America: Part 1

After our incredibly long flight we finally arrived in LA on the same time and date as we’d left, we assume we entered a time machine.

After we picked up the car we had a few hours before checking into the hotel and so we decided to make the most of our time and head into the city to explore.

It was still early on in the day so we were able to wander round The Grove in relative peace and quiet before finding some breakfast.

Sights of note were the Mom & Baby yoga group who were having a session outside the Nike store and James getting a complementary new iPhone after his old one melted slightly.

The Farmers Market was a very sweet little area too. It was almost more like a tv set, or what the idealistic idea of a farmers market should be.

With still a little time left before we could check into the hotel and still a little energy left, we decided to head to 2 of the big attractions in LA: Hollywood Boulevard, and the Hollywood sign itself.

The boulevard was as busy as we’d imagined but it was fun looking at the different names and seeing who we could find.

Having had our fill of the Boulevard though, we headed up into the hills for a very different view.

The Griffith Observatory provided stunning views over the valley and behind, and provided just the right amount of walking we could muster on our lack of sleep.

Having taken in all the views we could it was time to head to our hotel for a quiet evening and to catch up on sleep after 42hours of missing it.

The next day we were heading back out into the wilderness for some more exploration and camping (still haven’t gotten it out of our system) but before we left civilisation for a few days we treated ourselves to some good ol’ American pancakes! And boy what a treat!

Fully fuelled up, we fought our way through the traffic out of the sprawling city and soon enough we were on open road once more heading to Joshua Tree.

Having picked up nearly everything we needed earlier on we were on the search for butane canisters on our way to our chosen campsite. They proved much harder to come by and we eventually managed to pick some up just as the sun was setting. Unfortunately our campsite also seemed much harder to come by and with our first two options falling through we decided to try the near by Dispersed Camping Area.

As we arrived after dark we were left guessing what the area may look like, with other campers set up in the distance around us we picked a spot and settled in for the evening.

Upon a short exploration we decided the ground might give a strong hint to the type of area we were in, also the incredible stars overhead which were brighter than any I’d ever seen. (again no picture, you’ll just have to believe us)

The next morning when we awoke, our deductions had been confirmed: We were in the desert.

Keen to continue our journey further east we hit the road once more.

Having crossed into Arizona we decided a stop by the Dead Mountain Wilderness would be a good place for lunch.

We then continued heading north east and after a long day driving we arrived at the Lake Mead National Recreational Area for the evening.

The view from the campsite area was beautiful and peaceful. So we pitched up and went for a walk down to the lake.

 

 

With the sun setting we headed back to camp for some grub and a good sleep.

The next day was a big day! We hadn’t really decided whether or not to make the journey but had been heading in the right direction for: The Grand Canyon!

Today was the day we decided to head over and see if it was really as “Grand” as they say…or if it even was a “Canyon” (spoiler alert: it is..both)

It was a fairly long drive and the campsite was busier than we were used to when we arrived.

But as soon as we’d set up camp we headed straight to the rim to see what was what.

As we walked through the wood we could see something slowly appearing through the tree, and eventually the Grand Canyon revealed itself to us in the most awe inspiring entrance I’ve ever seen.

For the first time in a long time, I was actually lost for words as we stood and took it all in for the first time.

We spent about an hour or so just walking along the pathway stopping every few moments to witness a new view.

We had spent so long looking out into the canyon, I barely noticed that there was an elk happily munching away right next to me!

Something that we found really unexpected was just how silent the canyon was. Were it to be in Scotland, you’d nearly bye whisked off your feet with the wind and could kiss any semblance of a conversation goodbye. But here, it was just silent with a light breeze, it’s incredibly humbling to see such history and power now serene and peaceful.

At around sunset we managed to tear ourselves away and headed back to camp for the evening.

Soon enough it was time for us to hit the hay. We had joked about the ice warnings earlier but the evening temperature really dropped off! So we wrapped up warm and were out like a light.

Tomorrow’s adventure would be just as big.

Hatti x

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