2005 was a huge year for us, travel-wise. In early January we took off for our first family holiday to the U.S.A. and it was the start of a love affair (with a country) that shows no signs of ending for Neil and I.
First visit to Disneyland!
On that trip we trod the well-worn path taken by many Australians to the West Coast of the USA – Disneyland, Hollywood, San Francisco and Las Vegas. It was a dream come true for me to visit Disneyland, it had been one of those “One day” things for me for a long time. And driving across the iconic Golden Gate bridge was definitely one of those “pinch-me-I’m-dreaming” occasions. This was the first time that Neil had to drive on the wrong side of the road and he took to it like a duck to water….other than a small glitch at Pismo Beach he had no problems with the switch.
In fact, driving in the USA was an unexpected highlight for Neil. We were both blown away by the amazing roads, not just the spectacular freeways and interchanges but also the fantastic roads that snaked across the desert and over the mountains between Nevada and California.
Whilst in San Francisco we took an organised day tour west to Yosemite National Park. The weather was appalling when we set off, grey and wet but as we climbed into the mountains the snow began to fall and we saw the incredible Yosemite Valley under a dusting of white. What an eye-opener that day was! Like many Australians, we had tended to think of the USA in terms of its cities, but that day we were introduced to the fact that the REAL treasure of the USA is it’s incredible scenery and wilderness.
When we came home we knew that we would be going back but it was three years before we headed back across the Pacific. In 2008 we took the next big leap and finally made it to the East Coast. I still count that trip as one of the best we have ever done. It was a “Three Corners” journey – the first corner was a stretch spent in the northeast – New York, Washington DC, Boston, Niagara Falls and a drive up into New Hampshire to see the spectacular Fall foliage.
New Hampshire in the Fall
It was a thrill for me to revisit the little town on Long Island NY where I had lived as a very small child. Dad had taken a position at
Brookhaven laboratories for 2 years and we lived in the cute little town of Bellport – what an adventure that must have been for Mum and Dad as young parents!
After Niagara, we flew south to Florida and had a wonderful week at Walt Disney World in Orlando – the South-East corner. Well, Liam and I had a wonderful week. Neil just went along for the ride…(he won’t admit it, but I’m sure he had a lot of fun too!) Disney World is an incredible place – 43 square miles totally devoted to fun and every inch of it beautifully landscaped and themed to match Walt Disney’s idea of a Magic Kingdom. I absolutely loved it!
Bryce Canyon at Dawn
After riding our last ride we headed back across the country to the third corner of the trip – the Southwest. We had a fantastic driving tour from Las Vegas, taking in several great American National Parks – Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Grand Canyon and Joshua Tree – as well as a visit to the spectacular landscape of Monument Valley. Neil and I were both surprised at how much we loved the desert landscapes of the American southwest, I know that it was a shock to me to discover that I thought the desert was just as striking and beautiful as the green and mountain-ringed valleys of Yosemite. The Southwest had taken a hold on us and would continue to draw us back…in fact we were back in only 12 months!
In 2009 we hadn’t really planned to take another big trip but that year saw the entry of Virgin Australia into the airline market and they offered such incredible deals on their first flights to the USA that we just couldn’t resist. We can only dream now of paying $800 for a SYD-LAX airfare!
For this trip we decided to further pursue our love affair with the American West and the National Parks – we started out at the grand old dame of the parks, Yellowstone and drove from there across Montana and Wyoming to see that other great American icon, Mount Rushmore. When you look up at those massive granite faces, you really KNOW you are in the USA. After a short flight to Denver we drove up over the Rockies back to our beloved Southwest and stayed at Moab so that we could visit two more great desert National Parks – Arches and Canyonlands. A boat trip down the mighty Colorado River was a definite highlight and Neil enjoyed putting another mammoth SUV through its paces on the interstates.
Before we came home we finished the trip with a second visit to the gorgeous Yosemite National Park and also to Sequoia National Park to see the largest living things on the planet – those trees are huge!!!
Some people would have had enough of the USA by then…but not us! In fact our travels had just spawned a long term plan – to ultimately visit all 50 states in the Union and as many of the National Parks as possible. Our next trip to the USA was the first to be done with “The Grand Bucket List Plan” in mind…but I’ll keep it for another post.
Before we came home we finished the trip with a second visit to the gorgeous Yosemite National Park and also to Sequoia National Park to see the largest living things on the planet – those trees are huge!!!