Days 52 - 54 Eugene, Oregon to Seattle, Washington State 5 - 7. 06.12

Day 52 Crescent City to Eugene, Oregon 05.06.12

Woke just after 7 & it's not raining YET. Cloudy & grey though.After we'd packed we walked up to the small harbour to see the seals on the pontoons. Some were swimming around in the sea & they were all very noisy.
We set off on our trip to Eugene & stopped at an old town called Bandon on the way to stretch our legs & have something to eat. What a great place, really friendly people & all along the front there were large carved sea creatures & hand carved benches dedicated to people. No graffitti or damage to anything - wonder how long they'd have stayed that way in the UK?
We went into Lloyd's Old Town Tavern & had hot sandwiches with THE MOST DELICIOUS CRISPS I've ever eaten (& I've eaten a few!) They were freshly made by the chef. I've been spoiled now.
On the rest of the drive we went through the most picturesque scenery yet, forests often going right down to the sea, rivers, creeks & lakes all along & the coastline was amazing. Everywhere is so green too, they say they have a lot of rain but it's stayed fine for us.
Another stop on the way was at Winchester Bay for an icecream. The woman in the shop wasn't as friendly as the ones in Bandon.
By some fluke, as we'd gone a different way so the instructions didn't match up to the way we drove in, we found our hotel & checked in, this time the girl was lovely & friendly but we didn't have a coffee/ tea maker, never mind it's only for 1 night.
Did the ironing & watched an old Judy Garland film on the tv.

Day 53 Eugene to Portland, Oregon 06.06.12

Had a very disturbed nights sleep as some sort of horns / blowers kept going off all through the night. When we went down for breakfast I asked the guy on the desk & he thought it might have been the trains but said he didn't hear anything. He wasn't very friendly or chatty at all! For the 2nd morning in a row we've had no cereals - it must be an Oregon thing! Set off at 11.00am as we've only got 130 miles to go so we need to stretch out the journey. Never mind stretching out the journey - we stretched my stomach again with some strawberry puppies from Denny's!
Carried on to the Aladdin Inn in Portland & put the heating on. It's hard to believe that just a couple of weeks ago we were roasting & now it's COLD!
We did have a laugh at the tv - it was made in february 1987! We've chucked out newer ones than that.

Had some sad news today - My Ex Father in Law, Arthur passed away today. He was in hospital & will be sadly missed by many people.

We lazed around & then popped out to Starbucks for a hot drink, no coffee / tes making facilities again.

Day 54 Portlant to Seattle 07.06.12

Woke to rain this morning & it's cold again. Breakfast was basic to say the least & we packed up & left about 10.00am. The girl on reception wasn't very pleasant either.

On the way it rained so much we could hardly see where we were going, & still some cars didn't have their lights on! We arrived at the Georgetown Inn just outside Seattle about 2.00pm & checked in. Nice room but again no coffee / tea maker! Starbucks opposite so guess we'll be going there again.

By about 4.00pm it looked as if the rain had stopped for a while so we braved it & drove into Seattle. Being unfamiliar with the roads etc it was a bit of an ordeal but we found a carpark right next to the space needle & the monorail. Had a look at the needle but didn't really have time to go up it & it was $20 each so got the monorail into the main bit of town. We'd been told to visit Pike Place Market which we did. It's a fish, fresh fruit, flower & craft market & was great to walk around even though by that time some of the stalls were packing up. The size of the fish & seafood & variety was amazing.

Then we walked to the waterfront but that wasn't anything flash & we had to make our way over a very busy road to get near it. Then we walked back to the metro station, had some food & got back on the train.
I have to say that the buildings were good to see & I kept trying to see if I recognised any from the tv!

 Roy on a bench in Bandon Old Town

 Seattle - cold but at least it stayed dry.

 The space needle in Seattle

Will have lots to tell you next time as we'll be in Vancouver for 5 days.

TTFN xxx

Day 48 - 51 San Francisco to Crescent City 01 - 04.06.12

Day 48 Bootjack to San Francisco 01.06.12

We've got 200 miles to drive today so had showers, breakfast, packed & got on our way. Bootjack is a beautiful area with all of the trees & forests & hills. We've had a lovely 2 day stay here at Judy's B & B. Arrived early so went for a drink in Inn N Out. Had a good journey with no issues.
Popped into Walmart which is just down the road from our hotel, the Hilton Garden Hotel in San Lorenzo & bought some leggings & Roy a tee shirt then checked into our hotel. It's very nice & we're on the 4th (top) floor. No breakfast at this one but they do a $10.95 buffet downstairs so we'll try that out. Had a quiet night as we're tired from yesterday & the long drive today.

Day 49 San Francisco 02.06.12

Had our buffet breakfast & they've got loads of choice. I had cereal, OJ, coffee, 2 eggs, bacon & breakfast potatoes with toast & a delicious blueberry muffin. (Took a banana for later!) Stocking up for our trip to Alcatraz. At the kind recommendation of 3 people we booked it a couple of weeks ago. Drove into town & managed to find a proper car park for $10 all day, no parking tickets today! We walked past all of the piers to Pier 33 where you get on the ferry & got our tickets for the 11.30am one. Good job we booked as you could only buy tickets for tomorrow! After a dull, misty start the sun has come out & apart from the sea breeze it's nice & warm.
Sat on the top deck of the ferry which was nice as long as you kept away from the rail, the breeze almost froze you if you ventured near it! We got off the ferry at the island & listened to a short talk then watched the video about the history of the island. Walked up to the cell block & took the audio tour where you have your own headphones & recorder & listen to it as they guide you around, pausing it if you need to. It was excellent - very interesting with lots of displays etc. I'd thoroughly recommend it for anyone going to SF.
We had a good walk around but couldn't go on the south side of the island as the sea birds are nesting. Very windy in the exercise yard! We bought some souvenirs in the gift shop & got the 2.45pm ferry back. Brilliant!
When we got off the boat we walked up to Fisherman's Wharf & went on Pier 39 which is a very busy, vibrant area with lots of shops, booths & restaurants. There's also several floating pontoons covered in very noisy sealions!
We decided to go on the trolley car up & down the steep hills so we bought some tickets & then waited for an hour to get on one. It was an experience but when we got off we were frozen to the bone & had to find a Starbucks for a coffee to thaw out. We drove over the Golden Gate Bridge & were amazed at how half of it was shrouded in very low cloud / mist & the other half was in sunshine. Strange! You can also see the mist moving across really fast, it's bizarre, I've never seen anything like that ever before.
 By this time it was getting late so we found our way back to the car & drove back to the hotel via a pizza parlour. A great day.
I was surprised at how many real down & outs there were in town, they all looked cold, what a place to be on the streets.

Day 50 SF to Fortuna 03.06.12

Had another breakfast in the hotel as we've got 260 miles to drive today & need a good start.
There were loads of vineyards on the way, also pistachio trees & when we got to Willetts it changed to pine forests & huge trees. Very lovely to drive through. This is one of the things I was looking forward to, seeing all of the different scenery.
When we started out the temp was 85 degrees & it dropped to 60. We arrived at the Super 8 in Fortuna, friendly staff & a nice room, Roy did a load of washing & I made a cuppa. We went to the Eel River pub right next to the hotel & had a great meal, I had salmon & Roy had a chicken, fish & shrimp combo. 10% off because of staying at the hotel, can't be bad.

Day 51 Fortuna to Crescent City 04.06.12

Our last stay over in California. Quite dull today & rain has been forecast. Had our breakfast & set off on a short journey of 100 miles. We'll be driving through the Redwood parks & along the coast.
It started to rain but only a bit so we made a detour to the Ladybird Johnson Grove & went for the mile walk through the huge redwoods. Luckily we wore our rain coats & trainers, unluckily it didn't stop our trousers from getting so wet you could have rung them out! We had to change in the car before we could carry on to the hotel! We had planned to stop off at the trees of mystery & go up on the sky trail but it's too wet & misty.
Staying at the Anchor Beach hotel & we've got a sea view, however it's still raining so no walks on the beach for us. Instead we drove into town to Safeway & bought some food, wine & chocolate gateau. Roy went for a little walk & got caught in the rain again, I watched tv! Who's the smart one?

Alcatraz island

 Glad I was only a visitor!

 Roy will never again complain that a hotel room is small!

 On Pier 39

Getting soaked in amongst the Redwoods!

  Hope you like the photos.
TTFN xxx

Day 44 - 47 Pacific Coastal Highway to San Francisco 28 - 31.05.12 -

Day 44 - Morro Bay, California 28.05.12

Memorial Day here in the States, so a national holiday. We're moving on, up the Pacific Coastal Highway, to Morro Bay. We set off along the coast, happy to be moving on to a smaller hotel, & stopped off in Santa Barbara for something to eat. What a lovely, seaside place. It seems very up market but in a nice way. The beach is beautiful, as is the Wharf (pier to us) & everywhere looks well cared for.
After having fish & chips sitting outside on the wharf - very nice they were to - we returned to the car which we'd managed to park in a side street with 90 minutes free parking. However, we found a parking ticket on the windscreen telling us we were facing the wrong way & had to pay the fine. After asking 2 men where the Police Station was we managed to find it &, although the Police Officer was very nice, were told it would be best to pay it as to contest it on the grounds we were from another country could take time & correspondence, which we would be unable to do as we are travelling. So, the fish & chips cost us an extra $48! One lesson learned - don't park facing the opposite way on any street in America!
Anyway, after that we carried on our journey to Morro Bay & checked into the Morro Shores Inn & Suites. Sounds posh doesn't it? Think again. The guy on the desk couldn't be bothered with us, Roy had to go back to find out the wi fi code & he didn't mention breakfast or anything else either. Luckily we've stayed at a few hotels now & know what to look for. The room was dark & in need of an update, but we could cope for 1 night.We went for a walk to the sea & it was so windy but we braved it & walked along the beach for about 3 minutes!
A bit later we drove down to see the rock, which is a lava plug & very big & we saw about 8 or 9 sea otters playing about in the sea, which was great.

Day 45 Monterey 29.05.12

Breakfast was as bad as expected, very basic, in a souless room with no staff involvement whatsoever!
When we checked out he just told us to leave the room cards on the desk, didn't say that he hoped we'd had a good stay or anything. Methinks he needs the push!!!!!!!!!
We've only got 120 miles to go today so are planning several stops along the way - always parking correctly, of course! First stop at a view point & it feels like the middle of winter with the wind blowing but we did see a dozen seals on a rock. Roy changed into long trousers & a jumper but I refuse to, the sun is still shining so I'll make do with popping my coat on. I am from Rugeley after all!
A bit further along the road we stopped at Elephant Seal Vista Point & were not ready for the sight of about 200 to 300 female & young seals on the sand. The males were all about 3,000 miles away for a few months at sea. It was great watching them, they weren't doing much, throwing sand over themselves, a few of the young males having a bit of an argument with each other & a few in the sea but it was fascinating. A volunteer called George Larson came to talk to us & told us all about them. Thanks George!
Next stop was Ragged Point as there might be a chance to view some Whales. No chance as it was very choppy out to sea but we had a nice walk around & the weakest cup of tea in the history of the world. I'll stick to coffee from now on! The Americans CANNOT make a cup of tea & have no concept of the fact we want milk in it!!!!
We drove through Carmel but, again, didn't see Clint Eastwood! Then to Monterey Super 8. At least we know what to expect here & it can't be as bad as yesterday. The girl who checked us in was very welcoming & the room was brighter too.
After we unpacked we drove to find a Ford dealer to buy an oil filter as the oil will need changing in the next few hundred miles as it was a new car. Notice I say 'was?' Roy was amazed that he got the filter & the oil for about the same cost as the filter on it's own would be at home.
Then we carried on into Monterey to Fisherman's Wharf (again a pier.) Had a walk around, still freezing, & happened upon a street market selling all sorts of food, fresh fruit & veg & crafts. It was lovely & the food looked tempting but we were too cold to eat outside. Lo & behold there was an English Pub slap bang in the middle of it all so we had to go in. Had a beer, sausage & mash & chicken pie, yummy! Then as we walked back through the market we couldn't resist $5 worth of hot mini donuts just cooked. Well I have got to do the ironing when I get back so deserve a little treat.

Day 46 Bootjack 30.05.12

Officially starting the second half of our trip today.
Had breakfast & for the first time so far discovered watered down orange juice - yuk!
Packed & set off through flat farmland growing all sorts of fruit & veg & many, many vineyards & pistachio trees. Made a nice change from mountains & scrub land. We stopped by a reservoir to stretch our legs & carried on into Mariposa & then to our first Bed & Breakfast at 'Inn the Country.' A lovely house down a dirt track run by Judy, who was very welcoming. Our room is the 'deer room' & clean, bright & cosy with our own balcony to sit on if we want to. A change from hotels.
We got ready & drove to Yosemite National Park to see the giant sequoia trees & they are truly massive. $20 for a weeks pass to get in. Saw a tree called 'the big grizzly' & one with a hole you can walk through big enough for a bus to get through, also some deer, chipmunks & squirrels. it was a good taster for tomorrows trip.
Went back to our room, had some tea & marvelled at how very quiet it is, not a sound.

Day 47 - Bootjack 31.05.12

Possibly because it was so quiet I didn't sleep as well as before - kept waking up.
Got ready & went down for our continental breakfast. Like the UK, people running guest houses here have to do courses to allow them to prepare food & Judy hasn't done hers yet. We did have a very acceptable continental breakfast though to send us on our way to Yosemite.
We entered by a different gate today as it's so big you couldn't see everything in one visit. Today it's the waterfalls & the scenery is magnificent. Pine trees, steep sided hills with trees growing up them, rivers & waterfalls. It makes you feel very small!  We drove around & had a few stop offs to take photos & film then parked at Curry Village to begin our trek. There are loads of camp sites in the park & plastic huts for people to stay in as well as proper hotels. It caters for all budgets. It's very hot today so we're armed with drinks & hats & ate a banana each before we set off, making sure we used the bear safe trash can to put our skins in. There are signs all over the place about bears & making sure your food is safe from them, what to do if you see one or a mountain lion! I doubt we'll see anything but squirrels & lizards!
Anyway, off we set towards the 'mist trail' to Vernal Fall. 3 miles round trip. OMG, the first bit was bad enough as you go up so fast that you have to keep stopping to rest, at least we did. Roy said we had to be tortoises & not hares & he was spot on!
The falls were gorgeous & didn't look that far away. THINK AGAIN! The 'steps' were lumps of rock of all shapes & sizes, some 3 feet high, others 6 inches high, some missing, all uneven & they got worse & worse as we got higher & higher. Then we came to the mist bit which was very welcome at this point as I was boiling! We were soaked within seconds & the 'steps' were so slippery. Also imagine that people were coming down as we were going up & sometimes there was only room for 1 at a time. Terrifying!!! I had to sit down after the wet bit as my knees were so wobbly & I was worried I couldn't carry on but I was determined to & the thought of going straight back down was more terrifying than carrying on up!
There were some lovely views on the way up but I could only look when we stopped not while we were climbing. The last bit actually had a handrail but it was practically vertical! Was I glad when we got to the top? THE VIEW WAS AMAZING! Looking over the waterfall & all the way down was worth it but then I started to think about the descent.
Have I told you I'm terrified of heights? I even had vertigo when we went to the O2 to see Barry Manilow!!!
Coming down was much worse than going up although it was a bit faster. I only got down with Roy's help as he held my hand all the way as I focussed on each step, not looking beyond 2 or 3 steps in front. When we got to the bottom my legs were so wobbly I didn't think they would ever recover. It took us over 3 hours in all.
I bet Jennie thinks I'm a wimp but I feel very pleased that we made it all the way up & back & we have the fridge magnet to prove it!!
We started walking back to Curry Village & with a mile to go the shuttle bus stopped & we hopped on. Phew, that was a lucky break. When we got back the first thing we did was look for an icecream & had a double scoop of the most delicious icecream in the world.
After that we drove back through the park & to Mariposa where we stopped at Burger King for some food. There was another couple in there who looked as shattered as we did so they must have been to the Park too! What a day, but we wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Elephant seals on the beach on the Pacific Coastal Highway

Whale watching? We wish!

Some of the coast we drove along to Monterey

 Yosemite National Park

At the top of Vernal Falls - can you see my knees knocking?

 At the bottom of Vernal Falls.

Hope you enjoyed it. TTFN xxx

Days 35 - 43 - Zion - Las Vegas - Los Angeles 19 - 27/05/2012

Day 35 - St. George, Utah 19.05.12

Visiting the Zion National Park today, we drove through part of it yesterday but will have to go on the park shuttle today as cars aren't allowed in the other part of the park.
Had to park the car a mile or so away as the car parks were all full but we got a free shuttle bus to the entrance. We started off by going to the end of the shuttle bus route & will work our way back bit by bit. First walk is the riverside walk, the Virgin River runs through the park, which will make a change from the dry parks & canyons we've been to so far. It was a lovely walk & we stopped by the river several times & saw lots of squirrels,but they aren't as sweet as they look & we've been warned not to touch them as they bite! Also lots of lizards & very large yellow butterflies around. After about 2 hours we got back on the shuttle & off at Weeping Rock. This was only a half hour walk up to the rock which had water pouring down it & plants growing out of it. The shower from the rocks was lovely & cooling - its very hot again. The next stop was to go to the Emerald Pools & on the way we saw a deer only a few feet away from us, it was completely relaxed & not bothered by us at all, then other people came past, so we moved on. We could also hear the tree frogs, which sounded like sheep bleating! It was all a bit like jurassic park!
We rounded the day off with an icecream & got the bus back to pick up the car. Another good day.

Roy under the weeping rock

 Can you see the deer?

 Just to try to give you the perspective of how big it all is - not me!!!!!!!!

Day 36 - Las Vegas here we come! 20.05.12

Only got 130 miles to go today so didn't rush getting ready as we can't check in until 3.00pm.
So excited that we're going to VEGAS!!!!!!!!!!!
Lovely scenery on the way with many glimpses of the Virgin River in amongst the rugged rocks. We're going across a corner of Arizona & then into Nevada, where it will become flat & barren as it's in the desert.
After stopping for a milk shake we arrived at about 1.00pm. The roads were a bit hair raising as everyone's in a rush, so I didn't really look at the hotels on the way in. Roy is so good with his written instructions that we always get there in one piece despite my complete lack of direction!
We're staying at the Hotel Tropicana & we parked up & went for a little walk around it to get our bearings. It seems huge to us with shops, restaurants, the casino, a lovely outdoor pool & the lobby is really big. Then we saw some people queueing so decided to try our luck at checking in. The room was ready & on the 18th floor with views of the Luxor, Mandalay Bay & Excalibur hotels. Will be great at night looking out at all of the lights.
The hotel blurb did go on about how large the room was & the 300 thread egyptian cotton bedding - they were right, it is lovely & clean etc BUT no fridge or coffee maker. Never mind there's a Starbucks downstairs & loads of eating places so we won't starve!

We unpacked, then Roy realised he'd left something in the car so we were going to the carpark to get it when we bumped into - literally - Roy's daughters, Louise & Jennie!!!!!!!! We didn't realise it was them at first, what a shock. Their very kind Grandparents had paid for them to come over to surprise us & they're staying in the Excalibur!

We went up to our hotel room & then walked over to the MGM hotel as they've got tickets to go to an award show with Justin Beiber in it. When we eventually got out of the the hotel (we got lost!) we walked up & down the strip for a couple of hours. It's amazing but my feet were throbbing - it's 103 degrees!
Went back to the hotel to iron some clothes then met Louise & Jennie & went to Denny's for some food.
What a day!!!!!!!!!!

Day 37 - Las Vegas 21.05.12

Slept very well considering where we are & went to the Beach Cafe in the hotel for breakfast.
We've decided to have a few hours relaxing at the pool before we go out. The pool is great, good sunbeds & big towels, loud music so we found a nice spot under the trees where it was a bit quieter so we could read.
We took Louise & Jennie to In N Out, a burger place then dropped them off by the shops & took the car back to the hotel. Decided to walk down to The Venetian Hotel which really is huge. It's got a real canal with gondolas on it running all through the lovely shopping area. Way out of our league as they're all designer shops, but it's nice to look around.
Bought tickets for a show called 'Legends' for tomorrow night at Hurrah's. Walked around for a bit more & bumped into the girls again so went to see their hotel room.
Bought pizza for tea, too tired to go out again! It's been 104 degrees all day, when you walk outside it's like standing in front of the oven when it's on!


Day 38 - Las Vegas 22.05.12

Slept really well, not surprising considering how far we walked yesterday. Met the girls in Starbucks & had breakfast then set off for a drive to the Hoover Dam. Spent the morning there, then back to the hotel pool for the afternoon. Need to rest before that mega walk to Hurrah's later.
Set off at 5.00pm as it's almost an hours walk & we have to get our tickets at 6.00pm. So hot when we got there so we had a beer before the show. Look & sound alikes, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Lady Gaga, The Blues Brothers & Elvis. They were all very good & the band, singers & dancers were good too.
Really glad we went to the show. The only thing I did wrong was put on my strappy sandals! We met the girls in the Venetian & went to Panda Express for some food then walked back via the Ballagio to see the fountain display. By the time we got back my feet were in agony & I was exhausted, Vegas is so tiring!

Day 39 - Las Vegas 23.05.12

Last full day here &, thankfully, my feet have recovered from last night with the aid of a good nights sleep & a shower! Had breakfast & explored the hotel a bit more before going to the pool. Decided to have a turkey dinner at the restaurant then took the girls back to the shops to take something back & carried on up to the Stratosphere. That area is very run down & we're glad we changed our mind & went for the Tropicana as we were going to stay at the Stratosphere originally. Thought we'd go up the tower but it looked so tatty & would have cost $64 without any rides that we decided to go back to Excalibur, have a drink & put some money in the machines.
Didn't have the first clue about what to do but somehow won $20.60! Jennie also won $20 but I'm sure that was due to skill! Back for our last night in Vegas.

* I would just like to say if you are planning a trip to Las Vegas the hotel we stayed in is great, good, helpful staff, nice rooms & above all not too big. We managed not to get lost in it but did get lost in several others.

* Also a warning, there are many men & women trying to hand you cards with ladies wearing very little clothing as you walk down the street, sometimes 4 or 5 of them all on the same corner, it's horrible & the best way is not to look at them, the streets are littered with these cards.

*There are many homeless people on the streets & again the best thing is not to look at them. It's heartbreaking to see them but you won't be able to help them all. Give to the people collecting for the homeless rather than the homeless themselves.

Is Elvis happy in his job do you think?

 Just for Finley!

 Part of the Excalibur hotel

You've got to have your pic taken at the sign1

 Outside our hotel, looks posh!

Day 40 - Las Vegas - Los Angeles 24.05.12

Sad to leave this great place but need a rest! We've got a 260 mile drive ahead of us & have got to squeeze in 2 more people & their luggage. Set off at 9.00am & drove for 4 hours before stopping for lunch , girls In N Out, us a sandwich from a petrol station. As we got closer to LA the roads got busier, faster & wider. We dropped the girls off at their hotel, Marina del Rey International & carried on to ours, the Doubletree Hilton. As well as the cost of the room we also have to pay $15 a day for the priviledge of parking there & they want $15 a day for us to have wi fi - so we're not! Also no free breakfast. Saying that it's quite a nice hotel & there's a diner over the road recommended by Louise so we'll try that.
We unpacked then went into Santa Monica to meet the girls. Unfortunately we've never been there before so it was a bit stressful finding somewhere to park & then coordinating where to meet. Did it in the end & went to an English restaurant for some 'proper' grub! I had shepherd pie & Roy had steak & kidney pie, lovely.

Day 41 - Los Angeles 25.05.12

Louise's last day here & she's meeting her friend for a few hours. Went to the diner for breakfast then picked Jennie up & drove to Hollywood via Mulholland Drive. Stopped off to take pics of THE sign & actually found a parking space in a side street in Hollywood near to the main streets.
We all had a walk up & down the street over the stars on the pavement, went for a drink & cake then bought some souvenirs. Louise came to meet us as her friend dropped her off & we drove into Beverley Hills & saw some of the lovely houses there & had our pics taken by the sign.

Decided to drive back to Santa Monica along the Pacific Highway & on to Malibu. Stopped for a KFC & then walked on Zuma beach, apparantly Gwen Steffani goes there & named her son after it! It's a great beach but it was so cold & windy at that time of night - Louise & Jennie still paddled in the sea! MAD!
It's much cooler tonight, the temperatures haven't been anywhere near what they were in Vegas.

Day 42 - Los Angeles 26.05.12

Dinah's for breakfast then went to pick up Louise to take her to the airport & Jennie as she's moving into a hostel for a few days. Sad to say goodbye to Louise, but she got her flight ok. The 3 of us drove into Santa Monica & parked by the beach. We had a stroll up & down Venice Beach, which was an eyeopener. Lots of craft stalls, gift shops, musicians, beggars & people openly inviting you to go to see the 'doctor' to buy weed! A great experience & we heard a fabulous electric violin player with a drummer & guitarist. Roy bought his CD! Bought some souvenirs - not weed! - & went for a paddle in the Pacific. The 3 of us went to 'Bubba Gump' for tea & had a real meal! Afterwards we took Jennie to the hostel & went back to our hotel.

Day 43 - Los Angeles 27.05.12

Our last day in LA, Jennie is staying for a few more days before going home to Vancouver.
Have booked a VIP tour of Warner Brother Studios so drove there, bought some souvenirs & went off on our tour with our guide, Justin.
It was very interesting & we saw some tv programme sets such as 2 & 1/2 Men, The Mentalist & The Ellen Degeneres Show & sat in the audience seats. Also Justin told us how it all works with the production of films & shows booking areas & dressing them to film their programmes or films & loads of really interesting stuff that completely shattered my illusions! We went into the Friends cafe, Central Perk, saw the property department & some famous cars from shows & films before going into the museum of costumes & props from Harry Potter, Where the Wild Things are & lots more. Clint Eastwood actually has an office there but, I asked, & he wasn't there as it was Sunday!
Another good day, then we went back to Santa Monica & had a sit on the beach, a walk on the pier & a walk around the shopping area before heading back.
Have enjoyed the places we've been but LA is too busy for me, especially when you have to drive anywhere, 6 lanes each way!

Louise, Roy & Jennie with Santa Monica pier in the background

 Can you see the HOLLYWOOD sign, Lucy?

 The Hollywood Bowl

 Nannie with Buzz & Woody in Hollywood

 Santa Monica

 Warner Brother Studios

 Scooby Dooby Doo!!!!

Sorry it's so long, hope you enjoy it.
TTFN xxx

Days 31 to 34 Moab to St. George, Utah.

Day 31 - Moab, Utah. 15.5.12

Had a really good sleep last night, had shower & breakfast & got ready to go the Arches National Park. It only cost us $10 to get in & we drove through wonderful scenery to park at Devil's gate. From there we walked along a track to the Landscape Arch & saw a 3 foot long whip snake, several lizards, some Hopi chipmunks & a collared lizard which had a bright yellow head & green body. This was quite exciting for us as we're always on the look out for animals. Hoping to see larger ones on our travels!
The weather is very hot, luckily we had drinks with us on the 1.6 mile walk. The arch was well worth the walk & then we continued our drive through the park stopping at several more scenic viewpoints until getting to the Delicate Arch. Roy went rock climbing to get a good picture of it as we were quite a way from it.

The next place we went to was Canyonlands, 35 miles away. Again we paid $10 to get in & drove through more fantastic scenery, I hope you can see from the pictures how big it all is. The upheaval dome is where a meteorite fell, made a massive crater & then the ground pushed up so the bottom of it is full of spiky mountainous rocks. Amazing to see from very high up! We got talking to a couple from Vancouver for ages, it's great how many people from all over the world just stop to talk to you. They were advising us on places to visit. Both of their parents were originally from England.

When we got back to the hotel we sat by the pool reading before having a walk up to the Moab Brewery where we had a very nice drink & meal. A lovely day.

Day 32 - Moab - Richfield 16.5.12

Slept really well again, shower, breakfast & packed up. Left about 10.00am & went into the lovely town of Moab to buy a couple of things. It's a great place, lovely atmosphere, lots of people there for treking, cycling, rafting etc. all with the mountains overlooking the town. Our journey to Richfield is 175 miles so we've got plenty of time as we can't check in until 3.00pm.
The scenery on the way was breath taking. Started off with canyon type rock formations & deep ravines & gradually changed to forests of fir trees, hills & mountains with snow on the top. It's no hardship travelling by road here in the USA, I can honestly say neither of us has had even a minute of being fed up during our journeys.
We arrived at the Hampton Inn on the outskirts of Richfield at 3.00pm, checked in & unpacked. Our room is lovely, good view, not overlooked & a nice, bright room.
We went off to Walmart to buy a few bits & then into town for a bottle of wine as you can only buy wine & liquor from a liquor store! It was quite strange going into a small liquor store & coming out with our brown paper bag with the bottle of wine in! Even worse when we went back in to buy a big bottle of wine for when we're staying somewhere longer than 1 night! Well, for £4 for a double size bottle of wine you can't not buy one. can you?
Got our tea from KFC & ate it while drinking the smaller bottle of wine. Watched 'Little house on the prairie' & went to bed.

Day 33 Richfield - St. George 17.5.12

Moving on again but staying for 3 nights this time. Long enough to get the washing up to date! We've decided to call at Bryce Canyon as a detour on the way. Everyone we've spoken to has told us we MUST go to Bryce Canyon, so we better had.
Before getting into the canyon we had to drive through the Red Canyon. It was suddenly there, from wooded slopes to rock formations of the reddest sandstone ever. Roy says I've got to tell you it's 'jaw dropping'!
It cost us $25 to get into Bryce Canyon, so it better be good!
Stopped at a charming little gift shop first & had a coffee too. Then off on our drive around. The first viewpoint we stopped at, Sunset Point, looked nothing until we walked to the edge, then, WOW! The amphitheater (American spelling!) Words would never explain it, hopefully the photos will give you a bit of an idea. So steep & we could see people walking down at the bottom like little ants. Wished we had time to attempt the walk but we've got to get to the next hotel. All I can say is that those people were right & we're so glad we listened to them.
We had to drive all the way back through the canyon to get on the road to St. George & we've got to go through some of the Zion National Park to get there too.
When we got to Zion we had to wait in a queue to pay, another $25 valid for a week, then had to drive through the canyon with enormous rock formations on either sides of us & hairpin bends all the way to a long tunnel through the rock. Scarey!After what seemed like miles we emerged from the park & discovered we were still 60+ miles from St. George! Well, we eventually arrived at the Great Western Coral Hills Hotel & a lovely, remodelled king room, very tired after a great day.

Day 34 St. George 18.5.12

Happy Birthday to my Son in Law, Rob!
Usual start to the day, but after a busy & tiring day yesterday we've decided to take it easy today. Did 2 loads of washing then went for a long walk down the road & back. Sweltering again, in the 90s! Got some crackers & soft cheese for lunch then I did the ironing. So much that it took me an hour while Roy sat by the pool!!!!!! I joined him when it was done & we spent a couple of very relaxing hours sitting reading before getting ready to go out for tea.
In honour of Rob's birthday we've decided on steak tonight! Went to a restaurant called 'The Outback Steakhouse'. It was so popular we had to wait for half an hour for a table, but they give you a pager & call you when you're table is ready so we had a walk down by the retail outlets. We had a sangria, then ordered our meals which started with an enormous salad each followed by the steak with a baked potato with so much on it that it was a meal in itself. Our waitress persuaded us to try the key lime pie, but we had one between us. Good job because it was huge & we were stuffed! Best meal so far this trip.

Here are a few photos for you.
By the Colorado River in Moab, Utah

 To show you how high the rocks formations are!

 Look carefully & you can see the 3 foot long whip snake.

 Landscape Arch.

 Roy where he belongs!

Canyonlands - The amphitheater

 This was a sheer drop of hundreds of feet - if you knew how scared of heights I am you'd be proud of me!

 Zion National Park

TTFN xxx