Technically this makes it three states in just three days. Moving right along… Today’s highlight was the Hoover Dam. It never ceases to amaze, and it’s no wonder it’s listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World. And now with the almost-completed Hoover Dam Bypass bridge it can add another notch to it’s belt of impressive man-made structures. Further down the road we stopped at an old diner along Route 66 for some grub and ice cold homemade root beer!
A brief stint in the beautiful *ahem* Barstow KOA, and then off to Vegas. Not many pics of Vegas this time around (and you wouldn’t want pics of Barstow), but below are a couple shots of the really cool architecture of the City Center complex. Walking through that place seriously felt like walking through a living and breathing Dali painting, and it actually made me appreciate Vegas again believe it or not.
A hike out to Lost Horse Mine, and then some boulder climbing in this very surreal landscape! Unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. If you haven’t been here before, I highly recommend you take the time to check it out.
After getting turned away from the Lake Cachuma campgrounds due to the fact that “the lake is on fire,” according to one highway patrol officer, we quickly formulated a backup plan to stay at night on the beach just north of Ventura. The next morning we took a boat ride out to Santa Cruz Island for a scenic hike along the coast line. After losing the trail back we had to forge our own path through a river bed and rely on our impeccable sense of direction to get us back to the pier in time for the last departing boat of the day. Luckily we made it back with a few minutes to spare. It would have been a cold, lonely and hungry night on that island.
A strenuous 5-miles hike to the top of The Pinnacles via the Bear Gulch Caves, followed by Anderson’s famous Split Pea Soup.
