Hi all,
Hope you've had a fantastic week.
Here's what we've been up to:

Wednesday 03.07.13:
Happy Birthday Jessie Helen hehe, hope you have an amazing day :) xxx
Last time we were here in Vegas, one thing that we wished that we had found time to do was a tour of the Hoover Dam - so that's what's on today's agenda. We were picked up by Pink Jeep tours at 7am (in a pink jeep funnily enough) and after collecting the other tour passengers we were off to the dam. The jeeps are really spacious and luxurious inside - the seats were a bit like lounge chairs - so the trip was really comfy. Once we arrived we had a walk around the top of the dam wall before going inside, down some elevators, through a few tunnels and into the powerhouse deep down below. We weren't allowed to stay down there for very long but it was still really interesting to see the inner workings of it all. Afterwards we had time for a stroll around the info centre before it was time to head back. We both would've loved to spend a lot longer there on our own, but without having our own car, booking a tour was just the easiest option for us. The security to access the dam is quite tight (due to terrorist risks) so it would've been more hassle than it was worth to try and bring Toby in (plus he really doesn't like driving in this extreme heat), so maybe we'll come back and explore a bit more next time we're in Vegas. Our tour guide Jerry was really informative and kept pointing out places of interest to us on the way home. He even stopped in near Boulder City at a place where bighorn sheep are frequently seen, but unfortunately for us there were none there today. We were home by 12.30pm so Ben settled in watching TV while I went and had a snooze. I was silly enough to let myself get dehydrated yesterday so I wasn't feeling too good today. Basically I didn't like the taste of the tap water so I didn't drink much and instead drank a heap of Gatorade (big mistake) which resulted in my first ever case of heartburn/indigestion last night (so not much sleep) and feeling hungover/dehydrated today - ugh, horrible. I usually drink a heap of water and rarely anything too sugary like gatorade or soda so my body didn't know what to do, and with the ridiculous heat factored on top of that as well, lets just say that it was not good! I can guarantee I will never do that again, it was not fun!!!! I ended up sleeping away most of the afternoon so we didn't head down to the strip till about 6.30pm. We used our dinner vouchers (thanks Worldmark!) and ate at Caesars Palace then went a-wandering down the strip again. It's so easy to lose track of time walking around and people watching - I just love it in Vegas, it's like nowhere else!!! :) We stood watching the Bellagio fountains a few times, I just love them too, they're so mesmerising. I'm pretty sure they're my favourite thing in the whole of Vegas! :) One of my favourite moments was when they played a song called "Proud to be an American" and everyone in the crowd was singing along, all the guys took their hats off and held them to their hearts, and once the fountains finished the cheering & wolf-whistling from the crowd was deafening. Americans are so patriotic, it was really touching to see! :) I really reckon Americans get a bad rap - everyone says they're meant to be loud, obnoxious so-called "bloody Yanks" - but I disagree - we've really found that not to be the case. Sure, I have no doubt that there are some out there (as there are loud & obnoxious Aussies, or any other nationalities for that matter!), but they're definitely the minority because honestly those that we have encountered have been such genuine & nice people. I can't understand where that misconception comes from...

Thursday 04.07.13:
Happy Independence Day! What a great day to be in America! :)
Today's our last day in Vegas & we're moving hotels one more time as Worldmark had no vacancy for tonight, so we were all packed up and moved out by midday. Since we had a few hours to kill before we could check in, we headed over to Maccas for lunch and to use their wifi to plan a few things. Walmart was right next door (oh how handy!) so we popped in to grab some more beer and ice to restock the esky and then we decided to head over and see if we could check in to our hotel. Toby however decided that it was simply too hot for him and once we got started and pulled out into the street he surged and then completely stalled - right in the middle of the road. Argh!!! Luckily Benny was driving and thinking fast, he was able to get us out of traffic and (just) into the driveway of a servo before Tobes fully conked out. After a couple of tense moments and unsuccessful engine cranks, he finally started up again and we were able to continue on to the hotel without further drama. We're staying at the Best Western Mardi Gras Inn tonight, which is basically off the strip in behind Wynn Casino. We had planned on going for a swim when we arrived but again the pool was in full sunlight so it was still too hot for me. Instead we soaked up the air con in our room and finalised bookings for our next week on the road (I know, how organised are we right?). We did a bit of research and we're pretty sure now that Toby suffered from vapor lock in the heat today. It's funny, if we hadn't done the trip to Monument Valley and had it happen to the tour vehicle we wouldn't even know a thing about vapor lock - and now we think its happening to us... We assume the fuel evaporated out of the lines while we were parked up at the shops so that's why he surged (trying to get enough gas through the lines) & then stalled pretty much straight away (can't get enough gas), but then started up again and was alright. I'm not 100% sure, but since there's nothing else wrong with him it seems to make the most sense. It's also apparently pretty common in older carbuerated engines when they get too hot - and it was about 45 degrees today. Later on we caught the hotel shuttle down to the strip and had dinner at a burger bar in Paris casino. It looked fantastic and promising but the food was actually pretty ordinary which was really disappointing. Afterwards it was almost time for the Caesars Palace 4th of July fireworks display so we set off to find a good vantage point to watch from. In the end we snuck up to the rooftop Chateau nightclub (at Paris casino) which is right opposite Bellagio and down from Caesars so it had a great view. The fireworks were pretty cool, and the best bit was that the Bellagio fountains started up right in time with the big finale so that was pretty spectacular to see :) When the fireworks were over we debated about whether or not to go over to Fremont Street (the original part of Vegas)... We both really wanted to check it out (since we didn't get over there last time) but it was hot, we were tired and there were a million people out and about.... In the end we decided to just bite the bullet since it was our last night here and head over there for a quick look and then call it a night. Well we should have realised that with such huge crowds out & about we were never going anywhere quickly lol. When we got on the bus we were literally standing shoulder to shoulder with everyone else and I'm sure that the bus WAS air conditioned but with so many people crammed on there and all that body heat it really didn't feel like it. It was so stifling and hot in there and I'm honestly surprised that no-one fainted - we both felt a bit woozy after the half hour trip was over and it was a relief to get off the bus and get some fresh air. I'm still glad that we went though because Fremont St is very cool. An outdoor concert had just finished so we were fighting masses of people trying to leave as we were arriving - again, not the best night to be out in Vegas huh. We had a little wander around and watched the famed light/music show and then decided to head home - neither of us was really in the mood for crowds of people by now - I was ready for a cool shower and bed. We walked down to the bus stop and stood there waiting in the middle of nowhere for what felt like forever (probably because we were so hot, tired and it was now midnight) - it was probably only half an hour though. When the bus came we were relieved and hopped on (with a stack of other people) only to realise we'd stepped right into the middle of an argument - basically there was one guy going off his nut at two other guys. To explain it to you properly I'll call the three main players 1, 2 & 3. Ok let me set the scene.... The bus is a "bendy bus" (you know, with two seating sections and a 'bendy' bit like an accordion in the middle) so we have hopped onto the back section and it's so chock-a-block we're literally just inside the door (if the driver opens the doors unexpectedly I'm a little worried I may actually fall out). Standing in front of us in the "bendy" middle section were two guys (2 & 3) who seemed to know each other as they were chatting and then sitting right behind us is another guy (1) who obviously has the problem & is talking trash to them. Because we just got on we have no idea who knows who, but that's how it seems to me. So 1 is yelling at 2 & 3 who are standing together ignoring him and laughing (so it seemed to me that they were getting along) so this ****** 1 off even more. I swear 1 knew only one word - mother______! Every second word out of his mouth was a curse word but this was his favourite. So by now they're all yelling at each other and then some parents with kids take offence to the swearing and tell him to be quiet which upsets him even more. 1: "There's kids on here? Yo that ain't my problem mother______. What the hell are kids doing on here? They should be home in bed mother______". You get the idea - this guy just wanted to fight someone... Because he was right behind us we were trying to make ourselves as small as possible and keep out of the way which was no easy task on an overcrowded late night bus. You know how you try and keep an eye on things so you can see when the knife gets pulled out, but you don't want to look like you're watching to keep the knife from being pulled on you? Yeah, well that's pretty much what we were doing. So there's lots of yelling going back and forth between 1 & 2 but 3 is laughing and seems to be backing 2 up. Eventually his stop came so 1 jumps off (as we practically press ourselves through the bus wall to let him past without incident), but instead of walking away he's standing outside the bus calling for 2 to get off and "settle things". Actually here's where I thought the knife/gun was really coming out. 1: "Get off and come out here you mother______". 2: "I ain't gunna fight you. Why would I fight you?". 1: "F___ off you mother______. This is my hood now get out here". 2: "Your hood? (laughs) You homeless dude, this ain't your hood". Finally the bus driver gets off and comes down to the back door, tells them both to shut up or everyone can get off. Since 1 is already off the bus, she tells 2 to cut it out and then off we go again leaving 1 at his stop. Now 2 & 3 are laughing and joking with 2 saying things like "He homeless, he got no hood. Who he think he is comin at me like that? Fool. You know, he from Detroit anyway, what he know bout nothin." And 3 is laughing along - everything seems rosy. So we're thinking "Phew, crisis averted, sigh of relief, we didn't get stabbed on the bus tonight!". A few minutes later we come to another stop and as 3 goes to get off he draws his arm back and slams 2 with a massive punch in the face and jumps off. Whoa, didn't see that one coming! So 2 has blood ******* out of him everywhere and 3 is now off the bus standing outside the doors taunting him with "Yo fool, my mothers from Detroit so you be disrespecting her too. What you think you can say stuff like that to me for?" And we're still crammed in the door of the bus between the two of them trying to stay out of the way but with nowhere to go. WTF!!!! Again this is where I thought someone's going to pull a knife/gun and this is just going to go from bad to worse..... 2 is still on the bus bleeding everywhere and kicking through the door at 3 so we're pressing back into the crowd as far as we can (trying to stay away from getting his blood on us or getting a kick in the face), 3 is still yelling **** from outside the bus and then finally the bus driver just takes off. I'm sure it all happened quickly but I truly felt like we were never going to leave. Longest couple of minutes of my life.... Now 2 is still bleeding everywhere and talking trash about 3 to anyone who'll listen - we're just trying to ignore him yet keep away eye on things coz who knows what will happen next?! So the next few minutes were a bit tense to say the least as he was (I assume) trying to save face and talking **** to anyone who would listen. Finally his stop arrives and he gets off without incident - I swear you could almost hear the sigh of relief and see everyone on the bus visibly relax. I had been pressed up against Ben trying to keep as far away from 2 and his blood spray as possible, so now we've both relaxed but haven't really moved yet... Next minute I feel a hot wet splash up my arm and left side. What the hell? We both spin around and see a girl behind us has spewed - and when I say spewed I mean projectile vomited. Somehow only Ben & I copped it (probably because she was behind us and we had absolutely no warning it was coming) so now we're both covered in red, chunky, beer/raspberry-smelling stinky spew - all down our arms, torso, legs and feet. Ugh so freaking disgusting. She was soo wasted I don't think she even had any idea that she'd spewed.... The silly cow and her semi-sober boyfriend didn't even bother to say so much as a sorry, just pushed past and hopped right off the bus straight afterwards. It was so, so gross, I'm gagging even as I write this, its so feral to even be covered in spew, let alone the spew of someone you don't even know!!! Yuck, yuck, yuck. Thank god it was only 4 stops till we had to get off. The worst part though is because of the heat (it was still in high 30's/low 40's around midnight) most of it had dried on us by the time we got off the bus and walked the block back to our hotel. Ugh. When we got back we literally just stepped into the shower fully clothed and scrubbed at everything with soap. There was just spew everywhere so there was nothing else we could do..... By the time we washed our clothes, cleaned ourselves up and crawled into bed it was coming up to 2am. We had planned to leave Vegas tomorrow and be on the road around 5-6am to beat the heat. With the temp being in the mid-high 40's Toby just can't cope so we'll try to be done driving before it gets too hot. However after the night we've just had, now neither of us is going to feel like getting up in 3-4hrs and driving so we decided to find a cheap hotel, relax, stay another night in Vegas and we'll hit the road on Saturday instead. I'm pretty sure this is a 4th of July we'll never forget!!

Friday 05.07.13:
Suffice to say neither of us were ready to get up when the alarm went off at 9am this morning. Last night feels like a bad dream, except, wait, no, there's our clothes hanging up to dry in the bathroom... After a bit of discussion we decided to just hit the road like we'd originally planned and see how far we get. I was nervous about how Toby would go because it was already so hot out, but after last night Ben just wanted to get out of here - "Vegas is telling us it's time to go!!" he says to me... So we didn't end up leaving until around 10am by then and Toby started having dramas pretty much as soon as we got out on the highway. Poor b*****, I bet he's never seen heat like this before in his life! We were reading that a combination of hot air temperature, high altitude and high engine temperature causes vapour lock so he simply can't get the power he needs to drive. The engine surged and almost stalled a few times, but Benny was amazing at keeping him going. Tobes had a bit of trouble with all of the long drawn out hill climbs so it was a bit of a tense drive wondering if we were going to make it, but we just took it easy and pulled over for a few rest stops to help him cool off which seemed to help. As soon as we got about an hour outside of Barstow it was like someone had flicked a switch and he was fine - yay! It was still quite warm but I think the drop in altitude definitely helped him! We pulled into Barstow/Calico KOA Campground (where we stayed last time) and set up and unpacked a few things. We had stuff just thrown in everywhere from staying in hotels for the last 2 weeks so it was nice to get that all sorted and put away where it belongs. Then it was time to hit the pool - it was so refreshing we hung out there all afternoon and didn't come home till about 7.30pm for dinner, a shower and then bed. Last time we stayed here there was a nice cool breeze at night so even though it was hot, it was pretty comfortable for sleeping. This time the temperature still dropped off (to about an overnight low of about 25 versus 38 in Vegas) but there was no breeze so it was hard getting to sleep and staying asleep which was a bit frustrating...

Saturday 06.07.13:
Woohoo, today we've been adventuring over here for 4 months now :)
Neither of us slept particularly well last night. I think it cooled off a bit around 4am which is when I feel like I finally fell asleep properly, only to have the alarm then going off at 6am... Ugh, it's not going to be pretty today (she says as she grabs some coffee and smiles crazily). Still, we had packed up, filled our water tanks, grabbed some fuel & then were on the road out of Barstow by 7.45am so we weren't doing too bad. Plus Toby was going great guns so far this morning :) We stopped for a stretch and a cold drink at Bakersfield (its hot again today) and then kept going to Fresno where we stopped for fuel. I think we stepped right out into the Bronx here coz we stood out so bad... For starters we had the wrong skin colour and we didn't have the rap music booming (and I mean BOOMING) from our car, bling round our necks and bandanas round our heads. Seriously I thought we'd driven into a hip hop music video!!! Everyone was eyeballing us so I reckon it was the fastest fill up we've ever done and we got out of there quick smart! We found a Walmart and grabbed some groceries (again we were pretty much the only non Hispanic people there) and then set off to find a camp. We had originally planned to stop in Fresno for the night and had already checked out a few RV places online beforehand. Once again now we see how deceiving the Internet really can be - the bright, pretty, clean areas on the RV park websites did not resemble the rundown trailer parks we saw before us. Sooo it was a pretty easy decision to keep heading towards Yosemite (tomorrows destination) and see what we come across instead. Adios Fresno!! On the way out of town we got cut off in traffic by a fire engine screaming past us. Once we got back out onto the freeway again we could see the smoke of the fire they were obviously heading towards. With big, thick, black plumes of smoke barrelling upwards, it was pretty mesmerising to watch - that is, until we got closer and could see that it was not an area of bushland alight like we had thought, but a residential area, and closer again where we could actually see the single house that was completely up in flames. It was so heartbreaking and horrible. The house was an absolute goner, someone's whole life up in flames & destroyed just like that. I just hope that there was no-one inside. I've never actually seen a house on fire in real life before and it's just so awful, it put us both in a sombre mood that's for sure... We came across South Yosemite KOA (about half an hour south of the entrance to Yosemite National Park) around 3pm and decided to pull in there for the night. Once we set up camp we hit the pool for a cool down - it's definitely much cooler here than Vegas or Barstow but still warm enough to swim - sooo nice and refreshing. After dinner we grabbed our camp chairs, skittles & drinks and hiked up to the on-site outdoor movie theatre (yes, outdoor movies, how awesome!!!) to watch the family friendly Saturday night movie Hatchi - a real life story of a man and his loyal dog. It really wasn't the most interesting movie I've seen but hey, it's not every night we get to see a movie for free while we're camped up so I was still excited! Gotta count your blessings huh. It was so nice and relaxing sitting out under the stars watching the movie, but towards the end I actually got a little chilly, so hopefully we should sleep a lot better tonight!

Sunday 07.07.13:
Happy big 4th birthday Nate :) xxx
Ohh it was such perfect weather for sleeping last night - cool enough to snuggle into the sheets a little bit, but not too cool - so we both had a bit of a sleep in this morning. We went for a morning swim, just because we could, and were packed up and on the road around 10.30am. The road into Yosemite National Park is just beautiful. It's a very hilly and windy road but the scenery is absolutely spectacular. They say there are so many car crashes on the roads through Yosemite because drivers are so distracted by the beautiful views surrounding them & after arriving here I totally believe it - we had a few near misses where cars drifted across their lane towards us while their drivers were gawking around... On the way we came up to one tunnel that said the height clearance at the kerb was 10ft 3in and I said to Ben "Ooh that getting a bit close to our height isn't it?". He goes "Nah we're right" and motors on through. Now when we first got Toby we were all organised and measured everything - I wrote it all down in a notebook so we could easily know our length, width and height clearances - until now we haven't needed it - I guess I should have written it on a post-it note and stuck it on the dash!! I had in my head we were 9ft something tall, close to 10ft, hence why I thought this tunnel was cutting it close. So then as we were going through the tunnel both of us were looking at each other thinking yeah this is a little tighter than any other of the others we've been through, but we made it all the way just fine. We arrived in Yosemite Valley (the most popular touristy area) around 12.30pm and parked Toby in the day use parking while we went exploring the village. We had a look in at the visitor centre, museum, art gallery, Indian village and had a pizza lunch at one of the loft eateries. Then we drove over to Lower Pines campground and checked in around 3pm. I had had a headache for most of the day so I went and had a little lay down once we were all set up. While I was resting, Ben tried to fix his flat bike tire with 'tire goo' - you just squeeze it inside the tire tube and roll it all around so it spreads over the inside, creating a new layer and sealing any leaks. But when the goo just came oozing straight back out again we discovered he actually had a busted tube, so no more biking for us till we replace it. Which is a shame really because the valley here is so scenic and flat it's the most perfect place for riding around and taking in the views. Around 4.30pm we caught the free shuttle back into the village and checked out the sports shop to see if they had spare tire tubes. They had heaps in stock, just not the size we needed - Benny's bike is a big 29' cruiser and all they had were 24' or 26' tubes (the most common sizes) so no luck there. We had a little wander around the stores checking everything out, then got back on the shuttle to Curry Camp near us. They have bike rentals there so we thought that they might be able to help us... But no luck there either so we wandered through their little village checking out the store and eateries before walking back home. The scenery here is so amazing - every which way you turn around it pretty much takes your breath away. I know that sounds cliche but I find myself constantly saying "Oh wow, look at that. Oh Ben, turn around and look at that" etc etc. It's beautiful, you'll have to come and see it yourself! After dinner a park ranger came around to tell us she would be doing a presentation at 8.30pm at the amphitheatre, so we headed over there when it was time. It was mostly just about how to stay safe during your visit to the park and info about the work that the search and rescue teams do, which I found really interesting. Also, FYI when we arrived at camp I double checked our height & I have our safe clearance written down at 10ft, so it turns out that the tunnel was pretty close after all!!!!!

Monday 08.07.13:
Ahh we both had such a great sleep last night because it was sooo much cooler here. I didn't get up till 9.30am and even Ben slept in till 8am (which really is quite a sleep in for him). Today we had planned on driving out of the valley to one of the first come, first serve campgrounds, but after staying here last night & seeing how nice it is we decided we wouldn't mind staying for another night. When we originally booked our site we could only get in for the one night as it's 'summer break' (school holidays) over here and all of the campgrounds down in the valley are hugely popular so they're almost all fully booked out. So this morning we headed over to campground reservations to see if there had been any cancellations for tonight, but no such luck. It turned out that all of the sites were still fully booked and there were already 18 people on the wait list in case of any cancellations so we decided to stick to our original plan and headed back to camp to pack up. We drove Tobes over and parked him in the day parking area then set off down the trail to the lower Yosemite Falls. It only took us 5mins to walk to the falls and they were really pretty, but you should have seen how many people were actually climbing up & around the surrounding rocks, so silly - you can see how easily a lot of people get hurt here by falling down. Still, it was really nice to see the falls in action, another few months and they usually dry up until the winter snow melts again. My only complaint was that there were waay too many people around for my liking - the downside of visiting a popular national park in the peak summer period I guess! We were walking back along the trail to the visitors centre when we came across a family stopped looking into the bush. Then the little girl spins around to us with a big grin and points under the nearest tree "Rattlesnake!!!". Sure enough, there was a rattlesnake - slowly heading in the opposite direction thank goodness. I am petrified of snakes but even I have to admit it was still pretty cool to see one, it's just so fascinating to see wildlife here that we don't get at home. Still, I made sure I kept my distance and was ready to get out of there well before Benny was - I mean there's only so much snake watching I can handle before I'm totally creeped out! We then had a quick stop in at one of the eateries for lunch before heading back to Toby & hitting the road. It's such a gorgeous drive through the park & it amazes me that the scenery is constantly changing. Just when you think you've seen all of the faces of Yosemite, you come around another bend in the road and see something different again. Just beautiful. We took our time, stopping at a few viewpoints along the way for photos and arrived at Tuolumne Meadows Campground around 4pm. There were so many idiots on the roads, either speeding through the park trying to overtake on blind corners, or too busy watching the sights around them instead of where they were meant to be going... Scary, but we made it here in one piece so it's all good. Toby has driven like a dream for the last 2 days so we are confident that he was just having trouble with the heat and vapour lock in Vegas. We did a lot of big hills through the park yesterday & today and he went like a machine, no dramas at all - yay!! :) We're at 8000ft elevation at the moment so it's a lot cooler here - I think I may actually even need a jumper tonight. When we checked into the campground the ranger warned us to be very aware as there's been a lot of bear activity lately, so we're hoping that we see some tonight!!!! There's a gas station, store and grill (takeaway shop) just near our campground and also a free shuttle that does a loop of the areas' main attractions which is great. We're staying here for 2 nights so once we had set up camp we walked up to check out the store & grab some firewood, then came back and spent the night relaxing by the campfire. As nice as the last 2 weeks have been staying in hotels, it's so relaxing and nice to be back camping - there's just nothing like it :)

Tuesday 09.07.13:
Happy Birthday to our Indonesian brother Andi. Hope you have a fantastic day :) xxx
Frustratingly, I had one of those nights last night where you can't shut off your brain and you struggle to fall asleep.... I think I was subconsciously too excited about bear spotting and listening out for 'bear noises' haha. I swear I was just drifting off to sleep & then the sun was coming up so I had a bit of a sleep in. When I woke up I sang out to Ben "Hey, what's the time?" and he replied "Almost 10 o'clock" - well I nearly fell out of bed. It's quite shady from the trees and cool in our campsite (so great sleeping conditions) and I was thinking it looked like it was about 8am, not that late... Wrong haha!! So after a late brekky we walked down to the visitor information centre to have a look and then set off for a walk through the meadows. Sorry, no, a hike. Apparently you don't walk over here, you hike. At the visitor centre everyone kept saying "Oh have a nice hike then" and Ben and I were looking at each other thinking "Ah we're just going for a little walk" haha. The meadows are so beautiful & picturesque - I felt like we were walking through a postcard. I was reading at the visitor centre that the meadows are covered in snow for about 8 months of the year before the snow melts and in May-June they become a big lake. Then the grasses start to grow through the water so by July-Aug it's a big green meadow & then before the snow comes the meadows turn brown as everything dries out. Then it snows again and the cycle continues... It would be pretty amazing to see the landscape through all of the different phases - it's so pretty and green at the moment, it's hard to imagine it as brown and dried out or covered in snow/water. Nature is very cool. To begin our "hike", we went up to Soda Springs for a look - it's basically a natural spring so the water was randomly bubbling up through the red dirt which looked pretty cool. Originally we'd only planned to walk to Soda Springs, but it only took us a half hour (we thought it was further away than what it actually was) and we weren't ready to go home yet so we kept exploring. We then ended up doing the trail to Dog Lake which was quite pretty & looked really refreshing but the water was still pretty cold - it's funny to think that it was snow not all that long ago... Then we looped back up & around Lembert Dome which was a long drawn out hill climb so that was definitely our workout for the day. It was around this point that we both heard our phone text message tone go off. As Ben started digging through the backpack for the phone, I said to him "Oh that'll probably be Mum just making sure we're still good to meet them in Reno tomorrow & pick them up from the airport". He read the text, burst out laughing and without a word, handed me the phone. Well it was from Mum alright - "Hi kids, just seeing where you are? We're just about to board our flight now. Are you still right to pick us up from the airport. Can't wait to see you in a few hours. Xxxx". Whoops!!! Here we are halfway up a mountain in the middle of Yosemite National Park and it turns out that we're actually meant to be in Reno today!? Haha! We had it written down that we're heading to Reno tomorrow, so it looks like we're a day behind... Too funny. So I'm not sure how that happened but it's all good, mum & dad sorted out another lift from the airport & now we'll see them tomorrow (just like WE had always planned haha). We had only planned on doing the loop around Lembert Dome, but we got to the trailhead where you could go to the top and it really wasn't much further up. We figured we'd already done the hard yards and we may as well enjoy the view, so up we went. And what a view, it was gorgeous up there. You could climb all the way to the very tip but that was a bit hardcore for me, I was happy sitting where I was waaay back from the edges thank you very much. It was so pretty up there we ended up staying there for an hour or so just soaking up the sun & scenery. We met another couple from Melbourne up there and had a chat to them, then decided we should probably be heading back. We stopped by the store for some more firewood on our way past and headed back to camp to relax. I think we're both going to be quite sore tomorrow, it turned into a decent hike today after all - we should sleep well tonight!!! :)

Much love till next time,
(a very tired) Benny & Loz
xxxxx

PS: Sorry for the photo overload - I literally already had to whittle it down from about 900 photos & when you have such amazing subjects like Hoover Dam, Vegas & Yosemite it's hard to take a bad picture - I definitely struggled to choose which ones to upload this week :)