Next stop: LA

On the morning of the ninth day we had another quick look from our roof terrace onto London Bridge, which is Lake Havasu's main attraction (it had been sold from London to Arizona in the late 60s, shipped in parts, and rebuilt in 1971), and then took off to Los Angeles, where we spent the afternoon in Santa Monica, and kissed the day goodnight in Hollywood.

All pictures here:

Day 9 - Los Angeles, Part I (06/25/2007)

Grand Canyon + Route 66 = Ecstasy

On the 8th day we visited Grand Canyon, which really was a breathtaking experience. I had no idea it was this big, and so indescribably beautiful.

We couldn't get enough of it, but had to move on in the late afternoon. We drove along legendary Route 66 for a while, and took a break in an outdoor bar & grill, pondering about the day while listening to live guitar blues. And everyone who doesn't believe that this much American culture is suited to ecstasize even the most obstinate Northern German, please see here:

All pictures here:

Day 8 - Grand Canyon, Route 66, Lake Havasu (06/24/2007)

From Sin City to Zion

Our Las Vegas visit ended with a panoramic view over Sin City from the Stratosphere Tower. We departed after the purchase of two fabulous family portraits, postcard-motif backdrop included. What's 20 bucks when you can finally get the four of us into one picture?

In the afternoon we reached Zion National Park in southwest Utah. We explored the beautiful canyonlands during a riverside walk.


All pictures here:

Tag 7 - Leaving Las Vegas, Zion National Park (06/23/2007)

Rain, in July

It rained in San Francisco and parts of the Bay Area yesterday. In July. Which is so unheard of that I starred at the puddles on our deck for minutes, trying to figure out how all that water could have possibly gotten there. An hour later it had mostly dried up, and the only lasting memory is this photo of water drops on my succulents.

Death Valley, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas

We left Olancha on the morning of the fifth day to sally out to cross Death Valley, where we happened to witness a spectacular airplane stunt. Timing is everything!

After a picnic at over 105 degrees (in the shade!) and a round of golf with the devil, we left Death Valley and reached Hoover Dam in the late afternoon. All fatigue vanished and made way for awestruck wonder for this imposing structure, which artfully combines engineering and architecture in the most impressive ways.

In the evening we arrived in Las Vegas, where we had booked rooms at the Venetian. After camping and Ned's motel it seemed like an interesting change...

We spent the sixth day entirely in Las Vegas, and took a break from traveling. In the evening we saw "LOVE", the Cirque du Soleil show about the Beatles. The four of us agreed that it was the most beautiful thing we have ever seen.

Here are the photo albums:

Day 5 - Death Valley, Hoover Dam, Arrival in Las Vegas (06/21/2007)

Day 6 - Las Vegas (06/22/2007)

All albums can also be accessed from this page.

Bodie State Historic Park, Mono Lake, Olancha

On the morning of day 4 we left Yosemite and headed to Bodie, a ghost town on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. Bodie had its heydays in the late 19th century after the discovery of gold deposits in the nearby mine, and was once home to 65 saloons.

Later in the afternoon we visited Mono Lake. Its tufa towers are the sad result of the water diversion in favor of Los Angeles, as well as the protagonists of an amazing scenery.

Towards the evening we reached Olancha, where Ed and I had booked yet another outstanding accommodation, which left nothing to be desired... :)

All pictures here:

Day 4 - Bodie, Mono Lake, Arrival in Olancha (06/20/2007)

Yosemite

A new day, a new photo album:

Day 3 - Beginning of our trip, arrival in Yosemite (06/19/2007)

After my parents had an entire day to rest, we packed our things, managed to stuff everything in the car, and began our trip through the Southwest US. We took breaks all along the way, for example in Groveland (where we had a beer in what claims to be the oldest continuously operating saloon in California). We enjoyed first views of Yosemite National Park over a lovely picnic, and spent the night "camping light" in Tuolomne Meadows.

Parents' visit - first pictures online!

After Ed and I've lived in the US for three years now, my parents finally came out to visit us for the first time. It was also their very first trip to the States ever. Obviously, this needed to be documented well, so I ended up taking 770 pictures during their stay (almost 3 weeks). I began sorting through them today, and have published pictures of the first two days:

Day 1 - Arrival, Golden Gate Bridge (06/17/2007)

Day 2 - Lunch at Google, Stanford University (06/18/2007)

I'll add sets as I go, please check back soon! All subsequent days' sets will be linked from this page as well.