What happened in Vegas?? Who knows?!

It was time for the next leg of our American tour for Phil and I.. we'd be hiring a car from Las Vegas and making a 6 hour drive north into California.

Having not driven for the past 5 or so, then jumping into a car that has a steering wheel where it shouldn't be and then driving the damn thing on the opposite side of the road was always going to be interesting to begin with. Driving out of a busy Vegas where there must be like a zillion lanes was entertaining but I came through it unscathed, and before we knew it we'd escaped the bright lights and were making our way through the middle of the desert.. Death Valley to be exact. Escaping the 44 degree heat we'd been enduring was a little more difficult, the desert was sizzling.. praying for no breakdowns!

The contrast of where we'd been for the previous 5 days to what we were driving through couldn't have been more drastic. Think movie scene, the credits rolling, and a car driving on an deserted road that stretches long as far as the eye can see into far away mountains.. that was us!

It was only until we'd crossed the border into California that the scenery began to change.. greener, prettier, more mountainous, some snow-capped, and the temperature decreasing.

Our digs for the next 3 days was a town in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of Mono County called Mammoth Lakes, on the fringes of Yosemite National Park. It is home to a large ski resort, yet there are many other outdoor activities which can be enjoyed here too.

You get a Swiss Alps vibe from it.. wooden clad chalets nestled in the hills inbetween large pine tree forests, only dwarfed by the surrounding snow-capped mountains, some of which are volcanic.. and active. The chalet style theme followed suit inside our hotel.. a large open-plan lobby fit with huge fireplace led to the second storey supported by wooden beams overhead which overlooked the entrance.

After a beer and burger in the hotel restaurant that was us done for the night to get some well earned shut eye following a long drive.

Feeling recharged after a good kip and a hearty breakfast we decided to check out what Mammoth Lakes had to offer. Littered with dozens of hiking trails we were spoilt for choice. We chose two of the main hotspots - Devils Postpile National Monument and Rainbow Falls.

The short hike wasn't particularly hard but the heat made it tough going. Not only has the heat been a cause for drought in the surrounding areas but it also ignited a huge forest fire in Yosemite while we were there, fortunately far enough away from us. However, after only a few days it had ripped through 108 million trees.. and counting! We may have been many miles away but a distinct smell of burning could be smelt in the air.

The Devils Postpile is an unusual rock formation of columnar basalt
formed less than 100,000 years ago when a cooling lava flow cracked into multi-sided symmetrical columns some 60ft high, parts of which were twisted and folded like hot metal bars.

It wasn't the only unusual thing, much of the Inyo National Forest had been wiped out, trees lay dead flat on the ground. We were told a supposed freak act of God or "sonic boom" hit the area several years ago tearing down masses of forestation in one hit, and due to the park having a "no chainsaw policy" the trees have been left there ever since.

Beauty was restored by following the San Joaquin River which led us to the stunning Rainbow Falls.. a 101ft waterfall which does exactly what it says on the tin. Gushing water from the vertical drop combined with sunlight shoots stunning rainbows up into the mist. BIG WOW!!

Having made our way back to Mammoth Lakes on the shuttle bus we jumped straight on a cable car to take us to the summit of Mammoth Mountain.. a lava dome complex 3,371 metres above sea level. A bright sunny day made for some incredible panoramic views over the Californian ranges and into the town below.

A few lively afternoon beers in the German-styled Yodler Bar back at ground level was the perfect reward for a good day of hiking. We added a few more scoops when venturing into the upmarket Mammoth Lakes Village where a Reggae Festival was being hosted in the main plaza.. it was pretty chilled but there was a good vibe knocking around.

Saturday was the day we chose to visit Yosemite National Park. We were only 60km from the centre, yet the only route we could take was the scenic route around the mountains - over 3 hours drive. Annoying, but in the end, a blessing in disguise. Needless to say, it was an early start for us as the park can get extremely busy, especially at weekends. We were on our way around 7.00am after a quick breakfast in an American diner.

We'd constantly been on the look out for the likes of bears and rattlesnakes ever since we arrived.. we were told there was around 42 bears in the Mammoth area but we hadn't sited any yet. Although, apparently on our last night a bear was roaming around in the parking lot while we were asleep.

We definitely saw a deer, more up close than we wanted though. In fact, it could have ended up over the car bonnet had I not slammed on the breaks. Seriously close!!!!

The 6 hours that followed after turning left at the humongous Mono Lake into the National Park were filled with some of the most extraordinary and breathtaking scenery I've ever seen! I really can't begin to explain and put into words just how beautiful Yosemite is.. an endless reel of the most stunningly dreamy lakes, forests, valleys and mountains.

Ellery Lake, situated by the side of a mountain as we drove through was a prime example of this. Too beautiful to miss we hit the breaks and pulled into a lay-by to take a closer look. We were greeted by a perfectly still surface which created a mesmerising mirror image of everything above. It looked like glass, like someone had completely turned the mountain upside down. Amazing!

The highlight was probably high up on Glacier Point.. a viewpoint which overlooks every aspect of Yosemite Valley with a mind blowing view of the Half Dome Mountain.. named by its shape. In fact the whole experience of driving through the park was an unbelievable highlight.

A long drive for this amount of time would normally bore me to tears but the unbelievable picturesque nature of what we were driving through made it an absolute joy and something I'll never ever forget, made even more special by being able to share the experience with one of my best mates. Undoubtedly one of the most jaw-dropping places I've ever visited!

Tomorrow morning will be another very early start for us.. we've a long drive to the city I'm probably most excited to see.. San Francisco!

Cyaaaa xx