My family and I just returned home from a nearly two week long vacation that saw us drive all the way across the country and back. We had never been out west and wanted to see parts of the country we had never been to. The trip went like this…
My son and daughter’s All Star baseball/softball games ended around 4 pm on Saturday, June 22nd. We had rented a transit van (in-laws went with us) and it was packed and ready to go. By 5 pm, we were making our way to Mount Rushmore. We drove through the night in order to catch up to our planned itinerary. On our first stop, we saw the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. Both were really cool. I’ve heard people say that Rushmore is underwhelming, but I disagree. I thought it was a phenomenal work of art and very patriotic.
Then, we left and started making our way to Yellowstone. I must say, I have never seen a state as beautiful as Wyoming. It was simply stunning. South Dakota was beautiful as well. When you were driving down the road in a flat plain, and start seeing the Rocky Mountains in the background, it’s truly something to behold. I remember a home along the highway that was positioned so that they could see the plains from their front porch, and the Rocky Mountains from their back porch. I couldn’t imagine how awesome living in that house would be, because the view would be otherworldly.
If you have never been to Yellowstone, I strongly suggest going. It might be the most stunningly gorgeous place I have ever been in my life. Lakes, trees, snow-capped mountains, and so much more natural beauty that is easy to see why Roosevelt felt so strongly about preserving that area. Truly a national treasure. Seeing Old Faithful and several up-close bison (those things are HUGE) was an experience that I will never forget.
Next, we started making our way through Idaho and Oregon, and into Northern California to see the Redwood Forest and the Pacific Ocean. Entering California from the top was an interesting experience. It seemed like we drove downhill the entire time, and the temperature dropped almost 50° (103 down to 54) from the time we entered until the time we got to the Redwoods and the ocean. My son has wanted to see this area for years, and I am so glad we went. Again, the natural beauty of this area is simply stunning. The redwood trees are huge and amazing to stand next to. We took many photographs alongside them. And seeing the Pacific Ocean from that area was a unique experience all to itself. A cloud of fog covers the entire area, and you could not see probably more than 100-200 feet out into the ocean as far as you could see east to west. There was literally a wall of fog that prevented you from seeing anything beyond a few hundred feet.
We then made our way to Yosemite. We got to see El Capitan, many streams, waterfalls etc. Again, the natural beauty of this area is simply unmatched. I highly recommend going.
We then made our way to Los Angeles/Anaheim for a four day stay. We spent three days at or near Disneyland. It was really cool to see Walt Disney‘s original creation. We have been to Disney World many times, but never Disneyland. Very cool thing for my wife and I. We drove around the area a lot and explored some. Southern California is a really cool place.
Between Yosemite and Disney, we stopped in San Francisco. We wanted to see the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and drug addicts with flies hovering around their vaginas (let’s see who’s still reading). We also spent some time in Chinatown, which was really cool. I will say… San Francisco was a mixed bag. It had some pretty good parts, and some pretty bad parts. It’s no secret that I don’t agree with pretty much anything politically that goes on there, but the city has a very beautiful parts to it.
So, here is my take on California. Very diverse topography. Plenty of mountains, rolling hills, and natural beauty. Napa Valley was awesome. What I was able to see of Los Angeles was pretty cool, although we didn’t spend much time there. We really liked Anaheim. Overall, it had good parts and bad parts like anywhere else, but the vast majority of California is beautiful. We spent a week there and saw it from top to bottom. I would go back again tomorrow if I could.
Also, I had never experienced dry heat until I was out west. I sweat like a warthog typically, but I can’t think of a single time that I sweat while I was in California... and it was close to 100° every single day. Unique experience, to say the least.
We then drove through Las Vegas on our way to the Grand Canyon. What can I say about the Grand Canyon… another one of God’s amazing creations. It’s hard to put in the words how massive it is. Seeing it in person takes your breath away.
After quick stays in Amarillo, TX and Missouri, we made it home a few hours ago. We put over 6,500 miles on that rental van, and it was worth every single second of it. I highly recommend seeing these national parks if you never have. I also highly recommend California. While I don’t believe I could live there, I could certainly visit there multiple times. And… Riflearm… I had every intention of getting up with you last week. Actually, when you text me a few days ago and I text you back, I was in Yosemite (I think) and was going to attempt to make plans with you, but you didn’t respond after the initial text. Perhaps we can plan something better in the future. I’m sincere in stating that I wanted to see you again.
If you have ever thought about doing something similar, my suggestion is to do it. This country of ours is so vast in size. It has so much natural beauty that it’s breathtaking. Please do yourself a favor and visit these areas whenever you get the opportunity. I will never forget this trip, and quite honestly, I would like to do it again. We visited 20 states in total, and put our feet down and every one of them.
Despite how long this post is, I cropped it down considerably. I’m happy to share my experiences in more detail, if anybody would like to hear about it or has any questions.
