Bodie

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

What a day we had yesterday! We woke in the morning at -190ft below sea level in the desert and ended up in snow-capped mountains at 9,000ft. We stayed at Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley on Wednesday night before starting our epic journey to Yosemite National Park.
On the route we stopped at Mesquite Sand Dunes (pictured) in the blistering heat. It felt like 1,000 hair dryers were all pointing in our direction but we persevered to trek over them to take a couple of snaps as these dunes aren't just any piles of sand - this is where Star Wars was filmed! Well, scenes from A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. After we made it back to the car and I had a private moment with the air con unit we struggled on to the next destination - Mono Lake.
The lake, one of the oldest in North America, is saltier than the sea an was once a test facility for the US military.
It has two volcanic islands in the middle and strange rock formations surround the rim which, according to Barry, are calcium sprouts.
Continuing our journey we headed to Bodie, a ghost town from the gold rush era.
The mountain top town sprung to prominence in 1859 when prospectors struck gold there. In less than a decade, more than $21 million of gold was mined from the lawless area.
Only 5% of the town remains but it is enough to give you a true feel of what it was like to live in the wild west.
To complete the journey we travelled 150 miles through the incredibly scenic Yosemite National Park. Unfortunately, the sun set quickly and we missed a lot of the views, but never mind, more to explore today! Ciao! E x

Get me to the helichopter!

Ella and I had an amazing time at the Grand Canyon. The views from the south rim were exceptional, with views of mountains up to 57 miles away. As we only had one full day there, they guys at LN were kind enough to buy us a helicopter trip the following morning. Here we are about to take off...

A very grand canyon

We spent an amazing day at the Grand Canyon today. The views were spectacular - we had to stop every few minutes to take a new photo. We managed a three mile "hike" around the south trail before giving up and hopping on the free shuttle bus. We have taken more than 400 pics, who's up for coming round to see the slideshow?! We're doing a helicopter tour tomorrow, courtesy of Barry's lovely colleagues and can't wait. Ella x

Lake Mead

On the other side of the dam is Lake Mead. Apparently it is around 400-600 feet deep and has over 500km of coastline. The White rock line show where the high tide is.

Arid Arizona

Edam?

No, Hoover Dam.

After leaving Vegas, we decided to stop at the Hoover Dam for a bit. It was so hot (109 degrees), that my feet were starting to heat up through my trainers! Here's a nice pic of the dam:

Road to nowhere...

We have jumped a time zone and a state today. We left fabulous Las Vegas this morning and made the long journey to the Grand Canyon in Arizona with a stop off at the famous Hoover Dam. The views on the way were breathtaking, it was the best drive we've ever been on. Ella x

Viva Las Vegas!

A dam with a view

Here's a view from the dam looking down to what's left of the Colorado river after going through the power station. Above is the new bridge.