Circle Pacific 1998/99 - Day 1 - NYC to California

• Been planning this trip for 3 years!
• Are beginning the trip w/ 2 heavy, dense backpacks - won't be able to lighten the load till we're familiar w/ the Southern Hemisphere climate - both carrying several books
• Have planned a Circle Pacific route including California, Hawaii, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Bangkok, Hong Kong - until May 28th ('99) we can fill our time + spend our energy any way we please - so long as it's cheap!
• Flight from NYC to Chicago short + uninteresting
• Flight from Chicago to LA started w/ views of green crop irrigation circles - then great bird's-eye view of Rockies - could pick out Denver landmarks, Boulder's flatirons - later some red desert features
• Picked up rental car at LAX + headed north
• Stopped for ice cream 90 mi north of LA - air smells amazing!
• Drove to Sequoia Nat'l Park - camped in Potwisha site - would choose a different campground if staying longer - but evergreen aroma awesome