Why settle when you can travel? While many Americans prefer to learn about the world (or, in fact, about the real life) via TV, we find ourselves in…

...Hollywood! While not having much of a plan we drive on the Mulholland Drive and… Ohh, what’s that? Yes, this is the famous Hollywood sign high up on the hills! So, once we are here, why not climbing up there?

Alright, now, where are all these stars? We saw three Rolls-Royce Phantoms but nobody driving them. No stars. Not even Matt Damon.

So, we have to go on. And suddenly, there is hope! A Swiss voice shouts out of a Tacos bar and inquires about our truck. And it’s an actor with roots in Chur, Switzerland. Excellent! While not being famous yet, Mr. McCool has great plans for the future with movies featuring Johnny Depp and Till Schweiger. Let’s see! (Hrefna is on a picture with him – so we are on the safe side).

However, Las Vegas calls. Right-on, let’s go there! We drive some 3 hours and arrive there at 1am. The lights are breath-taking! A crazy city.

Since I have spent some days in Vegas earlier on and since Hrefna is no big gambler, we decide to go on. Some 50km North-East of Las Vegaswe find a camping place. It’s pretty big and has no hook-ups. And it’s free. It is called: The Desert!

The next morning we get up with the sun. The tent heats up quickly and happily we make it to a truck stop with air-conditioning and Diesel fuel. And fire works. Tons of fire works. We are in Nevada! Land of the free, state of the crazy. There is no way to resist – we rearm ourselves and with a boot full of fireworks and 90 litres of new Diesel we are under way towards the Zion National Park.

What can we say: Both Hrefna and I are completely charmed by the colourful and rocky mountains… There is no way to describe this: you have to see it by yourself. And there is one more good thing about the State of Utah: its citizens not only like to marry more than one girl (well, some politics are against this nowadays – see picture), they also love off-roading. By chance we find the tracks of the Utah Off-Road Club. And how great is this: the track is well marked, rather difficult and the views you get are breath-taking.
 
So it is with the Stairways Escalante Park. After some excellent tasting spare-ribs on our bonfire and a long and very cold night in the roof-tent, we find ourselves in the state park troopers’ office. Wanting to take part in a lottery to gain access to a hidden valley called “The Wave” we arrive 15 minutes too late. And no chance to do anything about – not even the legendary Icelandic charm helps. So we have to find our way on our own. Once again it proofs to be a good thing to have enough ground-clearance – over a dirt road we drive through a fantastic desert with colourful hills and even golden arches (not McDonalds). How beautiful America can be. How different it does look all 50 kilometres!

Now, where next? To the left to Bryce Canyon? Or to the right to Canyonlands? Or maybe South towards Grand Canyon?

We decide for Grand Canyon! Late in the evening and after a most scenic drive through Arizona we make it to the Grand Canyon. And of course there is no problem to find a hotel room since it  is not the main season. Or so I thought. No Sir, Mr Reichmuth: no room, not a single free bed… And we are simply not prepared to have another night in a frozen tent. So we leave the park and drive to Tusayan where we find a hotel room.  With a  heating system.
Generally, it’s not exactly easy to get up at 6am with another hour stolen by the time difference between Arizona and California. And the evening we had before does not make it exactly easier: the wine was good, the banjo-artist we invited to our table did drink with us and explained how he did not want Americans to be seen as blind-eyed Bush followers. Which commanded us to open a new bottle.

But even though it hurts it is worth it! Right before the sunrise we make it to the Grand Canyon. How beautiful the colours are. Completely alone because no other tourist is tough enough to get up so early. Well, maybe not completely, there are two or three Japanese who must have forgotten to change their watches from Japanese Standard Time.

What to do after Grand Canyon? Can it get any better? Or should we simply drive back towards San Diego?

But what is this spot on the map? Bagdad? Without “h”? Do I hold the wrong map in hands? We simply must go there! What a strange name for an American city in the middle of Arizona!

We drive through a desert full of cactuses high as houses. And we are far away from the last bigger city. And yet, when we arrive in Bagdad we immediately feel that there is something special about this town. What it is? Well, read more in our special report “One Night in Bagdad".

On the next day we want to make it back to San Diego. With a slight headache we are “en route” and have 500km in front of us. We did not read any travelling guides and simply enjoy the often changing scenery. All of a sudden we are in the middle of sand dunes. Are we still in the USA? Or have we really fallen through a time&space whole and keep on driving through sunny Irak?

No, this must be America! Around us some 500 RVs are parked, all with trailers and dune buggies on top. How cool is this?!

While we climb on dune after dune with 15km/h and gear reduction, the buggies literally jump over them with their up to 500 horse-power motors. Amazing. And the sand desert is beautiful, too.

I have to say it: America offers so much of natural beauty!

Now it is already late in the afternoon and we are looking forward to have a shower and some fresh clothes. But once again, we can not drive directly to San Diego. On the left side of the highway a sign proclaims “I.V. Swiss Club”. A Swiss club in the desert, in Imperial Valley? We have to see that! The club house is next to a “Swiss-style-Wrestling” arena (this sport is called “Schwingen”) and the club warden explains that we have to drive on for some 800 metres to come to a Swiss farm where one of the club officers does live. We are welcomed like old friends! The Britschgis invite us for drinks and Jared, who is as old as I am, offers to show us their tractor.

Tractor? Well, it’s not that I would never have seen a tractor before. And Hrefna does not show a great portion of enthusiasm about the perspective of seeing a farming tractor, neither. But since we are guest we say “yes, sure we want to see that”.

It turns out not be a farming tractor as we imagined it to be. It’s a bit longer. And with 5000 horse powers a bit stronger than the average John Deere. Also, it has three Hemy motors. This “Swiss Power" tractor is used for tractor-pulling contests! Wow! 

We spend a good part of the afternoon with the Britschgis who seem to be more Swiss than many Swiss folks I know in back home in Switzerland. Except for maybe a slight accent in their Swiss German.

Finally we hit the road again. This time “en direct” towards San Diego. The rock formations along the mountain highway are stunningly beautiful – they glow red in the evening sun and I am tempted to stay here for another night. But Hrefna makes it quite clear that this evening we will have a shower. Therefore we make it to our home base by the evening.

It was a fantastic road-trip!