Olympic peninsula

Every child knows it’s not easy to cross the border to the US. Well, it’s way easier when the customs are limited in time due to departure of the ferry! During my ‘interview’ I noticed a quite nervous fellow going through the same at the next counter. “Well I was just skating through this parking lot and they simply arrested me for nothing!”
Later on the ferry I met this funny guy going by the name of Romeo, yeah no joke! He was on a one-month surfing trip down the west coast with his old VW Jetta. We instantly got along and decided on caravanning up.

Once we had passed the strait of Juan de Fuca we arrived in Port Angeles on the Olympic peninsula. On Romeos suggestion we drove to La Push, a little village by the sea. We arrived there just after sunset. The view was just mind-blowing. Just seconds out of our vehicles a bigger Indian lady would hug Romeo dearly and invite us minutes later to her humble home. ‘Humble’ might be not the right word for what we saw. I’ve seen a lot of poverty and filth in my life, but this house was worse than anything I’ve experienced so far. Nonetheless, we stayed polite and met the rest of the family. Don’t get me here wrong, it was terribly dirty, but these natives were amazingly friendly and hospitable. Later on we thanked for the offer to eat dinner and went to buy groceries and little gifts for the kids in the store nearby.
After returning, we quickly decided to move the festivities to the beach, where loads of driftwood would make an excellent bonfire.

On the way to Olympia, capitol of Washington State, Romeo suddenly disappeared in my rear mirror. The reason was a flat back tyre. That alone wouldn’t make a story though. What makes one, is the fact that this crazy bloke would drive the next three days, or in numbers around 400km with a speed up to 130m/h! All that with a tyre that was rather the size of a bicycle tyre than anything else. From what I know, these are made just so you can role your car to the next garage.

Driving into Olympia, you can already see the majestic capitol building from the highway. It’s the second biggest after the capitol in D.C.. After taking a couple of pictures, we would head back to the cars and I explained to Romeo the basics of disc golfing. That very moment I saw two guys actually playing disc golf on the big lawns. Of course we ran up to them and joined in. There was certainly no official course, but trees and bins would make perfect targets. We ended up with half a dozen new discs and I even got a golf bag as a gift!

California

The Mexican border is a stone throw away from San Diego, and you notice that in many ways. For example when it comes to food, you’ll get to choose between all kinds of magnificent street foods of both countries, you have more radio stations in Spanish than English, and so on.

After a couple of days Ash joined for the weekend and I was quickly convinced to go back to LA with her! My buddy Roland would have to continue on his own for a while. This time I would see LA from a different angle. Staying in a super nice flat between Boulevard and Sunset was quite an upgrade to my usual accommodation in the car. I got invited to see the first show of the comedian Chris D’Elia! If you don’t know him, you should Youtube ‘Drunk girls’ for example.

After a couple of days it was finally time to leave the States for Mexico. I drove down to the border with a bit of a strain. This was because of all the feedback I had gotten on traveling Mexico during my time in the USA. I’m not referring to older people with no experience, but to travellers who where in Mexico. And they would tell me the most macabre storys about Mexico. All of them gave me the advice to pick up at least a travel mate. So here I was, the blond guy looking like a 23-year-old Californian surfer (still not good at it), driving a family van down to this so-called wild and dangerous country. In addition having no Spanish skills whatsoever, except for asking where the beach is! How exciting, haha!
Honestly, I thought it’s going to be a big hassle at the border to Mexico. However, it turned out to be the opposite. The Mexicans on the four lines highway would push me through without slowing down any more than 60km/h. Out of my window I saw some modern buildings that looked like customs, but I kept on driving with the crowds around me thinking that sooner or later some border control would stop me and check my passport. I kept on going until I realised that I was in Tijuana!!! Without a stamp in my passport, without getting papers for the Schwarzenegger, without wifi or any GPS I had to find a way back to the border. It took me around 1.5h to get back, but this time I was on the other side of the fence, which meant that I was in a huge traffic jam with all the Mexicans trying to get into the States. Three hours later I finally made it to the US custom and explained my situation to the officer. I guess I was lucky to re-enter without any further problems. Once I had contacted Roland I asked for advice from his Mexican Couchsurfing friend. Due to the late hour, and the ‘dangers’ driving at night, he would recommend me to get back to San Diego for another night and start the whole border crossing process the next day. This time I would take the advice and sort things out the next day.

After three months of fantastic experiences in the States I was ready for more adventures in the centre of America. I didn´t have a lot of expectations for my time in the USA. But I could never have hoped for more! It’s hard to put it in a couple of words. But apart from the natural highlights, the incredible and sometimes crazy cities, the people I’ve met once more made the big difference. And if you are a traveler like me, you know that the most important part about traveling always are the people you meet. Dear friends, I will be back for sure- that was the only reason to pay the 375$ fine from the Grand Canyon in first place, to be able to come back here. Thanks a lot for a fantastic chapter of my trip, of my life!

California

After a couple of weeks on the west coast it was time to get inland. Equipped with plenty of food and supplies for the upcoming days, we drove towards Joshua Tree NP. From glamorous city life to cooking on a bonfire.

Joshua Tree greeted us with perfect weather, nice boulders to climb and of course heaps of Joshua trees. In one way I was happy to be in nature again. After all the traffic in LA it was just great to cruise around endless roads without having to worry about a red light. On the other hand, there were quite a couple of deserts visited already, and I couldn't subdue the desire for lush green.
The streets in the park made the perfect conditions for long-boarding. The longest ride lasted for around seven minutes. During the ride I had the pleasure (again) to cross ways with some park rangers. No, this time I didn’t have to pay a fine. They where actually pretty nice and just smiled!

The first time I had heard about Slab City was back in Oregon. Some hippy told me about the craziest community in the middle of nowhere. Before entering Slab City we visited Salvation Mountain. This little hill is painted with bible phrases by the just recently deceased Leonard Knight. You might remember it from the movie ‘Into the wild’. The hill paintings and some other side projects around it are a more than 20 year long manifestation to God. In case you visit, you can bring a bucket of paint as a donation- constant maintenance is necessary due to the harsh surrounding environment.
Slab City itself was rather disappointing. This might be mainly due to the fact that we were there in ‘low season’ and except for the super crazy year long inhabitants no one else was. The vibes weren’t great, the guy in the RV next to us would fight with his wife all day, garbage everywhere…I had enough of the desert life.

On the way out we would visit an American style cattle ‘farm’. Having grown up on farms, we both had a personal interest and were equally shocked: Dead, already blown up cows lying in the knee-deep mud by 35C. I knew that I wouldn't eat a burger for a while.

California

With the arrival of my buddy Roland, a new chapter of my trip would start. Back in the days, Roland and I would study together in Zurich and have been good friends ever since. After some confusion and me already heading back to the city centre, I finally managed to pick him up from LAX and we would head downtown. Martina and her friend rent their amazing loft on Airbnb. Just have a look at the pictures in order to understand why I wanted to spend the 15$ rather on this one than on a hostel dorm!

You expect a lot more from a city centre than what you actually get here. Downtown LA was the place I felt least safe on my entire trip so far (including all the central American countries). It was an incredible challenge to find an ATM or decent food at night. Well, there probably are spots, but you have to know them and you are best off to drive there instead of walking the streets at night.
The next day the two of us would jump in the car and drive up to Hollywood Blvd. The weather was pretty bad for the first time since quite a while. Honestly, I had no expectations whatsoever on LA. Most people would tell me that there is not much to see or to do and that you either love or hate this place. Against all odds, I felt a rush of excitement while driving through Hollywood up to Griffith Observatory. Yes, I admit it, that was also because it reminded me of the game GTA a bit, haha!

From the Griffith Observatory we were able to oversee the entire city. On this day the clouds floated pretty low and covered probably the world’s most famous nine letters - H O L L Y W O O D. Luckily there was one moment when the Hollywood sign would emerge out of the sea of clouds and we could cross this sight from the bucket list of LA.

The following day we would visit the basketball game between the Clippers and Orlando. Yeah, the Clippers won, thanks to an astonishing performance to their #33 Griffin. Some of the main architectural attractions, like the Walt Disney hall, would follow on our itinerary.

The next chapter is about meeting this wonderful girl named Ash. Well, I won’t share everything with you now guys, I just reveal that it was a fabulous time with a very inspiring person!

California

Back to the sea! I had been missing the smell of salt in the air, the tranquilizing sound of the waves and the constant breeze drying the sweat… haha there goes the romance! Funny my shuffle on iTunes just plays Surfin’ USA, and that’s pretty much how I felt that moment driving through Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz is famous for the surf and the chilled-out folks gathering there. For me it was kind of weird. I definitely liked the surroundings, but I think over the past couple of weeks in nature I had become some sort of savage. I couldn't move myself to go out or socialize with the predominantly younger crowds strolling around.
  So after just one night I decided to visit my friend’s (Brian) family. His granny Lois lives in Seaside, just one block from the sea. I was greeted warmly by ‘Granny’- that’s how I called Brian’s grandma pretty much the whole time. Suddenly I would dive into an entirely different world compared to the one before. I was still sleeping in my car that was parked just in front of the cute little house, but all the family members, especially Josette and Robert- Brian’s parents (and of course Granny) gave me a feeling of being at home. On the second day granny asked me to stay over for Thanksgiving that was coming up on the 27th. At first I hesitated, because it had still been a couple days away and I didn’t want to overdo the hospitality. However, she insisted and I was intrigued by the idea to experience a true American family Thanksgiving.
 
Until this big event I would chill most of the time. One of my major projects was stitching my curtains for the van! Just imagine this daily picture of me spending the evenings with granny, watching Jeopardy (in a deafening volume) and stitching my curtains! Superb times, because this older lady had a lot of interesting stories to share (in the, volume down, ad breaks)!
 
The next day Robert would take me to DeLaveaga, one of the best Discgolf courses on this planet. Unfortunately, I had a major injury on my right collarbone from a drunk attempt to jump a fence in Las Vegas. I hated myself for this. I think that’s the cruelest lesson I’ve learned on this trip.

On the 27th the whole family gathered from all parts of the west coast for the traditional celebration. The food was just delicious! Of course a huge turkey with stuffing, home made cranberry sauce, mash, a variety of pies and so on…
The whole ambience reminded me so much of my own big family back home and our traditional family gatherings, that even if I was very happy to be attend this festivity, it would make me a bit sentimental. On this occasion once more I would like to thank the whole Winkler family for having me!
 
The next day my trip continued down south, through the lovely and extremely posh town of Carmel to Big Sur. And here is what Wiki says about this spot: Big Sur's nine state parks have many points of interest, including one of the few waterfalls on the Pacific Coast that plunges directly into the ocean, located at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, although visitors are not allowed on the beach itself to preserve the natural habitat.

After spending the night on the border of the steep cliffs just by the Highway 1, I continued on the 1 until reaching Santa Barbara. On the way there I passed neat little towns and of enjoyed of course the spectacular view of the North Pacific Ocean.

After two days in Santa Barbara I received news from a friend from back home in Switzerland, that he was in NY at the time, but wanted to join me on my trip in L.A. a couple of days later. With this new information I kept on rolling down towards LA. Driving through the famous Malibu. For the first time on this trip I arrived in my new Airbnb accommodation in the heart of LA! More about this crazy adventure soon!

Nevada / Cali

I can’t say exactly what attracted me so much about Vegas but there is something to it. So considering the fact that it was on the way to the coast and my fellow compadres wanted to go back as well, there was nothing against a second visit. I’m glad there are no pictures of those three insane days!

So by now you should know how Vegas is (subject to the condition that you read my first post on this topic). Anyway, I’m just going to jump forward to the next destination- Sequoia NP. After saying goodbye to Schoolboy and Carli, I would be on my own again for the first time after weeks.

I was planning on reaching the park on the same day, so I could get in early and spend the day hiking around some of the oldest and biggest trees on this planet! After three Bristlecone Pines somewhere hidden in the USA, you find five Sequoias there aged more than 3000 years! The General Sherman tree grows in the Giant Forest, which contains as well five out of the ten largest trees in the world. By volume, it is the largest known living single stem tree on earth. But enough of mind-blowing facts, let me tell you a spine-chiller.

I parked my hotel on wheels on the dead end of a dirt track for the night. Except for a river and some meadows there was nothing to make out in the closer area. After smoking a doobie I prepared myself to go asleep. A couple of minutes later a sports car drove in, turned and waited for a while with the engine running. I was guessing a couple that was looking for some privacy… After a while it would slowly drive past me and disappear in the starless night. Just when I was nearly passed away, there was a loud scratching on my car! In my paranoia I nearly jumped. The thing is that there is no way of looking out of the car without getting out yourself. The windows in the back are tinted, but as soon as you use any kind of light, you’re on the spot yourself. So after the doobie the only thing I could think of was starting the engine and spinning a 360 circle to check for any possible threat. Of course neither man nor animal were to be seen.
After this maneuver I grabbed my Swiss army knife and my torch and went out to see for myself. Nothing. So I got back and tried again to get some rest. Scratch! I thought about a marten or a similar animal, but those fellas get scared when you drive around! I admit in that moment I was ‘shitting’ my pants. Starting the car again heading off this creepy place. In the end I found a more relaxing spot in an orange plantation.

It had been the first time for months that I didn’t have a clear blue sky and sunshine, but mist and sporadic rainfalls instead. That wouldn't dim my mood at all though. It added a touch of mysticism to this forest of real giants. It’s a great challenge to take pictures of the Sequoias, because they are as big as skyscrapers and you usually don’t have the space to capture them from a distance. Just check out the pics!

Utah

In Moab it was time to say goodbye to Simon and his 4x4! Nathan and Carli would join me on my way back towards the west coast. Before getting to the coast, there was plenty to see (see the ‘Find Me’ section to check out my entire route). Starting with the magnificent Bryce Canyon.

Traveling with two other passengers would be a new and exciting experience. Especially considering the fact that the Schwarzenegger just had the two front seats and one lucky person could chill on the bed in the back. I guess that’s not entirely legal in the States but we had already figured out a convincing story, just in case we would get pulled over.

After quite a long drive we reached Bryce. My cousin used to work there for a couple of weeks when he was younger. So I knew this NP well from stories and pictures. However, already on the way into Bryce Canyon our jaws just dropped. One might think that after 16 National Parks respectively National Monuments I was fed up with canyons and red rocks. But on the contrary, I couldn't get enough. One of the main factors is the huge variety of these landscapes. Every single encounter is unique and extremely fulfilling. On my map Bryce is marked as one of the top three highlights when it comes to the NP in the States!

To make it even more special, the night before the first snow set had covered the tips of this gigantic natural amphitheatre. In perfect weather conditions we made our hike down the crumbly tracks. As so often we were on our own after walking for less than ten minutes. To make it a bit special once again, we decided on going ‘cross country’ and climb a couple of so called ‘hoodoos’ (also called tent rocks or fairy chimneys). What can I say, if you get the chance to visit this place- just do it!

Utah

After weeks in the so to say wilderness, I arrived in Moab. The first McDonalds since ages greeted me upon arrival. Not that I’m a big fan of fast-food, but the provided Wifi would be a warmly greeted change. This town with a population of around 5000 is the hub for the nearby Arches NP, which was our target.

Apart from the surrounding NP’s, the town of Moab is well known as a Mecca in extreme sports. Considering the super low temperatures at night, the last couple of nights had already been a challenge. With up to -16C, without any hesitation we decided to stay at the The Lazy Lizard Hostel. Paying 10$ a night, this hostel provides a fantastic value with a lot of interesting local people who visit regularly.
After visiting the local bars we made our way towards Arches NP the next day. Arches is one of the parks I anticipated the most. The over 2000 arches wouldn’t disappoint me! Some of them, like Landscape Arch, would shrink to just a couple of centimeters in points. Or take the world famous Delicate Arch, which also adorns the car plate of Utah. Just mind-blowing!

Once more I appreciated it so much that I was traveling in the off-season. All the tracks pretty much free of tourists and the whole scenery just for me and my friends. In the hostel I met Carli from Switzerland, who came along with us. On the hike she told me that she had never driven a car in her entire life. That was the moment when both Carli and Schwarzenegger underwent a totally new experience. She drove for the first time in her life and for Schwarzenegger it would be the first time that someone else had the joy to manoeuvre him around.

Later that day I met another Swiss. Mario is a climber form Interlaken. I asked him about the possibilities to do a rope-swing in the area. He heard about an arch outside the NP where we could give it a try.
The next day we found the infamous arch after a short hike. Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones with this idea- the arch was already taken by a larger group that had already set up a swing from it. All we could do was watching the others having fun jumping into the arch. Sometimes it’s just not meant to be…

Back in the NP we would finish our Arches journey withe a perfect sunset on top of a arch!

Utah

Have you seen: “A Space Odyssey”, “Back to the Future” or even the recent Transformers movies? If yes, then you’ve seen at least parts of Monument Valley! This cluster of vast sandstone buttes probably has the widest media appearance of all the places I’ve been to so far.

Driving on the seemingly endless street of Route 163 confronted me with so many memories of movies I had seen in my life. Of course I was eager to get some nice shots of these up to 300m high buttes. Considering the short time window, I think I managed to capture at least parts of the beauty of this place.

Arizona

On recommendations of a friend of Simon’s, the Aussies and I drove to Canyon de Chelly. This National Monument is way less frequently visited by the crowds than the NP we had seen so far. The dominating memory though is not the canyon, but the muscle ache I had after the hike/run from Grand Canyon.

The yellow colored leaves would provide a perfect contrast to the red colors of the sand stone and the clear blue sky. The valley belongs to one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America. It preserves ruins of the early indigenous tribes that lived in the area, including the Anasazi.

Arizona

With the Grand Canyon, literally one of the “biggest” attractions was ahead of me. According to every student’s favourite source: The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,000 feet or 1,800 meters). Nearly two billion years of the earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted.

Just after the arrival in the NP I had the pleasure to make a very unpleasant experience. Once more, the super bored park rangers didn’t have anything better to do than to chase after the minivan from ‘beautiful’ British Columbia. This time there was no arguing- 3 stop signs and speeding was the charge at hand. With a 350$ fine, there was only one solution to save the day- nice, cheap American whiskey!
Before this whole story, guides in both information centres responded to our question on the possibility of going up and down the canyon in one day with: “No, you need to stay over in the Bright Angel Campground on the base of the canyon!” And that was actually the whole dilemma with regards to my speeding story- if you want to camp outside these expansive campgrounds you need of course a permission! And when they caught me I was speeding to the office that gives out these permits, but it would close five minutes later. Ok, lesson learned- at least until the next time.

At least a nice spot in the woods nearby would make a great campground for the night. We decided on splitting up into two groups the next day. Me and the Aussies, nicknamed this night with Schoolboy and Hatchet, made the attempt to run down on the South Kalibab Trailhead and hike up Bright Angel. Bonnie & Clyde (Meg and James) would take it easy and do the hike just to Skeleton Point.
We started this endeavor early in the morning, however, first I had to pollute this nice canyon with a peace of ‘good’ plastic- meaning a Disc! Jogging at a decent pace, we made good progress and soon reached Skeleton Point. After around 2,5h, we reached the Colorado river and fooled around on the Bright Angel suspension bridge (climbing, slack lining). Honestly, my physical shape has really seen better days. After months of bad nourishment and irregular exercising, this was quite a challenge! On the way up, the midday heat would join in and make every step a torment. After a third or so of the Bright Angel trail, I noticed the splashing of water nearby. Taking a couple of steps aside the trail and sliding down a rocky wall, a cascade of pools revealed itself. Someone had mercy on us. We spent about 1,5h here recharging for the steep climb ahead of us.
The rest of the hike would be mental. Especially the fact that it got steeper and steeper the closer we got to the top of the rim. With a tired smile on our faces we made it out alive!
Once back in the camp, we still brought up enough energy to have a goodbye party for my dear friends Bonnie & Clyde. Meg and James were running out of time and would head south towards Mexico the next day. The Aussies and I had in mind to visit a couple more of these great parks in the area!

Arizona

Since most of the scenes were captured there, most of you will associate the images of Antelope Canyon with the movie “127 hours”. Antelope Canyon is the only NP that is controlled by the Navajo Indians. Therefore, the year pass doesn't apply and you’re confronted with a 28$ entrance fee.

After a longer debate in our group on doing it or skipping, the Aussies and I decided that it might be worth the investment in order to see the probably greatest slot-canyon in the world. We wouldn’t regret this decision. At the start we were sort of confused to have a guide and be in a larger group of “common” tourists, but once we ‘got lost’ at the end of the group, the euphoria started to come back.
Polished by water and wind, that red sandstone would manifest an engraving that later reminded me more of red waves than stone. The sunbeams punctuate the labyrinth only in a few spots- that’s the picture every photographer aims at taking there. In my opinion those pics are overrated, because the beauty of the whole canyon is astonishing.

Utah

Two hours and two states (Arizona, Utah) after the Valley of Fire we reached Zion NP. Without wasting any time, we started to hike up to Angels Landing. With wide steps all the way up it would be a big contrast to our last “freestyle” hikes. Once atop, we would continue the hike on a narrow ledge with a couple of climbing sections to a fantastic viewpoint.

For the upcoming night we found a place just outside the park. The first night we put up our camp on a lower plateau of the valley. Thanks to the Aussies 4x4 drive we were able to drive up the steep and rocky track to the top of the mountain and explore. Sitting on the rooftop, we definitely had the best view on the way up. In unison we decided to drag up our sleeping bags the next night and spend the night at this marvelous, untouched spot on the tip of the high plateau.

The Narrows is a hike through a riverbed that slowly eroded the sandstones into a canyon that gets narrower the further you enter. The water temperature was pretty low. There was the option to rent out waterproof boots and pants. The price was around 40$, so I just strapped on my chucks and shorts and started the journey. In order to avoid hypothermia, I started to run and jump from rock to rock. After a couple of hours I was done with that experience and regrouped with the rest that stayed behind for the trip to the new campsite on top of the canyon.
That night the five of us had a lot of fun on our “outcast” party in the middle of nowhere, or at least so we thought. The next day on the way down, we passed a couple of campers in the lower valley. Judging by their glares at us, I realised quickly that they probably had heard everything down due to the echo. Well, sorry lads!
 
On the picturesque Mount Carmel Highway we would aim for Antelope Canyon.

Nevada

Heading at the front of the convoy, I was able to see the sunset in the “oldest and largest” state park of Nevada. Trying to scout out the area for a good overnight location, once more I was not driving according to any rules…

This time I couldn't just disappear around a corner, because the park ranger would pull me over. Approaching Schwarzenegger from the passenger’s side, one hand on his colt, he stopped slightly behind the level of the front seats and leaned over to speak to me- welcome to the amazing training of park rangers! I understand that I sometimes look scary, but I promise I had removed the make-up from Halloween at that point. So we started the cat and mouse play. Of course I pretended to be the unknowing, a bit retarded tourist with a broken English and so on. By this moment I had no clue how extended the jurisdiction for these rangers was. He was quite friendly and explained that there are rare turtles crossing the streets this time of the year. By my irresponsible way of driving  (instead of the 30km/h I was possibly driving 45) I had endangered these poor animals. After promising him to slow down to the speed of the turtles he let me go with a warning. I guess this was more accountable to the Canadian car papers, which he didn't understand, than to his good will.

After this little escapade with the ranger, the rest of the convoy finally joined me and we put up the camp. From this moment on, we were cooking at the open fire for the whole group every night!
After a refreshing good night sleep, we started our Valley of Fire experience. I think the pictures speak for themselves when it comes to the beauty of this park. What I want to highlight is the fact that it’s super fun to get off the regular paths and climb across the boulders. Probably not a hundred percent legal, but most definitely the best experience when you have the feeling that what you see is unique!

Las Vegas

Just in time for Halloween, my friends and me arrived in the never-sleeping-city of Las Vegas. If you consider this place crazy on any common day, imagine what’s going down here when everybody wears a mask!

We checked into the Hostel Cat, which is pretty much located between the Fremont street (old Vegas), and the main strip. Once a motel with double bungalows, this hostel comes inclusive a lot of fun. Chandler, the manager so to say, would stay in our dorm. He is responsible for taking out the hostel crowds to some crazy party or event. But this was Halloween, so it wouldn't be necessary to provide a special attraction for the night. The three of us decided to go as bad clowns. Additionally to our thrift store costumes, we got some makeup and hairspray. While starting to warm up with drinks, I painted my face for the first time in my life! I think all of us did a good job, considering that none of us spent more then 10$ on the whole costume.

It was my first Halloween ever, yeah, I even hadn’t been to a Halloween party before! And now I was on Fremont with hundred thousands of people celebrating this somehow crazy, but very funny day. An unforgettable experience!

After rising from the dead, the next afternoon we hit the casinos. I had a good day and quickly was 170$ richer on the roulette. We learned fast that they serve free drinks in the casinos. So we started to sit around on slot machines and play low stake just for being served with drinks. It became sort of a sport to find the casino with the best service.

Every day a premiere. The second night it was the ride with a stretch limo, and we’re talking about a stretched Hummer here. Just for the record, I usually despise these kinds of cars, but this is Sin City- so let’s turn a blind eye here. We drove down the whole strip until we got to the Luxor. Once there, we went straight to the club. So here comes a little advice on the clubs in Vegas. Either you got enough money, meaning you won enough, or you’re cheeky enough to get things for free. In this place it was very easy to get freebees, because girls would get drinks for free. So Megan would get the drinks and we would just poor from the pink marked ‘lady-cup’ to our normal cups. On many occasions we would sneak into various so called ‘high end’ clubs and simply join in on tables with bottles in coolers!

If you have read the Death Valley post, you might remember that I’ve mentioned a white 4x4. So turns out these two guys driving in it suddenly appeared in front of the hostel. Nathan and Simon, two Aussies already chatted with James and Meg before I joined in. Simon pretty much has the same plan as me, driving the Pan-Americana down to Chile. As much as I remember, Nate wouldn’t have a plan at this point. They didn’t want to spend the 15$ for the hostel and slept in casino garages instead. I liked them right from the start, mainly due to the fact that I thought they were even crazier than I am! We decided on meeting later that night.

Megan and James planned to see a Cirque du Soleil show the next day. I’m not a huge fan of shows, but I have never seen a Cirque du Soleil performance before. To satisfy my need for a daily premiere, I decided to join them. Big respect for the performer, but I’m still not a big fan of this kind of entertainment. Afterwards we met the Aussies again and tried our luck at a couple of the newer casinos like the architectonically very appealing Aria.

About the last day I can only remember that I gambled back my losses from the night before with a surplus that I invested on going on all of the Stratosphere roller coasters and rides!
During this whole time here I would sleep next to nothing and would always feel an increased level of adrenaline inside me. I don't know if they put something into the air-condition, or if its just the kick from gambling… I never thought I would like this place so much. Honestly, at the same time it would be a great relief to get out of here. With the difference that our caravan would contain three cars now, including a white 4x4 with two Aussies on board! 

Death Valley

Death Valley, sounds like a scary place. Well crossing it for sure was the first hard task for car and driver! But the beauty of this scarce place was definitely worth the effort. First you have to conquer the mountain range on the western side of Death Valley. Once you reach the top, you see the big plain for the first time. This view already took our breath away!

Once we had reached the bottom of the valley, we would have the choice to rather stay on the nicer ‘main’ road, or take the Death Valley road. You probably know already which one we took! I’m not sure if it was declared only as a 4x4 route, but it’s for sure advisable to have at least very good suspensions on your ride. The ridges (tiny continuous bumps) on the dirt road would shake us for hours. We decided to take it slow pace to spare the cars. And by slow I mean a maximum speed of 15km/h! Believe me, resisting to speed up is a real challenge after a couple of hours. It was harsh when a white four wheeler passed me at a speed that seemed like a formula one car compared to mine! We would pass the same 4x4 at the end of this tiring dirt road. I was close to stop, but the concrete ‘highway’ ahead of me was just to tempting.

The next day we reached Scotty’s Castle. Located in the northern part of the valley, this mansion in a human made oasis looks rather out of place. Built in the 1920’s by a too rich friend of gold prospector Walter E. Scott. After climbing some closed towers of the ‘castle’ and taking a couple of pictures, I felt more then ready to get back to the real attraction at hand.

Before coming here, I imagined Death Valley as an endless flat plateau, but it would be outstandingly diverse in its geology. On the second day we suddenly drove into a huge part of the Valley, which would be covered by sand dunes! Shortly after colorful rock formations would rise like massive turtle shields out of the plain ground.

After two days of pure wilderness, except this little stop at Scotty’s, we drove through Furnace Creek. Even though it just has a couple of houses and holds the world record for the highest reliably reported air temperature in the world, 53.9 °C (129 °F), it still has a Golf course. What can I say? We’re still in America! Writing about Furnace Creek which lays 214ft beneath sea level, reminds me of another fun fact about this area. Quoting Wikipedia here: Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the point of the lowest elevation in North America, at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. This point is 84.6 miles (136.2 km) east-southeast of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States with an elevation of 14,505 feet (4,421 m).
In the late afternoon we reached the Painters Palette, a colourful rock formation. Situated on a higher level, it would give a great overview on the plain and the surrounding mountains. I’m not a huge sunset fan, but as you can see on the pictures, it’s quite special here. This would be the last sunset for me here as well. The next day was dated 31.10.- and you all know what that means, especially here in the States- Halloween!

Bodie

In the middle oft Sierra Nevada there is Bodie. Once a flourishing gold digger city, it became a ghost town in the mid 1940s. It lies at an altitude of over 2500m and experiences extensive snowfall in wintertime. In summer it’s the opposite, drought and unbearable heat. You can imagine living here wasn't exactly a picnic.

Honestly, there isn’t much to say about this place. It’s a great place that transfers you back into the gold digger times. I found an original metal box of Lipton’s tea- it’s now part of the decoration of Schwarzenegger. If you plan to come here for some nice pictures, come early! With over 200’000 thousand visitors it can get crowded for such a small pace.

On the way to Death Valley I took a quick stop at the Devils Postpile. I didn’t know what to expect, but was way ahead of my friend. Unfortunately, it turned out to be quite a detour. And once at this so called columnar basalt, I would be a bit disappointed. I think the name misled me a bit. Compared to a similar geological site in Ireland, the Giant’s Causeway, but way smaller, this wasn’t that impressive…Well at least I saw Mammoth Mountain on the way there.

In Bishop I caught up with James and Megan. In mind that the Death Valley separated us from Vegas and with that Halloween, we decided to spend some time on hitting a couple of thrift stores in search for a cheap Halloween costume. This worked out pretty well. My whole fairing would cost me 4$!

Mono Lake

On our way to Death Valley we visited the surreal looking Mono Lake east of Yosemite. This lake is unusual due to its high amount of saline soda. As much as this waters seem uninhabitable, it thrives with life due to the Brine shrimp found in there! The scenery could be from a distant planet- of course with the little exception of the water!

The salt columns on the pictures didn't rise above the water; it’s more because of the fact that the water level of the lake fell due to the long drought in this area. We got the hint that we might find natural hot springs in the area. Just so you can imagine, sleeping in the car was quite cold at this altitude and time of the year. So usually I slept in addition to the sleeping bag and the two blankets, in long underwear and my winter jacket. This made me feel a little like an extremophile myself, just as the Brime shrimp. The sound of hot springs meant a free washing opportunity and some nice heat before and after the night.
After asking some locals we found the springs and enjoyed the rare treat! The place also provided a good overnight spot for our little caravan. At the hot springs we met an older men who told us about his father who lived and worked in Bodie- a ghost town these days. That way we all knew where the next adventure would lead us to.

Yosemite

The beauty about traveling without a plan or timetable lies mainly in all the surprises expecting you on the road. Of course I had in mind to visit the National Parks (NP) in the south. However, the way it all worked out was quite unique. But let’s get to the start of a bigger chapter!

The brand new caravan started in the morning heading inland and away from the coast towards Yosemite. On the way we stopped for an extended shopping spree on supplies. We wouldn't make it the whole way to the NP, so by the help of Google maps we started to look out for dirt roads along on the way, which allowed us to drive off the main road for the night. Jack suddenly took a turn towards Moccasin Creek into a camp ground. At first I was surprised, because we agreed on not paying for overnight stays if possible. I quickly learned that neither were my new friends. And that was when I learned a good trick for the future- sneak in after nightfall when the entrance guard is already gone and sneak out before he starts to work- very simple and very cheap! Once a chef, James would prepare the treat of the day, delicious steaks from the grill.

Very early in the morning, at least for my relations, we successfully managed our escape out of the campground and continued the short drive to Yosemite. At this point I would like to recommend every one who plans on visiting more than three NP, the year pass is for just 80$. This investment pays out quickly considering an average entrance fee of 25$.

At first we visited the information centre and after that decided to do the trail up to Glacier Point. The El Capitan would accompany us on the steep way to the summit. A grandiose view expected us on top of Glacier Point. Having grown up in Switzerland, I should be used to sceneries like this. Polished by glaciers, that place would have a completely different impact on me than the rough Swiss alps though! The Half Dome just looks surreal with his unique form.

After a quick rest we decided on continuing up to the Sentinel Dome. On top we waited for the dramatic sunset. Once the night had set in, we luckily managed to convince a lady to drive us down to the valley.
All the campgrounds would be totally booked out this night. This didn’t bother us too much, because we sneaked in once more without causing any suspicion.

  The day after our untrained and sore legs allowed us just a shorter hike in the valley. Afterwards we continued our trip east.

San Francisco

Funny addition to the last post on 1&101. You might have seen the picture of the 1 traffic sign. Well, this was taken after I had passed a police patrol in the town of Jenner. As so often, I didn’t pay too much attention to my speed and I guess I was way too fast! Gratefully, I noticed that the cops had turned behind me on the road. Pure instinct set in and I caught myself on the run. Having seen enough action movies in my life, I would wait for the next corner and pull in straight behind a tall building. To have an alibi in case they caught me, I grabbed my camera and got out of the car, pretending to shoot a picture of the iconic traffic sign! They drove on full speed past me. Let’s keep this a secret though!

San Francisco, the destination I’ve anticipated for years. The Golden Gate, the steep streets, the diverse and multicultural districts... Having grown up in Europe, you would know all those famous markers since childhood just from telly. Driving in with my family van over the Golden Gate triggered a rush of adrenaline inside me! Well prepared, ‘San Francisco’ by Scott McKenzie played full volume out of my speakers. Call me cheesy, I don't care, it was a great feeling!

Due to the nice experience in the Green Tortoise Hostel in Seattle, I would check into the same hostel again here. The hostel is located on Broadway street, meaning in the middle of the the stripclub scene. But that’s not what makes it great. It’s the building in which it’s located. The hall in which the common room is located once had been a fancy restaurant. The ceiling still has his original stucco. The staff is very helpful and polite. I mention this so explicitly, because they’re paying me for it. No, unfortunately not, but it was just a great place to stay over for a couple of days.

On the first day I visited the most famous landmark of SF, the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a perfect day, warm, clear blue sky. Considering SF has the nick-name ‘Fog City’, I appreciated those perfect conditions even more. Equipped with my board, I made my way to the centre of the red bridge, where a great view awaited me- Alcatraz, Treasure Island and the whole Marina district. The best part though was ahead of me- Skating down on my board would just be fantastic!

The same night I met Duane, a local who stayed temporarily in the hostel. He invited me to check out one of those famous strip clubs, in which he once worked as a bouncer. What can I say? Nice girls for sure, but what’s the point in the end? Not my kind of scene, but funny to see it once.
Duane would know a lot of funny spots. Unfortunately, I suffered a loss of data on most of the places we went to. I remember though, that we ended up in Korea town, on a so called ‘After party’. Unfortunately, the majority of bars and clubs close around 2am. So those after parties are the last possibilities to very mixed crowds that don’t feel tired by then, including us!

The next day I would spend playing discgolf in the wonderful Golden Gate park. I joined in with two Texans on their round! I don’t want to judge, but those were the only Texans I have met on my entire trip so far, and they were really different to the very talkative and open folks on the coast!
After getting around in downtown, I went back to the hostel. In the hostel a nice surprise was waiting for me. Remember Romeo? Well, Romeo was already on his way back to Canada. I convinced him to stop over in SF. Spontaneously, we decided to join in the hostel crowd for a Beer-Crawl! That’s where we met a group of four girls from Montreal.
 
  Just a little hungover, I joined the girls in their way to get to Alcatraz. Once we had made it to the counter, we realised that the next tickets would be available only in four days! So if you plan on doing that, book ahead! Instead, we took a boat tour around Alcatraz and underneath the Golden Gate. When we boarded the boat, the sun was shining- once we were at the Island of Alcatraz suddenly a wall of fog would hit the bay and you couldn’t see your outstretched hand! It was then that we understood the nickname of ‘Fog City’.
 
  After three days in the cozy hostel I decided that I had spent enough money on accommodation and moved out into my private room with queen size bed- correct- I'm referring to Schwarzenegger. It was quite a mission to find an even parking spot in this hilly city! The next night I would be the witness of a bike theft across the street. I didn't dare to call the cops, because I was sort of breaking the law myself by ‘camping’ in my car.
  The fact that I wasn’t staying in the hostel anymore didn’t mean that I didn't go back there to enjoy the company of travellers- and free food! One night I met this couple, Megan and James. We had a lot in common. Both parties traveling with cars on BC plates, heading the same direction and being on a low budget. After a couple of beers it was clear that we would caravan up and hit Yosemite together!

Mendocino

Mendocino is probably a two-hours drive north of San Francisco, but a world away! To me, “laid back”, “cozy”, and “typical American” are the adjectives that describe this little ‘village’ (Pop.: around 800), located on a headland.

I just staid here for one day. Mendocino is a great place to get spoiled with good coffee and cheesecake. It would be Champions League time and my favorite club played- ‘Vamos Barca’. Due to the circumstances, it was the first time in a while that I actually had the opportunity to follow the game live. I made sure the only pub in town, the Patterson’s, would show the game. The bartender, who could easily have come out of a spaghetti western, made sure on his side that I would order a meal if I wanted to watch the game. Just for the record- Barcelona won against Ajax 3-1!
I would spend the rest of my day here skating around. I met some homeless who used the shower day at the church, which made me laugh, because it seemed so badly familiar to me.
I found a great spot near a deserted Villa close to the cliffs for the night. The next day maybe one of the most anticipated places was waiting for me- San Francisco.

Northern California

Maybe you remember that I bought myself a GoPro for my birthday? I had this great plan to mount it on the rooftop of my Schwarzenegger- damn he would look fancy and high-tech as never before. Wifi-controlled from the cockpit, I would record some amazing drives. Once I finish catching up with the pictures and stories, I promise I will make a video section. Back to the storyline!

Driving down the 1-0-1 and later the 1 was just pure pleasure. Make sure you have good music with you in case you should ever do something similar- radio stations are not really reliable here (unless you’re a fan of Christian prayers...) For more information considering sounds check out the music section on my homepage!

Following the steep coast to my right the whole time, I would stop at a nice bungalow hotel located just by the shore and tried my luck negotiating a good price. I hadn’t had the opportunity to shower or shave during the previous couple of days. My clothes would still be dirty from the hikes in the redwoods. Shortly, I was perfectly equipped for some pity. At the reception a Mexican lady welcomed me. I asked her if I could shower and park on the property- she answered me that her husband was walking the dog and that she had to consult him first. Meanwhile, she offered me a bowl of Mexican soup! In the end they listened to my travel plans and gave me a huge private room for 20$, which meant a discount of 80$! I usually don’t play the pity card, but it was low season and 90% of the rooms were empty. I had no money to waste and worst case I would use the hose in the garden as a shower.
 

Redwoods

Welcome to Northern California! Jedediah State Park would mark my first stop at the most mind-blowing forest I’ve ever been to. The overnight camp in the NP was 30$. At this point I would be still way to honest to sneak in and out of camp grounds, so I decided on staying in a cheap motel in Crescent City and enjoy a hot shower. The morning after I stepped into a paradise of gentle giants.

Once again, there were no people at all on the trails. Such surreal scenery makes you feel very small and unimportant. It’s a good way in order to get you back down to earth. As you can tell by the last sentence, the time on my own there gave me lot of space to think about life. Yeah, I hugged the trees, there you go!

I didn’t know that the Redwoods, Sequoiadendron for my uni friends, stretch for an impressive distance from north to south. The environment changes a lot. From a misty, mossy rain forest, to a dry and clear ground, with just the wooden pillars of the trees. I was so lucky to get to see every stage of it during my three days in the woods. Arcata, with its famous Humboldt State University, is located in the southern part of the Redwoods. One of my highlights concerning discgolfing was to play in the Redwoods behind the campus.

Southern Oregon

Once again, I had no real plan except to get back to the coast. So after Crater I hit the road down south intending to reach Klamath Falls. Whilst driving through Klamath, I quickly realised that this wouldn’t be a place to stop, not even for one night. So I kept on driving. Once I was out of the city area, I noticed a strangely familiar road sign - Route 66!

Ok I admit it- of course it wasn’t the famous Route 66 we all know from movies. Nevertheless, it was a great drive through mountains and forests. I drove it east to west and at the end arrived in the charismatic town of Ashland. The main attraction there is the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I considered visiting, but since I am on a budget, the plays wouldn’t justify the entrance fees to me. And honestly, the rest of the town seemed awfully boring to me. Time to go!

Crater Lake

After quite some time I was on my own again. Well, there still was Schwarzenegger but he’s not really the talkative type… I recommend driving the Cascade Lakes Nat. Scenic Byway around Mt. Bachelor, instead of the direct route towards Crater Lake National. According to Wikipedia, the lake is 1,943 feet (592 m) deep at its deepest point, which makes it the deepest lake in the United States, the second deepest in North America and the ninth deepest in the world.

Crater Lake has no streams flowing in or out of it. All water that enters the lake is eventually lost from evaporation or subsurface seepage. The lake is re-filled entirely from direct precipitation in form of snow and rain. This feature gives the lake his astonishing blue color. As commonly known, humans aren’t really good at differencing shades of colors, even for 50 shades of grey they only use one word. So to sound more poetic, I´ll give it a try and call the color of the Crater Lake ultramarine blue, challenge me!

The greatest thing was that it had snowed the night before for the first time of the year. This made the scenery even more magnificent. The other huge plus was- no tourists! And even if there had been some, they would not have dared to get their feet wet on the hiking trails. So I was completely by myself.

Bend & Smith Rock

Bend is famous for it’s outdoor sports. Being huge enthusiasts of extreme sports, it’s not astonishing Chase’s brother Ari and his wife Chris chose this place as their home. I was welcomed warmly and invited straight to a birthday party of a friend of theirs. The next day Chris would show me around town and introduce me to the best breakfast burrito ever!

Originally, one of the main reasons to come to Bend was to walk a Highline. Ari is a skilled slack liner and the perfect guide when it comes to all sorts of crazy, fun activities in the area. The last time I was standing on a line had been more than a year ago. In order to get the feeling back, I did some practice on a longline. This wouldn't strengthen my confidence though!

The next afternoon Ari told me to come to Terrebonne, a place where his good friends Molly and Winston live. The property was situated on a little cliff with a magnificent view onto Smith Rock State Park. Molly and Winston were great hosts. It was nice for a change to sleep in a house. The jacuzzi was a great treat as well!
After breakfast we made our way towards Smith Rock. Even if you’re not a slack liner, this place is a MUST! Close to the summit we would take a detour and find a preset line in a dazzling height. Ari had the first go- he made it! I had walked longlines before, with the only difference that they were way closer to the ground. This was a different thing though! Shaky as I was, standing on a 40m long high line for the first time, I would slide out over the verge. Once there, the hardest part would be to get my fat ass up, haha! After the first fall and the concurrent adrenaline rush, I would pull myself together and finally stand this beast! An amazing experience- hard to capture and describe.

A new day a new mission. Winston had to prepare for the upcoming winter and that meant chopping a lot of wood! I gladly paid my dues and helped out. Two entire trees later we would chill out in a relaxing atmosphere and enjoy the last evening together.

Central Oregon

Compared to my last posts, this will be a short one- I promise!
Schwarzenegger and I were heading southeast towards the high desert. After a short drive I would stop for a hike up to ‘Tom Dick and Harry Mountain’. What a funny name! Half way, Mirror Lake would produce a perfect reflection of Mount Hood.

After this little expedition, the road would bring me further up into the high desert. An amazing drive. The landscapes outside my window would change so quickly and drastically that I had to slow down and take a break. Skating the perfectly black asphalt road, the freshly in snow covered Mount Hood would slowly disappear in my back. In that moment I probably took my favorite picture so far. A black horse with a black bird on it’s back on a yellow meadow, volcanoes rising up in the background- perfect balance!

Portland

So far I had never taken out my 800 pages strong guidebook, not once! But honestly, I didn’t have a clue what to expect about Portland, except for the fantastic discgolf courses around the city. So this would be the first out of maybe ten times in nearly three months of USA that I would do some research. I always try to navigate my way by rather talking to locals or other travellers, then reading it up. Anyway, the guidebook I used, pretty much stated that Portland seems a lot like the bigger cites in Europe- from which I concluded that this meant a ten years heads up to the rest of American cities.

When it comes to bigger cities, it’s just more comfortable and safe to sleep in a motel, or as I prefer it- in a backpacker. The Hawthorne Hostel was my choice. I decided to get an American mobile provider and get a prepaid card for my mobile. This would make a great difference, especially considering the fact that I was able to navigate around with google maps from now on. Yeah, I had no GPS till now, brilliant experience!
On the third day I had marked off all the touristy must-do’s from the guidebook, of which the biggest part were downtown. It was rather disappointing and I couldn't join the enthusiasm of the author. My personal highlight- the food carts! In the very centre of downtown there is one entire block surrounded by these delicious micro-restaurants on wheels. I’ve counted 47 different carts!
A bit disappointed in Portland, I would check out my hostel and drive for a final good-bye to Piere Park- the best discgolf course I’ve ever played so far. Throwing my warm up putts, two guys suddenly showed up at the other side of the slope. That’s when I met Chase and Mike.
After finishing two rounds and having a great laugh the whole time, Chase asked me if I would be interested in helping him brewing beer? Portland is considered the capitol of micro-breweries and I had the chance to experience it first hand. There was just one possible answer, hell yeah!

We drove together to Charlie’s place. During the last year Charlie and Chase had put up a complete micro-brewery in the basement and garage. That day was a special day. After a couple of weeks in the fermenter, the batch would be ready to be filled in bottles. During the filling, I was getting filled myself. I had the pleasure to taste over ten different brews. Of course all produced here in that basement! By the end of the day, everyone was happy with the result and pretty drunk too.

Chase offered me to park outside his house and use his facilities for as long as I was staying in Portland. Now that I knew locals, I would experience the true Portland and that lays definitely outside of downtown. My birthday was coming up, so I treated myself with two gifts and bought a longboard and a GoPro. The board was just fantastic to get around in Portland. I loved all the little hipster restaurants and shops.
Besides finally seeing the real Portland, the main attraction would be playing the best discgolf courses on the planet. Milo, Blue Lake, Pier Park, my first ace on Ewing Young are just some places to be mentioned. To find out more about it check out the Discgolf section.

I was really glad to spend my birthday with people I considered friends! It was a great night out, obviously with a lot of delicious brew.
Big advise if you happen to visit the awesome state of Oregon, go shopping! Even though I hate doing it, sometimes it’s a necessity. Oregon has some great outlet stores and the best thing is that everything’s tax-free.
Chase’s brother Ari lives in Bend, central Oregon. Warmly recommended by Chase, I would change my plans of getting back to the coast and as so often- go with the flow.

Oregon

The Astoria–Megler Bridge connects the states of Washington and Oregon. With 6.6 km (4.1 miles) it is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America. Once you’ve reached the southern end, you find yourself in the picturesque town of Astoria, situated on a hill next to the Colombia river. The steep streets are tempting to go on a roller-coaster ride in your own car and treat yourself with a foretaste of San Francisco.

At first, we marked out Cannon Beach as a possible location to spend the night in our cars. Once again we arrived just after dawn. The lack of daylight and all the weekenders from Portland would force us to drive back to the less touristy place by the name of Seaside.

We found a quiet street just one block away from the beach. After a routine check of the new neighborhood, we made our way to the beach. Once we had passed the dunes, a magnificent view was waiting for us. In a light fog, the beach was surreally lightened up by countless bonfires for a couple of miles! Equipped with a six pack of Pale Ale’s, we would start walking down the beach. Unfortunately, we didn’t bring / buy any firewood ourselves, so the mission was clear.
  Luckily, we saw a guy sitting on his own and got invited to join in. It quickly turned out that this Hawaiian in his mid-twenties was a strong believer. So there it was- my first encounter with the highly religious part of America. Obviously, the discussion was mainly about beliefs and religions - no wait- incorrect, in his opinion there was just one religion! Nonetheless we had a fun night, ending up in an amusement arcade- I don’t know why but americans seem to really like them.

The next day we finally found a great parking spot in the centre of Cannon Beach and stayed there for two nights. After a great time together with Romeo, we parted ways. My next destination was Portland. Romeo, the Canadian surfer, had to stay close to the surf!

Seattle

I still consider Pearl Jam and Nirvana two of the most significant bands as far as the development of my taste in music during my youth is concerned.
Back then, I would listen to their tunes and dream about being there in the city where the whole grunge movement started in the 90’s. Well, grunge might not be the most popular music style anymore, but this doesn't matter! Seattle is a great city.

For the first time on this trip I stayed in a backpacker’s. The ‘Green Tortoise’ is located just in front of the colorful Pike Place Market, which is a MUST.
A quick note regarding my current situation: I spent the entire last week in a Starbucks in central Mexico city catching up on this blog, which means rewinding half a year of traveling! Every single day I sit here for several hours on my favourite spot in a corner of this worldwide coffee chain with a picture of the first Starbucks in the world in front of me. Ironically, it is the one in Seattle on Pike Place Market.

On the second day, Romeo and I met Emily and her friend. Asking her about things to see the Space Needle would come up pretty quickly. No surprise that the Space Needle is considered ‘the symbol’ of Seattle! Emily also told us that in the seven years she has been living in the city, she never made it up on top of the needle. This was unacceptable! One joint (weed is legal in Washington state) and one hour later we would make a race around the viewing platform.

We spent one more day strolling through downtown, experiencing the incredibly positive vibes coming from the people - just take a look at the pictures of the police officer playing table tennis in a park with a homeless guy, or the street musicians, where one of the guys looks astonishingly similar to Jack Black.