Completing the Circle - LA to LA :)

29 November to 2 December 2011 -  Arrived in LA on Tuesday after going to Palm Springs and having lunch (nice place) and finally completed our circuit of America!!!! All 48 mainland states and 4 provinces of Canada.  Am very proud of our achievement. Thank you Lee for your navigation and tour planning. Today we handed in the van and I have to say that I won't miss it and am pretty well over the driving. Lee doesn't drive so I have driven nearly 25,000 miles myself - on the wrong side of the road - and am looking forward to going on trains and buses :)   and enjoying the scenery.
I am also proud of the fact that I did all those miles without getting arrested...or even getting a speeding ticket or parking ticket. I wish I did that well in Australia lol.

Completing the circle - LA to LA

I have to recommend Escape rentals. After the early problems we had with the first van where we lost two weeks waiting on parts and repairs Escape was great - they paid for all our accommodation and hire cars during that period. Today when we handed the van in I was supposed to pay about $2500 in excess miles and they waived that cost as compensation for the early problems. What a magnificent gesture. Robert and Shawn - you are the absolute best - thank you for everything.

Currently we are staying at a hotel in West Hollywood and have really done nothing since we got here except rest and have sleep-ins and watch TV.  It's a nice change - a holiday after our holiday. The plans are that Lee is here till December 7 and then she's off to Hawaii for 2 weeks and then back to Oz for Christmas. I'm in LA for 2 weeks and then will go back and visit Kae and Ang in Arkansas. Will probably go by train. I also want to go to the San Diego zoo before I leave LA and to visit Susanne and also get back and see Karen & Robbie in Omaha. I leave the USA from New York on January 12 to go to Iceland and then on to UK.  I plan on staying in London for two weeks then visit the rellies. Not sure after that. Anyway - that's the plan.

Miles on last day on the road 422.6 (680 kms)              Bugs#1175       OLD  SSS23

The Grand Canyon...YES!!!! Bigger than big

28 November 2011 -  Finally found our way to the REAL Grand Canyon and I was absolutely gob smacked...I knew it was big, but it was huger than big. Perfect day with brilliant blue skies and cool sunny weather.  The day was really another long period of driving - first to get to the Canyon and then to continue on our journey. We are actually on the last leg of the Camper Van part of the trip and I am soooooo sick of driving...I am looking forward to getting to Los Angeles and handing it back in on December 3.

7000 feet deep - parachute jump was 15000 - a drop in the ocean hehehe

Big hole in the ground!

Interesting concept!

Arizona's landscape is so varied - flat and cactus one minute - the Grand Canyon the next and then winding roads up through a mountain range and down the other side. At the bottom is Peeples Valley ...beautiful grazing land filled with horses.....the whole area there looked manicured.

Miles 254.8 (410 kms)      Bug# 1159    OLD  $28.00

The Grand Canyon...maybe....maybe not!!

27 November 2011 - Took off this morning aiming to get to the Sky Walk at the Grand Canyon. Travelled for a couple of hours on bitumen roads and then 10 miles on a dirt road full of corrugations and pot holes and rocks and dust and arrived at the car park where we were told we couldn't go further unless we bought a coach trip the rest of the way.  Also if we went on the Sky Walk we couldn't take our cameras or mobile phones. The West rim of the Canyon is under ownership of the traditional land holders and to my mind they make it very difficult to enjoy the location. We were so cheesed off we left and travelled another couple hundred miles and we are currently at Williams Arizona which is the Gateway to the Grand Canyon. We will go tomorrow and investigate the south rim which is supposed to be better than the west rim anyway. Seems to take a long time trying to find the biggest hole in the world lol The drive itself was quite boring - especially since it was a double back - long straight roads - flat countryside.

We did see a wolf standing on the road - not doing anything - just standing...looking. Also we saw some quite outstanding flat topped hills. It gets dark by about 5 pm here so really no point going any further tonight. Hopefully tomorrow will be more successful.               Miles # 301.3  (484 kms )   Bugs # 1149   OLD$23