Sleeping With the conquest of the West! Our journey here we are about to leave for 15 days the conquest of the American West ... Who has ever heard of the Grand Canyon, Death Valley or even Las Vegas ... and it will be in 3 weeks for real!
Here is the presentation of our conquest of the West in four states, 2600 miles and 11 stages:
Day 1: Departure from Roissy September 5 with British Airways (via London). Travel
15h later and with 9-hour time difference we finally arrived ...
J2 and J3: Our trip starts so in San Francisco, a city bordering the Pacific, located in the state of California. The steep streets lined with Victorian homes, the large bay where the famous prison of Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, emblematic city or even the famous cable car (or streetcar) that still carries passengers on the slopes of the city make San Francisco one of the most mythical cities of the country. Someone wrote: "In the U.S., there are New York, San Francisco, and the rest of the country ..."
J4: Top our self-tour, the management of Yosemite National Park which is located 310 km east of San Francisco in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada.
With a total area of 3,079 km2, it is the third largest park in California. Yosemite Park is a mountain whose diversity and natural landscape has been recognized World Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 1984.
This national park contains one of the most beautiful alpine valleys in the world. Steep granite walls with a height of 1000 m stand on both sides of the valley. Nine waterfalls hundreds of feet high cascading into the valley. Yosemite National Park also contains an impressive forest of giant sequoias.
the program, especially hiking and overnight in tents in a camp inside this beautiful park (watch the night, charming teddy prowl ... can come and enjoy the contents of our bags!)
J5 : After the end of the traverse Yosemite, direction Mono Lake, one of the oldest lakes in North America (age 1 to 3 million years). Five rivers feed the lake water containing large amounts of minerals.
Then, towards the old mining town of Bodie to 2600m altitude. Built during the Gold Rush in California, the city reached a population of 10,000 inhabitants in 1880 and had 65 saloons, before being phased out after two fires.
We consider that there is currently 5% of period buildings, maintained by rangers, hence the nickname "ghost town".
J6: We will then route to the famous "Valley of Death" to get there late in the day to enjoy the sunset over the desert. Indeed, it is a park of arid zone that contains the largest desert terrain of the continental United States, where the temperature often reaches above 50 ° C! The bottom of Death Valley is at 85.5 meters below sea level We will sleep in the park at Furnace Creek Ranch, an oasis of greenery with palm trees and huge pool of very hot water.
J7, 8: Depart for Las Vegas , city in the desert in the state of Nevada where anything is possible! This will certainly shock the first time. We like it or not ... but it is a must for any first voyage to explore the American West. The first words that come to mind are of course Bellagio luxury hotel known for his extraordinary ballet of fountains, or even the Mirage or the MGM Grand (see the movie "Ocean's Eleven" ... yes we get there we too! !). Yet it is Mormons who founded the city in 1855 ... Las Vegas
is now a temple to shopping but also the first city hotel in the world with over 120 000 rooms Hotels!
J9: After 2 nights of madness in Las Vegas, direction Zion National Park, Utah. He has an impressive landscape of towering cliffs that iron oxide stained reddish color, and steep gorges carved by the Virgin River, some reaching 900m deep.
Zion is particularly known for its beautiful hiking trails that wind through the mountains while offering spectacular views of the canyons and the valley.
J10: Branch Park Bryce Canyon, located in the state of Utah. Covering 145 km ², Bryce Canyon is one of the most amazing parks ... From the first view of the park, one is impressed by the grandeur of the landscape. Road 30 km in length through the park to discover the eye of the 'hoodoos', ie peaks of stones of all colors. A walk among the red and yellow hands up in the sky, gives the impression of having landed on another planet ...
J11: page will be our first stop in Arizona. It is a pleasant town surrounded by beautiful lawns in the middle of the desert, an ideal base for visiting the surrounding area! We will
visit Antelope Canyon is one of the most famous and most photographed the Southwest United States. Antelope Canyon is a gorge carved into the sandstone by wind and water with spectacular colors quite baffling. This place belongs to the Navajo Indians who are the only ones authorized to do so to visit. It is a young Indian who, in 1931, partly in search of one of his lost sheep found that throat. We will also
Lake Powell resulting from a dam built in 1964 on the Colorado. Its coasts are approximately 3 200 km and the lake is 1310 m above sea level with water at about 25 ° C in summer ... It makes you dream, this is normal, it's a dream location! This beautiful place will step relaxation of our circuit. We can do a boat ride or enjoy the deserted beaches of this lake.
J12: After a well deserved rest day, we depart for Monument Valley (see photo presentation of the blog).
Welcome to the land of cowboys! Monument Valley is a dream landscape. It is a park run by the Navajo. It is 120 km ² and offers exceptional views on monoliths of red earth that can reach 610m in height! Unforgettable ... Remember John Wayne in John Ford's film "The Ride Fantastic "or the cowboy of Marlboro ads ... well, we'll be there for real!
J13: Directorate National Park Grand Canyon which is located in northwestern Arizona. The famous Grand Canyon is the spectacular result of erosion of the Colorado River over millions of years. Huge hole 1600m depth averaged around 16km wide, it fascinates even the most based, and we can gawk at such splendor!
Founded in 1919, the park covers an area of protected 4 927 km ². The natural diversity and landscape of the region was recognized heritage World of Humanity by UNESCO in 1979. The site is notable for the views offered to visitors and the geological layers that appear on the cliffs.
J14: Departure for the city of Phoenix will be the last step in the American West. It is the largest city in the state of Arizona. Phoenix is part of "The Valley of the Sun" because she knows an average of 300 sunny days a year. During the three summer months, it is common for the temperature exceeds 38 ° C. ..
J15: Back in Paris .... : O (
