USA 2006
Glenn's USA road trip Journal 2006:
So I went on holiday on my own to the U.S. Based partially on Grand Theft Auto San Andreas and various road trip movies it was a bit like life imitating art at times...
Nov 1st:
Left Leeds at silly O'Clock in the morning to drive to Heathrow to get a non-stop flight to LA. Heathrow is hell. I sat next to a British director on the flight. Cleared customs and picked up car. Got lost in central LA for 2 and half hours. Got to the hotel almost 24 hours after I left Leeds.
Nov 2nd: Universal Studios:
Missed courteousy bus to Universal Studios so had to wait by pool in 70 degree sun for next one. Did tour, went on lots of rides at Universal Studios. Well cheesy but fun.
Click on the thumbnail image for a larger one!!
 Universal
Studios entrance. |
 View
of movie lot. |
 They
blow stuff up on the studio tour. |
 Universal
City mall. |
Nov 3rd: Hollywood:
Got Metro tube to Hollywood Blvd. This street is really run down. Went to Hollywood and Highland mall and to Hooters for lunch. Went on Star Tours bus trip round Sunset strip and Beverly Hills. Met a Chelsea fan from London and went to Rosevelt Hotel where 1st Oscars were held for beers with him. Went back to Hotel via Universal City Walk Mall.
 The
Hollywood sign from the Hollwood and Highland mall. |
 The
Mann Theatre. |
 Hollywood
Blvd. from the top of the Kodac theatre! |
 A
star. |
 Christina
Aguilera house! |
Nov 4th: Palm Springs:
Amazing 2 hour drive to Palm Springs. 85 degrees today. Hotel changed and upgraded. Wandering around town it appears I've arrived in the middle of a Gay Pride event. Drink in "English" pub and have Mexican for tea. Chill out rest of evening.
 Palm
Springs from my hotel balcony. |
 Palm
Springs from my hotel balcony. |
 View
of the hotel from the "English" pub opposite. It's
90 degrees. |
 Palm
Springs. It's hilly. |
Nov 5th: Palm Springs:
There was a Gay Pride parade outside my Hotel for 3 hours. 90 degrees today. Went up a cable car 8000 feet up a mountain which is part of North American plate, overlooking 30 miles of desert floor including Palm Springs with the mountains of the Pacific plate beyond the San Andreas fault line. Amazing.
 Gay
Pride parade. Real life Gay cowboys! |
 A
glitterball disco car. |
 ??! |
 Cable
car up a mountain in palm Springs. |
 Palm
Springs 8000 feet below. |
 Palm
Springs. |
 Wind
farms and freeway. |
 The
rental car I drove around lots. |
Nov 6th: Lake Havasu:
Drove from Palm Springs on Interstate 10 past the Joshua Tree national park between the Mohave and Colorado deserts. A truly alien, desolate landscape. Arrive at Lake Havasu city and looked round London Bridge (brought over brick by brick by a rich Texan) and the "authentic" English village. Weird.
 Lake
Havasu from hotel car park. |
 London
Bridge . |
 London
Bridge with helpful sign. |
 An
authentic English Village. All the shops were shut. Authentic. |
Nov 7th: Grand Canyon:
Interstate 40 to Grand Canyon. Helicopter ride around Canyon. Drove through the woods to a car park and walked along edge of canyon.
 A
Helicopter. |
 The
Helicopter approaching a large hole. |
 It's
a very big hole. |
 The
Colarado river, responsible for all that damage. |
 Over
a 1 mile straight down. |
 It is a long way down. |
 Viewing
station at the "rim". |
 It
really is a long way down... |
Nov 8th: Las Vegas:
Highway 64, Interstate 40 and Interstate 64 across Mohave from the Grand Canyon. Across Hoover Dam past Lake Mead to Las Vegas. Staying at Excalibur; a King Arthur themed Hotel. Walked up the "Strip" (main road). Went to M & M World and into several hotels and bars. And the Democrats won the Midterm elections. Yayy!!
 The
Hoover dam. |
 My
Hotel. Slightly understated and subtle for my tastes... |
 New
York New York. Notice the rollercoaster... |
 Caesars
Palace... |
 Paris.
Ooh la la. |
 The
"Strip" at dusk. |
Nov 9th: Las Vegas:
Lie in. Walked rest of the Strip. Went in 5 malls: Bellagio, Venetian, Fashion Mall, Caesars Palace, Mandalay Bay/ Luxor. Went on a Monorail. Went to various bars then to a Burlesque night but got pissed off with music and punters and left before girls came on!!
 The
classy Monte Carlo Hotel... |
 Turning
round from the previous shot you get the sleaze!! yayy!! |
 Bellagio...
a 200 foot fountain explodes from the lake every hour. |
 The
Venetian Hotel and mall. |
 Inside
the Venetian and the shops and canals. The Venetian canals didn't
smell of sewage. Not very authentic. |
 The
gondaliers sing. Badly. |
 Michael
Jackson shopped here. The most expensive tat on the planet. |
 Treasure
Island. |
 The
far end of the strip. |
 Inside
the Caesars Palace mall. Subtle. |
 The
church of Newcaste Brown. Amen. |
Nov 10th: Las Vegas:
Chill out day. Pottering between my hotel and the Luxor pyramid, including sitting by pool. Went to a topless show in the evening.
 Luxor
Hotel and Casino. |
 Inside
Luxor. |
 The
rooms in the pyramid, it's not small in here!! |
 Entrance
to the Luxor casino. |
Nov 11th:
9 hour drive from Las Vegas to Yosemite. Driving through Mohave desert at 70 degrees, then through Orchards and Vineyards in central California and then up very very Winding roads 8000 feet to the top of Yosemite in freezing fog and driving sleet. My Motel was in the Yosemite valley.
Nov 12th: Yosemite:
A sunny but cold day in Yosemite. Drove around Yosemite taking pictures before breakfast. Back to Motel for lunch. Chilled out rest of the day.
 Very
very winding roads!!! |
 Pretty
isn't it? |
 El
Capitan from the Merced river. |
 It
was actually bloody cold up here! |
Nov 13th:
Woke up late. Drive from Yosemite to San Francisco. Detour due to landslide. As soon as on Interstate it rains torrents. Takes 5 hours. It was dark by the time I checked in and went for Italian dinner.
Nov 14th: San Francisco:
San Francisco day. Walked up the hill to California Street to get cable car tram. Got another tram at bottom of hill on the embankment to then get a ferry to Alcatraz. Walked round Alcatraz and got the ferry back. Went to Fisherman's wharf. Saw Sea Lions. Went on WWII submarine. Got Tram back. Walked up and down Market Street. Walked back to Hotel. Thai for tea.
 On
a tram in San Fran. |
 The
Tram. |
 The
Oakland Bay Bridge. I drove over this in the fog. |
 Alcatraz. |
 The
city from Alcatraz. |
 The
Jail. |
 Solitary
confinement. |
 Warden's
house and lighthouse. |
 The
Golden Gate Bridge from the Alcatraz ferry. |
 Sealions.
They stank and made lots of funny noises. |
 A
WW2 Submarine. |
Nov 15th:
Got up checked out of hotel. Drove to San Fran airport. Dropped off hire car, got on plane back to Heathrow. Picked up my own car and drove back to Leeds.
Facts:
I drove 1500 miles around the US in 2 weeks through 3 States and 2 timezones, been in 7 hotels and used 4 tanks of petrol. I'd been in planes, helicopters, trains, cable cars, monorails, buses, trams, ferries, cars and a World War 2 submarine... ??!! Highest temperature was aprox 90 degrees (Palm Springs) lowest was aprox 35 (8000 feet in Yosemite).