Day 6 and 7 - ♪ "If you're going to Saaaaan Fraaaaanciscooooo"... ♬

January 4th and 5th.

After a night sleeping heavily in our home-stay/hostel beds in Merced, we were woken up by Larry 7.15 knocking on the door to announce that breakfast was ready. So we went to the kitchen and enjoyed toast with butter and jam and coffee and tea plus a few fruits we brought in from the car. While eating we got a few more stories about Larry’s life, very cozy. :)

A bit past 8 we took off towards San Francisco using Larry’s road suggestions instead of the GPS. It took us around 3 hours to get there on comfortable roads and pleasant weather. Again the landscape was incredible, with wine and fruit fields along the road sides. And then we reached the bay area, spotting the ocean between the hills. We crossed the Bay Bridge, past Fisherman’s Warf, and found our way to the hostel where we had called to reserve what turned out to be the last two beds of 130. Sweet! It was a gorgeous area in a park on the top of a hill, and we were very excited to walk around the area where we could easily spot the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.

We had lunch in the sun in the park, consisting of break, cream cheese, turkey, and salad purchased in a supermarket in Merced. Afterwards we walked down towards Golden Gate, and met up with my friend Diana, whom I know from UA. We went to a café, then drove to the bridge, to the Golden Gate Park, and then through the city to get an idea of the layout. Back home in the hostel we we’re resting a bit, and then went back to the city to find dinner. Turned out to be in a Chinese place, very tacky, but cheap and delicious. Then around to Polk Street and all its little restaurants – super atmosphere! We walked rather far, at least that was what we found out the day after when we checked the map. Anyway, we went back towards the hostel, and stopped in a restaurant for a cup of hot chocolate. That night we were both really happy to have our earplugs, as at least 2 of our 6 roommates were snoring…

Breakfast was in the hostel café with the bay view, and the meal consisted of a bagel with jam, juice, coffee and tea. We added cream cheese from lunch the day before, and then got ready to head to Alcatraz. We had book the trip online to be sure to get tickets, as apparently the trips sell our early. 9.30 AM and we were off on a 15 min. boat trip to The Rock, where we spent some hours touring the old prison. It was a great experience. First we watched a short documentary about the place, and then followed the audio tour around the buildings. It was really well made, and an interesting insight into the prison’s younger days. The audio tour included spoken statements from former guards and prisoners, and that had a really powerful effect while we were walking around the old prison cells.

The weather was great again today, and we enjoyed the sandwiches we brought from the hostel in the sun while waiting for the boat back to the city. Afterwards we spent several hour walking around, taking in the atmosphere, checking out shops and churches, and climbing the STEEP hills of the city. Such amazing views from the top, and incredible that people manage to park their cars on these streets…! Around 3.30 we got hungry, and headed back towards the hostel, hoping to find a place to eat on the way. It ended up being a Mexican place on Polk, where Helene had a humongous burrito and I got a tortas. Yum! So afterwards we were soo full that we rolled back. I got a blister on my foot in my new hiking boots, so I went back to the hostel while Helene picked up a few groceries.

I hate to admit that we totally wasted that last evening in San Francisco, but we were just both SO tired. We slept around 9 PM, though I claimed to the other people in the room that I was not sleeping, just resting…

Day 4 and 5 - Last day in Las Vegas and driving to Merced

January 1st we woke up to have breakfast a little past 8. Nothing healthy what so ever in the complimentary breakfast, which consisted of muffins and other cakes, sugar coated cereals, and freshly made waffles. Luckily we could add some oat meal and fruits from our car stash, and had a great meal! After planning our day itinerary, we were off to the strip to see it in daylight. First we entered Circus Circus, which looked like the other casinos at the first sight. However, it is designed differently, tivoli inspired, and has shows with different performers all throughout the day. We saw one with a Ukrainian juggler, which kept us entertained for approximately 15 mins. Afterwards we had one of our suspicions confirmed. It is almost impossible to find the exits in the casinos. While there are loads of signs for restaurants etc., the exits are poorly marked, and it took us a while to find our way out. Same for many of the other places.

Fremont St. 

We continued down the strip for a while, and concluded that all the casinos are pretty much the same. Loads of machines and too many people sitting by them staring lifelessly into the screens. Rather depressing actually, and extremely chaotic with all the noise. We went back to the hotel to have lunch, the leftovers from the Indian New Year dinner.

Around 4, after resting a bit, we took the car and drove downtown. Pretty much the same deal as on the Strip. Casinos and souvenir shops. But what we really came to see was a light show at Fremont Street at 6 PM. It is hard to explain, so look at the pictures instead. :) It was REALLY COOL!

Outside Bellagio

We had agreed to meet my Swiss friend Nik and his friend Silvan at a Strip-casino for dinner at 6.30, but got delayed thinking that the short drive would take much less time than it did. So when we finally arrived, we found the guys playing a 1$ slot machine waiting for us. As we also got to pull the lever/push the button once, I can say that yes, I did play in Las Vegas. Not with my own money, but whatever... ;) Nik had got a recommendation for a restaurant in the casino, and it turned out to be great. Portions way too big but not very expensive, and very good. After dinner we went to Bellagio, another casino with a fountain water show every 15 minutes. We stayed around and watched two, and then said goodbye to the guys, who went to see a drag show. Helene and I went around to look a bit more at the casinos, then drove back to relax in the hotel.

Honestly leaving Las Vegas Sunday morning was something I enjoyed a lot. Not just to get back on the road, but leaving this huge, messy city - I'm just not so good with cities like that. So in a quest for fuel we headed off, well aware that we would probably be stuck in traffic along the way.

The first hours was pretty boring, with a lot of cars on the road and too many toilet breaks due to excessive coffee and water consumption by Helene and myself respectively. So we blame the lines in the restrooms for the fact that it took us 12 hours to get to Merced, a 720 km drive. Well, really a number of factors affected the driving time. We did have a lot of short stops, but the traffic was also rather slow. Passing Bakersfield a little over half way it started raining, which was great for the fact that our car was insanely dirty after driving on snowy, salty, sandy roads around Flagstaff. But it reduced our speed, especially when it became dark and the traffic was even closed on the dark roads around Fresno. Here we stopped to get dinner, and found a nice little Italian restaurant where we in a zombie-like state tried to decide wether we wanted to continue or stay in Fresno. Helene had already checked hostel options, so we knew that there was nothing in Fresno. Closest was a 8-bed hostel in Merced, an hour drive North. I called the owners, a married couple in their 70's, who for 21 years have run a hostel in their own home. Knowing that it was cheap, homely, and closer to our goal in San Francisco, I pulled myself together and with Helene acting well as DJ we had a good energy in the car, now driving on drier roads as it stopped raining. We arrived in Merced 8.30 PM.

The hostel in Merced was spectacular. I never tried anything like it - a regular house, where two rooms are equipped with bunk beds. There is a single bathroom, two living areas, and a family kitchen that hostellers are welcome to use. Larry, the owner, welcomed us warmly and showed us our beds. Very talkative, it was a challenge for us to stay engaged in the conversation with our all-day-driving-messed-up brains. In the end we excused ourselves and went to bed, though not without first having to decline a scoop of ice cream offered by Larry in the kitchen. Slept like a baby till 7 AM, with Larry knocking on the door 7.15 to let us know that the breakfast was ready. :)

Day 3 - New Year in Vegas

We woke early December 31st in Sedona in order to figure out what the road situation was like, if we could get to Las Vegas as planned or not. Luckily it was all clear - the roads were reported to be icy here and there, but not closed. So we packed our things, said good bye to the motel owners, and headed back on the road.

There really wasn't a lot of traffic, and the streets had been cleaned thoroughly. Only in some stretches there was still a lot of slush and ice, so we had to drive very slowly. Also our windscreen was a challenge, as splashes of dirt and water constantly froze to limit the visibility. They day before the washer fluid / antifreeze was working just fine, but apparently it was frozen (!) or something, at least there was nothing to help clear the screen.

Aaaaanywho, eventually, moving west and down in elevation the roads became more cooperative and the sun was taking care of some of the ice. The duration of the trip is a little hard to calculate, as it includes a time zone change and a stop at the Hoover Dam, but lets see... Departure 8.30 and arrival 4.30, plus an hour time change minus an hour Hoover Dam, so 8 hours I guess. Under normal conditions it should take no more than 5. But we had fun playing "20 questions to the professor" and taking pictures of the landscape. Well Helene was taking care of that last thing of course.


It was pretty fascinating to pass the hills arriving in Las Vegas. The city unfolded on the plains below us, and with the GPS we easily found our hotel. An Inn just off the strip, 100$ pr. night. After unpacking we rested for a little while, then went out to the strip to experience the craziness and find some dinner. We walked down past the Wynn, Harrah's, Ceasar's Palace, etc. with all their casinos, clubs, restaurants, and enormous amounts of people, and then realised that it was getting late (10 PM) and we really had to find somewhere to eat. But everything was so expensive and not really what we wanted, so we ended up walking all the way back where we started, to eat at an Indian restaurant we had spotted. Was so nice just to get inside in the warmth (it was -5 degrees outside) and to get some delicious, hot food. Indian really is a favorite. :)

At midnight we we're on the strip again to watch the fireworks. We stayed close to our hotel where the amount of people were not as immense as further up the strip, which was perfect for us. :) It is probably for the better that it is not allowed for individuals to use fireworks inside the city, and the show from the large hotels was nice, but... Honestly it was not as spectacular as I had imagined. Maybe also because we weren't in the middle of the area. And note to myself: Spend new year somewhere WARM!

Happy New Year, everybody! :)  GODT NYTÅR! 

Sedona Amazement - Day 2

So stuck in Sedona overnight because of road closures due to snow. Waking up December 30th we spent some time figuring out what the situation was at that point. It was freezing, and it had been snowing during the night. I-17 (north to Flagstaff) and I-40 (west towards Nevada) were still closed, and after a walk around time looking at shops and talking with people who advised us to not try the roads, we decided to stay in Sedona for the day and another night.

Having made that decision we called the hotel in Las Vegas where we had a reserved room 30th-2nd. Luckily they agreed to cancel our room that night with no charge. :) We talked with the super nice Sedona Motel owners again, who suggested what we could do that day - a short hike in the gorgeous red mountains. Equipped with maps and loads of warm clothes, we jumped in the car, passed a grocery store to get things for lunch and some snacks, and then headed up the highland.

Its hard to describe just how magnificent the scenery was. I was in Sedona also in late November but there was no snow, and it looked completely different at this point. Please do check all the pics in the Roadtrip album! :) We got a 5$ parking pass, and headed up the short trail we were suggested. We were incredibly lucky with the weather, the clouds cleared off and the sky became super blue! With the red rocks, green trees and white snow it was an amazing sight! I was wearing my new boots, very grateful that Helene suggested to buy those instead of some hiking shoes which would not have worked as well in these conditions. So already they have been worth the money! Helene was wearing running shoes that worked alright until the very last bit of the hike, where she slipped into a ankle deep pond. I did the same stunt, but left with dry feet. :)

On the way back from the mountain we drove towards the scenic point by the airport, where I had also been with Hillary and Aizhan. A totally different scenery this time. :) Well home in the motel room with soup to warm in the microwave and bread to dip in it we had a nice end of the afternoon. Helene went for another short walk in the city while I was writing my blog and editing pictures. For dinner we bought a pizza from the across the street Italian restaurant, and ate it at home while watching a movie. And then we went to bed early in order to get up and on the road again Friday morning, December 31st.

Aaaaand we are off! Though with some complications... Day 1.

Wednesday 29th I got up at 7 AM to move the car and to finish the cleaning. It was supposed to be checked at 9 AM, but the guy was apparently asleep, and only woke up when I called him 45 mins later. The check took 5 mins (!), and for sure there was no need to the thoroughness of the cleaning we had exerted! Anyway, I could leave it with pure conscience after saying goodbye to the room, Jing, and Jesus, and packing the car. Thanks to Helene for the help! :)

One thing did bother us with the Toyota. It didn't have cruise control. Not convenient for a 3200 km / 2000 mile drive, so we decided to go back to the shop to ask if we could switch it to another. So at this point it turned out to be quite good that we got a non-clean car the day before. That gave us another argument to switch, since it wouldn't be another cleaning for them, but still we could hardly believe it when the guy said "Sure", and gave us the keys to a Mazda with cruise control, and other conveniences the Toyota didn't have! After repacking into the new car, we were on the road! With Hillary's GPS and a new iPod adapter for the car stereo, lots of cookies, candy, and some non-perishable groceries, guide books, etc. etc. we were very well off! 

The direction was north, towards Flagstaff in order to get to Grand Canyon on the 30th before going to Las Vegas. We had a hostel booked in Flagstaff, and was looking forward to getting there! On the way we took a detour to Casa Grande, an ancient native American ruin a bit off the highway. We came 50 mins before the next tour would start, and spend the time eating our bagels and watching a movie about the area and its history. It was all pretty impressive, the history lesson of the day, but unfortunately it started raining while we were there.

So we got back in the car to I-17 North, passed Phoenix while it was raining cats and dogs, and then reached the mountain area between Phoenix and Flagstaff. And it started snowing. Didn't seem to be such a big deal, but only a few miles later the entire road was closed, so we had to get off and consider an alternative road to Flagstaff. Since we didn't know the reason for the road closure, we figured that it would be an option to pass through Sedona over the mountains. Getting there we learned that this road was also closed due to the snow, and that there was no way of getting to Flagstaff that night. We got a tip for a budget accommodation from the Hyatt Hotel people, and got the last room at the Sedona Motel. After telling the owner of our unfortunate situation and our very limited budget, he offered us a discounted price for the very nice room we was going to be in. We arrived around dinner time, and soon after went out to find some dinner. Ended up in the next door barbecue with a couple of beers, and then went back to the room around 10 PM.

Of all the places in the world, Sedona is not the worst place to be stuck. Especially not when you have a nice motel room and your sister around! :)

Roadtrip day 0 - Picking up the car and Sabino Canyon

After waking up December 28th Helene and I spent a few hours cleaning the apartment. Breakfast, lunch and dinner this day consisted of pretty much everything I had in the cupboards, in order to clear those as well! So at night we also "had" to eat pumpkin bread from Marianne, brownies from Sanford's and ice cream... :) (To be honest we have A LOT of cookies and cakes with us on the road.. ;))

At 2 PM we were off to pick up our rental car at Hertz! Hence roadtrip day 0, 'cause we spent another night in Tucson. We had to wait a while because they didn't have any clean cars for some reason. In the end we drove off with a white Toyota. We took it straight to Sabino Canyon in the north of Tucson, and got there just in time to catch a shuttle to the bottom of the canyon. Was really nice weather though not too warm, but with a scarf and gloves we were both fine. The area is incredibly beautiful, and it was great to be out of the city a bit! :)

We got off the shuttle at its last stop, and climbed up the mountain a little bit. The last shuttle back left 30 mins later, so we didn't have time to get very far. It was just around that time when the sun starts going down behind the mountains, and the light was incredible. Taking the shuttle back we decided to get off a few stops before the parking lot in order to walk back. A really nice hike in the sunset along the water stream. On the way back we went to Target, where I was looking for some shoes for hiking. I ended up with a nice pair of boots. Back home we cooked pasta with meat sauce and salad, ingredients for which was exactly what we had left in the fridge. :) Jesus came up for dinner, and Jing joined us as well this last night in La Aldea.

My 26th birthday

Sooooo 27th December arose, and so did my 26th birthday. Helene and I started out in superior style with breakfast at the Marriott Hotel, where they in addition to the breakfast buffet have a chef who will cook what ever you would like in pancakes, omelets, waffles, and french toast. I got the latter, while Helene tried two of their omelets. Of course together with cereal, bagels, fresh fruits, etc... :) FANTASTIC beginning of the day.

It may sound sad, but I spent the afternoon packing up my things and cleaning the apartment. I didn't mind though - I guess because of the symbolism in turning a page and moving on in life. Not that I was getting too restless here (some of those around me might disagree, but only because they haven't seen me REALLY restless ;)), but I just have so many nice things coming up! The roadtrip with Helene, a Spanish course in Guadalajara and Mexico with Sofie, and then back home to write my thesis. It will all be fun!

At dinner we went to a nice Indian place, Helene, Jesus, Aizhan, Theo and I. It was a delicious dinner, just what we felt like eating. Afterwards we went bowling, perfect timing as they had 5$ all-you-can-bowl including shoes. It was Aizhan's first and Theo's second time of bowling, but they both really had fun - as did Helene and I of course!

We were home around 11, rounding off a very nice birthday!