2019 Free Roaming 5000 km across the American West (Part 3)

This was the place last night so pitch black you could film a ghost movie... Given that the rooms booked on Airbnb before were quite reliable, and the navigation showed the address was accurate, we got bold and drove a little further down the dark gravel road. Then we saw a lonely little country villa at the fork, with yellow light shining through the windows. Our group in the car started imagining all kinds of horror movie scenes... Haha, turns out we were overthinking. The friendly hostess warmly welcomed us and said she had been waiting for us for a long time...

Why did we choose this house? Mainly because it was close enough to Zion National Park, but we didn't expect it to be so isolated—no villages in front or behind, no streetlights at night... Zion National Park is a hiker's paradise. Originally we picked a seemingly interesting and rare water hiking route, where there were almost no trails and we had to wade upstream in the Virgin River through Zion Canyon. But plans change; the kids said they had already hiked twice in the past few days and were a bit tired, wanting to do something else.

We changed plans and went to St. George, 60 km away. When we got out of the car for lunch, it was so hot it made us question life. The weather forecast said 43°C. Even standing in the shade, the wind blowing in our faces was scorching! We just wanted to sit in the fast food restaurant and enjoy the air conditioning, even though the Coke and burgers there weren't good.

We didn't have the courage to visit any attractions under the blazing sun, so we just drove around the town. From a distance we saw a large lawn full of people sunbathing. Just as I was about to marvel at how different people living on the edge of the desert are—as if high temperatures and scorching sun don't exist—I looked again and realized it was a cemetery. And across the street was another cemetery, while on the other side of the road was Utah Dixie State University! Oh my god, was this saying: if you don't study hard, you'll go quietly across the street? Or either study... or rest in peace...

We took the kids to visit the university campus—clean, orderly, but we didn't see a single person...

We had booked a 2-hour evening horseback ride in the mountains. On the way to the ranch, there was lightning and thunder, and sandstorms were raging. Fortunately, the heavy rain never came.

The cowboy uncle picked a tall, gentle horse for the kid, which could be freely controlled forward, backward, left, and right. It felt quite different from riding the small ponies we used to ride at horse ranches back in China.

Then the two kids followed the cowboy uncle on tall horses to wander in the forest at the foot of the mountain.

The lonely little cowboy stood by the roadside, chewing his fingers, waiting for his cowboy dad... until they came back.

The kid said horseback riding was super fun and made her really happy, but it was too short! And her horse kept taking unusual paths, always wanting to rub against big trees... The highlight was that when the excited kid heard we had to pay, she said: 'Give a tip!'

Back at the accommodation, the kids found the host's little granddaughter and played on the swing. We continued cooking in the kitchen—the steak here is delicious no matter how you cook it, just thinking about it makes my mouth water...

After dinner for entertainment, the kids found a map and a guestbook on the wall. It turned out we were only the second group of Chinese to stay in this house!

Starting from the country villa, after about 250 km we arrived at Las Vegas in the Nevada desert. Through the car window, the kids saw a roller coaster weaving through skyscrapers and exclaimed: 'This place is awesome! I want to go!' Indeed, Las Vegas has charm for all ages!

At the 4-story M&M's World, the kids definitely wouldn't miss it. As soon as they entered, they were eager to find the M&M filling station.

I asked the kid to fill some mint M&M's for me, but she said no, don't mix them in my bag...

So I told her: 'Alright, we each fill our own, and each pays for their own!' Haha, I wanted her to use up some of her allowance too.

Among the four floors, besides the chocolate beans, this was the only thing she was willing to pay for herself.

The cashier auntie chatted warmly with the kid and asked: 'Little one, do you need a shopping bag? Two dollars...' 'No, I don't need it, thank you!' Haha! Her mom, standing not far away, laughed until it hurt!

At the Coca-Cola flagship store, though the kid had no interest in cola, the colorful bottles and various accessories from different eras were quite attractive to her.

Passing by the New York-New York Hotel several times, we could hear spine-chilling screams echoing all around. But unfortunately, no one was willing to accompany her on such a thrilling activity, and the kid was itching to go!

We continued driving through the desert. Although the car's AC was on, we could still feel the intense glare of the sun, making us question life! 450 km to go to Los Angeles, just driving monotonously...

I absolutely loved this Airbnb apartment in Los Angeles. Standing on the terrace, with the California sunshine streaming in, I felt wonderful.

Around the corner was the Hollywood Walk of Fame. On the sidewalk we finally saw the bustling crowds of a big city, and the famous Oscar ceremony theater. But we weren't interested at all, including searching for actors we knew and liked on the Walk of Fame...

The only thing we were interested in was a historic steakhouse nearby with great reviews, which I had searched before leaving. But when we walked over, they told us it was full; if we wanted to wait, it would probably be after 9 PM...

For brunch after waking up, we had IN-N-OUT—delicious and cheap, truly the most recommended American burger. Much better than the trendy New York burgers, even if not as good-looking!

The kid has always been endlessly curious about history, so museums are naturally the most exciting places for her during trips. And the Getty Museum had been in her mind for a long time... Two years ago, after visiting the Guanfu Museum, she became obsessed with 'Guanfu Dudu'—watching TV at home and listening to the app when out. Once, Ma Weidu mentioned in the show: 'If you go to Los Angeles, be sure to spend half a day at the Getty Museum on the hill; it's a rare artistic enjoyment in life.' From then on, the kid silently remembered.

After parking, we took the Getty Center tram up the hill to the top. Besides parking, everything else was free, including admission!

The museum was huge. At the entrance, there were Chinese guide maps and audio guides in Chinese available for rent, but they were already all borrowed... So the kid used the guide map to play a treasure hunt game. The top treasure: Van Gogh's Irises!

In the whole room, there was only one security guard, standing next to 'Irises' without moving! That was the only security guard I saw in the entire museum. The room also housed paintings by Monet, Cézanne, Gauguin, Renoir, and other Impressionist artists—no barriers, just people quietly appreciating the art.

Van Gogh's 'Irises'—appreciating a master's work up close—we really have to thank Getty's generosity! In 1987, the Getty Museum bought Van Gogh's 'Irises' for $53.9 million. Ma Weidu said in 'Guanfu Dudu': 'At that time, $53.9 million could buy all the art and antiques traded in China that year!'

Two of Monet's 'Sunrise' paintings—one is now in France, and the other hangs on the wall in this room.

The kid, who loves drawing, kept looking and taking photos. She murmured: 'How can they paint so beautifully!'

Continuing the treasure hunt in other halls: Roman and Greek sculptures, oil paintings...

I really liked the clouds in an oil painting and told the kid: 'When we get home, you can paint something like this for me.' The kid gave me an awkward but polite smile and said: 'You're really overthinking it...'

On the terrace outside the hall, the sun shone brightly with an amazing view, overlooking Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean in the distance.

We continued to another building, mainly exhibiting porcelain and French classical furniture.

The kid never missed the souvenir shop. She carefully chose small gifts and calculated the prices, saying: 'This time I'll use my own pocket money to pay.'

Santa Monica Beach at dusk, the end of Route 66 along the Pacific coast, holds a special legendary significance.

At the Pacific shore, the wind was strong and the water cold. Even without swimming, playing in the sand on the shore was great! At this moment, the lively amusement park behind us could be automatically ignored—pretend we didn't see or hear it!

Route 66 is a 'Mother Road' of great significance to this country. For us, it was the end of our road trip in a foreign land. We had to make a pilgrimage—a sense of ceremony...

Across from the road sign was Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., a restaurant featuring highlights, stills, and merchandise from 'Forrest Gump'.

The kids had amazing appetites. After eating four, five, or six dishes, a full plate of ribs arrived. By the time we reacted, only one rib was left...

These three amazing kids—after dinner, it was windy and a bit cold by the seaside. They happily sang, danced, and shot short videos right in front of the Santa Monica Police Station.

We weren't particularly interested in Los Angeles as a city and hadn't decided where to go, except that we wanted to visit an outlet. We navigated to the largest one in California: Palm Springs Outlets. Then heading east again for another 150 km!

As soon as we entered, we were greeted by China Merchants Bank & Cainiao Station, along with Chinese discount ads—it felt like we were back in China...

Once women start shopping, it's truly 'insane'—including little girls!

The kid exceeded expectations and bought a lot of things, finally having to get another suitcase...

Seven hours later, this kid was really tired from shopping and had also spent all her pocket money!

This was probably the most anticipated day of the entire trip: Universal Studios!

The kid hadn't read Harry Potter books or seen the movies before, so stepping into the perpetually 'snow-covered' wizarding village with its perfectly recreated shops, including the street vendors selling wands and flying brooms, she was completely uninterested! The only thing she wanted was to go through the village to ride the small roller coaster: Flight of the Hippogriff.

Water World—a water-themed stage show. After entering, the kid realized she had seen it before at Universal Studios Singapore. She immediately pulled me to sit in the back rows, remembering that the green seats in front would get splashed by 'vicious pirates'!

After lunch, every ride was packed. The mom had to queue everywhere for the kids! Unfortunately, we didn't manage the time well. By the time we finished The Simpsons Ride and rushed to the Studio Tour, the last Mandarin Chinese tour of the day had just left.

We boarded the next English tour into the backlot, passing real movie sets, a flood eruption, a Boeing 747 crash site, and sound stages built from shipping containers, including a 4D fight between the Jurassic World dinosaurs and King Kong, plus Fast & Furious—an adrenaline-pumping car chase. It was so immersive and real!

Even today, this place still serves as a filming location for many movies and TV shows. The Studio Tour is truly unique to Los Angeles.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey—probably the most popular and longest queue ride in Universal Studios Hollywood. At first, the kid had no interest in the castle, but after her friend said it was an amazing, super fun indoor 3D roller coaster, her eyes lit up...

I originally said I would just accompany them to the queue and then leave at the entrance while they went in. But at the castle entrance, a handsome guy in a school robe said my friend's backpack had to be stored separately, and we needed to go another way, so we continued queuing into the castle! Then there was a scared mom who didn't want to ride a roller coaster, accompanying two kids afraid of the dark into the pitch-black Hogwarts Castle...

The long line snaked through the castle, passing Dumbledore's office, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, the Gryffindor common room, and even the Room of Requirement... Everything was exactly like the magical world in the movies!

Then came the thrilling 'Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.' Sitting on the roller coaster with 3D glasses, we simulated flying with Harry on a broomstick, zooming 360 degrees through Hogwarts Castle, going up and down to fight monsters! To be honest, this was my first time on a large roller coaster, and it was really fun! Except for the constant feeling that my flip-flops might fly off during the ups and downs...

We took the escalator down to the lower lot of Universal Studios: Jurassic Park—The Ride, Transformers, and Revenge of the Mummy. Yes, two more roller coasters. Universal Studios is so indulgent—I counted six roller coasters in total!

The kids didn't dare to do The Mummy, and the lines for Transformers and Jurassic Park were insanely long, so we gave up! Better to get a drink at Starbucks to cool down...

Entered at 9:30 AM, exited at 6:45 PM. The mom was completely exhausted! This kid rode four different roller coasters in one day and was thrilled! She said: 'Roller coasters, roller coasters—I love the feeling of weightlessness!'

Leaving Universal Studios, we saw Bubba Gump again on the commercial street. We decisively grabbed takeout and headed back to our little terrace to lie down for a while.

15 days: Shanghai → Salt Lake City → Yellowstone → Grand Teton → Salt Lake City → Page (Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell) → Bryce Canyon → St. George → Las Vegas → Los Angeles. We passed through 7 states: Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Nevada, and California. Driven nearly 5000 km...

On the 16th day, we headed home!

On the plane, after eating, drinking, and sleeping well, the kid saw her father waiting at the airport when we landed. From the moment she got in the car, she started chattering nonstop... Listening to her gave me a headache, but her father laughed and said: 'It's fine, it's fine—so lively!'

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