Feelings after self-driving in West America
- The itinerary before departure is very important. Book all the hotels and choose the ones that can be cancelled, in case there will be special circumstances in the process. Plan your daily play content, driving mileage and Approx. time spent.
- Regarding refueling, it is very convenient to use cash. Estimate how much you need, go in and tell the clerk what number the fuel gun is, how much to add to him, and then go and leave after filling up. Of course, if you pay too much and can’t add that much, go back and ask him to refund you. In addition, the price of oil is different in almost every place, and it changes every day. Generally, No. 87 gasoline is added. The most expensive one is 3.08 USD/gallon, and the cheapest is 2.56 USD/gallon. Fuel consumption is high, so when I almost see cheap gas, add it immediately!
- Regarding driving, the United States has a high fine for driving, but only catches the leading car for speeding! I was stopped by the police twice on Highway 101, just in front of me, and I was still very nervous! U.S. When the police stop the car, they signal the car in front to pull over. This is different from the situation in China!
- Regarding shopping, I went to three outlets. I feel that the North premium outlets in Las Vegas and the Gilroy Premium Outlets in San Joe have a lot of things in them. On the contrary, the Desert hill premium outlets in Los Angeles does not match the name. There are many things, but too much It’s an old model and I can’t buy it. In the United States or those few United States The brands are cheap, they are all old models, but the price is really cheap.
- Regarding diet, Americans mainly eat hamburgers , fries, and cola, supplemented by western food, steak and chicken nuggets, and vegetables are just a few slices of lettuce. I’m fine. After a long time, my wife only wants to eat Chinese food. The next time we went to China Town to eat Chinese food; for the rest, we went to Wal-Mart or Safeway to replenish some food every few days, such as beef jerky, instant noodles, mineral water, and fresh fruits.
- Regarding the feelings of the scenic spots, due to the failure of the Bigbex bridge, Highway 1 from San Francisco to Los Angeles did not go to the essence of Bigsurr. After two days of travel, the 17-mile beach and Denmark The town is really nice; Page is a nice town, I like it; Horseshoe Bend is wonderful, Antelope Canyon is not as good as expected, but still good; Grand Canyon lives up to its name. Due to time constraints, I did not go to other national parks, and I have regrets for the next time! However, Laomei’s national park ticket of USD80/car/year is very good, which may be one of the reasons why Laomei loves to run around.
- The following is the original itinerary plan, there are a few changes, but basically follow this route!
Day1: 3/15 Shenzhen～ San Francisco
I brought a lot of things with me, but I later found out that the telephoto lens is not used much, mainly because the wide-angle lens is used frequently, and the filter is useful!
The service of CX is good, and it is CX who comes and goes. I really admire the third brother who is sitting with me, Niu XX! Don’t eat beef, only vegetarian, CX’s stewardess/shao always serve them first! There are many third brothers/sisters who come and go! In order to save trouble, I ordered an extra glass of red wine every time there was service. I drank 4 glasses on the way out and 5 glasses on the way back. I slept well! This is a secret technique, generally not passed on!
This is the car that accompanied me for 13 days. Chevrolet Tahoe, a typical American big muscle full-size SUV, is 5.2 meters long, 2 meters wide, 1.9 meters high, and weighs 2.4 tons. Tahoe is the name of a lake in the United States. U.S. People like to name cars with place names, just like Cruze! The whole series is equipped with a V8 engine as standard, and the engine can be automatically switched to a V4 according to the driving situation, with a displacement of 5.3L. The car I rented is the LTZ high-end version, equipped with two 8-way electric seats, leather seats, seat heating, seat ventilation, car wifi, CarPlay, sunroof, blind spot reminder, lane departure reminder, front car Collision reminder, reversing image and many other comfort configurations, the official price is more than 50,000 US dollars. The handling and riding feel are very comfortable and quiet, and its blind spot reminder, lane departure reminder, and front collision reminder functions are very useful to me personally! When the road conditions are poor, it will remind you to take the steering! When I come back and drive my Q5 again, it feels like driving a hatchback. The headroom is smaller than others, and the configuration is lower than others, but the price is expensive!
The first thing after getting off the plane is to pick up the car. The Sixt point is a little far from the airport. First take the blue line airport light rail, and then transfer to Sixt’s shuttle bus. It takes 5 minutes to arrive at the store. Show your credit card, driver’s license + translation, and it will take 10 minutes. Completed the formalities of picking up the car! Drive, leave! It’s that simple!
Mr. LD set off a week earlier than me, and he is still on business in the east coast. Today’s task is to pick up the car, stay at the hotel, and then, Jiuquhua Street + Fisherman’s Wharf! Officially start the trip to the west of the United States!
San Francisco ‘s famous jingle car, turning around is just a turntable, manually operated, it’s a bit interesting, and it can be regarded as a scene in San Francisco! Sit from downtown to Fisherman’s Wharf, $7! Slow down, very good choice! The driver is a black buddy, singing while driving, very happy! Domestic tour bus drivers still have to study hard!
Day2: 3/16 Stanford University
On the second day in the United States , only Stanford University was arranged. Sleep until you wake up naturally, have breakfast, and go! The distance is not far, a few tens of kilometers by car, Stanford University is called a “farm”, the real meaning is that it is very large, and the area to be developed is also large!
stanfordThe university was jointly established in 1891 by the railroad tycoon Leland Stanford and his wife Jane Lathrop Stanford , who was governor and senator of California at the time . The university was named after their sixteenth birthday (1884) Named in memory of his son Leland Stanford Jr. who died of typhoid fever. 1824, Sr. Stanford Born in a wealthy farm family, he served as the governor of California in 1861; in 1863, he and his wife Jenny established the Central Pacific Railway Company, with Stanford as the president. In 1876, the old Stanford purchased 263 hectares of land in California as a horse ranch, and later expanded to 3237 hectares, becoming Stanford The home of a college campus; the redwoods are featured in the Stanford University logo as well as in sports logos. In 1884, his beloved son, Stanford , contracted typhoid and died of typhoid while traveling with his parents in Europe . Sadly, Stanford After the couple returned to the United States , they decided to use his $20 million savings and his 3,561 hectares of land in Palato to create a university.
The take-off of Stanford took place after the 1970s. This is also due to the large area of Stanford, with an area of more than 8,000 acres. Terman came up with an idea—that’s Stanford The turning point of the university: 1,000 acres are leased to the industrial and commercial circles or alumni for a long-term at a very low and symbolic rent to set up companies, and then they cooperate with the school to provide various research projects and student internship opportunities. Stanford becomes the first university in the United States to establish an industrial park on its campus. Benefiting from the suggestion that the huge gains in exchange for the land, Stanford Put yourself at the forefront of the United States: “Enterprises in the industrial park opened one after another, and soon beyond the scope of land that Stanford can provide, they developed and expanded outwards, forming the ” Silicon Valley ” in California, the United States, where cutting-edge technology and elites gather. (Silicon Valley, also translated as “Silicon Valley”). Surrounded by technology groups and enterprises, Stanford University has established close ties with high-tech, business circles, and typical ” American spirits” such as pragmatism and pioneering spirit. With the US West Coast “With the rise of the high-tech belt, various computer companies, including “the darling of the century” Microsoft, have set up camp in this line, and the status of Stanford University has become more and more important. Since then, Stanford University has been the core of Silicon Valley and the center of technological innovation in the world.
Above The two sections of text come from Baidu Encyclopedia!
Straight to the Golden Gate Bridge
I left Stanford University at about three o’clock and went straight to the Golden Gate Bridge. That piece of land is still a bit complicated, and I didn’t arrive here until almost five o’clock, Kinmen The hillside on the north bank of the bridge, named Battery Spencer, is 750 feet above sea level. Walking up the steps is the best place to take pictures of the bridge. I was here from dawn to dusk, at least I took photos that I was satisfied with. There is a reminder on the signboard that the law and order is not good! When I went there, no parking was allowed, so I had to drive to the parking lot at the foot of the mountain, and climb up again, it was very confusing!
Day3: 3/17 Golden Gate Park/Shuangfeng
In the morning, I came out of the motel where I was staying to have breakfast, and saw two classic cars in front of me, which is also a taste of American car culture!
After checking out, I drove around. LD’s flight will arrive at night. I have a whole day to spare, so I came to Jinmen Sports Park to pass the time!
Americans like dogs very much, there are many dog walkers and dog trainers!
Day4: 3/18~19 Depart from Highway 1
We plan to walk and tour Highway 1 , and stay at Sands By The Sea Inn on the night of 18th. However, due to a problem with the famous bridge, we cannot walk, so we have to detour to the Sands Inn by highway 101, because there are hotels and inns along the way. All paid for! But because of this, I also experienced the story of the American the 101 highway. The police stopped the car in front of me. According to the rules, I’m fine! When traveling, there are always accidents and unpredictability. Isn’t this one of the contents of travel?
The meat pies and meat sticks provided by the hotel are delicious, and I have never eaten meat sticks before! On the last night before returning to China , we still chose this hotel, and the food, accommodation and services were satisfactory!
The Cruze section of Highway 1 , Chevrolet’s Cruze brand is named after this section. American car companies like to name new cars after places in the United States. For example , the Tahoe I rented is the name of an inland lake in California.
Day5: 3/20 Hollywood/Palm Springs
Buy over $500 with a MasterCard credit card, get a free black trolley case, just right for the loot. See the black box in the middle of the picture above.
Day6: 3/21 Straight to Las Vegas
It is almost 420km to drive from the Best Western Inn in Palm Spring to Las Vegas . We need to shop along the way, rest on the way, and visit the Hoover Dam before arriving at the hotel, so we plan to start at 8:30am and spend about 6 hours at 4pm Arrive at the Hoover Dam before 1:00pm, visit for 2 hours, and arrive at the scheduled Treasue Island Hotel at 7:30pm. The gray line to the upper right in the picture below is our walking route, which needs to pass through a large desert area in Nevada and enter the desert After half an hour of driving in the area, there is often no car in sight, and there is a little tension in my heart, but I have chosen this route, and I can only go forward bravely! Fortunately, it went exactly as planned and arrived at the Treasue Island Hotel smoothly.
Day7: 3/22 Strolling in Las Vegas
Every time you go back to your room, you have to pass by the casino in the hotel where you live. You can also come to the casino while waiting for the elevator. People who come to LV are here to enjoy life, eat, drink and play to their heart’s content. I played slot machines at Caesars Casino and won about USD100 at first, but I lost it in less than 20 minutes. It’s okay to play a little bit, but you can’t be obsessed.
This is an area where hotels on the Las Vegas Strip are more concentrated. Paris, Planet, etc. are all in this area.
Chinatown in Las Vegas has Chinese supermarkets and various Asian restaurants. in china In the supermarket, I also bought authentic Zhonghua cigarettes! One of the Vietnamese restaurants inside made us linger!
Day8: 3/23 Go straight to Page / Tour Horseshoe
Day9: 3/24 Antelope Canyon/Grand Canyon
Upper Antelope Canyon
To enter Antelope Canyon, you must join a group, which is divided into two types: ordinary group and photography group. It is best to book in advance online. We were lucky. We went directly to the starting point to buy tickets at 9 o’clock, because we had to rush to the Grand Canyon, so we joined the 10 o’clock group. If you want to participate in a photography group, the whole journey will last 120 minutes, and you must bring a tripod. The time is between 11:30 noon and 2 pm every day, one or two groups a day, because this time is the best time to shoot beams of light In this section, the number of people in each group will probably be controlled between 6-8 people. Of course, the cost is relatively expensive, 80 knives per person and the whole journey takes about 45 minutes. Ordinary tours start at 11 o’clock every day, and the tours are sent continuously. The number of each group is about 15 people, and each person costs 40 dollars. We had a group of 10 people that day.
In addition, a special reminder is that you need to tip the guide after the trip. Ordinary tour groups need 5 knives, and photography tours generally need 10-20 knives. After we paid the tip, the tour guide sent a beautiful Antelope Canyon calendar.
This is the starting point of the Upper Antelope Canyon, riding in their cars together, a bit like a tourist attraction organized by the village committee in China! Because it was still early, we went to Lake Powell not far away under the suggestion of the buddy on the chair in the picture above. The scenery is good, but we spent 25 dollars for the entrance fee, which is a bit resentful.
Because it is not a photography group, it is not allowed to bring a tripod, so the whole process is hand-held shooting, and the effect is average.
The East Gate of Grand Canyon National Park
To visit the Grand Canyon Park, you usually go to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. There are two gates on the south rim, one is the south gate and the other is the east gate; if you drive from Las Vegas, you will go from Enter through the south gate; if driving from Page, enter through the east gate. The way to visit the Grand Canyon is very simple. From the east gate to the south gate, drive along the road. From time to time, there will be different viewing platforms, and you can park at any time. There are several points that are very famous and worth seeing.
The charging method of the Grand Canyon is still charged by car. A four-person car costs 30 US dollars and can enter and exit the Grand Canyon unlimited times within seven days. If you stay in the United States for a long time, it is best to buy an annual pass, which can travel all over the United States National Park.
Desert View is the first scenic spot entering the park from the east side of the Grand Canyon. There is a watchtower built on top of the Indian ruins, designed by American architect Mary Colter; standing on the tower, you can clearly see the Colorado River dividing the Grand Canyon. magnificent view.
The picture above is the watchtower, but I didn’t climb up to look at it, but I just turned around inside. Now that I think about it, I should go up and have a look, a little regret…
Grandview Point is the best viewing point, which is the widest viewing point in the entire Grand Canyon; not only can you take a panoramic view of the entire canyon here, but you can also clearly see the different colors of the different layers of sandstone changing under the sun.
Moran point
If you want to feel the magnificence of the Grand Canyon quietly, this attraction is the best choice, and there are not many tourists. From here, you can also go to the Indian tribe tusayan museum
The best sunset viewing point at Yaki point , the sunrise and sunset on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon are well worth seeing. But this attraction must take a bus. We parked the car at the passenger transport center and waited for the bus to go. When we arrived at Yaki point, the sunset was about to set, it was very spectacular!
Day10 3/25 Return to Las Vegas
Day11: 3/26 one day to San Francisco
Day12: 3/27 San Francisco rest
Day13: 3/28 Take the handjob home
