USA 2015 Road Trip: Dollars, Stats and our favorite snapshots

by the Golden Gate after crossing it TWICE

Twenty-one days, four states and several cities after, caught in the transition of seasons from fall to winter, it was like we have participated in the Amazing Race with all the challenges we had gone through although we were not really on a race (except for that Thanksgiving Day when we had to race for time to find a gas station) but an adventure of a lifetime. I could say that our recent US road trip definitely brought up the ante for the next one. 

USA 2015 - Day 20-21: Driving back and saying farewell to San Francisco

after days at the slopes we headed back towards San Francisco for one last look at the outlet shops.
Here we were with my Aunt, Uncle and cousin before we parted ways.

Early morning of Day 20, we almost didn't want to get up because that meant we were leaving the snowy front lawn and powdery slopes. We were just not ready to do so. We received a call at about 8am from my Uncle asking us if we were already driving back! They still wanted to meet us before we fly off the next day. 

USA 2015 - Day 17-20: Snow Play at Squaw Valley

We're ready to go skiing!

On Day 16, we travelled yet another long distance to get to another family adventure. This time the snowy mountains were calling for us. This skiing trip was first for the family and we couldn't wait!

From Mesquite Sand Dunes in Death Valley, we drove along US-395N, stopping by Lone Pine, California to grab lunch at Carl's Jr, then continued all the way to South Lake Tahoe (315 miles for about 6 hours), not to visit the sights (unfortunately, we have to reserve that for another trip) but to pick up groceries/snacks to bring all the way up to Squaw Valley which was another 50 miles via US-50E and NV-28.

USA 2015 - Day 14-16: Las Vegas and Hoover Dam

Sin City with the family

Day 14 and we're on our fourth and last state - NEVADA - to visit it's largest city - LAS VEGAS. Smacked in Nevada's Mojave Desert, this resort city is famous for its nightlife, numerous casinos and entertainment options. We narrowed it down to the the city's main street, THE STRIP, an area that is quite familiar to us being big fans of the series CSI Las Vegas and having seen parts of the The Strip in movies like Jason Bourne, Now You See Me, Ocean's Eleven and Thirteen to name a few. And who wouldn't recognize famous iconic places like the Pyramid, Bellagio and its Fountain Show, and the Stratosphere (this was where we stayed). So here's breaking the "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" cliche and sharing our visit there with you... 

USA 2015 - Day 13: Zion National Park

"Hiking is a bit like life:

The journey only requires you to put one foot in front of the other... again and again and again. And if you allow yourself opportunity to be present throughout the entirety of the trek, you will witness beauty every step of the way, not just at the summit." - Unknown

Day 13 was one of the most exciting day of our trip because we looked forward to one of the most famous and thrilling hikes in all of USA's national parks. We've seen pictures and watched videos of visitors who made it to the top and we knew we could do it, weather permitting. So here's what our day was like at Zion National Park....

USA 2015 - Day 12 (Part2): Horseshoe Bend

overlooking Horseshoe Bend

From one natural landscape to another, we drove to Page town from Lower Antelope Canyon and back to Horseshoe Bend, the turn-off to which we passed on our way to Lower Antelope Canyon. This is the second natural attraction in Page that has made it to the list of most photographed and most iconic landscapes in the American Southwest. Visiting these two attractions is convenient as they are just about 8 miles away from each other.

USA 2015 - Day 12 (Part1): Lower Antelope Canyon Tour

standing between wave-like walls of the Lower Antelope Canyon, carved by flows of water for centuries

On Day 12, we left Grand Canyon at Tusayan, Arizona and headed north to Page for another canyon tour. At the Grand Canyon we had the view of the natural landscape from the top looking down into the abyss and across the horizon. In Page, on the other hand, we had a different view and experience of another famous canyon, the Lower Antelope Canyon, this time from under the cracks of the earth our view was from the depths of the canyon looking up to the top of the canyon walls and into the sky. And before we made our way to Zion which was the final stop of the day, we visited the Horse Shoe Bend which was on the way.

USA 2015 - Day 9: An Eventful Thanksgiving Day (roadtrip from Pasadena along Route 66 to Joshua Tree National Park, ending in Arizona)

"There is always, always, always something to be thankful for."
Wigwag Motel, Route 66, San Bernardino, CA

This leg of our trip was plagued with hiccups - three, to be precise. Nonetheless, we hoped and prayed and by the end of the day we celebrated our very first Thanksgiving, the traditional American way.

USA 2015 - Day 8: Queen Mary and Santa Monica Pier

with the RMS Queen Mary - a retired ocean liner which was the grandest ever built during her time

The Queen Mary made her first voyage in 1936, a little over two decades after the disastrous maiden voyage of RMS Titanic. From being the benchmark in elegance, class and style (the grandest ocean liner in the world) for transatlantic travel on her first transatlantic voyage, to being a troopship in camouflage color during WWII, RMS Queen Mary has made quite a name in history.

USA 2015 - Day 7: Night at the Griffith Observatory and Hollywood Boulevard

at the Griffith Observatory

While on the final stretch of our drive to LA, we noticed the slowing down of traffic. By the time we were approaching the city limits it was evident that we will not be arriving at the hotel on schedule. So we decided we'd make another adjustment to our itinerary. Seemed like that night we were destined to see the moon and the stars.... while in the city!

USA 2015 - Day 7: Solvang: the "Little Denmark" of California

Who would have thought that a quaint Danish village can be found nestled in the heart of Santa Ynez Valley, a good 2.5 hours drive from Los Angeles and just an hour away from Pismo Beach? Well, that's where we had our third stop of the day before heading to Los Angeles - in SOLVANG.

USA 2015 - morning of Day 7: Beach-hopping along the Pacific Coast Hway (Morro Bay and Pismo Beach)

Early morning of Day 7 and we geared up for our drive to Los Angeles (that's about 220 miles for the day's road trip). First challenge of the day was how to put all of our stuff (including items we shopped for along the way) inside our small car. We were only on our 7th day and we seemed to have problems trying to fit everything in! When we were finally done this was how our packed car looked like. Still had a little bit of wiggle room, we think.

USA 2015 - Day 6: Leaving Mariposa for Gilroy then Monterey and spending the night at Morro Bay

Check out time from Miners Inn at Mariposa.
I love this bench located at the entrance of the building so I said we should take a photo sitting on it.

On Day 6 we drove out of Mariposa, said our goodbyes to Yosemite Miners Inn, and headed towards Morro Bay which was our chosen halfway point to Los Angeles. It was a 285-mile drive and we made a few stops along the way.

USA 2015 - Day 5: Yosemite National Park

Tunnel View, Yosemite National Park

“Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.” - Ansel Adams, Photographer

Best known for its waterfalls, Yosemite National Park with its nearly 1,200 square miles is among the top ten most visited national parks in the US. Visitors not only come for the waterfalls though as evident in the variety of magnificent photos of famous rock formations, meadows and wetlands, lakes and rivers, viewpoints, giant sequioas, and the wilderness taken around Yosemite in different seasons throughout the year.

USA 2015: Night Tour of Alcatraz

photo taken while we were riding the ferry to Alcatraz

"It's mighty good to get up and leave. This Rock ain't good for nobody." 

- Frank Weatherman, last con to leave (1963)

And yet, a decade after its closing, The Rock became one of the most popular and most visited attractions in San Francisco. People were curious about how life was inside the notorious prison. Tourists wanted to see for themselves how the prisoners supposedly successfully escaped from America's premier maximum-security prison in its time. Some, on the other hand, were simply mesmerized admiring it from afar specially on a foggy day (I knew I was).

USA 2015: A Day or Two in San Francisco

"San Francisco is one of my favourite cities in the world…I would probably rank it at the top or near the top.  It’s small but photogenic and has layers…You never have problems finding great angles that people have never done."- Ang Lee

It's one of cities we love the most, too! So much so that this visit is already our third and we are still hoping we can go back for more. There's just so many things to see and do in this vibrant city that is San Francisco.

USA 2015: A Tour of Napa Valley - its macarons, the veterans home, the wines

the colors of autumn at Yountville

Day 2 of our US road trip was spent at Napa Valley with our relatives. It was a late start to the morning as we enjoyed breakfast at home first. Napa Valley was just about 30 minutes away from my Aunt's place so we had plenty of time. And since she and my uncle both work in that area they were already familiar with the place and the traffic conditions.

USA 2015: Touchdown San Francisco and highlights of Silicon Valley

at Changi Airport with the Star Wars exhibit before going through immigration 

"By giving people the power to share, we're making the world more transparent." 

- Mark Zuckerberg

Serves the purpose of my sharing of travel stories of our family holidays. 

Our recent trip was a 3-week USA fall/winter road trip. Our journey began with a six-hour flight from Singapore to Seoul for an hour layover, and a connecting flight from Seoul to San Francisco for the remainder of the 18-hr trip. How tempting it was to spend a few days in South Korea. All of us remembered the wonderful time we had when we visited in 2014. For now though we focused our resources and energy on the West Coast.

West Coast 2015: Third Time's A Charm

Yosemite Falls in 2015

"The trouble with travelling back later on is that you can never repeat the same experience."

Michael Palin

But isn't that the fun in it though? How wonderful it is to be able to visit the same place again (and again) and get a different experience every time. With so many beautiful countries and interesting cities in the world why would we go back to places we have been to? I guess the simple answer would be because travelling is not just about ticking places off our bucket list. It's also about revisiting cities which have left a mark on our wandering souls and brought a lot of unforgettable fun memories to our family.

Applying for a US Visa in 2015

the header from our online application print out

"The passport serves two purposes: to regain entry to the country of citizenship (i.e. the United States) and is a requirement by many countries to gain entry to the country you are visiting. A travel visa is an official government document that temporarily authorizes you to be in the country you are visiting." - https://www.passportsandvisas.com

When we finally decided to go on another family holiday to the US after more than a decade, I had to ask some friends who have recently applied for a US visa and browse through the US Embassy website for the latest procedure in visa application. The first time we applied for one was in 2002 (Ira wasn't born yet) and had been several changes to the process over the past 10 years.