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.