Death Valley, Nevada

We have visited numerous National Parks (22 at last count) during our visits to the USA, but none are hotter, drier or lower than Death Valley NP in Nevada. It is the largest NP in the lower 48 US states. 

According to Wikipedia, 'Death Valley is the hottest, lowest, and driest place in the United States. Daytime temperatures have topped 130°F (54°C) and it is home to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. There are canyons, colorful badlands, sand dunes, mountains, and over 1000 species of plants.' When we were at Badwater Basin the GPS (and local signs) read that we were 282 feet below sea level!

As we embarked on 2.45 hr drive north-west of Las Vegas, we thought of Leonie and Stan as we passed this friendly group of bikies. We also thought you may be interested to note that petrol was $3.69 per gallon (ie 97 cents per litre) - so still cheaper than in Australia where we were paying around $1.50 per litre in Ballina. Mind you, in Death Valley we saw unleaded for $5.69 a gallon!

We had always talked of visiting Death Valley NP, but we usually arrive in USA in early April and by the time we get the RV serviced and then hit the road, it is already too hot in Death Valley to consider doing an RV trip comfortably. This time we were fortunate to be travelling with our friends Rainie and Tom from Florida, and we shared a rental car and fuel costs. However when I saw this RV coming towards us (note the snow capped mountain directly behind it) I got a bit RV homesick. But then I considered some of the roads we had taken, and they were definitely not suitable for an RV, so I was relieved that we had the opportunity to travel in a regular vehicle. 

As much as we thoroughly enjoyed Yellowstone (and have visited it 3 times to prove it) and many of the other NP's, the Katmai NP in Alaska remains my favourite US NP, but Death Valley surprised me by coming in second on my list. I certainly didn't expect it to be as stunning as Monument Valley and many other Utah landscapes which I found so picturesque. Where Utah colours are very bold and striking, Death Valley is outstanding for it's pastel shades and colourings. There was hardly a mile of road traveled that we didn't find some aspect of the view amazing. The vegetation kept changing as we moved from one section of the valley to another, but the thing that we all commented on was the distinct lack of wildlife. Apart from the odd black crow, there wasn't much to be seen. Although when we visited the Ghost Town of Rhyolite, Murray did make sure I paid special attention to the warning about Rattle Snakes. The locals say the snakes are hard to pick out in their back yards as they blend in so well with the desert landscape, and once summer comes, locals usually don't venture too far outside without being extremely careful.  

Rattlesnake country

Ghost Town of Rhyolite - hard to pick out the buildings isn't it!

Zabriskie Point is one of the park's most famous views

We looked at the list of the 'things to do' in Death Valley, and managed to visit ten on the list including Dante's View, Zabriskie Point, Badwater, Artist's Drive, Artist's Palette, Devil's Golf Course, Ubehebe Crater and Stovepipe Wells Village. 

Dante's View is 5,000 ft above the valley below - we visited the valley below at Badwater

Artist's Palette - all the colours of the rainbow in these rocks

Check out these amazing sand dunes near Stovepipe Wells - against the backdrop of stunning mountains

This glimpse through our windscreen gives you an idea of just one of the views we had along the way. I lost count of the number of times one of us commented 'wow, look at that'! Our cameras were working overtime. The only other place that has happened to me was in Alaska.

Stovepipe Wells Village was the furtherest point West that we visited. It was a delightful village and we had booked into accommodation there for the night. The restaurant had delicious food for reasonable prices, both for dinner last night and breakfast this morning. We spoke to a chap at breakfast who said he and his wife visit Death Valley every year (although she didn't come this year) - when I asked him what was his favourite part he said it was hard to answer, as there were so many. When I asked why he returns every year, he said it was for the peace, quiet and beauty of the place. He takes lots of photos. I can understand why. 

Dusk - photo taken from the steps of the restaurant - looking out to the East over the pool

Stovepipe Wells looking to the West when the sun was almost gone - nothing else for miles 

One of our last stops in Death Valley was Scotty's Castle. A really fascinating story that you can read about on the link. Taking the tour gave us a great insight into the interesting life led in the Castle by the three key players. A highlight of the NP for sure. It had so many mod cons for its time and location in the desert!

Scotty's Castle

Check out this purple coloured cactus at the Castle 

Panoramic view of Ubehebe Crater 600 ft deep - caused by a volcanic explosion 300 years ago

Uh oh. Back to civilisation. Here we are entering the Las Vegas traffic at around 4pm today (Thursday here). Such a change from the tranquil, isolated roads of Death Valley.

Grand Canyon tomorrow.

Day 2 in USA at Shania Twain Concert Las Vegas

Rainie and Tom on escalator to cross the Strip

As we walked into Caesar's Palace this afternoon in readiness for our 7.30pm Shania Twain concert, I commented to Murray that it was hard to believe that this was only our second day in the US of A, yet here we were fronting up with our friends to a concert in Las Vegas. Mind boggling! As we entered the Forum Shops in Caesar's Palace I noticed Spago's Restaurant, which is one of Wolfgang Puck's and where we had a dinner with my brother Tony, his wife Yudian, my sister Ret and our aunt Dympna on our last visit here. Lovely memories. Then my eye was taken by Jimmy Choo's, so I thought it was high time I bought myself a pair of his shoes. The red ones were fabulous, but then I really liked the green ones...in the end I couldn't decide, so I walked out without buying a single pair. Oh well, thankfully I was quickly distracted by the Apple store - funny, I hadn't noticed it here before. It reminded me that my sister Rosemary recently sent me a photo of the Apple store near her home in Brisbane, so I took a photo just for her.

Tom, Rainie and Murray en route to Caesar's Palace

It turns out that our seats for Shania Twain were on Mezzanine Level One, in a 'Box'. Never had a Box before. We felt pretty privileged. We had no one behind us, and the seats in front were separated by a wooden railing. We had a great view of the stage, and Shania is as good, if not better than ever. She has an amazing voice, and I have to say she looks absolutely fantastic. Go Shania! After her concert finished we walked out in perfect time to catch the Bellagio water fountain display on our way to our shuttle.

Sorry, no purchase today Mr Choo...

Forum Shops in Caesar's Palace

For you Rose - I think our stores at home have more vibes!

Murray and Rainie about to enter Shania's concert

Bellagio Water Fountain Display

We weren't allowed to take photos so thanks for these two photos Google...

This outfit looked great. Shania was terrific!

We got the free shuttle back to our apartment, and after a game of Rummikub (yes AD, I taught Rainie to play last night and she has asked me to pack it for our overnight trip tomorrow!) it was time to hit the hay. Off to Death Valley tomorrow morning. 

  

Las Vegas 2013

What an exciting birthday celebration and start to our 4 month USA RV trip for 2013.  We had a great party on Saturday night where family and friends joined us for my 60th birthday party. We finally got back to our apartment at 2am, then to bed at 3am - Benn forced me to have one last wine! The next day we drove to Brisbane and Ret, Murray & I caught up with Joy, Benn & Daina for dinner. Very enjoyable get together. Our flight left Brisbane around 7am the next morning, and after landing, Benn drove us to visit Peter Gibbs and young Jethro before dropping us at the international terminal for our flight to LA. 

Family celebration

Mother and Son

Special Friends

Jethro & Peter Gibbs

We managed a few hours sleep on the flight to LA, and despite planning a 3 hr gap before our flight to Las Vegas, we ended up having only 20 mins to sit in the departure lounge before the flight. It didn't help that we were an hour late leaving Sydney and arrive 30 minutes late into LAX. Customs, waiting for baggage on the carousel, immigration then going through security again sure sucked up the time. Be warned Jen, and be thankful you have lots of time. 

Desert Club Resort - Las Vegas 

Lounge Area

Kitchen Area 

Rainie and Murray with groceries - check out pink mountains in background

Our friends from Florida, Rainie & Tom pulled up in front of the Las Vegas airport with a hire car as we walked out with our suitcases. Perfect timing. The weather was glorious - about 22 C. Rainie and Tom have a time share apartment at Desert Club Resort which is one street back and parallel with The Strip. It is a fabulous apartment, two bedrooms both with an ensuite and a fully kitted kitchen with dishwasher (complete with enough dishwasher tablets to last our 4 night stay).  It also has a large screen TV with cable TV in the lounge room, and another TV in each bedroom. It also has free WIFI. We called into a grocery store and now have enough supplies to save us going out for breakfast and lunch unless we have a change of heart! We'll have an early night tonight, an easy day tomorrow, and then we'll have dinner at Caesar's Palace tomorrow before attending the 7.30pm Shania Twain show there. Tomorrow is another day...

Perusing Perth, Western Australia

Kitchen of Monica and Steve's temporary home: Jared, Monica, AD, Ret, Gem (me in front)

Our train ride on the Indian Pacific terminated in Perth at around 9am on a Saturday morning. We were excited to see Gemma & Bill waiting to whisk us to King's Park for a coffee and chat to catch up. The hotel we had booked was only 2 blocks from niece Monica's home where Gemma & Bill were staying, so it was very convenient. The fact that it was also walking distance to a lovely big shopping centre was an added bonus. On our first night in Perth, Monica & Steve invited us to dinner, and met us at the door with a bottle of Moet Champagne. Very special indeed! We had the chance to wander across the road to check out where they will be living for the next 12 months while their home is demolished and rebuilt. After a delicious family dinner, we walked back to our hotel and fancy that, we started a game of Rummy King. I think we finally played the last game at midnight. This was repeated on every night to follow.

Although we did play numerous games of Rummy King on the trip, we allocated some time to see a bit of the Perth environs! Bill drove us 40 mins down south to Rockingham to have a very enjoyable dinner with some long lost cousins - Margot Biddle and her husband Paul Harris. What wonderful hosts! Their back deck was ideally located to catch the sea breeze. On another day we visited Fremantle on the coast, and walked around the Maritime Museum and the Round House. The Round House was built in 1831 as a gaol and was Western Australia's first permanent building. Apparently you can't visit Freyo (as Fremantle is known) without having fish and chips at Kailis on the waterfront, so we didn't want to break with tradition. They lived up to their reputation, although we almost melted in the heat - I think it was in the high 30's C (100 + F) that day. Thankfully that night we were invited to a BBQ with friends of the family, and they had a very inviting pool which got a lot of use. Thanks Peta and Mike! Personally I preferred to chill off internally with some champagnes! An old nursing remedy that did the trick!

FIsh and Chips at Kailis

AD and Gemma wandering back from the lighthouse

After 3 days in Perth, AD, Gem, Ret and I headed south for 3 days at Margaret River - a region known for its famous wines, amongst other things. We took a drive to the western most point of southern Western Australia to the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, sited where the Indian and Southern Oceans meet. On the way back to our delightful Heritages Accommodation, we drove through the Karri Forest. The trees are among some of the world's tallest hardwoods and survive an average of 300 years. During our stay we visited a candle shop, a chocolate factory, a silk warehouse, a Berry Farm (without seeing the usual blue wrens that frequent the place - so Gem bought me a gel sticker for my window instead!) and the odd cafe or two.

Wine tasting the conventional way!

Wine tasting Ryall girl fashion - straight from the vine

Breakfast at White Elephant Cafe on our last morning in Margaret River

We kindly gave Gemma some quiet time by disappearing each evening after dinner to play Rummy King

The Busselton Jetty is less than an hour north of Margaret River and is the longest wooden structure in the southern hemisphere. It reaches almost 2 km (1.2 miles) out to sea and has a rail line along the length of it. There is also an underwater observatory at the end which descends 8 metres (26 feet) below sea level.

A delightful stop in at Busselton Jetty

Our sister Rosemary wasn't with us, but this sign was! She was with us in spirit. 

All good things must come to an end, but we knew more delights awaited us in Perth. We dropped Gem off then checked into our hotel - Miss Maud's Swedish Hotel right in the middle of the city. Ret was due to fly back to the Gold Coast that night, but before she needed to be at the airport we met up with the family at their favourite Chinese Restaurant. It was the nicest Chinese Restaurant I have ever eaten in - the staff, decor and food were second to none.

AD out the front of Miss Maud's

Chinese dining: Gemma, Bill, Monica, Ally, Me, Ret (AD took the photo)

On Saturday AD and I made the most of the close promimity to the malls, and shopped till we dropped. Then on Sunday we walked up to the beautiful St Mary's Cathedral where the Archbishop said Mass. Gemma and Bill were singled out to take up the Offertory.

Gemma and Bill with the Archbishop

Sunday was our last day in Perth, so after Mass Gem and Bill drove AD and I to King's Park so that we could walk in the Botanical Gardens and get a bird's eye view of Perth. It was quite a hot day, so we didn't linger too long. We were glad to get back to our airconditioned room and pack our suitcases prior to having a delicious smorgasbord dinner as part of the hotel accommodation. We sampled both the breakfast and dinner buffets in the Hotel, and have never seen anything like it in any other hotel. Amazing. 

Our flight left Perth at 11.30pm and 4.5 hours later, Murray was picking us up at Gold Coast airport. Tired but very happy little vegimites. We made it home in plenty of time to prepare to celebrate AD's 89th birthday coming up on 30th January!

AD taking a photo from Kings Park - click on the photo to see it better!

A Very Special Train Trip

Recently my Aunty Dympna (lovingly abbreviated to 'AD'), my younger sister Loretta and myself excitedly boarded a train, the Indian Pacific (named after the two oceans it travels between), for a 3 day train journey from Sydney (New South Wales) across the country to Perth (capital of Western Australia - a total of 4352 kms (2698 miles). We kicked off with complimentary champagne before settling into our twin Gold Class cabins which were next door to each other. The cabins had an ensuite, and were prime examples of an efficient use of space. Our meals were served in The Queen Adelaide Dining Car, and it was a wonderful experience to sit with loved ones, choosing meals from a great selection of gourmet dishes, while watching the Australian landscape go past the window as we dined. We watched a herd of wild camels scatter as the train rolled past, saw a few wild dingoes in Cook, some emus, several kangaroos, sheep, horses, cows and goats. While we were at breakfast each morning the cabin steward converted our bunk beds into a sitting room, and each evening did the reverse and made up our beds. At 6am the steward delivered tea/coffee if you arranged it the night before. One of the special parts of each morning was when my sister brought her pillow down from her top bunk to join me on the lower bunk and as as sat up and sipped our tea, we marvelled at the sunrise or the changing view, but more than anything, we just appreciated 'the now'. Very special. My aunt had taken along her game of Rummy King and enjoyed teaching me the game and the three of us played it in the dining car for several hours a day. The game entertained us in between looking out for wedge-tail eagles (often seen soaring near the train) and other animals as we sped across the Nullarbor. 

An official photo of the Indian Pacific and better than anything I could take from inside!

Our route from the Pacific Ocean in Sydney to the Indian Ocean in Perth

On the platform at Broken Hill

Official photo of the lounge car where we had our pre-dinner drinks

Complimentary champagne in the lounge car to kick start the trip

Breakfast in the dining car - a bit dark, but if I lighten the foreground, I lose the scene out the window

The train only had a few stops where we had the opportunity to get off. The first one was in Broken Hill where we only had about 30 mins (instead of 2 hours) to wander on the platform as the train had hit 22 kangaroos during the night, and one had damaged the air brakes resulting in a 2 hr delay overnight. We had a few hours stopover in the city of Adelaide, and took the opportunity to catch a taxi into the city. We also had a short stop in a siding called Cook where only 4 people live. The train drivers change here - with the driver having a 2 day stopover and rest before relieving the next driver. The only stop where we actually did a tour was in Kalgoorlie, a major gold mining city in West Australia. The sun was just setting as our train pulled in, and within a short time it was dark so it was difficult to see the historical buildings our bus tour guide was pointing out to us. Part of the tour included a visit to the Open Cut Gold Mine that is 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long, 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi) wide and 512 metres (1,680 ft) deep. A massive business that operates 24/7 and is the major employer in the town as employees have to live locally, unlike many of the fly in, fly out mines in the state. 

Stopover at Cook to change drivers

Some of the scenery along the track

AD took this photo of sunrise on the Nullarbor

Note pink setting sun at end of train platform on our arrival in Kalgoorlie

Our twin cabin - day view. Ensuite door on left. 

During the trip we got to chat with several couples as we enjoyed a pre-dinner champagne. It was interesting to hear where they were from and what brought them on the trip. One couple had done the trip five times - they just love it. For me it was a wonderful, one-off experience that I would recommend doing, but not necessarily one that I would need to repeat without a good reason. I was pleasantly surprised to find I had reception on my iPhone for 95% of the trip. There were only a few areas where I had no signal, but the lack of signal never seemed to last very long. I was able to take phone calls, text, FB and play WWF throughout the whole trip. Thanks Telstra. 

Murwillumbah and Jacaranda Trees

How is this for a beautiful view of the Tweed River in Murwillumbah, with a flame tree on the left bank, Mt Warning in the centre rear, and the beautiful Jacaranda trees on the right bank?

My sister Gemma and I spent Halloween on the Gold Coast last night, and stayed at our friend Jenny's lovely home on the river. We went out for the evening, so missed the trick & treating in the neighbourhood - if there was any. We have a sneaking suspicion the lollies left for the kids may have been consumed by the resident adults! 

Today we had a lovely drive an hour south of the Gold Coast and en route to our homes in Ballina, and we called in to visit our two cousins who live in Murwillumbah. Gemma and I kept oohing and ahhing over the beautiful Jacaranda trees, and we had to keep stopping to take photos. I just had to put them on the blog for you all to share. 

We hadn't caught up with our cousins Relly and Vernita for two years, so it was great to have a few hours together today. 

Gemma with Relly and Vernita

Trish with Relly and Vernita (note the carpet of purple blossoms)

Stunning view as we walked across the Tweed River

Hard to see us but we wanted to get in the magnificance of the Jacaranda

Trick or treating for Halloween is a cultural event in the USA and like most other money-making themes, it is taking on over here in Australia. Over the past few years an increasing amount of stores are selling Halloween merchandise. However, I don't think our streets are up to the numbers of trick or treating a friend experienced in her neighbourhood in Alexandria, Virginia. I thought you might like to get a glimpse of what it was like there last night!