Our first roadtrip in the States - Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park was exactly the change of scenery that we needed. From fancy bars, restaurants and huge yachts to desert, rock and mountains. In two days we did three hikes. All of them were easy, the mountains here are not very high and the trails are easy to walk.

We drove into the park through the southern entrance at Cottonwood Visitor Center. From here we hiked to Lost Palms Oasis which was a very nice hike that featured some cool parts through small canyons, dry river beds and at the end an oasis with palm trees. To reach the oasis you had to walk down a fairly steep canyon. The view was of course much better from the top of the ridge where we stopped for some snacks.

Walking along a ridge to Lost Palms Oasis.

The palm trees at Lost Palms Oasis.

On the way back to the parking lot we climbed Mastodon Peak which was a quite airy peak with lots of boulders you could climb around on. In the background you can see the Salton Sea.

The second day we picked up some breakfast at the local supermarket and drove up to Keys View. The plan was to sit and watch the view while eating. We ended up eating in the car and then went out for 5 min to take some photos. The reason being that it was extremly windy and cold outside. From Keys View you could look towards the south and Palm Springs which is outside the National Park.

At Keys View.

Close to Keys View we hiked the Lost Horse Mine Trail. This is an easy hike which takes you past an old gold mine which is fairly intact. The mine was build in the late 18-hundreds and was in use for almost 4 decades. In total it produced about 280 kg of gold and 450 kg of silver. After visiting the mine we climbed a couple of peaks along the trail which were not really on the map. Just for the fun of it. It was very windy and cold also here so we did not stay for long. At the end the trail seemed to be never ending going through the valleys back to the parking lot. When we came back we had been away for 2-3 hours so it was actually shorter than it seemed.

Joshua Trees.

After a sandwich lunch at Cap Rock (were we found some bolted climbing routes which made us miss our climbing gear) we hiked Ryan Mountain. It was a quite easy hike which did not take more than 30-40 min. This peak is in the center of the western part of the park and from here you have a great view of the whole Joshua Tree National Park.

The view towards north west from Ryan Mountain. On many of the small rocks you can see in the valley there are climbing routes. So next time we will be bringing climbing gear.

On a mini hike in Hidden Valley just before the sun went down. The light was fantastic this time of day. It is at these moments I seriously consider buying an SLR camera.

Joshua Tree is a great place if you like hiking, desert and large boulders. The rock formations you find here are amazing and there are many places to play around among the boulders.

Having fun at White Tank campground.

We found it magical and will be going back. We highly recommend a visit if you have not been here.

Our first roadtrip in the States - Los Angeles to San Diego

Leaving the dream world of Las Vegas, we drove towards the coast and the next city of dreams, Los Angeles. We arrived at night in Pasadena which we knew nothing about accept that it was close to Hollywood and Santa Monica that we planned to visit the day after.

Pasadena turned out to be a very nice place. Here you find Caltech and this is also where they host the Rose Bowl. We walked around the little city center at night and it was filled with small restaurant, cafes and shops.

The famous Hollywood sign from Griffith Observatory.

The day after we drove into Griffith Park to look at the view of the city. We stopped at the Observatory, took a few pictures and noticed how yellow the air around this city is. Somehow it was not very tempting to go on anymore...

The view from Griffith Observatory towards the sea and Santa Monica.

After driving through Hollywood we ended up in Santa Monica where we walked along the beach, had some food, some beers and took it easy for a while.

Santa Monica beach.

The next day we met an old friend of mine, Sonia, in Longbeach, where we had brunch together. Afterwards we walked around the Marina and out to the Queen Mary, one of the first great ocean liners, which is now a hotel and museum. Longbeach is also a very nice place for a walk and a few beers.

We then drove along the coast to the northern part of San Diego. Almost the entire coast line is filled with upscale residential areas with small cosy city centers with nice restaurants and expensive stores. We did not see more Ferrari car dealers anywhere else... Here it is very obvious that a lot of people have a little too much money. And it makes you realize that even if you thought that you have a pretty decent home it is nothing compared to this. For comfort I think that they are probably not as happy as I am...

Now the time had come to check out San Diego. We started with breakfast in fancy La Jolla, went for a walk on Mission Beach and then strolled around the marina in the city center and the Gaslamp Quarter with all its restaurants and bars.

At Mission Beach.

Gaslamp Quarter.

At the Marina.

This is where the bananas come from.

After three days of going from one nice, more or less fancy place to another, drinking beer and strolling around we were fed up and both felt that we had to do something. Said and done, we left the fluffy world of the south west and headed towards the mountains and some hiking.

Our first roadtrip in the States - Las Vegas

The day after we arrived in Phoenix we left on our first roadtrip. First stop was Las Vegas. We had not really planned this trip, we more or less just drove off to see where we would end up. The last few days in Sweden we watch the Ocean's movies so the first stop felt natural. I had never been to Las Vegas before and it was about as sick as I had imagined. A kind of Disneyland for grown-ups.

On the road.

We drove in from the east just after sunset and you could see the lights from the city behind the mountains the last few miles before you actually drive into the valley. As you turn a corner the city appears and you can clearly see the Strip and all the casinos. It is a weird feeling after driving hours through the desert on roads that seem to go on forever. Out there everything seem quiet and vast and suddenly you are facing this city on steroids. It is no coincidence that the museum of neon signs can be found in downtown Las Vegas.

The Strip by night.

When you look at the map you don't think the Strip is very long but what you don't realize is how large the casinos really are. Just to walk straight through a casino is not a matter of minutes but more 15-20 min. We did not, in two days, see all of it.

Having a lunch time beer in front of the Bellagio. It is after all holidays!

I was a bit disappointed that not more people were gambling, it all looked kind of empty. Many tables were closed and most of the slot machines was unused. However considering the size of the place I guess the number of players was still impressive.

I am still working, so no, we did not win the Megabucks...

Some of the casinos were very nice, my personal favourite is the Venetian. The shopping mall with a canal through the middle is really impressive. Otherwise I think we both liked the newly opened Cosmopolitan, they have this quite cool bar in the middle of the casino.

The Venetian shopping mall (it is indoors...).

At the bar in Cosmopolitan.

After two nights though I was ready to leave. It felt like we were stuck in a dream world and had to escape to reality again. Back on the road again we headed towards Los Angeles. Coming soon...

2010 - 2011

I am minutes away from shutting down the computer before I go to bed and then head off to the airport. This time we are going to Phoenix via Portsmouth and for 6 months! Unfortunately I have to work there but we hope to get some time to have a look around the area and possibly do a few short trips within the country. 2011 will be about work and a life in another country but what happened really in 2010?

This past year has been dominated by many short trips to Switzerland (for me) and Sweden (for Andy) but we also managed to squeeze in two trips to the Maldives and one to Iceland. Although the trips to the Maldives felt big at the time they now seem quite distant. Both since it is almost a year ago and because we decided not to dive in a few years in favour of climbing and hiking. I am glad that the commute between Sweden and Switzerland is over and that we now live together. It makes everything so much easier and more fun. But even though the short trips were hard I will also miss Lucerne and its surroundings. We have had lots of fun with all the wonderful people there and that I will look forward to coming back to.

If I have to choose one picture to represent this year it would have to be from the mountains in Switzerland. Maybe not because we spent the most time in the mountains, I am not sure we did, but more because for me personally it has all been about Switzerland and the fact I love the mountains.


Lucky me there are mountains in America too.

Happy New Year!

At the beach

Last weekend my brother and I drove down to Gothenburg to go to a beach party. Yes, it is November and bloody cold and dark so how did this happen? One of our sisters and her husband both turned 40 so they took the opportunity to throw a party. It was held at this brilliant place where they had actually built a little beach and with special lamps the temperature came up to about 30 degrees. Before dinner we were hanging out at the beach bar under the lamps with cold beers.

This did not make me long for a holiday in the sun... noooooooo...

Last chance

Winter is definately around the corner. In Sweden we have already seen the first snow. This week we had a snow storm and although it is a few days ago there are still traces of it on the ground. Lucky me then who could go down to Switzerland last weekend and enjoy some warmer weather.

Since the weather was nice we took the opportunity to go on maybe the last hike of the season. Since it is cold and snowy on high altitude we chose Bürgenstock this day. This mountain is only about 1100 meters but beautifully situated at the lake Vierwaldstätter See and famous for its views. This particular mountain does not have a gondola but actually a lift that can take you up the last few hundred meters. This day however it was already closed for the season, not even the café was open. So we did not get our standard beer on the top of the mountain but had to be content with what we had brought along.

On the way we had some serious Sound of Music moments. Like here when we crossed a meadow with this spectacular view.

As we came around the mountain we got this great view of the lake and Lucerne. This side of the mountain is very steep and the footpath is not intended for people that have issues with heights. At some places they have even made tunnels through the rocks. Very nice hike that can be made a little longer if you choose to leave the car close to Stansstad and take the way over Bürgenbergwald.

Bern

Last Friday I went to meet my friend Isabelle in Bern. The sun was shining and it was around 15 degrees Celsius. Bern is a pretty town with a lot of atmosphere. We went for a walk to see if the bears were out and they were, the mother with her two cubs were playing around. For you who don't know, a bear is the symbol of Bern and there are a few of them living by the river in the central part of town.


Before I headed back to Zug I, by mistake, went up on the roof of the central station. It turns out the view from up there is great. It was a particularly clear day and the mountains were visible at the horizon. And there is a café up there as well. Good to know next time I am in town...