Kristine kindly took us hiking in Malibu, which was absolutely gorgeous. We climbed up through the Santa Monica mountains to get a superb view from the top over the ocean. Great to know that there is something like this so close to the sprawling city that is Los Angeles. In the evening, we said goodbye and a HUGE thank you to Kristine, and picked up our hire car from the airport. They had messed up our booking, so we got a much better car than expected for a great price, so we were feeling pretty smug as we drove out of LA towards Joshua Tree, which is where we stopped for the first night in a little motel.
Sunday
The next morning, we realised just how much the terrain had changed - the moutains we initially went through had turned into barren desert and rocky hills & the weather had climbed to about 95 F - it was a stunning change. We sniggered as we drove through Kickapoo, then kept going along the super long straight roads that make Arizona & Nevada famous. THese roads are so long and straight, that you cannot even see where they end. There is something quite exciting about being so far from anything or anyone. We stopped off to stretch our legs by climbing the Amboy Crater, which is a distinct lava field and cinder cone. It looks impressive standing alone in the wilderness, black and forboding. It was a hot sweaty hike, but worth it for the views from the top and down into the crater.
We continued driving up towards the Grand Canyon until we reached a tiny village, or should I say settlement of scattered trailers, a few battered houses and an ancient shop of Meadview. We managed to find a little hut to stay in for the night and went off for a walk in the gorgeous evening light - the views of Lake Mead were absolutely stunning, as was the whole area. You could see the start of the Grand Canyon rock formations, as well as the barren beauty that is consistent with a desert landscape. As most of the food in the little shop went off about 2 years ago, we opted for some ready meals!
Monday
The big Grand Canyon day! We are advised to get a bus along the dirt track to the site of the canyon, however at 15 USD a head, and having driven down worse I am sure in Australia, we took the car. The road was absolutely fine and the bus is obviously a ploy to get more dosh out of guillible tourists. On arrival at the Canyon centre, it is very organised and also extremely touristy. This does not however take away from the grandeur & colossal size of the Canyon - it certainly does not disappoint! One of the ropes was down, so Mark and I laid on our stomachs on the edge looking down the 4000ft into the ravine - it's quite an experience - until someone told us to move and we did our polite 'oh we did not realise it was off bounds.' There is extra stuff you can pay for like the skywalk, which is a bit of glass over the edge of the canyon. A very cool concept, however, it is ridiculously overpriced when you have already paid quite a lot to get in. The helicopter rides look really good fun, and I think will be on my to do list when I go back with some more cash to splurge. Overall, it is just such an amazing natural landmark that you will leave feeling exhilarated whatever you end up doing there!
In the evening, we drove towards Las Vegas (baby!). We had booked a very cheap hotel on the outskirts of Vegas which was more like an entertainment complex, called Sam's Town. The place was seriously tacky but quite fun, and full of interesting characters, especially in the Casino. A generalistic description would be someone in their 50s, sitting at a slot machine, fag hanging out of mouth, wearing their pyjamas (trackies and baggy t-shirts) & obese. But, they were all obviously having a seriously good time, which is the main thing. Mark and I treated ourselves to an 'eat all you can buffet' and I can see how these peeps got their muffin tops - quite an unreal quantity of food, and not just seconds, but tenths, elevenths, etc, etc. Amazing.
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