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Read carefully about my idea of travels on page two: Duif's Travel Page.
The main translator is Phons Westerwoudt see his pic in the Canadian travel Report.
The finishing touch is by Leo Westerwoudt
London - Canada
The great pleasure in life is to do things
that people say you cannot do.
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Duif's Travel tp Canada
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U.S.A.
Our journey to the United States of America: an introduction first.
Due to the impact of it all I find it actually rather hard to summarize the holiday of our lifetime in so many words, so this report should not be regarded as a word for word statement, but see it as a travellers impression.
What I am trying to bring across is an image of America, the way it presented itself to me. Some issues are no tales resembling a bed of roses, but a recording of the way I experienced it.
The visit to the USA I actually regard as an eyeopener.
It’s about the items the numerous American television-shows don’t show, or certain facts of life in the US that are simply ignored.
The first State we visited was California.
A few particulars about California:
In 1864 California was recognized as an American State. It was purchased for 10 million dollars when Mexico became independant in 1821. However, an American-Mexican war was a preceding necessity.
The coastal Road 101 is also known as El Camino Royal. Clearly omnipresent is the Spanish influence.
Especially a Father Junipero Serra (1713-1784) is easy to follow by the tracks he left behind by generating a great number of missions.
California’s population amounts to 32 million people.
Over the period of 1843-1910, the region experienced the Goldrush, which gave California it’s name of “Golden State”.
Now California is the State which supplies 53 % of the agricultural want of the US: potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, and all kinds of fruit. California is extremely concerned with fruit-imports, an anxiety based on the dangers of contamination which foreign insects could bring about. This became quite evident by thorough Custom-checks on the airport.
Furthermore the Western Bonanza travelling-scheme should be mentioned. This narrative is best read in combination with the 1300 pictures, picture-postcards, maps, and the enthousiastic stories told by Ank and Roland.
Day 1: Hollywood - Malibu - Ventura (Monday July 29th 1996)
We started the day off by visiting Hollywood, the worlds Capital of the film industry.
Los Angeles:
A citytour was the first of our explorations.
We visited a Spanish suburb. Judging by the appearance and style of the buildings it was quite obvious the Spanish had left their mark here. A number of missions were present.
We then drove along Hollywood and paid a visit to the Walk of Fame.
Ank took pictures of Sophia Loren, and so did I of Charles Bronson.
One really has to be famous and possess vast amounts of money to be considered for this kind of recognition. (Personally the possession of the vast amount of money would suffice me quite well, thank you, if it were to cover a couple of thousand US $). Deze laatste zin moet je even goed bekijken Roland, het was me niet geheel duidelijk wat je precies bedoelde!
From there to Santa Monica where we enjoyed our first ”American” meal in what’s known as a Mall. It was chock-full with little shops and restaurants: Spanish, Mexican, Turkish or whatever you’d fancy. We went for the Chinese meal and enjoyed every bit of it.
Then up to the Pier and the beach. The Pier was quite crowded with all sorts of entertainment attractions, but the beach itself was deserted as you can see by the (original) pictures. Maïko said it was very busy, a statement which made it quite clear he was far from familiar with the usual crowd on the boulevard of Scheveningen.
What a shame we could only spend a couple of hours in Santa Monica, we could easily have spent a full day there. Like many of the events we’ve seen, once we’ll be travelling on our own we’re intending to enjoy these things at a more leisurely pace.
Pay a visit to the Walk of Fame and position yourself in the footsteps of your favourite filmstar at the Mann’s Chinese Theatre and try to catch a glimpse of the lifestyle of of the Rich & Famous in Beverly Hills. We leave Hollywood behind us and head for the blue Pacific. Coastal towns like Venice and Santa Monica used to be connected by the Pacific Electric Railways with Los Angeles, but these days the Highways connect Los Angeles with the coastal towns.
We travel through the beachresort Santa Monica where you can see the Pier, and continue along Pacific Palisades which has grown together with Santa Monica.
We travel along the Pacific Coast Highway and drive through Malibu, where you see the beach and the country-estates belonging to the Californian élite.
Late in the afternoon we reach Ventura.
Day 2 : Ventura Beach - Santa Barbara - Pacific Coast Highway - Monterey/Carmel (Tuesday July 30th )
We start the day off with a short drive to the lovely town of Santa Barbara. The Californian ”Cannes on the Pacific” is situated between the channel islands and the Santa Ynez mountain Ridge. The enormous variety of ornamental trees, the red roofing tiles, and the white walls give the town a flair which you could find at the Mediterranean, and which makes this town unique in comparison with other towns along the Californian coast. We follow the road to San Luis Obispo, situated more inland, and we then head in the direction of the Pacific again, towards Morro Bay. You can see Hearts Castle on the Pacific Coast Highway, heading for Big Sur. We visit picturesque Carmel, a community of artists, right on the shore. The inhabitants have maintained the old charm and atmosphere succesfully.
The town is known as well for the Mission San Carlos de Boromeo, the last resting place of Junipero Serra, the founder of many Spanish missions along the Californina coast.
We head for Monterey Peninsula ( the Peninsula of Monterey) one of the most picturesque areas of California. Pay a visit to Monterey’s historic Cannery Row. The street still recalls memories of times long gone, when the large canneries still processed large hauls of sardines, caught in Monterey Bay.
John Steinbeck describes this period in his books ”Cannery Row” and ”Sweet Thursday”.
Day 3 : Monterey/Carmel - Yosemite National Park ( Wednesday July 31st)
We are traveling inland through the Salinas Valley, the most fertile acreage which formed the background for Steinbeck’s ”East of Eden”. We leave the coastal mountain range and enter the extensive central valley which goes on for miles on end. Initially this area was inhibited by the ”49-ers”, the gold-seekers who planned to get rich during the gold-fever.
We leave Napa Valley and head for the San Francisco Bay area. We make a stop in Sausolito where you can enjoy a terrific view of San Francisco, the city at the bay. Sausolito is a place where artists get together and is therefore a mixture of Bohemian and naval influences. We cross the Golden Gate Bridge, which is prabably the most famous bridge in North America, and arrive in San Francisco. The Californian goldfever in 1840 turned this sleepy town into an important port, named ”Babylon at the Pacific”. The flair of this large city and the breathtaking view across the bay draw visitors from all over the world. San Francisco is one of the most popular holiday-destinations amongst American and foreign tourists.
Day 6 : San Francisco (Saturday August 3rd)
San Francisco :
This city really is an exiting and stimulating, vibrant place, whose population has great civic pride in their “City by the Bay”. Fishermens Wharf , China Town are just some examples of parts, bubbling over with life.
The design of this town is conveniently arranged, and may be explored on foot, although the considerable differences in height can be quite a strain on ones calf muscles.
There are of course always the street cars.
Union Square is quite a stylish shoppingcentre.
Besides skyscrapers you also see many beautiful Victorian properties.
And don’t forget The Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.
Personally I find this city not so decadent as Las Vegas or Los Angeles. People enjoy the streetlife, many musicians and other artists.
And one enjoys other simple naive happenings:
Like the man who hid himself behind some newly cut branches on the sidewalk. Unsuspecting passers-by were quite taken aback as the branches suddely started to stir, and the man shot up from between the branches, like a Jack in the box.
On the other side of the street a crowd of people amused themselves with this ever-recurring scene.
Day 7 : San Francisco - Sacramento - Lake Tahoe - Virginia City - Reno ( Sunday August 5th)
Crossing the bay once more via the Oakland bridge, we set out for Sacramento, the capital of California. John Marshall - a foreman on the vast estate of John August Sutter - found gold in the American River on January 24th 1848.
Despite the attempts to keep the discovery secret, the news spread itself rapidly. The goldfever attracted thousands of golddiggers, who started up all sorts of small settlements, causing the area to change completely in a relatively short span of time.
Paid a visit to Old Town, which used to be the Pony Express’ terminus’ and admired the recently restored 19th-century Beaux Art style Capitol Building. We set out for Lake Tahoe, one of the most beautiful lakes in the United States, hidden as it were right in the middle of the Sierra Nevada. Lake Tahoe is on the border between California and Nevada.
Virginia City once used to be the lively industrious centre of the silvermines.
Early that night we arrive in Reno, known as ”The biggest little city in the world.”
Day 8 : Reno - Elko - Twin Falls (Monday August 6th)
Today’s trip brings us through the Black Rock Desert, and through the wormwood covered Plain in North Nevada. Once thiswas an important route, used by the early pioneers travelling to the west. During this trip we came to understand why the pioneers detested this part of the journey. The monotonous, dry landscape without any sign of human life seems endless. It’s here where you’ll experience the immens vastness of this country once named the Great American Desert. We enter the State of Idaho at Jackpot, and travel on to Twin Falls in south-central Idaho.
Day 9 : Twin Falls - Craters of the moon - Yellowstone( Tuesday August 7th)
We travel through the lava-covered plains of Snake River Country. All along the river irrigationwater is being used in an effort to turn the barren land into fertile fields.
The largest part of the total U.S. potatocrop is produced in this region. Some parts of the lava fields have never been touched, a reminder of the power of Mother Earth. One of these parts is known as the ’Craters of the Moon’. The National Park consists of a bizarre landscape which was volcanically active up to 2000 years ago. This territory looks so alien, it was chosen to train Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin for their historic moonwalks.
We travel through the wide open plains under the endless sky to the first National Park of America, founded in 1872. Yellowstone is a bizarre fairy-tale land which had remained unknown to the white explorers, until John Colter discovered it in 1807. The Indians in the area however, had known the area for hundreds of years. They utilised the volcanic glass - found in the North-Eastern parts of the Park - to produce spearheads for their arrows.
Day 10: Yellowstone National Park (Wednesday August 8th )
All day is spend to discover the marvels of Yelloswstone.
The thundering water of the Yellowstone Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, this territory was named after the yellowy rocks of this Canyon.
The geysers.
The mud pools.
The gas springs.
The bisons, elks and bears.
The redwoods (sequoya-trees)
In the open country we have seen herds of bison, deer, elk, squirrels, chipmunks, redwoods, Indian paintbrush flowers, all sorts of cacti and Joshua trees.
Day 11 : Yellowstone - Grand Teton National Park - Jackson - Salt Lake City (Thursday
August 9th)
Leaving Yellowstone and going South, we meet with another natural climax: Grand Teton National Park, named after the mountain-ridge situated at right angles to the valley.
Towards midday we arrive in the city of Jackson, where clearly an effort is being made to keep the spirit of The West alive. Along the Snake River the road brings us to the south, where Idaho, Wyoming and Utah meet. We cross the last mountains of the Rockies and we find ourselves in in the valley of the Great Salt Lake. The Mormon-leader Brigham Young led a group of pioneers through this area to escape pursuit in Illinois. When he laid his eyes on this valley he spread his arms and declared: ”This is the place”.
Shortly after this event on July 24th 1847 modern facilities for their community were build at the foot of the Wasatch Mountain Ridge, and Salt Lake became the centre.
Salt Lake City .
This Mormon-city, pre-dominantly an ecclesiastical city, is the World Headquarters of the LDS (Latter Day Saints) Church and as a matter of fact we paid a visit to the Main Temple.
My resentment of every form of religion was not affected by it in any way.
What strikes me is the amazing incapacity of these people to answer critical questions.
We were being coached by Sister Dijkwel, a Dutch acolyte who carried out the work for the Lord completely free of charge.
I asked her: “Do any Mormons hold positions in the military?”
”Yes” she answered, ”very many”.
“Isn’t that contradicting the Commandmend ‘Thou shalt not kill’?”
”Oh” was her answer, ”That’s a tricky question”, to which I replied ” No, it’s just a simple question, I merely want to know how you people deal with this sort of thing”.
This was followed by a muddled story, completely evading the issue, so I left it at that because the Sister had a hard enough time answering my questions.
Ank admonished me not to give the poor thing such a hard time, to which I answered: “Why on earth not, after all she herself invited us to ask every question that would pop up in our minds”.
So I asked the Sister: ”In the beginning the Mormons often committed polygamy, your founder Joseph Smith used to have 50 women, why was that so in those days and why not any more today”?
The Sister was rescued by someone in the group who uttered some assumptions, which were a lot of nonsense to me anyway.
Where and How were the Golden Plates found, and how can you be so sure all this is not phony? It was then she started to answer different questions from another tourist.
What I experience in so many religions is, they all contain too many fairy tales!
We stood in front of an enormous pillar, on top of which a large golden ball was situated, encircled by countless sea-gulls.
The explanation?
After a great deal of wandering the Mormons had arrived in Salt Lake, and farmed the land, which in turn presented them with an abundance of produce. But a swarm of locusts threatened the harvest. The Mormon leaders gathered in prayer, and God send them a swarm of starlings, eating the locust. Hence this monument.
This very moment a dozen questions popped up in my mind, but I decided I might as well keep quiet.
The temple was very ’american’, with many gigantic, pompous wallpaintings of life in Paradise, in front of which were figures hewn out of marble, of a man and a woman holding one another ’chastely and heavenly’.
The temple itself I considered an acoustic marvel. A pin dropped on the pulpit could clearly be heard in the rear of the church, a paper torn in two was te be heard in every corner of the temple. A microphone for speech was completely unnecessary!
At night Ank and I found ourselves in that temple again, while a rehearsel was being held featuring the Tabernacle Choir.
We thoroughly enjoyed that magnificent singing.
What I enjoyed was not the religious content of the concert, but the fantastic sound of the human voices.
Day 12 : Salt Lake City - Bryce Canyon National Park( Friday August 10th)
After leaving Salt Lake City we headed for the southerly part of the Wasatch Moutain Ridge. We passed through Provo, where the Brigham Young University is located, which is the largest private university in the country, then continued through the fertile valleys of Central Utah to Red Rock Country in South Utah.
Next, we arrived at the Colorado Plateau, extending all the way to Arizona and New Mexico. This area holds more geologic miracles in comparison to any other chosen territory in America, possibly even in the whole world. The combined power of water and ice has created a complex landscape of rocky pillars in strange shapes and measures. The rocky formations are known as the Hooddoos, which create a labyrinth of ever changing shapes and colours ranging from orange to a lightish pink and ochre.
Day 13 Kanab - Lake Powell - Grand Canyyon National Park (Saturday August 11th)
Today we continue our voyage of discovery on the Colorado Plateau.
After we pass through the small town of Kanab, which is a popular location for the filming of Westerns, Ank and I boarded a plane and fly across the Grand Canyon and Colorado River.
Day 14 : Grand Canyon - Hooverdam - Las Vegas (Sunday August 12th)
We leave the Grand Canyon behind us and cross the Colorado River via the Hoover Dam. This dam was the first of a number of large dams, built to produce power. The dam has been named after Herbert Hoover who actually took part in the development, first as an engineer, after that as the State Secretary of Commercial Business. During his term in Office the project was started at last.
Las Vegas
The city of Las Vegas was founded as an agricultural society. It was almost abandoned, but started to revive when the State of Nevada passed legislation in the thirties, legalising gambling. The casino’s try to lure the tourists with magnificent exhibitions and shows. If you enter the city during the day it is a dull, colourless, uninteresting city. This completely changes however when dusk takes over at night: millions of lights flare up and after five minutes our eyes are tired of the glare of all the neon lights, the electric signs etc.
In every hotel you find a casino. We were in the Hilton with a capacity of 5000 beds, which is merely classified as of medium size.
Every hotel has its own theme: Egypt, The Far West, Circus, Treasure Island, Mirage, Ceasars Place. They all try to outdo oneanother and there seems to be no end to their phoney make believe world of gawdy glitz and glitter.
One moment you wander around in a palmtree-garden, full of pompous obelisks, sphinxes and other Egypt statues, the next you push your way through a jungle of real plants (Burgers Bush in Arnhem pales in comparison to this), and a little later you actually partake in a seabattle between old life-size sea-going vessels, or you find yourself roaming the forum of the old city of Rome, complete with everything present that originally must have been there. Once you’re inside, you haven’t got a clue as to what’s going on outside. Setting out to explore Las Vegas, Ank thought she might need a sweater. Don’t, was my advice. And just as well it seemed, when a scorching hot desertwind dried us up within 15 minutes. We had to visit a Casino to quench our thirst.
The gambling there went on for 24 hours a day, millions of dollars are run through every day. I never touched it.
On the one hand I haven’t got a clue as to how all these games like baccarat, chemin de fer, poker, and the omnipresent one-armed bandits are being run, on the other hand it’s the gambling-fever and the greed I take a thorough dislike to.
The only game I could get the hang of, was black-jack (our game of twenty-one), but the minimum stake was US $ 5.-
Sometimes I had a chat with some players, and my conclusion was that the machine always won in the long run. Something they readily admitted.
’So why do it? Buy yourself a good computer with all these games, and you’ve got just as much pleasure’.
’No’, that was different, ’Las Vegas was amusement and they had set themselves a limit of how much they’d gamble’.
Then I said in observation: ’But you’re well over that limit already’. ’Oh yes’ they said, ’but We’ll win it back’ ………pretty sad and sick to see people so addicted!
The Hooverdam generates power for 6 states. From these 6 states the Las Vegas consumption amounts to 50%.
Personally I consider this a bloody shame, but who am I to judge.
What shocked me more than anything else was the great number of people without a roof over their head, the drunks, the beggars, the jobless.
Day 15 : Las Vegas - Calico Ghost Town - Los Angeles (Monday August 13th)
Via the Mojave we leave Las Vegas.
The desert with it’s breathtaking beauty! For ages this land was below sea-level. A myth destroyed: in a number of Western movies, desert-travellers were led to believe they could save themselves by cutting open cacti and drink the water these contain and so escape dying of thirst…………
Paid a visit to the ghost-town Calico, a silvermine-town which experienced a revival in the years 1860, and almost died out in the 1890’s. In the 1950’s parts of the town were restored by Walter Knott.
Since then Calico has become a tourist attraction. West of Calico we find Bartstow, a junction where many highways meet.
We leave the Mojave-desert via the San Bernardo mountain Ridge, and descend into the valley and return to Los Angeles.
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Ank and I left June 28th for America with a regular K.L.M.-flight.
The start of our trip was not very promising.
A failing Impala shuttle service.
The taxi was scheduled to pick us up at 08:30 A.M.
08:40 No sign of the taxi, so we called down and were told: ”Sir, the taxi is on its way”.
08:50 we called again: ”Sir, it’s two blocks away from you”.
09:00 ”We don’t understand it either”.
09:01 ”We’ll call ’Midtaxi’ for you”.
On arriving at Schiphol Airport I gave Impala a call to ask them what had actually happened.
”Sir I just took over the telephone-shift”.
We didn’t buy much in the taxfree shop, just some cigarette-tobacco and some computer-magazines.
After a half-hour delay (10:10) due to the busy air-traffic over the North Sea, we finally took off.
Once airborne, after another half hour we had to return as one of the engines broke down.
A rather time-consuming operation followed getting rid of thousands of gallons of kerosine which had to be dumped into the North Sea, to loose the necessary weight for a safe landing.
A following check-up revealed the cause of all this: an attempted stowaway by a bird who - for obvious reasons - did not survive .
At 3 p.m. we took off again and this time we had an uneventful journey to Los Angeles where we touched down at 4:30 PM local time. (Dutch time 03:00 A.M.)
One of the countless shuttle-buses took us to the Marriot Hotel, a classy place with a staff that will tend to your every need. Being extremely tired we didn’t feel very much like getting into any activities, and so we went to sleep at 11:00 P.M.
Monday July 29th
We were introduced to our travel guide Maïko and driver Jeff.
Maiko Davidsz, a Dutch-Indian man who lives and workes in the States since his eightteenth birthday.
Nothing but praise about Maiko. He was an extremely kind and friendly guy, and quite good at his job, that of a travel-guide. We really owe him quite a lot for making the trip so successful.
Both these guys really turned out to be pleasant people and real good at their jobs.
Take for instance the routine concerning loading the suitcases, we only had to put these near the doors, and the touroperator made sure the cases went where they should go.
From Santa Monica we drove to Solvang.
Solvang is a place originally founded by Danish immigrants. You’d actually imagine to be in Denmark.
As far as ”the sights of a town” were concerned we considered it likewise to Volendam and Marken.
Here we bought some typical american items like a baseball-glove, a bat, and some balls.
Morro Bay
The only outstanding feature was an enormous rock in the ocean, surrounded by strings of fog. (Look at the photo’s and picture-postcard).
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Just a few note’s:
The food
In Holland I sometimes (sneakingly) enjoy Mac Donalds fastfood, but this trip definitely cured me. I didn’t care at all for the whole ambiance such as the plastic cutlery, the cardboard plates and cups, and everything wrapped up in paper…which you also find in some of the more fancy places..
They do not have what one could call a culture, an atmosphere including some dedication towards the feast and favour if you like of the enjoyment, respect and thankfulness which ought to surround the simple ceremony of consuming food. It’s the same all over the place: snap, bite, swallow and go. Even in a more expensive establishment, if you take more than three quarters of an hour to enjoy your meal they stare at you so much as to say: ’ this isn’t normal what these foreigners do, taking their time to really enjoy their meal and make a celebration out of it’, it’s outrageous, that’s what it is’.
Apart from this I personally consider it completely ridiculous whereever you enter a place some notice tells you ”Wait to be seated”. After 20 minutes you are shown your table and you could order. However, don’t make the mistake of ordering you salad as well, because you’re expected to eat your salad first, and only then the other items you have ordered will be served.
The understanding of the word ”culture” as Europe is furbished with this notion, doesn’t actually exist. The oldest building has a history of 150 years, and what it represents usually suggests strong links to European descent.
What annoyed me was the shameless exploitation of the Indian culture, especially bearing in mind they did everything possible to eradicate these native people almost completely.
Creditcards
The adopted creditcardsystem in the U.S.A. fosters outrageous overspending for most Americans. Every month again they have to pay interest over their excessive expenses, and living in te U.S.A. makes it almost impossible to escape from this system: it’s just impossible to purchase a car or a home if you don’t have a creditcard. Even if you put the money in cash, physically, in front of the vendor, they’re still not prepared to do business with you (so I was told at least by our travel-guide).
Mentality
What struck me all over America, wherever you came, be it a hotel, a restaurant, a shop, or at a personal meeting, you were always cordially greeted with ”how are you?”, ”are you fine?”, ”have a nice day”, ”you are welcome”…..personally I don’t believe in this ’whipped up’ friendliness…..I think, would I have answered with ”I feel lousy, can you help me?”, they’d been panickstricken.
In Europe I always hated the scene in which a bus full of Japanese tourists stops somewhere, then the people get off the bus chatting away like mad, the camera’s go click, click, click, and off they go again to the next stop. We now were left to this fate ourselves……
This way of travelling has its advantages as well as its disadvantages.
Of course it was quite hot outside. On average 86°, with peaks of 108° or in some States up to 110°, not what you’d call comfortable after getting out of the airconditioned bus.
Discipline in traffic
One thing which strikes anyone visiting America, is their behaviour in traffic, which is really quite disciplined. Not too many will exceed the speedlimits, and as far as I was able to observe during our 4000 miles long journey, everyone stuck to the rules pretty much. For pedestrians who want to cross the street, everyone stops, and they all wave them safely across.
Personally I think this is the result of an early introduction of Americans to the motorized traffic, combined with an intensive control by police (I noticed quite a number of unmarked police-cars), technical checks by radar and helicopters, and above all the immediate threat of being sued at the slightest mishap. And the lawyers whose services are subsequently enlisted, they really can sue your pants off! If this occurs too often in the views of an insurance-company, your policy is cancelled by them quicksmartly.
I believe life is governed by the allmighty dollar: if you’re involved in an accident the very first question asked is whether or not you’re insured, and if you are not, or there is just the slightest doubt, you’re just not given any assistance.
It’s well known the cost of hospital-treatment in the Netherlands is certainly high, but the States exceeds us by a factor 3 to 4.
America is a beautiful country if you’re young and healthy and if you have a good job, meaning you’ve got money to spend, but woe to the man who gets himself into financial problems, no matter what the cause…the system is hard and merciless……
The absolute free capitalist market can make you very rich indeed, but if things don’t work out, you may be reduced to beggary.
Religion
I also noticed religion to be quite an issue in America, with some people even being inclined to obsession, especially the Christian religion and its derivations. One is constantly confronted with all sorts of manifestations regarding religious issues.
On the other hand this attitude also promotes hypocrisy.
Mentality
Issues like homosexuality, abortion, euthanasia, etc. are just not up for discussion. As far as this is concerned San Fransisco is quite the exeption. Here, homosexuals and lesbians can freely live the way they want to live. However - looking at Holland where the situation of an officially married couple of homosexuals does not even raise any eyebrows - over there such a situation would be completely unthinkable.
Homosexuality does not appeal to me at all, but if people are disposed that way, so what? As long as they don’t force their way of life to others, it’s fine with me.
Nature
What really got us enthusiastic is the great variety of nature and it’s phenomenal beauty.
Teachers
They have holidays amounting to periods of three months, but during these times they are not paid. Teachers often moonlight over the holiday period.
Truckersrestaurants
There are a lot of “truck stops”, “diners” or “rest stops” along the major highways and “Interstates”. Usually good and inexpensive food and drinks.
Mobile homes
A great rage.
Bus tickets
Changing buses to transfer hardly exists, it usually means purchasing a new ticket.
In hotels or souvenirshops day-tickets are for sale for $ 6,40.-
Ghost town
Discussion with an actor.
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Special Links to Special People!
You are Visitor #: 
Close to midday we arrive at the foot of the Sierra Nevada hills, the massive mountain-range, forming the backbone of California. We have arrived at the magnificent Yosemite Valley. Massive granite cliffs tower thousands of feet above a tranquil plain, where forests and meadows are the habitat of deer, coyotes, squirrels and various species of birds.
Take your time to discover the water-falls, rivers, smells, and history of Yosemite.
Day 4 : Yosemite National Park - San Joaquin Valley - Napa Valley ( Thursday August 1st)
We leave the valley which was worn out by the ice in ancient times. We travel through the orchards where oranges, peaches, grapefruits, prunes and nectarines are grown. We drive through the tomatoes- and asparagus-fields for miles and miles. We travel north through the riverdelta of the central valley which extends all the way to the bay of San Francisco. North of this delta we get to the Napa Valley. Vinegrower pioneers like Jean Lois Vignes en Agoston Haraszti discovered the area around 1860. Since that time grapes are grown here, and the wine is exported all over the world. Many of the 160 vineyards compete for international prizes.
Day 5 : Napa Valley - San Francisco (Friday August 7th )
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