Uncle Jim

After leaving Monterey, we headed north to San Jose, to stay with my Uncle - Jim.

At 82, he's still more than able to put you down, make you laugh and beat you to a seat.

We got there about midday so we were ready to eat. After the Hello's were said, and the slight disappointment of finding out that none of my cousins were in town, we set down for the first 'proper' handmade meal of the trip.

(Chicken, salad and some bread if you were wondering)

After that came the strawberries. I don't like them, so Lindsey and Jim had a go at the 4lb box on their own.

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the pool and figuring out what we would do for the next couple of days.

"What is there around here?" we asked.

"Nothing really. How would you like to go to Tahoe?" came the reply.

After some umming and ahhing (from me), it was decided that we'd go early the next day and come back the day after. The 500-or-so miles that it would add to the trip would at the time seem a lot, but ultimately they were very much worth it.

We drove up to Jim's 'little cabin' at South Lake Tahoe in just under four hours. It hadn't had visitors for a few months, so the essentials - water, electricity and so on... - needed switching on before we could settle down. It was my first time there in 20+ years, and the memories came flooding back.


That evening, we went for a pizza and a look round town. The oddest thing about Tahoe is that the lake straddles two states, you can see where Nevada starts by the massive casino that appears just over the State Line.

The only real problem with Tahoe - it's altitude. Once again, the Altitude Sickness Monster bit me quite hard. Good job we were only there for a night really! The next morning Lindsey and I went out to the lake - before the crowds got there - had a bit of a paddle and took some great photographs.

We drove back to Jim's via Pixar. Pictures were taken of a very excited me outside the main gates. I met a fellow photographer who wanted his photo taking with the gates in the background, and who am I to refuse? After a quick photo or two and a handshake goodbye, it was my turn to get a couple of pics.

We headed back to Jim's, went out for a meal and got packed for our early start the next day.


San Francisco was calling, and we'd be driving there in morning rush-hour... wish us luck!

PCH & Monterey/ Carmel

Finally... after 15 years of wanting to drive it, I got to drive on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH or Highway 1 to it's friends) 


 Finally... after 15 years of dreaming about the views, the tight and undulating roads, I got to drive the PCH. 

Finally... after 15 years... it would happen in thick fog. Hang on. That's not right. It's meant to be sunny and beautiful, dramatic and inspiring. Not blanketed in fog. But it was, so on went the fleeces and off we went. 


Regardless of the weather, the PCH is still a great road, the undulations and views are still there (not obviously the views aren't as impressive as they would be if you could see the sea), and the feel is still there. 


The fog did make for an interesting sight though. As it moved in from the sea, it would billow over the road and onto the rocks to the side. This left a small triangular tunnel that you were actually driving through... it was a weird, yet oddly beautiful effect - one I've never seen before. There were the occasional breaks in the fog (even though you could see it hanging about out at sea). 

When it cleared though, it was simply stunning...

Monterey

Even the cacti ROCK!

We pulled up at the hotel, tried (not all that successfully) to ignore the fact that we were on the flightpath for Monterey airport, and got ready to go out. Noticing that we had a small fridge in the room, Lindsey offered to go out and get some beers. It would seem that, along with your usual medicines, you can also buy wine and beer at CVS pharmacy's. Weird.


Monterey is a lovely old place - like a miniature San Francisco (minus the bridges). It's very relaxed and does a LOT of good seafood. 


After getting some food, and Doug being told that we was being fined for charity for 'smiling in the street' - yeah.. that really happened we headed back to the hotel to plan our next day...


...


... Which was to be spent at the world-class, and very famous Monterey Bay Aquarium


We had a great day there. Doug found out just how hard it is to photograph fish, Lindsey discovered that Seahorses aren't really ridable. We both discovered that enormous panes of glass with millions of gallons of water behind them are incredibly impressive. 

  

Our final day there was spent in Carmel. Once governed by Clint Eastwood, it's a charming, quaint little town that plays off Eastwood's legend quite a lot more than I expected it would. Once again, it was overcast and cold. Needless to say, Lindsey had a paddle...


Fun fact: The wearing of high heels is outlawed in Carmel.

Where were we?

Oh yes...

Los Angeles. 


The City of Angels. 


The Dream Factory.


The place we saw the second largest number of people begging...

We drove the 100-or-so miles from Palm Springs to Los Angeles, with one eye on the traffic, the other on the thermometer.

It dropped at least 15F between the two places, and the (slightly) cooler air was most welcome.

When we got to our motel, we were welcomed by the eponymous owner, Jerry. I'd read reviews of the motel online, and decided that Jerry sounded like a thoroughly nice bloke and that we should pay him and his Motel a visit. It's not in the most salubrious of districts, but we were really only there for the room at night.

After dropping our stuff off in the room, getting a quick refresher and looking for directions, we headed out for an afternoon at Universal Studios Hollywood (we had a 'Buy one day, get a second free' ticket, so decided to use them both). 


We went there on public transport (this time). After realising that we didn't have the correct change for the subway, I put a $20 bill into the machine - and got the win that I missed out on in Vegas. $14 in $1 coins cascaded into the 'change' tray. I gave a small, but noticeable 'woo-hoo' and got smiles from a couple of locals.

Universal Studios Hollywood (USH from now on) is a brilliant theme park. It's how theme parks should be done. The ones in the UK are nowhere near as good. 

Lots of rides, lots of people, lots of fun. 

The second day was more of the same USH-wise. We went in the car this time as we were going to the Griffith Observatory in the evening. It's a great place, very edu-ma-cational. While there we watched a show that was projected on the ceiling of a huge dome (the seats were very comfortable and angled back at about 30 degrees. I kept feeling like I was about to fall asleep!)

It's a bit of a must-see for the space science geek in you.

However, these weren't the only reasons for going to LA. On our second full day, we met a friend that I made years ago on Livejournal (a kind of pre-Facebook Facebook).

Alisa, her husband Mike and daughter Alex were waiting for us at The Grove - a huge shopping mall (with it's own tram). It was an odd meeting, even though we'd never actually met, we instantly recognised each other and started talking like old friends.

I choose my friends wisely.

We got in our cars and headed out into Hollywood. Yup, that Hollywood...

After Ooohing at Graumans Theatre and the Walk of Fame (where, incidentally, you have to buy your star), we broke for lunch. But not before out guided tour took us past the Playboy mansion and various famous bars from Hollywood's sleezy past.

After a great chili, we moved on... The end of Route 66 was calling.

 Santa Monica is cooler and less fake than LA. It serves as a perfect companion. We had a walk down the world-famous pier and decided that the Pacific ocean was looking tempting. Shoes were taken off and trousers were rolled up. It was paddlin' time.

The Pacific was behaving like it's name suggests. Lots of people were out in the water, cooling down and splashing around. Quite a few were fully dressed, something we didn't see coming.

It was an unexpected treat, and our first sight of the ocean that would be our constant companion for the rest of the holiday.

The following day, we left LA for the drive up the coast. Morro Bay was our first stop,  before the delights of Monterey, Carmel and our final destination, San Francisco.

Birthday...

I'm going to interrupt the blog to write a quick 'Family Guy' birthday sketch...

Stewie:

Excitedly

Brian.  Brian.  Brian.  Brian.  Brian. Briiiaaaaan..

Brian:

What?

Stewie:

It's my birthday. I'm the birthday queen! You have to do everything I say today.

Brian:

You know what, I'm fed up of people thinking that their birthday is the most important thing in the world. The idea that one person's birthday is more... hang on, what did you say?

Stewie:

It's my birthday. I'm the birthday queen!

Brian:

Er, don't you mean birthday king?

Stewie:

Sorry?

Brian:

You said 'queen'

Stewie:

Did I?

Brian:

Yup.

Stewie:

Ah, awwwk... ward.

Stewie:

Tell you what, I'll give 'King' a go, see how I get on with it.

Brian:

Yeah, good luck with that...

Palm Springs, daddio

Right.


Before we start this lovely little tale, put on the Best of The Rat Pack (or something with Sinatra, Davis Jr and Martin et al) on in the background, 'cuz we're going back to a time before hotels became many, many stories high and 'cool' became uncool.


Now, wave your hands over your head and cue the wibbly wobbly, timey wimey effect....

We rolled into Palm Springs after many hours driving through the Mojave Desert, a good chunk of which included that bastion of cool, Route 66.


We had a single stop on our way, at a tiny little Mom 'n Pop restaurant where we had a home-made burger, and some chili and fries.


The first thing that hits you about Palm Springs are the palm trees. They define the place (and give it half it's name). Somewhere there must be some springs too

Then the 26-foot tall Marilyn Monroe figure sidles into view, and you're reminded of it's place in cinema history. This is a place where the Rat Pack would come to relax, where Elvis got married and where numerous dalliances were... dallied.


We got to our hotel, and were transported back to this wonderous time - two stories tall, with a generous pool (and hot-tub sitting next to it). A balcony view of the San Bernadito mountains greeted us with open palms. This was a fantastic place to mark the halfway point of our holiday.


The hotel was good too - a little old-fashioned, but with lovely views and a balcony (for the first time on this whole trip). I loved the balcony, at about 8am the cool/ warm balance was perfect.


We spent the next three days relaxing by the pool, going out to various Indian Canyons and wondering why no bars near our hotel were open after 10pm.


It's a very relaxed place - hot again though... mid-90s most days, which if like me, you're not a big fan of high temperatures, can start to get to you in odd ways.


What also got to me in a big, bad way was altitude sickness. I got a little of twice before on this trip - at the Tioga Pass and at Bishop. We went on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway - a 2 1/2 mile ascent to the top of Mt. San Jacinto (at 10,834 feet high - the highest point on the holiday), with the intent to get a meal at the restaurant there.


It didn't happen. What did happen was 15 minutes of me feeling progressively worse and worse, to the point where I was out of breath and had pins and needles in my hands and feet. Lindsey asked what the best thing to do was... 'get off the mountain' was the answer. Well, duh... I had that figured out pretty quickly.


Which is a huge shame as the views from the top are spectacular. You can see for miles and miles - the whole of Palm Springs is visible below you.


L: It's was a good place to relax and work on my tan! Actually there's more here than just sitting by the pool....  Original Indian Canyons..... walking trails, water falls, hot springs,  spas etc. We stayed 3 days, I reckon you could chill out here for at least 2 weeks before having to repeat things......


We only had 3 days but I loved every minute and would definitely go back for more........

Lake Havasu... MEEEEOW

D: As our time at the Grand Canyon ended, we were faced with a huge drive to Palm Springs. It was too much to do easily, so we broke it up into two days. The stop-off point was Lake Havasu. Home, fact-fans, to the original London Bridge. 

The story goes like this: many years ago, a businessman thought he was buying Tower bridge - the pretty one, instead he ended up with London bridge... made of concrete and stone. It's not 'ugly' per se, but it's nothing to write home about (oh, the irony). We got a few pictures at 'Londontown' (or whatever it was called) and moved on.


What needs to be mentioned is the heat. There was lots of it. It was everywhere. You couldn't escape it... Even though it was night-time, it was still in the '80Fs - too hot to go out, too hot to do anything except knock back a few beers in a bar.


Which is exactly what we did. At Mc-Irish-bar (the name escapes us both). It was a 30 second stagger from the hotel.

We met an Irish guy called John that'd settled in Havasu after travelling the world as an engineer for the RAF. He also helped repurpose the Back To The Future ride at Universal Studios (more to come). It became The Simpsons 'coaster'.




Oh, and then there was the catfight...




Wassat? More details?


Actually, that's tricky for me - my back was turned to them both... over to Lindsey for the blow-by-blow account...


L. The funniest thing for me about this fight is that one minute they were all over each other - "you're my favourite daughter-in-law ever... blah blah blah... They were a family of four, two sisters, about 50-ish, one son - about 25 and his wife - a very pretty and sassy 20-something. 


They were steaming drunk when they arrived - about 6pm on a Sunday. They were having a good, loud time for a while but then the sister said something to the daughter in law and they started punching it out and the girl shoved the older lady, she went down, backwards and hit her head. She was out. The mother/sister noticed a few seconds after and went for the daughter - it was Catfight central. The mother was screaming "I'm going to fcuk you up real bad you *%*:^ bitch!! 


There was hair pulling and clothes ripping, it was ugly, yet engrossing... like a car crash.


Cue the bartender running out to break it up, all the while the poor woman was out cold on the floor. 911 was called. Two police officers arrived, accompanied by two paramedics and two fire officers - I don't know why it needed six people, but it was mad. The ambulance was also the fire truck. Odd, eh?


After it had been cleared away we were about the only people left in the bar. The bartender told the manager she had to buy us a pitcher of beer to make up for it. We told them it was no problem, we weren't offended and besides it was better than TV and less dangerous than Turnpike Lane days - people who remember them!!


But, we got free beers so we stayed and became at home there.

The Grandest of Canyons

L: We were both excited about going to the Canyon but honestly, nothing prepared us for seeing it in real life. 


We arrived at our hotel mid afternoon and after checking in and orientating ourselves we spent about an hour trying to get a park pass and the bus stop. We missed the bus so had to back track for the car and I felt a teensy bit annoyed at this point. 


However, as we entered the park boundary the anticipation was mounting. We parked the car and followed the general stream of people heading for the humongous precipice ahead. By this time it was about 5pm and when I caught first glimpse of the Canyon all I could see were panels of purples, pinks and blues. As we got to a full view it was truly breathtaking.  


The colours developed as the early evening progressed. It became a view so wondrous in its natural  beauty that I almost cried!! It certainly is one of the Seven Wonders.

As we walked along the canyon edge we dipped in and out of the view points. As it got to near sunset we were still looking out and taking photos. Just then I glanced out to the next outcrop and I saw the silhouette of a couple who had dared to inch their way to a solitary edge, backlit by the setting sun. I turned away but then heard a woman next to me say "ooh look there at that couple, has he just proposed? I think so, he was just down on one knee and now they're hugging!!" 


I turned round to see a classic embrace being played out in silhouette and the sound of applause drifting across the gap. We (almost) witnessed an engagement at the most magical place on earth!!


After that I was just in love with the place and we did our best to explore it as much as possible in the next day and half that we had left. 


There are 277 miles but we only managed to see about 10 at most. The feeling I took away was the sense of total insignificance I got from being such a minute speck in such a huge and ancient place.

D: As Lindsey's said, words and pictures can only 'describe' the Canyon. What they can't properly portray is the 'feel' of it: it has an immediate effect on you... you suddenly realise how small you are, and how fleeting your time on this rock actually is. 


Politicians should be made to go there to put them in their place, and to make them realise their place in the world.


I could've spent hours photographing it, with every passing minute, the colours would change, new rock formations would reveal themselves while others would hide away, seemingly with the intention of surprising someone else the next day.

I'm very certain I annoyed Linds - I was stopping at every outcrop as they presented a new and different nuance that I HAD to photograph. 


The colours, the size, the sheer beauty of the Grand Canyon will stay with me 'til my dying day. 


I came away from it a different - a better - person. 


Someone that realises that this planet of ours can surprise, intimidate and reduce you to tears with a turn of its axis. 


Someone with images and sounds in their head that will provide a lifetime of joy.




Not bad for a hole in the ground, eh?

Long time no write...

D: Hello there!


We're not dead. 


We've not been drafted into a Vegas show (even though I tried... my inner Stewie was trying to get into one of 'specialist' shows, We didn't fall into the Grand Canyon, we didn't bake crossing Death Valley.


No. What happened was MUCH more interesting...


Where to start? Death Valley would be as good a place as any...

Death Valley... in a word - HOT. In two words - VERY HOT. It'd been described to me thusly: "You'll step out of your car into the worlds largest hairdrier" - that doesn't do it justice. It was a heat that I've never experienced before, a heat that will will stat with me for qute some time. 


The landscape was interesting, going from snow-capped mountains to a dusty seabed, all within a single glance.


L: We left behind the Sierra Nevada mountain range, with Mount Witney as the highest point in the continental USA and swept down to zero elevation at Death Valley itself. We didn't make any detours as it was the middle of the day and just getting out of the car to walk across the road was an enormous effort. It was the hottest place either of us had ever been. Like being inside a gigantic hairdryer. Also we had to turn the aircon off for much of it so we just wanted to get to the glitz and glamour of Vegas!

D: Ah, Vegas - a hateful place that I really wish we'd stuck to my original plan of only having an overnight stop there, instead of two nights. Sorry to those that like it, I didn't. After the splendour of Yosemite, the wonderous vinyards of Napa the unconventional beauty of Death Valley, it was like I'd been thrown into a very hot and very tacky '80s hair-metal video. Anyway... 'nuff said about Vegas.


We got out of there as quickly as our poorly-geared car would let us, because the Grand Canyon was beckoning... and that would prove to be the perfect antidote to the disappointment of Vegas.

We're still alive!

It's been a while, due to me (Doug) being a bit of an idiot.


A proper update will arrive tomorrow. The Grand Canyon deserves all the praise we can heave upon it. It is STUNNING.

What language is that??

L: We went to a little 'wild west frontier' museum place today. It was deserted, like a ghost town. You had to go into the little office to register on arrival and inside was a little old lady.


People are pretty polite generally I've noticed so in my best, most pleasant and polite English I greeted her with 'Good afternoon' - and a smile.  She looked confused and said 'what, huh??'. I repeated my cordial greeting and she still couldn't understand me so Doug helped me out with a 'Hi there'.


She went on to say that they have visitors from all over the world but she's never heard someone speak this language - and could I understand any English, could I read English and could I write any English because I had to sign my name......


After she gave us a little introduction to the place she gave us a leaflet and asked again if I could read English - because she 'doesn't understand Swahili or whatever language you were talking - What language was that you were talking to me by the way??!'


'English' we replied - 'we are English!!'  I just stopped short of telling her I was an English teacher, we were laughing that much!!


Funny...

Sonora, Yosemite & Bishop

Sonora...
We entered the town of Sonora after a four hour drive from Napa. It also seemed to take us back in time 50 years or so.

Sonora. 2012. No, really!

What we didn't know was that the Sonora chapter of the Ford Model A Enthusiasts of America (or something like that) was having their annual meeting at the same time we were there. Ignoring the many, many old cars driving round the town was tricky. They were in incredible condition though, and a lot more characterful than the 4x4's thundering around.

Things got really odd when we got to Dorothea's Christmas store...


1. We got there in May.
2. It was open.
3. It's open All Year.
4. They were playing Bon Jovi.
5. The John Wayne Xmas decorations aren't, strictly speaking, that Chrismassy.


Anyway, we weren't here for Sonora. Which was a good job really - the room stank of either:
1. Lindsey's choice - exuberant air freshener use. OR
2. Doug's choice - Stale, old person urine. OR
3. Both.


We were here for Yosemite.

Now, we've both tried to find the words to describe it. Nothing seems to convey how impressive it is. So I think we'll have to just use:


ASTONISHING.


Ok, I know you're after more... it's just really hard to get across how unbelievably impressive it is. 

Nature doesn't get much better or more breath-taking. I was genuinely lost for words - which doesn't happen much (or at all really). The odd thing about it is, the trees really get in the way of the views. 


Now, I realise how stupid that sounds, 'the trees are part of it yada-yada-yada', but you can't really see much. The views really happen on the way into and out of the park. 


The roads were by far and away, the windiest, steepest and the most 'squeaky-bum time' inducing we've ever driven on. They were also astonishingly smooth and well kept. Top Gear would have a field day on them.

Somewhere in this image is the road we drove. Incredible.

Bishop
The hottest place we've been to so far... 32C at it's hottest. However, tomorrow we go to Death Valley, where it'll be 10C higher!


There's actually not much to see or do in Bishop. It's mainly (from what we've seen, anyway) hotels/ motels and places to eat.

Observations out of the Ordinary

I'd just like to  mention that the first 'weird' thing I noticed as we drove out of San Fran was the amount of Mini Coopers on the road. I mean, of course there were load of SUVs and a good variety of Japanese cars too but I hadn't expected to see so many of the beloved little mini cars. This has been repeated in Napa and on the journey here to Sonora. They're everywhere!!


Roses - I think it's significant to say that among the vine growing areas there are roses everywhere - it's really beautiful.


The next 'weird'  thing that caught my eye was in the covenience store two nights ago. Doug was buying some beer and as I waited for him my eyes wondered towards the magazines at the front of the counter. There were some soft porn titles but what reallly caught my eye were the Skunk Magazine and High Times titles :)
On the cover were features about smuggling from Mexico, growing your own and approaches to law enforcement!!! How this is legal I just don't know.........   I almost bought it as a souvenir - if you're interested too then let me know and I'll post it out to you!!!

Wine and bikes DO mix!

Friday - bike ride day :) We had this booked for the afternoon but because we're still acclimatising to the time difference we are falling asleep about 9.30 pm and waking up about 6.30am, so we had plenty of time in the morning. This is not customary for us, as most of you know, to have such a surplus of free time between breakfast and lunch. Also, the clear blue sky and bright sun tempted us out without any delay. We decided to go to the Mumm winery in the morning. This was absolutely exquisite and we were sorely tempted by the stunning terrace setting to have a tasting after the tour. However we had to get back for the bike ride..........


A rep from the bike tour company collected us and when we arrived at the bike shop we met our two companions -Julie and Allen from New York, and our local guide Paul. We were soon on our way, through quiet lanes and picturesque spots, surrounded by vines as far as the eye could see -and lots of roses. Rose bushes everywhere - they're so pretty and really stand out in the brown/beige/green landscape.


We did have a quick rain shower - but hey, we're British so we coped!!


The first stop was a winery with a tasting room that resembled a large saloon bar and the guy behind the bar was very chatty and knowledgable. Doug and I tasted 5 wines -1 white and 4 red. This in itself is amazing enough as D doesn't usually like red wines-but these were $30 - $40 a bottle, so I guess the quality won him over!  But the other thing is he also liked the only white on offer - a Sauvingnon Blanc - which he had sworn to hate for all eternity!  We ended up buying one of those bottles - a snip at $23 - eeek!!!


Then it was back on the bikes to the next place. 


It was completely different - down a side road, in the rolling countryside, past a few farm buildings and the ubiquitus rose bushes and we were brought to an unassuming breezeblock building, with some picnic tables outside under some trees, right on the edge of the vines. Another couple were already in situ and half way through their tasting - they would go on to get very involved in our trip, route, accommodation choices and where we were going to eat in San Fran 3.5 weeks hence!


So the guy who ran this winery was a wiley, charismatic guy - very genial. It was very rustic and laid back - no where near as commercial as the last place. We sat in the shade -as it had become quite bright and sunny once more, and chatted and tasted and discussed, and laughed and bantered and compared our opinions of the wine. The warm breeze played all around and I have to confess that everything felt all good in the world. :)


We then made a bit of a wobbly start again on the road but soon regained our composure to cycle back- about another 6 miles to the end of the route. 


A thoroughly enjoyable day.

Wine, wine and more wine...

Yesterday then... One word. WINE!!


Our morning was spent walking around downtown Napa. Which is a delightful old town - As you walk around, you feel as though you're wandering through a film. We watched the Napa Valley Wine Train go past, and stopped off at Ben & Jerry's for Elevenses (two large scoops of ice-cream at 11am isn't easy to eat).


The afternoon was all about the grape.


First up was Beringer. An old, old, old winery - it dates from the 1800s. Initial impressions were more than favourable. A stunning old building (a recreation of the Beringer's family home in Germany), lots of old, tall trees and a fair few vines. 


The tour started well. Our guide Tim - a wirey, grey-haired chap with an astonishing knowledge of the wine-making process - had a little banter with me about my 'NY' cap (only worn becuase it's the only one I had). Then it was into the underground tunnels where the wines are kept at a constant, year-round 16C. We then headed to a tasting room where four tiny glasses of wine were poured. To go with the wines, we had a salty bread stick, some Swiss cheese, and a white chocolate apricot truffle. We were taught how to match wines with food (the red wine/ red meat, white wine/ white meat thing, isn't actually right - it's all about matching the wine to the taste of the food).


After the tour finished, we made a break for the car, and headed to the Mondavi winery.


If you're ever in the position for visit Napa, go to Mondavi. It's much more relaxed, open and generally 'better' than Beringer (nothing to do with me doing a good job of financing the place). 


Our Mondavi guide, Robert, was a genial, funny guy with a knowledge that matched Tim's, but with a better way of expressing it. We were taken around the wine-making facilities (something that didn't happen at Beringer). The scale of the operation is mind-boggling, but without compromising the quality, taste and flavour of the wine. 400+ acres of vines, making a huge array of wines - from the affordable, to the aspirational. We got to taste some of the higher - mid-range wines (around the $50 mark) with a small, freshly baked mossarella ball, to compliment the wines.


Mondavi was by far the better of the two wineries. Not just because of the feel of the place, not because it was better value (although it was), but because they were more open and up-front about their processes. It was more 'fun' too.


We finished the day having a look at the Napa food festival that takes place every so often along the length of Main Street and some of the surrounding roads.


A (large) bottle of Mondavi was bought at a local store, along with some cable ties for the satnav (sitting in the window of the car was causing it to overheat)

Current milage: 112

Waiting...

The trip here wasn't too bad - the flight (on BA) was pleasant enough, a little hot, but otherwise fine. Good choice of films too. I went for Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - pretty good & Hugo - I got 10 minutes in and realised that a 5 inch, low resolution screen wasn't doing it justice. I stated to watch Sherlock Holmes: Book of Shadows, then I realised that I had a good version of Sherlock (Moffat's) on my tablet, and decided to watch that instead.


Then...


Then came the waiting. 


Waiting at immigration for 45 minutes (due to the thorough, but heavy-handed security measures). Then, and this was baffling and infuriating in equal measure, waiting for 15 minutes for one of three lifts - that's THREE lifts - for everyone that is hiring a car. More waiting for the train to get to the car rental (a fun thing to do, but it really needs two trains - one going in each direction. It took seven stops between arrivals and car pickup!


More waiting for the car (little tip, don't go with Dollar - not because they're bad, but because they're VERY popular). 25 minutes later we were packing our bags into the back of a 2012 Ford Escape.


Then came my biggest fear - that the tech wouldn't work.


...


It did. Perfectly.


If you're after a great satnav app for your phone, go with Sygic. Apart from using the Incredibly. Clipped. British. Accent. That. Pauses. After. Each. Word it was great. We missed a turn, and we were rerouted before I even realised. 


Maybe driving through San Francisco at rush hour wasn't the smartest move either (however, if we could've got through immigration/ car etc more quickly, we would've missed it). It was worth it though. 


The sight of the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance as we crested a hill was more than worth it. 




The drive to Napa was stunning as well. Huge hills and vineyards everywhere.

Pant-wetting excitment - nearly

D: I'd like to point out that I'm writing this at 6.40 in the morning. Damn hayfever alarm clock - wakes me up at 6 whether I want to or not. So if it's rambling, or makes little sense, that's my Get Out Of Jail card.

Anyhoo...

It's exactly two weeks 'til we fly to the States. Time, I think, to start thinking about what to take. Tech-wise, it's easy - lots of chargers. Clothing-wise however, is a totally different problem.

See, we'll have - more-or-less - three seasons of temperature to play with. From the cooler coastal towns of Morro Bay, Monterey and San Francisco, to the hot inland places like Palm Springs, Las Vegas and Death Valley. For me, not a problem... jeans, t-shirt, shorts and a fleece. Done.

For Lindsey though... 'MARE!! Her planning, cleaning and ironing has already begun.

Add to this the impending delivery of flat-pack kitchen units that will be appearing and cluttering up the house for the final few days before we go, then it's a hectic couple of weeks, without much chance to sit back and actually think about the enormity of the holiday ahead.

Still... two weeks to go! Can't complain :)

One month to go... Or thereabouts

D: We're into the final stretch. Just over one month left until we hit the States, everything is in order - ESTA forms sorted. We just need to get the horse ride into the Grand Canyon sorted.

Excited doesn't seem to cover it.

We're using my new phone (an HTC One X) as the Sat-Nav - a Sat-Nav with a 4.7 inch screen! This is really the only thing that's making me a tad nervous... What if it doesn't work? What if the GPS doesn't latch on well enough? What if, what if, what if...

It should be fine though. I'm using the rather brilliant Sygic, which has offline maps (so no data connection will be needed). It also gives us lane guidance, which I'm sure will be a life-saver.

It also has a great looking display - 3D cities, with landmarks all over the place. Fingers crossed, 'n all that.

One other thing: we'll be returning to a brand-new kitchen! Which is very nearly as exciting. Nearly, but not quite.

Tick tock goes the clock...

Time, as is its way, ticks inexorably onwards.

Which can mean only one thing! 54 days to go before the trip!


Pretty much everything is booked (apart from the horse-ride into the Grand Canyon, http://www.apachestables.com/ doesn't have an email address and there's no response when we call - annoying).

For my birthday, we'll be doing a 2 1/2 hour Segway tour around Fisherman's Wharf... and going around Alcatraz.

TG USA

The boys from Top Gear USA have been doing some great challenges recently - up the Pacific coast and through Death Valley to Vegas. Which is exactly what we'll be doing in about five months time.

It looks astonishing. The landscape is otherworldly and hugely impressive.