at Burger King of all places. To our surprise the burgers were excellent and way better than McDonalds. We never did get our lattes.
Rather than another hotel, we decided to give glamping a try and booked 2 nights at a place called the Wander Camp Gran Canyon situated down a tortuous 5km gravel road around 20 minutes from Tusayan, which is itself about 15 minutes from the Grand Canyon Village.
The reason for the glamping is that the forecast was for thunderstorms for the next couple of days and we didn’t fancy staying in our leaky tent. In addition, the price of hotels shoots up exponentially the closer you get to the Canyon, and as ever, we are on a tight budget.
Our tent (a wigwam) is excellent and very spacious with the best bed of the trip so far. The campsite is out in the wilderness and has a rustic charm. The facilities were also very clean, so no complaints from me for a change.
It rained and thundered for much of the night so I am super glad we weren’t using our own tent.
28 Sep 25
The day dawned mercifully dry.
We got the gas stove going, had our morning tea and porridge and then set off for the Grand Canyon.
As we arrived at the visitor centre, the weather which had been threatening threatened no more and it started pouring down.
We spent about 4 or 5 hours at the park dodging the rain showers but managed to get a few good glimpses and shots of the canyon.
With yet more rain threatening we eventually gave up and headed to our campsite with plans to visit the Grand Canyon again tomorrow with the promise of much better weather.
I spent a while trying to get some lightning shots of a nearby storm, but to no avail, which somehow seemed appropriate as it was that sort of day.
After a rather chilly night we got up early for our customary tea and porridge an then headed off to the canyon again.
In contrast to yesterday it was sunny and, praise the gods, dry, if not overly warm.
From the visitor, we took the Blue Shuttle then got onto Red Shuttle and visited Hopi Point, Pima Point and then the Hermitage Trail Head. The Hermitage was a little disappointing but the other two view points made up for it, although I feel that yesterday’s inclement weather actually gave that day’s pictures more atmosphere and interest.
We stayed at the national park until about midday and then headed off on the 3-hour drive to Antelope Canyon situated a short distance from the town of Page AZ. The Canyon is owned by the Navajo Nation.
We visited the famous horseshoe bend which is accessed by a 15 minute walk from the car park and for which we were charged a very reasonable USD 10.
The Horseshoe Bend didn’t disappoint and was extraordinarily photogenic meaning even a rank amateur like me managed to bag a few decent shots.
By then it was getting late so we headed off to the Rodeway Inn & Suites Big Water which is to be our home for the next two nights.
30 Sep 25
In the morning we drove back to Page AZ and booked a Lower Antelope Canyon tour for later in the afternoon. This left us with plenty of time to explore the nearby Lake Powell Dam.
The dam is a hugely impressive piece of engineering and very photogenic.
Lake Powell looks lovely but is clearly not what it once was as evidenced by its bare banks and it was no surprise to find out that it was at only 27% capacity.
The Antelope Canyon tour is hugely popular but the Navajo owned company that operates the tours runs a very slick operation so the crowds were well dealt with and not too much of a problem.
The canyon was formed by the action of water and is prone to flash floods - eleven tourists died in the canyon during just such a flood in 1997, so safety is taken seriously.
You climb down a series of stairs to get into the canyon and then thread yourself through at times narrow passage ways. The views were quite something with every twist and turn bringing amazing views, so much so that I fired off close to 100 pictures. After this I stopped snapping and just enjoyed the experience. At the end of the canyon you ascend another flight of stairs and then it is about a 10 minute walk back to the visitor centre.
We had dinner in Page at a Mexican restaurant called Fiesta Mexicana and then headed back to our hotel in Big Water.
01 Oct 25
Today we drove to Moab UT via Monument Valley. Which took about 7 hours, including the obligatory picture stops.
Monument Valley itself or at least the bit you see from the roadside was nice enough but didn’t impress either of us that much. Partly this was because there are numerous cars and buildings in the distance which takes away somewhat from the scenery and compounded in my case by over familiarity as I have visited the valley twice before and seen it in numerous movies. I think as well that we have been spoilt by all the other desert scenery we have seen recently.
In my opinion, the best way to experience the valley is via a tour which takes you off the main highway, which is what I did on my first visit.
To me the most impressive stretch of scenery is actually after Monument Valley on the way to Moab.
Moab was pretty hot, so rather than camp, we booked in for two nights at the excellent Virginian Inn.
Dinner was at the equally excellent if unimaginatively named Moab Diner which was literally just a stones throw from our room. The interior of the diner was almost a cliche of a diner and brought to mind the opening scene from Pulp Fiction, so much so that I had to to do a double check to make Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth weren’t there.
02 Oct 25
We had a much needed leisurely start to the day and explored Moab which it turns out is a very nice town that is big enough to have some life but small enough no to overwhelm. There were plenty of interesting shops and we found a nice little cafe a short distance from the hotel.
The previous day the USA government had shutdown due to the Democrats and Republicans being unable to agree on a funding bill, resulting in thousands of government employees being put on furlough.
The above put a big question mark on whether any national parks would be open so we were on tenterhooks as we entered the nearby Arches NP, which was our target for the day. It turned out the entry booths were unmanned but the park open, so we just sailed through.
It was very hot so for the most part we contented ourselves with just taking photos from near the car but did walk to a couple of the parks famed arches.
For me, the highlight by far was the somewhat unheralded Sand Dune Arch. The arch was only a short walk from the road and accessed via a high, narrow and sandy canyon. The high walls meant that the canyon was in the shade and wonderfully cool, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. It might not be the biggest arch but the fact that you could get so close to it added to its allure. There were also comparatively few people around which always helps.
03 Oct 25
We set off early on the 500km long drive to Rock Springs WY which we are using as a stopover on our journey north to the Yellowstone/ Grand Teton area.
We travelled practically the whole way on very quiet roads miles from anywhere in the back of beyond and only passed a handful of small towns.
Overall, there has been more traffic on this trip than I had expected so this was more like it and really felt like it was just us and the road. The scenery was lovely at times although we didn’t stop that often for photos as I suspect we have become a bit blasé with the avalanche of fantastic scenery that has come our way.
We did however stop off for lunch at the Flaming Gorge Resort located high in the mountains. This is a renowned hunting and especially fishing area due to the damming of the nearby Flaming Gorge. The scenery was very nice but it was hellishly windy so after lunch and a rather fine cinnamon roll we jumped back in the car and hit the road.
Our hotel the Sweetwater Lodge was excellent and also pretty upmarket for us. Mind you our standards are low, so upmarket for us is probably downmarket for most.
For dinner we slummed it at a nearby Arby’s. The food was surprisingly good.
04 Oct 25
The day dawned cool and cloudy with the promise of worse to come.
The target for today was the Grand Teton NP but with temperatures forecast to drop as low -7ºC camping was out of the question. Trouble was that you pay a big premium for accomodation close to the park and certainly more then we were prepared to pay. In the end we booked one night at the Trails End Motel in the town of Dubois an hour or so from the park entrance.
The forecast was pretty dire so the plan was to visit the park for a few hours before heading on to Dubois.
After a couple of hours on the road it was caffeine and bagel time so we stopped at the Heart and Soul Cafe in Pinedale WY. The elderly woman behind the counter, and I’m presuming owner, was rude as hell which in a funny way made for a memorable stop - I was sufficiently pissed off that I left the review below on TripAdvisor.
“The Heart and Soul cafe had a warm inviting interior and our food and coffee were OK, if not outstanding. However, the dragon at the counter was unaccountably rude and seemed to have left her heart and soul at home, assuming she ever had any.”
After Pinedale the road climbed into the mountains and the weather that had been threatening all morning finally threatened no more and the heavens opened accompanied by thunder and lightning.
We eventually arrived at the Grand Tetons. By then the rain had eased off a bit and we set off exploring the area around Jenny Lake. The landscape was shrouded in mist so we were unable to see the fabled mountain tops but the lake and surrounding trees resplendent in the autumn colours were very pretty.
We would have liked to stay longer but the weather started to deteriorate again so we decided to head off to the comfort of our motel.
The road to Dubois goes over the 9655 feet Togwotee Pass before dropping down into the town. The higher we climbed the worse the weather became and soon we were in torrential rain which then turned to snow as we went over the summit. This made for some overly exciting driving and it was a relief when we finally made it back to our hotel.
Another concern is that we need to go back over the pass again in the morning on our way to West Yellowstone, which is to be our base for the following three days. The rain is forecast to turn to snow overnight which could make for an interesting experience in the morning.
05 Oct 25
This was a properly cold and bleak day.
We set off back over the Togwotee Pass. The top of the pass was snowy but passable.
We then entered the Yellowstone Park.
Surprisingly, the entrance booths were manned although they weren’t checking permits or charging entry fees. The friendly woman at the booth handed us a park map and also gave us the bad news that the direct route (via the Craig Pass) to West Yellowstone was closed due to snow. This meant a long detour via the eastern side of the park. This however wasn’t all bad news as much of the route was very pretty and passed through some prime wildlife areas including the Hayden Valley where we spotted a black bear in the distance.
We didn’t do that much sightseeing due to the cold and the snow and the knowledge that the weather forecast for the next couple of days was much better.
Not long after seeing the bear the weather really deteriorated and we found ourselves in a full on whiteout. The snow which until this point hadn’t been settling on the road quickly started to do so. We eventually made it to our hotel (the Central City Motel) but it was touch and go for a while.
We had a mooch around the town which had a Wild West sort of feel with all manner of touristy shops. I succumbed and brought a fridge magnet.
Our motel had a pretty good kitchen which they allow guests to use so we had an el cheapo dinner of Kraft Mac n Cheese - this is very much an American staple and is doubtless full of very bad things but tasted pretty good, particularly when jazzed up with some salami and some proper cheese.
06 Oct 25
A much improved day weather wise although it was still cold, but was also sunny much of the time.
We visited the upper and lower geyser basins, the fountain paint pot and finally Old Faithful.
On the way to the geysers we spotted a herd of bison and spent some time watching them. We didn’t see any other wildlife despite looking pretty hard and it seems that the best time of day is at dusk or dawn when wildlife is more active.
With the exception of Lake Tahoe, we have struggled all trip to see wildlife. To an extent this is our fault for not getting up early or staying up late but also I think due unrealistic expectations - particularly in places like Yellowstone we have become accustomed to seeing videos of people interacting with animals, but really this is very much the exception and not the norm.
All in all a pretty nice day.
07 Oct 25
We woke up to -7ºC this morning so I am super glad we were not camping. The plus point though is that there isn’t a cloud in the sky with the promise of a fine day to come.
This was more like it - we saw three bears, lots of bison (including one right next to the car), deer and even some long horn sheep. Coming from NZ I can’t say either of us was that impressed with the sheep, unlike the locals, who were snapping away like crazy. We also spotted miscellaneous birds of indeterminate variety.
This was our last day in Yellowstone and we planned it to be a wildlife centric one, not least as NZ is not exactly short of excellent geothermal areas but is very short of bears.
On the subject of geothermal areas I think NZ shades it for prettiness but Yellowstone wins hands down for shear extent and also for the size of its geysers which are way bigger than our ones.
The target for the day was the Hayden Valley (which is highly rated for wildlife) via Mammoth Hot Springs and the scenic loop road.
To my mind Mammoth Hot Springs while very nice is a little overrated, but enjoyable enough. We also had lunch there before continuing our journey.
From here the grand loop road started to climb eventually reaching around 10000 feet close to Mt Washburn before dropping down to Canyon Village. It was on this 60km long section that we saw the bulk of the wildlife.
We spotted some wildlife ourselves but mostly we just stopped when we saw a whole cluster of people and cars on the side of the road. This was pretty well fool proof method and saved ourselves a lot of mucking around.
By the time we had had our fill of watching wildlife it was starting to get late in the day so we decided to head back to West Yellowstone. Consequently, we never made it to the Hayden Valley which in any case was still quite a drive away and means that we will have to return to the park one day and finish the job.
08 Oct 25
Yesterday marked the end of our national park tour and we decided to spend the rest of the holiday chilling out in the Denver area.
We travelled to Rock Springs where we booked in at the Quality Inn.
The route to Rock Springs passed through Pinedale but there was no way we were stopping there again. Instead we had lunch at a bar in the, blink or you will miss it, town of Missoula MT. This truly was something out of the Wild West both in look and feel. We sat at the bar next to a couple of real cowboys complete with stetsons and spurs. We really did feel interlopers but fortunately the bar lady was friendly which made a potentially awkward experience memorable.
Dinner was some god awful burgers. We really should have known better but the place was over the road from the hotel and we were too lazy and jaded to go somewhere else. Never again.
09 Oct 25
A very quiet day with not a single photo taken.
We drove the 6 hours or so to our hotel, the Quality Inn Wellington Denver, which is to be our home until we jump on the plane back to NZ.
Dinner was at a cheap Mexican restaurant close to the hotel.
10 Oct 25
We spent the day exploring Westminster. The was nothing wrong with the place but the town felt sterile and had no real centre or focus. Mind you, the same could be said about many American suburbs but a least Westminster has lots of sidewalks and pedestrian crossings, not that anyone was using them expect us and a few other eccentrics.
On the way to our beloved Walmart we did find a really nice cafe so Westminster does gain a few brownie points there.
After that we visited a local Arc thrift store. They are not really my thing but are most definitely Neena’s thing. Several eternities later, Neena finally managed to drag herself away from the store although we still have several more days here so I am expecting more thrift action.
11 Oct 25
We took the bus into central Denver, had a mooch around, had a coffee and croissant and then got the hell out of there back to Westminster.
16th Street, which is the main tourist area has been pedestrianised since I was last there and consequently much improved but is bland and lacking in character, so much so that I am now looking at Westminster in a much more charitable light (I am not knocking Denver in particular, it’s just that in general cities aren’t really my thing).
12 Oct 25
Today we drove to Pikes Peak.
Pikes Peak at 14115 feet is one of the highest mountains in the Rocky Mountains and indeed in the whole US outside of Alaska. What sets it apart from other high peaks is its accessibility, in that you can drive or take a cog railway to the very top.
Access to the mountain is via the privately owned Pikes Peak Highway which starts near Colorado Springs which itself was about an hour’s drive from our hotel.
We arrived at the start of the highway and paid 18 USD each at the toll booth located there.
From here the road ascended relentlessly, becoming ever more twisty the higher we went. The road was narrow in places with lots of precipitous drops and certainly not for anyone of a nervous disposition or fear of heights.
As we climbed the air thinned and the temperature dropped. We eventually reached the tree line as the pines finally gave up their fight with the thin air and cold. The terrain now took on a moonlike quality. After 40 minutes or so we finally reached the car park at the top.
We got out of the car and were confronted by freezing temperatures and high winds. I also felt light headed and short of breath. I had expected it to be cold but was surprised to be so affected by the altitude as for the last month we have been living at altitudes of 6 to 10 thousand feet and I naively thought I would have acclimatised.
Rather than admire the view, and to ward off the cold, we immediately hit the cafe up there.
By now we were almost naturalised Americans so lunch consisted of coffee, donuts and cheeseburgers. The real surprise was how good the food was, particularly in a country with such dodgy food standards and when you are at the top of a mountain with nowhere else to go. In fact, the company that runs the Pike Peak operation did a really good job in general in providing excellent facilities including parking and restrooms and dealing with the numbers of people visiting the peak.
Eventually we plucked up the courage and went outside, admired the lovely views and took the requisite snaps.
All in all, Pikes Peak was a great experience but also a sad one for us as it marked our last touristy day in the US.
13 May 25
We had another day to kill in Westminster so rather than head back into town we watched a movie at the local Alamo movie theatre. We saw Good Dog. This was ostensibly a horror film but concentrated much more on atmosphere and as such was very effective. The movie was told and shot from the dog’s point of view which is something I haven’t seen before. It turned out the dog was real rather than CGI and is owned by the husband and wife team who over 400 days shot the movie using their own house, not that you ever know that looking at the finished product.
14 Oct 25
It’s back to Welly day.
It has been a great trip but when it is over it is over and we are both super excited to be going back home - our cat has been getting on uber well with our house sitter so might not be quite so keen though!
