Cécile from the Salton Sea to Alcatraz

And off we go again for what’s certainly our last trip to the American West... After the disaster of September 2022, the diabetes flare-up, and the pulmonary embolism, we’re spending ten days in the spots we missed and some unlikely places. After flying over Scotland, still English,

Greenland, still Danish,



And Lake Huron, still half Canadian,

We land early in Detroit... a nightmare of an airport. A long, dreadful baggage check process, but we still make it to gate A10 just in the nick of time—only for disaster to strike! My passport has my first and last name, my boarding pass has my first and last name, BUT not on Delta’s computer—so we’re denied boarding! We head to the Air France-Delta-KLM desk, where an employee listens to us sympathetically. He books us two seats on an 8:30 AM flight to SF... Then passes us off to two colleagues who offer us a night in a hotel... and send a message to the baggage service to keep our checked luggage safe... In the end, we go to bed earlier, wake up earlier, but since we’ll still get some sleep on the plane, we might be able to look back on this whole mess with a smile... well, we hope so, anyway. 10:17 PM in Detroit—time to sleep. Our clean clothes and toiletries are in the plane. We’ll bounce back!!;

Last trip?... That sounds a bit sad phrased like that. Oh wow, it started off pretty unusually... Hope everything worked out in the end. But it was their fault if the boarding pass matched your passport.

6th trip to the West + New England Delta staff were super responsive If we get the suitcase back at SFO, it’ll be a funny memory...

Heading south via the 101 and—big problem! The internet extension isn’t working. Locals give us the scoop, and we head into the California vineyards.



Road blocked, a local helps us out, and we end up in Parkfield, the earthquake capital of the world in California, where two tectonic plates are duking it out near the San Andreas Fault with the little family.





We make our way to the local bar dedicated to rodeo and cattle branding.





We hit the road again to reach James Dean Junction, where the actor died a long time ago... roadwork, no internet. We give up and head toward Bakersfield... We should’ve filled up the tank along the way...



We arrive at night, lost... luckily, a Chinese buffet owner helps us out on her phone... locals take off running when they see me... Tomorrow in L.A. is gonna be epic...

Off to L.A. with a pilgrimage to Walmart—its colorful cakes, its Laughing Cow cheese, its tasteless fruit, its locked-up beauty products...









And back to L.A.... heading to Mulholland Drive





With a view of Universal Studios, visited in 2019

A pilgrimage to the Laurel Canyon Store, a relic of another glorious era

Stopping at Hollywood Blvd and its stars







It’s a bit of a tourist trap vibe here





We learned that God is Black, American, and that the 13 tribes of Israel spread across the entire continent



Other scammers are lurking...



No fresh cement to leave our handprints in...



We hit the road again, traffic was pretty jammed



Heading toward Indio and the Salton Sea

Today it's the Salton Sea—its carcinogenic shores and that rotten-egg smell in Bombay Beach.























.

Heading to Salvation Mountain...

So Salvation Mountain, a divine hill created by a devout artist who spent 25 years building it.









Then we head to East Jesus, another alternative creation site...

Off to the animal statues of Anza Borrego...













A pretty special day, and at 40°C (104°F), we’ll end it at our favorite restaurant.

Tell me, aside from your super cool photos, aren't you a bit of a jet-setter with planes? 😎😎

First flight ever with my ex. Paris → Chicago → Phoenix... In Chicago, they announce tornadoes. Our 6 PM flight is canceled, we spend the night in the airport, then leave at 4 AM for Houston and then Phoenix.

Halloween 2019, returning from NYC with my wife and her teens. After an hour in the air: "Captain speaking... problem... engine... Boston." 4-hour stop in Boston. I’d planned a 7-hour layover via Milan to visit the city—well, no such luck.

We leave Barstow where there’s nothing to see. After a few kilometers, we stop at a park celebrating Asian-American heritage.



A stop in front of the sign for this road dear to Michael Connelly and Harry Bosch.



A quick stop at Alien Fresh Jerky.





Then we head toward Goldspring—or what’s left of it.





And finally, the colorful Seven Magic Mountains.

First flight with my ex. Paris → Chicago → Phoenix... In Chicago, they announced tornadoes. Our 6 PM flight was canceled, spent the night in the airport, left at 4 AM for Houston then Phoenix. Halloween 2019, returning from NYC with my wife and her teens. After an hour in the air: "Captain speaking... problem... engine... Boston." 4-hour stop in Boston... I’d planned a 7-hour layover via Milan to visit the city—nope.

😎 😎

There are two of us then 😄 Me in 2013: flight canceled to South Africa. 2016: flight delayed over 3 hours from Los Angeles (Lufthansa). 2017: engine on fire from Phoenix, 24-hour delay (British Airways). 2024: flight canceled from London to Los Angeles (British Airways).

But in the end, in 2016, 2017, and 2024, 3 free flights. Under these conditions, I’m totally okay with the delays 😉

I feel for you. I regularly fly for free, so 😏

There are two of us then Me in 2013, flight canceled to South Africa. 2016, flight delayed over 3 hours from Los Angeles (Lufthansa). 2017, engine on fire from Phoenix, 24-hour delay (British Airways). 2024, flight canceled from London to Los Angeles (British Airways).

But in the end, in 2016, 2017, and 2024, 3 free flights. Under these conditions, I’m okay with the delays 😉

Wow, you take the cake there! 😎

So here we are in the capital of games and vice... We escape the tacky strip and head through the Arts District, the neighborhood of painted murals.











With a cute pink t-shirt;



Off to the hotel in Fremont

Ah, Fremont... still as loud and lively as ever!

The Freemont Street sewer!! 😎

What a joyful mess... you’d say with uninhibited Americans! Yesterday, an electric folk orchestra. They were dancing something like a Southern-style Madison... having a blast like there’s no tomorrow.

The road continues with Valley of Fire and its orange hues... 5 years ago, the park was closed due to the heatwave.

After Elephant Rock, we hit the road for Cedar City... and then the temperature drops by 15 °C...



And then the rain... emergency meeting for the next day. Checking Cedar Breaks weather—it’s forecasting snow showers, 23 °F in the morning... -4 °C... Makes sense since we’re at 3,000 meters and it’s May... We’ll have more time tomorrow...

I loved Las Vegas 25 years ago. Today, I admit I avoid it. But I still understand why so many people want to spend time there. When traveling alone like I do, there’s no worse place to feel lonely, paradoxically. I like to say I feel less alone in the desert 😉 But I see that the Fremont Street chaos hasn’t changed much 😏

It's always a pleasure to follow your adventures where you always include such unexpected spots that... I can't wait to add them to my road-trip plans! In just over a month for us :)

Valley of Fire is a must-see. I love this little park. I didn’t know the park closes during heatwaves. A heatwave in Nevada must be something else! 😅

So we're leaving the local chill behind to check out a geological curiosity











A little detour off the main road to take a very special highway



Because our favorite store is waiting for us there







I know some nieces and grandkids who are going to be thrilled...

Another trip to LV... hotels are charging $44 for parking and taking $50 or $100 deposits that weren’t mentioned on Booking. ... Later, my wife did a zipline ride while I managed to lose my glasses. We spent over 2 hours at the North Vegas Outlet. $5 parking fee, but way quieter than the south one... Then we wandered around looking for gifts in this city of contrasts.

The only thing that would make me go back to Las Vegas is Tom Jones being scheduled for 2026. 😎

Heading north on the 95 with a full tank of gas from another alienated station





Before the pilgrimage to Rhyolite









The bottle house

Then the old mining town







And we head back north to happily discover a new piece of art that’s so typically American in Goldfield

Former mining town taken over by artists and the ghosts of miners

Next stop: the columns of the cliffs at Crawley Lake beach above Bishop... but the track is completely wrecked and no 4x4. So we're taking the northern route, surrounded by snow-capped peaks.

To reach Mono Lake.

Mono Lake, where a Clint Eastwood classic was filmed! *High Plains Drifter*.😉

When you think Mono Lake, you think Bodie...



















Then we hit the mountain road again, heading toward Lake Tahoe.

We’re reaching Lake Tahoe on the east side...







Then Emerald Bay

Hello. When I went there, I ran into the local "Jean Christophe Averty." But without a belay device.

Have a good day. Jacques.

Here we are in San Francisco again... our second trip in 3 years, and no diabetes flare-up this time! Off to see the painted murals in the Hispanic Mission District at Clarion Alley.

Not far, the women's house









And we head back to Chinatown for souvenirs

Stop at the unsightly place





Then at Yerba Buena Gardens













The fountain...

And the SF MOMA

Strolling through SF and its vintage streetcars









Then we take to the sea...

Return via Castro, disappointed compared to my first visit 3 years ago

Thanks again for this travel journal and the hidden gems you’re sharing with us!

I’ve got two questions, please: 1) In Parkfield (or nearby), are there any spots where you can visually see the fault line? You can see it from aerial or satellite views, but I’ll be driving! 2) At Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco, are the statues you showed in your photos part of a temporary exhibit? I don’t see them on the website or in other travelers’ photos on TripAdvisor.

Thanks in advance, and congrats again. And… hope you’re recovering from the jet lag!

The San Andrea fault... it's a tiny crack! Not much to see anywhere... I've been to Iceland and the Thingvellir fault—nothing like it, 30m wide, 5m high. The statues? Didn’t really pay attention, to be honest.

Thanks. So I’ll skip the fissure. And I’ll keep Yerba Buena Gardens as an option depending on the time we have, but we probably won’t have enough...

Hello, And do you think using a drone could work for the fault?

No... didn't look it up online, you don't see much there.

On another topic (I’m replying here to avoid cluttering the other thread), you compared the two outlets in Las Vegas. Apart from the price difference you noticed, do you have any advice on which one to choose, please?

Logistically, the south is one huge shopping mall, covered with AC in the stores and hallways.

The north is a collection of stores opening to the outdoors; the stores are air-conditioned... but the outdoor areas aren’t.

We found what we were looking for in the north for Converse and Adidas

Awesome! Thanks