Last stop - Los Angeles

Fun and sad times in LA. Said goodbye to my trek mates as they head off on the second half of their tour. Wish I could have gone with them as it sounds amazing and the new tour guide seems really cool. I have spent time in Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Downtown LA and Universal Studios via both a rental car and public transport. Definitely easier by car as the "transfer" system on public transport is farcical. Now that I'm on my own I'm looking forward to going home tomorrow as LA is quite a lonely city...what an extraordinary month!

Big Sur Piñata fun

Monterey Bay

Sunset over Yosemite

California here we come!

We've had a great time since we crossed into California. Spent a couple of nights near the Redwoods NP and did a 12 mile hike and had a New Zealand style hangi dinner which was delicious. We had a couple of really close bear encounters at the camp site. I've officially stood 3 metres from a black bear. It was amazing!

We drove to San Francisco today and stopped off at a vineyard in the Napa Valley for a wine tasting. We walked over the Golden Gate Bridge on the way in before getting to the hostel the heading out for dinner in Chinatown. The family style meal was really good and Jamie Oliver approved! Drinks and dancing at the Saloon afterwards was a real interesting experience :-)

Oregon Coast

Driving day down the Oregon coast into Northern California. Getting to the Redwoods NP by the end of the day. Only one week left of the trek :-(

Starbucks in Seattle

Got a Starbucks in the first ever Starbucks at pike place in Seattle. Had a epic day yesterday hitting some of the sites of the outer Seattle - including some of the sites from 10 things I hate about you.

Vancouver - last night in Canada!

Have had a lovely day in Vancouver today. Went to Stanley Park and the Aquarium and about to head out to a blind restaurant tonight where we have to eat in the dark. Always wanted to go to one of those. Also managed to sneak in a Tim Hortons Iced Capp and donut this afternoon. Loved it!

We are staying in a slightly seedy area of Vancouver as we saw a few drug deals going down on the drive in last night. Apparently they have a fairly open policy about drug use here which is a little scary!

Canada, the water is so blue!

Been in Banff and now on the way over to Vancouver. All the lakes are so pretty and the landscape actually reminds me of New Zealand. Went kayaking on Emerald Lake and staying in Kamiloops tonight en route to the coast. Looking forward to a few nights in a hostel though as camping in the rain is not so fun!

Hiking in Glacier

We had a great day hiking in Glacier. Did a 10mile hike to Iceberg lake which was stunning. There were reports of a grizzly bear in the area too so we were clapping and singing along the way. In Banff in Canada now but Internet access is going to be tricky until we get to the US again.

On the road again....

Just had an epically long drive from Yellowstone to Glacier NP today. We arrived just in time for a very pretty sunset. Tomorrow is a hiking day the we are off to Banff in.Canada so I might be off the wifi radar for a few days until we get back to the USA.

Yellowstone y'all

Yellowstone national park is awesome! We've seen so much wildlife including being caught in a herd of stampeding bison and seeing a grissly bear. On our way to Glacier National Park now.

Rodeo!

Went to the last night of the Cody Rodeo last night. It was good fun and there were kids as young as 9 riding the bulls which was crazy! We're now on our way to Yellowstone today. It's gonna be a long drive but I can't wait!

Mount Rushmore

Definitely not as big as you'd expect but impressive all the same. We also saw some chipmunks on the trail :-)

Badlands, South Dakota

Awesome sunset and sunrise over badlands national park

Chicago waterfront

The skyline here is pretty impressive! We went up the Sears Tower this morning and then wandered about the city. Really really hot and humid though.

Chicago Pizza Pie!

Awesome authentic Chicago deep dish pizza. We had a whole pizza left at the end as we were stuffed. We also went to. Chicago White Sox baseball game after dinner then out to a local bar in the Wicker Park area followed by a house party - let's just say it was a late one!

Bonus photo - Michael Jackson's family home

On the way to Chicago we stopped in Gary, Indiana. It was quite a scary, deprived area but there was a huge police presence because Michael Jackson's mum was in the house at the time! Apparently there in an event planned in a couple of days time which they were preparing for.

Cedar Point is awesome

So no photo today as I didn't want my camera to go flying out of the numerous roller coasters I was on yesterday! Cedar Point has some of the best roller coasters in the world and the whole place is built on an island. The views over lake erie from the top of the coasters were amazing! On our way to Chicago today and we passed through an Amish area. They seemed a little too tourist savvy though!

Niagara at night!

I have much better photos on my actual camera but you'll have to wait for those!

View from my hotel in Newark!

Driving to Niagara Falls today :-)

Ready to go!