The USA

The blue bits above are all the places that I stayed at least one night.

It is over now and it was better than I imagined. People ask me what was my favorite bit, a question I can't answer because the "bits" were all so different; it would be like comparing favorite music to favorite building to favorite food.

Some suggestions...

I offer some suggestions of hotels in various spots in the USA...

Anna Maria Island, Florida - Seaside Inn http://www.seasideresort.com/


New Orleans, Louisiana - Hotel LeCirque http://www.neworleansfinehotels.com/hotellecirque/


Clarksdale, Mississippi - The Shack Up Inn http://www.shackupinn.com/


Laredo, Texas - La Posada http://www.laposadahotel.com/


Gallup, New Mexico - El Rancho Hotel http://historicelranchohotel.com/


Malibu, California - Casa Malibu http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32676-d78107-Reviews-Casa_Malibu_Inn_on_the_Beach-Malibu_California.html


Santa Cruz, California - Dream Inn http://www.jdvhotels.com/hotels/centralcoast/dream


I stayed in plenty of nice hotels thanks to Hotwire.com (see Tip No. 5) but the ones listed above were a bit special.

Home

Back home and ready for it...

The Dark Knight

Before we flew back we went to see a 10.00 am screening of The Dark Knight... Believe the hype... Heath Ledger's performance is astonishing, I have never seen anything so menacing in a film rated PG and it is difficult to think of anything in any film beyond Jack Nicholson in the Shining or the Haunted Forest in Snow White. But he is not alone, Christian Bale is perfect, Gary Oldman makes a grand Commissioner Gordon, Aaron Ekhart is a wonderful Harvey Dent (that name might ring a couple of bells for Batman aficionados) and Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are delightful. The film is long, a bit too long and becomes less taught in the last 40 minutes but that is a cavil... A morning in San Francisco well spent.

The Castro

Last night went up to the Castro district for a wander and cocktails... The cinema has just been restored and the films programmed are always as camp as this pairing to commemorate Sydney Pollack's death.

Food again...

If you go to San Fran Cisco,
be sure to eat at Swan Oyster Depot

I know it doesn't scan but it is much better advice... The best clam chowder outside New England, delicious crab, marvellous prawn, shrimp and of course the oysters are perfect.

Bug Cemetery

The front of my car after crossing a continent...

Tip No 8

If you want to hire a car from one spot and drop off in another... My example would be pick up in Tampa and drop off in San Francisco, choose National Car Rental they charge $199, the cheapest alternative is $599.

The city on the bay

San Francisco remains one of the most handsome places in the world, blessed with beautiful geography, tall hills, deep bay, which also ensure that it has less than beautiful weather.

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."
Mark Twain

However the sun came out for us on the Sausalito Ferry and we saw this city at its best.

Tip No 7

It has been a while but here is another tip... With thanks to my friend Moyra... If you find yourself in a place where fast food is your only option, eat at Taco Bell

http://www.tacobell.com/

Farewell

I have said goodbye to my faithful friend, my constant companion for the last 8,000 miles... My blue Dodge Avenger, not a moments trouble, never missed a beat, kept me cool in Laredo and I'm sure would have kept me warm here in San Francisco had I not let him go...

While we were walking down the pier at Santa Cruz...

... I noticed this little group having a rest.

Santa Cruz

Is one of my favourite places; good beach, nice pier, boardwalk with a 100 year old funfair and it is a favourite spot for Latin Americans down from Oakland (last night there was a Cuban dance festival).

Here are some photos, starting with the view from our room

Before we left Monterey...

... we took a trip. Here are some shots of a couple of Humpback Whales diving





These 55 foot monsters do move one, their gentle ease makes you aware of the damage we are doing to our planet (this from one who has flown many times this year).

We also dropped into the middle of an enormous pod of dolphins, here is what we saw



and Lizzy's reaction



On the way back we saw some sea lions sunning themselves


a feast for the eyes and the spirit.

At the gates of dusk...

Sitting by the 18th green of the Spanish Bay golfcourse at Pebble Beach... No really... By the firepits eating tuna and drinking beer when...

As we've now left Cayucos...

... I can reveal the terrible truth!


The water was bloody cold too, we paddled nothing more. It was just going to be an overnight stop but because of the fires we ended up staying for three days... The town reminded me of Sheringham on the North Norfolk coast, past it's most popular, geographically blessed and inhabited by real people.

The B&B was extremely comfortable with terrifying breakfasts... Orange Pancakes with Apple-smoked Bacon... Blueberry, Creme Brulee French Toast and Melon; afternoon glasses of local wine with an "appetiser" (Local brie yesterday afternoon). This gives an indication of what draws people to the town apart from the wildlife, wine and sleepy relaxation... Food. I won't give you chapter and verse as this blog seems to be turning into an epicurean review but there are three restaurants that we used, Duckies

http://duckies.cayucos.menuclub.com/

cheap, fresh, local seafood served fast but certainly not fast food eg great big oysters on the half shell. Schooners

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g32188-d613059-Reviews-Schooner_s_Wharf-Cayucos_California.html

of the jaw-droppingly good spicy scallops. Hoppe's ("Hoppies") a five diamond restaurant where I ate the best steak of my life.

http://www.hoppesbistro.com/

Wildlife

On the way up to Big Sur we saw some Elephant seals



and back in Cayucos I managed to catch some Californian Sealion action too

Big Sur... Not

The last property open on Highway 1 before they close the road to allow the fire-fighters free access is Lucia Lodge

http://www.lucialodge.com/mall/c121/s14406/default1.htm

where we were booked for 2 nights... We went to have a look and it is beautiful but all the beaches and paths were closed too so we turned round and came back to Cayucos.

Seagulls

A few of the seafront properties have a plastic owl perched on the roof to deter the seagulls (this is the restaurant where we ate last night)... As you can see, they are very effective.

Cayucos CA

Needed a place to stay on our way to Big Sur so dropped off the road here at Cayucos... Clearly this was a place that grew with the surfing boom of the sixties and has fallen back a bit recently. We stayed at the On The Beach B & B and the rooms are fantastically comfortable with open fires as well as Jacuzzis

http://www.californiaonthebeach.com/

our meal next door at Schooner's was memorable but the most remarkable thing about this place is the wildlife... We have grown a bit blase about the Pelicans but the Seals and Sea Otters are completely used to humans and we actually saw a seal chase a kid in the water yesterday... Magical.

Long John

This is our regular morning visitor, Long John the one-footed seagull.

Not Jonathan Livingstone or George or Steven... His full name is Long John Saliva... He's the living spit of his brother.

Lizzy on dolphin watch

Difficult to see but there is a large pod that live in the bay. This is an enlargement of the one Lizzy is looking at

Who knew...

... that pelicans fly in a V formation?


You can't really see it in this picture but it's true... Or perhaps they are a very talented group of circus pelicans doing their impression of geese?

But Malibu is much more peaceful

Sunday in Santa Monica...

... gets pretty busy


This is Lizzy on the pier, with a cast of thousands in the background

Frank Gehry

Our hotel in LA is just opposite the Walt Disney Concert Hall... Here's me getting in the way of a decent view.

July 4th

I didn't think that there was such a thing as too many fireworks and I don't know how many megatons were delivered this evening... But after 40 minutes of this hour long show I was ready for the finale. When the end came it was spectacular, the sky seemed full of light.


This was a free show provided by the County of Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Coliseum, so we were surrounded by the people who live at ground level and use the public transport in this city... It and they were great.

Pits Top

Lizzy and the Mastodons

The Missus' first day in LA... and after a lunch of "fresh as a daisy" sushi we went to the La Brea Tar Pits for a view of

Asphalt (colloquially termed tar, which in Spanish is termed brea) has seeped up from the ground in this area for tens of thousands of years, forming hundreds of sticky pools that trapped animals and plants which happened to enter. Over time, the asphalt fossilized the remains. The result is an incredibly rich collection of fossils dating from the last ice age.

Las Vegas to Los Angeles

The drive offered some interesting detours...

... obviously someone wanted to be the last on the Gazetteer... But the biggest and best known place en route is Baker "gateway" to both the Mojave Desert and Death Valley and home of Alien Fresh Jerky.

In the background you can see the centrepiece of this community, an enormous thermometer


showing a rather balmy 109 degrees.