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USA
August 4th - 23rd 2017
Eclipse on August 21st 2017
This eclipse was not only beautiful but so rich in terms of adventures. Eclipses tend to occur during school time so our travels tend to be limited. However in 2017 the total solar eclipse took place during the summer holidays, and we made the most of it, driving over 3,000 miles around the US!
DAY 1
August 4th
We landed at the end of the day in Las Vegas. It felt surreal to see all those lights in the night. We were jet lagged so spent the evening walking around.
DAY 2
August 5th
Today we had a very packed day! We visited the luxurious Bellagio hotel, the Hersham chocolate factory, tried all the soda combinations offered at the coca-cola museum, had a little chocolate indulgence at the M&M's store and admired the Eiffel Tower. All in one day!
DAY 3
August 6th
We were so jetlagged!! Our day started at 5am at Fat Burger…. We continued exploring the City of Sins and had spaghetti in “Venice” followed by a gondola ride. In the evening we went for a Cirque du Soleil show and ended the day by admiring the Bellagio dancing fountain.
DAY 4
August 7th
We left Las Vegas in the morning to drive to the Grand Canyon. On the way, we stopped at the breathtaking Hoover Dam. It seems surreal that it was built in the 1930s and is still the second-biggest dam in the US. The reservoir it created is still the nation’s biggest by water capacity! We then headed to the impressive West Wim Trail. Being on the Grand Canyon Skywalk, lost among the rusty red rocks was magical and addictive, I didn’t want to leave!! But the journey to the historic El Tovar hotel was still long…
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DAY 5
August 8th
Today we explored the Grand Canyon by foot and then by helicopter. I felt dwarfed by those majestic rocks. I couldn’t stop taking pictures all day, in particular around sunset time.
DAY 6
August 9th
Today, after a hearty pancake breakfast, we visited the North Rim of the Canyon by mule! It was so much fun and the scenery was breathtaking. It was sad to say goodbye to the Grand Canyon. Our journey continued with the visit of the Horseshoe Bend.
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DAY 7
August 10th
Today, we had a cruise on Lake Powell to visit Antelope Canyon. It was so relaxing and peaceful. But the highlight of my day was definitely Antelope Canyon: seeing those beams of light appearing magically amongst the red and ocher dusty rocks was otherworldly. We then took a scenic route to the edge of Death Valley. We spent the night in a delightfully quirky hotel. Looking in the desert from my balcony I couldn’t stop thinking about Area 51 and all the conspiracy theories about UFO remains being hidden nearby! We went outside to watch the sky, away from all the light pollution, it was magical.
DAY 8
August 11th
Our day started very early as we drove through Death Valley today. The crushing feeling from the intense heat was almost debilitating and the scenery was uniquely beautiful. It was like crossing a different world! I understand why Star Wars chose this area for many scenes. It was was isolated and quiet.
DAY 9
August 12th
Today was a wonderful day that we spent in Sequoia National Park. I was humbled by the immobile red giants and overwhelmed to meet General Sherman. We also enjoyed our visit to the crystal cave but our day finished on a high with a wonderful display of the Perseid meteor shower.
DAY 10
August 13th
We spent another day trekking through the park meeting other famous trees like General Grant. We particularly enjoyed the panoramic views from the top of Moro Rock. In the afternoon we continued our journey towards San Francisco.
DAY 11
August 14th
It is a lot cooler in San Francisco! We took an interesting cruise on the Bay Area, admiring the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Angel Island. We then walked around Fisherman’s Wharf and tried the iconic crab chowder in sourdough bread. It was so delicious!
DAY 12
August 15th
Today we visited Alcatraz, the famous former island prison. I learned that it was originally called “La Isla de los Alcatraces” by the first Europeans, which means the “Island of the Pelicans”. Sadly only seagulls are left these days!
DAY 13
August 16th
We spent our last day in the Golden City wandering around ChinaTown and riding the tramway, which was so much fun in hilly San Francisco!
DAY 14
August 17th
Today we took a flight to Montana and stayed in Bozeman, a beautiful little city nested at the feet of the Rocky Mountains. There we visited the Museum of the Rockies which had so many interesting facts about dinosaurs. We also enjoyed discovering Tonsley House (an original 1889 homestead) and its lush surrounding gardens. We had fun pumping water from a real traditional well!
DAY 15
August 18th
Our marvelous adventure in Yellowstone Park started today. It was magical to enter this historical national park, the first in the world to be created in 1872. We first stopped at the Boiling River, which was such a wonderful experience: the freezing waters of Gardner River meeting with the Mammoth Hot Springs resulted in a heavenly soak. We then walked around the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces, which were surreal, bursting with incredible colors ranging from ocher and brown to white and orange thanks to thermopiles (heat-loving bacteria) and various algae. It took us a while to reach our hotel because of bison blocking the road and the incredible sight of several bears.
DAY 16
August 19th
Today we woke up early to admire the Grand Prism Spring. The deadly rainbow waters looked surprisingly heavenly! I felt so small walking over one of the very few non-extinct supervolcanoes whose magma chamber could fit New York City three times over. If it erupted its magma could reach every person on the planet! After some existentialist reflections we continued our journey to admire the Old Faithful, a cone geyser that has been erupting regularly every 45-120mn since 2000. It didn’t disappoint! Its 180 feet high eruptions were incredible. We ended the day fishing on Yellowstone Lake. It was interesting to learn that any native fish is to be released immediately. On the other hand there is no limit as to how many lake trouts you can catch as they were illegally introduced in the 1980s and are a serious threat to the native Yellowstone cutthroat trout. We caught a lake trout and enjoyed eating it in the evening!
DAY 17
August 20th 2017
We left Yellowstone Park with a heavy heart early in the morning to drive to the Raspberry deLight Farm in Shononi, Wyoming. We were greeted so warmly by the owners who offered fun tractor rides around the farm. We all overdosed on raspberries, which were so juicy and delicious! In the evening all the campers who had come to see the eclipse gathered around a campfire to enjoy warm chocolate and marshmallows.
DAY 18 (ECLIPSE DAY)
August 21st
We woke up happy with bright sunshine. The weather forecast was good and the setting was idyllic. We enjoyed the partial phase of the eclipse snacking on more raspberries and were very lucky to witness a completely clear beautiful eclipse on the central line of the eclipse path. 2mn23s of pure bliss. After the eclipse, we drove to our last stop: Chicago.
DAY 19
August 22nd
Today we started our tour of the Wind City with the Willis Tower. It was very very impressive to be even higher than the Shard! We then tried a delicious Chicago-style hot dog (a “Chicago Red Hot”) with so many fillings!
DAY 20
August 21st 2017
We had a very packed last day with a visit to the mesmerizing iridescent Cloud. We then had a fantastic lunch at Buddy Guy's Legends, an iconic jazz club. In the afternoon we took a cruise on the Chicago River to learn about the birthplace of modern architecture.
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