USA: more photos and adventures

Here we are, back home, after 24 days around the western USA and with a lot of beautiful memories and pictures to share with all the poeple we know and dedicated especially to all the wonderful friends and family members that we have met during our holiday and that helped us to make it a fantastic experience that we won't ever forget.

Our last post was about the first 10 days that we spent in Washington, between Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula, Fox Island and the heights of the huge Mt. Rainier. As you could see, we really enjoyed our stay and we will definitely come back again...for more northwestern adventures and discoveries. Every time....it's like being at home!

Anyway, even the part of the holiday spent in California and Nevada wasn't bad! (sorry guys, the weather down there is just FANTASTIC! Brian, you were right!!!! How could you leave SAN DIEEEGOOOOOOO?!?!?!?!? ^_^ )
Ok, let's begin our telling:

DAY 11: San Francisco, Monterey and Carmel-by-the-sea

Wake up at 3 in the morning, sadly leaving Linda and Brian's house (they have been great hosts, as usual!) and heading to the Sea-Tac airport. Taking off with the 6.30am flight to San Francisco. We were probably the only tourists on this very early flight among many managers and workers. In San Francisco we rented another car (a very nice Chevrolet!) and we drove down to Monterey. We couldn't resist to take a nap on the beach, before to visit the nice town, enjoy the 17-mile drive in the fog and with just 65°F, watching all those incredible huuuuuge houses overlooking the ocean, the seals and thousands of squirrels. The drive ended in Carmel, where we didn't stop long, because we were freezing. Back to San Francisco, we had a great evening at Jon and Karey's, that prepared us a fantastic american dinner with original cheeseburgers and salad. Thank you friends for the nice stay. Unfortunately it was too short!

At Monterey's Fisherman Wharf

With Karey and Jon

DAYS 12 & 13: King's Canyon and Giant Sequoia National Park

We left San Francisco again very early in the morning and after a long drive through the San Joaquin Valley and after a stopover in Fresno for lunch and buying food for the days into the wild, we arrived at the King's Canyon and Giant Sequoia NP in the early afternoon. We couldn't believe our eyes: those Sequoias are HUUUUUGE! Pictures can't really show it, but they are just AMAZING!!! We walked along several trails, made some hiking and a nice pic-nic and we also had the occasion to meet some wildlife: deers, squirrels, birds and.....2 BEARS! How cute they are! Ely was terrified, but I wanted to cuddle them! Well...not really cuddle, but almost a picture together. hehehe.

Ely and I posing with the biggest tree on Earth

Tunnel Log and our nice Chevrolet

Pic-nicing into the wild...with bears around!

The official photographer of our holiday while climbing Moro Rock

After another long drive through the forest, we arrived down in the Mojave desert and had the experience to watch a beautiful sunset on the colorful rocks of the Red Rock Canyon. With us only the sound of the wind and our steps in the sand. I was scared by the snakes...but fortunately any showed up!! Neither roadrunners or coyotes.

The sunset over the red rocks

Other strange rocks...and a nice place where to have dinner!

Enrolled: Ranger Mario! (^_^)

DAY 14: Death Valley

This was the heaviest day of the whole trip. We slept just a few hours (about 3 or 4!) before leaving the "lost" city of Ridgecrest at 4 am destination Death Valley. We arrived at Stove Pipe Wells at around 7 am and temperature was already 104°F. But we were so incredibly excited to experience such an extreme environment. Something unique on Earth. First stop was the fantastic Sand Dunes. We were wandering in this desertic landscape, going up and down the dunes and playing with our cameras, despite the unbearable heat. We didn't know it could be worst during the rest of the day. Second stop, Devil's Cornfield. Just a few steps out of the car and then we drove up to the Scotty's Castle and the Ubehebe Crater. At this point it was midday and the volcanic dark sand was so hot, almost melting our shoes. Incredible. We couldn't really walk around for the heat that raised to 117°F. We decided to move south to the main Visitor Center at Furnace Creek. It's an oasis, with plants, palms, and structures for visitors with plenty of air conditioning (even in the toilets!). We didn't stopped much there, because we were to excited to go and see Bad Water, 279 feet under sea level. Here we experienced the most extreme temperature ever: 127°F (53°C), with all the sun and the heat mirrored by the rocks and the salty ground all around. It's like being in an oven. Someone even tried to cook an egg on the ground. And didn't fail! We really couldn't resist much outside in this kind of heat, even keeping on drinking cold water and trying to stay cool. Impossible. Going back to Furnace Creek we tryed to make another couple of stops at Artist's Palette and Devil Golf Course, but Ely's pressure decided it was too much. She almost faint and couldn't bear the heat anymore. We drove fast to the Visitor Center (without couldn't use the air conditioning very often because the radiator was too hot and risked to boil the water in it!) for some cooling for Ely. Fortunately after a while she felt better and could make the last stop at Zabriskie Point before to leave for LAS VEGAS where we arrived in the late evening. What an adventure, guys!

Walking on the Sand Dunes at the sunrise

Walking around the Ubehebe Crater

Badwater: 127°F (53°C)

Zabriskie Point

DAYS 15 and 16: LAS VEGAS

What happens in Las Vegas remains in Las Vegas...sorry guys! But enjoy the photos!!!!

Sin #1: Crazy shopping...

Sin #2: Crazy Casino experience and gambling...

Sin #3: Enjoyng crazy shows...everywhere for free!

DAY 17: Palm Springs and Orange County

We were crazy enough to visit Palm Springs in the middle of the summer. CONs: 1) Unbearable heat (but less than Death Valley) 2) Empty town. PROs: 1) The great Modern Art Museum entry for free 2) All the shops with great sales 3) No crowds.
We arrived in Irvine in the late evening, after a stop at the Ontario Mills Shopping Center. Our cousins Laura and Luisa where there waiting for us with a wonderful plate of pasta, italian way! We stayed there with them for 3 nights thanks to the kind hospitality of Francesco, Laura's boyfriend.

Ely in Palm Springs.

DAY 18 and 19: L.A.

We spent one day enoying beach time in Huntington beach, Newport beach, Balboa Island and Corona del Mar. Relax, sunbathing and play with the big waves of the Pacific Ocean. How fun! That day ended with a fantastic sushi dinner at Spectrum Center in Irvine.
The second day was dedicated to the visit of Universal Studios Hollywood. We had a lot of fun, with all the rides and the shows. We also visited some of the most famous sets (also the one of Desperate Housewives!) and at the end of the day we were so wet for all the water rides and shows. Especially the one of Waterworld.

With Laura and Luisa in Huntington Beach

A typical wealthy resident of Newport Beach

Hollywood: Universal Studios entrance.

The new Simpson the Ride. FUN! FUN! FUN!

DAYS 20, 21, 22 and 23: San Diego

San Diego was one of our favourite place visited during this holiday. The weather is wonderful: warm, but not too hot. Beaches are soooo beautiful. Especially Coronado with fine gold sand. And the mood of the city is just relaxed and easy-going. There are nice restaurants, especially in the Gaslamp Quarter and there are plenty of things to do. The neighborhoods are hilly and quiet.
We love San Diego and we would have liked to stay more to enjoy all the stuff that San Diego can offer. We would definitely come back.
We have to thank Loretta who was a fantastic host and who let us stay at her beautiful house (we love your wooden giraffe). Thank you also for the nice last morning spent together on the waterfront.

At the beach in Laguna Beach on the way to San Diego

Sea World

Shamu show at Sea World

Breakfast at Loretta's

At the entrance of the zoo.

La Jolla

Coronado Beach and Hotel

Just us at Shamu Rocks (2nd time at Sea World!!)

Last morning on the waterfront

DAY 24: San Diego - Minneapolis - London - Milan - Trento

It was a looooooong trip back home. With several stopovers and transfers. The transfer in London from Heathrow to Luton was tiring and the Ryanair flight unconfortable, crowded as always and with a stressful baggage weight control that just drove us crazy. We had to wear everything that was in the luggage that was causing extra 10 Kilos. We were laughing like crazy while we were wearing 2 pants each, 2 belts, hats, sunglasses (outside was dark and rainy!) and sweaters and putting in pokets everything that would fit. Never more Ryanair for an intercontinental flight connection! At our arrival in Milan we were exhausted and my parents were there to pick us up and bring us back home to Trento.

Our plane

Minneapolis Airport: Ely with Captain Snoopy.

Now, after a whole week of jet lag problems, we are quite slowly starting to have a normal day and a regular night sleep. We have already returned to work and life has retunrned to the same routine. We miss the people we met, we stayed with. We miss Seattle and family. We miss the sun and the beach of southern California and all the incredible natural wonders we saw. But...at the end it's nice to be back home and think about the next holiday! We already have brochures of Hawaii!!!!!!!!! (^_^)