Jacob and Jamie

Monday, 8 September 2014

The Most Photographed Bridge in the World

Where am I headed?

OK, so it's been a little while, in fact exactly a year and four days since I flew out, but let's find out where I was again. Admittedly, this post will have little to do with food but I'd like to share this day with you because it will forever stick in my memory as one of my favourite moments. Anyway, that's where I was: Reno, Nevada. (See previous post "The Great Salt Lake and a Chinese Buffet")
Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to get back on the road as quickly as possible, (let's just say Reno wasn't my favourite city so far) there were a few complications with transport which set me back a couple of hours. Frustrating but seemingly unavoidable. So, after trying four different garages, everything got fixed and I was on the move once more, still heading west. But what was coming next was worth the wait...
A moment had come that I had been looking forward to since leaving Montana: crossing the Nevada/California border! The change in scenery was immediate and absolutely amazing. A stop was made at a place called Emigrant Gap to take it in before driving another couple of hours to Roseville, Sacramento which, confusingly, is the capital city of California.

Emigrant Gap.

The following day I got up really excited. I knew what was coming! Back on the road again, I began to notice acres and acres of California's world-renown orchards, orangeries and vineyards as I began to get closer to my destination. (It was a shame I didn't get to spend more time investigating.) If you guessed from the picture that I am headed for the Golden Gate Bridge, you guessed right! What an absolutely amazing day! Due to air of different temperatures meeting, "advection fog" is a very common occurrence in the San Franscisco Bay area, however, it wasn't when I was there which just made it even more incredible. What a spectacle!

Nearly there!

Another slight nuisance was that I didn't have more time to spend in San Franscisco as there are some fantastic restaurants there but with a tight schedule unfortunately they will have to wait for another time. I'm pretty sure I'll be back. So, this time, I just admired the way the packed trams climbed up and down the steep, hilly streets of the city, picked Alcatraz up in one hand and sat and watched the Pacific Ocean roll over the Californian shoreline for the very first time.

Seasoned with Wonderstruckness,

Jacob

Actually on the bridge...

Ta da!

Downtown San Francisco

The Pacific Ocean

Reduced to silence...

Holding the world famous Alcatraz island

Welcome to the city!

One of San Francisco's trams

A picturesque, Californian Sunset

...to some proper home cooking

Oh boy, am I looking forward....

"To glorify my Savior, Jesus Christ, the Creator

of the universe and spread further abroad His glorious gospel." - Yours Truly

Wednesday, 9 July 2014

The Great Salt Lake and a Chinese Buffet

The desert road across the Great Salt Lake

Wow! Probably one of the most incredible drives of the trip. From Salt Lake City through the Great Salt Lake and onto Reno, Nevada. I've never seen anything quite like it! It was nearly November and there were shimmering heatwaves across endless, cracked mud and sand, black mountains oddly spaced apart making up the fuzzy horizon. The roads just went on and on as miles were eaten up under me and, speaking of eating, after a few hours, you get the feeling that food is sorely needed.

Well, a convenient Chinese Buffet quickly fixed that problem. Being a fan of flavour combinations, Chinese Buffets are brilliant. From spicy prawns to chicken skewers to crispy beef and broccoli to all manner of noodles and rices, there was plenty to choose from! I was toying with the idea of trying a raw mussel but, being on the road for the rest of that day, I got to thinking that wasn't a great idea... One of my favourite parts about Chinese places is getting a fortune cookie. Some of the messages that I've had in the past have been highly amusing.

Knife and fork or chopsticks?

Anyhow, after being fuelled up, the rest of the journey ensued. As soon as I crossed into Nevada and started climbing in elevation, the temperature dropped and became increasingly colder with each mile. Snow had even dusted the mountains roundabout.

After a whole day of driving, I eventually got to Reno...and kinda wished I hadn't. It was quite late at night by this point and the lights of the countless hotels and casinos lit up the desert sky with a full spectrum of colour, bombarding the senses. I eventually fell asleep in my motel room hoping that my stay here in Reno wouldn't last too long. Little did I know of the events to transpire...

Seasoned with Peregrination,

Jacob