Utah, Idaho, Wyoming

The American adventure continues. Who knows what lies ahead in these three states, but I know one thing is for sure, I can’t wait! After leaving SL, UT, we traveled along the Great Salt Lake in to Idaho which was our stop for lunch. Where does one have lunch in Idaho you ask? Well have I got the place for you…The National Oregon/California Trail Center! This is like the Disney World of the Rugged West. When we first entered we are asked to imagine what life was like in the 1850’s and pretend you have a strong wagon, some drift animals (preferably oxen), basic food staples, pots/pans, shotgun and a rifle amongst other necessary provisions for the journey that lies ahead! People were being “sent back” if they did not have things like Saleratus and Hardtack….honestly who cares I was HUNGRY! Anyhow once we were all able to enter the building where were greeted by two people singing country western songs and then we were able to enter our stage coach for lunch! I’m not joking look at the photos! After lunch, we were given a tour of an old camp site, old mercantile store, etc… A lot of work went into this place! It was so unexpected!

After a day of driving we stopped at Jackson Hole which has some nicely crafted Elk Arches and then arrived at The Grand Teton Lodge located in the middle of Teton National Park. With no foothills obstructing your view, the jagged peaks and deep canyons of the Teton Range rise abruptly from the Jackson Hole valley. When we arrived at the Lodge we were greeted with huckleberry margaritas and an assortment of appetizers like grille vegetables, a cheese plate and Buffalo Balls! Yes, Buffalo Balls! We had a private balcony overlooking the sunset through these floor to ceiling windows that were at least four stories high! The view was unbelievable and the wildlife that grazed the fields at the foot of the hotel almost looked like movie props! The following day we had river raft ride down the snake river and saw many animals such as river otters, moose, some deer and a hawk.

After the raft trip we had the afternoon to explore for ourselves and I decided to go for a 5 mile hike. It was so peaceful and guess what…I SAW BEAR! It was awesome… The bear was swimming and running a great SAFE distance from me! That was definitely the highlight of my day! After dinner and trying some Elk steak, a bunch of us went to the one lounge on the property and watched the Olympics! Trust me when I say my previous short narration of the Grand Tetons does not give this place enough justice!

After our stay at the Grand Teton National Park we were off to Yellow Stone National Park! The United States 1st National park. The only problem is I have been reading a book titled “Death in Yellowstone”. This book makes you not want to leave the bus!

Whittlesey believes that far too many people enter our national parks with "a false sense of security." He then goes on to chronicle the deaths in Yellowstone National Park of more than 250 people. Most of the deaths, Whittlesey argues, occurred because of human mistakes and "negligence." In this sense, the book is meant to teach and warn about the many dangers that exist in Yellowstone itself and wild areas in general. The catalog of deaths includes all manner of dying at the hands of nature (hot springs, bears, bison, avalanches, exposure, and forest fires top the list), as well as deaths strictly caused by human actions (murders, suicides, carbon monoxide poisoning, car and plane accidents, and so forth). A little morbid, but strangely fascinating. Brian McCombie

In Yellow stone we stayed at the Old Faithful inn, This Inn is located within the parks boarders and it is designed to recreate the forest indoors; the lobby measures 76’6”. It looks like one big Giant tree house. Truly a work of art! As I entered my room I noticed that smoke was coming from outside my window, the joke was on me, that was a view of Old Faithful, the world’s most famous geyser.

Here is a quick example of how a Geyser works:
Geysers are temporary geological features. The life span of a geyser is, at the most, only a few thousand years. Geysers are generally associated with volcanic areas. Geysers are caused when underground chambers of water are heated to the boiling point by the volcanic rock. When heat causes the water to boil, pressure forces a superheated column of steam and water to the surface. Their formation specifically requires the combination of three geologic conditions that are usually found in volcanic terrain.

Intense heat
The heat needed for geyser formation comes from magma when it is near the surface of the earth. The fact that they need heat much higher than normally found near the earth's surface is the reason they are associated with volcanoes or volcanic areas. Geysers, though rare, are found in the same geologic settings where volcanic heat sources are available.

Water
The water a geyser ejects comes from snow and rain. When precipitation reaches the ground, most of it drains into rivers and streams. A small portion, perhaps 5%, gets soaked into the ground. Moving gradually through tiny cracks it finds its way into the underground tunnels that make up the plumbing of a geyser, then is shot to the surface during an eruption. Travel from the surface down through the rock and out through a geyser eruption can take up to 500 years.

A plumbing system
In order for the heated water to form a geyser a plumbing system is required. This includes a reservoir to hold the water while it is being heated. Geysers are generally aligned along faults, the cracks in the earth formed by earthquakes. The plumbing system is made up of a system of fractures, fissures, porous spaces and sometimes cavities. Constrictions in the system are essential to the building up of pressure before an eruption.
Ultimately, the temperatures near the bottom of the geyser rise to a point where boiling begins; steam bubbles rise to the top of the column. As they burst through the geyser's vent, some water overflows or splashes out, reducing the weight of the column and thus the pressure on the water underneath. With this release of pressure, the superheated water flashes into steam, boiling violently throughout the column. The resulting froth of expanding steam and hot water then sprays out of the geyser hole. (Thank the internet for that explanation)
Take the time to look through these photos, they are amazing! From my window in the darkness you could here them erupting all night, at times it sounded like a dragon was breathing outside my window. The geysers in the park have various names based on what they look like and some based on a death surrounding the geysers! The warm springs look so inviting, but be careful the temperatures of the waters can be hot enough to literally melt the skin right off your body!
During our second night in Yellowstone National Park we stayed at The Lake Hotel. The Lake Hotel is the oldest building in Yellowstone. On the way to this magnificent hotel we made many stops along to way. We stopped at the Fountain Paint Pot Area, Mud Volcano Area, and the Canyon Area which contains both the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls. Again I hope the pictures do it justice! Other activities included volunteering to paint a park ranger cabin (not bad for a guy who does not believe in manual labor), celebrating Christmas in August and eating Wild Boar and Antelope!

Enjoy the photos! Off to Cody, Wyoming.

Dead Horse State Park, Canyon Land National Park and Salt Lake City

Dead Horse Point State Park is perhaps Utah's most spectacular state park. Dead Horse Point is a promontory of stone surrounded by steep cliffs near Moab, Utah. The overlook at Dead Horse Point is 6,000 feet above sea level. Two thousand feet below, the Colorado River winds its way from the continental divide in Colorado to the Gulf of California, a distance of 1,400 miles.
Canyonlands National Park preserves a colorful landscape eroded into countless canyons, mesas and buttes by the Colorado River and its tributaries. The rivers divide the park into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze and the rivers themselves. While these areas share a primitive desert atmosphere, each retains its own character and offers different opportunities for exploration. The Green and Colorado rivers separate Canyonlands into three land districts in addition to the Horseshoe Canyon detached unit. Each destination within Canyonlands offers different opportunities for sightseeing and exploration.
Did You Know?
Lizards, including the colorful collared lizard, are one of the most frequently seen animals in Canyonlands. When not chasing flies or basking in the sun, they are often seen doing what appears to be push-ups. Scientists believe this and other behaviors signal dominance and facilitate courtship.As we left the nice town of Moab, mom wanted to stop at Dead Horse and Canyon Land State and National Parks.
Salt Lake City
In Salt Lake City Mom and I visited Temple Square. Here we took a tour of Tabernacle which is home of the Mormon Tabernacle Chior and home to the 12 th largest pipe organ in the world. We also toured the North Visitor’s Aenter, Assembly Hall and the Family History Library. At the library we wer eboth intrigued by the process of researching our family tree. It seemed like it would be an endeavor that would not have an ending.
After mom had departed for home I explored Salt Lake Utah otherwised known as SL, UT. I went to Trolley Sqaure, a pub called Squatters where the serve Poligamy Porter where you can’t just have one, you have to bring some home to your wives and relaxed by the pool.
The next day the Tauck Tour started and we went to the Utah Plympic Park and heard behind the scenes stories of the olympic games and had the opportunity to watch future olympicans practice. That’s right they practice in the summer on the ski slopes without snow. Go Figure! I also had an opportunity to tour the Beehive house. The Beehive House is the older of Brigham Young's two Salt Lake City residences. Designed by temple architect Truman Angell and built in 1854, it stands today as a museum offering tours of what life was like for the Young family back in 1855.
This strong work ethic and the value of industriousness give the Beehive House its motif, as the image of beehive sits atop the house. The name of the mansion is drawn from this theme, the beehive being a symbol of diligence and productivity. In fact, the beehive is a prominent symbol throughout Utah today, reminding residents of the pioneer legacy that Brigham Young helped to establish.

On a side note, I just want to say what a truly amazing experience this past few weeks have been. To be able to experience things so Magical with people you love trust and respect is something I will never forget! Thanks for coming Mom! Stacy you’re the best! Scott what are we doing next summer?

New Orleans, Louisiana - The Big Easy

This part of the blog consists of a trip made by Randi, Scott, and our friends Greg and Danielle. I hope they realize they are about to be famous!

Before I forget, I wanted to let everybody know, Randi and I have a new addition to the family. His name is Black Jack or Big Fat Bunny or as mom calls him, the Black Pooper. Look for his picture in the slideshow. Right now Mom, Stacy, and Dad, are taking care of him. He will be going to the Hamptons and Sag Harbor this weekend just like all other bunnies from Long Island. Many thanks to Mom, Dad, and Stacy (even though he’s not shitting pellets, he freaked out when he was teased with corn, and won’t be fed until dad comes home because mom refuses to turn his food bowl back over even though she made him freak out).

August marks three years since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, and it is a huge unavoidable part of New Orleans current culture. In most neighborhoods 1 out of 3 houses are still abandoned and many schools are closed because people have yet to return. Commercially we saw boarded up Walmart’s, Banks, Circuit Cities, and other business that are waiting to rebuild. Even though New Orleans is a city enduring much hardship, they stand strong and haven’t lost any of their heritage or southern hospitality charm.

This city is a remarkable vacation destination that has everything from an amazing rich history, exotic swamp lands to explore, unique Cajun Culture, outstanding jazz music, amazing foods, 32oz slushies, humidity, and bad hair days. The hotel we stayed at was beautiful and situated right in the French Quarters on Bourbon Street. We explored the city by taking a bus tour, swamp tour, and bourbon street self guided bar hopping tour (twice). There was so much to see and do. Jazz music everywhere, Mardi Gras beads in trees, beautiful Victorian homes, river boats, art, flee markets, street performers, casino’s and a whole modern city which we didn’t even begin to explore.

We definitely have to go back. After two days of fun, it was hard to say goodbye to Danielle and Greg. We are off to Orlando to enjoy the rain from Hurricane Fay.

Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, Moab

The Hoover Dam is a sight to see. Height is 726.4 feet, and they used 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete to build it. It is still considered one of the world’s most successful architectural feats. Did you know that the people who worked on the Dam only got two days off a year, Christmas and July 4th. Dang!

Off to Vegas, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, except of course when you have a blog! Mom and I went to do some sightseeing in Vegas, as you can imagine, not everything went as planned. Our first plan was to go and see a free sky show at the Rio Hotel. Turned out the show was not running and the cost of the cab ride to and from our hotel made that little adventure far from free. Next we signed up for a time share presentation to get some free gaming chips. Needless to say we filled out the paper work, go to the presentation the next day, only to find out we did not qualify to do the presentation. No gaming chips for us, however we still stayed for the free lunch. Later that day we decided to self park our car, naturally for the free parking. When the parking attendant returned with our car, we discovered we had a flat tire. Not to worry, we found someone to change the tire for us, it was way to hot for me and Laura, and we were not going to do it! After that it was already time for dinner and a show. We had gotten free theater tickets to see The Fab Four Live, which is a tribute band to the Beetles. They were great! Lots of signing and dancing took place. After the show we had dinner, of course they had to do some major adjustments to our bill because instead of wrapping it “for later”, they threw out our food. Needless to say between the free drink coupons and the adjustment to our bill, this turned out to be the best deal thus far!
Day two in Vegas, mom went off to buy some tickets for a show on the half price line, she got tickets for a show called “Crazy Horse Review”. She said it was a “traditional Vegas show”. Well it was a BOOBIE show! My mom took me to see some Boobs! Holla! Mom was determined to see that “free” show in as the Rio Hotel, however this time we took a tram to a free bus and we did manage to see the show in Rio. It was very nice. After that we headed to Downtown Vegas to see a light show and did a whole lot of people watching. Oh and mom did manage to get a free meal again in Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant, the only difference is, she ate the whole thing and they still did not charge her! Go Figure!

After leaving Vegas we headed to a little town called Moab. Moab is a town with a population of under 5000. The town overlooks the Colorado River, which was familiar to Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch and other outlaw gangs. If you see any red rocks in movies or commercials, chances are it was filmed in Moab. Moab is a great little town with lots of shops and places to eat. It is also located near many of the different State and National Parks we wanted to visit.
We went to Arches National Park where you can find the largest number of natural stone arches, formed by weathering openings in vertical slabs of sandstone. In Arches we were met with some amazing scenery and a sandstorm that definitely blew us away. The sunset and the moon were surreal. During day two in Moab, we took a full day rafting trip on the Colorado River. Did you know that Moab was in a different time zone then Vegas? Because we didn’t and we almost missed our trip, the tour company called our hotel. Ha! The downside, we did miss the free breakfast at the hotel. The afternoon was spent walking around town drinking wheat grass, shopping and of course eating.

Next we went to Crazy Dead Horse Park which has some of the best sceneries on the trip thus far. This park lies on the West slope of the Continental Divide. Canyons, waterfalls, unusual landforms and wide variations of elevation characterize the forest. After dead horse we went to Canyon Lands National Park. This park encompasses deeply eroded canyons interspersed with sheer sided mesas, spires, arches and unusual rock formations. The confluence of the green and Colorado Rivers divides the park into three districts.

As we were exploring these parks we noticed that each park seemed to have its’ own personality. It’s amazing that we have such beautiful sights located in the US. What a great time! I just hope the photos do some justice to what we saw.

Venice Beach, Hollywood, Universal Studios

After seeing Dove and farewell dinner with the Caravan Tour group, Scotty is on his way back to New York and Josh is in California all on his own. Not to worry because one of our old camp friends will be picking me up and showing me around Venice Beach. Ron had declined the offer to go to Universal Studios!

Anyhow, Ron and his girlfriend Linda picked me up at the hotel and we were off. He wanted to show me where he lived and he wanted to show me Venice Beach. Needless to say after meeting his beautiful girlfriend and a car ride filled with laughs, I knew we were going to have a lot of fun. Ron taught me some yoga, Linda and Ron made an amazing lunch and the walk to Venice Beach was filled with little canals and European looking gardens. We walked the pier at the beach had some margaritas and then it was time to head back to the hotel. Linda had to work the next day. Work, whats that? Ron is a teacher who also enjoys his summers off, he also is a former New Englander who moved to California 15 years ago and now I know why and has yet to move back to the North East... I can see why. Thank you both for a great time! This was definitely one of the best days of the trip.

Back in Hollywood, I eagerly awaited the arrival of mom. That’s correct Laura will be joining me on Liebertrip 2008. Mom arrived and we met up at Universal Studios. It was so much fun, we went on roller coasters (yes who knew mom likes to ride the roller coasters), we took pictures with different characters, and saw some amazing film making magic. At night we walked the streets of Hollywood and saw some great sights!

Scenic Coastlines, Hearst Castle, Santa Barbra, and Los Angeles

Watching the surf, spectacular views, and looking for animals made this 80 mile drive along California’s coastline seem like it was only 5 miles. This drive is known as the Big Sur and stretches from Carmel and San Simeon. The scenery was amazing, and the weather was perfect. Still traveling on scenic roads, we traveled along Highway 1 which was designated the nation’s first scenic highway in 1966.
After a few hours of driving down the coast, we ended up at Hearst Castle. The castle was the home of William Randolph Hearst and was built to house his collection of medieval and renaissance treasures. This dream home has over 100 rooms, two Spanish towers, served as a private zoo for the family with thousands of animals, huge indoor and outdoor pools, two guest houses, and was the “in” spot for Hollywood celebrities. We saw a video that showed Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, and Greta Garbo sitting by the pool and enjoying cocktails.
After the castle tour, we had a brief stop (15 minutes) in Santa Barbra. Sometimes called the “Red Roof City”, Santa Barbara is noted for its Mediterranean style architecture. Most buildings have the Spanish style façade of plaster walls, red tile roofs, and enclosed patios. We also enjoyed a view of the beach and saw some really cool HIPPIE MOBILES!!! Check out the pictures.
We arrived in Los Angeles and realized we had a lot to explore. We went to the Getty Museum, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, Mann’s (Grauman’s) Chinese Theater, and the Walk of Stars. We saw all of that in a day and a half.
The Getty Museum was probably one of the most beautiful museums we’ve ever seen. This museum was nestled on the top of a mountain overlooking Bel Air, the Pacific, Hollywood, and Los Angeles. This museum has five two story buildings which surrounds an open courtyard and boasts amazing gardens for walking and relaxing. There was something for everybody at this museum including works of art from Van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir.
We also had time to explore the Rodeo Drive, Hollywood walk of fame, and Chinese Theater. Our favorite part of the day was watching two Marylyn Monroe’s fight for picture taking rights. We took pictures of a Monroe talking to cops and the other Monroe talking to Cat Woman.

I am also sad to say, this was the last leg the liebertwin journey together. We will still update the blog and keep you posted on our summer travels.

Yosemite National Park, California, Carmel, 17 Mile Drive, Monterey

First off, we would like to send congratulations out to the following people for playing and answering our trivia correctly. When we get home, you will receive special presents. For everybody else, the trip isn’t over and you still have chances to win special prizes.

Lindsay and Mark – Bookkeeper

Kelsey and Krystina – Peacock Feathers

Kathy – The U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia for 2 million dollars.

We spent the next day driving through San Joaquin Valley, Climbed through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and passed through some old mining towns from the gold rush. We had a rest stop during this 5 ½ hour journey, and the scenery was amazing. We then stopped at our hotel and had a free evening. We spent the next day at Yosemite National Park. Yosemite National Park was established in 1890. It is over 1,000 square miles with granite peaks and waterfalls. We took a trolley tour through the valley and saw some famous spots such as the Yosemite Waterfall (which is almost dried up this time of the year), El Capitan (a mountain used for rock climbing), and Yosemite Village (filled with museums, a movie theater, and restaurants). It was a great day and very hot. The highlight was when we returned to the hotel and went to cool off in the Merced River which was just steps from our door. We hiked about 50 feet, and found our own little spot. We moved some rocks and made “Lazy – Boys” in the mild rapids. We just relaxed, drank our drinks and enjoyed the sunset. It was definitely a highlight of the trip!!!

After an early morning departure, we spent a majority of the day on the bus as we are still making our way down towards Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. We made some stops along the way as we traveled through the Garlic and Avocado capitals of the world. Our first stop was at this place called Casa Fruita. Casa Fruita is located in the “Salad Bowl” of California. Everywhere you looked for miles and miles, fruits and vegetables were being grown.

After a lunch stop, we continued on to Monterey, California, where we had time to explore Cannery Row. This was a nice scenic area with an excellent aquarium. We then boarded the bus an hour later and drove along the 17 mile coastline to the famed Pebble Beach Golf Course. We got ourselves some souvenirs including little pencils, scorecards, and T’s. Pebble Beach Golf Course is a very beautiful course where the US Open is held. For a group of four to play 18 holes, it coasts over $2500.00 and that doesn’t include a caddy or golf cart.

We ended the day with a visit to Carmel, California. This is a very expensive area that kind of reminded us of the Hamptons on Long Island. It was a fun town to explore and we found some great bargains.

Now it is off to bed, for we have to get ready for another full day of touring with an early departure and the Olympics Opening Ceremony.

San Francisco, California

Rice – a – Roni, a San Francisco Treat!” (not really, it’s from Chicago)

When you think of California, you think of sunshine, warm weather, etc… Well not in San Francisco! Although we have been very lucky with the weather, usually you wake up to a dense fog and then by mid day you have clear skies. Very interesting how that happens!

We are having a great time here. We took another Duck Tour, actually, it was called The Bay Quakers Peking Duck Tour, or imitation Duck Tour. We also explored many different areas of San Francisco. Our favorites being Pier 39 with the sea lions, walking to the curving roads on Lombard Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, looking for bargains in China Town, riding the cable car, and our bay area cruise which gave us stunning views of Alcatraz and The Golden Gate Bridge. We also drove through wine country, had a wine tasting at Cline Winery, went to Sonoma, and explored the streets of Sausalito. We have had a busy few days. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Trivia Question:

Do you know what color the Golden Gate Bridge is Painted? If you write the answer on the blog you could get a prize.

Portland, Oregon and Drive down the West Coast

Portland is another nice city! The size of Portland was rather small, however it made us appreciate the city even more. We had signed up for a Duck Tour but they were no longer running (already closed for the season), they must have known we were coming, but that did not stop us from exploring the Chinese Gardens, China Town, the Historic Distric, the Theater District, and taking “A walk on Water” on the country’s longest floating walkway. In Portland we did manage to find a one of the kind attraction (go figure)! It is called Voodoo Doughnuts, a sight not to miss. Voodoo Doughnuts has every childhood fantasy doughnut combination you can imagine as well as the classics, Maple doughnut with bacon strips (Scott’s favorite), and a doughnut shaped like a person with a jelly filling that came with a pretzel stick. Every time you stabbed your voodoo doll doughnut with the pretzel your doughnut bleeds. We also had the chance to attend an open air concert! Great fun!

After that, we were on our way to San Francisco and rented a car. We were very hesitant to rent a car and drive to San Francisco, because our GPS was not working, and we only had those old school crazy things called maps. Anyhow we lived on the edge and found our way to the infamous route 101 South down the coast towards California. On the way down, we stopped at the Oregon Welcome Center. It was a simple building located in a big empty parking lot. When we walked into the building, a lovely typical grandmother type lady said the magical words…”Welcome to Oregon where you’re not allowed to pump your own gas and the entire state is tax free!” She was Josh’s future wife! Anyhow, needless to say we did some electronics shopping. This woman also gave us a guide that marked special attractions along the Oregon coast. It had mileage markers and many details. THIS WAS THE GREATEST THING TO HAPPEN!

On the way down the infamous route 101 and Oregon coast, we saw many amazing sites. Everything from the world renowned Oregon Aquarium to the world’s largest water cave to the ever popular Redwood Tree’s of Mystery! So many places to stop along the way and spend the night! It is not easy to achieve this, but the drive on 101 through Oregon got two thumbs up from us Lieberman boys! I only hope the pictures do it justice!

Our next stop, San Francisco, CA.