In the summer of 2001 our vacation was a tour through south-west U.S.A.. The trip, booked with travel organization 'ARKE' took us first from Amsterdam (The Netherlands) to Los Angeles. From there we traveled trough Arizona, Utah and Nevada, before arriving in California again: back to Los Angeles were we started. This took us about 3 weeks.
We then took a transfer-flight from the West-coast to the East-coast and visited some cities in the East of the U.S.A.: New York, Washington D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis.
Below you will find our trip, described day-by-day, with links to points of interest. The more limited description of the trip can be found on the Special Traffic homepage. Both travel-organization "Arke" and competitor "Special Traffic" offer the same trip (both times called "The Great West" in their respective brochures!) for almost the same price. These travel agencies, operating from The Netherlands, apparently work with the same American organization who sells these tours to travel operators abroad: ATI (American Tours International Inc.). We booked the trip with travel-agency 'Broere Reizen' in Rotterdam (location Hesseplaats) where they really put a lot of effort in arranging your trip.
Departing from the Netherlands' national airport Schiphol (near Amsterdam, the Capitol of the Netherlands) we arrived in Los Angeles after a short stop in 'the windy city' Chicago(IL). Since we arrived in the evening we picked up our car (a Buick Century) at Alamo. A shuttle took us from the airport to Alamo rental-car. It's just a short drive, but a little too far to walk. That's why free shuttle-buses are riding on and off, continuously.
Flight-numbers:| From | To | Flight number | Departure | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | Chicago | UA 967 | 11:45 | 13:45 |
| Chicago | Los Angeles | UA 967 | 15:30 | 17:53 |
At Alamo they tried to persuade us to upgrade to a convertible: an offer which we refused because we thought it was too expensive (though the sales-assistant went from a $10,00/day surcharge to $7,00/day surcharge when he saw us hesitate. Afterwards we where glad we stuck to the Buick we had booked: it was too damn hot for a convertible! When you're driving for hours almost every single day, you don't want the sun shining on your head all the time.
So, after a few minutes we drove of to our hotel, the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Internation Airport. We had asked for directions at Alamo, but they had never heard of the hotel or of street the hotel was located at. It appeared to be only one block away. We parked the car in the adjacent parking garage, checked in and decided to get a last drink before trying to get some sleep. That drink turned into two drinks, which is due to fact that Budweiser ..... is fucking close to water!!
The next morning we had a meeting with our ATI-host, Peter Förster. Peter was a hip 60+ year old immigrant from Germany who lives in L.A. since......well at least since before I was born. Peter gave us some information about L.A., the rest of our trip etc. etc. It took him about 2 hours to tell everything he wanted to. Most of the information was not new to us, since we'd both been to the U.S. before, but it was a nice, informative talk altogether.
After that we checked out, and went on our way to Universal Studios Hollywood, where we arrived around 11.00 AM. It took us the rest of the day to see most of the attractions. The tour with a bus/train-like vehicle was very nice (though the jokes they make are very corny, but what the heck) and the Waterworld-show was very cool! We had bought the tickets for Universal Studios at Alamo which turned out to be a wise decision: not only did we get a substantial discount on the entry-tickets: we also received a voucher for a free Jurassic-park poncho.
Jurassic Park is a ride in the Universal Studio's theme-park which will drop you from what seems to be 30 feet or more straight down into the water, soaking you completely if your not wearing wearing something to protect you against the splash that follows. Very nice ride though.
We left at about 5.00 PM and went on our way to our next hotel in Anaheim. Though we were equipped with road maps and a almost 100 page travel guide with all route descriptions to our hotels, we drove around in Anaheim for almost two hours before we finally found the hotel. This made us kind of weary of what was too come in the next few weeks: would it be a 2 hour search for every hotel we'd booked?
But we finally arrived at at the Ramada Inn Conestoga . We ordered a giant steak and a full rack of ribs and ate as if we were starved. After finishing a bottle of great Californian red wine, we went to bed.
Today Sea World San Diego was on our list of high-lights of the U.S.A. that had to be visited. First we got ourselves some breakfast: fresh bagels, jelly and a drink. We thought it would be easy to buy some bread every morning and save a few bucks on our breakfast every day: but we've never done this again during our trip and threw the jelly away after three weeks having used it for only two bagels.
We had booked tickets in advance through our ATI Agent. Of course we assumed this would significantly reduce the time we had to spend waiting in line at gate......NOT! It took them 15 minutes (at least) to print out two entry tickets.
But Sea World itself made up for that inconvenience. 
Great park, lots of things to see like: Shamu, the killer whale, a dolphin show, a sea-lion show and a 4-D(!!) movie theatre where can feel the rain failing on your head, arrows flying right by your head and bees stinging you (didn't hurt though). Of course there's more to see besides these big shows they perform all day long. There's aquariums with sharks, eels, stingrays, turtles etc.. For a deep-sea diving fanatic as myself: simply wonderful.
In the end of the afternoon we went to San Diego itself where we stayed at Hotel Circle Inn & Suites, where a lot of hotels are conveniently located on the 'Hotel Circle South' and 'Hotel Circle North' roads, just of Highway 8.
After a refreshing shower we went to see San Diego 'Old Town', a completely restored 19th century town. This used to be the capitol of Mexican California but became part of the U.S.A. in 1848. There's a lot of great little restaurants and you're supposed to try some real Mexican food. We decided to go for Chinese instead, which was also great.
We had no plans and enough time since Palm Springs is only 3 hours away from San Diego. Our travel-guide suggested that going to Tijuana was an option, but we were not allowed to take our car across the border and had already heard that Tijuana wasn't all that special: a lot of tourist traps selling you stuff you absolutely do not need.
Instead we went to San Diego Down Town. A tram first took us from Old Town to the South Pacific Fleet, which was rather disappointing: you could see some ships in the distance but we doubted whether could get any closer: it was a long walk and there seemed to be some of guard you had to go passed. Since we didn't feel like walking miles in the hot sun to find out we couldn't get in anyway, we headed back to Down Town and went to Seaport Village. Seaport Village is a little touristic place, just outside Down Town San Diego (you can easily walk the distance from the tram-stop to the harbour. There you'll find little shops, restaurants, a park etc. etc.
After our lunch (there's a great salad bar near the water) we went back to our car and went on our way to Palm Springs. The country changes quickly from nice climate in San Diego to a desert where suddenly Palm Springs is situated in the Coachella Valley. All around nothing but sand and rocks and in Palm Springs there's palm trees all around. The amount of windmills is quite impressive: hundreds or thousands of windmills in a row. Again we've some trouble finding our hotel: afterwards the map proves to be correct but we've passed the hotel a least three times before we see it. The road continues to the left, while at the right side there's a little side-way where a very small sign says 'Best Western'. The Best Western Inn at Palm Springs is very nice and has an airconditioning that is in good working order: thank God! It's very hot, and getting out of the car is like being smacked in your face with a hot steaming towel. Our dinner is a big sandwich which we have to finish quickly if we want be in the theatre on time to see 'The Mummy Returns'. Nice movie (though not very different from the first one, 'The Mummy'). Afterwards we went for a walk (they have their own 'walk of fame') and a cup of coffee before getting a good night's sleep.
After a long ride through the desert (they even advise to turn off your air-conditioning to avoid overheating your engine, which makes it really hot) we enter Arizona. At the very same moment cactuses appear in the landscape. Arriving in Scottsdale, we go to our hotel: the Days Inn Scottsdale Fashion Square where we would be saying for two days. The hotel is located next to a big shopping mall (Fashion Square). We found a nice restaurant were we thought it might be a good idea to order a steak, but only after finishing a big plate with starters: bad idea. The starters itself where enough for the two of us, so we had trouble finishing the steaks as well. We visited the Fashion Square and then went back to our hotel.
Today we planned to visit Tucson and the Saquaro National Park with a lot of cactuses and the Arizona Sonora Dessert Museum. We saw a lot of dessert which turned out to be quit interesting.
Beforehand I would have thought it was just sand, rocks, heat and some cactuses but there's more going on there than I imagined. Tucson was bit disappointing. We only saw a mall and that was about it. We tried to visit 'Old Tucson Studios', but decided to leave it for what it was (a bunch of old buildings in the dessert) when we saw the entrance-fee. Sounds as if we're tight, but then again: We're Dutch, so we've got a rep to live up to!!
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We went for a quick Mexican snack when we were back at our hotel and then decided to go see Pearl Harbour. Liked it: the story is okay but the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the panic and the loss of hundreds or more lives is captured quite impressively. At the end it gets a bit to patriotic / U.S.A. kicks ass for my taste, but overall it's good.
Grand Canyon: here we come! But before we reach one of the 'wonders of the earth' we get to see Montezuma's Castle. It's small, old Indian town built up high in the rocks. Though it's called after the great Indian king, Montezuma never lived this high North. The name stuck however. On our way up North we come through Sedona, with the Bell Rock: a landmark you can't miss.
After coming through Flagstaff, the landscape changes to a forest-like, grassy landscape, compared to the dessert, rocky part of southern Arizona.
We arrive at Grand Canyon around noon. Fortunately our room at the Rodeway Inn Red Feather Lodge is already available this early so we check in and go on our way to see the canyon.
The Grand Canyon national Park is really impressive and you could spend more days there than just the one afternoon we did: wild-water rafting on Colorado river, hiking through the Canyons etc.
Around dinner-time we thought we'd seen all we wanted. In stead of going back to our hotel we decided to eat something at the Grand Canyon and wait around for the sunset. The sunset sure was worth waiting for: took some great pictures and the quietness was very impressive: as if life came to a stop.
Even though there were lots of other people around, no-one made a sound....
We stop once to say goodbye to the Canyon and go on our way to Monument Valley.
Leaving the Grand Canyon and the surrounding Kaibab forest, it soon became clear why the (Navajo-)Indians were given back this part of the U.S.A.: enormous stretches of dry, sandy and rocky land. Most certainly not the most useful land around. It does contain some beautiful spots however, like Painted Desert and Monument Valley.
We also stopped at a National Park, where you could visit the Betatakin ruins, old houses carved out and built in a cave/rock, that are part of the Navajo National Monument.
Risking to be called an alcoholic, I must say that I regret not being able to buy a beer or a glass of wine This is not allowed for religious regions on Navajo land. But....it was my girlfriends birthday and I wanted to celebrate that. Tough luck: the closest thing I could have gotten was non-alcoholic wine. In my opinion non-alcoholic wine is a 'contradictio in terminus': drink grape-juice in stead if you don't want the alcohol. A few miles up north in Utah they don't drink themselves, which is their God given right, but a least they sell the stuff to others. Anyway, after a few glasses of coke we went back to our hotel-room at the Holiday Inn Kayenta (there's absolutely nothing to do in Kayenta, the town just south of Monument Valley) and ordered the movie 'Space Cowboys' on the hotel-video system. We'd seen the previews and thought it was a must-see. Nice movie, somewhat unbelievable and not exactly what I thought it would be. I'd have thought it would be more of a comedy, but it's not. Not that it's too serious or boring, it's just an okay film.
Today up to Lake Powell, with it's marina and the Glen Canyon Dam. The Glen Canyon itself used to be a canyon just like the Grand Canyon. Since they build the Glen Canyon Dam however, water could not escape as easily as it used to and started to fill the canyon with water, resulting in Lake Powell, one of the biggest man-made lakes in the world; at least the second biggest artificial lake in the U.S.A... Though some people complain that a very valuable canyon has been lost, a great lake has been given in return for that. Every water-sports fanatic can tell you that that isn't a bad trade at all! Read more about this discussion on the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area home-page.
At Glen Canyon Dam they give a very good tour....for free! Though not as famous as the Hoover Dam, Glen Canyon Dam is only 6 ft smaller. I was told that the tour at Hoover Dam wasn't as good as this one, so we skipped Hoover Dam more or less when we were in Las Vegas. One thing they told us during the Glen Canyon Dam tour is the fact that the movie 'Evolution' was recorded in Page and the surrounding area. Again another movie we had to go and see.
Page, the city near the Glen Canyon Dam, itself is quit boring and if it weren't for the big lake nearby with all its boats and tourists I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to live there. The hotel, Quality Inn Page Lake Powell, though was quit nice and even had a little terrace that invited you to go sit outside and watch the sun set.
Where the Grand Canyon and Glen Canyon are impressive creations by mother Nature, Bryce Canyon charms you by it's capriciousness.
Small but tall pieces of rock have been carved out in the sandstone leaving pillars and arches to stand alone or in large groups (the Amphitheatre). Via a long and winding road you can reach the various scenic view-points, competing with each other in beautifulness.
Just outside Bryce Canyon National Park lies a hotel/restaurant called Ruby's Inn, a hotel of the Best Western chain of hotels which pretty much by itself is separately pointed out on the Utah state map: a town consisting of only one house! We were located a hundred yards or more across the road in Bryce View Lodge. Clean but rather down to earth. This was the only hotel with a T.V. that did not have remote control (must have been a collectors item from the 70's!).
We got out of bed early so we could see the sunrise at a view-point called fairyland. We almost ran over a couple of deer and were the only spectators for the sunrise appart from a woman who had her camera installed to photograph the sunrise, but had walked to other side of the cliff as the sun came up. So she missed it and probably had to go back again the next morning.
After having taken a few snap-shots we went back to bed (we're on a holiday, remember?) and slept for another few hours. Then....up to Zion National Park. The main difference is that, in contrast to all other parks we'd seen so far, the main view of the park is from the valley up, instead of into the depth of all the gorges and canyons. How fascinating this may be, you do miss the spectacular views if you don't hike up the mountains or do the trail up-river starting at the 'Temple of Sinawava' called riverside walk. The walking actually takes you through the river and does not lead you along the side of the river: you will get wet!
In the afternoon we went west towards Las Vegas, prepared for a culture shock after having seen so much nature and wild-life. And it was a shock. I think it's a great place with lot's of things to see. On the strip in Vegas there's lots of hotels, each with their own identity and decorated completely in a style that suits that identity. Our hotel was Circus Circus. The hotel is trying very hard to be child-friendly and has a five-acre indoor theme-park. Circus-acts performing round the clock with acrobats, clowns etc. But, the big bucks are made by getting mammy and daddy to spend their money in the slot-machines. And that works: it is a pathetic sight to see newly-weds after a $ 25,00 wedding (or less?) in one of the wedding chapels make great haste in running of to the slot-machines. There they will sit for hours, sometimes touching each others hand but mainly focussed on the wheels spinning before their eyes, before consuming their marital rights. Sad....
We freshned up and then went for a walk down the strip and to get some food. Though they serve luxureous and cheap meals we decided not to got way for dinner since there was 100+ person queue: even in Universal Studio's I hadn't seen so many line up. And this was just food! But then again: these are the United States (They elected Ronald Reagan for president and when you don't kick Bill Clinton out of the White House after Lewinsky Gate ("I only smelled her pussy, but I did not lick it?", as to paraphrase his response to the accused smoking of marihuana during his first election-campaign) so what can you expect?
In Excalibur casino we found a very nice restaurant. Never spent that much on a dinner for two, but a great dinner it was: it took 3(three!) waiters to serve me one piece of desert. Back in the hotel we viewed the movie '3.000 Miles to Graceland'. You can find a review on The Internet Movie Database, since I'm not going to waste any comments on this piece of celluloid. But fortunately the movie-registration system of the hotel wasn't working, so we didn't have pay for this ##$##$&!!!.
In the afternoon we had arranged a plane-flight over the Grand Canyon, which gave us the time to do some other things in and around Las Vegas. Since we thought gambling should be a more nightly activity we escaped Las Vegas to visit the Hoover Dam: too crowded, and not half as impressive as Glen Canyon Dam. We left within five minutes for a walk through some of the casino's back in Vegas that were the farthest away from Circus Circus Hotel: in the evening we didn't want to drive, and hotels like the MGM Grand (the biggest hotel in the world with over 5.000 rooms!) are too far away to walk.
The flight across the Grand Canyon was not exactly what we hoped for: very small seats in a noisy two-engine plane, headset that didn't really work, only a few minutes across the Grand Canyon (where we had booked a flight at sunrise, which was cancelled and we were transferred to a day flight). and the 3 hour tour appeared to include the bus-trip from and to the hotel as well. So if you are gonna go there: maybe go for a helicopter-ride for 1/2 an hour but don't waste your time trying find a plane tour. You will see not much more from the plane than you already can see standing at the rim of the Canyon. I'd expect a helicopter to fly through the canyon which seems exciting, where planes fly high above them.
We finally got to see 'Pirates defeat the English' at the Treasure Island hotel: two 18th century boats firing guns at each other and one (the English one of course) actually sinks to the bottom, leaving only the masts to stick out of the water. In the night before, and also in the beginning tonight, they cancelled the show due to 'strong winds'. Fortunately these shows are performed every 1 1/2 hours from 4.00 PM untill midnight.
We actually did some gambling too (almost forgot that you could that in Las Vegas as well!). Lost some, won some and in the end I had left little behind in the casino's and for that small loss we'd had free drinks: when you gamble, drinks are free.
Before putting an end to the night we were lured into having the biggest hot-dog ever! A photo showed the size of the hot-dog and claimed to be real-size. So we ate a two-foot hot-dog each....
After reading our e-mail and letting some people know we were doing fine (in a small deli-store owned by a friendly Jewish guy) we went on our way to Death-Valley. Of course, Las Vegas itself is located in the dessert but it became even dryer and hotter when we came closer to Death Valley. A warning sine informs you that you are passing the last gas-station for the next 172 miles. From then onwards the number of vehicles you see approaching or passing you drops to an average of one per hour. The land is very desolate and quit a contrast to Las Vegas where the entertainment goes on for 24 hours/day, 7 days/week.
We stopped once or twice at some interesting landmarks before arriving in Death Valley. Our hotel was the Furnace Creek Hotel. the lowest golf-course in the world is loacted here, and we stood on the lowest place on the western hemisphere in a part of Death Valley called 'Badwater'. Very salty water here, where some rare, very small snails live in tiny cracks in the earth/salt crust surrounding the water. Because of the salt deposited all over, the ground looks very white, especially from a distance.
Other things you can see in Death valley are the 'Devil's Golf Course', The artist's pallet, allong artist's drive and a natural bridge, just off the road. By the way, we stayed at Furnace Creek Ranch, which was the best place around for miles, :).
A very long drive, since we have pass the Sierra Nevada Mountains. There's no way across them except at the South where they start, or at the North where they end but that depends on your point of view: you could say it starts in the North and ends in the South, but that still doesn't make the distance it takes to cross it any shorter. After a ride through the mountains we left the Death Valley area and came a piece of more or less flat land, with a view of the Sierra Nevada on our left and the ..... on our right.
On of the stops we make is at the Eastern Sierra Inter-agency Visitors Centre. Not very helpful, no information you really need but since you're probably in a need for a stop anyway you might as well do it here.
Then again: a lot of nothing until we reach Mono Lake. Mono Lake is soapy, salty lake where only a few of God's creature can survive: some shrimp, a lot of flies and a few birds that feed on the shrimp. In the lake carbon-dioxide gas bubbles upwards and calcite rocks form from the bottom of the lake, rising out of the water (because the water level has dropped in the last few years/decades) creating some eery, creepy looking creatures standing on the motionless water surface.
Mono Lake is situated just at the border of Yosemite National Park. We enter the park and ride through a beautiful landscape with forests, meadows (called Tuolumne Meadows), little rivers and stop at one of the first ranger-stops. It appears, looking at the maps they have, that we have quit a long ride ahead through the park before we will arrive in Oakhurst where we will spend the next two days.
On our way through the park to Oakhurst, we unfortunately witness the incredible driving-skills (...NOT!) of the average American: constantly breaking without any reason so that smoke is coming from their brakes. Driving very slow in the corners, and speeding whenever 10 yards of straight road is ahead, forcing them to brake even harder at the next turn. But after a very tiresome we arrive at our Comfort Inn Oakhurst hotel. We enjoyed our meal next-door where a simple, but good, Chinese restaurant was located. When we had to pay about $27,- for a 2 person-meal we felt it wouldn't be proper to ask for the 10% discount we're supposed to get for being Comfort-Inn clients. Especially when they corrected the bill for overcharging us $2,- on a carafe of wine.
We went across the street to get something to drink (it was still very hot and we were thirsty as hell) and some chips. Back in the hotel we rented the movie Miss Congeniality which was agreeably nice. Exactly what we needed after a long day of driving (The longest ride of our tour).
Since Yosemite Park ("Yo Seh Mih Tee" means "Grizzly bear" in the Ahwahneechee-Indian dialect) is so vast, you could drive for hundreds of kilometres and still only have seen saw a part of what Yosemite has to offer. We headed straight to Mariposa Grove where the Giant Sequoia's are indeed very impressive. After taking a tour and making a short walk through the woods, we went to the the Visitor's Centre and from there visited the Bridal-veil Fall, Upper- and Lower Yosemite Fall, the Half Dome and other fantastic view-points. 
At the end of the day we drove up to Glacier Point and from there had a really beautiful from up high over the whole park (or even at this moment only saw a glimpse of the 3038 km2 that park measures?). Whenever you're in Yosemite, be sure not to miss out on this part!
The trip to Lake Tahoe took us (by our own choice, the guide lead us through Yosemite Park back to the Interstate but decided to skip the 3 hours or more it would have taken us to cross Yosemite) through some old mine-workers villages. If you'd put sand on the road and replace the cars you see with horses it's just like time has stopped in 1850 or so. You can still get tours in some old gold-mines if you like.
Lake Tahoe is a very nice, relaxed, place. It used to be a place for the rich and famous in the 1920's but in the recession that struck the U.S. in the 30's it soon lost it's popularity for the happy few living in San Francisco. Currently effort is made to save and restore some of the old mansions that were built over a century ago.
Because Lake Tahoe is situated near the Nevada border, casino's arise only feet from the state-line. After checking in in our hotel, the Quality Inn & Suites in South Lake Tahoe, we did the laundry which was was really necessary after more than two weeks of traveling and only occasionally washing some socks and T-shirts. In the eveving we went a few miles North into what probably is called North Lake Tahoe: near the casino's, restaurants and theatres. We visited a old-timer show which showed some really nice cars, mailny U.S.-built, and some in mint condition! After we'd had dinner we decided to go to the movies and see Evolution, not hilarious but very nice to see David Duchovny in a comedy, even making fun of his own character in the X-files. Since we'd seen Page, where the movie was recorded, it was double fun to watch since we recognized at lot, even though we had spent only one day in Page, Lake Powell. The movie didn't start untill 10 PM, so we had some time to 'win our money back', which worked strangely enough! After playing black-jack for 3/4 of an hour we walked out with a $40,- profit: not a whole lot a money, but already an evening well spent! Seeing the movie "Evolution" made it even better.
On our way to San Francisco we stopped in Sacramento. Since it was a sunday (and Fathersday as well) it was very quit in Sacramento and there was little to. Skip this if you're ever passing through.
When we came closer to San Francisco traffic got worse: probably a lot of family-members visiting their fathers. Because of this traffic was jammed right before Oakland Bay Bridge, a bridge that is quit impressive but has to live in the shadow of the other great bridge that San Francisco is famous for: The Golden Gate. All traffic entering San Francisco has to pay toll; for traffic leaving San Francisco it's free. After about an hour of traffic jams we'd crossed the bridge and could go looking for the Ramada Plaza Hotel on Market. Being in a big city for the first time in days, or weeks maybe (only the little we'd seen of Los Angeles and the bit we'd travelled in Las Vegas could compare to San Francisco) driving made me a little nervous and I was glad to be able to park the car in a parking lot only one block from our hotel. Roadwork and a lot of one-way streets made me give up hope I could come any closer in a reasonable time. I had to pay $10,- to some guy who said he'd be here al day and if I decided to park the car in the Ramada Plaza Hotel Parking lot within the hour I'd get my money back. Having seen the neighbourhood I decided to move the car, even though the parking 'fee' was $20,-/night. And what do guess: the guy is gone (of course he was you may think, but it would have been nice to be right once in trusting someone).
In the hotel we did a lot of resting and watching T.V. before going into town. Somewhere near Union Square we found a restaurant that wasn't that bad even though the seats were very narrow. But if had to pay rent on a piece of ground in San Francisco Down Town I'd probably do my best as well to fit as many people as possible on a square foot. After dinner we went for a walk and came to a bar called 'Lefty O'Douls'. 'Lefty' used to be a famous baseball player some time ago, whose fame was as a great ball-player was only outdone by his temper.
Sitting at the bar we got to talk with the barkeeper and other customers. We got a lot of tips about what we had to see and what things we could skip. Since we had already booked a bus-tour through San Francisco which would take most of the morning, it would be nice to do the rest somewhere in the afternoon or even the day after if there was still a lot to be seen.
It was "rise 'n shine" because the bus would pick us up at about 8.00 AM. First we were transfered to a central bus-station were we got on our bus for the tour. The driver was a very nice guy who'd been doing this for years. He had made it a sport to welcome everyone aboard his bus and ask them for their name and wish everyone a pleasant trip. Looks a little corny maybe, but he'd memorised all passengers (60 or more) after the first stop. He would simply say "Welcome to .... Mr. and Mrs. .... from ...." (he'd memorised where we came form as well!).
The tour itself was really good and a lot of credit goes to our bus-driver/guide. This kind of made up for the Grand-Canyon flight that wasn't all we hoped it would be. The guide has a awkward way of speaking which you can still hear on the video we made. He used to having some trouble as a kid because he stuttered but a speech therapist has cured him (if that's the right term) but he now ar-ti-cu-lates really well, a little too much for our taste, but it does make him very easy to understand, even for those that are not fluent in English.
I will take you through some of the interesting sites we've seen:
We spent an hour or so walking around the pier, looking at the Sea-Lions at Pier 39. And by then it was time to board for our Alcatraz cruise. Of course Alcatraz is one of the best known (former) prisons. The tour you take, is partly done on your own with a map of the Island and partly (inside the cell-blocks) with an audio-tour. Especially the audio-tour is highly recommended: a former prisoner and a former guard talk you through, the isles between the cell-blocks, inside the cells, into the kitchen, library etctera. At some points it's almost as if you are there alone, back in time and hear the inmates, scream, sing, shout and so on.
After Alcatraz we walked along the piers a little more and them went up Columbus street, into China-town. At some moments we felt as if we were the only white people there. In a fish-shop we saw how a 5 foot fish got butchered in the street: one guy holds the fish down, the other hacks of it's tail, while fish is still alive. The fish is pain and with some fierce spasms exceeds in escaping the butchers. Kicking the fish back against the wall, they succeed in grabbing the fish again, and while the fish is still alive they make little carves in the side of this, remove the intestins and then finally killing it by chopping of it's head. We walked onward to a church/cathedral and leave China-town. We reach the financial district/Union Square and decide to drink and eat something in the best bar we know in this area: "Lefty O'Douls". All right: it's the only place we know in San Francisco, but it was very nice last night, so we stop there again.
Back in the hotel we go to bed early because we want to see some more of Golden Gate Park. We rent a movie as well: Ben Stiller is hilarious and Robert de Niro obnoxious in Meeting the parents. A young man wants to propose to his beloved girl-friend. He get's the idea he is not enough 'man' and has to prove himself first to her parents. Unfortunately, how harder he tries to become close with her parents, the more he screws things up: half because he's just clumsy, half because he really has a lot of bad luck. But all is well in the end. I didn't spoil the plot here, you can feel that one coming from a mile away. But still, there haven't been many movies that made me feel so uncomfortable, just because you sympathize with the 'poor schmuck'.
Along the Interstate 1 we go south to Montery/Carmel. We tour the 17-mile drive which leads you through some very nice ocean-scenic views. On a 10 mile stretch along the coast you will find 7 golf-courses. After riding back to Monterey we check in our Travelodge hotel. After a little refreshing we go to Fisherman's warf and down-town Monterey. We enjoyed our dinner in an Italian restuarant and grab a few pints in an Irish pub. Like we did in San Francisco, we get involved with some dumb American that has rarely left his own state, but still knows what's best for America, let alone Europe. I'm glad someone finally told me we were making a mess of things ack in Europe. Apparently your only civilised when you shoot people in front lawn when you don't like their face....I was inclined to say that even the Hutu's and Tutsi's are more civilized, but left it at that.
The next day, we drive a little closer to the end of our Californian adventure: due south towards Los Angeles. The trip itself is not very spectacular though the desolate coast-line is quit nice (and quite a surprise, since I didn't expect to find so much tranquility between the metropoles of San Francisco and Los Angeles. We visit Santa Barbara and the Mission that is situated there: worthwhile I might add. The Santa Barbara mission is one of about 21 missions founded along the Californian coast by (Spanish) priests. Every mission was built on a one days trip from the next. The Santa Barbara mission is one of the eldest and best preserved ones. A little museum tries to let you see what life in the misson was like, and how the Native Californians lived before and during the Spanish "invasion". I do write "invasion", because though the Spanish priests lived in Harmony with the Natives, other pilgrims (especially those searching for gold etc.) quickly took over California and destroyed the ever decreasing population and culture and replaced it with their own. That culture is now a mixture of Western (Ango Saxon) and Mexican cultures, with parts of local influences of other immigrants. For example, there's the "China Town's" in San Francisco, a Danish Village called Solvang in middle California and so on. After having visited the mission, we go on our way to Venture Beach. We enjoy a magnificant meal with Crab-chowder and giant portion of BBQ-ribs for me.
The last day of travelling in our car. After less than hour we drive through Malibu Beach. You know some of Hollywood's stars live here, but you can't tell because most of the houses on the beach are nearly invisible and not accessible by the public. We drive onward to Santa Monica Beach and walk a short distance to Santa Monica Pier. It's a nice, clean beach with some real "Baywatch" types hanging round but not as spectacular as I had expected. So, onward we go to Hollywood Boulevard. We visit the LA County Museum of Art and the Page Museum at the La Brea tar pits. Especially the last one is very impressive. I have no pictures I can show you, but can tell you this: "Leo the Fart is gonna pass some gas once more", and you may guess which movie this quote is from. Click here for the answer. Of course we have to see Hollywood Boulevard and Beverly Hills, and Rodeo Drive and the Walk of Fame and...and...there's just to little time. On the way back to our last hotel, we get stuck in traffic and it takes one hour and a half to cross LA over a distance of not more than 10 miles. We pack out bags, clean out of car, get rid of the Gallons of water we bought when we entered the dessert two-and-half weeks ago (you never know: you might need it!). We call our friends Hanny and Marnix back in Annapolis which we will visit tomorrow. We do not (I repeat: DO NOT!) find it necessary to write down Marnix' mobile phone number. Which turned out to be a bad choice, as you can read further below...
Back to were we started three weeks ago: at 6 o'clock in the morning we are back at the LAX International Airport. Our flight is cancelled, we are told after we're checked in and our bags have been transported out of sight on the conveyor-belt. The next flight leaves only one and a half hour later than our original scheduled flight, which is not too bad. However, this flight is overbooked (>30 passengers), which is not counting the passengers get got stuck since last night when several planes were cancelled, nor the passengers of our original flight. In short: United Airlines is at least one plane short. After standing in queue for the second flight, scheduled to depart after our original flight, we complain and ask what we have to do to get to Washington, were Hanny and Marnix will be waiting in a few hours. The purser (or whatever he's called) says we can depart at 2 p.m. We accept this offer, make a reservation for this flight and try to get on other flights departing sooner than our new flight. There's no use in trying to get on those other flights, since they are all overbooked: the queue of people in line for the "standby list" only has increased since the beginning of this morning. United Airlines is not capable or dealing with this problem in an orderly fashion, resulting in irritated, almost aggressive, passengers. The cause of the problem is not to blame on the flight-attendants, but on the other hand: they are a bunch of incapable high-school drop-outs that cannot deal with the situation. If I wasn't as sound of mind as I think I am I would say that the terrorists (Bin Laden or whoever) took the right air-line to high-jack planes from and fly them into the WTC. But I won't say that, of course (but damn', was I pissed). We try to call Hanny or Marnix, call friends back in Holland who might have tehir phone-numbers at work, call several departments in several countries, states and cities of the company they both work for, but no result. It is at this time(!) that we do realize how great it would to have to have one of their mobile phone numbers (see again Day 21). The only thing we can do is leave a message on their answering machine. Finally we board our plane, leaving about 5 hours later than planned. The flight itself is quit okay....until we approach Dulles Airport. There's storm hanging over Washington and we are told we may have to divert to Pittsburgh. The pilot advises us to listen to radio-channel 9, so we can listen to the communication with traffic control and get an immediate update of the situation. We circle Dulles a few times and manoeuvre through several lightning-clouds. We do not have to fligh all the way to Pittsburgh but can land in Washington (thank God!). Looks like we made it.....or does it? Once we have landed (apparently we were so fortunate to be able to land just between two lightning/storms/showers) the next problem arises. Due to the lightning overhead, airport personnel is not allowed on the ramps outside. In other words: there's no-one to direct our plane to a gate, or to get other planes to leave their gate after unloading their passengers. Since no gate can be given to us, we stand on the runway for a least one hour. So close, yet so far away.... We use our credit-card to phone Hanny and Marnix from the plane (amazing isn't it, this new technology) and let them know that we've landed but cannot get out of the plane. Unfortunately we get their answering machine. We leave another message. Finally we get to our gate. We immediately go to the arrival-lobby. It doesn't take long before we two exhausted people shout that their so glad to that they finally see us. On our way from Dulles to Annapolis we talk, talk, talk, drink a beer and go to bed since it is about 2 a.m. and we have to get up at 7 a.m. if we want to be in New York the next day as planned, where Maud and Reinier will meet us.
Somewhere south of The Big Apple we meet with Maud and Rein. After we've met and exchanged to most important things we've all done and seen since the last time we saw each other, we drive onward to Hoboken, NY. We park our cars and take the ferry to Manhattan. A shuttle bus takes us to our hotel. After checking in we have some lunch, talk a bit and go up the Empire State building. It's windy and rather wet (there's a few showers over Manhattan at that time) but the view from the top of the Empire State is not bad. After the empire state building we walk down 5th avenue towards central park. The weather get's a little better and we even sit down on a terrace, just behind Broadway. We are served by a Dutch waitress, which was a nice coincidence. 
Trying to buy tickets for a Broadway show/musical was anice idea, but the rows are just too long. So we walk to the Waldorf Astoria and find a Bulgarian restaurant nearby. We are having a great time and spend an obscene amount of money on dinner and drinks. After dinner we walk to Broadway/Times Square. It takes a while, but finally we find a bar were think we can spent a few hours, after which we go home, to sleep.
We take a walk in Central Park (Christ, it's big!) and after that go to visit to the World Trade Center and take a few pictures there, amongst others of the Statue of Liberty
(this was as close as we got, since we didn't want to take the boat-trip/South Ferry or things like that.
Afterwards we took the subway back to the hotel were picked up our bags and took the shuttle-bus back to the Ferry to Hoboken.
It was time to say goobye to Maud and Reinier, and we would spend almost another entire week at Marnix and Hanny's in Annapolis.
Though their house is rather small, there was just enough room to fit us in(!). After an exhausting weekend, we were looking forward to
some relaxed sightseeing in Washinton D.C., Baltimore etc.
We went to Washington half-way by car, and the other half by subway from New Carollton Station.
In Washington we went to see all the big important buildings (Capitol, White House, Lincoln and Washington Monument,
Arlington Cemetery and so on). The American Museum of History was a complete waste of time, but the rest was okay.
Exhausted from walking all across "The Mall" we go back to Annapolis were a great barbecue awaits us.
Today we walk around in Annapolis, take a boat tour through the harbour and visit the Naval Academy and the museum located their. Annapolis itself is very a-typical for a American village: it has a cosey ring to it, which we almost came to think as "European". We go back to Hanny and Marnix' house and spend the rest of the afternoon hanging 'round the house, in the garden etc.
We go back to Washington, since there's plenty more to see here. One of them is the Aeronautical and Space Museum, which is really interesting.
The other is the Pentagon. It seemed like a nice idea to visit the headquarters of the best army in the west, but I didn't think I would get as close to being arrested as I did, just for taking a picture.
It appeared to be forbidden to take pictures and two guards came rushing toward me after they'd seen my flash-light. I wasn't officially inside the Pentagon (not past the guards) so I got away with it. We decided to end the day
with a drink in Georgetown, on the bank of Potomac-river.
We have crab for diner in the evening, which is quit an experience. We order "all you can eat" crab for four, and start hacking, breaking, yes even slaughtering
the crabs. It's a lot of work to get a little bit of crab-meat, but fun never-the-less.
Today we visit Baltimore. A nice town with a harbour were you can spend a day doing/visiting lot's of things. One of them is the museum they have created, on three boats lying in the harbour and
lighthouse that was used in Chesapeake Bay, but has been brought onto shore.
Our last day. We say goodbye to Hanny and Mrnix and go on our way to Dulles airport. Our flight back home goes quit well (no or only little delay) and we arrive in Amsterdam around 7.00 a.m. We take the train to Rotterdam and arrive their at 10.00 a.m. Though we are quit tired, we do not want to go to sleep, to prevent us from being awake all through the night and and not fit once we have to back to work (yuck!) Unfortunately, the sleep is too strong a power to fight, and we drift of and dream of all that we have seen and done...
If you want to calculate distances between U.S. and European cities, click here. This will give you an idea of the distances we covered in total.