Month: October 2018

After settling in to our great accomodation we made a plan for some things to do in Bocas. This is on the Caribbean side of Panama and is very popular with tourists. So heaps of bars, restaurants, and touts offering tours. We also had to contend with a wet day so it was off to Starfish Beach on the local bus

After a 15km bus and 20 minute walk we were at this cool little beach that was filled with beach shacks. We found a space under a roof, which turned out to be pretty useful later when it poured down, and went for a snorkel. Starfish Beach is well know for … starfish. There are a heap of these big, orange beasties all around within 5m of the shore. So a bit of snorkelling ensued as well as chatting with some others on the beach.

We were chatting to this one old Yank who had been here 16 years (not legitimately it turns out). It’s always interesting when you’re travelling to hear local and expat perspectives on the place you are visiting. This guy had left his 3rd wife and was going back to his 2nd as she had just come in to some money!

We headed back through the rain to the bus and then our cool little Casa to dry out. Next day it was off to the island of Bastimentos, about a 10 minute boat ride away. We again travelled in the rain and again stayed in a cool little casa ($NZ40 per room). The afternoons mission was to walk over to Wizard beach that one of the locals told us yesterday was one of the best in Bocas. Well, the 20 min jungle walk was cool and the beach was nice but not quite to the standard of the awesome NZ Northland and Coromandel beach’s. But we did see a sloth so it wasn’t all bad.

(Andrew)

In the morning we booked a tour for $25 US ($37.50 NZ) The first thing we did was boat to this traditional village through this amazing mangrove canal. It was a bit disappointing though because it was modern quite a lot. I thought it would had mud houses and thatched roofs. After we booted to Coral Caye – is it was absolutely amazing snorkelling! I saw heaps of different coloured coral and spectacular coloured fish. Suddenly a humongous fish appeared- it was absolutely massive but it swim away before the others could see it.

Sloth Island had so many sloths on it – we saw for a sloth just from the boat! But surprisingly they were actually pretty fast but very, very lazy! The next thing on this amazing day was the Batcave. We first had to cross heaps of treacherous mud pools along the way we saw some tiny bright orange frogs about the size of my fingernails. At first I thought they were poison dart frog but they weren’t.

We are arrived at the cave opening – there were probably thousands of nectar bats flying or hanging on the roof of the cave! It was so scary when they were just passed you! We waited through the caves into we swam through a really narrow bend and got to the end there was a very cool waterfall and waterhole. There was an humongous stalicmite to jump off I jumped off so many times I had such an amazing day but to top it all off we saw heaps of dolphins on the boat ride back!!

(Jake)

We returned our amazing Subaru Forester. We ventured to Los Angeles international airport to depart for our flight to Panama at 10:00pm!

We went shopping in the markets, The things were so cheap! I brought a Real Madrid soccer kit for $12 , a Brazil FIFA World Cup shirt $6 and a really awesome soccer ball $4.50! We then had a really nice hamburger for dinner.

(Jake)

The next day we went and saw the incredible Panama Canal! It was so amazing seeing a massive LNG ship go through the canal but, unfortunately we did not see it go through the locks. After we Ubered back to the hotel and chilled for the rest of the day. In the evening we went for a stroll to the streets and had dinner at the same hamburger place as last night.

(Mia).

After the debacle at LAX and needing to buy an exit bus ticket, we used this to get near the border on the way to Boquete in the mountains. So it was a midnight departure from Panama City and most of us managed to get some sleep on the bus. We had some surprises with the border control and not wanting to go through the border but we eventually got a on a local bus back to David and then on to Boquete.

Chilled out at the hostel and had a mooch around town. Loaded up on veges for dinner and made some plans for the next day. Hostel Blasina was a great, intimate place to stay with our host Jasmina. Three others were staying there but we basically had a house to ourselves.

After a great sleep, we decided to go for a walk up in the mountains. So used our pigeon Spanish to get transport up to the trail head and had a rugged up and down hike to see three waterfalls. Highlight was probably seeing some hummingbirds at the track entrance. Back to town in the arvo and Ross and I took the kids to the pub for a free margarita for us and lemonade for them. Another chilled out evening and getting ready for the bus to Boca del Toras tomorrow.

(Andrew)

The last stop on the US itinerary was Joshua Tree National Park. This was a 200 mile drive towards Los Angeles from our stay in Havasu. Only noteworthy thing apart from the heap of trucks on the Interstate was the miles and miles of hay paddocks we drove through following the Colorado river south. Seems like every man and his dog was making hay while the sun shined.

Our intended route into the park was closed due to a flood so that added 70 miles on to the trip but we did get a close up look of the Cochilla valley and Palm Springs. After arriving at the park visitor centre, the kids picked up their Junior Ranger pack (an activity book that they had latched on to 3 parks ago) and we were off to take a leisurely drive on a hot, sunny day.

The Joshua trees themselves look like something out of a Dr Seuss book, and along with the heap of people who had come in to the park on this fine Saturday, made for a pleasant trip. To be honest, we were all a bit over another rock featured park so we didn’t do that many stops. Again we used the awesome Campendium app to find a free boondocking camp site nearby and pitched our tents.

Had a great fire that night and roasted a few marshmallows. In the morning it was onwards towards LA and our first paid campground for 2 weeks! We did 2 weeks worth of laundry, showering and also stocked up one last time at a supermarket ready for our last day in LA.

We thought we’d make the most of Sub Dog the rental car and with a late flight, took in the sights on the Walk of Fame, California Science Center (will the extraordinary exhibit of the space shuttle Endeavour) and a walk along Venice Beach. All the end of trip admin was going smoothly (rental car return, bag drop off, check in) until we were told that we couldn’t get on the plane unless we had proof of leaving Panama (our next destination)! We didn’t so it was a rushed booking for a $US160 bus ticket from Panama to Costa Rica that we will probably not even use!! Ah well, that’s travelling some times. Funny thing was the same situation happened to Bronwyn and Ross (sis and bro in-law who are joining us for the Central American section) as we boarded the plane! The Panamanian bus company did well out of us that night…

We woke up really exited to go to Mr Dz diner! When we got to the diner I ordered a stack of 3 pancakes with fruit and whipped cream, Mia ordered the same, Dad ordered a tortilla thing and Mum ordered bacon and eggs. They were all massive meals so Mia and I took most of it in a take away box.

After we visited a information centre about Route 66. We drove down the historic road for the rest of the day until we got to a place called Oakman. It had burros, which are like donkeys, just walking on the road! At 12:00 they had a gunfight on the main streets it was really funny.

We continued on Route 66 until we got to Lake Havasu.

We had a swim in the lake and went to this classic car show. After we went and set up camp. After we had dinner at about 7:00 we went and saw an America football game! The game was so amazing, one guy got smashed and flipped onto the other teams bench.

After 4 days in Moab, it was time to head south. We wanted to see another part of Canyonlands called the Needles so we hit the road and picked up a few things in Moab as we left. Much less people in this national park and we saw a heap of rock climbers at a section of the big red cliffs. One highlight was seeing an old cow boy camp next to a spring that also had some ancient petroglyphs. Spent another night goon docking at a sweet little spot out of Blanding (but it was cold!)

At these free camping spots we generally gather some wood and start a fire after tea. The Yanks love their fires so there is always plenty of fire rings to choose from when we pull up to a spot. And with the higher elevations of over 2000m on the Colorado plateau we need the extra heat source before bed!

In the morning (Tuesday) it was to be a long day of driving checking out the Natural Bridges and driving down off the plateau on a steep, switched backed road. I had heard from a fellow traveller that the slot canyons in Page, Arizona were stunning so we took a dog leg route to get ther only to find that it would be $160 for the family to go on a guided tour! So we flagged that, headed to the local info centre and got some great free options including another boon docking camp site.

Page is on Lake Powell, a huge man made reservoir for the Glen Canyon dam. We went to check out the lake and set up camp near an old corral. We had been told there were some smaller canyons around there so we set off for an explore. Ended up being one of the best short walks so far. Some cool little canyons that we followed up while clambering up so tight squeezes in places. Jake even saw a fox!

Another cold night camping, another fire and even a shower of rain! The kids are certainly having a challenging experience. But the are up for it-Mia was first up this morning (Wednesday) to put the camp stove on to make some cups of coffee! I think she just likes playing with the stove. Today it was off to Grand Canyon with a short stop at horseshoe bend and little Colorado river on the way. After a long drive the sight of snow around our intended campsite didn’t fill us with great hope.

We decided to keep going through the snow filled surrounds to Grand Canyon. At the first view point there was no canyon to be seen through the thick fog although we did throw a few snowballs. As we came closer to the visitor centre the clouds lifted and we had a great view of this very famous sight. After a week of Utah rocks I wasn’t really expecting to be gob smacked by another canyon but this one is next level.

It was late in the afternoon so we decided to get a bit lower and a bit warmer (we have been promising the kids a warmer sleep for the last 4 days now…) for our camp. Jake hadn’t been feeling well all afternoon so he went straight to bed while the rest of us had tea and lit another fire.

Crikey, what a freezing night it turned out to be. I swapped sleeping bags with Jake and his is useless! Finally the dawn came with both tents frozen and I was up starting a breakfast fire to try and warm up. The rest of the family arose and we defrosted, packed up, and head back to Grand Canyon.

The day was fine and clear to be used the park shuttle bus to go to the Hermits Rest part of the south rim which has less people. The views were stunning and we could clearly see down to the Colorado river. Again, pictures do a better job than words.

After the kids collected their Junior Ranger badges from the visitor centre it was off towards Route 66. We wanted to descend in altitude to have a more comfortable sleep and also managed to drive about 40 miles of this famous road. Some kitschy gift shops with plenty of 1950s stuff. Boondocked once again at a place just out of Kingman, Arizona.

In planning for this trip, one thing that was definitely on my bucket list was an epic mountain bike ride. After a bit of research the Whole Enchilada trail in Moab, Utah seemed to fit the bill. Shuttle access, massive downhill, changing terrain made this a must do on many riders lists.

I had had booked a Trek Remedy and shuttle with Poison Spider Cycles when we arrived in town and Saturday turned out to be an awesome weather day. The family dropped me off at 8 and I had an hour or so before the shuttle left to get warmed up on some nearby tracks. A total of 4 vans headed up the hour long drive to the La Sal mountains. The top few sections had been closed by snowfall (!) during the week so we were dropped off at a transition trail into the main route called Jonny Keen. Well, keen I was on getting stuck into this trail – almost as keen as the deep, sticky mud was on get jammed up in the wheels, cranks, and chain of my freshly serviced bike!

So it was a bit of a ride/walk over the first couple of km’s until we hit the start of the UPS trail. This was more like it – dry, downhill, with some epic scenery as the trail descended alongside a steep cliff to the valley below. With the snow capped mountains in the rear, the weird sandstone mesas sticking out of the valley in front, the trail unfolded in fast flowing goodness.

I think the main attraction of this ride is not just the epic location, but the variety of trail you ride. From aspen lined single track, to boulders drop offs, to the smooth slick rock that Moab is famous for this track had everything. It was also a great balance of enjoyment and challenge for my riding ability. There were certainly a number of small drop offs I walked (including one section of double black diamond that I sprained my ankle on-how’s that? getting a walking injury on a bike ride!), but I had a lot of confidence in the bike to roll over many of the jagged rocks.

So after a long, hot day in the saddle, my Strava had recorded 45 kms of riding. It seemed like double this-just an awesome 1 day ride. The final section was a nice, flat roll along the Colorado river soaking in the afternoon sun. I managed to catch up with the family then return the bike and have a nice, hot shower before hobbling into town for a feed.

The next day (Sunday) was a more relaxed affair with a driving tour of nearby Canyonlands National Park. Again, more stunning Utah rock scenery with view from the ‘Island in the Sky’ down to the Colorado and Green rivers. I didn’t do many of the short walks available as my ankle was aching but it was definitely worth the previous days epic ride.

We left Las Vegas via the Hoover dam taking the scenic route around Lake Mead. After navigating the outskirts of Vegas, we joined the interstate for Utah. We were heading to Zion National Park so decided to “boon dock” on some state land not far from the entrance.

Boondocking is the American version of freedom camping. We joined a couple of other RVs in an area about 1km off the main road. There are no facilities so we set up the tents and cooked a feed on our camp stove. Had a few passing showers so we stayed in the car (nicknamed ‘sub dog’) reading. The wind got up during the night which was unpleasant but we had an early start at 6am to get into Zion.

We took the jump on jump off shuttle up the canyon where we got off and did some walks. One of the iconic walks called ‘the narrows’ involves walking through a river up a narrow steep sided canyon. Mia wasn’t keen but the rest of us braved the freezing river temperature, got ourselves a walking stick each and cautiously walked up the canyon which was fantastic. We had a fabulous walk to a spot overlooking the canyon which was magical.

Temperatures were rapidly decreasing and with snow on the hills and rain all around we bunked up in a motel for the night where we managed to do a load of washing and have a shower!

The next day we experienced snow at Bryce Canyon. You have to see the pictures of it as words don’t do it justice. The kids loved throwing snowballs out over the cliff tops. The sun came out for a short time which was enough for us to get down amongst it all with a walk through the pink rock minarets called hoodoos.

We had a fire at our campsite but temperatures got below freezing during the night. The next day had more scenic driving and walking to a little town called Escalante. Surrounded by red rock cliffs and big white domes of rock with red swirls. So picturesque. We set up camp at a place called Kodachrome state park which is renown for its many tall sand ‘chimneys ‘.

Next day, next stunning bit of Utah scenery. After a short walk around Kodachrome (and a much needed shower), it was off to Calf Creek. This is another part of what is called the Grand Staircase and is geologically really interesting. We snagged one of the last camp sites and went for a wander up the Escalante canyon. The attraction was some petroglyphs (pictures chiselled into rocks) and pictographs (pictures painted into rocks). These were evidence of a previous culture called the Fremont people.

More rock art was seen on the following day in the walk up Calf creek to see the water falls. Petrified sand dunes, weathered sandstone, sculpted mudstone were on the geological checklist for this 4 hour walk. Still there was more to see that day as we broke camp and set course for Boulder.

This speck of a town was the last to receive mail by car, in fact the whole area was the last to be mapped in the USA. Deciding to take a side road called the Burr trail to see a slot canyon, we turned this into an afternoon back country driving expedition to end up at Capitol Reef national park. More stunning rock scenery and pictographs along with a bit of a taste of early Mormon settlers was enough for one day so we ‘boondocked’ by the Fremont river. Met a friendly fireman from San Diego and shared some yarns around the camp fire.

Thursday the 11th turned into a wet day of driving to Moab. Using our trusty Campendium app we found a great free camping site, pitched our tents and went in to the resort town of Moab. Outdoor recreation is the name of the game here so Andrew booked himself in for a days mountainbiking and Jake was entranced with a gem store.

Friday was and early start to make the most fine weather in Arches National Park. And, you guess it-more stunning rock based scenery. The rock arches are world famous and judging by the high numbers of tourists like us, the secret was out. First we went to the awesome Fragile arch, then Landscape, Sanddune, Tunnel, Double, Turret…. (get the picture-there were a heap of arches!). Interesting was the numerous artists around the park with their easels and oils trying to capture the views. The day ended with another great camp meal (bean tacos) and star gazing around the campfire.

We drove across the dry barren landscapes to the famous Death Valley.

We camped at roadside place and stargazed most of the night. The next day we woke up really early and set off to Mosaic canyon. We entered the canyon. I was absolutely amazed by all the different colors and types of polished rock. After, we drove down to the Furnace creek visitors center and read about Death Valley.

We ventured onto the hazy salt flats of Badwater basin; it is 85.5m below sea level.

The city of Las Vegas rose out of the desert. First of all we went to the outlet stores. The ADIDAS one was probably the best. I bought some soccer shirts and a jacket. Later that night we went to the Vegas strip it had so many lights flashing and about 1000 casinos. We went out for dinner at this really nice Mexican place and had cheese quesadillas, chips and Mexican dip.

Jake

After staying the night in a small State forest campground ($21), we packed up and headed for Yosemite. Needing gas, we stopped in at a small station just before the park entrance. As usual they had heaps of different kinds of filtered coffee along with the flavoured creamers and sweetners. Americans love their coffee!

First stop in the park was Tamrank campground. The rangers had told us that all off the sites in the Valley had been booked for months but this one was up a side rode and was a ‘first come, first served’ operation. So we quickly registered ($12) and set up our two tents then left for Yosemite valley.

So best described in pictures, the sheer granite cliffs that wall in this valley are spectacular. Any water that falls cascades down steep ravines. We checked out the Bridal veil falls and the famed Yosemite falls (which had no water coming down due to a long, dry summer).

After checking out the visitor centre it was off for a short walk to the base of Half dome. We dodged a few showers before the weather set in so we canned out planned 30 mile drive to Glacier point for views across to Half dome. On the way back to camp we went to see som Giant sequoias at the Tuolume grove. Pretty impressive- reminded you of ol’ Tane Mahuta but taller. The biggest one was about 1500 years old.

So back to camp to move the tents that had a small stream flowing into them(!) and bean nachos for tea. On to Death Valley tomorrow.

Today we drove 150 miles to a campground called The Pines on the out skirts of Yosemite. On the way we stopped off at the Google HQ in Silicon Valley. As another option of stairs they had a slide. We also got a free android toy.

We arrived at our campsite and had to put our food in a bear-proof storage cabinet.

I hope any bears or snakes don’t came and get me tonight!!!!

Mia