Reuthers
Highway 1 / USA
Guided Photo Tour

Welcome to Los Angeles. After a transfer to your hotel, meet your fellow photo tour travellers at a Welcome Drink and Dinner in the evening.

After breakfast we start our trip north along Highway 1. Passing the Santa Monica Pier and Sunset Boulevard we eventually reach Malibu. We then head into central valley farmlands of California and the coastal hills of the Los Padres National Forest. Travelling through beautiful countryside, we stop at Santa Barbara's Stearns Wharf for lunch before visiting Solvang, the "Danish capital of America", where you will see windmills, horse drawn carriages, horse ranches, and wineries. We continue north through lush green hills, farmland, and cattle ranches before reaching Morro Bay.

In the morning we continue with the Pacific Ocean on the left and the majestic Santa Lucia mountains on the right. This is the Big Sur, or "El Sur Grande", a wonderfully scenic region that we cover during the day. We stop at Point Pinos Lighthouse, the entrance to Monterey Bay. Our photo tour continues through Castroville, where Norma Jean (Marilyn Monroe) was once crowned Artichoke Queen. Finally we reach Half Moon Bay and Pacifica, where we head north toward San Francisco and our hotel.

Today is a rest day in San Francisco. You may wish to explore the city on foot or using some of the city's famous cable cars. Highlights include the Golden Gate Bridge, one of the world's longest suspension bridges, the Haight-Ashbury district, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, Nob Hill, Union Street, and Lombard Street. You may also wish to visit Alcatraz, famous as an official US Army prison and then as a Federal prison.

We start the day by passing the Golden Gate Bridge, heading into Marin County and the artist town of Sausalito. Our journey now takes us through stunning scenery as we pass Mount Tamalpais and miles of redwood groves. On a good day the snow-covered Sierra Nevada range can be seen. We hit the Pacific and the Wild Coast, passing through Muir Beach, a small hamlet where ocean-view homes oppose the bluffs of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Continuing north, we pass through Fort Ross and Gualala, stopping in Mendocino, a renowned haven for artists, writers, woodworkers, potters, etc. You will be able to buy gifts and souvenirs here if you wish. A highlight of the day is Leggett, with its "Leggett Drive Through Tree". We spend the night in Laytonville.

We continue our journey along Clear Lake, the largest natural lake in California, and the outskirts of the Mendocino National Forest. We travel through the forested hills, turning south. Passing Sacramento we travel to Placerville, a gold rush town, and then on to Camino in the heart of the El Dorado Wine Country. Our route now takes us through the Eldorado National Forest and into South Lake Tahoe and Stateline, where the California-Nevada State Line can be found. If you feel like trying your luck, Stateline has many world-class casinos.

Our day begins with a journey through the Toiyabe National Forest toward Genoa, the oldest permanent settlement in Nevada and one of the most attractive villages in the American West. From Genoa, we continue north to Carson City and Virginia City. Virginia City, which was once a boom town, now stands as a monument to the riches that could be obtained during the gold rush.

We start heading east and then south to Yerington, situated along the banks of the Walker River and surrounded by picturesque mountains full of ghost towns and old gold mining camps. We continue to Hawthorne, with the landscape slowly changing into a desert environment, before reaching Tonopah, an old mining boom town. You will be able to get a real feel for Nevada's colourful history here.

Right in the morning we continue south to Goldfield with the best old buildings in Nevada and then head south to Beatty, a picturesque desert town in the Amargosa River Valley. We continue through Amargosa Valley, Indian Springs, and into gambling capital Las Vegas.

This is a rest day and gives you the opportunity to spend time in Las Vegas sightseeing, taking in some of the many shows, or visiting the casinos.

We leave Las Vegas, heading for Baker, where we have lunch at the Mad Greek Restaurant. From Baker we continue south to Barstow and detour to the old silver mining town of Calico. Back on the main road, we reach Barstow, once a small mining and railroad town in California's Mojave Desert. Barstow's main street is part of the original Route 66. This is where we stay for the night.

We continue on to Victorville, where we descend into the greater Los Angeles basin and to our hotel. In the evening we gather for our Farewell Dinner and to reminisce about our photo tour adventure.