Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Geographically San Diego & Yosemite are not that far apart (in relative, vast-American-distance terms). But we have taken rather an out of the way route here - that is, via death valley and Las Vegas, just to guarantee a continuation of the long hours of driving we have come to know & love! We left off in Yosemite last Tuesday night. I think. I have somewhat lost track of days of the week. On Wednesday morning we slogged back over to the coast and began a three day drive down Route 1, the Californian coast.
The distance between San Francisco and Santa Barbara was actually not that big so we were able to enjoy a couple of days with much less driving and more sightseeing. We wandered our way along several beaches we found on the route south, collecting firewood and wildlife spotting - sealions, seals, an array of seabirds and birds of prey, and a breaching humpback whale (at least Will is pretty sure it was a whale!) The seaside town of Santa Cruz was a hit, and we explored the fantastic boardwalk, riding the oldest rollercoaster and playing some minigolf. (I won.) We were also able to spend a morning in Monterey, where we spent two hours exploring the fantastic aquarium there, before enjoying clam chowder served in an enormous bowl made out of bread. Another highlight of the drive was the scenic Big Sur stretch of road, with spectacular coastline.
On Saturday we headed inland again, en route to Las Vegas, spending a night in the town of Lone Pine, a popular place for filming Westerns, and you could tell! The weather got progressively warmer, the roads straighter and towns less frequent. On went the cruise control and I would barely have to touch the wheel, let alone the pedals, for half an hour at a time. It was all I could do to resist getting my book out. Lazy driving in the extreme. As we reached death valley the temperatures also got extreme. To avoid engine overheating you are advised to turn off the air conditioning. This led to a rather uncomfortable hour or so, but it was worth it to see the awesome vast space of the desert.
When we arrived in Las Vegas we both thought we perhaps wouldn't survive two days there. Thousands of slot machines, flashing lights and rows of people handing out (and noisily slapping against their hands) cards advertising "girlz girlz girlz". A little overwhelming! But by the end I wished we had longer. Will celebrated his 21st in style, with dinner in 'Venice' and a bottle of cheap champagne bought with the $13 we made from our first 2 gambled dollars. We never got so lucky again but I made sure I only bet enough money to still have made a profit (just). Vegas really is quite something, spectacular in it's own unique way, and somewhere everyone should see once. Inside the windowless, well lit, air conditioned hotels you would have no idea whether it was 12am or 12pm. And I'm not sure where else you could watch a magic show featuring very scantily clad female dancers and a family of Bengal tigers.
Next stop was where we are now - San Clemente, midway between San Diego & LA. Here I have met up with Sophie, for the first time in five months! She is staying with her friend Katelin and her family, who have been fantastic hosts to her & us. We have been enjoying luxury staying in a little apartment at the back of the enormous house belonging to some friends of Katelin. Yesterday we took a trip into San Diego, had fantastic lunch & dinner (the US diet is going well) and spent the evening taking full advantage of our unlimited ride passes at a little amusement park, riding the wooden roller coaster 4 times.
I am writing this in a Mexican restaurant in San Clemente, a little sad because we have to leave Sophie in an hour or so. But I shouldn't complain, because this evening we are meeting Oren, a friend from university, for dinner at Chateau Marmont, an exclusive celebrity-haunt in LA! Tomorrow we will see the tourist sights, and on Sunday we start the next leg of out trip (sadly without our car) on a 28hour train journey to Texas.
- comments