The tour started (11.AUG) and ended (28.AUG) in San Francisco.
We had 3 overnight stays at the Canterbury Hotel in total. Not enough time for
this fascinating city but enough time to get the flavour for spending more time
in the future. Nice sightseeing by the famous cable cars...Fisherman´s Wharf,
Lombard Street, Golden Gate Bridge, Telegraph Hill, Chinatown, all the nice
Victorian Houses, Alcatraz and the flavour of the flowerpower in the
streets! Of course no time for Amateur Radio!
In Dublin east of SF we picked up our
motorhome. After shopping and storing of foodstuffs we drove east to Yosemite
Park. There it was very unpleasant for us to see all campgrounds fully booked.
We had the impression that all U.S. citizen spent their holidays at Yosemite
Village! Well timed before darkness with the help of 2 German tourists we found a free space at
the campground White Wolf (approx. 2500 m a.s.l). We had 2 overnight stays at
this stunning park. We watched bears in nature! Again no time for Amateur Radio!
We went to the historic ghosttown of Bodie northeastern of Yosemite Park. In 1859 gold was discovered and the
Wild West life
style stand for that time (65 saloons, armed robberies etc..). Later we visited
the Mono Lake further south. Calcareous spring water and alkaline sea water
formed a lot of surrealistic formations of tuff.
We had one overnight stay in Bishop. My first opportunity to set up my radio
equipment and my antenna. Everything worked well but propagation to Europe was
bad. In the evening I did 8 qso´s on the 20m band and 3 of them to Europe (EA1,
SP9, RZ4).
The next station was the Death Valley...the
hotest place we ever visited. Be well prepared with drinking water and never
forget to fuel your vehicle latest in Stovepipe Wells! A rattlesnake and a
coyote crossed our ways. The campground at Furnace
Creek was like a Fata Morgana...a swimming pool in the center of the valley. We
enjoyed the midnight splash really! I met JimW6RAD an technician in the Park. We
had an enjoyable eyeball qso! I did 12 qso´s on the 20m and 40m band only 1 to
Europe (SM5) but 1 to Africa (ED8)
Next morning we visited Badwater the deepest place in the U.S. and we enjoyed
the view over the valley from Zabriske Point and Dante´s View.
We spent 2 days in Las Vegas and we had a
parking space at the Strip next to Circus Circus. A lot of impressions and fun
in all the Casino´s but especially we enjoyed the Siegfried and Roy Show at the
Mirage! Las Vegas the world of dreams and hope! No time for qso´s!
Towards South and driving the famous Historic
Route 66 we entered the Joshua Tree Park in Twentynine Palms in the North. We
choiced the campground at the Jumbo Rocks and we felt lonesome in the desert. We
never watched such a clear starry sky...beautiful nature! After enjoying the
campfire I made 3 qso´s on the 20m band. We left the park in Cottonwood and
went forward to Anaheim near Los Angeles.
We had a lot of fun at Disney Park and later
at the Universial Studios in Hollywood. After the Walk of Fame and Beverly Hills
we relaxed at Santa Monica beach. We had 2 overnight stays in Malibu. The
campground was next to the Pacific Ocean on the top of a hill...an ideal place
for Amateur Radio! I worked VK, ZL, LU and DJ7SU/maritime mobile with his
sailboat in the midst of the Pacific!
Annother beach day in Santa Barbara with 3
qso´s on 20m. Further North with a short break in Solvang. A city built in
Danish style. One overnight stay at a nice campground in Big Sur. Next day
we visited Monterey with the Bay Aquarium. We spent our last night at the
motorhome in Santa Cruz and I did my last 6 qso´s.
Conclusion:
This trip was really an adventure! Amateur
Radio complete a motorhome holiday in an ideal way. We met dozens of helpful and
friendly people and we were very impressed from the uniqe nature, the wide range
and the
contrasts between civil life and Wild West!
Walter´s (DK9SQ) SUPER QUICK VERTICAL antenna was easy to set up and did a fine
job even the propagation to Europe was always bad in that summer. The antenna
didn´t require a matchbox!
More about: SQV ANTENNA
The YAESU FT-897 is an ideal portable transceiver with 100 W output on the HF
bands. This RIG includes also 6m, 2m and 70cm bands.
More about:
YAESU FT-897