Tour of Northern California

Having arrived in Northern California aboard an SUV rented a few days earlier in Los Angeles in the company of three friends as part of a long trip in the U.S.A. We enter California from Nevada near Parhump and we are immediately in Death Valley, one of the most important depressions on the planet since its surface is almost completely below sea level. We take the wrong road around Shoshone and take a secondary path that crosses an area that is not particularly interesting, moreover we don't meet anyone and this makes two of us a bit worried. Even the satellite navigator seems to get lost in this desert since it doesn't signal the road we are traveling on. After almost an hour we find an asphalt road again and a few rare cars that let us understand we are on the right track.

Indeed after a few kilometers we are at Zabriskie Point where we get out to admire a panorama of this endless desert devoid of vegetation, desolate lands alternating with wrinkled ochre-colored reliefs, surfaces crystallized by salt and sand dunes. It is very hot so we get back in the car to use the air conditioning at full blast. We continue along a road that after a few hairpin bends takes us up to a high hill, Dante's View, from which we admire another perspective of Death Valley, we are in fact overlooking Badwater, a lake that the intense heat has caused to evaporate and which in its place has left a large expanse of salt that has crystallized, the sun reflects on it giving it the appearance of an enormous mirror. We continue towards the center of Furnace Creek which we bypass to continue along the road that crosses the Park.

We make a short stop because one of my companions and I want to go see up close a surface crystallized by salt, it is so hot that our cameras go haywire. Back in the car we continue skirting an area of sand dunes very similar to those of the Sahara. We travel through a surreal environment made of stones in the most disparate shades of color then we descend into a depression with dazzling colors that gives a sense of infinity, wherever you look it seems that this immense territory apparently devoid of life never ends. The road climbing back up lets a few timid bushes be glimpsed that manage to survive even these temperatures. It's surprising how from here in a few minutes the landscape changes completely going to the slopes of an alpine chain. Within a few kilometers we see some plants again and in Lone Pine civilization begins again.

In this small town many films have been shot and the reason is easily understandable, in a few kilometers you go from alpine mountains to sand desert, from one of the hottest and most inhospitable territories on earth to snow-capped peaks, in short around Lone Pine cinematography can run wild. In the town some old west buildings have been reconstructed and we enter one of these, very characteristic. Besides having a decent dinner we observe the numerous autographs of Hollywood actors scattered here and there on the wooden walls and beams of the restaurant. There are also photos of movie sets, film posters and typical Far West objects hanging. Refreshed we reach the next town, Bishop, where we will sleep in a Motel.

From Bishop we head towards Yosemite Park. Yesterday afternoon we learned from a couple of Italians we met in Death Valley that the shortest road is closed to traffic due to snow so we will be forced to take a much longer route and then enter from the opposite side. So near Mono Lake instead of turning off towards the Tioga Pass we continue north to the Sonora junction where we get onto the 108, a road that for certain stretches is also interesting with mountain views rich in greenery and streams. Obviously the climb and descent of the Sonora Pass presents a few hairpin bends, the road is long but not monotonous, there is interesting vegetation all around. As we descend on the other side we encounter more and more villages along the road then we reach Sonora which we bypass to get onto the 120. Shortly after we take the turnoff that finally leads us into Yosemite Park.

The road inside the Park has interruptions in many points due to work in progress, you drive with alternating traffic regulated by traffic lights that are very slow. In any case we begin to glimpse interesting panoramas of the mountains that surround us, a long valley serves as a backdrop to a waterfall that although slender is higher than Niagara. The panorama deserves a short stop savoring the fact that we will soon be right inside the valley. Descending towards the Yosemite Valley we notice that wherever we turn our gaze we see a waterfall, after the desolation of Death Valley this lush nature is exhilarating. As we approach Yosemite Village, El Capitan becomes more and more evident, the queen mountain of this park, a dolomitic monolith that towers over the whole valley. The road skirts the Merced River, a pretty stream surrounded by splendid mountains.

The waterfalls seen earlier in the distance now offer themselves to us with all their elegance. A circular road goes around the Village passing near the waterfall which can now be seen well through the thick vegetation of tall-trunked plants. We stop at the Village and enter the very well-stocked supermarket to buy something to eat, then we continue the tour passing near El Capitan but also another imposing mountain, Half Dome. The environment is very beautiful, dolomitic mountains completely bare from which thunderous waterfalls descend and below them coniferous forests and green meadows. Heading south you encounter an area of the Park called Mariposa Grove where some large specimens of sequoia are visible.

These trees are truly imposing both in height and in trunk diameter, we are so small not only in front of them but also when compared to one of their numerous roots that emerge on the surface. Among the trees a fawn also wanders, attracting our attention. Shortly after we leave Yosemite Park, it was a long day of travel and we covered many kilometers but we were repaid by what nature offered us. We are very tired and so we stop at the first town encountered, Oakhurst, where we have dinner in a pizzeria and stay overnight in a Motel along the road.

The Motel that hosted us is located in a very nice place, last night we arrived in the dark and hadn't realized it, we have breakfast on the terrace that opens onto a nice grove of conifers, truly one of the best lodgings of this trip. From here we tackle a long transfer towards San Francisco, reaching the city's urban sprawl by crossing the San Mateo Bridge on which we see the famous bay for the first time. We stop in a rather desolate suburb, inhabited by people from India, to buy something to eat in a shop, also this one run by a man with a turban. Before entering the city we go into the airport, we are ahead of the schedule we had set for ourselves and we would like to find a flight to Hawaii but to our great surprise we discover they are very expensive.

Although it is a domestic flight it is more expensive to buy a flight to Honolulu here than in Milan!! Having abandoned the Hawaii idea we head to the center of San Francisco which welcomes us with its skyscrapers, certainly less imposing than those seen in New York. After seeing where the hotel booked in Italy is located, but we are early and will only come here in a few days, we find accommodation in a Motel on Lombard Street. There is a very strong wind and it is cold, we hope it isn't always like this here. It's evening, we go out just for a stroll in the surroundings and have dinner in a small Italian restaurant, then we return to the Motel for the night.

We woke up to sunshine, the wind is no longer blowing and we decide to start visiting San Francisco, we have read that often those who come here can't see the famous Golden Gate because it is shrouded in fog but today the sky is so clear that it deserves to head straight for the bridge. And indeed we spot this superb construction, once the longest bridge in the world, it shows itself to us in all its grandeur. We cross it and having reached the other shore we stop at the various panoramic points where you observe this splendid contrast between the red of the bridge and the blue of the sea. In the middle of the bay the small island of Alcatraz, until recently a maximum-security penitentiary from which it was impossible to escape.

Since we are on the Sausalito shore we decide to also reach this well-known tourist destination which has a small boat harbor and a pretty center with numerous souvenir shops. While my travel companions go into a bar to watch a soccer match on TV, I lie down on a bench on the seafront and doze lulled by the light sea breeze. When they return we get back in the car but we can't return via the Golden Gate because it has been closed due to an accident, so we pass further north via the San Raphael Bridge. This bridge is longer and higher than the Golden Gate and from its center you command a view of the entire bay. Having reached the other side of the coast we reach the Bay Bridge which crosses the bay resting on a small island and arrives almost in the center of San Francisco.

We pass among the skyscrapers and go along the seafront up to Pier 39, a port dock transformed into a tourist attraction with craft and souvenir shops, restaurants, street artists and a colony of sea lions. We have dinner in an elegant restaurant on the Pier, our table is in front of a glass wall that overlooks the sea and we taste the specialty of San Francisco, crab. In practice they bring you a whole boiled crab of which you eat the flesh, in my opinion nothing exceptional. After dinner we return to the usual motel of the previous day for the night.

After leaving the Motel on Lombard Street, we opt for a tour south of the city. After crossing the famous Silicon Valley area that gave birth to modern computing, we reach Monterey, once the capital of California. We stop at the little harbor, from where among other things mini boat cruises leave to see the whales, but unfortunately the sea is rough and they will not be running. It is a very touristy place, so the usual souvenir shops, food stalls and restaurants offering fish are not lacking. We then go to the center of the town, which is home to the most important aquarium in the U.S.A., where we do not go in, also because there is a long line. Instead we go even further south, to Carmel, where the first Catholic Church in California is located, with an adjoining monastery. The complex is surrounded by walls, has a small museum and is dedicated to Saint Francis.

Heading back north we stop at a little beach; the sand is a bit rough and the sea has deposited there strange jellyfish shaped like an enema bulb!!! Back in San Francisco, we devote the evening to the street that is home to Little Italy. Italian restaurants are found just about everywhere in American cities, but here there is a monopoly of Italianness, real or presumed, because in reality many of the restaurants facing this street are run by Asians. Still, some Italian places remain: cafés, restaurants and also grocery stores where you can find everything from Garfagnana farro to Bertolli oil. Whether they are truly Italian or not, here you are almost at home; the tricolor is painted on the light poles, our music echoes from the cafés, and on the street we are constantly invited to enter the restaurants by our countrymen.

Obviously in all this chaos we end up entering a pizzeria that is Italian in name only; anyway we eat an excellent calzone. We then decide to change Motel, and still on Lombard Street we find another one, the Motor Hotel. The room is cheap, but when we enter we discover we have ended up in a real pigsty: torn blankets, dirty sheets and under the bed a "dump" of trash. That room probably had not been cleaned in years!! One of my companions protests loudly with the desk clerk; we want our money back, but it almost turns into a scuffle, so my friend is forced to call the Police from a phone booth, and they intervene quickly. Once our money is returned, we find a nearby Motel that is rather decent, where we spend the night.

As soon as we wake up we learn that one of our companions is not feeling too well, so he will not join us on today's excursion and will move on his own to the Hotel we booked before leaving Italy. Near the Motel where we slept there is a little place like "Happy Days" that seems inviting. Unfortunately there is the usual language problem; none of us speaks English and once again we order believing one thing and something else arrives. Still, I fare better than everyone because what is brought to my companions is truly inedible. I get the usual somewhat tall crepes with that thick honey-flavored syrup, which, in the absence of anything else, honestly are not bad. The morning is dedicated to a wide tour of the city, not only the most touristy areas but also the secondary ones; we have to take advantage of it because tomorrow morning we will have to return the car to the rental agency.

On this long route among the hills that surround San Francisco on all sides, we pass along the famous seagull street; in theory we should follow the signs that indicate it, but in reality we very often get lost, leaving the circuit; the moral of the story is that the signage should be redone. The route shows various parts of the city, from well-kept public parks to wide but not very inviting beaches. Although the shoreline does not invite swimming, we do not deny ourselves a few seconds of dipping our legs in the cold waters of the Pacific. We also stop at the panoramic point near the tall antenna, from where you enjoy a great perspective of the city. The circuit ends near Pier 39, already visited previously. We park and make our way into Fisherman Warf, an area very crowded with tourists, with numerous fish restaurants and souvenir shops.

After looking for a good restaurant, we end up eating a sandwich in a crowded fast food place. We then visit the nearby Marina park, at whose docks merchant ships from the past are moored, and we go aboard to see both the decks and the holds. Inside, some reconstructions show life on board when these ships sailed the seas of the whole world. Among other things, we visit this open-air Museum and also the nearby indoor exhibition with the National Parks pass. Unfortunately the pass does not allow us to go aboard a military submarine anchored there; the ticket seems expensive to us, so we give up.

Since we have to make the most of the last day with the car, we pass through the very famous stretch of Lombard Street immortalized in numerous postcards, that is, that short but steep zigzag route that connects two of the main arteries that climb from Fisherman Warf up the hills and then go back down into the city center. On the steep street lined with flower beds there is a 20-mile limit, but I do not see how one could go any faster. Turning toward Fisherman, the gaze ranges over the sea and Alcatraz Island. We then go to the Hotel we booked from Italy, where we will spend the last three nights. Our other companion, who arrived before us, is here, and we reunite with him. After taking possession of the rather nice and spacious rooms, we cannot help but throw ourselves on the bed for a good rest in front of the television.

In the evening we force ourselves to get up to go looking for a restaurant in Little Italy; after so much American "junk," we want a dinner from home. To reach this neighborhood we briefly pass through the colorful China Town. In Little Italy this time we let ourselves be talked into entering a restaurant that is Italian not only in name but also in management, and indeed we eat quite well. Refreshed, we return to the Hotel for the night.

On waking, an abundant American breakfast awaits us, included in the Hotel price, and finally we can indulge in choosing whatever we like best without risking finding unpleasant things on the plate. For days I have discovered tapioca and I really like enjoying it dissolved in hot milk, and then croissants, buns with jam, hard-boiled eggs, etc. The morning feast will allow us a certain self-sufficiency for the whole day. We go to hand over the car to the rental agency, aware that in the coming days we will have to walk. San Francisco is a constant up and down of avenues, but this does not worry us because we can make use of the famous trams that cross the city. First, however, we visit the oldest part of San Francisco, where the city's main monuments are located. The City Hall, over which the flags of the U.S.A.

and California fly, is preceded by a monumental avenue where the names of all the Nations of the world are engraved in chronological order according to their entry into the United Nations, a list that in recent decades has undergone numerous changes. Opposite the City Hall there is a public park where an Oriental festival is being held; after all, there is a large Asian community here. We then reach the tram station with a not-long walk. The trams have their terminus in the city center, where they are turned by hand by the drivers before resuming the climb; in practice they are placed on a kind of manually operated turntable. You have to line up to board here, and the little cars are often crowded, so much so that some people are forced to stand on the outside. The driver operates a powerful lever very similar to a long handbrake.

We go to Fisherman Warf, wandering among the many little shops and visiting an exhibition of mechanical games dating back to the first half of the 1900s, still working, housed inside a large shed. We have a quick lunch at the same fast food place as the day before, then stroll around Fisherman. The ticket we bought for the Tram is valid for two days, so we take advantage of it and return to the center to visit a few shops, such as the Machintos one, where you can browse the internet for free, the Virgin one, and the Levi's one, the father of all Jeans, born in San Francisco. In the evening, while my travel companions have dinner in a little restaurant, I linger to observe the area of the stalls selling crabs. Expert cooks immerse the crab in boiling water, after a short time they take it out of the pot, detach the claws, extract the meat and prepare a sandwich.

I cannot resist the temptation of a crab meat sandwich. Even the bread is special; it looks like a large cream puff with little crumb inside so that the meat can be inserted into the hollow. This bread is produced not far from here through an assembly line, and the production cycle is visible from the street where the windows of this strange bakery face. After reuniting with my friends, we take the tram again, which drops us off not far from the terminus. Although it is Saturday evening, there are not many people on the street, but we noticed this somewhat throughout the U.S.A., with the exception of the very crowded Las Vegas. It almost seems that from a certain hour a curfew begins, and on the streets you find only the homeless, many of them Black, huddled sleeping on a piece of cardboard. We reach our Hotel for the night.

In practice it is our last day in the U.S.A., since tomorrow we will take the flight back. After the abundant and pleasant self-service breakfast at the Hotel, we head by tram to Fisherman Warf, idling between Pier 39 and the rest of this tourist area. It is Sunday and Fisherman is more crowded than usual; some of us would like to take a trip to Alcatraz, but the ferry places are limited, so it would be impossible to manage. In almost a week in San Francisco we have seen more or less everything interesting there is, so all that remains is to pass the time until evening. For example, we visit the nearby Girardelli Square, where we had not yet been, practically a shopping center created by the most important chocolate factory in California, founded by an Italian immigrant of Ligurian origins. At the entrance we are even offered chocolates.

Toward evening, with the usual characteristic Tram, we return to the center; in the guides we read that in a square there should be street musicians, but none are to be seen. Instead there is an Oriental festival; my attention falls on two young Asian women struggling with a cotton candy machine. I insert myself between them and, since I know how to do it, I teach them to wrap it around the paper cone that they use here instead of our wooden stick. We go back early also because tomorrow a long journey awaits us; we confirm the flights from the internet station at the Hotel, where we made friends with the young desk clerk, a girl who recently arrived from Uzbekistan named Mohi. We then go to the room for the night.

And we have reached the day of departure and the end of this long trip in the U.S.A. in which we touched the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. In our itinerary we saw the cities of New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco. We entered the Parks of Grand Canyon, Glenn Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, Canyoland, Arches, Bryce, Zion, Death Valley and Yosemite. We visited the Museums of Washington, the historic plantation of Mount Vernon, the western town of Calico and the Universal Studios of Hollywood. We traveled thousands of kilometers, changing two cars and taking a flight between Virginia and California. Now, however, we have reached the end, and we do not mind returning home.

We have breakfast at the Hotel buffet, then take the taxi that young Mohi had booked for us the evening before. We leave from San Francisco airport for a flight of about 13 hours direct to London. During the flight we make out from the window the great bend formed by the Missouri River in South Dakota. The plane flies over the U.S.A. and Canada, grazes Greenland, crosses Ireland and reaches London. Here we change carrier for Rome Fiumicino, where we arrive in the early afternoon of the next day. We bring back to Italy the memory of a long trip and an umbrella each, obtained at the Park Line Hotel in New York on the first night and which came in very handy.