Desert Cactus Holds the Sun

Immigration is the sincerest form of flattery

Wally slides into Seventy head first! Who would'av thunk

Welcome to WWW - Wilderness Wally's World - A place where one can read a story or discover information on the many people and places of interest in beautiful New Zealand. For the next few months we will be re-discovering America after a long absence.

"The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land, it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land."
G.K. Chesterton

What are they doing over there?
One couldn't make up stuff like this!

Russia/Georgia War - Opinion from the Mental Midgets

Shoes too ugly for hospital.. or is there another reason?

This is the year of Mrs Wilderness' and my fortieth wedding anniversary as well as my seventieth birthday.
Four months ago, I flew 6000 miles in premium economy class with Air New Zealand to start an extended visit to the US. Mrs Wilderness followed in June and that's when the travel really began.

It has been one heck of a celebration; a five-month holiday, a new computer to keep in touch with the world, a road trip of over five thousand miles to visit friends and relatives and renew old memories and new experiences almost every day. From California to Arizona, Nevada, Zion National Monument, dear friends in Denver, relatives and memories in Illinois, friends in Texas, caverns in New Mexico, genealogy searches in Nogales and back to Bullhead City, Arizona. It isn't over yet but when I go back to New Zealand it will be in business class thanks to our Son Dan.

Yesterday, after I told a guy the fabulous experience we had... he asked me, "So, what are you doing for your birthday?"

Just over three weeks ago we left Bullhead City, Arizona for a trek across America. Well, a big part of it anyway. The first day we traveled through the deserts of Arizona and Nevada, passing many of the old towns we have passed many times before in our lives; all of them have grown considerably. As we neared Las Vegas, we stopped on the outskirts to have breakfast but did not venture into the city itself… maybe another time. As we drove on, we noticed little towns that have sprung up in the vast desert and marveled that so many people live in this parched land. As we drove across the Utah border into St. George we couldn't believe how much that city has grown.

Then we turned off the main highway and into the gateway of Zion National Park. We have passed by it many times in years gone by but neither of us remember ever going into the park itself. It was a magical experience as we viewed the rising sandstone cliffs of different colors, the shapes of the hills and the blue sky and white clouds above on a warm afternoon. We drove up through the canyons higher and higher on a long and winding road and through Zion-Mt Carmel Tunnel as it went right through the mountain. When we got to the other side we found that we had to turn around and go back the way we had come or we would end up at the East Entrance of the park, which would have sent us in the wrong direction.

So back through the tunnel and down the hill we descended with the reverse beauty that we had seen on our way up. By now the sky was turning dark and the first of the large raindrops were hitting the windshield. At the bottom we stopped at the Visitor's center for a break and we could hear the thunder booming above. But as with all desert storms, it quickly passed and the sun shone brightly once again. We were sad to have to leave this beautiful place as we both wanted to take the bus tour back into the canyon but alas our time was running out, we wanted to be in Richfield, Utah that evening to keep on schedule. We had an important appointment to keep in Denver.

We continued up into Utah and as the sun was setting we arrived in Richfield, Utah at the Hampton Inn for the night. At this point I should explain that we are still eating our way through the country with a thousand tastes sensations that we haven't had in 3 years or more, this night was no exception. There was a little restaurant right next to the hotel that was called "Wingers" so we went to have a bite to eat. They served BBQ chicken wings that tasted like heaven and somewhere near a quart glass of lemonade. They don't seem to do anything small in this country and we are learning to order half meals or one meal and two plates. That night it was good food and I think the total bill was around $15.

If people are feeling the pinch in America, it is hard to really tell while traveling the highways. The restaurants are always full and I mean always. People also seem to be traveling as much as ever and there are plenty of cars on the roads and not a small number of SUVs. Because it is summer and school is out may account for this but we haven't seen much of a slow down in the way people are living; except maybe where and how they are buying things. Box stores like Wal-Mart (similar to The Warehouse in New Zealand only a lot bigger and combined with a grocery store in most locations) seem to be doing well and their financial reports seems to reflect this.

The next morning found us leaving Richfield and heading across the great expanse of Utah. The canyons and cliffs were glorious and we took a lot of photos. It is so hard to describe the beauty and vastness, like small Grand Canyons all along our route. As we stopped and admired these wonders of nature we also saw the Native American Indians who sat in these rest stops, selling their turquoise and silver jewelry and hoping to make a few dollars on the day. I imagine they do fairly well with all the tourists who stop to enjoy the picturesque panoramas. I really hope little of it is made in China!

Soon we will enter the exciting state of Nebraska but I'll talk about that next time. Sorry to leave you on the edge of your chair waiting for information about Nebraska but I've run out of 1s and 0s.

Comment:
The story about Jack Lucas - A true hero
US Prices - check the bottom of this story for gasoline prices
Coffee Shop Etiquette
More on re-discovery of America trip!
US still looks good to me!
Reason for US national debt discovered!

For a look at One California town's effort to become famous, watch Barstow's bid for the Olympics!

Low Price Airline Tickets with our national carrier - See Travel New Zealand

Click on 'Miscellaneous' in the Table of Contents to expand and find US Contacts In New Zealand and other items.

Click to view some of our photos of New Zealand As usual, a work in progress.

Come back often, have fun, keep in touch...
Mr and Mrs W-W