The blog is not dead for those who believe that we not put more updates! (Is not it Maximus?) The last weeks have been a bit softer because of the hurricanes that prevents us to continue our U.S. tour in 2008. (Gustav, Hanna and Ike). The notion of a storm or when a heat wave in France is to redefine here as the forces are increased tenfold. I took the opportunity to jump from plane while Candice was crossing the United States to Cincinnati Atlanta for a road trip between atypical and Redneck Country Music . It should also end the museums in Washington that Candice could validate his City Guide!
We then spent a week in the American West alongside the parents: the final stage of the U.S. tour. Visit California San Francisco to Las Vegas through Napa Valley, Sequoia National Park, Yosemite National Park, Death Valley and the Mojave preserve. How to summarize briefly: the breathtaking scenery as usual here, excessive canyons, wilderness hundreds of kilometers, exotic vegetation and finally the ideal temperature for the holidays! Pleasant surprise
north of San Francisco where we discovered the vineyards of the Napa Valley. Wine tasting version with red carpet interpreter was excellent (he thought we were investors). We finally said they can do some good wine in this region even if their plugs are plastic.
A sequoia is the size of trees that impressed us (average age of these giants over 2000 years). The largest of them, General Sherman is 30m in circumference. Fires still raged but the trees are strong and will burn than just bark.
Yosemite, the mecca of climbing and base jumping (it should not normally say) is indescribable. The valley lies between the cliffs over 1600m. We have found time to hike around the granite rocks to the top of Half Dome. The adrenaline flowing through his veins via ferrata on the final ascent of the rock so characteristic of California, I would have jumped and deployed a parachute. Anyway, Candice was waiting just down the rock (Quarter Dome for her!).
Passing the highest road pass in the Sierra Nevada at 3000m, we reached the town of Bodi e. This is generally not a step too fast but for tourists in this ghost town is interesting for its past. True boomtown of the gold rush, feel the pioneer spirit. What was the motivation of these adventurers embarking on an adventure in places as remote and uninviting. Can we know yet what kind of adventure in our time?
Parents being in search of thrills (not kidding), so we left on the dirt tracks of the valley of death for a test of robustness of 4 * 4. Equipped with dozens of liters of water but without GPS, in the end the 4 * 4 U.S. has been broken and the 4 * 4 Japanese is still racing. Despite a crash in the desert at sunset, we found a primary nature and untouched. Solitude shared with family is nice in the northern part of the park (3 cars found in the day). The southern part of the park is more tourist Sand Dunes at Stove Pipe Wells dry lake Badwater salt.
We then took the direction of Las Vegas through the Mojave preserve and Hoover Dam . This is a dam built in the 30s. It is the symbol of the American New Deal after the 1929 crash ... The alert is the state of Lake Mead is 35 feet below its normal level ... so what: consumerism, climate change? In any case, there are too few comments on the subject. Rather, it is the greatness of the men who built the giant concrete.
In short, we loved this trip we thirsty even more of these great spaces.
B & Q
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