A flashback to 2012 and our honeymoon trip to Western America. We blogged this adventure at the time and this is a reproduction taken from our wedding blog, with a few extra photos.
This trip provided the inspiration for our more recent adventures with the kids around Europe and one day, once they are a little older, we'd like to retrace some of this honeymoon journey with them.
Pre-Wedding
For our honeymoon we will be doing a road trip (with a few trains thrown in for good measure) across Western America. During this trip we will pass through 5 states and drive over 2,000 miles. As mentioned on our gift page we would love for you to contribute to this trip and as such thought we would include our itinerary so you can follow us on our journey.
We will also attempt to update the Wedding Blog as we go to let you know how we are getting on!
See below for a rough idea on a map of our Honeymoon route. This is not all being driven! We will be getting a train for the 1,315 mile section from Denver to Sacramento.
Day 2 - Thank you for a lovely day
Wednesday 17th October 2012
We just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who made Saturday such a perfect day! Everything went to plan and we hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as us.
We had a good flight yesterday and despite no upgrade our 'perfect pair' gift meant we could snuggle without annoying any other passengers! We are now in Denver and about to start the first proper day of our honeymoon by boarding the California Zephyr train.
Hopefully update this again in a couple of days when we arrive in Yosemite.
Mr & Mrs Juler x
Day 4 - Arrived in Yosemite
Friday 19th October 2012
So since our last blog we have travelled over 1,300 miles across America on the California Zephyr. The views were breathtaking especially going across the Rockies. The speed at which the landscape changed was incredible from snow capped mountains to barren deserts.
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The California Zephyr winding towards the Rockies.
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VIew from the rear of the train.
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The ever changing scenary on the California Zephyr heading west towards Sacramento.
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Last night we then drove from Sacramento to Buck Meadows just outside the Yosemite National Park and checked in to the beautiful Blackberry Inn (slightly more roomy than the sleeper cabin!).
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The Blackberry Inn.
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Now just getting up for breakfast and then we will be off to explore the National Park.
Mr & Mrs Juler x
Day 5 - The Tioga Pass and a Town of Ghosts!
Saturday 20th October 2012
Been a busy couple of days since our last blog. Yesterday we went to see "the Sequoia tree, reaching up to the sky of Yosemite", had a nice picnic by the Vernal Falls (after a long climb) and watched the sunset at Glacier Point.
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Tuolumne Grove and the giant sequoia trees.
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Vernal Falls.
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Glacier Point for sunset to watch the Half Dome turn pink.
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Glacier Point.
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This morning we said farewell to the lovely Blackberry Inn and heading east over the Tioga Pass. There were some great views, the pic below is of Tenaya Lake.
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Tenaya Lake on the Tioga Pass.
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We then headed for Bodie Ghost Town and we were both surpised by just how preserved the remains of the gold mining town were. It was almost time for the drive up to Lone Pine on the edge of Death Valley, but first we stopped off at Mono Lake to see the Tufa (nothing to do with cricket)!
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Bodie Ghost Town.
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Bodie Ghost Town.
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Bodie Ghost Town.
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Bodie Ghost Town.
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Tufa on Mono Lake.
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Tomorrow we shall start to explore Death Valley...
Mr & Mrs Juler x
Day 6 - A Valley of Death
Sunday 21st October 2012
Well we are writing this blog so we must have survived the first day in Death Valley. The landscape is so different to anything we've seen before and so varied from site to site.
We risked a bit of rough terrain to go see the Charcoal Kilns but once we remembered to actually turn the 4wheeled drive option on it was much easier going! We then stopped off at various other view points and the best moments of the day were experiencing the absolute 'deathly' silence in Mosaic Canyon and walking across the Mesquite Sand Dunes.
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The Charcoal Kilns, Death Valley.
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Mosaic Canyon, Death Valley.
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Mesquite Sand Dunes, Death Valley.
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We then went to see the sunset from Dantes View and are now tucking in for an early night as we are up to watch the sunrise tomorrow morning. (Good luck to Matthew for getting Amber out of bed!)
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Sunset at Dantes View, Death Valley.
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Mr & Mrs Juler x
[A few photos from the next day - we made sunrise, then on the drive to Las Vegas.]
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Sunrise at Zabriske Point.
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Badwater Basin, Death Valley.
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Badwater Basin, Death Valley.
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Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas.
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Day 9 - Viva Las Vegas
Wednesday 24th October 2012
"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas..." but that would make this a pretty rubbish blog! We are currently enjoying our breakfast at the Mandarin before departing for Zion. Vegas has certainly been an experience - Matt says "it is just like Yarmouth on steroids". In our two days here we have enjoyed the sights of the strip and the Freemont Experience, had a lovely steak (and bottle of Napa Merlot) at Vic and Anthony's, visited the Hoover Dam and seen a spectacular show about a small Ford car... Well that's what Amber told Matt to get him to agree to take her to see Cirque du Soliel's show Ka. We even treated ourselves to a late night cocktail in the Mandarin Bar with a panoramic view of the strip.
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Viva Vegas!! Fremont Street illuminations.
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Fremont Street illuminations.
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Views from the top of the Stratosphere Tower.
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Hoover Dam, Nevada.
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Speaking of the Mandarin, the whole 5* experience has been very strange, in true British fashion we never know when or how much to tip and find the level of service at times a little too much! The room is beautiful and the views are spectacular, but it's back to normality and a Days Inn Motel tonight.
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Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas.
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Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas.
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A little gift from the hotel!
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Mr & Mrs Juler x
[A few photos from later in the day - Zion National Park.]
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Zion National Park.
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Zion National Park.
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Zion National Park.
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Day 11 - From Slot Canyons to the Grand Canyon
Friday 26th October 2012
We've had a couple of pretty amazing days. Yesterday was our double Slot Canyon extravaganza with a trip to Horse Shoe bend thrown in for good measure. When three other tourists failed to show we ended up with a really great guide and almost all of the Upper Antelope Slot Canyon all to ourselves, he must have taken as many photos as us and helped us get some great shots. After a quick whistle stop trip to Powell Lake it was back for more slots with the Secret Slot Canyon Hummer Adventure. If we thought we'd done off road driving to get to the Charcoal Kilns this took it to another level with 40 degree plus inclines, it was great to see a Hummer doing what it's designed to do for once! Our final stop was Horseshoe Bend on the drive to the Grand Canyon.
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Upper Antelope Slot Canyon, Page.
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Upper Antelope Slot Canyon, Page.
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Upper Antelope Slot Canyon, Page.
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Lake Powell, Page.
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Secret Canyon Hummer Adventure, Page.
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Secret Canyon Hummer Adventure, Page.
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Horseshoe Bend, Arizona.
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This morning was an early start for our helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon! We decided to pay an upgrade for front seats and it was definitely worth it, if not just for that initial moment the helicopter flew over the mile deep rim. The views were amazing and a great introduction to the sights of the Grand Canyon. Once back on terra firma we picked up our hire bikes for an 11 mile trek to Hermits Rest. Some of the hills were killers, but the views more than made up for it. We finished the day with a mile hike down to "Ooh Aah Point", let's just say the walk down was more fun than the 600ft incline change for the climb back up. A quick trip to Yaki Point for sunset rounded up the day and we are now back at our lodge room getting ready (well Amber is currently soaking all her aches and pains in the bath) for a meal out at the El Tovar restaurant.
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Flying over the edge of the Grand Canyon!
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Grand Canyon from the air.
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Back on terra firma!
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A break on the bike ride to Hermits Rest.
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Hermits Rest.
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The long winding South Kaibab Trail down to Ooh Aah Point.
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Ooh Aah Point.
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Ooh Aah Point.
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Sunset at Yaki Point.
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Mr & Mrs Juler x
Day 11 - Addendum
Friday 26th October 2012
As an extra note, the name Ooh Aah Point is apparently due to the noises tourists make as they see the vistas. However after hearing Matt get out the bath I think it is for entirely different reasons!!
Mrs Juler x
Day 15 - ...and relax!
Tuesday 30th October 2012
We have finally reached the coast and the first day that Amber has nothing in her schedule for (other than to have an ice cream!).
After leaving the Grand Canyon we drove over 500miles trying to take in as much of the old Route 66 as possible. The highlight had to be Oatman where you drive a load of twisty mountain roads before coming round a final bend to be confronted with a town lifted from the old American West with tourists and burros (donkeys) filling the road. It has to be seen to be believed! We also took a minor diversion to see the old London Bridge but Amber still couldn't get a decent cuppa tea!!
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Our Jeep on Historic Route 66.
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Seligman, Route 66.
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Oatman, Route 66.
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London Bridge, Route 66.
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Bottle Tree Ranch, Route 66.
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After the long drive we finished the day with a McDonald's (the only difference we found was the size of the fries portion) before tucking in at the Wigwam Motel in our very own concrete wigwam.
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McDonalds, San Bernardino. When in the birthplace of McDonalds it would be rude not to!
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Wigwam Motel, San Bernardino, Route 66.
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Wigwam Motel, San Bernardino, Route 66.
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The next day we headed to California Adventure Park for a day of Disney fun. The rides were good fun if not as scary as other theme parks but the Disney atmosphere was certainly unique. It was fun to see Cars Land so soon after driving Route 66 and it was obvious here (and throughout the park) just how much Disney put into the details.
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Disney California Adventure Park.
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Ka-chow! Lightning McQueen at Disney California Adventure Park.
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Cozy Cone Motel (just like the Wigwam Motel we stayed in the night before)!
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World of Colour at Disney California Adventure Park.
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Yesterday we had a short drive to Santa Monica via a trip up Mulholland Drive to see the Hollywood sign. We then said a fond farewell to our Jeep :( He had done 2230miles with us all the way from Sacramento to LA and whilst he might have been a thirsty beast he was good fun and extremely useful for days such as Death Valley.
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Hollywood.
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We'll always hunt down a Bubba Gump for some shrimp.
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Today we have not done a lot! We wandered down Main St to Venice before slowly strolling along the beach back to Santa Monica Pier. Thankfully the fog from yesterday had lifted so we could actually see the pier! After enjoying an ice cream whilst wandering the length of the pier we then sat on the beach to watch the sunset.
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Venice Beach, LA.
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Santa Monica, the end of Route 66. We tried to find the start of Route 66 sign when in Chicago in 2019, but failed!
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Santa Monica Pier, LA.
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Santa Monica Pier, LA.
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Mr & Mrs Juler x
[A few photos from the next day - Downtown LA and West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval]
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Holding hands with Johnny Depp.
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Halloween Carnaval, West Hollywood.
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Day 19 - Pacific Coast Highway
Saturday 3rd November 2012
For the past few days we have been driving the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica to Santa Cruz. There has been a distinct lack of internet access hence the lack of updates here (that and we have been busy enjoying our honeymoon!).
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Our Ford Mustang, the perfect car for a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway.
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The first day was mainly driving, passing through Malibu to Santa Barbara where we enjoyed a spot of lunch whilst overlooking the harbour. We then moved slightly inland to see Lake Cachuma and also passed through the strangest little town at Solvang before heading back to the coast to catch the sunset... or that was the plan until half hour before sunset was due we hit higher ground and thick fog!! Escaping the fog we had a quick bite to eat at a bustling Farmer's Market in San Luis Obispo and then headed to our Caveman suite at the Madonna Inn. The room was fantastic and the attention to detail was certainly impressive. Yabba dabba doo!!!
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Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo.
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Our Caveman Suite at the Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo.
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Yesterday started with a trip to Hearst Castle and whilst Amber failed to spot any of the wild zebras, looking around the playboy mansion was both interesting and strange to think that it is less than one hundred years old and yet feels like a much older European chateau. You can just imagine the pool parties they would have had here back in the twenties.
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Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle.
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We then stopped off the see the Elephant Seals before continuing up the coast to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and stunning sunsets on Pfeiffer Beach. A meal at Deetjens rounded up the day nicely with amazingly good food.
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The elephant seals at Piedras Blancas.
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View of Big Creek Bridge, on the Pacific Coast Highway.
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Pfeiffer Beach, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.
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Pfeiffer Beach, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
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Overnight accomodation in a cabin at Big Sur.
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An early brisk hike up to Pfeiffer Falls was how we started today followed by a further short hike to Andrew Molera Beach. Continuing up the Big Sur coast we then stopped off at Point Lobos for a couple more hikes (at least these ones were all on level ground and no more up hills!) and a bit of seal / sea lion / sea otter spotting. We did manage to spot all three even if only from a distance (although to be honest the sea lions were more heard than spotted!).
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Pfeiffer Falls.
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Andrew Molera Beach.
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Point Lobos.
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Mr & Mrs Juler x
Day 21 - A rollercoaster ride to San Francisco
Monday 5th November 2012
Before leaving Santa Cruz we stopped by the Boardwalk to see the beach in daylight and go on a couple of the rides. The Giant Dipper was first built in 1924 and is still up there with many of the modern day rollercoasters we have been on. Being a wooden rollercoaster it also makes a lovely sound when riding it. Amber then also went on the much calmer Looff Carousel, another classic preserved from yesteryear and famous from the film, The Lost Boys.
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Santa Cruz Boardwalk.
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The Looff Carousel, Santa Cruz Boardwalk.
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We then took the Mustang (you can tell that Amber wrote the last blog as the convertible car wasn't even mentioned!) for its last trip north to San Francisco. After a few wrong turns (what is it with Americans and disappearing lanes?) we made it to the Golden Gate Bridge and the picturesque views from the Marin Headlands.
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The end of our drive, looking back towards San Francisco from the Marin Headlands.
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Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco.
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Back across the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco to drop off the Mustang.
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A lazy morning was then followed by a trip to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 to watch the sea lions. It was very amusing watching their antics and we promise we didn't laugh whenever one of them got pushed off the edge of their floating islands by another one rolling over... It was just like a noisy and disorganised version of "five in the bed".
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Pier 39 and the Sea Lions.
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Pier 39 and the Sea Lions.
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A quick ice cream and on to the main attraction with our night tour of Alcatraz. It was difficult to fully imagine the island as a prison with up to 250 inmates but it was certainly eerie exploring the prison block where the likes of Al Capone spent many years. The audio tour was brilliant and the demonstration of the cell doors really reinforced that this was once a working prison and the repetitive lives the prisoners would have led.
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Approaching Alcatraz Island.
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Some of the cells inside United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island.
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Sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge from Alcatraz Island.
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After escaping back to the mainland we went to Bubba Gump's for the second time on the honeymoon. We know it's bad going to a chain restaurant but they are good and there's lots you can do with shrimp. "You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it.". We also treated ourselves to the recipe book so we can now cook all that and much more once we are back home.
Mr & Mrs Juler x
Day 24 - Where little cable cars ride halfway to the stars and 747's fly home
Thursday 8th November 2012
So we write this blog from the comfort of the departure lounge. Our honeymoon is finally at an end and it is back to the real world and work on Monday. We have really enjoyed San Francisco and had a great couple of days here.
On Tuesday we explored the city in the traditional way, hanging off the side of the famous cable cars and found out how they worked at the free museum. After an epic ice cream lunch at Ghirardelli Square we wandered some more through Chinatown and back to the hotel before meeting up with old friends (who happened to be passing through on route to emigrating to Australia), Dave and Zoë. In case you didn't know Tuesday was election night in the US and it made a nice change to have something other than sport on the TV.
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A cable car with a difference, one of the famous San Francisco cable cars tackling one of the many hills.
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Enjoying a ride on the cable car.
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Inside the cable car museum, the whole network is run from this single power house.
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Waiting for another cable car.
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Ghirardelli Ice Cream at Ghirardelli Square.
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The rather bizarre Lombard Street.
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China Town, San Francisco.
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Enjoying a few beers with Zoë and Dave.
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Enjoying a few beers with Zoë and Dave.
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A late night out drinking maybe wasn't the best preparation for our early start yesterday to catch the wine train to Napa Valley but we made it up and onto the ferry in time. We had a really lovely and relaxing day including a three course meal onboard the train and two very interesting vineyard visits.
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Riding the Napa Valley Wine Train.
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Napa Valley Wine Train.
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Enjoying a glass of red at ZD Napa Valley.
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We decided to make the most of our last day and so hired a tandem to cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. After weeks of glorious weather it was finally time for a more British day and the heavens opened as we started to cross the bridge. We managed to take shelter beneath the bridge tower while we waited for it to pass and the sun was out again by the time we reached Sausalito to catch the ferry back.
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The first major test of married life, riding a tandem over the Gold Gate Bridge!
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Here comes the rain.
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And all that was left for us to do was collect our bags and head to the airport.
Mr & Mrs Juler x
