From vegas we drove to the Grand canyon stopping off at Hoover dam for a quick look around. We arrived at the Grand Canyon late Friday afternoon, and were shocked to find it was freezing. We for some reason always imagined it to be red hot here, but it was 50 degrees and windy and damp. However the weather didn't spoil the amazing view down into the canyon. You cannot believe how big it is, especially aftre driving for hours through desert. It suddenly appears th...

Well as anyone knows who's already been to Vegas, "What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas". We checked into our hotel the Monte Carlo which we were pleased to see is bang in the middle of the strip, next to New York New York and The Bellagio. First stop an all you can eat buffet, good although don't think our bellys did it justice we only had 2 platefuls compared to the average 6 of others. We spent our time in Vegas making our way round all the big hotels, checki...

Arrived at Yosemite Nat Park on Wednesday after a long drive from San Fran. Thought we had been conned as we drove through loads of flat land. However it was worth the wait, as we drove into the park we were amazed to see the huge granite mountains, they looked even more impressive against the blue sky. Sheer rock faces, no snow on these mountains. Unfortunately as its the end summer a lot of the waterfallls were competley dry. However the scenery was still impr...

On Monday we did all the mian sights of San fran, using the car to its full advantage. It was lovely and sunny again. First we drove up the road from our hotel to the top of the crookedest street, and then drove down it, getting our photo taken by all the tourists. Next stop was Coit tower to give us a view of the city. Next a drive to Golden gate bridge, yes it really is that red, looked amazing against the blue sky. Walked across, and to our amazement saw dolph...

On Thursday we set off from Upland and drove through LA to Venice Beach, home of Baywatch and Muscle beach. Saw the Hollywood sign in the distance. Walked along the huge white sandy beach, then passed all the hippy shops, saw some over 60s men pumping iron on muscle beach, very disappointing! Drove up to Santa Monica and wandered through the main street with lovely shops and restaurants, then along the beach and onto the pier. Palm tree lined streets everywhere, ...