USA – Spectacular view of Grand Canyon (1)

Hi there!! Glad that you are back with me. Well, this trip not a new one but was done way back in 2007 (that’s like 8 years ago). In fact I finally got to continue this new series on my USA series which I started sharing back in 2013 (2 yrs lag). Hope you all dun mind. =)

This one highlights my trip to West Coast of US which is to see the Grand Canyon aside from  visiting San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park.

A matter of fact it was a last minute trip. I only arranged for my bus  ticket and accommodation in Las Vegas  (I will be posting this trip too in coming post) and head off to Grand Canyon day trip like 2 days before. It was my 1st time taking  the infamous Greyhound bus from San Jose, CA. It was a 14hr ride with a transfer at Los Angeles before heading to Las Vegas.

My journey started at 2pm from San Jose and passing through the ranges and valleys heading to LA.

Arrived in LA at 9pm where I had to wait for another hour for my connecting bus, and arriving in Las Vegas at 4am and boy, was I surprise to see that the city is still lighted up with neon lights and people walking on the street and casinos in the wee hours.

Below is the Fremont Hotel & Casino

and this is the Fremont Street Experience or FSE. What is this famous for? Well.. follow me on the next posting on Las Vegas and you will know. =)

At 5am, the day tour bus picked me at for my tour at one of the motel for my Grand Canyon trip;  a 5 hour trip ride. There were 2 types of tour; south rim tour  and west rim tour which include Grand Canyon Skywalk, a glass bridge that suspends 4,000 feet above the Grand Canyon floor. Eventually I took the South rim tour as I was more into sight seeing.

First stop was at Hoover Dam, which is also known as Boulder Dam. It is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada.  It was more of a stop, shoot and continue here. Did not manage to get to go for a real tour on the hoover dam. Maybe next time. =)

High tension wires all around the area of Hoover Dam.

Shot from the other side of the dam

It was a 30 min stop before we continue our journey. Stay with me and enjoy the coming post.

USA – Yosemite National Park in the summer… (3)

Welcome back to my final part. Still in the Yosemite National Park and driving around the valley. In the valley itself, there are a couple of beautiful waterfalls.

This is the Bridalveil Fall. Standing at the base.. and you can feel the very fine shower which is so nice on a hot day. =)

.. and this is the Horsetail Fall.

Further in, we stopped at one the famous hotel there; Ahwahnee Hotel.

Surrounding the hotel, beautiful tall pines trees and views.

 

Hope you enjoy this short trip. Wanna know where’s next? If yes, then follow me and find out. =)

USA – Yosemite National Park in the summer… (2)

Continuing on my trip in Yosemite National Park, still at Glacier Point and enjoying the view with the clear blue sky.

A sign board and brief information about Glacier Point.

Glacier Point is a viewpoint above Yosemite Valley, in California, USA and located on the south wall of Yosemite Valley at an elevation of 2,199 m, 980 m above Curry Village.  The point offers a superb view of Yosemite National Park’s Yosemite Valley, including Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall, and Clouds Rest.

Driving from Galcier Point, we arrived Yosemite Valley.

Yosemite Valley  is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California. It is about 13 km long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines and is drained by the Merced River and a multitude of streams including Tenaya, Illilouette, Yosemite and Bridalveil Creeks, which form some of the highest waterfalls of California. Also is renowned for its natural beauty, and is widely regarded as the centerpiece of Yosemite National Park, attracting visitors from around the world especially in the summer.

Below is the spectacular view from Tunnel View.

Next stop was El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith extends about 900 m from base to summit along its tallest face, and is one of the world’s favorite challenges for rock climbers. During visit, we saw rock climbers scaling it. They look like little ants. LOL!!

Can you see the climbers on El Capitan? If you can… you have an eye of an eagle. =)

More to come. Follow me on the last part of the trip to Yosemite…..

USA – Yosemite National Park in the summer… (1)

This posting is on my trip to one of the famous national park in USA; Yosemite National Park when I was in San Francisco. If you have missed my earlier posting series on San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, you can just click here; USA – San Francisco Bay Area on a Self bicycle tour & USA – A day drive to Lake Tahoe, California

Yosemite National Park is spanning eastern portions of Mariposa, Tuolumne and Madera counties in the central eastern portion of the state of California. The park covers an area of 3,080.74 km² and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain. The park is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, Giant Sequoia groves, and biological diversity. Yosemite was designated a World Heritage Site in 1984.

We left early in the morning to Yosemite. It was summer time which was the busiest time as lot of tourist and locals will heading there for their summer holiday. The drive there took us about 4 to 5 hours.

My breakfast along the way at one the stop as cafe along the highway (cant remember the name though but I remembered the food well. LOL!!) . Looks yummy and it was also my 1st typical American breakfast; bacons, scrambled eggs, potatoes fried with paprika and toast. (yum yum!!)

Along the way, we saw this shop that offered sightseeing tours in Yosemite National Park. Cute jeep though. =)

Entering the Yosemite National Park, we were greeted by the Wawona Hotel. It is one of the oldest mountain resort hotels in California, with a classic of Victorian era resort design. Built in 1876 to serve tourists visiting the nearby Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.

A magnificent view on the way up to Glacier Point to view Half Dome.

Half Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located in northeastern Mariposa County, California, at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley. It is possibly Yosemite’s most familiar rock formation. The granite crest rises more than 1,444 m above the valley floor.

A photo from high point looking down to the valley.

Like what you see? Well, if you do follow me on my summer trail in Yosemite National Park.