Our last post

Well, I am writing this on our last evening in the USA. It seems such a long time since we started this journey but the end is rapidly approaching.
We have had a wonderful holiday but we have missed the kids and the Mankelows. We often talked about things you would have liked and not liked(leaving at 8:00am, long car journeys etc).
The sights we have seen have been truly amazing and the pictures will help us relive the memories. We have been surprised at how pleasant the American people are, not just those who are after a tip. Even the Marshall was very pleasant.
Next year will have to be a sun ans sand holiday as I have used up all my Brownie points for this holiday. The good thing though is that Jan has promised to drive for the next 6 months and this blog is a permanent reminder of the fact.
Thanks for reading the blog and no doubt we will go through it all again with you when we show you the 1600 pictures (only kidding)
Beam me up Scotty.......

The Phoenican

Arrived at The Phoenician in Phoenix at about midday, checked in and straight down to one of the seven pools. It is a lovely hotel, on the outskirts of Phoenix. Rooms are big and comfortable (well air-conditioned), plenty of restaurants but most importantly, an ice cream parlour.
We had a meal in the Italian restaurant on Wednesday night which was really good. It was a late night for us, in bed by 10:00 pm!
On Thursday we went to the nearest mall, Jan didn't buy anything but I was able to get a new pair of Ray Bans to replace my broken ones.
Back to the hotel for yet another afternoon around the pool - Jan went in the pool more than me. The water was almost as hot as bathwater in the winter.
Beginning to sort stuff out for our journey home. Planning to leave around 3:00pm on Friday to return car and catch the plane home. Our 27th wedding anniversary will be spent on a 747.......
I mention this kids, just to remind you to get us an anniversary card.

The road to Phoenix

We took a leisurely drive to Phoenix, stopping at Red Rock State Park along the way. It is just outside Sedona, where we stayed, and the name of the park says it all. Similar to Slide Park, it has a creek running along the bottom (same one as at the bottom of our hotel) and people got there to swim and sunbathe. It is all very well laid out and not commercialised at all. The people in the picture were some Japanese kids who couldn't stop falling over as they tried to make their way to the other side of the creek.
Stopped for about an hour and then made our way to Phoenix.

Amara hotel

We arrived about 1:00am in Amara hotel in Sedona and fortunately our room was ready for us. Decided to be lazy and just chill around the pool. It is a lovely hotel, described as a boutique hotel, but it is very well laid out. Unusually we have been charged $20 to cover all tips we are likely to have to pay during our stay - not too bad I guess but you have to pay it every night you stay so could end up being a bit steep!
The same creek that we saw in Slide Park runs at the bottom of the hotel and is just outside our room. Saw a few ducks lazing along the edge earlier. The pool is a heated saltwater pool and very pleasant to jump in to get out of the sun. Even Jan went in a couple of times. Just before we left a couple of gays arrived. One of them never stopped talking for about 20 minutes about his trip to Pakistan and India and how it was a spiritual experience; God give me strength.
Jan's just having a bath in the Jacuzzi and then we will head off into town for dinner.

Grand Canyon to Sedona

We left the Grand Canyon reasonably early this morning, facing a 125 mile trip to Sedona.
As usual, I had a little detour planned. We drove through Oak Creek Canyon, a scenic drive. We stopped at Slide Park to have a look around. The park is mainly based around Oak Creek and it is a haven for safe swimming and diving. it is very picturesque and very natural; not commercialised at all. A part of the river is shaped like a waterslide - great fun for all the kids. It is also a bit of a sun trap. Both of us managed to get our feet wet. It was very cold but very refreshing.
We spent about an hour in the park and then made our way to Sedona.

2nd day at Grand Canyon

Had a torrid night last night - the air conditioning packed up! I complained at 2:00 am and they sent an engineer out to service it. Even Jan said it was hot so it must have been bad!
Because Obama was having a picnic at the Western end of the Grand Canyon yesterday, it was reopened today and so we decided to visit. Although it is truly spectacular, one view begins to look like another. It is not like Yosemite or Zion where the scenery changes around every corner. If we had more time, it would have been good to take a day mule trip to see the falls in the bottom of the canyon. Not sure if we would have like it though.
Our hotel is beautiful and the closest point is only 20feet from the edge of the canyon. You can just about make the hotel out on the top of the adjacent picture. If you click on the image you will be able to see it better It will soon be time for a few cocktails on the veranda. I am going off for a sunset tour soon to try and get some different pictures.......
Jan will wait in the hotel, keeping the barman happy until I get back.

From Lake Powell to Grand Canyon via Horseshoe Bend

We took another small detour today on the way to the Grand Canyon. We stopped off at Horseshoe Bend, a meander of the Colorado river on its way to the Grand Canyon. Took us a while to walk there but the view was stunning.
After that, we went on to the Grand Canyon, a 145 mile drive. Kept to the spped limits this time thanks to Jan.
The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long but we do not intend to see all of it - but it does feel like we have so far and we have another day tomorrow. Again, it is truely wonderful and different again from what we have seen so far.
We are staying in El Tovar hotel: its a bit posh. I will have to wear trousers tonight and not shorts!

On to Bryce Canyon

Had a lay in this morning and took a drive into Springdale, the town at the entry to Zion.
We spent a lot of time deliberating as to whether or not to go straight to Lake Powell, our next overnight stop, or go via Bryce Canyon. In the end, we decided to make our way towards Bryce and see what the traffic/roads were like. They were very fast roads so we went for it.
We were glad we did, it is a spectacular place, completely different to what we have seen already. Again, the park is laid out with shuttle buses that allow you to hop on and off at scenic view points.
We then drove off to Lake Powell, again the roads were very fast with very little about. Unfortunately we did see a sheriff who saw us speeding and decided to stop us. He was a very nice sheriff and was very polite. I thought he was going to let me off with a warning but no such luck. He did however, note my speed as 10 mph over the speed limit and not 16mph which resulted in a lesser fine. Handed my credit card over and we were on our way again. Jan kept warning me about my speed before we were stopped but worse things happen at sea. I contemplated asking the sheriff to have his picture taken with me but he might not have thought I was taking the conviction seriously.
We arrived in Lake Powell to find the clocks had gone back an hour so perhaps I needn't have speeded to get us to the next stop earlier than planned!
Lake Powell is surrounded by canyons and is very beautiful but the accommodation is a bit like Butlins. Never mind, off again tomorrow to spend two nights in a decent hotel at the Grand Canyon.

Through Valley of Fire to Zion

Another early start and we drove from Vegas to Zion, stopping at the Valley of Fire on the way. We are glad we have experienced Vegas but we will not be rushing back there. There were far too many people, it was too hot, expensive and just claustrophobic.
The Valley of Fire is so called because of the red sandstone formations and it is quite different from what we have seen so far.
Zion is a truly spectacular park. Photographs do not depict the sheer scale of the place. It is another one of those parks where you think you have taken the killer picture only to find another opportunity around the corner. The park is very well managed and it receives 1.2 million visitors a year. However, it does not feel crowded and they have free shuttle buses stopping along the scenic route to get off to sight see.
The town of Springdale is very pretty and would be an idyllic place to live - don't know that I could find a job though.

Helicopter flight to Grand Canyon

Wow - what a fantastic way to see the Grand Canyon. We flew over the Hoover Dam and then into the canyon, landing on the canyon floor. Neither of us had been on a helicopter before and I know I was extremely nervous. I shouldn't have been; it was all very comfortable and it just felt as though you were floating over the land. We were going at 150mph but it didn't feel like it. We were very fortunate to get the front two seats on the way to the Canyon and we got some fabulous photographs. On the way we flew over the Hoover Dam. We landed in the canyon and had a champagne breakfast after taking some more photographs.
On the way back we flew over the Vegas strip. We had no idea how big Las Vegas as a town is, the strip must account for less than 1% of the town.
An amazing start to our second day in Vegas.

Through Happy Valley to Las Vegas

We left Lone Pine at 8:00am and made our way towards Death Valley. Janet was extremely worried about the journey, having read so many bad things about the place. On the way we stopped to get 15 litres of water as it was recommended that we each drink a gallon of water whilst in Death Valley and we also took some in case the car overheated. Did I mention that we had a problem with the car yesterday – a warning light came on requesting an oil and filter change. All of these concerns made Janet very nervous and the only way to calm her down was to suggest we call it Happy Valley. We even made up a song about going to Happy Valley to the tune of Cliff Richards “Summer Holiday”. It seemed to take her mind off it for a while until we saw a road sign suggesting we turn the air conditioning off whilst we went up a hill for the next 10 miles.
It was about 125 miles from the edge of the park to the centre and on the way we stopped at Stovepipe Wells where the temperature was 108. Although it was extremely hot, it was a dry heat and not too uncomfortable if you stayed in the sun for 10 minutes or less. We visited several vista points in Death Valley and although completely different to Yosemite, it was still wonderous to behold. There were several opportunities to visit other parts of the park but as they were along the same type of gravel road that we got the puncture yesterday, Janet was very insistent we were not going on any of them. Our last stop in Death Valley was at Badlsnds salt flats, some 300 feet below sea level.
After Badlands, we made our way out of Death Valley,another 100 miles to the end of the park. We then drove to Las Vegas and are now in The Mirage. It is so big, you could spend a week here and not see everything. We went down to the pool for an hour and we are just getting ready to walk down the strip and have alook at the other hotels.
Just returned from a walk down the Strip - words fail us at the sheer size and content of each hotel. They are enormous and include casinos, numerous reastaurants, many shopping malls and high class shops. Each hotel must be the size of Naphill. It is all too much for us simple country folk. Glad we have done it but we only need to see it once.
We have an eraly start tomorrow, pick up at 7:00am for a helicopter trip into the Grand Canyon.

Tiago Pass & Bodie to Lone Pine

We left Yosemite today and drove back through the park and exited through Tiago Pass. Again, more stunning scenery.
After Tiago we made our way to Bodie Ghost town, starter during the gold rush of the late 1800's. Quite how they found there way there I don't know, but at its peak it housed 10,000 people. It got a bit rowdy and lots of debauchery; sounds a bit like Naphill.
We entered Bodie down 8 miles of rough roads and the car was sliding about on the stones. We left on a different route and this only had 3 miles of rough road. However, we ended up with a puncture and Jan and I had to put the spare on in the blistering heat, 7000 feet up. The had enormous problems with the car hire company trying to get it repaired. Their suggestion was to drive 6 hours in the opposite direction to change the car! Ended up getting it changed locally and will argue with Alamo later.
We made it to Lone Pine about 18:30 and are just getting ready for another meal. We don't eat at lunchtimes - honest!

Laguna Seca & Yosemite

On our way to Yosemite, we stopped by at Laguna Seca raceway. There was a club meeting on there and we spent a few minutes watching and taking pictures. We went to the famous Corkscrew corner and watched a lot of drivers getting it all wrong.
We then spent 2 wonderful days in Yosemite - a photographers paradise. You think you cannot see anything more spectacular but there always is something better around the corner. It is an awe inspiring place.
We went to the Valley floor, but it was 35 miles along windy roads from the park entrance. The views along the way were wort it though. On the way back to the hotel, we went to Glacier Point and looked down 7000 feet into the valley. If we only went to Yosemite on this trip it would have been worth it.
In the evening we went to The Narrow Gauge Inn, just near to the hotel, and had a wonderful meal. Started off with a couple of cocktails........ Jan got talking to an American couple next to us and it turns out he has a Ferrari 460 and has driven it around Laguna Seca
We had a problem with the car and had to get it replaced.
At the end of the second day we arrived back a bit earlier to the hotel and had some time in and out of the pool.

Carmel

We arrived at Carmel at about 17:00 local time. Got into the room and then went out to have a walk around Carmel by the Sea. We stopped in the town and walked to the beach; got sand between our toes and and then walked back to the shops and restaurants. There was a multitude of goods available; jewellery; watches; paintings; antiques; photographs; furnishings etc. The one thing they had in common was that they were all very expensive. The shops were all individually styled and very quaint. The houses around the area are very expensive and I would have thought the local would get fed up with all the tourists though. Had an enjoyable Italian meal at the end of the evening and made our way back to the hotel. Off to Yosemite tomorrow - a 260 mile drive. Hopefully it will start to get hotter and then the arguments will start about the use of the air conditioning in the car.

17 mile drive

We travelled along Route 1, hugging the coast towards Carmel. It was very misty in places and it was not very warm. We drove the well known "17 mile drive" which took us around the peninsula just north of Carmel. You have to pay $10 to drive the route, but it is very pretty and there are some fantastic houses and apartments along the way. The most famous part of the tour is Pebble Beach Golf course; home to many US Open golf tournaments. The joining fees are not published anywhere but Joe Public can play the course if he stumps up £320.

Got the hire car today......eventually

Got up early and went to San Francisco airport to collect the car from Alamo. Another great start only to be thwarted at the last minute. We chose to collect a car at the same time that Alamo were updating their systems and it would take 36 hoours to finish. As a consequence we had to wait over 90 minutes in the queue and then thay had to execute the transaction manually. Deep joy, however, we eventually got a car and tried to get out of the airport. Why is it so difficult to get out of an airport? We thought we had made it but we took a wrong turning and TomTom sent us back through an airport car park! Still, at least it didn't take me up the Pearly Way Caroline.

Cable cars

Took a few trips on the famous Cable cars up and down the hills. The only problem was that at each end of the journey there was a wait of up to an hour to get on the cable cars. The trips were great fun: all of the drivers and conductors thought they were comedians. Some of the views were stunning and it is of some concern that the entire car is stopped with four blocks of wood aroud the cable. Time to big upthe UK - it took an Englishman to invent the system. We eventually worked out that if you walked to the next stop from the terminus you could hop on the next car or two that left rather than waiting for an hour. Useful for next time we go to San Francisco. There are a couple of routes that run past the hotel so we may hop on one when we go out for dinner. As usual we have no idea where we are going! We leave San Francisco tomorrow morning to pick up the car to start the road trip.

Alcatraz

Another early start today. This time, we had to be at Pier 33 for our 9:00 am trip to Alcatraz. It was a short boat trip but it did have some great views looking back to the mainland. Unfortunately it was a bit hazy so the pictures of San Francisco have not come out very well. The trip around the prison was very well done - it was an audio guide but it was well presented. We also had a video presentation of the history of the facility. The weather has been excellent again: the panda eyes for Jan and I are getting more pronounced.

Back to The Fairmont!

We arrived back at The Fairmont after a lot of walking up some very steep hills. Because of all of the inconvenience we have been upgraded to a beautiful room on the 23rd floor with a fantastic view over the bay.
We have been very lucky as they have also given us $100 to spend on food and drinks - you just know what we are going to spend most of it on! The prices are quite high here so I cannot see it lasting too long, still Happy Hour isn't too far away now.
Just deliberating where to eat tonight.

Replacement Toyota Celica

Jan's next car. Eco friendly, small, manoeuverable, easy to park, no alloy wheels to scratch, room for a shopping mate. Unfortunately it does not have a roof and there isn't a boot for her shopping.
These cars are battery powered and are routed using a GPS. They are all over the place and are seen at all the tourist destinations.
We did think about getting one but Jan was worried about "helmet hair". Perhaps next time........

Bus Tour around San Francisco

We checked out of the Hyatt early this morning and took our luggage to The Fairmont. Room wasn't ready so we decided to got to Fishermans Wharf and jumped on a tour bus around San Francisco. It has about 26 stops and you can get off and on as much as you like over the next 2 days. We stopped off at the south side of Golden Gate Bridge (which is orange) and took a few photographs. We then got on the next bus and went over the bridge and back - it was bl**dy windy! Jan had her fleece on and it did wonders for her hair sitting on top of an open air bus.

Call for Pickfords

Just listened to a telephone message to say we are back at our original hotel, The Fairmont, tonight. All move again.

Why do I attract these people?

Forgot to say that I entered into a conversation with a Black San Franciscan musician in the 7 - 11 on our first night. He thought I was Australian and after putting him right he told me that all English people wanted to hear him play is Acker Bilks "Stranger on the shore". As usual, Jan did not want to mix with the locals so she walked away and left me on my own with him. I told him to have a good evening and bade my farewells. His face looked full of character and he could probably tell a tale or two, but Jan didn't give me time to ask.

Great start.......

It was a long day; the plane was delayed because the M4 was shut and some of the crew were caught in the hold up. We left 1.5 hours late. When we eventually got to our first hotel they were overbooked so we have been put up in a nearby hotel - not a good start! Just got back from a meal - plenty of cocktails and wine for Jan! Have now been up about 22 hours so we are going to sleep now - it's 8:15 at night here in San Francisco and we are off to bed. No pictures yet - too tired.

Jan wants to try and find an open top bus tour tomorrow (Thursday) as well as a boat trip around the bay. I will report back as to how succesful we have been.