Day 1

This morning we returned the RV and picked up a hire car. It was too early to book into our accommodation in West Hollywood so we went for lunch at a nearby bar/restaurant. The meals were huge and delicious, and the boys were given a complimentary 3 foot of fairy floss!! When we were booked in we were “upgraded” to a pool room. It’s kinda cool. We open the doors and take 3 steps and we’re in the pool. Well, the boys are. Terry and I are sitting just to the side of the pool, with a bottle of Californian sav. blanc. This afternoon we walked a few miles to see the stars at the Walk of Fame. We stopped in at Madame Tussaud’s (the photos will make you laugh) and then spent an hour or so in the nearby lolly shop (Sweets, formerly Lollywood). The boys made custom chocolate bars and played on the piano steps. We caught a cab back to the motel and the boys had room service (Terry and I were still full from lunch). They’re now fast asleep, charging their bodies for a big day at Universal Studios tomorrow.

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Day 2
What can I say? Universal Studios. Fun. Much. I hardly took any photos because I was having such a fat time! In the end I had to get some of Riley’s photos to post.

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Day 3

Today we had a sleep in and then piled into the minivan for a trip south to Santa Monica and Malibu. After morning tea on Malibu Beach we met Jomo (another one of Joan’s sons) and Indio (his son who we met when Joan visited last year) for lunch. From there we headed back to Hollywood in search of the prime location to photograph the Hollywood sign and then we went on a pilgrimage, via Beverley Hills, to the Diddy Reise cookies for more food that I didn’t need but felt that I had to eat. The evening was spent battling traffic back to our motel and packing for our flight to Hawaii tomorrow. We’re homeward bound.

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Day 14 (Virgin to Vegas – hehe!)

This morning we headed to Zion National Park and parked the RV. At this time of the year the park is only accessible by shuttle bus…which we soon discovered sucks. You can’t see anything as you’re driving, and the buses were really crowded. We stayed onboard until the end of the gorge and then travelled back, hopping off for a walk here and there. It wasn’t that spectacular, really, but some of the longer hikes would’ve been breathtaking. I think we’ve been gorged, canyoned and springed out. Interestingly we ran into some Aussies (which are reasonably rare over here) and, TERRY KNEW THE GIRL!! What a laugh. Terry said, ‘Hey’. And the girl said, ‘Terry!’. Too funny! From Zion we headed toward Vegas, stopping at a nature refuge for lunch and a quick look at Hoover Dam on the way. We’re now “camped” ON the Vegas strip, about to head out for a late father’s day dinner at Bubba Gump’s and then a 2.6 mile walk along the Vegas strip, stopping here and there to look at fountains, gold nuggets, massive aquariums and other Vegas-type stuff.

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Day 15
We had a nice dinner last night but the service was very slow so it was quite late by the time we started heading back to the RV. We could see the Belagio’s fountains from our table at dinner, but we stopped for a closer look on our way home. Unfortunately we missed the Mirage’s fountain show by a few minutes. The lights were amazing but we were exhausted by the time we got home and enjoyed a big sleep in this morning. Once on the road, we went hunting for the Silverton Casino as it was the one with the giant fish tank and we had failed to find it the night before. Ha! No wonder, it wasn’t anywhere near the strip! It was, however, connected to a massive Bass Pro store and, hours later, the Vallance family exited with several bags of goodies. Sorry Cabela’s, but Bass Pro kicks your butt!! We’re now on the road between Vegas and LA…booooring (except for the majorly cool Ivanpah Solar Power Facility)! Our camp tonight is at Long Beach and we swap the camper for a hire car in the morning.

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 Day 13

Today we spent the morning and a good part of the afternoon exploring the northern rim of the Grand Canyon. Of the 5 million visitors that go to the Grand Canyon every year, only 10% go to the northern rim and it was surprisingly quiet (comparatively speaking). The canyon itself was…well, grand, but I’m starting to think we’re all canyon and gorged out. Needless to say, we’re camped tonight not far from Zion National Park (in a town called Virgin which is kinda ironic given we are in Utah…where pockets of polygamous Mormans still rule the world…apparently). We have to go on a shuttle bus to see the main part of the park tomorrow, private vehicles are not permitted. We drove through part of the park to get to our campsite and it included a $15 fee because our motor home was too big to fit through the access tunnel so they had to shut down the traffic from the other direction so we could drive in the middle of the lanes. Money well spent I say. Tomorrow we’ll have a look at Zion and then head to Vegas, via Hoover Dam. We’ve booked ourselves into an RV park right on the Vegas strip. We’re pretty sure it’s just a bitumen carpark but when in Rome…

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Cozumel

We had no hard and fast plans for our day in Cozumel, other than to sample the sights and smells of this very touristy coastal Mexican town. We headed past shop after shop of people trying to coax us inside with “free gifts”, and into the backstreets of the town. We looked through a food market with meat from a variety of animals hanging in the stalls. We managed to order ourselves some icecreams and home-made lemonade, despite the language barrier, and then eventually wound our back to the tourist strip. The boys got a henna tattoo each and, because they were so tough, had to get photos swigging beer, tattoos on show. We found a little traditional Mexican restaurant and had the yummiest platter of Mexican food before heading back to our cool room on the ship.

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 Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas

This stop was purely for dumb-arse tourists to work on their skin cancers and the last chance for the cruise line to fleece as much money from us as possible. The island is owned by the cruise company so there’s not much on it. Not to say it wasn’t beautiful. We left the crowds of roasters on the beach and hiked to the other end of the island to the lighthouse. We saw black iguanas and these cute little green and yellow dragons. It was a really hot day so, after the lighthouse, we headed back to the beach and found some space in the total crystal clear water. Despite the people, it was gorgeous. Then the boys spent an hour or two sliding down the massive blow up water slide before we headed back to the ship for an afternoon cocktail and swim.

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Onboard photos

These are just a selection of photos taken while on the ship.

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Day 10

What a magic day. The morning was spent at The Arches National Park, and then we drove the short distance and explored Canyonlands National Park. While both parks are amazing, Canyonlands is breathtaking. My legs are telling me we walked as far as we drove today. We waited until later in the day to walk to Aztec Butte, where ancestral Puebloens, clad in their yukka sandals, stored their grain and seed in stone structures sealed with mud. Waaay cool. It was a huge climb but definitely worth it. I have 156 photos to wade through from today and I know NONE of them will do this bit of country justice but it’s all I have to offer. Tomorrow we’re in for a big drive to Bryce Canyon. The days are ticking away!!

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Day 11
Although it was a long drive today, we passed through such an amazing variety of landscapes that every bend and crest revealed something new. From just outside Canyonlands NP, we headed out to the freeway (where I saw, what I presume were, dozens of prairie dogs (no mobile service to check)) and then south until we had just passed Blanding. From there we travelled along the scenic drive, which took us beside White Canyon, and then through Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Capitol Reef National Park, Dixie National Forest, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and to Cannonville, just south-east of Bryce Canyon National Park. The change in the scenery was dramatic and breathtaking and, once again, my photos barely touch on its magnitude, colour, shapes and features. The views from our campsite are amazing but a storm sent us inside early. Tomorrow is Bryce Canyon and then we’ll head to the northern rim of the Grand Canyon.

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Day 12
We had thunderstorms all through the night and into the morning but, by about 8ish it had settled down to regular rain. Being dinky-di North Queenslanders, we were not daunted by the need for flippers, and merrily hit the road on our way to Bryce Canyon National Park. We drove through the park, stopping at lookouts, waiting for the cloud to lift so we could get a glimpse of the view below. The landscape we did see was spectacular and the hoodoos at Inspiration Point were my clear favourite. We also stopped to watch prairie dogs in meadow. They are so cool. After a quick treat of lunch at a diner, we were on the road towards the Grand Canyon, first passing through the beautiful Red Canyon. We’re camped at Jacob Lake, about 40 miles from the northern rim of the Grand Canyon. We’ve had a full range of temperatures today and tonight looks like being a cold one.

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Today was a driving day but we tried to break it up as often as we could, without compromising the miles we needed to do. From Rock Springs we drove through the beautiful Flaming Gorge. We stopped along the way at a roadside turnout to grab some fruit from the kitchen for lunch and decided to do the short walk that we accidently discovered. Talk about magic! The kokanee salmon were thick and travelling upstream. Some were starting to spawn and we watched females defending their male and nests from other females, and both species of fish climbing up the riffles. After that we just drove. The landscape was stunning and my photos don’t do it justice (even the dirty windscreen does nothing to enhance them). We had hoped to get in at The Arches National Park but the campground was full so we’re just down the road of Moab. We’ve planned our Arches NP walks for tomorrow and will camp at Canyon Lands National Park tomorrow night.

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When we woke up this morning the clouds had disappeared and we had clear views of the Grand Teton (or Grand Ping-Pong as Finn calls them). We packed up and headed off on a moose-hunt. We stopped to look at the Teton and lakes from a few vantage points, while scouring the landscape. To no avail. The only moose we saw was the town of Moose. So we left the Teton, shopped at Jackson Hole, and headed towards Utah. We saw a squashed porcupine on the road and lots of pronghorn antelope. The landscape was dry but, as we travelled further south-east, amazing striped hills and other formations appeared. Tonight we’re in a town called Rock Springs and tomorrow we will head down the west side of the Flaming Gorge, towards The Arches in Utah.

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Naked in Seattle

One of the things I think we do well when we travel is mix up our modes of transport. We drag our bags around on planes, trains, buses and into motels for a bit, and then swap to something where we our stuff stays — like the cruise and the motorhome. Staying with friends/family also gives us a “home” for a while, and visiting Suei, Gemma and our little Blue-man has been one of the highlights.

United Airlines lived up to its reputation and lost ALL our luggage and, despite promising to deliver it later that night, it turned up about 26 hours after we did…and only because we made numerous phone calls. It was really extra handy we were staying somewhere where we could sit around in someone else’s clothes while ours washed and dried.

Back to my nephew (and Seattle). That little guy is the happiest, most engaging little man I’ve met and it was pure joy to spend time with him. Suei took us to see the sights and taste the flavours of Seattle. It’s a beautiful city and we toured part of it from a duck, and then looked down on it from the Space Needle. I love the city’s connection with the water and the fringes of houseboats that line the lakes. We also managed a quick trip through the Experience Music Project (EMP), which was fantastic. That night we had the yummiest dinner at Nick and Art’s beautiful home. Talk about a 5-star meal! The next day we were off to see the lock and fish ladder. We were in luck, as the lock was filling with boats so we got to see the whole process which was fascinating. The fish ladder viewing was a first for us too so much excitement there. We also had a brief glimpse of a harbour seal (or a swimming earless dog). The next day was a much-anticipated tour around Microsoft, a drive to pick up our camper, a shopping trip to stock the camper, and another much-anticipated visit…to Cabela’s. That night we packed all our clothes and food into the camper for our roadtrip the next day.

 

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Jamaica mon

We boarded the cruise in Miami after Geronimo and Noah, Joan’s son and grandson, met us at the airport and looked after us for a few hours. The yacht class we were booked into was certainly fancy and we didn’t have to wait in line to board. Our butler took us from the drop off point in the carpark, through customs and to our room. Very spoilt! Our room was fantastic too. Right at the front of the ship with floor to ceiling glass. We had free rein of parts of the ship that weren’t available to others so we never had to fight the crowd for a swim, drink, meal etc. Like last time, we made friends with heaps of the staff and, thankfully, our little bit of Italian was helpful with the restaurant staff on this trip. We also learned a bit of Indonesian as many of the wait staff were from there. Others were from Madagascar and Mauritius.
The first stop on our cruise was Falmouth in Jamaica. Terry has booked a private trip on a gameboat. We left the ship (when we damn well felt like it) and grabbed a car to take us to the boat. The drive was very interesting and the driver told us that many people spend 15+ years building their homes. They start with the first floor, but allow for subsequent floors and extensions in the design. In reality, they all kind of looked half done. We drove through Montego Bay (woo-ooo-ooo-ooo-o-o-o give me Mon, give me Montego Bay – Terry didn’t believe this was actually a song) and onto or boat. Despite the best plans, the fishing was very quiet with only one hit, and the waves were quite big from winds of 15-20 knots. After 4 hours we were pretty happy to return to land. It was a stunning day but the fishing wasn’t the best –- but that’s fishing.

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The Caymans
Our second stop on the cruise was at the Cayman Island, particularly, Grand Cayman. Again, Terry had organised a tour separate to the cruise company so we jumped in a taxi and headed to Camana Bay where we met Richard and his 28 foot long boat, the ‘Flying Scotsman’. We headed out, passing the overcrowded boats filled with others from the cruise. First stop was Stingray Cay where we hopped out of the boat into crystal clear water and were surrounded by Southern Atlantic stingrays. We could handle them and they came up around us for a look. It was amazing. Because we were with our own guide, we were away from the crowds and, after all the other boats turned up, we choofed off to snorkel along North Wall. After that, Richard took us to Starfish Point where we snorkelled in the seagrass for starfish. Next it was around the corner to a private little restaurant at Kaibo where we sat right on the beach and had drinks and lunch. There were no other people there and it was divine! On the trip back, it poured rain so we got nicely rinsed. We saw iguanas in the trees on the way back into the marina which was too cool. We saw more than 6 in one tree alone!

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Hi all. We’ve been in a bit of a wifi void while travelling through Yellowstone and the Grand Teton. Not complaining, just saying. Despite this, I have been very dedicated in my writing and photo editing and below is all the ins and outs of days 3 to 7. I will upload day 8 later “tonight”.

Day 3

Today we were on the road, bright and early (not) and headed from Baker City, across the border (at about Ontario) and into Idaho. The fairly stark landscape continued but, as we moved further east, there were more outcrops, ranges and cuttings, interspersed with pockets of vivid green from irrigated agriculture. There were still no trees in sight, just a bald vista. Tonight we’re at Craters on the Moon National Park which is really interesting. It’s all just volcanic rocks and all the campsites look like multiple mars rovers parked all over the place. The sunset was lovely and showcased a mountain we can see from our camp. Not sure what mountain it is though.

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Day 4

Would you believe it but we actually, FINALLY made it to Yellowstone National Park today?! We started the morning at about 10 degrees Celsius, which didn’t feel nearly that cold until we read it at the information centre. Still, I was in thongs and shorts so it wasn’t THAT bad. We did a 7 mile drive around the Craters of the Moon National Park, taking in the volcanic sites, and a 2 mile walk to the tree moulds. This is where the lava surrounded trees and, as it cooled, made moulds of their shape, complete with bark patterns. Some of the moulds are from trees that are still vertical, others have fallen and the moulds are horizontal. From there, we hit the frog and toad to Yellowstone and, within a few miles of the entrance, we saw a bison. Finding a campsite was tricky because, even though it is late in the season, it is still busy. On the way to our campsite we saw more bison on the plains and another close up dude, causing traffic havoc. We also stopped at Gibbon Falls for a sticky beak. Tonight we are camped with about a gazillion other people at Canyon campground with firm plans to do the northern loop tomorrow. A section of road in the park is closed and is causing us a few hassles but we’ll sort something out over the next day or two.

 

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Day 5
Today we did the northern loop of Yellowstone or, as it’s more widely known, the Mammoth loop. We saw geysers of every size, shape, colour and activity and then spent an hour or so marvelling at the terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs. Wildlife-wise we saw herds of bison, the odd elk and missed 4 bears by 30 minutes. Aaaaahhhh! We did get in trouble from a very unfriendly ranger for moving more than a few metres from our lunch. It was the middle of the day in the middle of a very large town but apparently we were still at risk of a bear stealing our sauvignon blanc. We also saw snow. Yep, snow. In jeans and a t-shirt I went across the road and collected it for the kids. Apparently it rained a few nights ago so it’s likely the snow formed then and hasn’t melted away yet. Anyway, it was a nice surprise.

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Day 6
This morning we started with ice. Riley had left his drink bottle outside and it was nearly frozen through. The camp chairs, bear food boxes, campervan etc all had a coating of ice but we were mostly toasty inside our camper, even without power. We headed off earlier than usual and discovered the cold weather made all the steam vents REALLY obvious. It was magic. We stopped at some for photos and then headed to Old Faithful for a look. Unfortunately the road beyond Old Faithful is closed so we’ve done A LOT of backtracking today. After exploring Old Faithful and its surrounds, we headed back towards Madison, Norris and Canyon Village before exploring some new country, including another look at Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon (from a different angle), on our way to Fishing Bridge where we are camped tonight. Our camp is in the Yellowstone Lake area, which apparently is famous for grizzly bears. You can’t camp here unless you are in a hard-sided vehicle. No bear luck so far but we’ve added a coyote (we think) to our list, and got stuck in a massive bison traffic jam. It took about 20 minutes to get through it. I also really want to see a moose!

 

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Day 7
This morning we washed a mountain of clothes and, while Finn and I were at the laundry, Terry and Riley saw mule deer in the camp. When the washing was done we headed towards the eastern entrance of Yellowstone. We only went some of the way but Finn saw a yellow-bellied marmot and all of us saw RIVER OTTERS!!! The boys got a good look when Finn bailed up a lady with a scope but Terry and I had to be content with distant views. We also saw a coyote, and had to drive around a bison that was ambling along the road. We then turned back and headed down the south entrance (exit?) road, out of the park. Along the way we stopped at Grant Village for a greasy, traditional US lunch. We are now camped in the Great Teton National Park. The Tetons are gorgeous but…they’re like a slice of Switzerland. I think we should’ve come here before heading to Europe! There is still a slight chance of a bear tomorrow, as we head south out of the park and the state, but my main aim is MOOSE! Must see a moose. Moose are a must.

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I’m going to cheat a bit and skip ahead to our road trip. I’m a bit worried about remembering everything on the drive so I’ll write every day, and post when I can. In all my spare time I’ll work on the photos and words for the cruise and Seattle.

Day 1

This morning we said sad goodbyes to Suei, Gemma and little Blue-man and headed south towards Oregon. After skirting the edge of Portland, we travelled along the Historic Columbia River Highway (Highway 30), stopping at waterfalls and lookouts. We did a few walks and ended up less than halfway towards where we’d planned. Typical Vallance-style travelling. Tonight we’re camped on the Columbia River at Eagle Creek campground, watching chipmunks run around us. It’s quite lovely but the highway is between us and the river. I think my sister would call it ‘white noise’.

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Day 2

We had a quick breakfast and said goodbye to the chipmunks with the plan to get a fair way down the road to Yellowstone National Park. But….in true Vallance-style travelling, we got a little bit side tracked. The caretaker at the campground suggested we double back a few miles and look at the Bonneville Dam and fish hatchery. It was AWESOME!! We met Herman the 70+ year-old sturgeon, saw fish in grow out ponds, and watched hundreds of big adult salmon navigate the fish ladder on their way to spawn where they were born…at the hatchery! Riley even had a go at fin clipping a fingerling. We had a great time. So great it was nearly lunchtime before we left. Sigh. Eventually we hustled into the camper and were on the road. Half an hour later we stopped at a gorgeous lookout, surrounded by pear orchards, with views of Mount Hood and Mount Martin (I think) for lunch. Sigh. THEN we were on the road again (Finn keeps singing the words of Willie Nelson’s song but he mostly just makes them up). As we travelled east, the Columbia River Gorge scenery changed dramatically and, as we said goodbye to the river, we entered open plains, dry mountain ranges and I SAW BIGHORN SHEEP. Google them for Oregon. Tonight we are at Baker City (about the size of Atherton City) which was where we were kinda hoping to get yesterday. Ha!

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