 | 7 March 1999 When you first arrive it's hard not to be impressed with the number of runs littered over the mountain here at Breckenridge. This shot was taken as we eagerly left for the first day on the slopes. |
 | 7 March 1999 The view back down from one of the lower runs here at Breckenridge, around 3,400m altitude. You might be able to spot one of the resorts stumbling points here - see how far the village is away, even though it's only 400m lower. Yep, there are a lot of very flat runs down there! |
 | 9 March 1999 Rob trying to look cool on his Snowblades - not that you can tell I'm on them from this shot. Check out the next one then  |
 | 9 March 1999 If you can see this view on your ski trip... you're doing something right! Yes - if you don't end up in the snow once in a while you're not trying hard enough (or messing around as much as you could in my case). |
 | 10 March 1999 The magnificent view from the top of Vail mountain on a very clear and sunny day. |
 | 10 March 1999 Messing around on Vail mountain on a perfect day to ski. Who could ask for more? |
 | 13 March 1999 Here's an alterative to the ubiquitous London Routemaster as a tour vehicle (and yes, I did see a Routemaster here too!) - a modified San Francisco fire department vehicle. Very nice, especially the shiny brass bits - but I bet you it's still very chilly. |
 | 15 March 1999 The famous seal colony here at pier 39. Tourists are encouraged not to feed them, so you wonder why they like it here so much? |
 | 15 March 1999 Of course, no trip to San Francisco would be complete without the required picture of yourself by the Golden Gate bridge. Or about to travel under it in this case. |
 | 15 March 1999 And here's my version of the Golden Gate. How many times have you seen this shot before? |
 | 15 March 1999 The church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Washington Square. It's claim to fame? Joe DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe here - or so the narrator on our cruise wrongly claimed!Actually, it was here that DiMaggio married his first wife, actress Dorothy Arnold, Nov. 19, 1939 where police had to be called to control 10,000 fans! He married Marilyn Monroe in San Francisco city hall Jan. 14, 1954 and was this time was mobbed by only 500 fans. |
 | 15 March 1999 The Coit Tower was errected by Lillie Hitchcock, many think as a tribute to San Francisco's fire fighters, as the design is reminiscent of a fire hose nozzle.Built on Telegraph Hill, the view of the bay and city from the top is pretty impressive. |
 | 15 March 1999 Downtown San Francisco from the top of the Coit Tower. In the centre there, the Transamerica Pyramid is the cities tallest building. |
 | 16 March 1999 Rob looking pretty happy with himself, with Yosemite valley in the background. |
 | 16 March 1999 El Capitan (I think that's what they named this rock) towering up from Yosemite Valley floor. I love how that cloud is just hanging there below the peak, very photogenic don't you think? |
 | 16 March 1999 Bridalviel fall in the Yosemite Valley. |
 | 16 March 1999 Upper Yosemite falls cascading into what looked like a snowfield. Well, it didn't look much like a pool or lake anyhow, and there was a bit of snow around so I'm sticking with that guess. |
 | 16 March 1999 Mount Watkins reflected in the mirror lake here in Yosemite Valley. |
 | 16 March 1999 Half Dome, seen here to the left has the most sheer cliff face in North America at just seven degrees of vertical. The altitude at the peak is 2693m, and we're on the valley floor around 1200m below that, you see why this place is a rock climber's paradise. |
 | 17 March 1999 Rob trying to get the immense size of the General Sherman Sequoia into perspective. |
 | 17 March 1999 The General Sherman tree is the world's largest by volume. Although you can't really appreciate this from the photo, so here are a few fascinating facts to help out:Estimated age: 2100 years Estimated weight of trunk: 1256 tonnes Height: 83.8m (275 feet) Circumference at ground: 31.3m Max diameter at base: 11.1m
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 | 18 March 1999 The Pinnicals Natural National Park. Well yes, I guess it does look sort of like an alien landscape might. |
 | 18 March 1999 View from just off the road as we drive down into Death Valley. |
 | 18 March 1999 Although Death Valley is in the middle of a desert, there's only this small stretch of sand dunes. Here we see the remains of some vegetation, bleached white by the sun. |
 | 18 March 1999 In contrast to the last shot, here is a plant flourishing in the sane dunes here in Death Valley. This one actually had some small flowers blooming (yellow dots near the centre of the bush). |
 | 18 March 1999 Some pretty interesting formations can be seen in one of the many rainwater gullies leading off from the main path of Golden Canyon. |
 | 18 March 1999 Rob gets the standard tourist shot - and poses by the sign in Badwater, the lowest place in North America (the sign says minus 282 feet). |
 | 19 March 1999 The Grand Canyon - awesome! |
 | 19 March 1999 Another shot of this amazing natural formation on one of the many points that jut out from the rim. This point is along the rim west of the start of Bright Angel Trail. |
 | 19 March 1999 Rob sitting on the north rim of the Grand Canyon on a beautiful sunny day. |