California 2005

|  General Information | Tour |

General Hints

• For a rental car, Holiday Auto offers very good rates.
• The National Parks are controlled by the National Park Service. There is an entrance fee for most of the parks. The "National Parks Pass" offers access to all parks and is valid for one year. The fee is not charged per person, but per car. The NPS offers an excellent educational programme, based on presentations in the visitor centres and free guided tours by rangers.
• The campgrounds should be booked in advance via the NPS Reservation Center and "Reserve America".
• If you want to get a discount of 25% or more in a super-market, you should enrol for a preferred customer club card. Such cards are free and issued e.g. by Safeway or Albertsons.
• On campgrounds located in bear country all food and all goods with a scent must be kept in bear-proof containers provided at each camp site. On all other campgrounds beware of rattle snakes :-)
• If you want to take photos, a sky light filter is recommended.

Tour

(The photo index provides all photos in full size.)

Wed, 10 Aug 05

Air France Flight AF 5529: Nuremberg - Paris Air France Flight AF 084: Paris - San Francisco San Francisco: Presidio National Park, Golden Gate Bridge (photo) Night: Pacific Heights Inn, 1555 Union St

Thu, 11 Aug 05

San Francisco: Lombard Street, Fisherman´s Wharf (photo), Pier 39, Cable Car, Union Square, Civic Center with City Hall and War Memorial Opera House, Grace Episcopal Cathedral, Chinatown Night: Pacific Heights Inn, 1555 Union St

Fri, 12 Aug 05

San Francisco: Lombard Street, Coit Tower, 49-Mile-Drive, Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Twin Peaks San Francisco - US 101 - Eureka - Redwood NP Night: Elk Prairie State Campground

Sat, 13 Aug 05

Redwood NP: "Tall Trees Grove"(photo), "Lady Bird Johnson Grove", "Coastal Drive" to World War II radar station and Klammath Overlook. Night: Elk Prairie State Campground

Sun, 14 Aug 05

Redwood NP: "Gold Bluffs Beach" Redwood NP - Luffenholtz Creek Point (photo) - Redding - CA 44 - Lassen Volcanic NP Night: Summit Lake South Campground

Mon, 15 Aug 05

Lassen Volcanic NP: "Lassen Peak Trail" (3187m, photo), "Sulphur Works", "Emerald Lake" Night: Summit Lake South Campground

Tue, 16 Aug 05

Lassen Volcanic NP: "Bumpass Hell" (photo), "Kings Creek Falls", "Devastated Area", "Manzanita Lake", "Reflection Lake" Night: Summit Lake South Campground

Wed, 17 Aug 05

Lassen Volcanic NP - CA32 - Chico - CA70 - Sacramento - CA 99 - Fresno - CA 180 - Sequoia NP Night: Lodgepole Campground

Thu, 18 Aug 05

Sequoia NP: "Grant Grove", "Panoramic Point", "General Grant Tree Trail" Kings Canyon NP: "Cedar Grove", "Grizzly Falls", "Roaring River Falls" Night: Lodgepole Campground

Fri, 19 Aug 05

Sequoia NP: "Crystal Cave" (photo), "Mineral King" Night: Lodgepole Campground

Sat, 20 Aug 05

Sequoia NP: "Giant Forest" with "General Sherman Tree" (photo), "Congress Trail", "Big Trees Trail", Sunset seen from "Moro Rock" half dome Night: Lodgepole Campground

Sun, 21 Aug 05

Sequoia NP - CA 180 - Fresno - CA41 - Yosemite NP Yosemite NP: "Mariposa Grove" Night: Crane Flat Campground

Mon, 22 Aug 05

Yosemite NP / Yosemite Valley: Indian Village, Yosemite Lower Falls, Vernon Falls (photo) Night: Crane Flat Campground

Tue, 23 Aug 05

Wed, 24 Aug 05

Thu, 25 Aug 05

Fri, 26 Aug 05

Death Valley NP: Sunrise from "Zabriskie Point", "Badwater", Sand Dunes, "Ubehebe Crater", "Scotty´s Castle" NV 267 - US95 - Beatty Detour via NV374 to ghost village Rhyolite Beatty - US95 - Las Vegas Las Vegas: The Strip Night: Strip Travelodge

Sat, 27 Aug 05

Las Vegas: The Strip (photo), Downtown Hoover Dam Williams - Grand Canyon NP Night: Mather Campground

Sun, 28 Aug 05

Grand Canyon NP: Canyon View Information Plaza East Rim Drive: Mather Point Grandview Point, Moran Point, Lipan Point, Desert View (photo) with Watch Tower, Yavapai Point West Rim Trail: Pima Point, The Abyss, Mohave Point Night: Mather Campground

Mon, 29 Aug 05

Tue, 30 Aug 05

Grand Canyon - US180 - Williams - AZ 64 - I40 - Kingman AZ 68 - Davis Dam - Bullhead City - Needles - US95 - CA 62 - CA 177 (photo) - I 10 - Joshua Tree NP Joshua Tree NP: Cottonwood Spring Night: Quality Inn in Palm Springs

Wed, 31 Aug 05

Joshua Tree NP: "Park Boulevard" (photo), "Jumbo Rocks" and "Keys View" Palm Springs - I10 - Los Angeles - Santa Monica - CA1 - Malibu Robert Meyer Memorial State Beach CA1 - Carpinteria Night: Carpinteria State Beach Campground

Thu, 1 Sep 05

Santa Barbara: Superior Court, Presidio, Mission (photo) CA 1 Night: Half Moon Bay St Beach Campground

Fri, 2 Sep 05

Half Moon Bay (photo) - San Francisco International Airport Air France Flight AF 083: San Francisco - Paris AF 5518: Paris - Nuremberg

3933 miles = 6332 km in total.