I’m travelling to the USA for 2-3 weeks (from england) in late July.
To California more specifically. So far, that’s all I’ve planned. I’m eager to spend as much of that time seeing the outdoors.
So with that in mind, do you have any ideas on what stuff to look into? There’s yosemite national park. Any other places of natural beauty I can look into?
Also, I want to sample some of your cuisine - I WILL be in San Francisco and LA, perhaps for two-three days each. What sort of food can I expect?
Big Sur
Mt Lassen or Mt Shasta and/or the surrounding national forests
Lake Tahoe
Pismo Beach
Santa Barbara
Santa Cruz/Monterey
Death Valley (pretty rough in the summer)
Marin Headlands and Muir Woods
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
Big Sur
Mt Lassen or Mt Shasta and/or the surrounding national forests
Lake Tahoe
Pismo Beach
Santa Barbara
Santa Cruz/Monterey
Death Valley (pretty rough in the summer)
Marin Headlands and Muir Woods[/quote]
Many thanks for the info. I’ve filed those terms away for a bit of research over the next week or so.
What kind of food etc. can I expect in the SF area? I’ll be so fucking hungry when over there, and I’m hoping there’s some local food (like you see in Man vs Food) that I can take up as a challenge.
I’ve been to Yosemite tons of times. There are plenty of great hikes there to do. Half Dome is a must if you are up for an all day hike. We typically leave right before sunrise and take the John Muir trail up to Nevada falls. Vernal falls is a great scenic easier hike that goes right next to the falls. Make sure you check out El Capitan and watch a lot of the rock climbers scaling up the rocks to the top. Yosemite falls is another great thing to see. It will be mighty crowded there in July.
I’ve also been to Hawaii, Kauai specifically. Going to Maui in a few months. Kauai is awesome if you like the outdoors.
[quote]strungoutboy21 wrote:
I’ve been to Yosemite tons of times. There are plenty of great hikes there to do. Half Dome is a must if you are up for an all day hike. We typically leave right before sunrise and take the John Muir trail up to Nevada falls. Vernal falls is a great scenic easier hike that goes right next to the falls. Make sure you check out El Capitan and watch a lot of the rock climbers scaling up the rocks to the top. Yosemite falls is another great thing to see. It will be mighty crowded there in July.
I’ve also been to Hawaii, Kauai specifically. Going to Maui in a few months. Kauai is awesome if you like the outdoors.[/quote]
Excellent!
A few years ago, I went to yellowstone. Simply the best five days of my life.
If Yosemite has any of that expansive feel, then I know it will be perfect for me. Really looking forward to hiking there. Given that I’m going from england - and here the outdoors are far quainter - I better get fit for the longer hikes. I’ll keep your tips in mind.
As for Hawaii, I’m totally lost. Did Kauai have a few relaxing beaches when you were over there? I’m not really into a hectic nightlife. Just want to relax by the beach for a day or two, and on the other days I want to hike, ride a bike, dive, etc.
Its a nightmare organising things from over here in england. Trying to figure out campsites, hiring cars, co-ordinating all this shit is stressful hah!
[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:
Im from and live on the east coast, but Big Sur is fucking awesome and I really hope you get to see that[/quote]
I’m glad cooper mentioned it. I had never heard of it, and though I might have found it in my research, I’m glad someone’s definitely recommended it.
Forgot to mention - has anyone been to hawaii? Going to be spending approx 5 nights there too. Just don’t know which fecking island.
Also, has anyone been to Yosemite?[/quote]
I lived on Maui for a while. It’s a nice medium between the
big city on Oahu and the beutiful desolation of the other islands.
things to see there:
Sunrise at Haleakala Crater
Hiking into the Crater
Drive to Hana
Secret Beach in Hana (PM me)
Diving on Molokini
Lahaina whaling village (Touristy though)
Big Beach and of course, Little Beach (Nude)
Whale viewing (Right Time of Year)
If just chilling out and running around outdoors is your thing, definitely go to Kauaii or Maui. If you are looking for a tough hike, head up to Ke’e beach on the north side of the Kauaii. It’s the head of a very difficult, but very rewarding hiking trail (Kalalu trail) along the Napali coastline. Ke’e also has nice snorkeling. Nice beaches on the island are the beach in Hanalei and Lumahai Beach. If you get a chance, take the zodiac rafting trip around the Napali coast.
Maui is also really nice. Haleakela crater is pretty cool, but biking down the volcano is even better. You go up early in the day, and coast down the mountain. There are some pretty amazing views on the way down.
fishdog and axel - many thanks on hawaii. all noted.
jasmincar - i was taken to a series of vids. different each time i clicked. i don’t understand lol. ended up watching a couple, they were cool though.
anyone else, any tips on SF or LA or yosemite. your experiences, do and donts, neighbourhoods to avoid, things not to say (i tried to joke with a customs official on my way to the US once before in a lengthy interview. NOT a good idea)
Golden Gate Bridge
TransAmerica Building
Coit Tower
Russian Hill
Presidio of San Francisco (now a park)
Seven Sisters (landmark row houses)
Ride a trolley
Alcatraz
the Pacific Ocean
take Highway 1 north to the summit of Mt. Tamalpais
take Highway 1 south to Halfmoon Bay
I always thought the Promenade in Santa Monica is a cool place to go walk around, get some food, grab a few beers, and watch people perform on the streets.
Golden Gate Bridge
TransAmerica Building
Coit Tower
Russian Hill
Presidio of San Francisco (now a park)
Seven Sisters (landmark row houses)
Ride a trolley
Alcatraz
the Pacific Ocean
take Highway 1 north to the summit of Mt. Tamalpais
take Highway 1 south to Halfmoon Bay[/quote]
Also, in SF look up a restaurant called Goat Hill Pizza. Don’t forget about the Haight, Golden Gate Park, the Marina and this really nice neighborhood just south of Market near 18th Street.
For Hawaii, I recommend the Kona Coast on the big island. Rugged terrain, active lava flow, much more “local” than touristy. You can cruise over to Hilo, which is kind of a shithole in and of itself, but it’s also kind of the “real” Hawaii and there’s some spectacular surfing spots. I also recommend kayaking to Captain Cook’s monument and snorkeling out there.
Golden Gate Bridge
TransAmerica Building
Coit Tower
Russian Hill
Presidio of San Francisco (now a park)
Seven Sisters (landmark row houses)
Ride a trolley
Alcatraz
the Pacific Ocean
take Highway 1 north to the summit of Mt. Tamalpais
take Highway 1 south to Halfmoon Bay[/quote]
Also, in SF look up a restaurant called Goat Hill Pizza. Don’t forget about the Haight, Golden Gate Park, the Marina and this really nice neighborhood just south of Market near 18th Street.
For Hawaii, I recommend the Kona Coast on the big island. Rugged terrain, active lava flow, much more “local” than touristy. You can cruise over to Hilo, which is kind of a shithole in and of itself, but it’s also kind of the “real” Hawaii and there’s some spectacular surfing spots. I also recommend kayaking to Captain Cook’s monument and snorkeling out there.[/quote]
Nice. Cpt Cook was born in my hometown so if its about the same Cook, I’ll look it up. So now my main problem is deciding between the big island and maui. Will have to think on this. Though the lava flow is a MASSIVE pull for me. Shit, dilemmas.
Thanks for the tips on SF. I was totally confused before you guys made the suggestions. I don’t think you guys can imagine the kind of pull the US has for a lot of people over here, given that we basically grow up on a diet of US scenery and cinematography, and generally just your films etc. So turning up to these places makes it all the more cool.
Basically, I wish I lived there. SO much cool outdoor shit to do.