Day 40 August 20th A Day at Yosemite.
It was an early start to a very long day. We were travelling to Yosemite National park; 180 miles away with a travelling time of 3hours 40 minutes according to Google. The tour bus was due at 5:45am at the Hotel; it arrived at 5:50am. We were up early enough to be able to shower and enjoy a cup of tea and biscuits; we bought a couple of sandwiches at Starbucks across the road and ate them on the bus. The bus then toured around San Francisco picking up another 23 passengers before we entered the expressway at 7am to start the journey to Yosemite National Park; our driver was a young, polite and casually dressed young man with long hair. Just before we entered the expressway we passed through a lawless district nicknamed the “Tenderloin District” so called because the Police were reluctant to be there as it was dangerous for them but were enticed back by butchers who would give them free tenderloin meat. This according to Shaun our driver. The surface of the expressway was surprisingly rough so much so that I could not hold my camera steady to take photographs as we passed through Oakland. Here Marijuana has been legalised and licences to grow are issued by the local Authority. The expressway varied in width up to seven lanes; it was busy but free flowing. Soon we were clear of the built up area driving through rolling hill country covered with golden prairie grass; this was San Francisco’s six month dry period so there was not much green grass except where it was irrigated. On the hills were small ancient electricity windmills; apparently they were the first in California. Driver Shaun said that the towers vibrated the ground which attracted small rodents which were set upon by rare and protected eagles; some of the eagles would get killed by the windmill’s rotating blades and this caused concern to the local controlling authority. Soon the hills were replaced with rich fertile plains of the Napa Valley; corn, grape vines, and almond trees were grown. According to Shaun 80% of Americas almonds were grown here. Some dairy cows could also be seen in paddocks; they were also housed in large cow barns similar to what are proposed for New Zealand’s Mackenzie Country. At 8:30am we stopped at Oakdale for a half hour comfort and refreshments. At a supermarket we bought some bananas and peaches; the peaches were large and sweet. At 9am we continued our journey; we left the plains and started climbing steadily; at one stage the road became steep and very windy somewhat like our Crown Range Road only more so; every now and then our driver would pull into a “pullout” so that faster moving drivers could pass; he was a very courteous driver.
We reached the toll gates of the park at around 11am; we stopped at a refuelling and refreshment stop in a beautiful tall pine forest. Nineteen minutes later we had our first photo stop overlooking a large river valley between huge granite rock faces.
Our second photo stop was by the roadside high above a river meandering through very high, smooth granite cliffs. We then drove into the river valley and stopped beneath El Capitan; a huge 3000 feet (910metres) vertical smooth granite cliff; Shaun says it is very popular with rock face climbers. Some take two days and get some sleep on the way up in special hammocks which they haul up for the purpose.
Next we had to walk through open bush for about ¼ hour to see the 188 metre Bridalveil fall. The strong winds at its top whisked the falling water into a veil like cloud.
At 1:40 pm we stopped for lunch at the park headquarters. Here we were entertained by a little squirrel. It was not frightened of us and stood erect on its haunches as if asking for food. I gave it some bread but it did not like it; i followed with lettuce which it held between its little paws and ate it. It was cute.
At 2:30 we headed for the Sequoia trees; our last stop. We reached the site at 3pm. We had to walk about 2½ miles down a gentle slope to see them. The tree with a square hole cut through it that is often pictured in books is now dead but still standing. Our driver said that cutting the hole killed it. After taking a picture of Fay in the hole we started the long climb back up the hill. The hill seemed steeper on our return to the bus; after a few rest stops we made it back to the bus. At 6pm we had another comfort and meal break at Oakdale; the sun was still shining and the temperature was very hot; we finally reached our hotel around 9pm; a little tired but happy.
Try this website.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100318093300.htm
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Yosemite National Park Pictures
The first picture is of Fay in Sequoia Tree.
The Second is a little friend.
Then Fay rests on the bus.
El Capitan.
Fay with El Capitan in background.
Large granite cliffs with river valley.
Stately Pines.
Double click a picture to enlarge.
The Second is a little friend.
Then Fay rests on the bus.
El Capitan.
Fay with El Capitan in background.
Large granite cliffs with river valley.
Stately Pines.
Double click a picture to enlarge.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
San Francisco Pictures
The top two pictures are the Atrium of the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
The next is a night view from our room wit the Bay Bridge lit up.
Seals at the Fisherman's Wharf.
The lounge of our Hotel room.
Another view of our Hotel Atrium.
Street Scene with San Francisco Cable Car.
The next is a night view from our room wit the Bay Bridge lit up.
Seals at the Fisherman's Wharf.
The lounge of our Hotel room.
Another view of our Hotel Atrium.
Street Scene with San Francisco Cable Car.
Day 38 August 18th Day one in San Francisco.
Day 38 August 18th Day one in San Francisco.
We slept well for nine hours and awakened to a beautiful sunny day, clear sky and a light to strong breeze. After breakfast Fay found a hairdresser just across the road from the Hyatt. While she was having her first hair set since The Star Princess cruise I spent the time taking photos of our beautiful hotel. We then caught an ancient and crowded tram to the Fishermans Wharf. We walked around, enjoyed a late lunch, and watched the seals at play and the jugglers juggling before catching the tram back to the hotel again. We dined at the Ferry buildings across the road from our hotel before retiring early at 8:30pm. Although we had had a good sleep the night before we were tired by 8:30pm; must have been a little jet lagged.
We slept well for nine hours and awakened to a beautiful sunny day, clear sky and a light to strong breeze. After breakfast Fay found a hairdresser just across the road from the Hyatt. While she was having her first hair set since The Star Princess cruise I spent the time taking photos of our beautiful hotel. We then caught an ancient and crowded tram to the Fishermans Wharf. We walked around, enjoyed a late lunch, and watched the seals at play and the jugglers juggling before catching the tram back to the hotel again. We dined at the Ferry buildings across the road from our hotel before retiring early at 8:30pm. Although we had had a good sleep the night before we were tired by 8:30pm; must have been a little jet lagged.
Day 37 August 17th London to San Francisco.
Day 37 August 17th London to San Francisco.
Today was always going to be a long day. My cell phone woke Fay at 5:45am; we started breakfast at 6:45am and walked to the Tower Hill underground and caught a train at 7:31; we changed to a Piccadilly line train at Hammersmith, a level platform crossing. We arrived at Heathrow Terminal 1 at 8:10am and after a short walk we arrived at the Lufthansa check in. A bit more walking was required to pass through customs and security before reaching the Star Alliance lounge where we relaxed with drinks and morning tea. At 10:45 the gate number we were waiting for appeared and we set off on the long walk to Gate 5 where our Plane was scheduled to leave at 11:10am. We need not have hurried; the boarding time was delayed. We eventually left the terminal at 11:30 and was airborne at 11:45am. We arrived at Munich only 10minutes after schedule time at 2:10pm Munich time. The flight time was 1hour 25minutes during which time we enjoyed a light lunch. Our main flight of the day was due to leave Munich at 4:15pm. Once again there was a delay; this time a passenger had not turned up so we had to wait while all his/her luggage had to be found and taken off the aircraft. We eventually left the ground at 5:07pm Munich time. Eleven hours had now passed since we awoke for the day and we still had approximately 11 hours of daylight flying ahead of us. After about an hour we were served another lunch; the food once again was wonderful. I watched a good video; “You Have Mail” with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as the principle actors. Outside the sun was bright so Fay closed the curtains and we tried to sleep. After about an hour I gave up trying and watched some more video. Eventually I dozed for about 40 Winks as the saying goes and woke up surprisingly refreshed. Fay also managed a little sleep. The flight path took us North West, across the Norwegian Sea, Greenland and Northern Canada before heading south over Alaska and then The Rocky Mountains. I managed to take some photos of the landscape about 10900 meters below; around Northern Canada the land looked barren with icebergs in the sea; the snow covered Rocky Mountains glistened brilliantly white in the bright sun. With about two hours flying left we were served the Dinner Menu. By the time we reached San Francisco we had made up for time lost and landed as per schedule. I have come to the conclusion that the flight schedules printed have an allowance for delays as we always seem to arrive on time. We proceeded through security without the delays we have experienced in the past at San Francisco. Once again I had my finger prints taken and my eyes photographed. We caught the train 50minutes after landing and thirty minutes later we were entering the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Downtown San Francisco. We emerged from the underground train station literally at the hotel door.
From the outside the hotel did not look impressive but on emerging from the lift at the first floor Atrium I stood in awe at the sight before us. The reception desk was at the base of a large triangle shape floor space surrounded by seventeen floors of service balconies in front of guest rooms. On the right hand side the balconies rose vertically one above the other but on the left hand side the balconies over hung each other forming a sloping ceiling from left to right and from each balcony starting at the third floor and finishing at the 10th balcony many strings of tiny white lights hung down to finish just above the dining area. To the right of reception were five oval shaped elevators moving up and down. They too were impressive with bright yellow domes top and bottom of the glass fronted compartment. We reached our room around 11pm. The quality of the room was consistent with the Atrium area I have tried to describe above. We have a large bed at one end of an eleven by four meter room; we have two couches able to seat five people, two low tables and a wide desk with a broadband cable for me to work at on my computer. We have two 32inch TVs; even the bathroom mirror has a built in 10inch remote controlled TV built into it. The 9 meter lounge window allows us to look over the ferry terminal area with the massive Bay Bridge in the background; at night it is lit up; we feel like we are in Wonderland.
We had survived the 23¾ hour day without sleep, apart from the 40 winks, better than I had expected.
Today was always going to be a long day. My cell phone woke Fay at 5:45am; we started breakfast at 6:45am and walked to the Tower Hill underground and caught a train at 7:31; we changed to a Piccadilly line train at Hammersmith, a level platform crossing. We arrived at Heathrow Terminal 1 at 8:10am and after a short walk we arrived at the Lufthansa check in. A bit more walking was required to pass through customs and security before reaching the Star Alliance lounge where we relaxed with drinks and morning tea. At 10:45 the gate number we were waiting for appeared and we set off on the long walk to Gate 5 where our Plane was scheduled to leave at 11:10am. We need not have hurried; the boarding time was delayed. We eventually left the terminal at 11:30 and was airborne at 11:45am. We arrived at Munich only 10minutes after schedule time at 2:10pm Munich time. The flight time was 1hour 25minutes during which time we enjoyed a light lunch. Our main flight of the day was due to leave Munich at 4:15pm. Once again there was a delay; this time a passenger had not turned up so we had to wait while all his/her luggage had to be found and taken off the aircraft. We eventually left the ground at 5:07pm Munich time. Eleven hours had now passed since we awoke for the day and we still had approximately 11 hours of daylight flying ahead of us. After about an hour we were served another lunch; the food once again was wonderful. I watched a good video; “You Have Mail” with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as the principle actors. Outside the sun was bright so Fay closed the curtains and we tried to sleep. After about an hour I gave up trying and watched some more video. Eventually I dozed for about 40 Winks as the saying goes and woke up surprisingly refreshed. Fay also managed a little sleep. The flight path took us North West, across the Norwegian Sea, Greenland and Northern Canada before heading south over Alaska and then The Rocky Mountains. I managed to take some photos of the landscape about 10900 meters below; around Northern Canada the land looked barren with icebergs in the sea; the snow covered Rocky Mountains glistened brilliantly white in the bright sun. With about two hours flying left we were served the Dinner Menu. By the time we reached San Francisco we had made up for time lost and landed as per schedule. I have come to the conclusion that the flight schedules printed have an allowance for delays as we always seem to arrive on time. We proceeded through security without the delays we have experienced in the past at San Francisco. Once again I had my finger prints taken and my eyes photographed. We caught the train 50minutes after landing and thirty minutes later we were entering the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Downtown San Francisco. We emerged from the underground train station literally at the hotel door.
From the outside the hotel did not look impressive but on emerging from the lift at the first floor Atrium I stood in awe at the sight before us. The reception desk was at the base of a large triangle shape floor space surrounded by seventeen floors of service balconies in front of guest rooms. On the right hand side the balconies rose vertically one above the other but on the left hand side the balconies over hung each other forming a sloping ceiling from left to right and from each balcony starting at the third floor and finishing at the 10th balcony many strings of tiny white lights hung down to finish just above the dining area. To the right of reception were five oval shaped elevators moving up and down. They too were impressive with bright yellow domes top and bottom of the glass fronted compartment. We reached our room around 11pm. The quality of the room was consistent with the Atrium area I have tried to describe above. We have a large bed at one end of an eleven by four meter room; we have two couches able to seat five people, two low tables and a wide desk with a broadband cable for me to work at on my computer. We have two 32inch TVs; even the bathroom mirror has a built in 10inch remote controlled TV built into it. The 9 meter lounge window allows us to look over the ferry terminal area with the massive Bay Bridge in the background; at night it is lit up; we feel like we are in Wonderland.
We had survived the 23¾ hour day without sleep, apart from the 40 winks, better than I had expected.
Day 36 August 16th Day 2 in London.
Day 36 August 16th Day 2 in London.
Today was Fay’s day. At 11:30am we met her niece and nephew who live at South Croydon. We enjoyed a chat over a long lunch with them at St Kathryn’s Lock; this is a marina with expensive apartment blocks shops and restaurants built around its edge; the marina used to be shipping wharfs and warehouses. There are many expensive motor boats and yachts tied up. They enter the Thames River via the lock.
After lunch we walked with S and I across London Bridge to London Bridge Railway station where they catch their train to South Croydon. After saying good bye were returned to our hotel. On the way we rested in a small park and enjoyed “Mr Whippy” type of soft serve ice cream. Upon reaching our hotel we repacked our luggage and rested in preparation for our long flight via Munich to San Francisco the next day when we will have an early 7am start. We catch the underground at Tower Hill station about 300 meters from our hotel; it will cost £2.40 each for the 1¼ hour trip to Terminal 1 at Heathrow.
Today was Fay’s day. At 11:30am we met her niece and nephew who live at South Croydon. We enjoyed a chat over a long lunch with them at St Kathryn’s Lock; this is a marina with expensive apartment blocks shops and restaurants built around its edge; the marina used to be shipping wharfs and warehouses. There are many expensive motor boats and yachts tied up. They enter the Thames River via the lock.
After lunch we walked with S and I across London Bridge to London Bridge Railway station where they catch their train to South Croydon. After saying good bye were returned to our hotel. On the way we rested in a small park and enjoyed “Mr Whippy” type of soft serve ice cream. Upon reaching our hotel we repacked our luggage and rested in preparation for our long flight via Munich to San Francisco the next day when we will have an early 7am start. We catch the underground at Tower Hill station about 300 meters from our hotel; it will cost £2.40 each for the 1¼ hour trip to Terminal 1 at Heathrow.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Day 35 August 16th London.
Day 35 August 16th London.
We slept ‘til 9am after two late nights in a row. After breakfast we caught another Hop on Hop Off bus and travelled directly to Buckingham Palace, which was open to the public while the Queen was away. We had to queue for ½ an hour to purchase tickets for the 1:45pm session. To fill in the time waiting for 1:45pm we went for a walk to Hyde Park corner and sat for a while enjoying the “passing parade”; we joined the queue for entry at 1:40pm. We had to go through an X-ray examination; I had to start up my computer for them to see that it really was an ordinary computer, and then they made me give it up while I was in the Palace grounds. I guess it was worth it because the palace was very interesting and beautiful. We were given a personal recorded guide. We enjoyed a very expensive cup of tea and cake at the end of the tour in the Palace Cafe before strolling through the extensive park like gardens to the roadway exit. Then we reboarded the bus for some more sightseeing before alighting at St Pauls Cathedral. It was breathtaking inside. I would have had a great time taking photographs if I had been allowed.
Being close to our hotel we walked back to our hotel.
We slept ‘til 9am after two late nights in a row. After breakfast we caught another Hop on Hop Off bus and travelled directly to Buckingham Palace, which was open to the public while the Queen was away. We had to queue for ½ an hour to purchase tickets for the 1:45pm session. To fill in the time waiting for 1:45pm we went for a walk to Hyde Park corner and sat for a while enjoying the “passing parade”; we joined the queue for entry at 1:40pm. We had to go through an X-ray examination; I had to start up my computer for them to see that it really was an ordinary computer, and then they made me give it up while I was in the Palace grounds. I guess it was worth it because the palace was very interesting and beautiful. We were given a personal recorded guide. We enjoyed a very expensive cup of tea and cake at the end of the tour in the Palace Cafe before strolling through the extensive park like gardens to the roadway exit. Then we reboarded the bus for some more sightseeing before alighting at St Pauls Cathedral. It was breathtaking inside. I would have had a great time taking photographs if I had been allowed.
Being close to our hotel we walked back to our hotel.
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