THE END

After receiving permission from our rental agency, we went through Death Valley.
We left in time:


That was very hot! More then 110°F! To prevent overheating of the engine, we had to switch the air-conditioning off. We stopped twice to feel the heat and to take some pictures but decided to drive through.
There are even some resorts there (one of them is for sale) and 2 campgrounds!

From Death Valley we went to the Sierra Nevada and from there to Yosemite to spent some days there. http://yosemite.org/index.html

It’s starting to get boring, but again a highlight. What a nature: the meadows, the creeks, the mountains the giant sequoia’s. But also smokey.
Some natural fires are allowed to burn as a necessary part of healthy ecosystems.
And in front of every tent or motor home there is a campfire
Our fire alarm went off a couple of time when we camped in the valley.
We swam in the creeks where the water was cold as ice!!




From Yosemite to our last stop: San Francisco
I hate to repeat myself, but again a highlight. We camped within the city limits and spent some wonderful days here.
It’s lovely to stroll the streets, take a cable car. Do Fishermans warf. Walk the Golden Gate.




House of Nanking. People stood in line to get in:



We had a wonderful 3 weeks and went from one highlight to the other.
One of the nice things of camping is that it is very easy to meet interesting people.
Ith one exception, everybody was very friendly. We never felt unsafe but use good judgement.
We saw incredible wealth but also poverty we don’t encounter in the Netherlands.
The quality of the roads was not always what I expected. Maybe cutbacks in the budget?
We’ve seen some house building projects. It was interesting to see that a lot of houses were built from wood (Netherlands: brick) and that many times the dividing walls were made of very “light” material.
The time we had to spent in line to get through customs in the USA was terrible. With one exception very unfriendly too.
Arriving in Amsterdam is like arriving in heaven

Above is a rough sketch of our trip. If anyone of you is planning to make a similar trip (or a part) do not hesitate to ask for practical tips of where to stay, go and what to avoid.

BTW this is what and where we rented: http://www.roadbearrv.com/docs/veh_mh28.html

What a wonderful family trip through SW USA, Bob!! Thanks so much for sharing it all with us. It sounds like you had a great time and saw some beautiful sights. I love the Southwest, myself.

I can't believe you ate at House of NanKing!!! That is the best place in the City!! LOL. Did you have the hot and spicy food, too?? It is definitely worth the wait to sit down (very small and crowded, everyone) and have their soups and other dishes. Some of the dishes can make smoke come out of your ears, it is so hot and spicy...but soooo delicious! What a small world. How did you hear about House of Nanking??? We were staying at the Holiday Inn/Financial District and it is down the block from there. Locals (Chinese) had told us it was the best Chinese restaurant (for food quality) there was in the City...they were correct!

Again, thanks ever so much for your trip reports and photos. Can you tell us what the "negative" experience was that you had on your trip? Sorry to hear you had a bad encounter but just know most of us are not "negative" or bad folks over here in the USA.

Hope to hear more from you if you have the time! Ayo. Carole

Nanking was recommended by a Chinese in Candlestick campground.
The selection of the food was easy. We asked the owner to surprise us with a selection. He asked us if there was anything we could not eat because of our religion or taste. Shortly after he returned with 8 different dishes.
When we ate there, there were no locals, I mean Chinese.
The last time I was in SF ( long long time ago) I ate in a restaurant with plastic tables and chairs. It was crowded. They only served dimsum. A lot of Chinese people were eating there.

The only negative experience was customs. So unfriendly.

Pasa bon dia :-)

Bob, thank you for such a great report ! What a fun adventure you and your family got to have. Lucky kids !

Bob, I was just wondering about your trip and ...like magic...your trip report appears! I have traveled through all those locations and enjoyed your memories. Big Sur was one of my favorite camp grounds as a child. Beautiful !
Thanks for sharing.

That’s quite a coincidence Linda.
Big Sur is indeed wonderful. The creeks, the sea, the woods.
As a kid you have everything you want.

Nice report glad you had a good time. I had to comment on the construction of houses. It all comes down to earthquakes. A building needs to flex in an earthquake, hence contstruction here favors steel and wood. Bricks are one of the worst materials you can use in an earthquake prone region so you mostly see them in old buildings.

My parents live in Den Haag in a brick house and I must admit it worries me a bit when I visit since I look at bricks and think I will all come crumbling down in even a little quake...

I enjoyed your report and pictures! Glad that you had a great time!!!!

so glad the Smits family had a memoriable experience on your tour of the states... we welcome you to come again and apologize for the unfriendly customs routine...must be they were haveing a "bad day"...

Chris,
Thanks for explaining the reason for a wood construction in houses.
Had not thought of it.

We have only very small quakes in the Netherlands. You're parents will be OK I guess.

It's a small world. How did yr parents get to Den Haag (Or how did you get to the USA?)

Debbi,
I'm afraid the customs did not have a bad day. From friends of mine I hear the same story.

But, we will be back.
It will be hard to decide where to go. Half of the family wants to go back to Bonaire and the other half wants to go to the USA again.

Doing both very year is a little extravagant.
(Having just returned this weekend from a week at the Côte d`Azur, and going to ski in Swiss in february)