USA: The Parks of the West

The parks of the Western United States are of an immense, spectacular beauty. You feel so small in front of the boundless space that opens up before you. I set off from Rome on a very comfortable Delta flight; I arrived in New York and had the flight that would take me to San Francisco, one of the few cities I visited during my trip. By choice, because I wanted a trip immersed in nature. San Francisco is a truly beautiful city, with all its ups and downs, and incredibly, despite the very long journey to get there and the three hours of sleep I got during the night, I explored it by bicycle. The climate of San Francisco in August is peculiar. Mark Twain said that in San Francisco he found the coldest summer of his life. When I arrived at the Golden Gate Bridge it was covered by thick fog. But it was all there. In the rest of the city there was no fog.

In short, San Francisco is worth a visit! On 12 August, with my friends, I headed towards Yosemite Park. The first of the many parks I visited, and there the first gift: two bears crossed the road in front of us while we were driving towards one of the many viewpoints. Once at the chosen viewpoint (at the park entrance they give you a map, by the way, it is a good idea to get a pass that allows entry to several parks so you save money) we got out and found ourselves among lots of squirrels that come to eat right out of your hands. If you love a holiday in the middle of nature, Yosemite Park is perfect, and indeed there were many American families and others camping there. There are freshwater lakes where you can swim and play, and you can cycle through nature. Splendid.

IMPORTANT: if your trip focuses on the parks, it is a good idea to get the PASS that covers all the parks, since you save quite a bit. In the evening we slept in Merced; it is true we arrived late, but the impression was of an anonymous little town, a bit sad too. On 13 August at 7:30 we set off for Monterey, where there is a beautiful aquarium to visit and where you can eat, of course, excellent fish, crabs in particular! After visiting the aquarium and refuelling with a shop at the supermarket, ah, American supermarkets are worth a visit, we set off towards San Luis Obispo, where we had booked to sleep, but the destination was due to the fact that we wanted to drive... (to be continued)