Thanks

The big adventure is over! It was the trip of a lifetime and something our family will hopefully remember forever.

The MARS team would like to say a huge thank-you to all of those who helped make our trip extra special.

Thanks Andrew for dropping us off and picking us up from Auckland airport. Great job, you made it real easy.
Thanks John and Tanya, Fiona and Wayne and Kev and Kathy for picking us up, dropping us off, running us around, giving us your advice, feeding us and hosting us in your homes. You guys were awesome and were three special highlights in our 6 weeks away. We very much appreciate it. Cheers.

See you all when you return home for summer, and we'll catch up over a Mac's and a barbie.

Thanks too, to those who posted comments on the blog and sent emails and texts. It was great to hear from you and to keep in touch with what was going on at home. Very cool ta.

The home run

Thursday 6th Dec.
The last day of the big adventure. We raced to Disneyland at 9 to catch the early opening for "hopper pass" holders with the idea that we'd do the biggest rides without waiting in a cue. Unfortunately they only opened half of the park and it wasn't the half we wanted to go to. So we had to settle for another Space Mountain ride and another Buzz Lightyear ride. So we farewelled Disneyland and headed across the courtyard to California Adventure Park. This park is only new and has some rides more suitable for older kids. We went straight to the roller-coaster called California Screaming but unfortunately it was out of service so we had to take the ferris wheel which was a bit lame. The coaster got fixed soon after so were able to take a couple of rides and it was great. Shari and Adam also went on the tower drop ride and we all had a couple of goes on the white water rafting ride where we got soaked through.
About 4 we had to cut a track for the airport and prepare for the long flight home. It was great to hear kiwi (and Aussie) accents in the line-up to get on the plane and we knew it would be great to get home and see everyone and sleep in our own beds but we were all unanimous that if we had the choice we'd love to keep travelling for a bit longer... but 12 hours and 2 minutes later we were landing in Auckland (at sunrise) and it looked fantastic. The air is so clear you can actually see the horizon!
Andrew picked us up and took us back to Ngatea and then we drove back to Waihi. After a whole night without sleep it was just as well it was only a half hour drive!
It was a beautiful day and we had a BBQ for dinner... until it started to rain! Aaah, it's great to be home.

Disneyland and California Adventure Park

We had breakfast in Downtown Disney with the idea of getting an early start at Disneyland and not having too long a wait at the Finding Nemo ride... it seemed that so did quite a few other people... It was a lot busier today than yesterday for some reason? So today we tried to finish off the rides we missed yesterday which unfortunately included a 65 minute wait in a line for Finding Nemo, which was an OK ride but probably not worth the wait? Adam managed to get back on Space Mountain and Reid got back to Buzz Lightyear.

After we'd "done Disney" we walked straight across the courtyard, in the place here the carpark used to be to California Adventure Park. We only managed about an hour there but It looks pretty good and attractions are themed on a more current and modern set of movies and TV shows. We got to hug Sully from Monster's Inc. and see the Bug's Life 4D show.
We then raced back into Disneyland to see the Christmas Parade which was very well done. The parade was followed by the famous fireworks display, which lived up to its billing.

Sadly tomorrow is the last day of our Big Adventure... we'll be mostly at California Adventure Park for the day and finally catching a cab to the airport at 5pm for our flight home :-(
Mark

Disneyland at last

Visiting Disneyland was the original reason for our trip. We were supposed to be just spending a week in LA and then heading home....
Well we finally made it, and it wasn't a let-down. We had a great time checking out all the rides and character/movie themed attractions. The weather was great and the crowd was small. Adam and I liked Space Mountain the best, Reid like Buzz Lightyear and Shari liked Matterhorn. It's a Small World was all done up in Christmas mode and is always a winner. We got around most of the rides before we left for the day as the queues weren't too bad at all. 30 minutes was about the longest we had to wait.




We had to leave by cpm so we could make it to Medievil times for the 7pm show. They asked us to be there by 5.30 so they could "get us seated". It turns out that it's just to get you there and waiting in the gift store for an hour and a half before the show starts so you'll buy lots of goodies. The show was excellent though and the food pretty good. The kids got right into it, cheering for "our" night and following the story.
It was a very exciting day, and pretty full-on, and there'll be more of the sane tomorrow...
Mark

Universal Studios - Hollywood

Universal Studios has quite a few new rides since Shari and I were there 13 years ago. Sadly "Back to the Future" is gone, as is "ET" but they've been replaced by more current movie themed rides like "Jurassic Park" and "The Mummy". Jurassic Park was our first stop as it had been recommended to us. It lived up to its billing but the kids hated the "drop" at the end so we couldn't convince them to go around again (or go on the Mummy ride). We managed to get around all the attractions easily in a day because there was no queuing at all on any ride - fantastic! Shari and I did the Mummy ride on our own, in fact when I did it I was the only person in my "vehicle". The boys loved the Waterworld show and the Animal Actors show and were quite impressed with Shrek 4D. Shari liked Jurassic Park the most and I was most impressed with Terminator 3D! Terminator used a combination of 3D video, live special effects and live actors with great sound and lights - it was really well done.
We all like the good old Blues Brothers musical review too - an oldie but a goodie.
We met a nice English couple with two boys just a wee bit younger than ours who happen to be staying in our hotel. They live in Stevenage which is just up the road from where we used to work back in 1994 and they've been away for 6 weeks like us, visiting Australia and New Zealand. They've just come from NZ where they visited friends who live just south of Katikati. It's a small world after all...
Mark

Adam at Legoland

This morning we took a bus to a ticketing agent where we paid for our legoland tickets!!!!!! From there we took another bus to Legoland California. The ride was an hour long, once we got to Legoland our bus driver got our tickets for us. We rushed in and immediately found a life sized Lego Darth Vader with R2-D2 and a Lego light saber on a pole so that when you held it it looked like you're fighting Darth Vader with R2-D2. I then dragged Mum, Dad and Reid into miniland where major U.S cities have been reproduced into giant lego models. There were really cool rides like seats on giant mechano arms, a dragon roller coaster, a boat ride on which you squirt the audience, a roller coaster that goes around some Lego dinosaurs, a Lego technic roller coaster and a boat ride around some national icons made into Lego models like the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, Mount Rushmore and the Sydney Opera House.
see ya next time,
Adam.

LegoLand California

Wow - what a blast. Today we spent all day at LegoLand California which is about an a hour south of Los Angeles. It was incredible and Adam and Reid just loved it. The Lego characters they've created are amazing. I think the highlights were the rides like the roller-coasters and Miniland which is a world (mostly American) icons created out of Lego, such as the Sydney Opera House, New York City, San Francisco, New Orleans, Mt Rushmore and Las Vegas. It's hard to describe so best to check the photos.
Mark

Vegas to Los Angeles

Today was spent cleaning out the RV and delivering it back to Road Bear in the morning. They took us to the airport and we waited there for our flight which was delayed an hour. We had an interesting time at Airport Security as were randomly selected for a thorough search. The security ladies were really good about it and chatted and joked with the kids the whole time - it was pretty painless and Adam and Reid thought it was a bit special. When we got to LA we saw that our check-in luggage had been searched too.
On arriving in LA we grabbed a shuttle to Anaheim and were dropped off at our hotel. After dinner we all had a spa. At 9.30 we could hear the Disney fireworks booming across the sky. On top of that they set off three car alarms outside our room so we had quite the musical chorus going for a while.

Completeing the loop back to Las Vegas

FRIDAY 30th
Much to our surprise we heard rain on the roof of the RV last night. Unfortunately it was still going in the morning so we took a quick look over the side of the Canyon to see what it looked like in the rain but really only saw cloud! So, we needed to make a decision about whether or not to visit the Hualapai Sky Walk later in the day on our way back to Vegas – and the weather kind of made the decision for us. Plus the fact that it was going to cost us $NZ400 and it was about a 2 hour drive off the main road to get there. So we decided to flag it and head for Hoover Dam. Our vehicle was stopped just short of the dam for a security check and then we headed down to Hoover for a look. The place is a mad house! It was mid-week, off-season and raining and it was teaming with people – it’s just a dam for goodness sake! They’ve built a huge visitor centre there and really made the place a major tourist attraction.
We decided to head straight for Vegas after the Dam and got there about 3. It was still raining so we checked into Sam’s RV Park which is right across the road from where we have to drop the RV back to tomorrow.
I have to say that the RV experience in the USA was the best we’ve done – the great roads, infrastructure and wide open spaces make it a very fun experience. And the kids loved it.
Mark

Grand Canyon hike

THURSDAY 29th
We had the heater going all night so it was a pretty warm night and a lot easier to get out of bed. We had a morning of chores – I emptied the grey and black water from the RV (oh joy) and we did a heap of washing. We decided to take the Bright Angel Trail down into the Canyon mid-morning. It was a three mile hike (and we dropped about 2000ft) from the top to the second rest station which had a great lookout point. We had a snack at the bottom and then headed back up. The kids just trundled along without complaint and we overtook heaps of people on the way up. Reid started to flag a wee bit near the top – but he’d run most of the way down so it wasn’t surprising.
Back at the summit we saw a family of deer grazing in the bush near our RV. We took the shuttle bus to the east after a recharge snack and stopped at a few overlooks to check the view. We took a one mile hike along the canyon rim from the “Abyss” to Hopi Point as our final deed for the day. We’d walked a total of seven miles during the day and it was fair to saw were all a bit knackered but we’d had a great day and really felt like we’d seen plenty of the Grand Canyon. We decided to stay another night at the Canyon and head off early tomorrow to find the Hualapai Skywalk.
Mark

Thanks Walmart

WEDNESDAY 28th
After a good night’s sleep in the Walmart carpark we drove back to the Glen Canyon Dam for a brief look then headed off to Antelope Canyon. The whole Page area is on a Navajo reservation so there are lots of native American Indians around the place – the Navajo have run tours into Antelope Canyon, you can’t hike it independently. So we took the tour – with Mary, out Indian tour guide – and she took us on the back of her pickup up a dry river wash to the slot canyon called Antelope Canyon. This is one of the most spectacular and photogenic canyons in the region when the light is right. Unfortunately mid summer is the best time, not mid Autumn but it was still awesome and we managed to get some OK photographs. We were the only group there which was wonderful, in the summer there are hundreds of people in the canyon at any one time – it must be hideous!
After Antelope we drove off south to Vermilion Cliffs for lunch and Sharon bought some authentic Navajo jewellery at a roadside stall at Cliff Dwellings.
We arrived at Grand Canyon at about 4pm and stopped at a couple of vista points but it was very hazy although Adam and Reid were overawed by the immensity of the canyon. We checked into a trailer park and discovered that the temperature was predicted to drop to -7 Deg C overnight…
Mark

Bryce - 8000ft up!

TUESDAY 27th
Brrrrr – the outside temperature plunged to a chilly –13 deg. C last night. It caught us by surprise because the day had been quite mild, but we’d climbed 4000 ft from Zion to be nearly 8000 ft above sea level at River View RV Park in Hatch, Utah where we stayed the night. It was hard to prise everyone out of bed but once the sun came up it was quite nice again. We headed on up towards Bryce Canyon after breakfast and out first stop was Red Canyon which lived up to its name especially in the early morning light.
Bryce was a further 15km east and we arrived about 10am at the visitor centre to work out our plan for the day. We drove south into the park and stopped at some stunning view points. We saw a chipmunk and a Stellar’s Jay at our second stop which was quite a treat. It was fantastic to be at a special place like Bryce Canyon at this time of year when there are hardly any people and you can walk the trails in peace, especially if you get off to an early start like we try and do.
We ventured into Bryce Canyon proper from Sunset Point and walked the Navajo and Queen’s Garden Trails tp pop back out of the Canyon two hours later at Sunrise Point.
The walk was just stunning – one of the best we’ve ever been on and would rank up there with Milford Track (although the scenery is a complete contrast) with the backlit hoodoos and cypress trees providing a spectacular scene. The kids thought it looked like a Star Wars movie set – in certainly was surreal.
We trucked off back south to find a place to stay later in the afternoon, passing through Kanab and crossing the Colorado River near Page (Lake Powell) and found that US wide you can stay at Walmart carparks for free (Walmart is “The Warehouse” of the USA – but with a bit more class). They have no services but you can pull up and stay the night – no problem. So that worked out well for us as we were able to stock up on essentials for the rest of the trip.
Mark

Zion National Park - Peace...

MONDAY 26th
A fresh start to the day with the temperature around zero and the sky clear and blue. We drove north up to the head of the Zion Canyon to take the riverside walk. It was a beautiful half hour stroll up the banks of the Virgin River, which has cut a deep, sheer chasm in the colourful sandstone. There were still autumn leaves on the trees in the valley floor and the low sun angle gave some spectacular shows of colour. After the riverside walk we headed back south and walked the more strenuous Hidden Canyon Trail. The trail climbed in a zig-zag, about 1000ft up the main canyon wall, then branched off to the hidden Canyon. At times we were holding a chain as we traversed the cliff track cut into the canyon wall – there was no safety rail. The boys did really well and the views from the top were outstanding and well worth the walk. The light in the canyon was just amazing – the low sun strikes one wall while the other is in complete shadow except for the red coloured reflected light bouncing off the light side of the canyon. Great for photography if you can time your visit right.
After the walk we had to head to the Zion Lodge to arrange an escort through a tunnel. The initial section of road that took us east toward Bryce Canyon is an incredible drive but the one mile tunnel was built in the 30s for far smaller cars than those that use it today. The park service close the tunnel to allow large vehicles like our RV to drive through right on the centreline avoiding hitting the roof or walls.
Once out of Zion Park we drove off toward Bryce Canyon stopping for gas and then finally at an RV park in a town called Patch. The towns all look very dodgy out here – I’m sure you can hear the banjos as you pass through – but Patch looked reasonably OK and the camp was very basic but had electrical hookup which was a bonus.
Mark

Gettin' away from it all

SUNDAY 25th
After checking out of Excalibur we had to venture out on the freeway in the RV this morning! It’s a bit of a beast with a V8 engine that’s very scary on fuel. The speed limit is 75 mph on a lot of the roads in Utah and Nevada but 75 (that’s 124 km/h) in a camper is a bit frightening so we’ve been cruising at 65 and getting overtaken by everyone. We saw two car crashes today too which were quite sobering and made me decide to stay at 65. So we headed north from Vegas on the I15 toward Salt Lake City but turned off the freeway, east to Zion National Park. Shari and I missed Zion on our 1994 trip so we’re quite keen to check it out this time. We arrived at about 3.30 and checked into the National Park campground and got our permits organised for some hiking tomorrow. The drive in was quite spectacular – it’s great to be away from the crowded city!
Mark

Gettin' to the bottom of the Canyon

SATURDAY 24th
Another early start (at the hotel buffet) to get ready to be picked up for our flight in to the Grand Canyon. The bus took us 25 minutes out to Boulder City where Papillon Tours are based. After a short briefing we took off toward the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the Canyon. It was a spectacularly scenic 25 minute flight that also took us past the Hualapai Skywalk – we actually flew below it. We stopped for about 30 minutes for a picnic at the bottom of the Canyon before heading back to Boulder. It was a great trip – Shari and the boys had front seats so they got a wonderful view and it was a gorgeous day.
When we got back to Vegas I had to dash away and pick up the RV. This took a wee while but was pretty easy. Shari and the boys visited the Shark Bay aquarium at Mandalay Bay Hotel and reckoned it was pretty good. We had dinner at the Luxor Hotel buffet which is right next door to Excalibur – Reid fell asleep at the dinner table.
It’s interesting that every hotel seems to be staffed by Mexicans. I guess it’s a similar situation to the eastern Europeans staffing the hotels in England? There were also heaps of Mexican tourists.
Mark

Viva Las Vegas

Our flight from Chicago was at 7.10am, meaning a very early start from Milwaukee. The alarm went at 3am and we drove the rental car back to Chicago. The flight to Las Vegas gave interesting views of the continent and it was easy to see the extent of the recent snow.
We gained 2 hours by switching to Pacific Time in Las Vegas. It was easy to get a shuttle to Excalibur Hotel where we were staying. After checking in we took a walk along the Strip to investigate the other themed hotels. New York New York, Venice and Caesar’s Palace stood out. It was interesting that all of the Casinos were very easy to get in to but it was really tricky to find your way out – no coincidence I’m sure!
There have been many changes since we were here in 1994 and the place is still growing at a rapid rate. It felt really busy to us, but a taxi driver commented to me that “Thanksgiving weekend was really slow for Las Vegas” – I’d hate to be there when it was crowded then!
Mark

Back to Las Vegas.

Today we woke up really warm and toasty for once. We soon discovered that it was RAINING IN THE GRAND CANYON!!!!!!!! Apparently it only rains 5 times a year in Arizona and we were there for one of those days!!! Once we were done we drove for 2 hours and a stop for lunch until we stopped at the Hoover dam. we then drove across and parked the R.V on the Navada side, thats right, the dam separate Arizona and Navada!!!!!! Then we walked across and back in the rain. halfway across I jumped from Navada to Arizona and back again yelling the name of each state as I landed in that area. Then we drove all the way back to Las Vegas and stayed in 1 of many R.V parks.

Adam

Hiking Bright Angel Trail.

Today we walked halfway down the Grand Canyon, 3 miles zigzagging down the slope!!! The walk was very easy going down but not so easy going up as the track was very bumpy and in some spots steep. It was very exhausting but we managed it easier than we would have 5 years ago. After the walk I felt like a nice cold chocolate milkshake but got a sprite instead. Once we were ready to leave for some lookouts, we saw some Deer! There was 1 female, 1 male and 1 Fawn, a baby Deer. We got to the lookouts easily enough and were stunned by the wonderful views.

Adam

Grand canyon! (again.)

First off today we went into Navajo (Nav-a-ho) land where we saw a place called antelope canyon. (A slot canyon.) Our tour guide pointed out all of the interesting rocks one looked like Sid from Ice Age, one looked like King Kong, there was also a nose, a foot and a bear. Once we had done there we left for the most significant and enormous crack ever seen by mankind, the Grand Canyon!!! (Again.) Once there we looked at the view from a tower and settled in for the night in one of the R.V parks scattered around the Grand Canyon.

27/11/07
last night it reached negative 13 deg C, so cold that the water in R.V’s tanks froze solid, it hurt to stand on the lino and when I woke up I counted my toes and fingers to make sure that they hadn’t fallen off. Once it had warmed up a few degrees we left for a place called Bryce Canyon. Once we reached there we discovered that it was around 8000 feet above sea level, hard to believe when we found out it used it to be an ocean in prehistoric times. The rock formations (Hoodoos.) were Amazing!!! In fact they were too awesome to explain so look at the photos at left for an idea of how awed I was. That night we stayed in a Wal-mart car park for free!!!!!