Las Vegas

After a long, hot drive through Mojave Desert (pronounced Mohave) it was a relief to arrive at the RV Park in Las Vegas, aptly named the Las Vegas RV Resort! It is one of the most highly acclaimed RV parks we have been to, many stars on all assessments, and the facilities bear that out – level tarred sites, sparkling pool, well-equipped gym, clean restrooms with gallons of hot water, ice machines, lovely lounge, very tight access control, they have thought of everything to make the camper’s life a pleasure, and the staff are welcoming and friendly. The neighboring casino runs an hourly free shuttle bus into town to The Strip, where it all happens, and once we had set up camp, we headed off to find the shuttle. Well, there are shuttles and SHUTTLES – this one is an air conditioned bus the size of a Greyhound! 

The Strip is a vibrant street full of people, casinos, breath-taking spectacles, casinos, amazing architecture, casinos, fountains and lakes, casinos, street shows, casinos, noise and pulsing action, casinos……..we were fascinated. Even the blazing desert heat has not deterred our exploration – we sleep late, lounge around the pool in the shade when the heat is too much (a toasty 40’C in our camper yesterday, and hotter outside) and as it cools down, we head for the shuttle and into town. There are sights to be seen and enormous indoor themed shopping malls to explore – the Venetian is a recreation of Venice, including canals complete with gondolas and serenading gondoliers, the Forum is a walk through the oppulence of ancient Rome, columns, marble, domed ceilings, statues of the gods, fountains – and all the great names in fashion have retail outlets hereT We  spend hours window shopping,  and then, footsore and weary, cameras overloaded, we make our way back to the shuttle to catch the last bus home at 9:30pm. We stop for a while to listen to the singer performing in the casino lounge at the bus-stop, then walk back to the Park and fall into bed, grateful that our Huisie has cooled down to a mere 32’ by 11pm!

Into the desert – Mojave meditations

We left the Kaweah Lake RV park in the beautiful early morning mountain sunlight, and the smell of orange blossoms wafted through the windows as we drove – orange orchards all along the road for miles. The scenery soon changed though, to a more desert landscape of rocks and a few shrubs, with the occasional cactus-type tree doing its best to look beautiful in the arid landscape.

 In the transition zone we saw the strange sight of oil wells in the middle of orange groves – a way to maximize the potential of the farmland, perhaps? We were set for the town of Mojave, which promised an RV Park that is “an oasis in the desert”, and when we arrived there we took one look at the oasis and opted for the desert! As it was only lunchtime, the sight of the stoney, windblown park with broken doors on the toilets was enough to send us hastily back to our truck and we pushed on to Barstow, another 2 hours further down the road.

                                                     The Barstow-Calico KOA RV Park was far more of an oasis, its facilities were good and we were relieved to unhitch and relax! As evening came, we realized that even the desert has redeeming features. We went for a long walk after dark (amazing to be able to do that in complete safety) and the night sky was wide and lovely, complete with falling stars and a cool breeze!

Refreshed and strengthened, Sunday morning saw us on our way to Las Vegas, and   more Mojave Desert. The scenery was arid, and the road, a 3-lane-each-direction highway, was so busy we thought that perhaps Vegas was being evacuated! We passed the turnoff to Death Valley, well-named if the scenery was anything to go by, and a stretch called The Devil’s 

Playground, equally aptly named. As we crested the top of the pass, the skyline was dominated by flailing wind turbines, a surrealistic blot on an otherwise already desolate landscape. Modern technology, once again maximizing natural resources, but creating a weird effect - one almost expected to be stopped and given a number before going on! The 16 miles of steady climbing up to an altitude of 5000 ft was long and hot, and the detours and huge, aggressive trucks were daunting, and we were really glad when we finally reached Las Vegas, and doubly grateful for the very definite instructions of Tom-Tom and Garmin! 

Sequoia

Sequoia National Park yesterday, and once again I was speechless! The directions said that the entrance to the park is only 7 miles from our camp, which indeed, it is, so we decided it would be a morning outing – juice and biscuits and home for lunch – a decision which our growling stomachs greatly regretted around lunchtime!

Then the wait for the roadworks – they are in the process of repairing the road that has been carved out of the mountain, and in some places they have actually built a scaffold from the road below, to be able to work on the one up higher on the rock face! Somewhere an inspired band of civil engineers are scratching their heads as they ponder the challenges posed by such a repair…


 After a 45 minute
wait we were led – by now a long row of cars – up past the road works by a guide car, who drives up and down the 3 mile section on the hour every hour all through the day, allowing tourists through!

The drive up was beautiful, a winding road and sudden amazing vistas of huge rock crags towering miles into the sky. The colors in the bush made me want to reach for a paintbrush or my threads – how many shades of green would I need to capture the exact variety, I wonder? The redbud trees are in full bloom at the moment, and that, combined with the electric green of new oak leaves and the many other trees that are blooming too, create a color palette that would be impossible to replicate.

The Giant Forest, with the enormous General Sherman Tree, was worth all the time it took to get there. This is the largest growing tree in the world, 275 ft tall, estimated 2 200 years old, with a base circumference of 33 meters. It is difficult to describe the awe that such a giant inspires, surrounded as it is by an army of giants not very much smaller.

Yosemite National Park

The drive from the Merced River RV Park at Delhi to the Yosemite National Park was quite a bit longer than we expected – it took us nearly 3 hours, on a beautiful road improbably cut through the mountains.

 

In one place there was a detour over the river, as part of the mountain has fallen onto the road there!

And then, the most overwhelming beauty and grandeur, words fail me and photos do not even begin to capture the splendor of this magnificent part of creation –

 we are more aware than ever of how small we are, and the words of the Psalmist echo in our ears 

…..”What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?”……..

Lake Shasta Caverns

Saturday morning – cold & drizzly, perfect for going to see the Lake Shasta Caverns. The drive took longer than expected, as the road from the highway down to the cavern ferry was the windiest road we have encountered to date – and we HAVE seen some! We arrived as the ferry was due to leave, and made it just in time, having left our rain jackets in the truck in our haste (to my great regret, as I nearly froze on the lake). The road from the landing , up to the mouth of the caves, was almost vertical in places – Sid was very glad he was not driving, and I was sorry that I was next to the window!

The view from the caverns was spectacular, and we enjoyed the whole experience – we stopped and came out about three-quarters of the way through the tour, as there were just too many steps

for us to manage  
and our tour guide was young and very fit, and completely unconcerned about the more senior members of the party. Although these caverns are in an impressive setting, they are not as spectacular as the Cango Caves at Oudtshoorn or as well lit, but we took some lovely photos and enjoyed the 
outing

.

The Glass Sundial Bridge, Redding CA

Well, the road was as narrow yesterday as the really old byways in SA, with no shoulder and many repairs, and in many places it seems to be falling off the mountain, roadworks all over, SO nerve-wracking!

The Sacramento River RV Park is pretty, full of trees newly clad in their spring greens,

and the river flows quietly past.

Sid did a great job and is getting used to the rig now - Michael Schumaker watch out, here we come!!

It was wonderful to relax after the hectic 6 hour drive, and we were in bed early.

Today we have been to see the glass Sundial Bridge, designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, a mixture of architecture, engineering genius and artistic imagination. The Sundial Bridge is amazing, the floor is made of steel and GLASS! and it throws a shadow that tells the time accurately at the summer solstice! Stephen, you would LOVE it!!

Coos Bay to the mighty redwoods.

Coos Bay – what a disappointment! A lovely site for a park, right on the beach, but the facilities were very primitive, and the icy wind howled so hard that it wasn’t even possible to go for a walk on the beach! And in the morning, no hot water in the trickling shower………

The yellow flowering bushes along the road were a feature of the first part of the drive, evidence that spring IS in the air, despite all other indications to the contrary!

We hooked up on Tuesday night in readiness for our departure on Wednesday morning, and only delayed for a short photo-stroll on the beach early, then hit the road once more.

Today’s drive has been breathtaking. All along this stretch of the coast, the road has been cut into the mountainside that drops into the sea, and strange, enormous rocks jut out of the water, looking surreal and unlikely in the mirror-calm waters of the Pacific Ocean. The grey day added drama to the scenery, and we stopped several times to stare in disbelief!

Redwoods RV Park outside Crescent City is exactly what it purports to be – a spot in a grove of huge redwoods. Our little rig is totally dwarfed by the trees around us, and the peace of these giants soaks the area with a living silence that is almost tangible. After a hasty lunch, we drove a few miles down the road to the Jedediah Smith  National Park, where we were given an entry permit to drive through and see the huge trees near the river there. For once in my life, I was speechless, and could only stare in wonder at the beauty around us. Even the fact that it is once again raining, cannot disturb the sense of restful peace that surrounds us here.