USA on the Road

Mammoth Lake - Death Valley - Las Vegas 350 miles

In the morning the alarm goes off at six, but I've already been awake for a while.. when it comes to exploring new destinations every minute is precious. From the room next to ours too come noises of people in a hurry to set off again. We get dressed in a rush, do a roll call of all our luggage and hurry off to have breakfast.. we go into a nice place where the chairs are still upside down on the tables because of the time.Their eyes though fall on the counter of treats.. we take three donuts, the hyper-caloric ring-shaped cakes covered in chocolate.. to give you an idea the ones Homer is fond of! The "cappuccino" is served to us in those big paper cups with a lid that you always see in films in the hands of policemen in their cars. Only now do I realise how television is capable of imprinting certain images in our minds. Having finished our breakfast we set off again.

The itinerary calls for heading towards Death Valley, but we drive a few miles back, I want to make a stop at Mono Lake. And indeed the unusual spectacle that presents itself to our eyes is truly worth it! It is still early morning and there is a quiet that we are not used to. We stop to contemplate these pinnacles of rock, to be precise of tufa, that emerge from the calm waters of the lake.. all around are mountains that form the backdrop to this wonder of nature. We take a few photos, enjoy a few more moments of relaxation to stretch our legs and set off again towards Death Valley.

Several hours of driving await us and we are already behind our schedule. Every thing we see though makes us want to pull over and stop to take a few more shots, whether it be a rock, a road or a tree, like the Joshua trees which are truly unusual! Once again closed inside the car's passenger compartment we observe around us a landscape that keeps changing.. now it becomes more arid, the rocks turn grey, first lighter and then darker and we find ourselves with our gaze lost in the immensity of this "valley of death" that stretches from California to the state of Nevada. The road becomes winding, an up and down of hairpin bends in the middle of gusts of wind. The temperature inside our Nissan begins to become hotter, almost suffocating and we are forced to turn on the air conditioning which I detest.

And to think that in summer temperatures even exceed 50 degrees! A sign indicating turtle crossing makes me smile.. could it be that the heat is giving me mirages!?! Continuing on we arrive near the area characterised by the sand dunes, that is the dunes of sand. We get out of the car to take a few more souvenir photos. Keeping us company are only a few intrepid tourists defying a tremendous heat, such that it almost prevents you from breathing. A few minutes to admire this desert landscape and we resume our journey.

Initially I hadn't considered Death Valley enough to include it in our tour, but since it was on the way I couldn't do otherwise, and indeed however arduous it may become, I recommend at least crossing it (equipped with a cool bag and a few bottles of fresh water!). We were fascinated by it and compared it to a lunar landscape, a unique experience therefore.

By now we have covered many miles and in the distance we glimpse a city.. it really looks like the glittering Las Vegas that awaits us. Suddenly we find ourselves immersed in traffic that we were no longer used to, in the sky dozens of small helicopters are moving. It feels like being on a film set but instead they are the tourists returning from the excursion to the Grand Canyon. We try to get our bearings to reach the Planet Hollywood, the hotel where we will stay. As we happened to come on a weekday the rate is affordable, it is around 100 $ including taxes. Consider that staying on the weekend instead the prices double and can often even triple! We park in the self service car park and head towards the lobby. Luckily the wait isn't long and we manage almost immediately to check in. They ask us to show the booking number, the passport and the credit card for the deposit.

Our room is on the eighteenth floor.. as soon as we enter we immediately realise how spacious it is! The bed is big and covered with cushions, but above all there is a glass wall that occupies an entire wall, from which we can admire a part of the city. We take a shower to refresh ourselves and once dressed and perfumed we leave the room for our walk along the "strip".

As soon as we leave the shopping centre adjacent to our hotel we find ourselves in front of the Bellagio. Just enough time to take it in and immediately the fountain show begins, creating water games to the rhythm of music. They repeat it every quarter of an hour and we take the opportunity to see it a second time. It is all very exciting. On the right we find the Paris hotel with a magnificent reproduction of the Eiffel Tower all lit up.. Las Vegas Blvd S. is all this.. confusion, swarming people, music, coming and going of taxis and limousines, sparkling lights and colours, shops and themed hotels. The air is warm and dry, I stay in a tank top even though it is now eleven at night. We have dinner outdoors in a Mexican place that serves fabulous fajitas, then we move away to go and see the New York New York with the Statue of Liberty.

A little further away there is also the Excalibur which presents itself as a fantasy-style castle, like the one in the Walt Disney logo. Without realising it it is already

Las Vegas - Bryce Canyon 260 miles

The alarm goes off at 7.30. Light floods the room from the glass wall, but Las Vegas seems to still be sleeping and the city has transformed. Now the streets are empty, there's silence and the chaos has turned back into order. After a good sleep I feel decidedly regenerated. We leave the Planet and head to the Paris to have breakfast. The fun thing is being able to enter and leave the other hotels even if you're not a guest. Walking inside the Paris is really like walking through some alley of Paris, to be precise it feels like I'm back in Montmartre, a hill in the north of Paris, a bohemian centre where the Sacré-Cœur stands. We have our breakfast with a few croissants and the usual steaming cappuccino. Before leaving Las Vegas we go to admire The Venetian, the hotel that faithfully reproduces Venice. We're left open-mouthed..

there's everything, St Mark's Square, the bell tower, the bridge, the canals.. and of course the gondolas with the gondoliers! We get back in the car and resume our journey. We smile at the thought that we haven't even made a single trip to the casino, but deep down we didn't go to Las Vegas for that and we're happy about it.

We head towards Bryce Canyon. Today too the miles to cover are many, but it's so pleasant to look around that sitting in the car doesn't weigh on us much. Now and then we swap driving. We pass the sign telling us we're entering the state of Utah, the one that will stay in my heart more than all the others. The roads cut the landscape in two, the spaces seem infinite and even though we're in the middle of nowhere we feel that we're missing nothing. We fill our eyes with shapes and colours and with the immensity that surrounds us. It's hard to understand until you experience it. After more than five hours of driving and a couple of stops we finally approach our destination. We drive along a road from which we glimpse the Red Canyon, and as you can guess from the name, we're struck by the brick-red colour of these rocks.

I imagined it as a more arid area, instead I'm surprised by the meadows and trees we see as we pass. Bryce Canyon City is very cute, in country style.

Finally here's the entrance to the park, we greet the ranger and show our pass. Continuing we find another sign indicating the crossing of other animals.. this time it's the marmots!! After not even a mile we immediately come across the signs for Sunrise point, but since it's already afternoon we head to Sunset to enjoy this marvel of nature lit by the sunset light that enhances its beauty. We leave the car in the convenient car park and after walking a few hundred metres we reach the view point. What appears before us is absolutely a breathtaking spectacle. In reality it's not a real canyon but rather a plateau whose erosion has given rise to these hoodoos, that is, pinnacles of red rock. We stay a few minutes contemplating the uniqueness

Bryce Canyon - Arches - Monument Valley 440 miles

We wake at the first light of dawn, after a fantastic restorative sleep. It must have been the tiredness or perhaps the peace that surrounds Bryce but I am certain that it was a memorable sleep!

Even the breakfast they serve us at the restaurant puts a big smile on our faces. We prefer a more classic breakfast to the American one that the other guests consume. Warm toast with butter and jam, a couple of blueberry muffins, my usual caffellatte and a big glass of American coffee for my better half. Having loaded up on energy we sadly leave the Ruby's Inn and before saying goodbye to Bryce we go to Sunrise point to enjoy the spectacle one last time.. the sky is a soft blue, slightly streaked with pink and the panorama is fabulous. It will remain imprinted in our minds. To end on a beautiful note, while we are about to leave the park, I spot among the trees a happy family of deer.. I take a photo and we remain moved watching them for a few moments.

The road to reach Arches national park is really long, but equally pleasant. The curves that follow one another gently rock us among the trees, in the midst of unspoilt nature. The sky is clear and the grey asphalt flows fast before our eyes. We meet a group of motorcyclists who make us tremendously envious. They overtake us and disappear on the horizon, leaving behind them only the din of their exhaust pipes that breaks the silence. We turn on the radio but we can only tune in to one station, obviously country music. We are travelling along scenic byway 12, a panoramic road that passes through Escalante. Then we merge onto the 24 which instead crosses the Capitol Reef park. By now we no longer even follow the navigator's directions, and with the map in hand we make our way up Utah. Moving from one park to another is not difficult, the highways are few but well signposted.

Another positive note besides the fact that petrol costs little, are the absolutely free motorways.

After several hours of travel finally against the backdrop of the rocks the words Arches National Park appear. After a few miles, having crossed the entrance, by car we begin to climb along some hairpin bends and suddenly we realise that the park is bigger than we thought. Unfortunately the time available to us is little so we continue towards the panoramic points that interest us most. We therefore pass Park Avenue, Petrified Dunes and arrive at Balanced Rock where we marvel at how nature has created such sculptures. We reach The Windows section and take a few photos sorry that we cannot walk any trail. The effect created by the contrast of the red rocks with the intense blue of the sky is stunning and makes this wild territory truly unique.

Having arrived at the Upper Delicate Arch viewpoint, the panoramic point closest to the Delicate Arch, we are a little disappointed discovering that to reach the arch you have to walk a path of almost 5 km, there and back it would therefore take about 2 hours and we don't have this time. We scramble among the rocks to be able to admire this imposing sandstone arch that rises suspended on a rock wall. The people who are right beneath it photographing it by comparison look like moving dots. The sun beats down above our heads and the tiredness begins to make itself felt. It's time to leave Arches, we head towards the only exit of the park retracing in the opposite direction the road that brought us to the last viewpoint.

To reach Monument Valley we have to travel about another five hours of road. The sunset has by now taken away the last ray of light and a big round moon is already pale in the sky. After several miles we are finally on highway 163 that leads to the Navajo Nation Reservation but unfortunately it is already dark and we cannot enjoy the landscape as we would like. We can however perceive the sacredness of this territory and at the idea that we are almost there the heart begins to beat faster with emotion. The road is a straight line in a slight descent that crosses a flat territory dotted however with buttes and mesas, particular rock formations. Suddenly we notice something in the distance and when we understand that it is a small coyote we remain enchanted, but it disappears immediately into the dark. It seems it wanted to welcome us! Finally we arrive at The View Hotel.

The usual check-in ritual and exhausted we take refuge in our room, unfortunately practically fasting as the hotel restaurant has already closed and in the surroundings there doesn't seem to be much. This structure inaugurated at the end of 2008 is in fact located right in the heart of the park and the nearest town, Kayenta, is about 30 km away. Before falling into a deep sleep we enjoy from our balcony a starry sky that has no equal! The full moon creates a halo of light around the Mitten and this gives the impression of hearing from afar the old songs intoned by the Indians...

Monument Valley - Page - Mesquite 320 miles

We wake up very early as usual. Armed with camera and tripod we rush onto the balcony to capture a truly magical moment. The air is cold and the sun is still timidly hidden behind one of the Mittens, but within moments the first lights of dawn will illuminate the whole of Monument Valley, which will take on unique colours, and this image will remain imprinted in my mind like a postcard arriving from afar. After a memorable breakfast with a view over the Tribal Park we are ready to set off towards Arizona.

The next stop is Antelope Canyon. Having arrived near Page, we come across a dirt car park near the power plant. This is where the organised tours depart from. Everything is managed by Navajo Indians who, with their vehicles, take you to discover this canyon, barely two metres wide and about 200 long, once crossed by the Colorado River. Based on the position of the sun in the sky we choose the 11.30 tour. You'll understand why below.

After a short journey our guide takes a detour onto a dirt road and through the window we laugh at the groups following us on open vans, who are now at the mercy of the clouds of sand we leave behind us. But as the proverb says, he who laughs last laughs longest, and as soon as we arrive at Antelope we get stuck in the sand and, in the attempt to get out, our Indian friend burns out the engine and the bonnet smokes everywhere! We are dumbfounded but they tell us not to worry, that one way or another they'll take us back.

We are at the entrance of the canyon, ready to venture into this dark hollow of the earth. Here the effect of erosion has carved the rock walls, giving them truly indescribable shapes. After the first steps in the darkness we reach wider spaces and remain enchanted by the play of colours. From above, in fact, at this hour the sun's rays penetrate perpendicularly, creating beams of light so visible that it feels as if you could touch them, and the canyon takes on colours of different tones ranging from purple to pink to orange. It feels as if we are in another dimension! The route lasts about an hour and a half, during which, continuing to snap one photo after another, I almost exhaust the memory of my digital camera! I am happy to be at Antelope Canyon and I think an experience like this is truly worth all the miles we have travelled to get here!

Unfortunately, though, the moment comes to set off again, so, tired but satisfied, we get back on the road, this time towards the town of Mesquite, with the aim of reducing as much as possible the hours of driving that await us tomorrow to make our way back to Dublin. This time we improvise and decide to spend the last night of our tour at a Best Western hotel, since we have already had good experiences with this hotel chain.

The staff here too prove very welcoming and courteous, and the room is decidedly nice and clean. Having left our luggage in the room we take the opportunity to make use of the swimming pool too, but above all of the small hot tub that is available to guests at no extra cost. Without realising it, it gets late and hunger begins to make itself felt! We get ready and take the car to look for somewhere to eat, but apart from a McDonald's there isn't much. We try going into the Eureka Casino Resort where we find "Experience the Buffet", very striking with the immense aquarium at the entrance, but since it is already 21.15 they tell us that the restaurant is about to close. Sad and hungry we wander around Mesquite some more. Finally we find a little hidden spot, with a flashing sign reading "Home Plate 50's style".

From the outside you wouldn't give much for it, but inside it's really nice, happy days style! Here a waiter immediately makes us feel welcome and seats us at a table, on red leather booths. He leaves us the menus and as usual we try to figure out what to order. For me a pot roast dinner, that is a very tender roast with a side of green beans and baked potatoes with various sauces, and for Giacomo two grilled pork chops! That is, two nice pork chops with chips! The meat is fabulous, cooked to perfection, and the service is impeccable. At the end of the meal, when they bring us the bill, we can't believe our eyes. Just $18!! And yet it's really so. We leave a good tip and go off happy. If you happen to be in Mesquite you can't not try this place! Your stomach and your wallet will thank you! The day ends well once again..

Mesquite - Dublin 650 miles

After a good hearty breakfast we load the luggage and set off again. Today we will have to cover many miles to get back to Dublin.

Having left behind us Nevada with its roads that cross an arid and rocky territory, and Las Vegas which from so far away seems a mirage, we decide to head toward the California coast to make our return more pleasant and interesting. After a few hours the landscape begins to change and we see some rows of wind turbines appearing again. The golden hills stretch as far as the eye can see toward the horizon and now and then in the distance you can see some herds of cows and oxen. A detour to the city of Los Angeles or Santa Barbara would mean lengthening our journey by a few hours, so we decide to head for the freeway 1 to travel this panoramic road that skirts the Pacific and connects Los Angeles to San Francisco.

The last stop before arriving in Dublin we make at San Simeon. In a dirt parking lot we see some kids with surfboards walking away from their pick-up. We park too. In the air you breathe the intense and pungent smell of the breeze coming from the ocean. It's exciting that all this is right before our eyes.. But the strange thing is seeing on one side of the road the animals grazing and on the other side these immense beaches and the piles of sea lions lying in the sun! Some roll around, others are motionless and seem to be sleeping, but in reality in my opinion they are alert and disturbed by the crowd of people busy photographing them. A smaller one seems to come closer to us.. but the wooden fence divides us, since these animals are not always very peaceful and the reason is understandable.

I have never been afraid of the sea, but finding yourself facing the ocean really gives a strange effect, you realize how much force stirs in this immense expanse of water and then you perceive the frailty of man before the greatness of Nature.. We leave this beach and drive just a few miles to find a scenic viewpoint from which to take the last photos. The road is not straight but rather winding, the vegetation here is dense. Right after a curve there's a clearing where you can pull over.. on the dirt there's the mark of other tires.. probably many stop to enjoy the view from here. Once again we are really lucky and manage to enjoy a fabulous sunset over the Pacific.. but the one of the sun disappearing behind the horizon, setting the sky and the ocean ablaze with its rays, is an image that cannot be described.. you should simply see it with your own eyes..

Happy travels everyone,

Klaudia.