San Francisco

Hanging onto a Cable Car......

China Town wearing hats......they wouldn't buy them!

Fishermans Wharf with Alkatraz in the background

We met an old friend for lunch. Paul McHugh and his wife Dawn - we slept on Pauls floor in SanFrancisco 20 years ago. Those were the days when our bodies let us sleep on the floor - we also had a lovely chinese meal that Paul doesn't remember eating!! We only remembered today that he left us with his house keys when he went off to work... Paul is an author now, he brought his book and gave it to us, I've already read loads, bril.

California

At Santa Cruz, we hired some boats off Dave Johnson-a paddler we knew from our old days! and took off across from the wharf towords Seamers Lane:) on the way we had to cross the Giant Kelp beds, where we encuntered the animals we went there to see - sea otters, seals +sea lions!!

on the Wharf in Santa Cruz!

Like old times, we stood here 20 years ago but we were in wetsuits then!

This one is for the Forwood family!!! (Thinking of you :) Ffion:D

Sunset last night at Carmel by the Sea. It was also fairly warm - jumpers were fine.

This is our hotel. The Normandy Inn, it was full of flowers - all the rooms were higgldy piggldy, built separately along corridors or off balconies and up the top of spiral stairways - very quirky.

Big Sur

Big Sur California is possibly the prettiest coast in the World - but at the moment it's bloody freezing!! 65 degrees. It's warmer in Wales!

Elephant Seals - only on the Pacific?

Staying in Carmel by the Sea - lovely old hotel, The Normandie Inn. Very Quaint and built about 1930. Gorgeous rooms

LA

Well here we are in Los Angeles!

We started in St Louis on Route 66 andn wenfinished it on Santa Monica Boulivard.

We went to Universal Studios and bought the very expensive 'front of queue' tickets but they were fab - everyone was queuing for at least 45 minutes on one ride 120 mins- it took us, at most 5 minutes to get to a ride! Well worth the money - we did every ride etc at least 3 times.

The studio tour was amazing, we saw sets that we had seen on telly and in films - lots of them use the same balsa wood sets.....

3D glasses or have they been taken over by aliens?

This is the War of the Worlds scene

This one is the Psycho's original motel rooms, complete with Norman Bates and a dead body. He pulled a knife too!!!!

We went to Hollywood and Beverly Hills before we left but we didn't see anyone - just weird big houses!

OTW to LA

The lofty heights of the Sierra Nevada range near Lone Pine - 14,000 feet and still with snow even though the temperature was almost 100 degrees where we were!

Having a picnic in the wilderness at Walker Pass in the Sequoia National Forest

This is what the nutters do for entertainment!

We swam in Lake Isabella, the water was a beautiful Emerald Green but when we got to the lake edge we could see it was algae and the water was like pea soup - we swam anyway and our bathers were covered in green!

Death Valley

The long barren road

Thanks for Joshua Trees to pretty up the landscape

Bad Water - 282' below sea level

120 degrees F or 49 centigrade - hot HOT HOT

It is said that following a rescue in the 1800 a prospector declaired, "Goodbye Death Valley!" and the name stuck.

A very formidable place - barren and hostile....

that old cliche-Viva Las Vegas

New York New York. This is the huge Roller Coaster Chris Mike and Ffi went on!!!

Well here it is - The Luxor - the hotel they chose. Huge not luxurious and lucky for us not a huge amount of money!!!!! Will tell you the last minute deal when we see you!!

This is our winnings - we speculated $3.00 and came away with $10.00. What do you think of that??? Last of the BIG SPENDERS!!!

We all enjoyed. Kids could have stayed - me and Mike couldn't wait to leave.........
The sights:

See the spinny ride on the top????