| USA Lower 48th in December 2001 & January 2002 |
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Journey thru west coast & Christmas in New York....2001-2002 We travelled by hire car from San Francisco to San Simeon just north of Los Angeles. San Francisco is a very "liveable" city although we experienced terrible weather during our stay. |
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Thence down the West Coast via
Carmel
,
Big Sur
&
Monterey
to
San Simeon
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We proceeded inland to Sequioa National Park . The park is a large mountainous area covered with Sequioa trees which are very large and tall. The climb up the mountains is steep and full of tight corners. Ascending the mountain we hit our first snow storm and were forced to turn back to rent snow chains. Again we proceeded up the mountain rather cautiously and drove through the magnificent sequioa forest which by now was covered in deep fresh snow .....a real novelty to us Australians. It was the first time we had ever driven in a snow storm, and the first time we had seen snow falling. It was scary to see the road disappear before us. Driving with snow chains was a new lesson for us. |
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From Sequioa we journeyed to Yosemite National Park , a deep valley with large forests and towering mountains and frozen rivers. The waterfalls were frozen and snow was everywhere. Both Sequioa and Yosemite are places not to be missed. Winter is an excellent time to see these parks, although many roads over the high country may be closed.....I guess we were lucky as only a few of the highest roads were closed. Our vehicle was fitted with snow tyres which helped us. |
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Lake Tahoe was our next destination, and as we were travelling a long distance this day we were forced to drive over the Rocky Mountains in the snow.... not a problem as we were on a freeway, which was cleared frequently by snow ploughs. Lake Tahoe is a famous resort, particularly for couples wishing to get married - wedding chapels located everywhere. |
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Virginia City ..........near Carson City was enthralling to visit as we were, in our heyday, faithful followers of Bonanza . Virginia City is where the Cartwrights travelled for their supplies and sometimes they travelled further to Carson City ....located in the Rockies in a large valley. Virginia City seems unchanged since the Cartwright's era. The buildings are quaint wooden old edifices....and the saloon is still very intact and still operating. We visited the saloon ( of course ) and other venues such as Boot Hill. The views to the east from Virginia City , perched high in the Rockies , is impressive and many snow covered ranges can be seen. The air was crisp yet clear. This is a very dry area of the Rockies , so there are no forests near either Virginia City or Carson City . |
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It's only a short 1 hour drive to Reno , a gambling city nestled in the Rockies in the State of Nevada , full of "glitchy" casinos and cheap accommodation. |
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Over the Rockies again to the coast of Oregon , the weather had erupted (the locals say it's normal). The rain pelted down, and the sea was pounding, with waves washing over the road and our car. At one stage a large tree came crashing down in front of our car. After several hours of hard driving through pelting rain and wind, we left the coast and headed inland past Seattle . |
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After Seattle we drove east to a small township nestled in the Rockies .....called Leavenworth . Leavenworth was an old and failing timber town. The townsfolk have re-invented it into a German tourist town. It even has a shop selling Australian gear....incl. vegemite ! As it was just before Christmas, the town was decorated fully with Christmas lights - a fairyland. It could have been lifted straight out of Bavaria . We wandered the streets at night savouring the decorations, the children sledging down the snow drifts & the locals skating in the small park. An awesome township. |
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Early the next day we set out from Leavenworth in an effort to reach Vancouver , Canada . This was a long drive involving re-crossing the Rockies. Climbing the range, we hit a snow storm and feared being snowbound, an experience we wished to avoid. Imagine caught in one's car, no food, no heating in a blizzard, with the chance of being buried in the snow, car and all. Luck was with us and we made it out of the storm down the mountains, past the massive Boeing Plant and island hopping up to the Canadian Border temporarily ending our US trip, as we our next step was to take the Rocky Mountaineer train across the Canadian Rockies . |
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New York for a white Christmas It's a fallacy as the locals tell us it rarely snows in New York at Christmas time. Could have fooled us aussies, though, as it was bitterly cold and windy each day.....and sometimes fine rain. We had been to New York before to see the sights, and this time our goal was to buy digital cameras for several people in OZ. New York is THE PLACE to buy photographic gear.................but unfortunately it is infested with shop owners who want to cheat and lie to purchasers. It's a shame, as they often "suck" one in on a cheap camera but charge an arm and leg for the necessary accessories. Often they break open the manufacturer's box, take out all the accessories and sell you the camera cheap, making their money on the accessories. The only place to buy photographic gear is B&H Photography . Click on the link to go to it. B&H Photography B&H is a large supermarket and easy to get to. It's just down 2 blocks from Macy's . B&H Photo 420 Ninth Avenue New York, NY 10001, USA Between 33rd & 34th street The place is staffed by orthodox Jews dressed in all their traditional garb, and they know their products . Now they are NOT the cheapest (still much cheaper than Australia), but you can trust them and if you order over the web, you will get your order. They only sell genuine stuff, and they have everything. The shop itself is well worth a visit, even if you're not buying anything. Back to New York .......its such a scummy place, filthy, and the people are either trying to rip you off, or too busy to help you. The exception to this was a restaurant owner west of Central Park, & the NYPD, who are delightful. The restaurant near Central Park gave us a $US50-00 voucher just because I took the time to compliment them on the meal. Needless to say we used this voucher to have Christmas lunch with them - a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The accommodation in New York is horrifically expensive. The hotel we stayed in west of Central Park was not only expensive, the staff were unfriendly and the room was so small we couldn't fit our suitcases in it. As we departed New York via taxi from this hotel, the staff tried to get us to take a limo (friend of theirs) and when we declined their "offer" they refused to order us a taxi told us to get one at the end of the street. Christmas in New York was somewhat disappointing. Yes, we checked out Macy's windows (excellent), Times Square (disappointing) Rockefeller Plaza (couldn't get near the Christmas tree for the Santas charging to have their photo taken) etc., but the Christmas decorations and spirit were much more evident on the west coast, Canada and subsequently in Wales . |
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Finally we depart USA for London and other destinations........................... We shall be back. We frequently ate in Diners so below you will see an example of a big breakfast that is tradition in the USA. |
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Roy outside B&H Photography store |
 Christmas in New York |
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End