Amanda and I took a trip to California this past week. We were originally supposed to go back in June but Amanda’s plane had issues and she couldn’t make it to Las Vegas to meet me.
We began the trip on Sunday by flying to Las Vegas and driving to Death Valley. If you have read my past post, then you know how much I love the desert. Especially the California and Nevada deserts. I could just sit out there and watch the world go round all day long. I think that since I never saw a dessert until recently, that is why I feel this way.
We drove through Death Valley and down through California to Merced. Our intention was to use that as our home base and drive to several other locations from there.
Merced is a quaint town and is known as the gateway to Yosemite. The great people at the Holiday Inn Express there really took good care of us. Since I am a Priority Club member, they automatically gave us the best room possible, which was a double queen suite.
The first full day in California we went to Sequoia National Park. It was a cold and drizzly most of the day, but it was great for both of us. I had never seen a Giant Sequoia. They are three hundred feet tall and huge at the trunk. We saw the largest tree in the world, named General Sherman. It was HUGE!!!! I got some realy good pics, including one with Amanda standing in a burned out trunk.
The next day we moved on to Yosemite National Park. I’ve seen a ton of beautiful places in the world but scenic wise, I believe Yosemite has the most amazing vistas in the world. We took a hike down the Merced River and saw some amazing things. The leaves are changing and the color rivals any other place in the country.
Our final destination was San Francisco. I love the show “Mythbusters” so the first place we went was the building where it is filmed. We took our picture in front of the building but didn’t get to see anyone from the show. From there we moved on to a tour of downtown, including one of the crime scenes from the infamous Zodiac murders. We also spent a good deal of time in the Golden Gate and Marin Headland. If there is a more peaceful place to watch the ocean, I haven’t seen it yet. Finally, we moved to Sausalito, just across the bay from San Fran. All in all, it was a great day. We finished up our California trip and drove back to Las Vegas.
We had a full day in Vegas the next morning so we drove out to Hoover Dam and lurked around out there for the morning. Next we decided to head back to Vegas and eat at one of the local buffets. Now I’ve eaten at the buffet before and was not all that impressed. At this point, I wanted it to be a great experience for Amanda so I hopped on the Internet and researched the best buffets. All of the locals recommended the “Studio B” buffet at the “M Hotel and Casino.” The locals were absolutely right. It is by far the best buffet I have ever eaten, including the best Sushi I have ever eaten. Seriously.
We ended our trip with a final drive down the strip and back to the airport.
All in all, it was one great trip. I wish we would have had way more time. In a way, it was a sad trip for me. I know that Amanda is married now and wil want to be taking trips like this with her Husband, Jason. Who can blame her? She and I have now traveled coast to coast with each other. I just hope she knows how much these past 21 years have meant to me.
I just hope all of her future trips are as good as our last two have been. All in all, a great trip indeed.