Green Tortoise Bus Tour (Week 1)

"So...." heading from SanFran at silly o'clock on a Monday morning, we began what was to become a major highlight of our trip thus far. Having met Lukas, our driver, I knew we were in for a good fortnight. The man exuded a knowledgeable confidence, kindness and aura which were immediately appealing. He seemed to know everything about the natural surroundings we found ourselves in, and he had a healthy fondness for overly-revealing male postcards. I'm not sure which of the 3 of us fancied him most!

The bus is something of a fantasy. Its big and green and hauls everything you could need for 2 weeks on the road with 35 people. Communal cooking created meals you couldn't even imagine. You can sleep under the stars, in a tent, on the bunks, or in "the womb" - the 6m x 3m bed at the back of the bus. No vehicle could be better equipped for a road trip.

A couple of slow days brought us through Santa Cruz, Monterey and Los Angeles. Hollywood was distinctly underwhelming and we were glad to be hitting the National Parks the following morning. Joshua Tree was the first stop and what a stunning intro. Surrounded by desert and rocks, we were let loose to climb and explore the area. The rocks had a weird type of grippy texture which allowed you to walk along crazy angles and climb up and down seemingly impossible spaces. "Team Tame" was born. Look around, spot a challenge, tame it! I can't recommend Joshua Tree enough. Great climbing and truly unique surroundings.

From such beautiful natural surroundings, Las Vegas was a contrast to say the least. As the Green Tortoise is a vegetarian bus, we all devoured some steak before revelling in (2) limo tours, some gambling and some good old fashioned sessioning. Vegas was on the itinerary again later in the trip, so we were really only scratching the surface this time. Next stop Zion National Park for more hiking.

Lukas had recommended the Angel's Landing hike for a good workout, with great rewards at the end. He wasn't wrong and after the steep and narrow couple of miles, we were atop a fabulous plateau overlooking the whole valley. The photos really don't even do it justice.

Another camping night, another National Park the next day. Bryce National Park has an informal reputation for being smaller, but more spectacular that the Grand Canyon. After the 8-mile Fairyland hike, I would agree. The crazy vertical stacks and arches create a fabulous canyon full of colour and shape that is difficult to believe. The end of the day here at Bryce marked the end of our first week on the bus. Depsite our best efforts to squeeze our buddy Ray onto the new bus for week 2, we had no joy. We promised to meet up in Vegas in a week and head south to Mexico together. A lot of other goodbye's (Rita, Wifey, Nicole, Dilbert, Phelpsie, Mike, Marc, Claire et al) wrapped up a great week on the Tortoise.

Green Tortoise slideshow