Alan's Awesome American
Adventures(this page needs a makeover!)
15th June to 3rd July 1998, August 1999 and December 2002
My 1998 adventure really breaks down into two parts. The Telluride Festival,
and meeting new friends in person, then a week later, I waved goodbye
to them all, collected my hire car from Montrose Airport (Colorado),
and headed off on a journey into the great unknown.
My return flight home was due to leave San Francisco in 12 days time,
and here I was over 1800 miles away. The purpose of the trip was to see
and discover some of the sights in Western America, particularly those
which have inspired or been featured in the songs and movies with which
we are all so familiar.
My second adventure, in 1999, saw me travel to the deep South, and tour round Nashville, Memphis and Huntsville Space Centre in Alabama.
My third big adventure, in 2002 saw me back in the West, this time with my trusty road companion, revisiting some places previously visited in 1998, and seeing new places for the first time. Join us as we travel from Phoenix Arizona, through Sedona, Petrified Forest, Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley, Natural Bridges park, Arches National Park, Utah, into Colorado and New Mecxico through Roswell, Carlsbad Caverns, a quick trip over the border into Mexico, then back to Arizona via Tombstone City and the land of Cactii to Phoenix.
Each day of the 1998 adventure brought surprises and discoveries many of which can only be
described as awesome. I have chronicled my daily travels, in the hope that
these will inspire others to undertake a similar journey, or perhaps give
you some idea of what to see if you are already planning a journey in this
amazing part of the world.
Day 1: Montrose, Colorado to Tuba City, Arizona.
A journey of 360 miles which took a painful 8 hours. Passing through the
San Juan mountains of the Southern Rockies, including the towns of Ouray,
Silverton, Durango and Cortez, then through Four Corners Monument, into
Arizona, along the lonesome highway 160 past Monument Valley to Tuba City.
Day 2: Tuba City to Winslow, Arizona. 345 miles
including a return to Monument Valley, and then back past Tuba City, down
highway 89 to Flagstaff, and along Interstate 40 to Winslow on the historic
Route 66.
Day 3: Winslow to Williams, Arizona. 138 miles,
inlcuding Meteor Crater, Sunset Crater Volcanic park, and Lowell Observatory,
Flagstaff.
Day 4: From Williams to the Grand Canyon and
back to Williams. Zero miles, as I took the Grand Canyon Steam Railway to
the canyon and back.
Day 5: Williams, Arizona to Baker, California.
306 miles through Seligman, Jackson, over the Hoover Dam into Nevada,
past Las Vegas and into the Mojave desert of California.
Day 6: Baker, California to Hollywood. 190 miles,
including 50 miles of Los Angeles Freeway. An awesome driving experiance.
Day 7: Spending the day in LA-Hollywood, courtesy
of a organised coach tour.
Day 8: Hollywood to Monterry, California. 306
miles, including the exceptionally scenic Pacific Coast Highway and Big Sur.
Day 9: Monterry to San Francisco. 127
miles.
Day 10: San Francisco to Yosemite Park and
back, courtesy of Scenic Air Tours.
Day 11: Spending the day in San Francisco.
Just love those Cable Cars.
Day 12: San Francisco downtown to San Francisco Airport. Just 14 miles.
And get on board that Big Ole Jet airliner, heading for home.
If you enjoyed the tarvels, feel free to let me know, via my feedback form. Thanks!
