Back in Cali

It seemed for a little while that we had no wi-fi in the humble motel we are staying at tonight in Lee Vining, CA. I was pretty chuffed about having an excuse not to write a post as a night in Reno and a full day on the bike have left me shattered.


No such luck, Nic got the login details from the front desk…


We ended our sojourn in Arizona with an epic visit of the Grand Canyon. We treated ourselves and went for the millionaire exclusive VIP tour. First a pilot flew us in a Cessna from Sedona to the Hualapai indian reserve on the Canyon. The view was fantastic and changed tremendously, first red rocks, then plains moutains, canyons…

Once there, we were ushered past a queue of at least 3 bus loads of orientals, and into a 6 seater helicopter which took us down us down the canyon. I may have sung the Magnum P.I soundtrack throughout the whole ride, but I’m sure you’ll understand that a low-flying helicopter ride and throngs of asians were bound to trigger a Magnum Vietnam flashback…


The canyon itself is amazing. Its vastness surpasses comprehension, so much so that it all seems a bit remote.


We then took a boat up the Colorado River, which flows at the bottom of the canyon, and then it was time for another helicopter moment.


My favourite part of the whole thing was a semi-circular walkway, right above the canyon. It’s partly made of glass, so as you look down you see all the way down the canyon. I’m not great with heights myself, but Nic’s face was priceless.


We flew out to Reno the following day where we just had to stay another night. We went to another casino, just to change, but it was a bit of a dive. Nic did well at blackjack but I manage to lose some money..and to get in trouble for holding the cards with both hands. Repeatedly. It was about 3am and figuring there was no chance I’d stop doing it..I decided it was best to go to bed rather than be escorted out by security on suspicion of pulling cards out of my short sleeves…


Slightly groggy, we hit the road this morning and drove along the Sierra Nevada, Nevada side, and then crossed over – for the last time – into California.


We’re staying in a little town next to Mono Lake (have a look at the photos, we got there for sunset and the pastel pinks and purples of the blues of the sky and the green of the hills were stunning).
This town is pretty much the last post before Yosemite, which we’re driving to tomorrow, the last main landmark of our trip.

Photos: