California
We saw many different places in California, so this
article will be set up in a more orderly way.
Death Valley
We don’t know the exact point where we crossed into
California, but once we entered Death Valley we understood that we already had.
Death Valley is the hottest area we have entered yet at one hundred and fifteen
degrees Fahrenheit. The valley is the lowest point in the United States, while
the Dead Sea is the lowest in the world. The Dead Sea is around five times
deeper than Death Valley. There are almost no animals, plants, or any kind of
life in the valley because of its extreme heat and dryness.
Death Valley is extremely spacious, and it took us most the
day to drive through it. We saw its beautiful viewpoints from the mountain tops
and the salt beds on its valley floor.
The only problem with Death Valley is the fact that all the
prices in the stores and gas stations within it are double if not triple the normal
price everywhere else in the states. Tani was so angry at the gas station he
started making comments loud enough so the clerk can hear about the outrages
gas prices.
On the way out of Death Valley we passed through the town of
Trona. It is probably the saddest place on Earth. The town is a modern ghost
town. Eighty percent of Trona have moved down to the bigger town of Ridgecrest,
and left behind everything. They couldn’t sell their homes, so they just
boarded the houses up and left.
We spent the night in Ridgecrest. While we were in Ridgecrest
Tani asked the local clerk how to get to Sequoia. He didn’t know how to explain
the directions exactly, and the man behind Tani in line was inpatient about
buying his rolling paper for his joint. At a certain point the man could not
wait any longer, and told Tani that Sequoia was a few minutes up the street to get him to leave. We
knew this was a lie because it was a several hour drive.
Sequoia
Sequoia was a nice change to the deserts we had been
spending time in for the previous weeks. The park has a beautiful river and an
amazing forest filled with the biggest trees we have ever seen.
The Sequoia Tree is the world’s largest tree. It’s shorter
than the Red Wood trees, but its trunk is so wide that in volume it’s much
bigger and weighs a lot more. After seeing the Sequoia Trees I feel like all
other trees are miniature in comparison.
Los Angeles
We spent the night of Sequoia in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles is a very modern and amazing city, and we spent
four days there. On the first night we just went to sleep, but the rest of the
time we toured. We decided to use public transportation after experiencing the
“lovely” drive down the 405, which is in a perpetual standstill no matter what
hour of the day.
On the second day we walked the Walk of Fame, and saw the
stars of entertainers engraved into the ground. We passed by the Chinese
Theater, and saw the hand prints of the same entertainers. At six-thirty we
went on a tour of Hollywood, and of the stars’ homes in Beverly Hills. Our tour
guide was hilarious, and extremely friendly. We probably took the worst and
cheapest tour there, but it was still worth it.
On the way back to our hotel room at the Marriott Courtyard
of Sherman Oaks, which we received as a gift from Danny Shimoff for two nights,
we stopped at Universal City. The shopping center is filled with neon lights
and is very nice.
On the third day Tani and I split up. Tani went to Venice
Beach, and I went to visit my old sergeant Tal Shani in UCLA. My sergeant is
living his American Pie dream in a fraternity house on campus, even though he
doe not actually learn there. We ate lunch together, and caught up on current
events in the unit.
At four o’clock Tani and I met up back at the hotel and
relaxed for a bit before setting out again. That evening met up with Batel
Pessach who was in Sheirut Leumi in Los Angeles and we went out for dinner.
On our last day in LA we went to Venice Beach. The beach is
packed with Dr. Green shops where a real doctor finds a medical problem in
order to issue you your medicinal marijuana permit. There are street performers,
homeless people, singers, and artists all along the boardwalk.
We watched a show of street dancers which was hilarious,
because the MC constantly made fun of white people. The performers brought up
volunteers from the audience, and had them dancing in ridiculous ways. The MC
constantly reminded us to tip them so they won’t end up either in the poorhouse
or in our house.
We then watched a man
walk on glass shards, as he made fun of all the audience watching him. He was
constantly making fun of the German and Asian in the audience. After he walked
the glass there was blood on the ground see he obviously was hurt from the
stunt. I felt sorry for the man that this was how he had to make a living.
Route 1
The Pacific Ocean is extremely cold which makes it a bit
difficult to swim, but that does not mean that it doesn’t have amazing sights.
Many areas of the road are cliffs overlooking the ocean. The Big Spur is
probably one of the most beautiful areas in all of America, so far. You can
look down to the ocean, and see the natural beaches with rocks and boulders.
The trip up to San Francisco is very long so we had to split
the drive into two, so we slept in San Luis Obispo.
San Francisco
We stayed by my amazing Aunt Wynne in Atherton, right
outside of San Francisco. She took us on tours of San Francisco everyday. As we
arrived we went for a swim in her pool, watched a movie in my Uncle Mark’s
personal home movie theater (which beats an actual movie theater in audio and
image quality), and then prepared for the Sabbath. During the Sabbath we
rested, but the second it ended we hit up Palo Alto. We were surprised, but it
did actually have bars.
On Sunday we entered for the first time into San Fran, as we
have come to call it. The city is extremely diverse, and has been so since it
came to be. It is the result of a melting pot of many different people and
cultures that came to seek their fortunes during the Californian Gold Rush. San
Francisco accepted everyone, and discriminated against none.
We saw the wealthy areas of Pacific Heights, and had a beer
in the homosexual section of Castro Street.
We saw bison at the Central Park of San Fran, and ate lunch at a Farmers’
Market by the bay. We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge, and even walked
across part of it.
To end the perfect day we ate an amazing dinner prepared by
my aunt, and watched an episode of Naked and Afraid with my Aunt Wynne and
Uncle Mark. The show is about a couple, man and woman, that have never met, and
they need to survive for twenty one days together naked in the wilderness
(don’t worry it’s censored).
On Monday we toured Silicon Valley. We saw Google, Facebook,
and Apple’s main facilities. Each place has a unique feel to it which you
wouldn’t think a job would have. Google looks more like a resort than a
workplace.
While at Facebook Tani really had to go to the bathroom, so
he tried to enter the building. The guard at the entrance told Tani that there
are no bathrooms in the building. It’s amazing in my opinion that Facebook
surgically modifies their workers not to go to the bathroom.
We also went to an Apple store for the first time. We found
it slightly funny that they use I-Pads in order to advertise their I-Pads. We
also went to a computer history museum, but unfortunately it was closed so we
only walked around the lobby which was still interesting.
At the end of the day
once again we had an amazing meal, and watched an episode of Married at First
Sight. The show is about three couples that agree to a social experiment in
which they are married without ever having met their spouses.
On Tuesday we went to Alcatraz Prison. The prison is on an
island, so the only access is by boat. The prison looks a terrible place to
have to spend your sentence, and it was home to some of the worst criminals of
the twentieth century. We took the audio tour, which was surprisingly good. We
learned of the different inmates, and of their escape attempts. We learned how
the guards dealt with the inmates.
On Wednesday we went for a ride with my Uncle Mark in his
Ferrari, which was one of the coolest things I have ever done. The acceleration
could literally cause someone to pass out. The car is built so the driver has
no reason to take his hand off of the steering wheel because at such high
speeds it is too dangerous.
Afterwards we went with my Aunt Wynne to do some last minute
shopping before we drove out the next day.
Yosemite
On Thursday we drove to Yosemite. We saw its half-dome, and
drove through the valley. It has tons of forest, and its views beat any park we
have been to so far.
We spent the night in a campground next to Lake Lundy right
outside of Yosemite.
Lake Tahoe
We woke up early, and drove to Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe is
extremely clear, and if it’s not too deep you can see right through it. We hiked
down to the beach of Emerald Bay, and took some pictures. After around an hour
we continued on our way to Salt Lake City Utah.
