#calicalling

Having my flights delayed in New York unfortunately meant I lost my time in San Francisco & the first couple of days of the Topdeck Tour of California/Arizona.

I am gutted about this because I was more excited to spend time in San Francisco than I was New York...

From San Francisco I caught a bus & a train to Bakersfield, CA to meet up with the tour and the girls. Totally worth the wait!! Over 40 young people crammed on a bus all excited for good times and adventures! A travelling hostel! What a week! Sadly after 6 weeks of no routines, plans & schedules, I began to find myself running late for the first couple of days and was dubbed 'The Late Guy'... after all, I'd already missed the start of the tour (not my fault :P) and then nearly missed the bus on my first morning!! I learned pretty quickly to be organised :P Driving through Death Valley was a real grounding experience. Though Australia is reputable to be one of the most arid, isolated environments in the world, nothing prepared me for this desolate wasteland. It was a strange experience after almost 4 weeks of constant noise in previous cities to be out here in the middle of no where, surrounded by desert, mountains and deafening silence. I could've spent hours here, though the bus waits for no one, and we were on our way to VEGAS!!

Our tour guide Adam was explaining to us on the road in that Vegas is one of the hardest cities in the world to get arrested. "You have to be doing some pretty sick shit to be locked up & that if you do get arrested, you probably deserve to be in there...". It is EXACTLY how it is in the movies! Bright lights, "Dings & rattles" of slot machines, lots of cursing (both happy & sad) and lots of casino's designed like mazes. I guess that's why the call it Sin City. I feel like I did Vegas justice; going to the Cirque du Soleil with a pretty girl, getting a tattoo, getting blackout drunk, dancing on the table at a fancy club, Won (... and lost) in the casino's - What a city!! But Alas, the bus waits for no one.

Next up, the Grand Canyon!!! Incredible!! (Paid a bit extra for a Helicopter flight through it and they played this as we flew over the top! I was lost for words the whole time. Definitely something that has to be seen to be believed! I wish I could put words together that could describe it to you... I guess you'll just have to see it for yourselves!

Still in Arizona, our next night we stayed in Lake Havasu, a town built on a man made lake, created by the Parker Dam which was built to tame the mighty Colorado river. As it was the last night of the tour - we had a themed pub crawl. White Trash/Redneck... and boy did we live up to expectations. I wish I could say I remembered this night apart from walking in the bar, but I don't - so I can't tell you about it, however there was a BEAUTIFUL sunset over the lake before we started drinking. Lucky me. I think I'm going to think of this sunset when I'm freezing my nuts off in Edmonton, AB.

Last Stop - Hollywood Boulevard, we say our goodbyes to old friends and new. Some people have to go back to reality, thankfully this is not me... I leave Los Angeles with an awesome girl I met on tour, Tania as we head south for more adventures!!

I must admit I wasn't sold on the whole tour thing, particularly having a tight schedule to stick to... I don't know if this is me any more..? Rules. Regulations. Time Limits. Do's. Don'ts. Routines. Schedules. I guess we will wait and see...