tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74426665822469359072024-03-13T14:22:47.766+00:00CAROLANDAdventures inAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-32970089432744767412017-12-01T14:39:00.000+00:002017-12-01T14:42:46.459+00:00THE 5 BEST SIGHTSEEING SPOTS IN EDINBURGH<h2>
<b>EDINBUGH, SCOTLAND, UK</b></h2>
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Being half Scottish I love visiting Scotland, but rarely get the chance. I recently took a visit to Scotland's capital city. Here are my recommendations for the top 5 places to visit to get the best views in Edinburgh.<br />
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<b>CALTON HILL</b><br />
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This is my top spot. You get a 360 panoramic view of the city. On a clear day the views are incredible and even when its not it looks incredibly atmospheric. It can get very windy up here so go prepared.<br />
on one side you can see down to Holyrood and the view of Arthurs Seat shows you why its so special. You also have the Nelson monument to take in. Further round you can see the city rooftops and the castle surrounded by the hills. Whilst on the other side of the hill you can see Leith and the Firth of Forth seascape.<br />
If you want to see all types of views, city, hills, sea, this is the place.<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ba-CSdPleBM/WiFmzDP1uRI/AAAAAAAABR8/XG_lNrQWDegOIo8XfSjhl-rOKIdHAe1CgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="1241" height="148" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ba-CSdPleBM/WiFmzDP1uRI/AAAAAAAABR8/XG_lNrQWDegOIo8XfSjhl-rOKIdHAe1CgCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_0796.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VRriTyYyJJ8/WiFmyRPBNVI/AAAAAAAABRw/qy7el7ZyW7Y4kfJD744GAfQ5HDyoOZuhQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="1241" height="147" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VRriTyYyJJ8/WiFmyRPBNVI/AAAAAAAABRw/qy7el7ZyW7Y4kfJD744GAfQ5HDyoOZuhQCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_0793.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<b>EDINBURGH CASTLE</b><br />
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The highest point in the city this is another spot to get amazing views and take in the history of the city within the castle walls.<br />
As well as the views from the Castle you get incredible views of and inside, the old buildings are a sight to behold.<br />
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<b>PRINCES STREET / PRINCES STREET GARDENS</b><br />
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Whilst the other spots on my list give you great views above the city looking down, this spot is one of the best ground level views. Theres equally a lot to look at.<br />
From the top end of Princes Street you can see up to Calton Hill in the distance. You also have the lure of the shops, but in addition to this you can see up to the Castle. If you take the walk from here up to the castle you also get a great view over the train station.<br />
You can get an amazing view of the Scott Monument, and can get up close, as well as seeing Princes Street Gardens.<br />
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<b>HOLYROOD</b><br />
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If you walk to Holyrood from Calton Hill you get a great view over it by going through the Old Calton burial Ground. Surrounded by hills and the Palace this view is one not to miss. The views outside Holyrood Palace are my favourite here, but in particular the crumbling walls of Holyrood Abbey give an atmosphere you can't get anywhere else in the city.<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FoUNNfPGZZw/WiFmxhfHCGI/AAAAAAAABRk/y013KTYQPy82h-zAPrxamZy0hlqIs4DnACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="964" data-original-width="1242" height="155" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FoUNNfPGZZw/WiFmxhfHCGI/AAAAAAAABRk/y013KTYQPy82h-zAPrxamZy0hlqIs4DnACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_0790.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3oMxzJGjSGQ/WiFmxMszMdI/AAAAAAAABRg/NmO3xefsK5gc4tCKqzQS77YlOZ7G0Pe6ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="1241" height="146" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3oMxzJGjSGQ/WiFmxMszMdI/AAAAAAAABRg/NmO3xefsK5gc4tCKqzQS77YlOZ7G0Pe6ACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_0789.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<b>ROYAL MILE</b><br />
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This historic road has amazing views all the way up to the castle, with the old buildings containing beautiful styles of shops, restaurants and pubs. In addition to this you pass St Giles Cathedral and St Columba's Free Church Of Scotland are very impressive and dominate the skyline.<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zdap402IoKA/WiFmzYq3DYI/AAAAAAAABSA/gZG-IxFYfJIyMubhLBVM7tABNuerPZS-ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1241" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zdap402IoKA/WiFmzYq3DYI/AAAAAAAABSA/gZG-IxFYfJIyMubhLBVM7tABNuerPZS-ACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_0797.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-po7QLaY7MZg/WiFmztuHTOI/AAAAAAAABSI/vtGAk0B5IKcZPiQSERJK4VX_xkFlPkfqACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="1241" height="197" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-po7QLaY7MZg/WiFmztuHTOI/AAAAAAAABSI/vtGAk0B5IKcZPiQSERJK4VX_xkFlPkfqACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_0799.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0Edinburgh, UK55.953252 -3.188266999999996255.810968 -3.5109904999999961 56.095535999999996 -2.8655434999999962tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-66192762601219001722016-05-31T16:00:00.000+01:002016-05-31T16:08:30.330+01:00TREK AMERICA | A GUIDE TO: COMBINING TREKS & TRAVELS<h2 style="text-align: center;">
COMBINING TREKS & OTHER TRAVELS: TOP TEN TIPS</h2>
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As I had decided on a Trek America trip to celebrate a big birthday I wanted to combine my main trek with other travels to make the most out of travelling all the way to the good ol' US of A!</div>
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This Guide will take you through how I planned my treks and other stays around them to have an epic american adventure. With my top ten tips for you if you want to do the same.</div>
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Combining treks and travels was the best thing I did to get a mix of experiences and show me many different sides to american life and landscapes.<br />
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As I was celebrating a milestone birthday, I combined trek with some more luxurious stays, which was a great mix and something I would do again. A bit of luxury after a few weeks of cabins and hostels felt incredible.<br />
You don't have to do this though, you could stay in similar accommodation to trek to make it more cost effective. Do whatever suits you and your budget to make the most of traveling across the Atlantic!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Its not difficult to combine more than one trek or spending longer in some of the destinations but does take a bit of pre planning. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Here are key points </span><span style="background-color: white;">to remember if you want to travel the US for longer:</span><br />
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1 | <span style="background-color: white;">CHECK <u>END</u> & START DATES OF BOTH (OR ALL) TREKS </span><br />
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<i style="background-color: white;">What (I</i><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic;"> did): </span><span style="background-color: white;">The Northen BLT I planned as my main trek finished in LA, and I knew if i was travelling all that way I wanted to take in Vegas and the Grand Canyon as well.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">I found a mini trek that started a week later from Vegas. This gave me the perfect amount of time in the middle destination. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">We finished trek (Northern BLT) at the end of the day on Monday and I made my way to my pre booked accommodation. I then had 5 free days to explore LA before planning a travel day on my sixth day (the Sunday) to fly to Vegas and spend a night in the pre tour accommodation there, before starting my second trek on the 7th day.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic;">Why (you should): </span><span style="background-color: white;">Finding two treks with close together end and start dates means you can have a decent</span><span style="background-color: white;"> amount of time in your middle destination. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Don't plan to end one trek and start the next one on the same day - there were a few I had to discount because of this, you simply won't arrive in time for the early morning start. It will mostly mean finding one that starts a week later. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Check the end date of your trek first before you look for your additional trek, so you know the next available date you could start your trek - theres nothing more annoying than finding the perfect second trek that you can't go on as it starts the day you finish or that you can't afford to go on because it would mean too long in the middle destination.</span></div>
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2 | COMBINE LONGER AND SHORTER TREKS<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><i style="background-color: white;">What (I Did): </i><span style="background-color: white;">When I planned to do the Northern BLT it took in so many amazing places I wanted to see but I knew it didn't take in some other incredible places that I would be much closer to than travelling from the UK. I didn't want to go too far from where I finished and Vegas was only about an hours plane ride away from LA. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">Adding the the Vegas to Grand Canyon (Hotels) mini trek meant I'd have 4 extra days taking in some incredible national parks and of course the Grand Canyon was the main draw. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sucking up the additional cost of another trek turned out to be cheaper than staying in Vegas and doing lots of day trips to these places solo, plus this way I knew I wouldn't have to worry about how to get to them and all the additional aspects of travelling alone.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">Doing this mini trek finished my time in America on a high as our group was all a little jaded after three weeks on the road (on the Northern BLT). I look back and think if I had finished trek then I would have missed out on so much, particularly because the mini trek were my favourite places to visit overall. We also hiked together more as a group and I enjoyed this the most - a completely different experience from my first trek!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Why (you should):</i> If you're not set on the Grand BLT or Trailblazer, combining longer and shorter or mini treks can give you the best of both worlds.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">It allows you to take in many more sights than your original trek, without travelling for months. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">You'll meet two sets of trek buddies - whats not to love about two sets of new friends.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">You get two different trek leaders - with gives you two different local perspectives (both amazing) on the places you travel too.</span></div>
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3 | MAKE SURE YOUR COMBINED TREKS END AND START NEAR EACH OTHER<br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><i style="background-color: white;">What (I Did): </i><span style="background-color: white;">I did look at some treks that started in LA a week or so after my first one finished there. But because I would have already spent a week in LA I wanted to finish the second trek in a destination where I could also spend more time exploring, and I didn't want it to be the same place I finished the original trek.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">The closest place that other treks started from became obvious, VEGAS! Once I had that narrowed down I checked out different travel options, to get from LA to Vegas on the dates I was looking at for my next trek. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">There were multiple bus and flight options, bus journeys at about 4-5 hours and flights that took an hour, and although I didn't make my decision then on how to travel I knew there were enough options, meaning I could book the treks first and decide a little later on about the best travelling option for me.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">I chose to fly and picked a midday flight, by doing this I would get there in good time and had some back up options to still arrive the night before trek started if any flights were delayed or cancelled - you can't afford to miss the start of trek on a mini trek.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Why (you should):</i> So it's easier to travel to solo - You don't want to have to trek miles on your own before you get to your second trek starting point, thats the whole reason you're going with trek.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">If they aren't mega close, check out flights or travel options between locations before booking, so you know you can get to the other destination on the days you need to, to start your next trek on time. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Pick a morning or midday travel time so you're not catching the last bus or flight, you </span>don't want to leave yourself open to problems if there are delays.<br />
The upside of flying is you get some incredible views of other parts of America you're not stopping in.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">If they start in the same city, even better, you just have to travel across town - check out the options to get the most cost and comfort effective way to travel.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">If you move from a trek post departure hotel after finishing the first trek, you could always spend the pre departure day for your next trek in treks hotel. By doing this you get to stay in different areas of the same city and get more experiences, this is particularly good for LA as its very spread out.</span><br />
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4 | END YOUR FIRST TREK <span style="background-color: white;">IN A LOCATION YOU WANT TO SPEND LONGER IN</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><i style="background-color: white;">What (I Did): </i></span><span style="background-color: white;">I did this with LA, as i'd never been to LA or the west coast before and only spent a few days in NY at the beginning of trek as id been to New York a few times before.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Spending time alone in LA wasn't initially appealing to me but after I had decided to do that there were so many things to do and keep you occupied that it was nice to spend your own time exploring and taking in the sights you want to see that weren't on trek. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">I went to some theme parks and a TV show recording, as well as seeing lots of other sights, that there just isn't time for on trek</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Why (you should):</i> Seems obvious enou</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">gh, </span><span style="background-color: white;">but</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> don't waste the extra time you have in a destination you are not as keen on. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Or make sure your next trek starts in a destination you would like more time than trek provides. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">One of the only downsides to trek is that in some places you will feel like you don't get enough time, so ending your trek somewhere you happily spend another week can make your travels much more exciting. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Getting to spend some time in your last destination with your trek buddies and trek leader gives you a great start but then getting to explore areas you want to as well will not leave you disappointed.</span></div>
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5 | CHECK ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS FOR PRE, BETWEEN & POST TREKS</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><i style="background-color: white;">What (I Did): </i><span style="background-color: white;">I checked out a range of options and dates to maximise my spending money. I checked all my destination accommodation options way before booking to keep an eye on prices and book when there were sales or discounts.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">I also checked all my destinations before booking and booked the cheapest first (Vegas) which meant I knew my budget for LA and NY was slightly more as I got a hotel much cheaper for Vegas than i was expecting. This was crucial for my budget as New York was slightly more than i had expected as the beginning of May when I travelled was the start of their busy holiday season.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Why (you should):</i> Before booking your treks check out different accommodation options in all your extra stay locations to fit your budget. You need to do this to make sure you can afford stays in these cities before booking up y</span><span style="background-color: white;">our treks. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Theres normally something to fit every budget.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Don't get disheartened if you have less to spend. Save up for longer if you want a more luxurious stay or plan to stay in hostels, there are some epic cheap hostels and hotels in America. You're only gonna be sleeping and showering there right!?!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Checking out accommodation prices is essential as American summer holiday dates (schools and colleges) are different to the UK, so don't assume you'll get cheaper prices even if its not holiday season in the UK (or wherever you are).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Don't blow your budget on accommodation, its better to stay somewhere cheaper and have money to spend on activities!</span><br />
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6 | MAKE MULTIPLE LISTS & KEEP ORGANISED<br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><i style="background-color: white;">What (I Did): </i><span style="background-color: white;">I made lists of what I wanted to do, what I needed to know before booking anything and then a checklist of what order to book things in.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">This meant I didn't have to rush around once in the locations to make sure I had things to do. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">I did also make a list of what to book when I got to the location, like theme park visits depending on how I felt on the days when I was there so I wasn't stuck to a big plan every day. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">This really helped in LA, as after three weeks on trek I used much more time as downtime than I was expecting…I had to recover from the tiredness and all the hiking! Using the benefits of the hotel I booked - room service and cinema only films on your hotel room tv was a novel afternoon and evening well spent recuperating!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Why (you should):</i> Whether its on your computer or a notepad making lists is key to getting everything planned in advance, making combining trek and travel less stressful, and even fairly enjoyable! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">The hard work you put in, in the planning will more than pay off when you're at the destinations. You don't have t</span><span style="background-color: white;">o waste time trying to create an itinerary and miss out on amazing sights as you can plan to maximise your time.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">do plan in some downtime between treks, you don't want to fill everyday with activities as you will be tired. You will want a more chilled day or two before embarking on your next trek too - maybe a pool day at your hotel or relaxing at the beach!</span></div>
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7 | BOOK BOTH (OR ALL) TREKS AT THE SAME TIME</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><i style="background-color: white;">What (I Did): </i><span style="background-color: white;">After looking at the two treks for a while that I had been set on combining, before I booked them, the mini trek got fully booked. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">This meant I would have to abandon my trek as there wasn't many feasible options for a different second trek taking in what I wanted to see, and the only option was to change my dates as luckily I hadn't booked one of the trips without the other. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">There were only one other set of trek date options that would allow a week in between the treks. So I checked out the travel and accommodation options for the new dates which seemed ok.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Having learned my lesson of waiting to book I booked them both up together, so I wouldn't miss out on combining them, after having planned out my travels. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Why (you should):</i> Trek America regularly offers discounts for booking multiple treks at the same time, so it can make it hugely worthwhile to stay on in America a bit longer.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">They also usually give discounts for your 3rd or more trek, saving money while adding to your itinerary can't be bad!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">You do not want to have to change your plans if your second trek gets fully booked before you book it, especially if you've already researched travel and accommodation options.</span><br />
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8 | BOOK YOUR TREKS FIRST </div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><i style="background-color: white;">What (I Did): </i><span style="background-color: white;">Following working out the treks I wanted to do and travel and accommodation I booked my treks first as they were the core to my travel plans and everything else was flexible. I booked about four months in advance so I time to pay the treks off before spending money on flights and other accommodation. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">I added pre tour hotels in after a couple of weeks of booking my treks - Trek America were very accommodating to do this, after I had realised my other hotel options would be too far from the departure points to travel on the morning of the treks - I didn't want a mega early start!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">It also meant I could keep an eye on hotel and flight prices and book when they were the lowest I had seen, rather than needing to book everything up straight away.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">It ended up being cheaper for me to spend four nights in New York City before the pre tour night, instead of three. Based on changing the date I flew to a day earlier, I used the left over money for another hotel night - an extra night in New York is never a bad thing!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Why (you should):</i> You don't want to pre book flights or accommodation then find that in the meantime the treks to fit around those have been booked up. Treks can fill up quickly as its 13 maximum to a tour.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Booking trek first and well in advance gives you more time to wait for the trek to be guaranteed before paying for flights and accommodation - so less chance of loosing money, as very occasionally some treks don't have enough people to run them. Having more time before booking other aspects of your travels allows you to change all the extras to fit in with any new circumstance - no one wants to waste money!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Have travel and accommodation plans in mind but you can always be more flexible with those around the treks - there really is nothing you can do if treks have been booked up already.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Changing travel and accommodation around trek (rather than changing trek around travel and accommodation) will mean you could end up finding some good deals.</span><br />
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9 | SPEND TIME SOLO IN YOUR DESTINATIONS AROUND TREKS<br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><i style="background-color: white;">What (I Did): </i><span style="background-color: white;">Because I spent time in locations on my own people ended up talking to me a lot because of it that i wouldn't have spoken to otherwise, I met lots of people because of this and these are some of the most memorable and special parts of my trip.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">When I was at Disney land in California waiting for the night parade I got speaking to a local family and learn loads more about life in California and got tips on things to do in Vegas.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">At Universal in LA I got one front of the line pass I could use on a ride to skip the queues. This was because I was approached to fill in a 5 minute Universal electronic survey about my visit that day, they weren't approaching big groups but solo and couple visitors!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">I've also had a free visit to Museum Of Modern Art and discounted visit to The Metropolitan Museum in New York due to being solo. A MOMA member had a spare ticket that had been paid for and wanted to give it someone instead of wasting it. He was looking for a solo visitor and I was the only one, he had been waiting a while because everyone else was with people.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">It was the same with a visit to the World Trade Center memorial in New York. A lady on her lunch break got talking to me, she was on her lunch break and explained how she visited the memorial everyday as she worked in the Twin Towers and was not at work the day 9/11 happened, which had saved her life. People speak to you when you're solo and you can share in some incredible stories - thats what travelling is all about right!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Why (you should):</i> While its nice to travel with others it can be to your advantage to travel solo in some of your destinations around treks.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Sometimes you can get offered free or discounted tickets.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">You can visit places you really want to see but other trekkers or friends may not be into - museums, galleries, sports, whatever your thing there will be something fun to do. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Don't miss out because you're embarrassed of being there alone, there will be other people enjoying events solo, and you can meet and get talking to new people. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">If you're staying in hostels you may find like minded travellers who want to see some of the same sights as you and you can visit together.</span><br />
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10 | PRE BOOK ACTIVITIES IN YOUR PRE, BETWEEN & POST TREK DESTINATIONS</div>
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><i style="background-color: white;">What (I Did): </i><span style="background-color: white;">I pre booked to see the Late Late Show with James Cordon in LA before I left the UK. A few of the tapings got cancelled but because I booked in advance I re booked for a different day. As we were nearing LA on the trek my booking got confirmed and got upgraded to a priority booking because I got in early enough. This meant being closer to the front for the taping and much more likely to see the show - they always oversubscribe tv show audiences to make sure they have enough people, so if you're near the end of the queue you may get turned away.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Another treat of travelling solo in LA got me an amazing visit. I got the last tour of the Dolby Theatre where the Oscars are held before it closed for 3 days due to Steve Martin's lifetime achievement ceremony. I went early in the day and no one else was booked on the tour, I got to go in the box in the auditorium and watch them setting the stage up because it wasn't a big group. I had ended up with a private tour of the Oscars theatre and auditorium for the price of a regular group tour - pretty amazing, and a very special memory!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Why (you should):</i> You might be able to watch one of your favourite Hollywood tv shows at a taping. There can be long waiting lists for booking tv show tapings, and you need to book well in advance to give you the greatest chance of getting to watch something. For tv shows book a few different dates and different shows to maximise your chances. They are great to book up for time in LA or NY, they are FREE, having a free thing to do while spending time in expensive cities is amazing, it will save you money and you will feel incredible afterwards as you get entertained at no expense!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Pre booking a few activities for when your alone will make visiting the places less daunting and you will enjoy your trip way more. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">You are not left wondering how to fill all your free time between treks. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Make sure you don't book up all your time as you will want to make use of the best weather days for outdoor sightseeing and you can get some great deals or better visits when you're out there at the last minute. Not booking up all your time in your middle destination will mean you can spend time with your other trekkers after trek, most people have the day after trek in the destination so you can meet up with your other trekkers on these days to do fun activities not included in trek, and it means you won't be alone the whole time.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">There are so many incredible benefits of planning other travels and combining them with treks.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">There are a few downsides to travelling in this way too. Mostly staying for shorter times in amazing destinations will make you want to spend longer there. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">On mini treks while you see lots of incredible places theres not quite long enough to really explore them. I want to go back to most of them within days of arriving home, and still feel that way a year later. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Hey, at least I've got my next holiday ideas already right?!?</span><br />
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Let me know in the comments if this is a useful guide, especially if you've not booked multiple destination travels before!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Are you going on multiple treks or treks with time in multiple destinations? or have you combined treks and travels before, what did you do?</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-49617160986163151022016-05-17T16:45:00.000+01:002016-05-17T16:52:54.001+01:00TREK AMERICA | A GUIDE TO: THE HIKES<h2 style="text-align: center;">
THE HIKES: WHAT TO EXPECT</h2>
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My favourite part of the Trek America adventures were all the hikes I had the opportunity to go on in the national and state parks. </div>
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Now, I am not by any means athletically fit (I'm working on it), and you don't have to be super sporty to do these. Don't be put off any treks because of the hikes.</div>
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Some were more difficult than others. I managed some challenging ones, as well as easier ones, and you always have the option to pick and choose what you do. You never have to do a hike if you don't want to, which is another positive of travelling with trek.<br />
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I didn't know much about hiking, elevation and elevation gains before Trek America but I learnt a lot. All you really need to know is; the higher the elevation the harder your body has to work and the harder your breathing is. This also happens with the bigger an elevation gain or change, I could definitely feel myself working harder at the higher elevations but it was all manageable. </div>
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Most of the time you can go at your own pace as well. In some parks you can hike with your trek leader, in others you can't. Your trek leader may say you are going to be in a National Park for a certain number of hours and give you different hike options you could do. </div>
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In Yosemite my trek group spilt up, some people did the longer more difficult hike, some did a medium hike combined with trails and others wandered around different areas of the park, rather than hardcore hiking.<br />
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There are other times when you will walk as a whole group, we did this on our first big hike, which was in Yellowstone. After about ten minutes, some of our group decided they didn't want to hike, so they headed back to the van. When we had finished, our tour leader drove them to some viewpoints that we saw whilst walking so they could still take in the great views!<br />
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You also get given park maps and newspapers when you get to different parks, with information to help you navigate, which is particularly handy when you're hiking without your tour leader.<br />
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All the trails and hikes are really well signposted, with water filling points and usually toilets nearby. They are also well used so you'll see lots of other hikers and sometimes park rangers, everyones really friendly, encouraging and willing to help out if you need anything. There was only one hike (Slough Creek Trail) where we didn't see any other hikers, but thats probably because we started it very early in the morning!</div>
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We also got driven to many other places for amazing views in the parks, you don't have to walk everywhere, like Olmsted Point and Glacier Point in Yosemite NP.</div>
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So I thought i'd list all the hikes (including shorter easier trails that didn't feel like hikes) that I did on my two treks, with the details and what I thought about them, to give you an idea of what to expect.</div>
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<b><u>NORTHERN BLT</u></b></div>
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<b><b>1 | Taughannock SP: GORGE TRAIL</b></b><br />
<i>Distance: 1.5mi / 2.4km Elevation: <span style="background-color: white;"> 820ft / 250m </span> Elevation Gain: 40ft Difficulty: Easy</i><br />
This was an easy hike. Flat most of the way with wide paths, shaded with the trees and cool because its by the river. As you get close to the falls you cross a bridge and get a stunning view looking up at the 215ft falls. We sat at the edge of the bank and got the spray and mist from the falls reaching us which was nice after the walk. This was our first hike and a great introduction, it took us about 40 minutes.<br />
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<b><b><br /></b></b><b><b>2 | Badlands NP: WINDOW TRAIL</b></b><br />
<i>Distance: <span style="background-color: white;"> 0.25mi / 0.40km </span> Elevation: 2,500ft /<span style="background-color: white;"> 762m</span> Elevation Gain: <span style="background-color: white;"> 10ft </span> Difficulty: Easy</i><br />
This wasn't really a hike at all, it was more of a short walk. I wanted to include it because it was the only walk we did in the Badlands. Apart from a short walk the next morning for sunrise, with the watch out for snakes sign! We walked round a large circular boardwalk over about 20 minutes. There was a small area with some information about the rocks we were seeing. This walk was fun after walking round the boardwalk we walked across the road and off track a bit to climb some of the rocks. This is definitely the easiest National Park to walk around as although the ground is bumpy it is mostly flat and up to you if you want to climb some of the mounds for different views!<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ht4DtY77yKE/Vx-pS5FKRhI/AAAAAAAAA1g/fVpqaYd81rUMJOsvuISD_ZkwaoxcLiPLgCKgB/s1600/FullSizeRender-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="475" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ht4DtY77yKE/Vx-pS5FKRhI/AAAAAAAAA1g/fVpqaYd81rUMJOsvuISD_ZkwaoxcLiPLgCKgB/s640/FullSizeRender-15.jpg" width="640" /></a><b style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: white;">3 | Yellowstone NP:UNCLE TOMS POINT (<span style="background-color: white;">CLEAR LAKE/ARTISTS POINT/SOUTH RIM)</span></span></b></b></div>
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<b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: white;">-</span>3 | Yellowstone NP:UNCLE TOMS POINT (<span style="background-color: white;">CLEAR LAKE/ARTISTS POINT/SOUTH RIM)</span></b><br />
<i>Distanc<span style="background-color: white;">e: 5mi / 8k</span>m Elevation: 7,784ft / 2,372m Elevation Gain: 350ft Difficulty: Moderate</i><br />
On this hike we combined trails making it longer overall, you could just go to each point and back from the trailhead but we did a bigger loop starting and ending at Uncle Tom's Point. It took about 3 hours. We covered Clear Lake Trail made a cut through up to Artists Point then followed the South Rim Trail back to Uncle Toms Point. There were large flatter field areas to walk at the beginning before it got a bit steeper as we headed towards the edge of the cliffs. This hike didn't get too steep though and was manageable. Artists Point was incredible for views across both sides. After Artists Point on our way back to Uncle Toms Point some of our group went onto Uncle Toms Trail which took you down to near the bottom of the Falls.<br />
Even though it was longer combining trails it was good that we did this so we got different views along the whole walk. Some trails go to Artists Point and back but you get a much better view of Yellowstone by walking a loop. The clear lake area was a pretty hidden gem you wouldn't see if you just walked to view the falls and river. This hike was worth the effort for the views. There were lots of areas to stop for great views of the river.</div>
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<b>4 | Yellowstone NP: PORCELAIN BASIN TRAIL</b></div>
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<i>Distance: 1.6mi / <span style="background-color: white;">2.5</span>km Elevation: 7,520ft / 2,292m Elevation Gain: 40ft Difficulty: Easy</i><br />
This trail was an easy walk. You walk down to the hot springs and then it is a fairly flat walk around the basin on the boardwalk. There Is another area you walk back up to near the beginning that gives you views down into and across the basin. Theres no real cut throughs on this walk so you will have to walk the loop or turn back on yourself to get back.</div>
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<b>5 | Yellowstone NP: BACK BASIN TRAIL</b></div>
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<i>Distance: 2mi / 3.2km Elevation: 7,520ft / 2,292m Elevation Gain: 40ft Difficulty: Easy</i><br />
This trail was another easy walk. There is a fairly flat walk to begin before it drops down into the basin. It is another flat walk around the basin and even though this walk was longer it didn't feel it as there were so many different springs to see. You walk down to the hot springs and then it is a fairly flat walk around the basin on the boardwalk. There are different areas where you can look out across a lot of the trail. There is also a cut through half way across this loop so you don't have to walk the whole thing and could just cover half.</div>
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<b>6 | Yellowstone NP: SLOUGH CREEK TRAIL </b></div>
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<i style="text-align: justify;">Distance: 2mi / 3.2km Elevation: 6,279ft/1,913m Elevation Gain:<span style="background-color: white;"> 400f</span>t Difficulty: Easy/Moderate</i><br />
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We walked to the first meadow, which took about 45 minutes each way. The weather was cloudy when we started and cleared a bit by the time we finished the trail. It is a fairly easy walk with a few steeper areas but nothing too challenging and you walk down into the meadow. There are usually a lot of wildlife and bear sightings on this trail. We didn't see any but we did see some animal tracks near the meadow. There were some amazing views here and it was really atmospheric with the low fog in the early crisp morning. The full trail is 25 miles and goes all the way up to Montana, so it was nice to walk part of it and realise how big Yellowstone is on the way.</div>
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<b><b>7 | Yellowstone NP: MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS</b></b></div>
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<i>Distance: 1.75mi / 2.8km Elevation: 6,735ft / 2,053m Elevation Gain: 300ft Difficulty: Easy</i></div>
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This was one of my favourite trails! We were dropped off by our tour leader in the van at the top of this trail and walked the boardwalk down to meet the van again at the bottom. This didn't feel like a hike and was downhill all the way. The elevation wasn't an issue at all, although we walked this route quite slowly because there was so much to look at. The colours of the the hot springs and this hydrothermal area were amazing. The views and vistas made you forget you were walking nearly 2 miles, there was always something new too look at around every corner.</div>
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<b>8 | Yellowstone NP: EXCELSIOR GEYSER & GRAND PRIMATIC SPRING</b></div>
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<i>Distance: <span style="background-color: white;">0.8</span>mi / 1.3km Elevation: 7,270ft / 2,220m Elevation Gain: <span style="background-color: white;">30</span>ft Difficulty: Easy</i><br />
This area of the park is in the Midway Geyser Basin. This was another walk that wasn't really a hike. It was a 30 minute walk around a large circular boardwalk, taking in the hot spring of Yellowstone and one of the most famous, the grand Prismatic Spring. It was a flat walk and goes really quickly whilst you take in the springs. Well worth the visit.<br />
There was great view as you walked by the Excelsior Geyser. It was particularly amazing sight as it ran off into the Firehole river with the different colours that were created as the water ran down the rock into the river.</div>
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<b>9 | Grand Teton NP: JENNY LAKE LOOP TRAIL (HIDDEN FALLS)</b></div>
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<i>Distance: <span style="background-color: white;">3</span>mi /<span style="background-color: white;"> 4.8</span>km Elevation: 6,800ft / 2,067m Elevation Gain: 550ft Difficulty: Easy/Moderate</i><br />
This was a fun hike that started by walking round the banks of Jenny Lake. As we hike higher away from the lake we got a great panoramic view of the huge lake below and the mountains above. The views on this hike reminded me of some parts of the UK, there was lots of greenery. This hike was a slow gradient so it wasn't as steep as the other hikes despite climbing quite high.<br />
We reached an area with a hidden waterfall and small clearing with space to sit. We had lunch here, although this area was very busy. We then started the hike down to the lake via a different route. There was a dock at this part of the lake where we could catch a boat back to near where we started. If we had hiked the whole of Jenny Lake it would be about a 5mile hike.<br />
This hike took about 2 hours (with the boat ride back) and was a great hike because you got all different kinds of views of the lake and was one of the easier longer hikes I did on trek.</div>
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<b><b>10 | Yosemite NP: TUOLUMNE GROVE OF GIANT SEQUOIAS</b></b></div>
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<i>Distance: 2.5mi/4km Elevation: 6,200ft / 1,860m Elevation Gain: 400ft/120m Difficulty: Easy</i><br />
This was a walk downhill to the giant sequoia trees which were spectacular. As we got to the base of the trail the trees where huge and part of the trail went through one of the sequoias with pretty amazing views through the tree. There were huge pinecones scattered everywhere which I've never seen anywhere else. The hike back up to the trailhead was only challenging due to the steepness of the trail, it is a wide and fairly shaded trail with all the trees which helps with the hike back up. We finished this hike quicker than expected in just under 1 1/2 hours.</div>
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<b><b>11 | Yosemite NP: HIGH SIERRA LOOP TRAIL (VERNAL FALL FOOTBRIDGE)</b></b></div>
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<i>Distance: 2mi / 3.2km Elevation: 4,000ft / 1,200m Elevation Gain: 3/400ft Difficulty: Moderate</i><br />
This trail is the first part of the Vernal and Nevada Falls trail. This trail is very busy and you will pass lots of people and move out of the way of other hikers. A small group of us decided we didn't want to do the full trail so hiked up to the footbridge. This was one of the harder hikes for me. Although not a huge distance, the terrain was quite steep in places and the constant climbing was the issue rather than the distance. It was still worth it though as the views were amazing even just from the footbridge. This round trip hike took about 1 1/2 hours. This is one hike where I wish I had gone a bit further onto the Mist Trail, where you get more amazing views of Vernal Falls. Some of our trek group went to the top of Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls. The rest of my small group didn't want to go further and as it had been quite strenuous, I didn't want to hike alone, and I wanted to explore other areas of the park I turned back with them. This is one hike I really want to come back to and go further on!</div>
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<b>12 | Yosemite NP: MIRROR LAKE TRAIL</b></div>
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<i>Distance: 2.4mi / 3.8km Elevation: 4,000ft / 1,220m Elevation Gain: 100ft Difficulty: Easy</i><br />
Everyone in our group that didn't go on the long hike in Yosemite walked this trail. Its a really easy flat trail in Yosemite Valley. It takes in forrest areas, rivers and ends up at Mirror Lake. There is a further trail you can take to Tenaya Canyon and loop around, but we went back after Mirror Lake as we wanted to visit some other areas of Yosemite. Even with bright sunshine it was a cool walk with the trees shading you most of the time. We saw a North Face photoshoot near the lake. The views you get at Mirror Lake are great but probably the least awe inspiring that we saw in Yosemite. Its known as Mirror Lake as it is a very clear lake reflects the rocks around it. You get very close to the base of half dome here and get a more unusual view by looking up to it. This walk probably took us just under an hour.<br />
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<b>13 | Yosemite NP: BRIDALVEIL FALL TRAIL</b></div>
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<i>Distance: 1.2mi / 2km Elevation: 4,000ft / 1,200m Elevation Gain: 200ft Difficulty: Easy</i><br />
Me and one other trekker use the park bus system to get to the trailhead from Yosemite Valley. This was one of the shortest trails we did. It was an easy walk and not very steep. As we were there in May the fall was till running but there wasn't much water flowing and it was more of a mist that blew about in the breeze. It was pretty to see but its probably better earlier or much later in the season when its flowing well. If you want an easy trail this is it and before you start you are also near the base of El Capitan so you also get a great view looking up at it before and after you finish your trail on the other side of the road to the falls.</div>
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<b><u>LAS VEGAS - GRAND CANYON (HOTELS)</u></b></div>
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<b>1 | Zion NP: <span style="background-color: white;">ANGELS LANDING TRAIL</span></b></div>
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<i>Distance: 5.2mi / 8.3km Elevation: 4,000ft / 1,219m Elevation Gain: <span style="background-color: white;">1500ft </span> Difficulty: Difficult</i><br />
This was the toughest hike I did across both treks! It didn't help that we didn't get here and start hiking until mid afternoon, so it was the hottest part of the day. It must have been between 30/40 degrees celsius. I took a lot of water and used most of it. There were also rangers on the trail checking if people had enough water. There were lots of other hikers and the encouragement was great. There were also some areas of shade where we went past the switchbacks and further up and into the rocks. These switchbacks were some of the most difficult I have ever walked it was pretty steep.<br />
I was hoping to make it to Scouts Lookout (The main viewpoint before Angels Landing - 2.1 miles and 1,070ft), but was overheating way to much and was a lot slower than the rest of the group. Knowing there were another set of switchbacks before Scouts Landing put paid to that aim for me! I had to stop I waited in the shade while our tour leader went on to tell the rest of the group at Scouts Landing that we would be turning back. I was so grateful to the tour leader, he stuck with me the whole way and although I felt bad that he wouldn't get the amazing views because I couldn't manage it we took a slow walk back down and walked down to the river to cool off and take it the views from there.<br />
So I made it to just before the wiggles and still got great views from a place called Refrigerator Canyon. My shorter trek must have been just short of 2 miles and just under 1,000ft - still not bad going!<br />
It still turned out to be a great hike even though I was hugely disappointed I didn't make it to Scouts. If it had been earlier in the day or if we had had more time for the hike I would have made it. We didn't have too much time as we had a long drive to Bryce Canyon after we finished. Not everyone made it to Angels Landing and despite my disappointment I did still get some great views from over halfway up…and at least it gives me a reason to go back again when I'm a bit fitter right!</div>
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<b>2 | Bryce Canyon NP: QUEENS GARDEN/NAVAJO LOOP TRAIL (SUNSET POINT)</b></div>
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<i>Distance: 3mi / 4.8km Elevation: 9,100ft / 2,778m Elevation Gain: 521ft Difficulty: Moderate</i><br />
This was my favourite hike across both treks. We walked from Sunrise Point to Sunset Point. It took a couple of hours and we were pressed for time again here as we had a long drive afterwards. This was the downside to a mini trek there was not really enough time for doing big hikes but these places were the most beautiful of the trip so we pushed ourselves. The colours were amazing.<br />
This hike suited me as we started it early morning after sunrise and breakfast so it was much cooler in the day and I managed it all! We walked down into the Canyon on a loop trail and it was steep coming back up with more switchbacks than I managed at Zion. It was tough on the thighs. But it was worth it for the views. It was amazing to walk between and through the orange hoodoos and get some amazing views. The push for time made the switchbacks and the end of the hike particularly tough but I had a huge sense of accomplishment and the views were so amazing I forgot to film any of it!Photos do not do this place justice. Im so glad Bryce was included in this trek it was my favourite place.<br />
I definitely want to go back to Bryce on another trek where I have more time to explore!</div>
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<b>3 | Grand Canyon NP: </b><b>SOUTH KAIBAB TRAIL (OOH AHH POINT)</b></div>
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<i>Distance: 1.8mi / 2.89km Elevation: 7,260ft / 2,212m Elevation Gain: 600ft Difficulty: Moderate</i><br />
We had the choice to walk some of the south rim trail but all of our trek group chose to hike into the Grand Canyon to reach Ohh Ahh Point where there were some amazing panoramic views. Hiking into and out of the Grand Canyon is bucket list business!<br />
This trail is fairly busy and you get encouragement from all the hikers on your way back up. The hike down to the point was great, all downhill, although with it being so steep it did hurt the legs a little. We stayed at Ohh Ahh Point for a good 45 minutes before hiking back up. It took us about 1 /12 - 2 hours including the 45 minute break at Ohh Ahh Point. The hike back up is the hard part, theres no real let up, its the steepest trail I walked on trek. There were lots of switchbacks but there are also some parts that flatten out. We took short breaks every now and again on the way back up for water breaks and to catch our breath. The main problem with the hike back up this trail is that theres no real shaded areas, you'll need quite a bit of water for the hike back up. Its totally worth it though for the view and we did hike quicker than we expected so had a big sense of achievement when back at the top and looking at the views back down into the canyon!</div>
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I also wanted to make this list to see all the hikes I went on during trek, and what I achieved. We walked a lot...no wonder I was so tired!<br />
There's nothing better than being rewarded with amazing views that you have earned by working for them.<br />
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Let me know in the comments if this is useful guide!</div>
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Are you going on a trek or trip that will take in any of these places? or have you been on some of these hikes, what did you think of them?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-44015069076820436172016-03-22T21:39:00.001+00:002016-04-10T10:10:56.574+01:00TOP 15 PLACES TO VISIT: USA<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now that i've visited a significant portion of the U.S.A. here are my top 15 places to visit:<br />
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<b>Yosemite National Park, California</b></div>
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Yosemite National Park has to be my top place to visit. It has incredible sweeping granite scenery, incredible hikes, and small hidden lakes.</div>
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If you get the chance to visit here you should take a trip to Glacier Point to take in the sunset, the most incredible natural scenery I've ever seen! There's views of half dome, Vernal Falls and many other incredible sights. It's so beautiful, some of the sights don't even look real! You feel on top of the world, literally!</div>
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Two days wasn't enough for me to see all the wonders that are here, I would suggest you could easily spend a week taking in this stunning scenery.</div>
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<b>Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah</b></div>
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The orange rocks of Bryce Canyon NP are stunning. Get up early and watch the sunrise light up the red rock landscape and once you walk amongst the hoodoo's you'll notice every shape there is. Its beautiful in the sun with the tops of the rocks being lit and shining bright in the landscape.<br />
There are steep climbs here, so give yourself enough time to make the most of it.</div>
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<b>Zion National Park, Utah</b></div>
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Zion NP is a mixture of red rock scenery and lush greenery, the contract is very impressive. Climb up to Scouts or Angels Landing and get an amazing panoramic view. While climbing you'll feel encased by the striped orange rock.<br />
After a long hike chill out on the ground in the rivers and streams.<br />
To really see the vast sweeping scenery, drive the roads that curve round the edges of the cliffs and you will spot lots of incredible wildlife on the way.</div>
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<b>Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona</b></div>
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The best way to see this place is by helicopter. Leaving the green forests below you feel like you're floating over a beautiful bumpy landscape that stretches for miles. It really is a grand canyon!<br />
Watch the Colorado river snake between the the rocks in the valleys of the canyon.<br />
There are some incredible hikes, and you will need a lot of time to see this place. Ooh Ahh point and walking the south rim are particular highlights.<br />
End your time here perfectly by watching the sun set over the peaks and troughs of the canyon where you can see all its colours in shining glory.</div>
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<b>Los Angeles, California</b></div>
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There is so much to this city! There's something for everyone here, you've got incredible beaches, the hollywood hills, shopping districts, art districts, fishing ports, and theme parks galore. Even, wall to wall sunshine and the desert in the distance, whats not to love!</div>
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<b>Big Sur, California</b></div>
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This hidden gem is one among many that stretches along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). I could easily list all of them, but Big Sur has to be the most spectacular. You can see the Pacific Ocean go for miles into the distance, and the small but perfectly formed beach makes it feel like you are in paradise.</div>
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It has a quiet and chilled atmosphere, with a calming effect. If you need to get away from it all in the western US, this is the place. With the clifton walkways you you will get some of the most amazing coastal views anywhere!</div>
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<b>NYC, New York</b></div>
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The city that never sleeps has a lot to take in. Theres always something to see and do, so you've gotta keep up the pace. Key places to visit are, the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, World Trade Center & 9 /11 memorial, Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Broadway.<br />
And don't forget all the incredible galleries and museums, Guggenheim, American Museum of Natural History, the Met.<br />
You won't want to stop from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave.</div>
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<b>Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming / Montana / Idaho</b><br />
It really is a national park filled with yellow stone, quite incredible. There is so much natural beauty to see here, hot springs, geysers, bears, buffalo.<br />
The colours of the water running over the hot rocks create is best views in the sun, so the spectacular scenery is somewhat weather dependent.<br />
Even on a misty morning there are some hikes that make you happy you got up early.</div>
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<b>Las Vegas, Nevada</b></div>
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The city of sin in the middle of the desert! The hotels here are incredible, you would never need to ever step foot outside but you'll be impressed when you do. This is the perfect place to explore the surrounding desert areas from and get wild and over indulge in modern life. The shows here are glittering and the start to long nights. This city does not wake up early so chill out in the luxurious polls in the numerous hotels. Theres even rivers and blue skies inside, so you never really know what time of day it is.<br />
See the view from the top of the Stratosphere, you get an incredible perspective of the strip contrasting with the mountains in the distance. Brave the rides that dangle you over the edge if you dare.</div>
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<b>Badlands State Park, South Dakota</b></div>
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Badlands State Park has scenery like no other. It feels like you are on another planet, or maybe the moon! The ground is very rocky, but it crumbles beneath your feet, and you can't see anything but the impressive rock formations for miles. It feels like you've wandered into another world.</div>
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This very still scenery is best seen at sunrise and lights up in many different colours, grey, dusty pinks and neutrals, as well as bright oranges and pinks. Watch the world come to life here and you will not regret it.</div>
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<b>Niagara Falls, New York</b></div>
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The most powerful waterfall in America is a sight to see. Take a boat tour to feel the force, get sprayed by the mist and see it up close, but the view from above is just as impressive.<br />
The falls stretch across the border of the US and Canada, walk over the Rainbow Bridge to get a view from the Canadian side.</div>
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<b>Chicago, Illinois</b></div>
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More chilled than NYC, Chicago has the metropolis feel but not as fast a pace. Take in Lincoln Park Zoo, cloud gate with the reflective bean and a baseball game to make the most of the city.<br />
It will feel recognisable from many film scenes, but to take in the city from all angles make a visit to the Willis Tower. Even stand on the the Skywalk where you feel like you're floating above the buildings below.</div>
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<b>Santa Barbara, California</b></div>
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This chilled beachside community is another perfect California getaway. See some incredible Spanish style buildings and the slow pace here will help you relax on the perfectly yellow sandy beach.</div>
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Take a walk over the Pacific Ocean onto the pier, and take in the amazing ocean views with an outside bite to eat in the seaside restaurants. </div>
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With the mountains in the distance you feel enclosed in the perfect picturesque cali beach life.</div>
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<b>Jackson, Wyoming</b></div>
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This is proper cowboy country and definitely worth a visit. The small town nestled between mountain ranges gives you the experience of traditional american country life. With the Teton's in the distance the town square is full of life and still has line dancing on the street on holidays. Check out the amazing textiles and cowboy boots in the local shops and take in a rodeo to see bull riding and showmanship on horses.</div>
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With tradition there is of course modern life too, so take in the scenery while staring out the window of the coffee shops for a few hours, its easy for this place to feel like home, even if you've never lived life like this before.</div>
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<b>Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming</b></div>
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The mountains and lakes in this National Park are stunning. The greenery makes this a very lush area, with hidden waterfalls and fairly easy trails the hikes are fun and not too long. Climb up, and take in the views of the huge Jenny Lake, before taking the boat back to your start point.<br />
This is another area that feels very still, with just the waterfalls breaking the silence. A perfect place to chill.</div>
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America most definitely has it all, mixing cities and scenery gives you the best of both worlds, take it all in!</div>
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I wanted this to be a top 10 but I really couldn't leave out any places on this list. Of course, this top 15 is only made up of places I have visited and there are big portions of the US I've not had the chance to visit yet. I'm sure this list will grow!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-33461643545904132722016-03-12T19:20:00.000+00:002016-03-22T22:30:36.708+00:00C2C FESTIVAL<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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This weekend i went to the C2C (Country to Country) music festival in London at the O2 arena.<br />
This has to be one of the best performances / concerts i've ever been too.<br />
For a start for the ticket price you get to see 4 main acts in the arena with other acts on the smaller stage in the arena. In addition to that there are loads of other free events around the O2 to check out and enjoy, well worth the admission price.<br />
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I've never been to C2C before, but it was the best music event i've ever been too, I'm a secret, or not so secret lover of american country music. Not the thigh slapping, cheesy over the top stuff, but the proper Nashville and Memphis based outstanding music scene that tells huge stories in a few minute songs. The artists that come out of these places are incredible, and many don't get the international recognition they deserve.<br />
That's what impressed me the most at this event, the headliners were amazing but the quality of talent and passion everyone performing had. Even the acts performing on the free to view smaller stages outside the arena were such good quality. The amount and quality of music I saw was well over the ticket price, and I would happily go and watch every act again.<br />
It's a day, that as a creative, had me inspired.<br />
The only downside was that didn't have tickets to all 3 days and was only there for 1 day.<br />
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I attended on the Saturday and the 4 headline acts were, Maddie & Tae, Sam Hunt, Little Big Town and Carrie Underwood. I mainly booked as i've always wanted to see Carrie Underwood live but all of these acts were incredible.<br />
Carrie was amazing and performed a long set, but the standout performers for me were Little Big Town. They are all incredible singers and their passion for music came across so much in their set.<br />
I hadn't heard of Maddie & Tae before this event and I was also hugely impressed with these two, love their music, you 2 have a new fan!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0The O2, London, UK51.5025248 0.003664100000037251451.4975828 -0.0064208999999627488 51.5074668 0.013749100000037252tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-78031138627977612202016-03-05T12:16:00.000+00:002016-03-23T11:16:33.584+00:00WHY I DECIDED TO START TRAVELLING IN MY 30'S!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taughannock Falls, NY, USA</td></tr>
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So, I only really discovered my love of travelling in 2015 when I hit the big 3-0 and wanted to detail why and encourage others to take the plunge with travelling when you're a bit older.</div>
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We all have those friends who took a gap year before uni or went on some serious travels in their 20s with it all being hedonistic and in the style of the backpacker life. It always seemed like everyone travelled like this but this wasn't for me, I was to busy figuring out who I was and what I wanted to do in the grand scheme of life…and if I'm honest i wasn't ready, I didn't want to go off on my own to big scary places in the world without knowing anyone. I only ever took the average 2 week holiday where everything was provided by the hotels and even on day trips never really saw the world.</div>
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Last year that all changed and I'm so glad I waited until I was bit older to start experiencing the benefits of "proper" travel. So here are the reasons why you should start travelling into your thirties and beyond, its not just a young persons sport!</div>
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Travelling For Longer</div>
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I've learnt that I much prefer to travel for longer periods of time. Saving up for that little bit longer and putting aside a larger chunk of time for travel can be so much more beneficial. You learn to spend longer in some places and really experience the culture and can mix up a few weeks in one place with just days in another.</div>
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When younger its very much be quick and move onto to the next place to pack as much in as possible. But when you get older realising that its the quality of the time in the places, and going at your own pace, which may take longer than the average but is ok, gives you much better experiences.</div>
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Travelling Solo: Realising That Sometimes It Is All About You</div>
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As i've got older, and as many do, you realise you care less about what people think. As I wasn't tied down to many responsibilities, like I thought i might be at this age, I realised that travelling solo is so much fun and isn't anything to be ashamed of. Lots of your friends and family have responsibilities which means they can't travel at the same time as you, but why should that stop you?</div>
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Travelling solo means you can pick where you want to go, when you want to go and what you want to do when you're there with no compromises. Its you're money and you don't have to just go where your friends do which normally happens when travelling with them even if you're not into it. </div>
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By travelling in this way you will always find other solo travellers in the destinations you're in wanting to go to places you are, you learn to socialise with people in that space and time and then move on, its one of the best reasons, you meet so many amazing people! You're never as alone as you may think.</div>
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i also have some health reasons as to why I can get extremely tired, by making you're own itinerary if you need a day or two in bed or on the sun lounger to recover from some hikes or the adventures you can do it, this was crucial for me and made the experiences so much better for it.</div>
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Travelling To Inspire</div>
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As an older traveller i've found it has inspired me so much more than it would have when I was younger. it has inspired me to hike more and see more of the great outdoors than I do in my day to day life. It has inspired me to adventure further and find my places I would love to spend time in. It has opened my eyes to other lifestyles and cultures, not to dissimilar from my own but that seem worlds apart.</div>
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It has also made me realise how much I love beautiful scenery, its not all about the latest tv show, but natural wonders that really do give you a feeling of bliss, finding quiet natural spots where you can waste away a day and feel content at the end of it.</div>
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Your travels can also inspire others, my photos and stories have been welcomed by friends and family and lots have recently travelled to places I haven't considered, what a great way to see the world, through each others eyes!</div>
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Travelling Finances Are Better Spent</div>
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You soon realise that the extra drink in one place is not worth not being able to afford that slightly comfier hotel or extra excursion that can include some unmissable sights.</div>
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As you get older you realise comfort is key when travelling over long periods, so I mixed cheaper accommodation for places that I spent one night in with higher end places where I stayed for a week or longer.</div>
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This is another benefit from travelling solo, you pick your budget and spend it on what you want, no wasting money on things you see as necessary and you can really enjoy the places you visit, whatever your budget.The benefits financially from travelling when older is that you have usually saved up more before you go so can pick higher end experiences in some places.</div>
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Travelling Is Appreciated More</div>
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I have been able to appreciate the time I have spent in places so much more than when I was younger. All the nuances of a place have been amazing to me, things I may have missed or passed up before. I used local shops much more rather than chain stores and have found so many interesting things along the way by appreciating the beauty of each place even if there are things I haven't like as a whole.</div>
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Its allowed me to learn where I want to spend more time and just that spending time exploring is something to appreciate in itself. At 30 I needed this to take away from the downsides of life that we see in the news every day and changing my daily routine, if only for six weeks at a time definitely gives you a new lease of life.</div>
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Every time I look back on my photos the experiences come rushing back and it makes me want to plan my next trip.</div>
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I do just have to add a caveat here: when I went on my travels in 2015 the person I got on the most with in most of my travel groups was always the youngest. There were 18 year olds who had the same ideas as me as to what good travel was all about, and yet 25 year olds who mainly wanted to party and zipped through all the sights we came across. The inside of most bars look the same, give the world a chance. </div>
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But this is another advantage of travelling when you're a bit older you find common ground with unexpected age groups and it gives you new perspective.</div>
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Who wouldn't want to take on all these amazing opportunities that come with experiencing travel when you're a bit older!</div>
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There are lots of companies that cater to this, rather than the old 18-30 style opportunities, I hope this trend is here to stay and judging by the amount of people I know that have taken a work break to experience extended travel to treat themselves for hitting 30 I'm sure it will. </div>
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Go on, don't just think about it, do it, treat yourself...trust me, it will inspire you!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-25169587213591197892016-02-25T20:22:00.000+00:002016-03-22T22:30:54.855+00:00VISITING THE BBCAfter a week of work in London I explored the city in some new ways with the fam, and took a visit to the BBC Broadcasting House at the top of Regent Street.<br />
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I loved this visit, spotted 2 newsreaders and 2 weather presenters, amongst other things.<br />
We started off by seeing into the newsroom, where BBC news 24 is broadcast from. There is a cafe and open viewing area where you can look down into the studios and watch everyone at work, while you relax with a drink. I'm used to having people watch me at work as I'm often painting in the windows of shops on Bond Street and lots of passers by stop to watch so it was nice to turn the tables for the afternoon and see 'tv people' at work.<br />
It is such an impressive set up and its crazy to see how much information comes into this news centre, queuing up on the feeds like an airport departure board. It wasn't that long ago that we didn't have 24/7 news and at Broadcasting House there are three thousand employees, which makes up half of the employees at Broadcasting House, working on news alone.<br />
On the mezzanine level of this area there is the Weather studio, which is just a small space and is open to the news below and in full view of the public gallery area. It was pretty novel to stand and watch multiple weather presenters at work, the busy few minutes preparing an presenting their reports and then calmness for 25 minutes before it was back to it.<br />
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The highlight of this visit had to be getting to see The One Show studio, seeing how small it is compared to how it looks on tv, and of course getting the chance to sit on the famous green sofa!<br />
You can't pass up an opportunity to sit where lots of incredible guests have.<br />
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We also got to see the radio drama theatre, and listened to a radio broadcast from WWII when a bomb hit the theatre, where the presenter kept calm and carried on in the true British spirit.<br />
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I love exploring new parts of London and seeing things I haven't before. It was a really informative visit and I would recommend anyone who has an interest in tv to go and explore here.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0Broadcasting House, London, UK51.5188898 -0.1439006000000517825.996855299999996 -41.452494600000051 77.0409243 41.164693399999948tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-88663920787287544782016-01-17T17:53:00.000+00:002016-03-22T15:50:00.140+00:00LUMIERE LONDON 2016<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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Lumiere London is an arts event taking place across the streets of London during January 2016. Whilst I love travelling abroad, I also love travelling at home and I loved this event for encouraging everyone to travel across London on foot, exploring and experiencing iconic areas of London in a new way, through light and projection. Using the arts to inspire pride in our city is genius...lets have more of this please!</div>
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Westminster Abbey</h4>
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I have long loved projections onto buildings, and this did not disappoint. </div>
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The favourite part of this event was Westminster Abbey. The changing light </div>
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projections used the architecture of the building to emphasis the sculptural </div>
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nature of this masterpiece. </div>
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glory of whats on your doorstep. Through the bright colours illumining this </div>
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building it reemphasised what an amazing place it is and made it a </div>
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performance in its own right…and why not, what a great way to light up the </div>
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The piece at Westminster Abbey is 'The Light of the Sprit' by Patrice Warrener.</div>
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It lit up the west side of the Abbey and there was a constant stream of people stopping to watch the show. The changing colours kept me entertained for twenty minutes, and even warranted a facetime call to share it live with others, which also went down well.</div>
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Trafalgar Square</h4>
The piece at Trafalgar Square is the Centre Point Lights. This was by far the busiest piece I saw.<br />
These are the lights from the top of the Centre Point building taken down while the building is developed.<br />
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Leicester Square</h4>
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The piece at Leicester Square is 'The Garden of Light' by TILT.<br />
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It included giant light sculptures of all things you would find in a garden, plants, flowers, trees and was really well executed. </div>
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You could tell exactly what each light represented and it made you think about the space in a new way, which is what the company is known for.</div>
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It was fun to see an oversized garden in the middle of London!<br />
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St James</h4>
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The piece at St James is 'Les Voyageurs (The Travellers)' by Cedric Le Borgne. This was the most poignant to me and the most eery. </div>
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The location was more hidden out of the others and the area was very dark and mainly lit by the figures in the sky. They also adorned buildings and each had its own personality. This piece was my second fave and I would love to get a chance to see it again.</div>
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This piece was a very still piece and made you reflect.</div>
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Piccadilly </h4>
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This piece is Lumineoles by Porte par le vent. This piece had a Harry Potter esque vibe about it, with magical fish floating above everyone to filmic music. They come to life by dancing with the movements of the wind and had an ethereal feel.</div>
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I only managed to visit on one evening of this four night event, but I managed to see a lot of the locations in the West End. </div>
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There were more aspects to this light festival further afield across London, such as near Kings Cross which I didn't have time to travel to. </div>
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If there was one downside to his event it was that it wasn't on for long enough which also made it very busy. It was so nice to have some of central London's streets closed off to cars and be free to roam, the way this event was set up really did make the city seem magical. If theres an event like this near you, check it out! Lets hope London does this again soon.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0London, UK51.5073509 -0.1277582999999822351.1912379 -0.77320529999998222 51.8234639 0.51768870000001777tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-825009926844778592015-12-31T15:28:00.002+00:002016-03-22T16:42:33.254+00:00REVIEW: TREK AMERICADisclaimer: There will be numerous blog posts and videos about my trip, once i have sufficient computer memory to complete them, my laptop is currently full to bursting with all the amazing photos I took this summer. Keep checking back, they will get finished!<br />
pps. This will be a short and sweet review, the individual blog posts will go into much more detail<br />
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<b>11th May - 1st June 2015</b> & 7th - 11th June 2015</h4>
<b>Northern BLT & Las Vegas - Grand Canyon (Hotels):</b><br />
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So, I couldn't let the end of 2015 go by without reviewing my epic six week summer adventure I undertook this year.<br />
Trek America is right up there as undoubtedly one if the best things i've ever done. If you are thinking about undertaking a trip I implore you to go ahead and do it, you won't regret it!<br />
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I undertook 2 treks in the space of 6 weeks, the Northern BLT and the Las Vegas to Grand Canyon (Hotels) tour.<br />
I would highly recommend the BLT (Budget Lodging Tour) versions for trek, I hadn't done much travelling before, except for regular style holidaying in hotels, and the quality of the budget hotels and hostels was high and much better than I expected. Even the cabins in more rural areas had plug sockets, pure luxury!<br />
I'm so glad I combined two treks for my one trip. This would be one of my top tips, if you can, even if it means taking two shorter treks, I would suggest booking two (plus you can get a discount by doing this). Whilst I was fortunate enough to be able to book a long trek (3 weeks), with a shorter mini trek (4 days), the advantages of this were incredible. I got two very different but equally amazing experiences and had I just completed the three week trek I would have felt fairly differently at the end of my journey.<br />
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It's not all sunshine and rainbows, although mostly it is, like anything in life there are upsides and downsides. This is one of those opportunities however, where the upsides far outweigh the down.<br />
I'm going to start with a couple of downsides, so you know what you're letting yourself in for!<br />
Theres only three really, <i>you will be very…Tired</i>! <i>You might not click with everyone</i>, but thats ok and <i>longer treks mean you don't always appreciate everything it has to offer</i>.<br />
Now thats out of the way, onto the good stuff…<br />
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The six weeks for my trips went by so quickly, so you need to hit the ground running. I got as much sleep as I could by having early nights in quieter places and sleeping as much as possible in the van. A lot of people thought the van space was quite small, but it was absolutely fine for me, I took a small day backpack and travel pillow and i was good to go. By using the van to catch up on sleep, look out the window at the amazing scenery, keep up to date with people online and getting to know your fellow trekkers the endless miles driven will not be a drag but an additional benefit to seeing all these incredible places by road.<br />
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The upsides of Trek America are so numerous i'm sure I will miss loads out, but i will name as many as I can.<br />
<i>You see so many incredible places. </i>The mixture of cities, national parks, rural areas and towns was amazing. I loved these trips as a way to explore America as you get to see and compare different types of places day to day, and you will find what you prefer most, informing you about where you want to go next! For me, I thought I would love the east coast of the USA most, as I had been here numerous times before but trek showed me so many amazing places I am now in love with the american west and all the national parks, whilst the cities are incredible, the scenery in america's national parks will take your breath away!<br />
<i>You get to see places regular tourists normally miss</i>. The trek leaders are amazing for this, they take you to some amazing spots that are more known about by locals, whether its an amazing restaurant or cafe in a city or a hidden gem of a location in a national park you will see things off the beaten path. This was one of my favourite parts of the treks, I would never have found these on my own and mixed with the main sightseeing spots it made for one incredible mixture of experiences.<br />
<i>You get time to yourself to explore places you want to see</i>. On the longer trek particularly, you get free days in parks and cities to explore, I went off with a few people from our group in different places and got to do things I wanted. Some people went off on their own if they had a certain shop they wanted to go to but there was also always someone to go and do something with. Splitting into smaller groups was great as you can go at your own pace and spend longer in some places, and less time in others.<br />
<i>You meet an amazing bunch of people. </i>Trekkers, Trek Leaders, and had some of the most amazing conversations with americans I met along the way in different cities. An amazing experience.<br />
<i>You do things you didn't know you could</i>. I am not the fittest I could be when I undertook trek but I was able to do some amazing hikes, which if you'd asked me before I didn't think I could do but the scenery and people push you on! The hike too and back from Ooh Ahh Point in the Grand Canyon was a particular highlight. Also made it most of the way to scouts landing on the trail to Angels Landing at Zion National Park, which was incredible, although the 40 degree + heat did stop me in my tracks in the end. I do plan on going back here one day with Trek to get further up this trail!!!<br />
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And much more, it was incredible. I will add more detail with the other blog posts but...<br />
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These treks have given me a new outlook, the world is an incredible place, and i most definitely want to see more of it with Trek America!!!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-64791123458542850352015-05-31T21:00:00.000+01:002016-09-06T09:48:53.407+01:00USA ROAD TRIP: TREK AMERICA DAY 19<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>NORTHERN BLT</b></h2>
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After our quiet evening the night before, me and one of my roommates decided to get up fairly early and explore some more of San Francisco before we would meet the rest of the group for our planned activities for the day.<br />
We got ready and headed down to the breakfast room in the basement of the hostel. It was already buzzing with activity, with people cooking up their own eggs and pancakes, it was a great atmosphere. We grabbed our free breakfast, fruit and a bagel and made our plans for the day ahead. We headed back to the room to grab our bags, leaving our other roommates to sleep and we made our way out of the hostel and onto the streets of...<br />
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<b>San Francisco, California:</b><br />
Yesterday on our ventures out of the hostel we always turned right and headed to Union Square so today we turned left.<br />
Our walk started out fine and there was some incredible street art along the way but after not long of walking we started to notice quite a few homeless people roaming the streets.<br />
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We kept walking but came across more dishevelled homeless people and saw some drug taking on the street in front of us. It was really sad to see the other side of San Francisco, its not all bright lights and picture postcard views.<br />
We were a bit spooked and uneasy, so hot footed it away from the area to...<br />
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UNION SQUARE:<br />
As we made our way back to the Union Square area we saw some more incredible street art, so many of the images were huge as well, taking up whole sides of buildings. This was one of my favourite things about the city, being an artist and seeing spontaneous art everywhere was amazing!<br />
We headed into the shopping mall at the end of the Union Square area and spent just over an hour looking round the shops and buying a few little pieces. Inspired by the art we both bought ourselves a small piece of art!<br />
We didn't have too much time left after this before we needed to meet up with the group so we walked back to the hostel. We saw some of the others who had just been out for breakfast so headed back to our room, put our shopping away and reorganised our bags to head out for the rest of the day. We went to wait in the lobby for everyone and while a few people showed up on time, due to the big night out the night before there were a lot of the group who were late. We wouldn't have minded if it were 10-15 minutes late but we're talking 30-45 minutes after we said we'd meet! This was a definite downside to group travel, we'd got up early to fit in what we wanted to do and meet in time but as some others had disregarded it it felt pretty frustrating as we could have seen other areas of the city, and didn't make for a good start to the rest of the day.<br />
They came through the lobby as they had gone out for breakfast late and still had to head to their rooms and get ready.<br />
The reason we all had to meet at a certain time was because we were going to Alcatraz, which was included in the trip and we had a specific departure time for the ferry and if you missed it you wouldn't be able to go.<br />
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After we were all gathered we walked back into Union Square to wait for a cable car to head to the piers. As it was a Saturday and the sun was shining and we were running late there was a huge queue. After waiting for a while we decided we had to get taxis to make it in time for our Alcatraz departure so we all headed off and jumped in lots of different taxis.<br />
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ALCATRAZ:<br />
We made it in time and started queuing on the jetty for our ferry. We got an incredible view of the city across the water as we got nearer Alcatraz and we pulled up feeling pretty happy to actually be here.<br />
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We all wandered off in different directions, me trek buddy and I went into an area where you could view some videos about past Alcatraz inhabitants and then we wandered round a few areas of the island.<br />
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Even though it was full of tourists and very busy there was an eerie calm about the place, incredible and haunting all at the same time. The views of the city were incredible and made you realise that all the prisoners would have been watching regular life passing them by daily.<br />
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Then we wandered round to where you can take the audio tour, saw where the prisoners had to shower in a really open large room at a trough like area and followed the tour to the cells.<br />
These felt pretty spooky to me and I only went into one whilst taking in the surroundings. There was a tiny window in the cell block where you could see the city in the distance again, really driving it home to the prisoners that they were not part of life and completely separated.<br />
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We carried on looking through the offices and outside into the yard where they would have had a chance to be outside. This was definitely such a harsh environment for anyone.<br />
We spent longer taking it all in and then headed back to the queue for the boats back to San Fran.<br />
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Another point when you realised how isolating it would have been if you couldn't just leave like us.<br />
This visit had been my favourite part of San Fran so far.<br />
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PIER 39:<br />
After the boat back we all wandered towards Pier 39 and got a glimpse of all the sea lions here. The sounds were amazing, they were so loud and I really felt like i was seeing what San Fran life was like.<br />
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Most of the group headed to Bubba Gump's for dinner but the queue was huge and me and another went to another Italian restaurant to get some food. It was kinda nice spending time in the city in a smaller group as being in a large group navigating a city made everything take a long time!<br />
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Then we wandered round taking in more sights and sounds of the piers before the sun started setting.<br />
We slowly made our way back tot the cable car stop and there wasn't much of a queue so this time we made it on one. We rode the hilly streets as the sun was setting and seeing the city turn from day to night on the cable car was pretty special. We got some incredible views on the way and it made you realise how steep the streets are here.<br />
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This had changed my mind a little from the day before, finding more things I loved about San Francisco but I think I prefer to explore cities not in a big group, and this was when I realised it was the National Parks that had been the favourite parts of my trip and that I already wanted to plan another trip to visit them again for longer. I wish I had had a little more time to explore different areas of San Fran, the timing of our Alcatraz visit in the middle of the day had meant we couldn't venture too far in the morning or evening so I would like to come back to see other areas.<br />
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We hopped off at Union Square again and made our way back to the hostel. We saw some of the others who were headed down to the common room to play cards and have drinks. After a long day we chilled in our room, got our suitcases organised and got prepared for the last few days of our trip...<br />
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Free Day In SanFrancisco - Alcatraz</i><br />
<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): -</i><br />
<i>ACCOMMODATION: USA Hostels - San Francisco, California</i><br />
<i><br /></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0San Francisco, CA, USA37.7749295 -122.4194155000000137.373501499999996 -123.06486250000002 38.1763575 -121.77396850000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-24412301222875891292015-05-31T20:58:00.000+01:002017-07-01T20:58:13.735+01:00USA ROAD TRIP: TREK AMERICA DAY 20<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>NORTHERN BLT</b></h2>
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Today was our last full day on trek. We had a long driving day but knew it would be filled with amazing views along the Pacific Coast Highway.<br />
This was one of the days I had been most looking forward too, even though it was mostly gonna be spent in the van i couldn't wait to see the amazing views.<br />
It was a pretty gloomy day in San Fran, we got some breakfast at the hostel and headed out for a quick walk around for the final time in the city before getting our stuff together. Jake brought the van around near to the front of the hostel and we packed all our luggage in for the penultimate time.<br />
We headed out of the city, and whilst the beginning of the drive wasn't filled with amazing views as we headed nearer our first stop we got some amazing ocean views, seeing people on beaches, it felt like the holiday part of the trek trip. The sun was out giving some incredible views of Monterey Bay before we made a lunch stop in...<br />
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<b>Monterey, California:</b><br />
This was a great place for a lunch stop. Jake dropped us all off and went off to park the van. We split off into groups and wandered around, taking in the views at the marina. The water was incredible, so clear and we spotted starfish from the boardwalk.<br />
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Me and my trek buddy who id done most hikes with wandered around some shops and headed into a local sandwich shop for lunch.<br />
After this we spent a bit longer wandering and it really felt like a different pace of life here to anywhere else we had been. Everything was more chilled and I was loving this Cali beach life already.<br />
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We went back to the meeting point and Jake brought the van back which we all climbed into to make our way further down the coast.<br />
It was a shame we didn't have a bit longer here as I would have liked to go into the sea life centre as the marine life is what Monterey is known for but there wasn't a lot else to do.<br />
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The next part of our drive, whilst long, was amazing and are some of my favourite views of the trip. The roads were very windey and hugged the coastline, very close to the edge but it made for the most amazing views and driving / passenger experience ever.<br />
You could see for miles down the coastline and see and the shapes of the land. As well as seeing far out into the ocean, the ocean went out and faded into the distance. The colours of the sky, sea and coastline were incredible and changed throughout the day from bright blues to dusky pastel blues, pinks and purples.<br />
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It made me appreciate nature a lot more and made me wonder why I hadn't travelled like this before, you could not get a more beautiful long drive. You won't regret picking a trek with the cali coast drive included.<br />
About mid afternoon we made a stop at...<br />
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<b>Big Sur, California:</b><br />
We pulled over on the side of the road. You would see small stopping areas all the way along the coast for cars and bigger areas and see people looking out at different points.<br />
We made our way along the road then took a path closer to the coast. This was some of the best views I have ever seen. we were looking down onto a black and waterfall out to sea, the pacific ocean.<br />
It was a really sunny day and the clouds of the sky into the distance were incredible. The colours of the water were green and blue and so clear.<br />
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It was a very peaceful stop where you felt very tranquil.<br />
After spending time enjoying the scenery and taking some peaceful time out we headed back to the van and carried on down the coast.<br />
We made another stop further along for a bathroom break and to get a drink. There was some more <span style="background-color: white;">great scenery here. We then headed back on the road to...</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">San Simeon, C</span>alifornia:</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">This w</span>as another impressive nature / wildlife stop today. We pulled into a parking area and took a short walk to the nearby beach and Piedras Blancas Rookery.<br />
The weather had turned cloudy but the view was still impressive, although this visit was more about the sights and sounds of the animals. It was a spectacular sight <span style="background-color: white;">of Elephant sea</span>ls for as far as you could see along the huge stretch of sandy beach. They were rolling around on the sand, hopping into the sea and playing around. They were so loud, calling to each other but despite this it was a pretty tranquil chilled experience just watching seals in their natural habitat. The most impressive thing about this stop was the amount of seals, there were hundreds for miles and made you appreciate nature again on a day filled with some amazing views.<br />
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After a while taking it all in we went back to the van to make it to our dinner stop for the evening to have a big group meal with a sea view at...<br />
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<b><br /></b><b><span style="background-color: white;">Pismo Beach, C</span>alifornia:</b><br />
We got out the van for our final evening stop before our motel and headed into a beautiful restaurant the Spyglass Inn in the Pismo Beach area of San Luis Obispo, overlooking the bay. It had an outside dining area and we arrived as the sun was setting. It was right on the water and we had an amazing view out to sea for our final meal together. We ate, drank and chatted for a couple of hours and it was a perfect way to spend our final night on trek.<br />
It felt really blissful, relaxing and was one of the best dining views I've ever had. As the sun went down and it got dark, it was very atmospheric with the outside fire lamps keeping us warm as it got cold by the sea. This evening topped off a very chilled out day, perfect Cali memories!<br />
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We finished up dinner and headed out onto our motel. We got checked in in our usual pairs and by this point it was pretty late. My roommate headed out to spend some time with a few of the group. I got myself organised, showered, settled into the big comfy room and watched a bit of tv to relax before our final day.<br />
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Beautiful Drive Day - Live Life SLO</i><br />
<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): 300</i><br />
<i>ACCOMMODATION: Lexington Inn - SLO County, California</i><br />
<i><br /></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0California, USA36.778261 -119.4179323999999823.886875500000002 -140.07222939999997 49.6696465 -98.763635399999984tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-39827276843066201082015-05-30T20:56:00.000+01:002016-06-17T12:07:57.280+01:00USA ROAD TRIP | TREK AMERICA: DAY 18<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>NORTHERN BLT</b></h2>
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Today we woke up to another amazingly sunny California. We all headed down to the restaurant at the Yosemite Bug Hostel to get some breakfast and made our way back to the room to get packed up.<br />
As I and a few others were ready quite early we headed outside and sat amongst the trees while we waited for the others.<br />
We tided up the van a bit while we waited and just chilled out outside. Jake pulled the van around to the front of the hostel and we all loaded our bags into the van.<br />
Then we got on the road, and whilst we didn't have too long a drive, we made our first stop at...<br />
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<b>Livermore, California:</b><br />
We pulled in here around lunchtime, and we all got pretty excited about where we would be having lunch. We were having In N' Out Burger.<br />
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I don't think any of us had had this before, although i'd been to the US before i'd never been in an area of the states with In N' Out Burger. I normally have very limited options in fast food burger places as I don't like lots of relish or sauces on my burgers. This place was incredible though, best fast food I've ever had, it was easy to get the type of burger I wanted as a standard option not a special, this was incredibly refreshing for me. Most people went for the special sauce you could have on the burgers and we were all very happy with our lunch, it didn't taste like your usual fast food and was good quality.<br />
After our lovely lunch we got back in the van all refreshed and continued on our way. <span style="background-color: white;">As we drove across the Bay Bridge we could see the city of...</span><br />
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<b>San Francisco, California:</b><br />
We drove on a sweeping road into San Francisco, so got an incredible view on our way into the city. Jake drove us around for a while so we could see some of the city sights. We drove through the Lower Pacific Heights area and the style of houses was what I had only ever seen on films before. We saw some cool street art on the sides of buildings made our way to the Golden Gate Bridge.<br />
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We all jumped out the van near the bridge as Jake drove across to meet us at the other side. The weather was very cloudy and dull so you couldn't even see the top of the bridge, a well known and common sight in San Fran apparently.<br />
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We took our time and it was really special to walk across the bridge and get the incredible views of the city and of Alcatraz as we passed across. After spending some time on the other side of the bridge we all got back in the van and Jake drove us to another area of the city.<br />
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We walked across a Alamo Square and saw the painted ladies. These are famous San Francisco houses and was another incredible view. We also saw the Mrs Doubtfire house.<br />
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Of all the places we had been to so far I wasn't as impressed with San Francisco as I thought I might have been, which I was surprised at. It didn't really seem like my kinda place but was still incredible to see the sights i'd only ever seen in movies before. I think it was because I had fallen in love with Yosemite so much on the days before that somehow it just didn't seem as impressive!<br />
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Jake then drove us across to the hostel we would be staying in for two nights. The hostel was really nice, great quality, with a kitchen and common room downstairs where we could get breakfast. We got into groups of 4 as it was 4 to a room got settled in.<br />
We changed up who we normally shared with this time as the people who wanted to party and be out late shared and I got into a group with people who wanted a more chilled evening. This was good as people would be getting back at roughly the same time as you which meant we could all get the sleep we wanted without being disturbed!<br />
The only downside to the hostel was that as we were on the ground floor the toilets and showers were on the main corridor, so when you were waiting everyone was rushing past, no big deal though as everyone was in the same boat and the facilities were large, modern and clean.<br />
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The rest of the day was free for us to do what we wanted. We all gathered in Jakes room where Jake gave us information about things we could do and see over the next 2 days, along with details of our Alcatraz trip for the next day.<br />
Most of the group had decided to go for Chinese for dinner so they all got together and headed off. I don't like Chinese food so me and one of my roommates who wasn't fussed out eating too far away from the hostel headed out to explore Union Square, which was about a 5 minute walk from the hostel.<br />
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We popped into the pharmacy to get some cold and flu remedies and then spent some time around Union Square taking in the atmosphere. We watched the cable cars climbing the hilly streets and were looking forward to hopping on some tomorrow.<br />
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We decided to get dinner at a really nice Italian restaurant on that was on the same street as the hostel. When we walked in everyone was dressed up so we felt a little uncomfortable by the surroundings as we were in comfy clothes but the food was amazing and it wasn't too pricey despite the amazing service and good atmosphere.<br />
We slowly walked back to the hostel, getting some drinks and snacks at a corner shop on the way. As it was dark now we also got some views of the city lit up. We both got an early night, chilling in the room, catching up with friends and family back home and relaxing a bit after our busy previous few days of hiking and all the walking around today.<br />
Th other 2 we were sharing with also came back after their Chinese dinner, while everyone else had headed out to explore the San Fran night life.<br />
Our first day in San Fran had flown by in a whirlwind and we were ready for some more beautiful sights tomorrow...<br />
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Welcome To San Francisco - Flowers In Our Hair</i><br />
<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): 160</i><br />
<i>ACCOMMODATION: USA Hostels - San Francisco, California</i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0San Francisco, CA, USA37.7749295 -122.4194155000000137.373501499999996 -123.06486250000002 38.1763575 -121.77396850000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-27142913642831360302015-05-29T23:00:00.000+01:002016-06-14T13:50:54.321+01:00USA ROAD TRIP | TREK AMERICA: DAY 17<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>NORTHERN BLT</b></h2>
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Today we were up early, most of us headed down to the restaurant for breakfast as we were going to need our energy. After brekkie we headed back to the rooms to get organised with our day bags and then met at the van. We had to get going from the hostel to get back into Yosemite NP for a full days hiking and exploring.</div>
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It wasn't too bad starting early as it was bright sunshine and on the way Jake stopped at a small shop for some of us to grab snacks for our hikes. We drove on and arrived for our second day in...</div>
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<b>Yosemite National Park, California:</b></div>
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We drove through all the winding roads with the sun shining down on the van through the trees. We arrived in a large parking lot which was fairly empty as it was so early.</div>
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Jake explained that he wouldn't be hiking with us and then went with us all to one of the Yosemite bus stops (there are free buses around the park to different locations, usually the start of trails and other key points in the park).</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">VERNAL FALLS:</span></div>
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All of us got off at S<span style="background-color: white;">top 16<span style="background-color: white;">, to start the Vernal Falls trail. Jake explained that we had 8 hours to explore the park and then a lo</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">cation</span><span style="background-color: white;"> to meet back up at, for about 5pm where we would all have dinner. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I loved this, it was one of the first National parks that we really could explore on our own and see whatever we wanted.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">About half the group headed off at a fast pace as they were going to do the big hike to the top of Vernal and Nevada Falls</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"> and</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> back. The rest of us set off to reach the Vernal Falls Bridge. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">It started getting steep quite early so a few people turned back and decided to go exploring in the rest of the park while our group of 4 continued the steep hike up to the bridge. It was bright sunshine but because it was early it wasn't too hot yet. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">As we hiked we passed some of the camping group on their way back down, they had arrived at 6am! It was fun to catch up with the camping group along the way. We finally made it to the bridge after stopping to take in the views during the hike. It was a very busy trail and very busy at the falls bridge. It was a beautiful location with a lot of the leaves on the trees covering the view up to the falls where you could see the falls poking out, the river the water created flowed under the bridge across the rocks below with an amazing view downstream.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">After we filled up our water bottles at the filling station had a rest and took in the views we made our way back down to the start of the trailhead. I was a little bit sad to be heading back down and I would have loved to carry on up to the top of the first waterfall Vernal Falls</span><span style="background-color: white;">, but it had been a difficult hike and I really wanted to see as many areas of the park as I could rather than just a couple.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Once back at the trailhead our group of 4 split in two. Me and another got the bus to the beginning of the mirror lake trail whereas the others decided to walk the trail from there to mirror lake.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">MIRROR LAKE, YOSEMITE:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Once we got off the bus we took a slow walk which was fairly flat and really nice compared to the steep previous hike. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">We walked towards mirror lake spotting sculptures created by putting stones on top of each other and a North Face photoshoot, Yosemite is where the brand started.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">We then got to Mirror Lake, it showed its name as we could see the reflections of the surrounding mountains reflected in the clear lake. We spotted the others at another part of the lake but weren't sure how to reach them as we were on other sides of the lake.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">YOSEMITE VALLEY:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">After spending some time here we </span>headed back to the trailhead. We caught the bus to Yosemite Valley and spent some time in the visitor centre and gift shops. We sat outside in the sunshine on some benches and had our lunch here.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">BRIDAL VEIL FALLS:</span></div>
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Then we got the bus from here to take the shorter trail to Bridal Veil Falls<span style="background-color: white;">. By this time the weather had turned a bit, it was colder and much more cloudy, with no sunshine. We started the short hike and when we got to the falls we were a little disappointed as it was a small viewing area which was very busy and difficult to get a good view with many tourists rushing to get photos, and climbing the rocks to get closer to the falls despite all the written warnings not to. These falls were not as impressive as everything else we had seen and because it had turned windy and cloudy the small amount of water flowing was being blown about in the wind. I imagine in gull flow you get a much better view but there wasn't much water flowing, although because you could see the wind blowing the misty fall it was still a good view.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">After spending a little while here we walked back to the trailhead. These trails were in Yosemite Valley and we were also across the road from the base of El Capitan, so we got another great view of El Capitan from a different angle to yesterday. It looked much more imposing looking up from the base.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We couldn't stay here long though as due to the times of the bus we had to get back on the next one to make the meeting point on time. We got the bus back to the visitor centre and then changed to another bus after a short wait to get to our meeting point.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We found everyone sat at tables outside some restaurants and caught up with their big hike, turns out they did it in 5 hours and then had been chilling and having drinks. We also met up with the camping group, Jake had ordered a load of large pizzas and a few people went in to get them. They were put out on the tables and we all tucked in. It was great dinner, even if there were lots of squirrels trying to nab the pizza.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We also found out Jake had spent the day sorting out our Alcatraz visit which was included in the trip as it had been booked for an early morning visit the next day at a time when we wouldn't have arrived in San Francisco. Jake had sorted it all out and it had been changed.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">After speaking to the camping group, they were all planning on going swimming in an indoor pool and having a chilled evening but one of their group wanted to join us as Jake was going to drive us up to Glacier Point to get a view of the sunset over Yosemite. So we agreed to a tight squeeze in the van so that the person from their group could get the experience. It was great that you could do this with trek, if theres another group around doing something else you would rather do thees a chance you can hop in with them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">So we all piled into the van as there was always one spare seat, so our extra trekker filled in and although it was a squeeze it wasn't too long a drive. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">There was a third trekking group we had met up with at the pizza party and the tour leader of that trek was going to follow Jake up to the viewpoint as she hadn't been there before.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We started the drive and it was like a ? going round and up a mountain, the drive was very steep, the steepest I've seen. The views were hidden by trees around the edge but as we got near the top we started to see the amazing views. We were very high up. We got parked up, with the other group behind us parking up as well.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">GLACIER POINT:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We all got out and too</span><span style="background-color: white;">k the 5 minute walk over to Glacier Point. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This was the most stunning view I had ever seen! </span><br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Q398H3fAok/V0xbJTjee6I/AAAAAAAABFQ/fgpQqsW1E14RD45iYp16xrUf9d88Q3p3wCKgB/s1600/11056589_10153628584493054_7864468498168280205_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Q398H3fAok/V0xbJTjee6I/AAAAAAAABFQ/fgpQqsW1E14RD45iYp16xrUf9d88Q3p3wCKgB/s1600/11056589_10153628584493054_7864468498168280205_o.jpg" /></a><span style="background-color: white;">It was bright sunshine again now and the view was incredible, it looked like a painting, you could see the shadows slowly rising up the rocks and all the detail and different greys colours across the mountains. We took some photos in the picture perfect location then all sat down to watch the sunset. You could see so far in the distance and it made me feel like I was standing on top of the world.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This was my favourite part of trek!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">As the shadows rose up the mountains looked pink and were covered in a pinky orange glow, it is the most beautiful natural thing I've ever seen. It made you realise how small we are in the world.</span></div>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aE-PVhizNBs/V0xbhyleZfI/AAAAAAAABFU/kMowKElNCJAxERd8Q--0aZTWGKu0LLluwCKgB/s1600/11794250_10153628442903054_8629765248123336086_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aE-PVhizNBs/V0xbhyleZfI/AAAAAAAABFU/kMowKElNCJAxERd8Q--0aZTWGKu0LLluwCKgB/s1600/11794250_10153628442903054_8629765248123336086_o.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">As darkness covered the area we headed back to the van, the other group had already headed off. That was the best way to end a day in Yosemite.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We drove down the mountain in the dark and as we got back to the valley Jake stopped for us to take a short walk in the dark to a waterfall </span><span style="background-color: white;">to see if we could see another natural phenomenon, called a moon bow - a lunar rainbow from the mist of the waterfall. I</span><span style="background-color: white;">t only happens at that time of year, and although we got to the waterfall after stumbling in the dark and saw the moon it wasn't creating the effect as it was too cloudy.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We walked back to the van scaring each other on the way and we could see twinning lights across El Capitan, these were all the climbers that were on the face of the mountain for the night on their sleeping ledges. They looked so tiny against the rock, it looked like little stars up the mountain.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We got back on the road and dropped off our extra trekker back to the place where their group was staying and then headed out of the park for the final time and back to the hostel. I got showered as there would be too many of us trying to shower in the morning otherwise and we all got to sleep, tired from the long days hiking.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This had been the best day on trek so far, I really felt that I had seen so many areas of Yosemite and that the long hike could wait till next time. I knew I already wanted to come back to Yosemite...</span></div>
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Free Day Yosemite - Fantastic Hikes</i></div>
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<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): -</i></div>
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<i>ACCOMMODATION: Yosemite Bug Hostel - Midpines, California</i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0Midpines, CA, USA37.5443798 -119.920450712.022345300000001 -161.2290447 63.066414300000005 -78.6118567tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-88507193302924873872015-05-28T20:54:00.000+01:002016-06-10T09:42:00.826+01:00USA ROAD TRIP | TREK AMERICA: DAY 16<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>NORTHERN BLT</b></h2>
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We packed up fairly early from our little piece of Lake Tahoe paradise and those of us that were up early enough had a lovely breakfast at our little hotel. After all making it to the van we made an early stop at Walmart to pick up snacks and food for lunch as Jake said we'd be having a picnic lunch when we arrived in Yosemite National Park.</div>
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We dissent have too long a drive today but on our way further into California there were a few sore heads and stomachs from the night before, with a stop on the roadside for someone a little worse for wear.</div>
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The scenery out the window was getting even more stunning as we were driving and we made a pitstop at...</div>
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<b>Bridgeport, California:</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We made a gas stop here grabbed some essentials and took in our first surrounding views and mountains of California.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The sunshine and warm weather meant you knew you were in cali. We weren't here too long, got back to the van and continued our journey. T</span><span style="background-color: white;">hen we made a roadside stop at...</span></div>
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<b>Lee Vining, California:</b><br />
It was wall to wall sunshine and a glorious day, everything you imagine cali to be!<br />
As we started driving some winding roads we came across the most amazing scenery, Jake pulled over at ? viewpoint, where we all hopped out the van with everyone feeling much better.<br />
Jake explained how California is in a drought and that this lake, Mono Lake, used to have a much higher water level as it is where a lot of California gets its water supply and we needed to be mindful of our water use here. This was an amazing overlook and a point where lots f travellers and truckers stop, with loads of bumper stickers stuck on the roadside barrier.<br />
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We got back in the van, continued on the road and before we knew it we were arriving in...</div>
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<b><b>Yosemite National Park, California:</b></b></div>
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As we were driving in and the park rangers at the entrance gave us our maps I could tell this was going to be one of the most beautiful locations on the whole trek. We were passing lots of incurably huge trees and granite grey rock which looked incredible lit up in the sunshine. We pulled into a stopping area grabbed our lunch and walked through the trees into an opening at Tenaya Lake.</div>
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This was the most beautiful lake I've ever seen (you're going to hear a lot of that over the two Yosemite blog posts). The water was amazing, green, turquoise and blue and so so clear. These photos have not been filtered at all, this was the scenery that greeted us.</div>
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We could see some people swimming further over but otherwise there was no one around the lake, it was so quiet and peaceful. We picked an amazing spot, started sunbathing and eating our picnic lunch.</div>
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None of us wanted to leave this area, even after 45 minutes, and I was already in love with Yosemite. We got back in the van and had amazing views of the granite towering over around us with the sun peeking out from behind the mountains and then Jake stopped at a viewpoint. </div>
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We all got out the van at Olmsted Point, another incredibly beautiful Yosemite view, the photos do not do it enough justice. We took a great group photo and you could see for miles. We could see the famous half dome in the distance. It was incredible to look down at these mountains, the view was unbelievable.</div>
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I wasn't really a hiking person before this trip but this view made me desperate to get onto the hiking that was planned tomorrow, I couldn't wait. </div>
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We dragged ourselves away and Jake drove us further into Yosemite to Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias.</div>
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Jake took us to the trailhead and then went back to the van while we all started the hike to the…you guessed it giant trees! </div>
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Most of the group walked pretty fast and walked ahead, with a few of us taking it a bit slower to really to in what we were seeing. we spent some time walking through the middle of the Giant Sequoias and found huge pine cones bigger than our faces. </div>
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We made our way back and all completed the hike at least half an hour quicker than it said, I wasn't as slow as I thought!</div>
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If you want to read about the hikes Yosemite and the difficulty of them and all the others on the Northern BLT chec<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">k o</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">ut <a href="http://www.caroland.co.uk/2016/05/trek-america-guide-to-hikes.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this</a> </span>pos</span></span><span style="background-color: white;">t I </span>wrote about a guide to hiking with Trek America.</div>
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Next Jake drove us to another incredible look out point Tunnel View<span style="background-color: white;">, where we could take in the view of El Capitan and Yosemite Valley.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We stayed here for a while, even though it was busy as with the perfect sunshine and clear day you got an amazing view and could see the moon (even though it was about 4pm) opposite El Cap and Half Dome in the distance from a different side to what we had seen earlier.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">You could also see some of the huge waterfalls in the distance.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I knew I already wanted to spend longer here than the 2 days we had planned. These are the best views I have ever seen and Yosemite was already my favourite National Park.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We headed back to the van and started the long ish drive out of Yosemite to the hostel we would be staying at for the next two nights.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">When we arrived there was split dorms, one for the boys and one for the ladies. This was the worst place for having to carry my suitcase. There was a huge hill with our dorm at the top and several flights of stairs, it took me a while to drag my case up to the room and I was the last one to make it to the room. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">It was an open plan dorm, which none of us were very keen on, but the bathroom facilities at the end of our room were nice, it was clean, and there was a lot of floor space to sort cases out and some lockers. We did notice that we were sharing with a few people we didn't know, which we hadn't done before on this trip but they were not in the room, they're stuff was on their beds.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I wasn't too bothered, but after a few conversations back and fourth because a few people were unhappy with the set up we all organised our stuff and headed back down the hill to the food / restaurant cabin. We grabbed some large tables, as the restaurant was busy due to it being the only place for food with a lot of people staying there, met back up with Jake and the lads and all ate dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Then a few people went outside to play cards and we mixed with other people staying in the hostel.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">As I'm not a big drinker and was really tired, me and a couple others headed back up to our cabin to get settled for the night, and to grab a shower before there were 12 people fighting over 2 showers.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We spoke to the other people staying in our room and they had already been at Yosemite for a while. After meeting them I think it reminded a lot of people that we were all doing the same thing, exploring the USA and there really wasn't anything to worry about. We heard some of their stories about places they'd been too and it turned into a really nice chilled evening. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We also started planning how we would hike tomorrow as the few of us in the room knew we wouldn't make the big hike that most of the others were going to tackle. It was nice to come up with a plan of areas we wanted to see and to know we would be hiking alone if we couldn't manage a big hike.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">We each headed to bed to get an early night because we knew we had an early start and a long day hiking mountains tomorrow.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The only downside to the open plan room was when everyone else piled back in quite </span>noisily and we were already in bed, no one came back too late though and everyone wanted to get a good nights rest for tomorrow...</div>
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Welcome To Yosemite NP - Granite Cliffs</i><br />
<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): 120</i><br />
<i>ACCOMMODATION: Yosemite Bug Hostel - Midpines, California</i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0Midpines, CA, USA37.5443798 -119.920450712.022345300000001 -161.2290447 63.066414300000005 -78.6118567tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-72739357135519374102015-05-27T20:53:00.000+01:002016-06-07T10:34:03.946+01:00USA ROAD TRIP | TREK AMERICA: DAY 15<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>NORTHERN BLT</b></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Today started quite early following our late night arrival at our motel the night before so everyone was pretty tired. Thats what you get for adding a mornings hiking activity in a National Park on van appreciation day!</span><br />
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We loaded into the van and set off for another fairly long drive to California. But we made a quick stop at a local supermarket to all grab breakfast, lots of fruit, pastries and snacks for me to keep my energy up throughout the day. We brought all our goodies back to the van and ate breakfast as Jake started our 330 mile journey for today.<br />
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As we passed through Nevada, we passed Battle Mountain before driving through Reno, I'd only ever seen these places on films and tv before so it was cool to see it out the window. Reno wasn't what I expected. Whenever I think of Nevada I think desert, but Reno was a sprawling city with loads of trucks on the highways and snow capped mountains running behind it, pretty picturesque.</div>
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We arrived in our twelfth state of the trip and we got some amazing views through the trees down to a huge Lake and before we knew if we were arriving in the area of...</div>
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<b>Lake Tahoe, California:</b></div>
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Jake drove us straight to our stop for the night, the 7 Seas Inn, and it was more like a large BnB all decked out in a beach vibe with the rooms making you feel like you were in a beach hut.</div>
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We all grabbed our twin share rooms and had 10 minutes to slap on some suncream, change into swimming cosies and shorts pack a beach bag and head back out to the van.</div>
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Jake drove us up to a shop to grab drinks for the beach, most people grabbed alcohol six packs of beer, but lemonades and water were also picked up, and a ball for beach games.<br />
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We then headed back into Nevada as we were staying just past the state line in California, to Zephyr Cove resort which was a beach on the shores of Lake Tahoe.</div>
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It wasn't too busy so we put our towels down and got to sunbathing, this was the first beach stop of the trip! This area of Lake Tahoe was beautiful there was a roped off swimming area and then a jetty area for paddle boarding and other activities, with loads of little boats bobbing on the lake. Behind us at the entrance to the beach was a volleyball court.</div>
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This is definitely the point where trek turned from proper travelling to a more relaxed holiday vibe and we all happy with the chilled out vibe after the busy day the day before.</div>
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Some of the group headed to the paddle boarding, with Jake showing his cali native skills while everyone else learnt how to navigate the boards.</div>
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Myself and a few others stayed sunbathing before one made it into the lake where she shouted how cold the water was. After a while I braved it too, it was very cold, but after a while didn't seem so bad and was very refreshing and relaxing.</div>
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The others finished paddle boarding and made their way back to our spot before we couldn't stand the cold water anymore and headed back up the beach to join them.</div>
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After drying off, most of the group headed up to the volleyball court for a game while me and another sunbathed and snacked on the beach. The group had decided we didn't want to do the Champagne cruise across Lake Tahoe so at about 4 or 5pm we dusted off the sand and headed back to the van after an amazing afternoon.</div>
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Jake drove us to Walmart where we all chipped in some dollars for a group barbecue later. A couple of people went inside and picked up steaks, corn on the cob and other food. We headed back to our accommodation and the group settled in the outdoor tables and chairs next to the barbecue. Jake and a few others started grilling while we got organised with plates and cutlery from the owners and set up the salads and other foods. Then we played games until it got dark and the food was ready.</div>
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We all enjoyed the amazing food, while most carried on the night with drinking. As we finished up the food everyone who hadn't cook helped to clear away while a few of the drunk members of the group went up to their rooms to grab towels before they headed into the hot tub. </div>
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Others kept drinking at the tables and me and another trekker called it a night after a long couple of days.</div>
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I went up to my room, organised my suitcase a bit more and had a shower before letting my roommate back in as she had forgotten her key.</div>
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Then we settled into our beds before more California adventures tomorrow...</div>
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Tahoe Sunset Champagne Sail - Casinos?</i><br />
<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): 330</i><br />
<i>ACCOMMODATION: 7 Seas Inn - Lake Tahoe, California</i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0Lake Tahoe, CA, USA39.0968493 -120.032350738.7024873 -120.6777977 39.4912113 -119.38690369999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-21715409352751600562015-05-26T23:30:00.000+01:002016-06-03T09:31:48.843+01:00USA ROAD TRIP | TREK AMERICA: DAY 14<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>NORTHERN BLT</b> </h2>
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We were warned today would be a long day and boy it was!</div>
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Because we had decided to postpone the Tetons until today we got started early, we got packed up and Jake drove us to a viewpoint on the roadside of the mountains and Snake River.</div>
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This was some seriously stunning scenery. After stopping at the roadside and taking in the views we got back in the van and headed to the...</div>
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<b>Grand Tetons, Wyoming:</b></div>
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When we got here Jake suggested some hiking options and that we could get the boat across the lake at a certain point to make our way back after hiking so we didn't have to do a huge hike to get back.</div>
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We all set off on the same hike that would take us to a hidden waterfall. Quickly the group split off with the fastest hikers in a group at the front, me and another trekker and another group behind us.</div>
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We started round the lake and the trail took us into the woods and on a slow incline round the huge Jenny Lake.</div>
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This was an amazing trail as you got great views all around, looking down at the lake, looking into the woodland and up to the mountain which we were climbing. After a few stops to view the lake and see how high up wed climbed we reached hidden falls.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I6Lii5yJiAo/V0tXIgsIikI/AAAAAAAABDg/XGs0iAiZJro6NQy4MDHNRJ_z-T_4B7wPwCKgB/s1600/11754725_10153628559953054_4037848275744978658_o.jpg" /><span style="text-align: justify;">It was very muddy round here as it had rained in the days before. The falls were hidden as you didn't see them until you climbed through a wooded area.</span></div>
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We stopped for a snack while watching the falls before making the shorter hike back down to the jetty to catch the boat back to our starting point across Jenny Lake.</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Once back at the main entrance we met up with the rest of the group and slowly others made their way back, we looked round the gift shop before having a proper lunch.</span></div>
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Jake had been resting up in the van before the big 400 mile drive to Nevada. After a long lunch we all gathered back at the van.</div>
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We headed off from the Tetons at about lunchtime with a huge drive ahead of us. We drove for hundreds of miles, making the usual gas station stops before arriving in...</div>
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<b>Twin Falls, Idaho:</b></div>
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We stopped at Twin Falls, the largest city in Idaho, with Snake River running by it. This wasn't a main stop but apart from the Tetons was the longest stop we were making for the day. We got to see the town as we drove onto a main street and parked up for dinner. Jake didn't give us an amount of time here, just explaining we needed to get back on the road so to grab food and come back to the van.</div>
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There were lots of places where we stopped, a Mexican restaurant and lots of other fast food places. Some people went for the Mexican and other restaurants, whereas I and about 4 others crossed the road to subway to get large sandwiches and other snacks. We got back in the van and started eating our dinners, the others made it back as the restaurants took longer and we kept eating dinner as we headed back on the road.</div>
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As we had another long drive we all settled back into the van as we watched the sunset over Idaho, quite a nice view from the van, it is a road trip after all!</div>
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After we drove for a few hours in the dark catching up on sleep and phones we were nearing our destination.</div>
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We passed into Nevada and we could tell because of the casinos littering the sides of the road near the state line! It was quite weird to see large open dark spaces lit up only by the casino lights. The town we passed through was even called Jackpot!</div>
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Jake realised we were nearly out of gas and that we wouldn't really have enough to reach our destination without stopping. After miles of not seeing gas stations we finally found one but as it was in the middle of nowhere after pulling up it wasn't in use as it was out of hours. We were all wide awake by this point wondering if we would make it to the motel. We kept going and had just enough to finally arrive in...</div>
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<b>Elko, Nevada:</b></div>
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We pulled into the car park of our stop for the night, Motel 6, by this time it had been a long day and was about midnight. We had made it to our eleventh state of the trip.</div>
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Although we had added an activity today, going to the Tetons, which had made it a much longer day, I was really glad we had done this. This stopped it just being a driving day and brought our time in Wyoming to a spectacular end.</div>
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We got into the pairs we usually did for motel nights and got given keys to our room. My trek buddy and I had a room on the first floor, so after difficulty dragging my heavy case up a couple of flights of stairs we made it into our room. My trek buddy got settled into her bed, while I took a shower and then got ready for bed too (I knew I wouldn't get up early enough to have a shower in the morning) ready for our adventures tomorrow…<br />
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Van Appreciation Day</i><br />
<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): 415</i><br />
<i>ACCOMMODATION: Motel 6 - Elko, Nevada</i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0Elko, NV, USA40.8324211 -115.763123240.7363286 -115.9244847 40.928513599999995 -115.6017617tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-82779615934026755752015-05-25T20:51:00.000+01:002016-05-24T16:03:23.454+01:00USA ROAD TRIP | TREK AMERICA: DAY 13<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>NORTHERN BLT</b></h2>
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We had woken up the latest we had done for a while and having a small lie in was nice, we had also woken to a bright sunny day. Some people were feeling the effects of their late night in the Cowboy Bar.</div>
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Today would be back to the planned itinerary and as I knew I didn't want to do the two activities on the list for today I knew it would be a chilled day for me. The downside to not wanting to do the optional activities was that there wouldn't be a lot else to do today especially because we were in a more remote area so there was nothing that nearby to walk to.</div>
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Jake drove us all a 15 minute drive away, back in the van to the town square at …</div>
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<b>Jackson Hole, Wyoming:</b></div>
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We all split off and headed to get some breakfast. My closest trek buddy and I headed to a sports bar for some warm food, and had a big late breakfast or more like lunch at this point. I had a big meal as this was probably going to be our food for the day. Then we had a short wander round the square again, passing an impressive old style horse and cart. I was still loving this place.</div>
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We wandered back to the van and headed back to the cabins. The people that wanted to do white water rafting didn't have long and so they and the people in the camping group that were doing the activity headed off with Jake. The horse riding was straight afterwards and they wouldn't have a chance to come back so it was a bit rushed.</div>
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The rest of us just chilled round the cabins, getting some more rest and catching up with anything we wanted to with a bit of free time. I had a couple of hours sleep, and with another trekker headed to to the laundry room to get our washing done. It was so great to have these facilities as it was the first time washing in a week since Chicago, like most of the others staying behind.</div>
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Then the rafting group came back and had time to change after getting soaked before heading out for horse riding.</div>
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I, along with a few others not going, chilled a bit more then me and another trekker wandered round the back of the campsite and made our way down to Snake River to explore a bit and take in the scenery. It was really peaceful here and we saw some kayakers heading down the river, while sitting after a stroll and taking in the surroundings.</div>
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Having this spare time also meant I could take a nice long warm shower and pamper myself a little bit after nearly two weeks on trek. It was the most blissful afternoon.</div>
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Once the others came back from the activities we all sat outside the cabins chatting and relaxing and tried to decide what to do that evening. No one wanted a big night as we had done a lot the day before. We came to a consensus that we would go to the local cinema for a movie night. After a slight discussion about what to see we narrowed it down to Pitch Perfect 2 or Tomorrowland. We didn't all have to see a film together but the only options were too far apart in start times to see anything else. As a few people hadn't seen the first Pitch Perfect we decided on Tomorrowland, so Jake checked the times and we all made sure we were ready to head out in time to make the film.</div>
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It was a small cinema and after grabbing snacks and tickets we all headed in to watch the film. Some of our group thought the ending was bad and were a bit disappointed but i kinda liked it in a cheesy Disney kinda way. Despite the film it had felt like another perfect day to me, it was nice to do more normal things with everyone and bond a bit more. I'd had another relaxing and amazing day in cowboy country.</div>
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We stopped at the supermarket nearby and some people grabbed beers and we all grabbed some more snacks to see us through the evening. A few people got dropped off at the Cowboy Bar again and then Jake drove most of us all back to the cabins. We sat outside for a bit and most people drank beers, as the day ended.</div>
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Although I hadn't seen much today due to not doing the optional activities I felt so chilled and recuperated, just what I had needed and felt ready to see in the last week of our trek...</div>
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): White Water Rafting - Horseback Riding</i></div>
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<i>ACCOMMODATION: Snake River KOA - Jackson, Wyoming</i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0Jackson, WY, USA43.4799291 -110.7624281999999943.4338376 -110.84310919999999 43.5260206 -110.68174719999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-38297118445291741892015-05-24T20:29:00.000+01:002016-05-20T09:35:09.132+01:00USA ROAD TRIP | TREK AMERICA: DAY 12<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>NORTHERN BLT</b></h2>
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So today didn't start too early because we didn't have too long a drive. Today we were meant to be arriving in the Jackson area of Wyoming and taking on the Tetons - The Grand Teton mountain range, with more hikes!</div>
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After two days in Yellowstone without much let up in the walking and with the weather being cloudy and rainy (not a good day for hiking), Jake suggested we switch up our itinerary a bit for the next few days. Everyone was happy with this so we left West Yellowstone, Montana and made our way to...</div>
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<b>Jackson, Wyoming:</b></div>
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Instead of the Tetons Jake took us to Jackson Town Square, also known as Jackson Hole. As it was the Saturday of memorial day weekend there was lots going on despite the rain.</div>
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This was a great thing about our trek, being able to change some activities to take in the benefits of whats going on locally in the towns and cities we got too. When we arrived Jake gave us a couple of hours to wander round.</div>
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We were greeted with tents and country bands playing music. Some of our group headed to the beer tent area and whiled away the couple of hours here but myself and a few others wandered round. We watched the line dancing in the streets and had a look in all the local shops, country items and cowboy boots aplenty! I was so tempted with a pair of genuine cowboy boots, but what with the price and lack of room in my suitcase I just admired them in the shops and snapped some photos, maybe next time. After being really restrained with my money knowing I still had another three weeks in the US, we wandered round some more looking at the local statues and antler framed arch entrances to the main town square.</div>
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We also had great views of the hills and mountains surrounding the town square that you could see are used for some amazing asking in winter, there was still touches of snow on these even in May!</div>
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We went into a nice little local coffee shop to get some lunch and a hot chocolate to warm up and get out of the rain. After this and a bit more wandering we headed back to the van, where Jake took us onto our stop for the night...</div>
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<b>Snake River, Jackson, Wyoming:</b></div>
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We arrived at cabins again so the usual groups of three applied. We got into our cabins and had some downtime due to changing our plans for the day…this was so badly needed! These cabins, although the same as most of the others we had stayed in seemed much more picturesque. The bathroom block was really close by and there was a large shop near the entrance to the site with snacks, guidebooks and lots of other essentials. There was also a laundry room here and at the back of the site snake river ran right by us, it was a nice quiet secluded site and I felt really comfortable and at home here straight away. It felt like a mini holiday / weekend away whilst being on trek. By this point the weather had turned sunny!</div>
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After a bit of chill time and showers to warm up after the rain, we all gathered by the van as Jake had told us earlier in the day there was a rodeo on that night. This couldn't have been more perfect!</div>
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Jake drove us all to the rodeo at Mateosky Park, and dropped us off before heading off for a bit of time off. He told us a time he would be back to pick us all up (it was a good few hours, when the rodeo was due to finish).</div>
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We all decided to pay a little bit extra to get the covered seating at the rodeo as the weather hadn't been great and we headed in. We grabbed some seats all together and then each headed out to get dinner / snacks - hot dogs etc. Whilst in the stands we spotted some of the camping group over the other side in the uncovered stand. As the sun went down behind the hills it was a picture perfect night.</div>
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Then the rodeo started…we were watching cowboys in cowboy country!!! It was incredible, there was bull-riding, horse riding and lots of other events in the arena and boy was it tough. The bulls were such fierce animals and it was amazing anyone could stay on them at all…I've never seen anything like that live before, and of course there were some handsome cowboys that we couldn't take our eyes off. It was all glamorous though, there were quite a few cowboys missing teeth that we spotted on the way in.</div>
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We all had such a great night…this might have been my favourite evening of the trip. I felt really at home here and like I wanted to stay here for months…who knew I was a country girl at heart. I definitely want to come back to Jackson, which was a somewhat unexpected development. I did not expect to love this area so much, before I started trek it was one of those cool stops on the map to get to other places but boy was I wrong, this is proper american heartland and I was loving it, I highly recommend a visit here in rodeo season.</div>
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We headed out quickly as the rodeo finished and hopped back in the van. A few people wanted to head to the Cowboy Bar at the town square so Jake drove us over there where a few of the group headed out and would get a taxi back whenever their night finished. I was very tempted to go to the bar but I was really tired and had had the perfect day so decided to call it a night, this is the downside to travelling when you're older!</div>
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Jake drove the rest of us back to the cabins, it was already getting in for midnight and the perfect day in cowboy country had come to an end...</div>
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Take On Tetons</i></div>
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<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): 130</i></div>
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<i>ACCOMMODATION: Snake River KOA Cabins - Jackson, Wyoming</i></div>
<i><br /></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0Jackson, WY, USA43.340972 -110.7240269999999843.2948805 -110.80470799999998 43.387063500000004 -110.64334599999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-18944259974100104262015-05-23T20:30:00.000+01:002016-05-13T13:37:00.453+01:00USA ROAD TRIP| TREK AMERICA: DAY 11<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>NORTHERN BLT</b></h2>
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<b><b>DAY ELEVEN:</b></b></div>
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Today started very early, in the darkness of the morning, I was happy we didn't have to pack up our suitcases and pack the van this morning though. We all fell out of bed and into the van and had a long drive back into...</div>
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<b>Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming:</b></div>
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With it still being dark and slowly getting lighter we were quite paranoid about entering bears and other wildlife on our early morning hike on the Slough Creek Trail. We didn't encounter any which I was pretty glad about as all the stories are pretty scary.<br />
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We started the hike as it got lighter but it was cloudy, it was nice to walk through the forest areas but without the sun the early morning felt a bit redundant until we reached an open clearing and river.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Lara Fidgeon</td></tr>
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The clouds and mist were all around it and it looked incredible, like we'd wandered into a magical area of Yellowstone. We went off the trail a bit to take in the greenery and we all tried balancing on a huge log for an atmospheric photo before making our way back to the van.</div>
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Because it was early it was nice to hike when it was much cooler in the day and the hike didn't feel as much as a struggle for me.</div>
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As we made another long drive to another area of the park after our hike we came across some cars stopped at the side of the road with some people looking through telescopes. We pulled over and spoke to them and found out there were some grizzly bears in the distance. They were very far away and they let us all look through their telescope to get a better look. It was amazing to see bears in the wild and and while you could only just see them without any help, being able to use the telescope was amazing. Everyone we came across in the national parks were like this, happy to help if they could and excited that we were all having our first bear experiences. I was pleased they were a far distance away though.</div>
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After a while we got back in the van, kept driving for a while and we came across another bear jam (our nickname for a traffic jam for bears). This time there were a lot more cars parked up. Jake parked the van where he could and then we all jumped out and walked along the side of the road. This time there was a black bear a lot closer and we got an amazing view of it.</div>
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It was foraging for food for a while and everyone on the side of the road was amazed at how it wasn't distracted by the human commotion and didn't look up at us. It slowly made its way back up the hill further away and after a slight heart skipping moment when it looked up and looked like it might dart towards us it kept on foraging. Just as we were about to get back in the van we spotted three cubs meet up with the bear and hop on its mothers back before they all headed off into the distance. This was a perfect black bear sighting, it felt incredibly special and was something I won't ever forget.</div>
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After this Jake drove us to a Hot Springs Hotel Cabins at Mammoth, where there was a restaurant and we all got some brunch and picked up a few snacks for later. By this time the sun had come out and Yellowstone looked amazing. Then Jake drove us to the top of Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces and we all made our way down the boardwalks at our own pace while he drove back to meet us at the bottom.</div>
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These springs were incredible in the sunlight, so many different colours, the whiter, the hotter. As this was high up and a clearer day you got some amazing views into the distance.</div>
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This was one of my favourite areas of Yellowstone.<br />
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We met back up and drove for quite a while to another area of the park.<br />
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We stopped at Excelsior Geyser and went onto the grand Prismatic Spring. I was a little disappointed as it had started raining, was cloudy again and with the wind the steam meant the colours weren't as vibrant and exciting as in all the famous photos of Yellowstone! It did still standout in orange but I was disappointed we didn't see it all lit up.<br />
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Next we drove onto the Old Faithful Geyser. Jake gave us a couple of hours here and the option to go on a hike. My trek buddy and me went into the visitor centre to learn about the geysers and check out the gift shop. Some of the others grabbed some food and a drink and some of our group went on a hike.<br />
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In the information centre there was a listing of the time the next eruption of the Geyser was expected. We went out early to get a good view of the Geyser and waited for it, and got rained on in the process. The wait was worth it was a long eruption that grew and the hot water flung out of the ground, nature at work.<br />
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After this we headed back to the van and met up with everyone. Jake then drove us back out to...</div>
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<b>West Yellowstone, Montana:</b></div>
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On the way back to the rooms we stopped to pick up a take away dinner. Everyone went for a Chinese takeaway but as I don't like Chinese food I thought I might walk back later on to where we had dinner the night before. As I waited in the van I realised I was too tired to head back out for dinner later, so I popped into the small supermarket we were by, and picked up a chicken salad and some other snacks for dinner.</div>
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When we got back everyone headed into one room to eat their Chinese, but I didn't want to sit with the smell of their takeaway while eating other food so I had a bit of quiet time away from the group, chilled out in my room, ate some dinner, watched a bit of tv, showered and got relaxed and ready for bed.</div>
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When my roommate came back we started noting down everything we had so far so we could look up all the details later on. As I was taking so many photos I also took some time to organise these and updated friends and family on my travels and bombarded them with photos using the wifi at the rooms. I also got my suitcase reorganised as it was really needing it.</div>
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I was sad to be leaving and could have spent weeks just exploring this park alone, the american landscape is beautiful and I was learning that I much preferred the natural landscapes and national parks over cities, who knew I was such an explorer type. Our time in Yellowstone was over...</div>
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Free Day Around Yellowstone - Old Faithful</i></div>
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<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): -</i></div>
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<i>ACCOMMODATION: Yellowstone Cabins & RV - West Yellowstone, Montana</i></div>
<i><br /></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0West Yellowstone, MT, USA44.6621493 -111.1041091999999844.6395623 -111.14444969999998 44.684736300000004 -111.06376869999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-46166538396164815802015-05-21T22:00:00.000+01:002016-05-11T18:35:09.332+01:00USA ROAD TRIP | TREK AMERICA: DAY 10<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>NORTHERN BLT</b></h2>
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<b>DAY TEN:</b></div>
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We woke up to bright sunshine which was nice after a night in cabins and we gathered everything up before getting back in the van. Before we got on the road properly we stopped off at another area of...</div>
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<b>Cody, Wyoming:</b></div>
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We stopped at the Old Trail Town which is a collection of buildings and artefacts from the late 1800s showing the wild west of America. </div>
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Cody and this area was founded by Buffalo Bill and others during this time. We went into the buildings that showed the Wyoming frontier. We also saw the graves of some of the founders and the Cody family. This felt a lot more authentic frontier America than 1880 Town in South Dakota. It took you back to the real wild west.</div>
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Whilst here we could see the Rocky Mountains in the distance, I did not realise we would see these on this trek so that was very exciting!</div>
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After getting back in the van and driving for a while with great green and sunny scenery we arrived in...</div>
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<b>Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming:</b></div>
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As we drove into yellowstone you could see blackened trees covering large areas and Jake explained how they had lots of wildfires. It is amazing to see the natural landscape blackened and in some places as ash. It was at this point I released how small we are, yellowstone seemed huge as we drove into it, you could see for miles.</div>
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As we drove further there seemed to be a traffic jam and as we got closer we passed bison just casually walking down the road slowly, we were in their territory now. This encounter made us all realise we were in the animals area and not the other way around, knowing we needed to respect the national park as we explored it. There are reminders everywhere about not leaving litter and other ways to respect nature which everyone who visited was following.</div>
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We were all looking forward to yellowstone as we would encounter lots of animals in the wild you just wouldn't see in the UK. We were all hoping for bear sightings, we were in Yogi Bear country after all!</div>
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We pulled into a area by a Yellowstone Lake, and hopped out the van to take in our first views of yellowstone not through a window. The Lake was huge and you could see snow capped mountains in the distance, and this was just one small area of yellowstone. As far as you could see was all part of yellowstone, yellowstone crosses the boundaries of three states, it is huge.</div>
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After getting our first experience of off the beaten track toilets involving a toilet just over a hole in the ground and an alcohol gel soap I really felt like we were properly in the wilderness of America!</div>
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We got back in the van and drove on further passing more bison. Every time we saw a group of animals Jake would stop the van so we could hop out and get a better look, it felt like being in a David Attenborough documentary and I was loving it already.</div>
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We got to a large parking area at Uncle Tom's Point and Jake explained a bit more about yellowstone. We were going to go on our first hike of the trek but, we were warned about packing away all food so nothing was visible and it was all wrapped up as bears had been known to come up to vans and cars and break windows to get at food. Jake warned that if this happened whoever's food it was would be responsible for the cost of the rangers and park staff that would have to shoot the bear to make the area safe! A dire warning and causing paranoia to ensue about this every time we stopped.</div>
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We all got a newspaper with info about the park and a park map which the rangers had given Jake on the way into the park. This was great as we could see exactly how big the park was and the area we were in. Park seems like the wrong word for this place though, this National Park seemed bigger than the south of England.</div>
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We all got organised with raincoats, and our bags with cameras and snacks for lunch that we would eat on our hike and made sure we had water.</div>
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Although it didn't seem hot after we started walking you could feel the muggy heat and the altitude started playing into how hot it was.</div>
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A couple of the group decided to turn back to the van after a while. I knew the hike would be a bit tough for me but I kept on going. We walked for miles, passing Clear Lake and it got really tough for me when it got steeper. </div>
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I was at the back for most of the hike but I was happy to take it more at my own pace and could see the group further up, another trekker kept me company even though she could walk at a quicker pace so it was nice to have a hiking buddy. By going a bit slower we got to really take in the scenery and boy was the hike worth it. When we came out of a clearing in the trees the views were amazing. We were in an area known as the Gand Canyon of Yellowstone. We were very high up and had an amazing view of the yellow rock and yellowstone river at the bottom of the valley. </div>
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With trees and mountains in the distance this landscape was like something i'd only seen in films before. We stopped for a while to regroup and take in the views and then walked further along the edge towards an area where you could see an amazing waterfall in between the yellow rock. We stopped in at Artists Point, a viewing area for the waterfall, and saw the camping trek group, they had hiked in the other direction and we had all met up!</div>
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We ate some of our lunches and had a while here then made our way onwards to the van. Jake drove the trekkers that had turned back up to an area to get a view of the waterfall, the rest of us sat at the edge of the car park and ate the rest of our lunch.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Matt Nattrass</td></tr>
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<i>TOP TIP: If you've never really hiked like me, make sure you take enough water and a few snacks for the hike. As it was cloudy none of us took enough water and I think this is what made me struggle with this hike in places. You will get warm walking and with the altitude keeping hydrated is essential.</i></div>
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We all got back in the van and Jake drove us to another area of Yellowstone.</div>
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We arrived in a geyser area, Norris Geyser Basin. It is a geothermal area which is one of the oldest and hottest in yellowstone.</div>
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We walked on the boardwalk around the Porcelain Basin Trail first, while the rest of the group went ahead, me and my hiking buddy took our time to look at some areas in more detail. It was 1/2 a mile loop.</div>
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By now it was very cloudy so the colours of the springs weren't as vibrant as they would be in the sun which was a bit of a let down but there were still some vivid blues and greens that looked amazing and mysterious within the cloudy landscape.</div>
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After loosing the rest of the group we went over to the Back Basin Trail and followed the longest loop distance that was 1 1/2 miles.</div>
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By now the sun had poked through the clouds a bit so we got to see some brighter colours, although the smell of sulphur and the noises the sloshing mud and water made were very interesting. The steam coming from some of the hot springs also meant we didn't get a great view of some. We saw the rest of the group half way round as they had walked in the opposite direction to us. </div>
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We took our time taking a slow walk, it was nice to explore without being rushed, as the hike earlier had felt more rushed trying to keep up with the group. We had realised we both preferred a slower pace for hikes and walks to most of the group, partly due to my numerous photo taking so decided we would stick together in other National Parks and not rush to keep up with everyone else to get a better experience. Theres nothing wrong with walking faster, if you can take it all in, but if I was trying to keep up with the others' pace I would be focusing on my feet and not the surroundings, it was nice to have someone else who wanted to hike in this way.</div>
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We got back to van and were all tired from the walking. Jake started the fairly long drive out of the park to where we would be staying for the next two nights...</div>
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<b>West Yellowstone, Montana:</b></div>
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We had arrived in the tenth state of our trip even though we were only just over the state line it was still exciting to be staying in Montana. It was a shame not to be staying in Yellowstone itself, but that the nature of the Budget Lodging Tour trek, and hey, it meant we had added another state to our trek. We got checked into our rooms for the night at Yellowstone Cabins & RV, there were lots of large houses which had been split into guest rooms two at the bottom with entrances at either side of the building on the same on the top floor.</div>
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These rooms were really nice, they were large, had a large flatscreen tv two big double beds, a wardrobe and a wooden cladded ensuite with toilet sink and shower. It was nice to get our suitcases opened up properly and hang some bits up because we didn't have to vacate the next day.</div>
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We all had some time to ourselves and got freshened up and then headed out for dinner as a group.</div>
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We walked for a while along the main road and some of the group went elsewhere for dinner but the rest of us went into a small local restaurant, Gusher Pizza and Sandwich Shoppe. Most of the group shared pizzas, but I got a lovely, if not a little bit spicy bowl of chilli. After a chilled dinner we took a slow walk in smaller groups back to the cabins and it was nice to be walking in our flip flops in the sunshine, it was the perfect summer evening.</div>
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I reorganised my suitcase a bit better to fit in all the little souvenirs I had bought along the way. Which it was in desperate need of as it was so heavy and full to bursting, especially as I had bought some warmer clothes for the colder days and nights. I got showered and relaxed a bit, before getting an early night as we were having an early start tomorrow because the drive back into the areas of yellowstone we were going to would take a couple of hours and to be refreshed for an early morning hike...</div>
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Yellowstone NP - Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone</i></div>
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<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): 140</i></div>
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<i>ACCOMMODATION: Yellowstone Cabins & RV - West Yellowstone, Montana</i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0West Yellowstone, MT, USA44.6621493 -111.1041091999999844.6395623 -111.14444969999998 44.684736300000004 -111.06376869999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-87664056019252123892015-05-20T21:00:00.000+01:002016-05-06T23:30:15.784+01:00USA ROAD TRIP | TREK AMERICA: DAY 9<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>NORTHERN BLT</b></h2>
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<b>DAY NINE:</b></div>
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We were waking up in the shadow of Devils Tower, Wyoming. The day started with bright sunshine which was a nice change from the snow yesterday. </div>
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Due to it being cloudy and getting dark when we arrived the night before, we couldn't take in much of the surroundings, but the Devils Tower was the other side of our campsite and looked amazing in the sunshine. The vertical lines in the rock were like nothing I've seen before. We could also see the bright red rock surrounding the campsite which was pretty spectacular.</div>
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After getting ready at the bathroom block again we took in the scenery a bit more and had some breakfast. Then it was time to pack up and get on the road again. Today was another fairly long driving day.</div>
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After driving for a while we stopped in a town for lunch - Sheridan, Wyoming. There were a range of places to get lunch, and while most of the others went to fast food places, myself and another trekker went to Jimmy Johns. This is a sandwich shop, a bit like Subway, but so much nicer. I got a pretty amazing turkey sandwich and not like sandwiches in the UK they are huge, you can eat half and save half for later when you get hungry in the van!</div>
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The drive today was feeling long, but even though this was a day for driving we got the most spectacular views as we drove through Bighorn National Forest. The roads were very windy but we took a road that went up a mountain and gave great views of the greenery below. We even made it up to where there was snow and passed through clouds! We were pretty high, as we made our way down another side of the mountain we got more great views, driving through clouds was a pretty cool experience!</div>
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After more driving in mind afternoon we arrived in…</div>
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<b>Cody, Wyoming:</b></div>
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This was our one and only stop for the day. We didn't get here until late afternoon though and were all a bit travel lagged. Instead of heading to the information centre we went to a local coffee shop, I had a lovely hot chocolate and we all stretched our legs a bit.</div>
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As there wasn't a lot else to do we headed to the cabins we would be saying in for the night. It was nice to get here fairly early and during daylight. We got sorted into groups again and got settled in, the cabins all had names, we got Butch Cassidy!</div>
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The shower block wasn't too far away and the camping group were cooking their dinner using the facilities next to the block. Myself and my cabin mate took this opportunity to get an early shower as there were only two. After chatting to the other group for a bit and having some downtime we got ready for dinner.</div>
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Jake took us to a local restaurant called Cassie's Supper Club. This was an old cowboy style restaurant, which our big group took over a huge area.</div>
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After dinner splitting the bill became a challenge as the bill was for the whole group after forgetting to add tips it took us a while to work out the maths.</div>
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A few of the group stayed for some drinks and would get a taxi back later but Jake brought the rest of us back to the cabins.</div>
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It was nice to have had a day with a bit more downtime after a busy few days, you definitely need it, as we were all pretty tired we all got an early night…</div>
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Old West - Old Trail Cowboy Town</i></div>
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<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): 310</i></div>
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<i>ACCOMMODATION: Ponderosa RV Cabins - Cody, Wyoming</i></div>
<i><br /></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0Cody, WY, USA44.526342199999988 -109.0565308000000244.435768199999991 -109.21789230000002 44.616916199999984 -108.89516930000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-76052009566186513282015-05-19T20:24:00.000+01:002016-05-10T12:46:48.415+01:00USA ROAD TRIP | TREK AMERICA: DAY 8<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>NORTHERN BLT</b></h2>
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<b>DAY EIGHT: </b></div>
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Today was going to be a very busy day and it started very early. We got up at 5am, got ready quickly at the bathroom block and all jumped (more like crawled) into the van to see the sunrise at...</div>
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<b>Badlands, SOUTH DAKOTA:</b></div>
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We were in a bit of a rush to get here in time for sunrise as we had had to wait for a few people getting into the van a bit late. When we got here bleary eyed we walked from the road into the wooden path across some of the badlands and then headed off track to get a better view of the sunrise from one of the peaks on the landscape. Most of us went one way and a few others went a different ways.</div>
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Walking on the landscape was like nothing I've ever felt, it crumbled a bit beneath your feet but was also hard and rock like. A sand clay and soil mixture.</div>
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Once we got into a good viewing location we just stopped and took in the sunrise. It was fairly cloudy but we could still see it and the colours were amazing, well worth the 5am start.</div>
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This is one of the most beautiful places i have been to, a 'beautifully broken' craggy landscape. It is amazing to see these kinds of landscapes during sunrise or sunset, it makes it feel even more incredible. I loved this part of trek, having these built in to the itinerary was one of my favourite parts of the whole experience.</div>
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After a while we heard the others who were quite a distance away but because it was so quiet and peaceful you could hear them. One of the couples on our trip had just got engaged!!! Congrats guys!</div>
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After cheering for them we took in a bit more of the sunrise and all regrouped to walk back to the bus taking in the views of the sparkly engagement ring on the way. What a way to start the day.</div>
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We drove back to the campsite and all tried to get back to sleep and rest for an hour or two before packing up and getting into the van to leave the beautiful badlands and head to...</div>
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<b>Wall, SOUTH DAKOTA:</b></div>
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By this time it was bright sunshine and a lovely day. We stopped here to visit Wall Drug. It is a roadside tourist attraction that is a shopping mall with a drug store, gift shops and restaurants, they are not individually run but run as a single entity. We all headed straight into the restaurant to get breakfast, it was a hearty breakfast to keep our energy up after the early start. We were all still excited from the newly engaged couple and after a chit chat over food we all went off to explore what Waldrug had to offer. It is a cowboy and western style drug store and shopping area, with a huge rabbit statue in the middle!</div>
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Whilst here we saw the camping group again as they had just arrived. A couple of them rushed over to us and explained how when they left the Badlands campsite a ranger had stopped them and said a suitcase had fallen out of our trailer when we left. They hadn't taken it with them as they didn't know if they would see us as they didn't know how far ahead of them we were.</div>
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We quickly finished our visit and headed back to the van to find out. The trailer hadn't been locked properly by one of us as Jake asked us to lock it up (blame the early start), so we started the long challenge of pulling the bags out to see if one was missing….it was!!</div>
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After a few debates, we had no other option but to head back, we couldn't leave someone without their suitcase! It wasn't like the iPad that we could catch up with later.</div>
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After a detour back to the Badlands, which the newly engaged couple were especially happy about as they didn't think they would go back to the spot they got engaged, we found a ranger station and they told us to head to the information centre. We went and Jake and the missing suitcase owner and another headed inside, they managed to get it back. They were questioned about what was in it to make sure it was theirs, which was apparently hard to prove! After discovering a smashed beer bottle in the suitcase we were all happy to be reunited, especially the owner as the panic of loosing a suitcase was more scary.</div>
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<i>TOP TIP: Or moral of the story, learn how to lock the trailer properly or tell the trek leader its not been done or you don't know how - it's amazing nothing else fell out!</i></div>
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We started our drive for the day again, a bit behind schedule and because we had already made the Wall Drug stop it meant a long drive. But a few hours later we arrived in...</div>
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<b>Keystone, SOUTH DAKOTA:</b></div>
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As we drove into the mountains the sunshine had disappeared and the snow had started! So when we pulled up in the van and walked towards the entrance to Mount Rushmore it was very cold. We walked through the flag lined entrance which opened out into a viewing area and got an amazing view of Mount Rushmore.</div>
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It is much smaller than I expected and was quite far away but still looked incredible. To carve such detail into the rock is quite a feat. We didn't stay here too long as it was very cold and the snow was getting heavier so we headed downstairs and into the information centre where we went into a cinema and watched a film about the history and making of the monument.</div>
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I would have liked to walk closer to Mount Rushmore on some of the paths, but some were closed and it wasn't sensible due to the weather.</div>
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We then went into smaller groups and got some cash out the ATM, and grabbed a snack and drink. Then we all headed back out into the snow and back to the van to warm up and make our way to...</div>
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<b><b>Black Hills National Forest, SOUTH DAKOTA:</b></b></div>
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We arrived in another area to see the Crazy Horse monument. It was still snowing and even colder now, so we all headed straight inside to the information centre and another cinema to watch a film about the making of the Crazy Horse. We spent much more time here, taking in art work, the gift shop and artefacts.</div>
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At the end of the gift shop you could see the Crazy Horse in the distance out the window, the others stayed inside but I headed out onto the decking into the snow to get a better view. I didn't last long and then we all headed together back to the van.</div>
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It was a shame about the weather and most of the group didn't want to spend long here or at Mount Rushmore. There was the option to get a bus ride closer to the monument but as no one else wanted to, and we were running behind due to our suitcase debacle earlier so I was a bit disappointed to be back at the van so soon. This is one of the downsides of group travel, if most of the group does or doesn't want to do something it can be difficult for you if you have another opinion. I could have said i'd wanted to but it seemed silly to make the rest of the group wait for one person. Although it wasn't the best weather and the views of it were obscured a bit because of this so it was onwards and upwards (more like down, to get off the mountain).</div>
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Jake drove us into a town, Hill City where we could get an early dinner and told us this would be our last main food stop for the day. Jake headed off to fill up the van and have a bit of downtime. The snow was still coming down so most of us went into the local diner. We all had a decent meal and 45 minutes later Jake was back to pick us up. Then it was back in the van and onto...</div>
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<b>Deadwood, Black Hills, SOUTH DAKOTA:</b></div>
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It was still cloudy and lightly snowing as we pulled into Deadwood, but with the name, it made this place seem all the more mysterious.</div>
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Deadwood is famed from the 1800s and a time when it was a lawless society with shootouts and past residents being Wild Bill and Calamity Jane, proper american west country!</div>
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We got parked up and walked to an old style saloon, Saloon No. 10. This place felt like you'd stepped back in time. It has sawdust floors, and the walls are covered in memorabilia from the past.</div>
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It's a bar, museum and place to gamble all in one. It also prides itself on being a recreation of where Wild Bill Hickok was killed, even having the chair he was shot in pride of place above the door for all to see. The card hand Aces and Eights was the hand he supposedly held when killed and is known as dead man's hand.</div>
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We wandered around for a bit taking it all in, then sat down for a drink. Some of the group went to another area out the back for card game gambling. Everyone over 21 got their hand stamped which had two guns on it to signify the gun slinging town.</div>
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After this we headed out. The rest of the town was a mixture of old and new, mainly new posing as old which gave the town a really unique feel. It was another place where the cleanest of the streets seemed odd against the 1800 style bars and shops.</div>
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We made our way back to the van and then we started our drive to where we would spend the night and it was snowing really heavily still as we passed through Sundance, Wyoming. The weather cleared up a bit as we made it to our ninth state...</div>
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<b>Devils Tower, WYOMING:</b></div>
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We pulled up to the KOA campsite as we were staying in cabins again tonight. We had reached the ninth state of our trip. It was the usual routine of 3 to a cabin and we all went into the same groups. It was already getting dark by this point in the day. My cabin mates and I quickly put our stuff in the cabin and were the first to the shower block again. These seemed older but were much larger. The toilets were on one side of the building and the shower cubicles were all on the other side.</div>
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After wandering back in the dark most of the group were celebrating the engagement with some drinks in one of the cabins as it was pretty cold.</div>
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<i>TOP TIP: Pack for all weathers, as a day in mountain areas can mean it is really cold, it snowed for most of the day so even when we passed into an area that was snow free it was still freezing. Not many of us had thick layers to wear especially to bed but you do need it. If you don't want to pack thick layers buy them cheap at Walmart or pack lots of clothes you can wear together on colder days, leggings under trackies or jeans etc. </i></div>
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I chatted with some of the others in another cabin and then had an early night after a long day, all ready for tomorrows adventures...</div>
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Sunrise in the Badlands - Mount Rushmore</i><br />
<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): 200</i><br />
<i>ACCOMMODATION: Devils Tower KOA - Devils Tower, Wyoming</i><br />
<i><br /></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0Devils Tower, WY, USA44.5886461 -104.6985455999999944.5773376 -104.71871559999998 44.5999546 -104.6783756tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-88140761235943262042015-05-18T19:30:00.000+01:002016-05-06T21:58:05.887+01:00USA ROAD TRIP | TREK AMERICA: DAY 7<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b>NORTHERN BLT</b></h2>
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<b>DAY SEVEN: </b></div>
The end of our first week started bright and early, we left the motel quite early after some breakfast due to needing to fit in the Green Giant Statue visit today as we didn't have time for it yesterday. It was a nice and sunny, so a good start to the day.<br />
We all got in the van and headed to...<br />
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<b>Blue Earth, MINNESOTA:</b><br />
You could see fields for miles and then we pulled up to the Green Giant Statue. I was inadvertently dressed for the occasion, in green and it the sun the statue looked pretty incredible against the bright green scenery.<br />
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Even through there was bright sunshine it was really cold so we all just viewed the statue from a distance and hopped back in the van to warm up. No one was really interested in seeing any other areas here. It was fun to see, but we didn't spend very long here.<br />
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If it had been included in our driving day yesterday, we would have spent a bit longer here, but as we had a very exciting National Park coming up we all wanted to get on the road.<br />
It was also here that one of the girls realised she had left her iPad at the motel we stayed at. Jake said we were too far away to go back in order to fit in all our day's activities, so they called the motel and after an anxious wait and call back they had found it. They arranged for it to be posted to the hotel the trip was stopping at in Los Angeles (Custom Hotel), as it seemed the most likely place we could meet back up with it securely. Rather than risking it go missing at any hostels we went to, National Parks wouldn't really be easy to send it to and most motels we would only be there for a night, so again it was a bit risky.<br />
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After a bit of extra time sorting this out we carried on our journey into our eighth state arriving in...<br />
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<b>Midland, SOUTH DAKOTA:</b><br />
It had warmed up by now and it was nice to get out the van for a bit longer, take in the sun and to visit another roadside attraction, 1880 Town.<br />
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This does what it says on the tin. Its an indoor and outdoor attraction giving you a glimpse of rural 1880 America. In the sunshine it was quite a fun visit, all the buildings look like you imagine and see in films. Some you could go inside and were decked out like they would have been back in the day, like the saloon. Some were pretty eery, like the church, which you couldn't get into and were peeking through a metal grate to see where there was eery music being played inside. We had the opportunity to dress up but no one did!<br />
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We spent over an hour here learning about Dakota and America in the 1800s and of course, had a look in the gift shop.<br />
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On our way out we stuck a pin on the world map to show where we were from, the people running it were lovely, cheery and spoke to us for a while. It was the first pin of someone from Finland as well, so they were happy...smiles all round!!<br />
Then it was back in the van and on to...<br />
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<b>Badlands, SOUTH DAKOTA:</b><br />
This was our first overnight stop in a National Park and boy was it incredible. It was such a nice day and the sun was still shining as we wound our way round the roads into the Badlands. We were slowly seeing the flat green land turning into a sandy colour landscape with first small rock formations and larger ones in the distance. They felt like they were growing into peaks around us through the winding roads in the National Park.<br />
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This was the second time, apart from Niagara Falls, that I really felt like we were seeing an incredible natural landscape. If you can do an American trip including a visit to the Badlands should be high on the list, I highly recommend it, it was like no other landscape i'd seen before.<br />
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After driving through the landscape for quite a while and getting close ups of the rocks passing by, we pulled into a lay-by area and stopped to get out the van and take in the scenery. We wandered around some different areas of the badlands, climbing some of the peaks and reading about them. The different coloured lines in the rocks are known as the Bands of Time and show different time periods in the earths history where layers have dried and cooled and contain different fossils from the ages, with the lower bands being from 75 million years ago when there would have been underwater.<br />
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The earth under your feet felt different to other places it felt like a mixture of sand and clay, with lots of bobbles of harder rock and then softer areas. It felt like some cratered moon landscape. The sun was shining and we had some amazing views.<br />
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On our way out of the Badlands we decided it would be fun to do a barbecue at the camp site for tonight. We stopped at the only store to pick up meat and the other food we would need, but as the store was small and on the edge of the National Park it didn't have enough for a decent dinner for all of us.<br />
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We got back in the van after getting some snacks and Jake drove us to the Badlands gift shop with restaurant / cafe attached. They were really accommodating and pulled some tables together for us. We all ordered hearty dinners, I had a carb overload on tomato pasta with cheese (I love the American tomato pasta sauces, even if though I imagine they are not that good for you!). Most of the others went for jacket potatoes or burgers. It was nice to get an early evening meal before staying in cabins for the night. After spending a while here we finished up dinner and had a look round the gift shop before getting back in the van and heading to...<br />
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<b>Interior Township, SOUTH DAKOTA:</b><br />
We drove down to where we would be staying for the night, the KOA campsite. This wasn't too far away on the edge of the Badlands (love that saying), taking in the sunset from the van.<br />
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As we were staying in cabins again so we got into mostly the same groups of three from before and each grabbed a cabin. It was exactly the same set up as the other cabins we had stayed in, a double bed and set of bunk beds with a couple of power points. We stuck our cameras and phones on charge taking turns and then my cabin mates and I headed to the shower block to get sorted before we got an early night.<br />
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These were a bit further away than any other campsites we'd used before but still only a couple of minutes walk and were the same set up again. These were slight more shabby chic but had an open sink are with lots of sinks and individual lockable cubicles with a bench and shower at the end. I'm not sure if it was because all three of us took up all the three showers but they were freezing! Only cold water by this point so after the shock of that it was back to the cabin quickly to try and get warmed up.<br />
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<i>TOP TIP: If you're a camping or cabin newbie like me, try to use the showers as early as possible when you get to campsites. Using them before dark is always better. We rushed a bit to use the showers here and it was well worth it because we didn't have to wait to use them like others did later on and the longer you leave it the more chance you have to get cold waiting for them, as well as the water getting even colder later on. Some campsites turn hot water off overnight or turn the water off overnight so the pipes don't freeze, even in May! Bit of a shock to the system!</i><br />
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I think some people had drinks and chilled for a bit but as we were going to watch the sunset over the Badlands the next morning and had to be up for 5am we all got an early night...<br />
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Badlands NP - Short Hikes</i><br />
<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): 450</i><br />
<i>ACCOMMODATION: Badlands KOA - Interior, South Dakota</i><br />
<i><br /></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0Interior, SD, USA43.7269378 -101.984042343.7039883 -102.0243828 43.749887300000005 -101.9437018tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-43323393438289965702015-05-17T23:00:00.000+01:002016-05-06T22:02:16.188+01:00USA ROAD TRIP | TREK AMERICA: DAY 6<h2 style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>DAY SIX: </b></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Today we got up fairly early, grabbed breakfast, then packed up and got checked out of the hostel. I took some cash out of the ATM by our hostel as for the next few days we wouldn't have easy access to cash points due to heading to small locations and a National Park so I got enough to cover me for food etc for the next few days.</span><br />
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<i>TOP TIP: I used the Fair FX currency card, which is a prepaid MasterCard. It acted like a debit card and this allowed me to pay for items, food and visits almost everywhere as so many places accept MasterCard. I could load money onto the card which gave me american dollar currency and meant I wasn't charged huge commission like I could be when using my British bank cards. I could take money out at ATMs cheaper with this card and could pre pay it online while I was in the USA. It was so handy and I would recommend currency cards to everyone. It means you don't have to carry loads of cash everywhere and can take it out when you need it.</i><br />
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Then Jake pulled the van round to the front of the hostel and we dragged our suitcases into the trailer, before getting our last view of the city and heading onto small town America!<br />
Today was going to be a long driving day where we would be covering 410 miles and spending a good 8 hours in the van.<br />
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There was no real sight seeing in the plan for today, which was fine with me after a busy couple of days in Chicago.<br />
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The driving was broken up with a couple of unusual stops, in addition to the usual gas station stops. With our first stop being in...<br />
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<b>Middleton, Wisconsin:</b><br />
It was our sixth day of travelling and this was our sixth state of the trip. We stopped here to take in the National Mustard Museum. Who knew there was a National Mustard Museum in America!<br />
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There were a few of us that were not fans of mustard but we still took in the sights. There were cabinets filling large walls with mustards from every state and from Europe… quiet the feat in mustard collecting! This museum celebrates national mustard day by holding a mustard festival.<br />
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After occupying ourselves with some mustard colouring in, a couple of us exited the museum early to take in the fresh air. As it was quite early on a Sunday morning the streets were mostly empty and I couldn't get over how clean looking everything was. The streets looked like a movie set, it didn't quite look real.<br />
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After the others had had their mustard fix we all headed back into the van and after a bit more driving we made a stop in...<br />
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<b>Windsor, Wisconsin:</b><br />
This was a shorter stop than the last, but it was to break up the driving, and why not take in the Cheese Mouse House!<br />
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Wisconsin is known as America's Dairyland so this was a must visit stop. This was a roadside stop, which we don't really have in the UK, where there are roadside attractions to break up long road trips. Officially known as the Mousehouse Cheesehaus, there was speciality Wisconsin cheese that you can sample and purchase, as well as fudge, sausages and other gifts! I didn't try to much but I was taken with the foam cheese hats, quite the fashion accessory.<br />
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After a while we got back in the van made a stop for lunch and kept on driving. As well as taking in the scenery I slept most of the day in the van to regain my energy from the busy two days in Chicago.<br />
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We passed by the Mississippi river on the state borders of Wisconsin and Minnesota (the river originates in Minnesota). Our day of driving had been mostly filled with bright yellow visits and bright green fields scenery. The landscape reminded me of the UK a bit. After a long days driving Jake suggested we made the other stop to the Green Giant Statue the next day instead of today, as it was a bit out of the way for where we would be staying.<br />
So we got to our stop for the night...<br />
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<b>Albert Lea, Minnesota:</b><br />
Entering our seventh state, we were staying in a motel and it was nice to go back to comfortable double rooms sharing with just one other person. The motel was nice and had all the usual trimmings, two comfy beds, desk, tv and ensuite.<br />
We got settled into our rooms and then decided to get dinner. There were a few places to eat within walking distance but there was a large bar and restaurant attached to the motel so my roommate and I decided to just get dinner there. A few of the others did the same so we pulled some tables together and had a nice hearty dinner, a salad buffet and steak and chips!<br />
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As we finished dinner it seemed to be the local karaoke night. Even though wanting an early night we couldn't miss out on some local entertainment and spent a few hours enjoying drinks and karaoke, where the song Sweet Caroline seemed to be following me across America!<br />
Some of our group took to the stage and we took in the great atmosphere. Eventually we headed back to our rooms, got showered and to bed to revive our energy before our national park visit tomorrow...<br />
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Green Giant - Roadside Attraction Day</i><br />
<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): 410</i><br />
<i>ACCOMMODATION: Americas Best Value Inn - Albert Lea, Minnesota</i><br />
<i><br /></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0Albert Lea, MN, USA43.6478006 -93.36865549999998843.5558906 -93.530016999999987 43.739710599999995 -93.20729399999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7442666582246935907.post-27005127757961099992015-05-16T21:30:00.000+01:002016-05-06T22:05:48.957+01:00USA ROAD TRIP | TREK AMERICA: DAY 5<h2 style="text-align: center;">
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<b style="text-align: justify;">DAY FIVE:</b><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;">Today we were spending a whole day in</span>…<br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><b>Chicago, Illinois:</b></span></div>
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It was nice to be spending two nights in one place and not be rushing to pack up this morning. After a long day and late night I managed to get up fairly early, got ready and headed down to the hostel breakfast room. This is a serve yourself communal kitchen and dinning room. I met up with the three other trekkers, and had a nice bagel and fruit breakfast, also taking some fruit with me for the sightseeing ahead.</div>
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We grabbed our bags and headed out for the day to explore Chicago on foot. As the hostel is in downtown Chicago we walked to the Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, which was close by and is a beautiful area, its one of the largest fountains in the world. It was close to the water so we also had a great view of Lake Michigan.<br />
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Then we walked over to Cloud Gate, better known as the bean, in Millennium Park. This has to be one of the most iconic sights to visit whilst in Chicago. We spent a while here, looking at reflections and wandering around Millennium Park.</div>
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Next we got a taxi up to Lincoln Park. We wandered to Lincoln Park Zoo and spent ages here. I loved this zoo, it stretches across 35 acres and is one of the oldest zoos in America.<br />
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As we were in Chicago during Mayfest there was lots going on over this weekend. So next we went to the Green City Outdoor farmers market in another area of Lincoln Park, and took in the sights and smells here. It is an outdoor farmers market with all local fresh produce.<br />
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After this our group went separate ways, some went to do some shopping, but another trekker and I started kept wandering north towards where we were to meet our group before heading to the baseball game. We stopped at a starbucks to grab some drinks as it was such a hot but mainly cloudy day and by this point the sun had come out. Then we headed to the J Parker rooftop bar. This was a part of Hotel Lincoln in a high rise building with a bar at the top which stretched inside and outside the building and gave a great view of the city, perfect for Saturday afternoon drinks.</div>
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After a while our we all made our way to the baseball game. I jumped in a taxi with some others, as we didn't want to navigate buses, up to Wrigley Field. This is home to the Chicago Cubs, where we would watch the afternoon game. We did a bit of merchandise shopping to get kitted out to support the cubs and met up with Jake and the others. We headed into the stadium, which was easy with Jake having bought all our tickets together online so he just showed his phone for scanning and we all went in.<br />
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With it being a Saturday afternoon it was packed, no spare seats in sight. We got settled into our seats for the game. It was pretty slow to get going, but I knew what to expect as i'd seen the New York Yankees play before and I must have been there for 7 hours that time. </div>
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In the slower parts of the game we were all engrossed in the affair that was going on with the couple in front, scandalous Saturday! This game wasn't as long, maybe 3 - 4 hours. Everyone was up and down grabbing food (the go to sports snacks of fries and hotdogs) and then it started heating up until…Cubs WIN!!!</div>
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After splitting from some of the group, to each go off and do our own thing for the rest of the day, we slowly navigated the busy streets to the subway and headed back towards the hostel to chill for a bit.</div>
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Then as the sun was setting, most of us headed out towards Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) as we wanted to see the city from the Skydeck Ledge (a glass box overhanging the building that you step onto to see the ground a long way down below).</div>
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<i>TOP TIP: This is where my pay as you go sim card came in handy. I used my data to navigate google maps to find where we needed to be all day and to get to Willis Tower. I used the unlimited data plan on the £15 top up with the 3 network (unlocking my phone and getting the 3 pay sim before I left the UK). It was amazing being able to</i><i> navigate the streets with no huge phone bill, I really did feel at home!</i></div>
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When we got to Willis Tower we were told it was approximately a 45 minute wait so most of the group decided to explore the city by foot instead. Myself and two others decided we really wanted to see it and in the end the wait was only about 25 minutes, it was well worth it! </div>
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By the time we got to the front and got the lift up to the view it was dark and we got the most amazing view of the city all lit up! You can wander around the whole level on floor 103, known as the Skydeck, there are large windows on all four sides so you can see the city from every angle. Even though in the dark it was difficult to make out any reference points it made you realise how vast Chicago and America is. The lights stretched on for miles, as far as you could see into the distance, all nice and neatly in blocks of coloured lights!</div>
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There was another small queue to get onto the Ledge but it was amazing, you felt like you were standing outside the building and floating above the city, the glass felt very sturdy too!</div>
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After a few photos we made our way back down and took a slow walk back to the hostel getting some snacks on the way, and after the long day taking in the views of the streets at night. It was a perfect way to end the day.<br />
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It wasn't too late by this time, and although tired, when we got back most of us decided to use the hostel washing facilities. So we went to the laundry room on our floor and did our washing and drying. After repacking my suitcase I got a fairly early night, and our amazing time in Chicago was coming to an end…</div>
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<i>ITINERARY (LISTED): Free Day CHI Town - Cubbies Baseball</i><br />
<i>DISTANCE TRAVELLED (MILES): -</i><br />
<i>ACCOMMODATION: HI Hostel - Chicago, Illinois</i><br />
<i><br /></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01019192863844526259noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.62979819999998241.4995241 -88.275245199999986 42.256703099999996 -86.984351199999978