Where the geysers blow!

Another holiday postponed because of Covid-19, finally happened! In early September we set off for USA, travelling first to Salt Lake City where we collected a car and headed up to Yellowstone National Park. Enroute, we stopped off at Jackson for a brief visit and I think it’s one of the prettiest towns I’ve ever been to in the US. Beautifully crafted buildings gave me the feeling of being immersed in a movie from yesteryear! It’s only about 70 miles from there to the south entrance of Yellowstone, where we arrived later in the afternoon. Yellowstone National Park is all about, geysers, hot-springs and animals – lots of. With no Wi-Fi and no television, my phone only came out to take photographs, a welcome break from everyday life. Even in early September we had some overnight frost, although by mid-afternoon we were basking in glorious sunshine and the temperature had reached the low 20s Celsius. During our 5-day visit we saw some amazing geysers, including Old Faithful, named because it erupts every 90 minutes (give or take 10 minutes); beautiful blue hot springs, which look deceptively inviting. There were gorgeous chipmunks, not quite so gorgeous bison and elk, and a coyote from a distance. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t get to see any bears, but lots of people did – we just weren’t in the right place at the right time. All too soon it was time to move on – but we couldn’t go all that way and not ‘pop in’ to visit Bonneville Salt Flats. There’s nothing there – except a vast salt pan, crystallised salt as far as you can see, quiet – almost eerie! Monterey Bay was our next stop, flying from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles and driving north. Cannery Row has been re-invented following the collapse of the sardine canning industry. The old canneries now house shops, restaurants, pubs and hotels. There’s also the large aquarium, where we spent a few hours watching and learning about the sea life found in and around the California shores. Our last stop was San Francisco, somewhere I’d wanted to visit for years. We enjoyed three days visiting Alcatraz, taking photos of Golden Gate Bridge, meandering along Fisherman’s Wharf, visiting Chinatown. We walked up the hills and down the hills – then we got on a tram! We packed a lot into our holiday, saw some wonderful sights and made some great memories. The USA is such an easy place to holiday – I guarantee you’ll come home craving some vegetables – but that’s a small price to pay for such a fantastic holiday! Happy travels.