Well has come to say goodbye to the USA for now. If things go to plan we will be in Florida later in the year and can hardly wait. Last few days we have dossed around Greater LA, went to some of our old haunts, been to the movies 4 times and thats a record for Jo as she never goes in the UK. We did the Palm Springs rotating tram ride and did a 2.1 mile walk, fantastic. Went to see our old apartments, tried to visit the Hollywood sign got pissed off with the traffic so turned and went to the movies, number 3 Xmen first class.
Well Colin, you would have enjoyed this blast around the 10 states we visited, hectic at times but the sites well worth it. Met some fun people, always first sentance was, emmm your accent English? They love us, we love them and so on.
We are packed so I popped down to the bar for the last drinkie,whats next. Make a lot of money so I can do more of this, just love to travel, seen a lot but there is so much more to see before time runs out. Meet up very soon so we can bore you with serveral thousand pictures lol, or Jo's abridged version. But you will like me scrap book.
Bye bye for now see you on the otherside.
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Friday, 24 June 2011
Only 168 miles to go.....
Thursday week three.
Main objective today was to get back to LA so we blitzed down the 101, headed through a forest on the 154 where Jo suddenly shouted stop theres a bear. Stopping and turning not easy but we did and headed back to get the bear picture.
Honest, its a bear, the black blob in the middle. An american Black Bear.
Picture objective achieved off we went meeting up again with the 101 at Santa Babara. A s we approached LA we needed to find a McD or Starbucks, why, they have free Wifi so we stopped at the next Maccy D, grabbed some fries and a drink and got to work booking a hotel for the next 5 nights, hoorah our original hotel was available and at a good rate, booked and off we sped time 1:15pm should be at the hotel by 3 at the latest. Nope, we found it straight away last time, this time nooooooo chance, after driving around we pulled up against a hotel and used their internet to find our hotel but by now both Jo and I were hungry so decided to get food first.
Watered and fed it was just a few miles to the hotel, 5045 miles hotel to hotel, what a drive. Very interesting, exciting at times, boring at times but so glad we did it. Jo and I must have used up all the subjects in the alphabet guessing game, actor (male then female), movie, sport, cars..................
Booked in, Jo sorted the washing and I went off to change the car. Well Jo did the washing and yes we still have the dodgy Chevy, I think the old girl just wants to see our holiday through.
Car pic for the boys
We saw the Green Latern movie this evening, very good look forward to the sequel.
Back to the hotel and down to the bar to finish off these blogs.
Main objective today was to get back to LA so we blitzed down the 101, headed through a forest on the 154 where Jo suddenly shouted stop theres a bear. Stopping and turning not easy but we did and headed back to get the bear picture.
Picture objective achieved off we went meeting up again with the 101 at Santa Babara. A s we approached LA we needed to find a McD or Starbucks, why, they have free Wifi so we stopped at the next Maccy D, grabbed some fries and a drink and got to work booking a hotel for the next 5 nights, hoorah our original hotel was available and at a good rate, booked and off we sped time 1:15pm should be at the hotel by 3 at the latest. Nope, we found it straight away last time, this time nooooooo chance, after driving around we pulled up against a hotel and used their internet to find our hotel but by now both Jo and I were hungry so decided to get food first.
Watered and fed it was just a few miles to the hotel, 5045 miles hotel to hotel, what a drive. Very interesting, exciting at times, boring at times but so glad we did it. Jo and I must have used up all the subjects in the alphabet guessing game, actor (male then female), movie, sport, cars..................
Booked in, Jo sorted the washing and I went off to change the car. Well Jo did the washing and yes we still have the dodgy Chevy, I think the old girl just wants to see our holiday through.
We saw the Green Latern movie this evening, very good look forward to the sequel.
Back to the hotel and down to the bar to finish off these blogs.
Homeward leg.....
Wednesday week three
Having escaped San Francisco we stopped for the night in Morgan Hill, nice town, on the way there we grab some food at Wendys, I had burger and chips, Jo had salad!
We wanted to get on the road early as we needed to get to Monterey to video link up with Jason and Grace, stopped at Panaras to get a sandwich for the road and zoomed off to our video stop, outside McDonalds using their WiFi from the SUV lol.
For the rest of the day we picked out way down highway 1 taking some pics on the way.
Oh we found the 17 mile scenic drive so we got 0 miles closer to LA in 2 hours, but it was fun.
Jo's place
Lot of noise from the Seals and Sealions
Friends together
Whoopee, pegleg seagull
Yum yum, enjoying the berry.
Yum yum, enjoyed eating the squirrel with the berry
You taking a pic of me, that will be $10 please
Soooooooo tired
Cypress trees only grow naturally here and some place down the road. Everywhere else they have been planted.
The lone cypress trees with a lone Jo
Ghost tree, spooky
A bridge
Sarah and Jason, this is the trail you ran down to the beach, looooonnnnnggggg way down
We stopped for the night in San Maria, very nice town but all the restaurants closed at 8pm so Jo and I whizzed off to Albertsons and grabbed some microwave grup to take back to the hotel. We eat, Jo went for a shower and I headed for the bar to catch up on the blogs and a pint or two.
Emmmm what room number was ours?
Having escaped San Francisco we stopped for the night in Morgan Hill, nice town, on the way there we grab some food at Wendys, I had burger and chips, Jo had salad!
We wanted to get on the road early as we needed to get to Monterey to video link up with Jason and Grace, stopped at Panaras to get a sandwich for the road and zoomed off to our video stop, outside McDonalds using their WiFi from the SUV lol.
For the rest of the day we picked out way down highway 1 taking some pics on the way.
Oh we found the 17 mile scenic drive so we got 0 miles closer to LA in 2 hours, but it was fun.
We stopped for the night in San Maria, very nice town but all the restaurants closed at 8pm so Jo and I whizzed off to Albertsons and grabbed some microwave grup to take back to the hotel. We eat, Jo went for a shower and I headed for the bar to catch up on the blogs and a pint or two.
Emmmm what room number was ours?
Napa Valley good, bumpy coast road bad.....
Tuesday week two, arrival at out next destination a 1200+ miles later
Always wanted to visit Napa Valley being a lover of wine, Sarah should have been here not Jo lol. Well we got to the Silverado Winery I wanted to visit after some excellant navigation by Jo. So into the tasting r oom and sample some of their premier wines only sold out of the winery itself, oh and yum, yum its nice to experience really good wine, bottles costing from $30 to $100. The guy serving me was able to tell me all about the history etc, besides chatting over soccer, proabition and many other things, Jo spent the next 2 hours enjoying the gardens and sun of Napa Valley.
Not sure what he is doing?
On my way in, :)))))))))
Jo mooching about in the garden.
Hic, Jo your driving!!!!!!!
Ah, a rare shot.
hmmmm, I wonder if I could get one of these in the lugage?
Jo's new wagon.
I of course bought a very nice wine, price witheld lol which I shall enjoy when we get back to LA.
So off to the giant Redwoods and coast highway, or not!!!!!!!!!!
First and only screw up of the holiday, the coast road was nowhere near the coast and we missed Muir Woods, giant redwoods. We wasted hours, both very hungry and car running out of gas. At last after some traumatic miles we arrived at some horrible town called Marina, the gas was stupidly high but we filled up and pushed on to San Francisco, wizzed up the hill the otherside of the city took pics see below.
We decided to retreat from here and push on towards LA, oh my god, the whole of California is in a rush and we were swept along with it until we eventually left it far behind to stop in Morgan Hill a really nice place. Got here around 9:15 so went to bed early so we could get an early start to Monterey and highway 1.
Some pics of our dash out of SF
Emmm, the bridge
City floating in the clouds
Who nicked the top of the bridge?
Always wanted to visit Napa Valley being a lover of wine, Sarah should have been here not Jo lol. Well we got to the Silverado Winery I wanted to visit after some excellant navigation by Jo. So into the tasting r oom and sample some of their premier wines only sold out of the winery itself, oh and yum, yum its nice to experience really good wine, bottles costing from $30 to $100. The guy serving me was able to tell me all about the history etc, besides chatting over soccer, proabition and many other things, Jo spent the next 2 hours enjoying the gardens and sun of Napa Valley.
I of course bought a very nice wine, price witheld lol which I shall enjoy when we get back to LA.
So off to the giant Redwoods and coast highway, or not!!!!!!!!!!
First and only screw up of the holiday, the coast road was nowhere near the coast and we missed Muir Woods, giant redwoods. We wasted hours, both very hungry and car running out of gas. At last after some traumatic miles we arrived at some horrible town called Marina, the gas was stupidly high but we filled up and pushed on to San Francisco, wizzed up the hill the otherside of the city took pics see below.
We decided to retreat from here and push on towards LA, oh my god, the whole of California is in a rush and we were swept along with it until we eventually left it far behind to stop in Morgan Hill a really nice place. Got here around 9:15 so went to bed early so we could get an early start to Monterey and highway 1.
Some pics of our dash out of SF
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Here it is the long drive back to Calafornia.....ditto
Monday week two, day two of our return leg
Well we got up early had breakfast, filled up with gas and hit the road. At each rest area was information about the early pioneers that trudged across this wilderness, and yes it still is. The tirip we were taking that would get us into California in about 8 hours would take those pioneers around a month to do. It raises the question why did the do it, what drove them on its amazing how they survived!
As we approached Reno we headed south into Carson City, capitol of Nevada did not know that!. Did not stop as we still had a way to go to our next stop. Jo snapped like mad as we swung arond Lake Tahoe, might go back there someday. Finally we found our route and off we sped leaving Tahoe with time getting on, but wait we were going west and had moved from Mountain time to Pacific time so instead of arriving at Placerville at 8:00 we arrived at 7:00 a bonus. Found hotel, got food and hit the sack.
Tomorrow is Napa Valley yum, yum, yum.......or hic, hic, hic,
More pics,
More mountains, more snow
Friendly wildlife
A bit beaten up but I think we can put it together Colin.
Way out west.
Somewhere in Tahoe
Another big pond!
Well we got up early had breakfast, filled up with gas and hit the road. At each rest area was information about the early pioneers that trudged across this wilderness, and yes it still is. The tirip we were taking that would get us into California in about 8 hours would take those pioneers around a month to do. It raises the question why did the do it, what drove them on its amazing how they survived!
As we approached Reno we headed south into Carson City, capitol of Nevada did not know that!. Did not stop as we still had a way to go to our next stop. Jo snapped like mad as we swung arond Lake Tahoe, might go back there someday. Finally we found our route and off we sped leaving Tahoe with time getting on, but wait we were going west and had moved from Mountain time to Pacific time so instead of arriving at Placerville at 8:00 we arrived at 7:00 a bonus. Found hotel, got food and hit the sack.
Tomorrow is Napa Valley yum, yum, yum.......or hic, hic, hic,
More pics,
Here it is the long drive back to Calafornia.....
Sunday week two, day one
Well here we go leaving a little place called Rexburg just outside Idaho Falls we started out trip back to California via Utah and Nevada, only around 1200 miles, easy peasy, gulp!!!!!!
Route was Salt Lake City, head for Reno, then Lake Tahoe via Carson City and onto Sacremento Californee'i'a
Should have changed the care in Denver as its been whinging for a oil change for about 3000 miles, the parking brake has never worked so it proved a bit unnerving on those mountain roads and the small crack in the windscreen was now 6 inches long, oh well change it in LA.
Made good time Jo and I shared the driving doing about an hour stint each time and using all the available rest stops as there were not that many so crossed legs were often needed.
Its a bit perturbing when you have been driving for 285 miles when the mile marker to Reno reads 511 miles, shit thats a long way but nothing to do but push on along I-80 to our first stop at Elko. We made our first stop in good time arriving around 7pm in time to beat the rush to get hotel rooms.
Some pics of day 1...
The long and not winding road.
Wild life to avoid
My lovely co-pilot getting a bit saltry, opps I mean salty!
Wanted to have a go but decided I might embarress the pros.
It goes on and on and on and on...............
Well here we go leaving a little place called Rexburg just outside Idaho Falls we started out trip back to California via Utah and Nevada, only around 1200 miles, easy peasy, gulp!!!!!!
Route was Salt Lake City, head for Reno, then Lake Tahoe via Carson City and onto Sacremento Californee'i'a
Should have changed the care in Denver as its been whinging for a oil change for about 3000 miles, the parking brake has never worked so it proved a bit unnerving on those mountain roads and the small crack in the windscreen was now 6 inches long, oh well change it in LA.
Made good time Jo and I shared the driving doing about an hour stint each time and using all the available rest stops as there were not that many so crossed legs were often needed.
Its a bit perturbing when you have been driving for 285 miles when the mile marker to Reno reads 511 miles, shit thats a long way but nothing to do but push on along I-80 to our first stop at Elko. We made our first stop in good time arriving around 7pm in time to beat the rush to get hotel rooms.
Some pics of day 1...
Monday, 20 June 2011
Yellowstone National Park, take two....
Saturday week two
Well after staying in a nice hotel in Livingston, Montana we work early had breakfast and drove the 52 miles to the North Entrance, hoorah open!
The park is like two halves, nature on one side on the other a mighty underground volcano waiting to go off. A few pics of both
Yellowstone River
Mule deer
A bison
A black bear
Some American baby badgers
Cold Jo, big waterfall
Bigger waterfall
Old Faithful, it was late lol
Beautiful rock formations made by geysers
Same again
Well after staying in a nice hotel in Livingston, Montana we work early had breakfast and drove the 52 miles to the North Entrance, hoorah open!
The park is like two halves, nature on one side on the other a mighty underground volcano waiting to go off. A few pics of both
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