Friday 31st October First up this morning we headed to Mission San Xavier del Bac which is located on an Indian reservation in Tucson. The Indians call it "White Dove of the Desert". It was built in 1783. The paints on the inside walls have recently been restored and they have now started on the outside. This mission also has some lovely cactus gardens.
After some "Fry Bread" cooked by the Indians just outside the mission we are back in the car and heading to the De Grazia Gallery. What an interesting place! I love his paintings and I thoroughly enjoyed the gallery and gardens - unfortunately the camera battery died - but wait, Mary Lou to the rescue, she handed over her camera.
On the way back to Mesa, Phoenix we visited Biosphere 2 which was a world self sufficiency science project in the 80's and 90's. It was not totally successful but they learnt many things about sustainability. There was a lot of information about recycling etc but we have not seen very much of that happening here in USA.
Back to Mesa tonight.
Friday, October 31, 2008
The Wild Wild West
Thursday 30th October After breakfast at "The Good Egg" we drove out to Kartchner Caverns a beautiful cave system discovered in 1974 and kept secret until 1988 - very interesting. When Ed Schiefflin said he was heading out west people said "All you will find out there is your Tombstone". Ed found silver and named the town Tombstone (what a sense of humour!). The main street in dirt and is for horse traffic only. The sidewalks are still all wood and most of the buildings are circa 1880's. We drove over to Tombstone just in time to see a re-enactment of the gunflight at OK - Corral from the cowboys perspective. Just on dusk, we drove over to a little town called Bisbee and had a quick wander around before heading back to Tucson for the night.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tucson
D and I started the day with a swim in the pool. Just about had the whole grounds to ourselves just the 10 or so grounds cleaners, gardeners, step sweepers etc. It was a shame to leave Mexico but we must go on. We travelled up to Tucson from Puerto Penasco today. Nothing much to report. No princess accommodation tonight.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
South of the Board
Monday 27th October This morning we packed “Old Blue” up and headed for Puerto Penasco Mexico. There is a bit of a dust storm on the way down, it’s nothing like we had in Wagga just before we left. There is very little to stop and look at on the way. We purchase additional car insurance in Ajo (Aa-ho). Looks like an interesting little town but we don’t stop.
We pull in at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (National Park) check out the visitors centre and have our picnic lunch with a friendly woodpecker.
You definitely know when you have crossed the boarder, the signs are all in Spanish (in many places in America they have English with Spanish underneath) the road is full of potholes, they have killer humps in the road to slow people down (and they do) it is very sandy and there are shells of buildings all along the roads. I am not sure whether they have started to build dwellings and run out of money or if they were lovely buildings once that have been semi-demolished.
We arrive at our condo complex is called Las Palomas – reception was very ordinary but the rest - how nice. I would say that most of the 380 condos here are owned by Americans. Ours is beautifully furnished by the owners. You look out over the many pools to the Cortez Sea. After a sunset swim we try out the on site restaurant – it is a big plate, small dinner, big price (especially when the bill is in pesos!!) restaurant.
Tuesday 28th October Shopping Mexican style. We take the back roads, which are sand, to the main tourist shopping located right on the point in Puerto Penasco which is traditional a fishing village. There are so many colourful little knick knack shops here. They look very small at the front but many of them go way back and have many little rooms, nooks and crannies all stuffed with trinkets, ornaments, plates, silver, puppets, sombreros, blankets etc etc etc.
Time for a swim followed by a walk along the beach where we locate a lovely, reasonably priced restaurant that we returned to later for a very nice meal.
It is the low season here and there are not many people about at all. One of the security guards told us that they only had 90 condos occupied but there are cleaners, gardeners, security etc workers all around – we were the only people in the restaurant tonight until the family of the head chef came in! There where at least 7 staff working.
We pull in at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (National Park) check out the visitors centre and have our picnic lunch with a friendly woodpecker.
You definitely know when you have crossed the boarder, the signs are all in Spanish (in many places in America they have English with Spanish underneath) the road is full of potholes, they have killer humps in the road to slow people down (and they do) it is very sandy and there are shells of buildings all along the roads. I am not sure whether they have started to build dwellings and run out of money or if they were lovely buildings once that have been semi-demolished.
We arrive at our condo complex is called Las Palomas – reception was very ordinary but the rest - how nice. I would say that most of the 380 condos here are owned by Americans. Ours is beautifully furnished by the owners. You look out over the many pools to the Cortez Sea. After a sunset swim we try out the on site restaurant – it is a big plate, small dinner, big price (especially when the bill is in pesos!!) restaurant.
Tuesday 28th October Shopping Mexican style. We take the back roads, which are sand, to the main tourist shopping located right on the point in Puerto Penasco which is traditional a fishing village. There are so many colourful little knick knack shops here. They look very small at the front but many of them go way back and have many little rooms, nooks and crannies all stuffed with trinkets, ornaments, plates, silver, puppets, sombreros, blankets etc etc etc.
Time for a swim followed by a walk along the beach where we locate a lovely, reasonably priced restaurant that we returned to later for a very nice meal.
It is the low season here and there are not many people about at all. One of the security guards told us that they only had 90 condos occupied but there are cleaners, gardeners, security etc workers all around – we were the only people in the restaurant tonight until the family of the head chef came in! There where at least 7 staff working.
Recharging in Mesa
Saturday 25th October Mary Lou and Roger went to a friends son’s wedding whilst we took “Old Blue” the blue Oldsmobile to meet up with Mike, Maria and friends who took us “tailgating” before the Arizona via Oregon football match. Quite a different atmosphere this time, much closer to the field but more difficult to see as the stadium was not as steep and barracking for the under dogs this time but these supporters have tremendous spirit. We had a fun time with great company.
Sunday 26th October Caught up with the rest of the washing and went to the “Swap Meet” which is like the Queen Victoria Markets. We had another “Costco” experience and a "Walmart" experience too. These shops are huge and most products at Costco come in bulk. To give you an idea of how inexpensive food is here, even with our dollar in the toilet it is still cheaper to buy groceries at these stores than it would be at home!
Sunday 26th October Caught up with the rest of the washing and went to the “Swap Meet” which is like the Queen Victoria Markets. We had another “Costco” experience and a "Walmart" experience too. These shops are huge and most products at Costco come in bulk. To give you an idea of how inexpensive food is here, even with our dollar in the toilet it is still cheaper to buy groceries at these stores than it would be at home!
Monday, October 27, 2008
The Red Rock of Sedona
Wednesday 22nd October Detlef and I walked back to Mather Point to check out the morning view. Very fresh in the morning – best to keep moving. After breakfast we head for Sedona with a stop at the Tusayan Ruin and Desert View. The view points in this area give a much more remarkable view and the watchtower is a very fascinating piece of architecture. The Indians have scattered road side stalls once we leave the national park – they mainly sell jewellery and pottery. After we check in to the Hyatt Pinon Pointe we head up to the airport plateau to take in the changing colours before dinner at the airport restaurant – the dinner was very nice, far too much for me. Unfortunately our waitress should have been working in a dirty run down truck stop!
Thursday 23rd October This morning we headed to the Chapel of the Holy Cross a beautiful church which is perched on and incorporated into a rock ledge; built in the 1950’s it is still very modern. We then drove over to Jerome an old cooper mining town turned Ghost Town turned tourist destination. It is located up a very windy road – perfect for a Sunday bike ride!
We were entertained by Wolfe Robe an American Indian traditional flute maker and player who told us about the history and the traditions of the flute amongst the different tribes between playing the different flutes.
Friday 24th October This morning we took a Pink Jeep Tour into Broken Arrow Trail, two hours of fun. On the way back to Mesa we stopped off at Montezuma’s Castle a very old native Indian ruin (some of the ruins are not very ruined). White explorers thought that the Aztecs built this dwelling for their Emperor Montezuma. They were wrong but the name has stuck.
We met Michael, Maria and Breanna Ruehmkorff for dinner. It was great to finally meet them.
Thursday 23rd October This morning we headed to the Chapel of the Holy Cross a beautiful church which is perched on and incorporated into a rock ledge; built in the 1950’s it is still very modern. We then drove over to Jerome an old cooper mining town turned Ghost Town turned tourist destination. It is located up a very windy road – perfect for a Sunday bike ride!
We were entertained by Wolfe Robe an American Indian traditional flute maker and player who told us about the history and the traditions of the flute amongst the different tribes between playing the different flutes.
Friday 24th October This morning we took a Pink Jeep Tour into Broken Arrow Trail, two hours of fun. On the way back to Mesa we stopped off at Montezuma’s Castle a very old native Indian ruin (some of the ruins are not very ruined). White explorers thought that the Aztecs built this dwelling for their Emperor Montezuma. They were wrong but the name has stuck.
We met Michael, Maria and Breanna Ruehmkorff for dinner. It was great to finally meet them.
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Grand Canyon
Tuesday 21st October Up in time for breakie today and it was worth it! We said Viva to Las Vegas and headed for the Grand Canyon and the temperature is going down. Wow it is big and I really do not think that any photo, ours or the professional ones in the “souvie” shops can do it justice. After checking in to the Yavapai Lodge in the park we took a walk to the visitor’s centre and to Mather Point quite windy and a little chilly too. Then over to the main viewing area (this is where the most of the lodges are located) to watch the sun go down. Dinner was very ordinary.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tinsel Town
Sunday 19th October we drove from Phoenix to Las Vegas via Hoover Dam which is right on the Arizona/Nevada board. It is a massive dam. They are currently building a new bridge to go over the river just below the dam. We were there on Sunday afternoon with a lot of other tourism but the main problem is that the road over the dam is the most direct route into and out of Nevada from Arizona. The traffic heading for Arizona was banked up for miles and mile and miles.
Las Vegas is overwhelming. After happy hour we dined at an Italian restaurant Casa Di Amore (House of Love!!!); very nice food, fast service and entertainment too. We then headed for “The Stripe” walking from our lovely motel “The Desert Rose” passed Hooters and the Tropicana over the road to Excalibur and down The Stripe too Caesar’s Palace. On the way we stopped to take in the Fountains of Bellagio. Check out the link it will give you an idea but does not really do it justice. http://www.bellagio.com/amenities/fountains-of-bellagio.aspx We wandered through the Caesar’s Palace which has fantastic ceilings – in one section it looks like you are walking in a village with the sky above. We then crossed the road to the Harrahs before heading back up The Stripe and to our motel – never thought it would be a good thing to see a Hooters sign but after over 8 kilometres it was a very welcome site!
On most corners there are Mexicans (probably “illegals”) flicking a fist full of girlie cards and handing them out to any male who would take them – most of the cards end up on the ground a few metres away. Trucks drive up and down The Stripe day and night advertising how quickly they can get their girls to you.
There is a lot of money in this city but they do not spent very much of it on cleaning up the streets which are littered with these cards, glasses and bottles. There is an amazing amount of building going on.
Monday 20th October we missed the complimentary breakfast so we ate in our apartment. We then headed down the road to the Liberace Museum just a short 2.2 miles away (you do the maths) only to find that it is closed on Mondays! They did not tell us that in the advert!!! So, back down the road to the motel for a very well deserved lunch and some R&R. Did I mention that it is still bloody hot in Las Vegas at this time of year?
After numerous changes we decided to check out “The Metalist” at Hooters (after happy hour naturally). A magic comedy – this guy plays with your mind. $7.95 plus taxes of course will get you into the show and also get you a drink of your choice – not bad. The show went for 90 minutes and however he does it, he is very clever. We then headed up to the Tropicana for a buffet dinner and the 10pm show – Folies Bergere the longest running show in America. This was a traditional Vegas show complete with the glitz and the glamour, huge head dresses, minimal clothing and bare breasts. The show was a celebration of women over the last century. Very Vegas.
After this show we headed back to the car to take in the rest of The Stripe without killing ourselves. We also took a glimpse at the downtown area. We were too late for the laser show so we cruised around – some of you may remember the waving cowboy? Back up The Stripe to the motel and bed – it was very good to be horizontal.
Las Vegas is overwhelming. After happy hour we dined at an Italian restaurant Casa Di Amore (House of Love!!!); very nice food, fast service and entertainment too. We then headed for “The Stripe” walking from our lovely motel “The Desert Rose” passed Hooters and the Tropicana over the road to Excalibur and down The Stripe too Caesar’s Palace. On the way we stopped to take in the Fountains of Bellagio. Check out the link it will give you an idea but does not really do it justice. http://www.bellagio.com/amenities/fountains-of-bellagio.aspx We wandered through the Caesar’s Palace which has fantastic ceilings – in one section it looks like you are walking in a village with the sky above. We then crossed the road to the Harrahs before heading back up The Stripe and to our motel – never thought it would be a good thing to see a Hooters sign but after over 8 kilometres it was a very welcome site!
On most corners there are Mexicans (probably “illegals”) flicking a fist full of girlie cards and handing them out to any male who would take them – most of the cards end up on the ground a few metres away. Trucks drive up and down The Stripe day and night advertising how quickly they can get their girls to you.
There is a lot of money in this city but they do not spent very much of it on cleaning up the streets which are littered with these cards, glasses and bottles. There is an amazing amount of building going on.
Monday 20th October we missed the complimentary breakfast so we ate in our apartment. We then headed down the road to the Liberace Museum just a short 2.2 miles away (you do the maths) only to find that it is closed on Mondays! They did not tell us that in the advert!!! So, back down the road to the motel for a very well deserved lunch and some R&R. Did I mention that it is still bloody hot in Las Vegas at this time of year?
After numerous changes we decided to check out “The Metalist” at Hooters (after happy hour naturally). A magic comedy – this guy plays with your mind. $7.95 plus taxes of course will get you into the show and also get you a drink of your choice – not bad. The show went for 90 minutes and however he does it, he is very clever. We then headed up to the Tropicana for a buffet dinner and the 10pm show – Folies Bergere the longest running show in America. This was a traditional Vegas show complete with the glitz and the glamour, huge head dresses, minimal clothing and bare breasts. The show was a celebration of women over the last century. Very Vegas.
After this show we headed back to the car to take in the rest of The Stripe without killing ourselves. We also took a glimpse at the downtown area. We were too late for the laser show so we cruised around – some of you may remember the waving cowboy? Back up The Stripe to the motel and bed – it was very good to be horizontal.
Monday, October 20, 2008
What a Welcome to Phoenix
We waved goodbye to San Diego flying with Southwest Airlines to Phoenix. Mary Lou and Roger were waiting with open arms to greet us. They have a lovely home in an over 55’s estate in Mesa which is more like a city within Phoenix than a suburb as there are roughly 300,000 people living in Mesa. Phoenix is home to approximately 5 million. This area is very different to the coast – beautifully rugged. There are many different types of cacti out here – lovely to look at but don’t get too close. On Saturday we took a drive out along Apache Trail with a stop for a cruise on Canyon Lake before popping into Tortilla (Tor-t-ya) Flats a town owned by one person with only 6 residents. The pub has dollar bills covering the walls and saddle or horse butt stools. The restroom is painted out with cancan girls. The ones on the toilet doors have no heads to you can put yours there instead. Couldn't resist a picture. On Saturday night we kicked up our heels at an Oktoberfest night before heading home to pack up for the earlier start on Sunday.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Keep on Walking
We started our day with another American breakfast - does my butt look big in this blog?
We took the motel shuttle to the Zoo which is in the Balboa Park area which looks lovely and is on our list for next time. The zoo is located on a couple of hills with valley areas in between; lots of steps, ups and downs. Parts of the zoo are beautiful with large enclosures, underwater and glass viewing areas and animals that look quite happy. Other parts are very old with small cages - granted, they have put smaller animals into these cages but it still makes me feel very sad. They are currently working on a new elephant enclosure which will be much larger than the current area and will house other animals in the same enclosure. The map was hopeless and we regularly heard other people becoming irritated because they could not work out where they were or how to get to a particular place. We decided that it must have been free school day at the zoo today there were school kids everywhere.
At about 1pm we grabbed a taxi and headed for the US Midway an aircraft carried which is now a floating museum on the bay. You can check the whole ship out at your own pace with an audio tour. This thing is huge and you don't just look at each deck there are stairs up to one area and stairs down to another on each level. My butt may not become as big as I thought if I keep up this sort of punishment! We stopped off at the Fantail Cafe for a salad wrap (with potato chips - what the?) and an iced tea before continuing onto the flight deck - massive.
Once we had finished the US Midway tour we had just enough time to catch the ferry to Coronado Island and stroll along the board walk for an hour or so. The ferry back picks up naval (or should that be navy) workers in the restricted Naval area on this particular run - no photos here please!
We returning to our motel with our "take out" to eat on our balcony as we watched the last of the light fade away.
We had planned to take it easy in San Diego, four days to just chill out and not do too much - oooops! We have had a great time here.
We took the motel shuttle to the Zoo which is in the Balboa Park area which looks lovely and is on our list for next time. The zoo is located on a couple of hills with valley areas in between; lots of steps, ups and downs. Parts of the zoo are beautiful with large enclosures, underwater and glass viewing areas and animals that look quite happy. Other parts are very old with small cages - granted, they have put smaller animals into these cages but it still makes me feel very sad. They are currently working on a new elephant enclosure which will be much larger than the current area and will house other animals in the same enclosure. The map was hopeless and we regularly heard other people becoming irritated because they could not work out where they were or how to get to a particular place. We decided that it must have been free school day at the zoo today there were school kids everywhere.
At about 1pm we grabbed a taxi and headed for the US Midway an aircraft carried which is now a floating museum on the bay. You can check the whole ship out at your own pace with an audio tour. This thing is huge and you don't just look at each deck there are stairs up to one area and stairs down to another on each level. My butt may not become as big as I thought if I keep up this sort of punishment! We stopped off at the Fantail Cafe for a salad wrap (with potato chips - what the?) and an iced tea before continuing onto the flight deck - massive.
Once we had finished the US Midway tour we had just enough time to catch the ferry to Coronado Island and stroll along the board walk for an hour or so. The ferry back picks up naval (or should that be navy) workers in the restricted Naval area on this particular run - no photos here please!
We returning to our motel with our "take out" to eat on our balcony as we watched the last of the light fade away.
We had planned to take it easy in San Diego, four days to just chill out and not do too much - oooops! We have had a great time here.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Splash Down
Yesterday we took the motel shuttle to Horton Plaza (an over priced shopping mall) before walking back to Seaport Village on the Bay. After doing the tourist shop hopping thing we took a land and bay tour on "The Seal" which is a boat with wheels. In the evening we walked up to "Little Italy" for a lovely Italian meal at Mimmo's.
Today we took the trolley and bus to Sea World. It was great to take public transport; we saw areas and people that we would have missed otherwise.
We started the day breakfasting with two killer whales - a wonderful experience. The park is huge and although we managed to see everything we wanted to, it was a long day. Once we had returned to the bay, we did what every Sea World animal lover would do - we had fish and calamari for dinner!
We were treated to a beautiful show of fireworks across the bay tonight - not sure why but very nice anyway.
Today we took the trolley and bus to Sea World. It was great to take public transport; we saw areas and people that we would have missed otherwise.
We started the day breakfasting with two killer whales - a wonderful experience. The park is huge and although we managed to see everything we wanted to, it was a long day. Once we had returned to the bay, we did what every Sea World animal lover would do - we had fish and calamari for dinner!
We were treated to a beautiful show of fireworks across the bay tonight - not sure why but very nice anyway.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Jam Packed to San Diego
You all know how things don't pack in to your bags as well on the way back as they did when you first packed? Well, we are not on the way back yet!
This morning we "packed" our bags, returned our Chevy "rental" and took the Goldline into Union Station LA. It is a beautiful building of Spanish influence. We were able to catch an earlier Amtrak train down to San Diego. We were asked to take 4 pounds out of our checked baggage. We looked blankly at each other and had a guess, which turned out to be a good guess. It was quite a nice trip particularly the second half which runs along the coast most of the time. There were surprisingly few people; the seats were a little run down but fine. Train travel is quite relaxing and gives you a different view of things in comparison to when you are driving. Driving on the wrong (right) side of the road certainly adds to the challenge.
It was just a short walk from the beautiful station at San Diego to our "lodging" at the Holiday Inn on the Bay. We have a spacious king bed room with bay views - just beautiful. We had dinner at the Elephant and Castle an Irish bar and restaurant which is attached to the motel - two glasses of red at happy hour and I can make anything sound great or is that everything I write sounds great?
We said goodbye to David and Claire last night as David was leaving at 4am this morning and Claire at 7am. My brother sent an email this afternoon to check that we had not overshot San Diego and ended up in a rat infested brothel in Tijuana! I'm happy to say - it's all good!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Football Fever
On Saturday we heading off to University of Southern California (USC) with David to take in the pre-match goings on before heading to the Colosseum to watch USC play Arizona State (ASC) with the other 93,000 people. It is an amazing spectacle and although it was apparently not the best of matches the atmosphere was quite electric most of the time.
Today we have been getting ready to head south tomorrow. We had a lovely BBQ dinner with D&C, Claire's Mum and Dad who have been touring Canada, Deborah and Chuck two of D&C's very entertaining friends.
Today we have been getting ready to head south tomorrow. We had a lovely BBQ dinner with D&C, Claire's Mum and Dad who have been touring Canada, Deborah and Chuck two of D&C's very entertaining friends.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Lights, Camera, Action!
On Thursday we drove from San Simeon to Santa Barbara with a short stop at Slovang a tourism town with a danish theme. After settling into our room at the Monteceito Inn we heading for the centre of Santa Barbara. We had an interesting afternoon walking almost the full length of State Street (main street) and the wharf which is a continuation of this road and back again. This is a town that experienced a high level of building in the twenties and as a result has some beautiful architecture.
We enjoyed Vietnamese for dinner before heading back to our rooms in Monteceito - it was unfortunate that this motel is right on the freeway so we experienced a lot of road noise during the night how it was the occupants of the next room who kept us awake with their nocturnal activities if you know what I mean.
Today we headed off to Universal Studios. All though we had a slow start to the day with a very long wait for the Studio Tour the wait times on the other rides/displays etc were not bad and we had a great day. If I come again I would definitely go on the VIP tour. To finish our day with a movie theme, we had a variety of shrimp at Bubba Gump's before tackling the 6 lane freeway at night for our short half hour trip back to David and Claire's home in Pasadena.
We enjoyed Vietnamese for dinner before heading back to our rooms in Monteceito - it was unfortunate that this motel is right on the freeway so we experienced a lot of road noise during the night how it was the occupants of the next room who kept us awake with their nocturnal activities if you know what I mean.
Today we headed off to Universal Studios. All though we had a slow start to the day with a very long wait for the Studio Tour the wait times on the other rides/displays etc were not bad and we had a great day. If I come again I would definitely go on the VIP tour. To finish our day with a movie theme, we had a variety of shrimp at Bubba Gump's before tackling the 6 lane freeway at night for our short half hour trip back to David and Claire's home in Pasadena.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Hearst Castle
Today we had a very nice breakfast at the motel restaurant before heading to Hearst Castle for the Tour 1: "Experience Tour" at 10:40am.
Our tour started with a 15 minute bus trip from the Visitor Centre to the Castle. This tour is designed to give you a basic overview of Hearst Castle - the group is quite large, 50 odd people of varying age, nationality and interest – we have dubbed it the “been there done that” tour. After returning to the Visitor Centre at the end of this tour David headed back to the motel to do some work whilst Claire, Detlef and I decided that Tour 2: "Casa Grande Tour" was a must do. Same deal, in the bus, up the hill, to the castle but this time we only had 11 people on the tour which covered many of the upstairs private rooms, libraries and the kitchens. After the second tour we met up with David again to watch a movie called "Hearst Castle - Building the Dream" which was interesting and worthwhile as it put the Hearst story into better perspective.
What can I say about my experience today? Wow - it was amazing! That this work was started in the 1920's when this area was quite remote (this area is still quite remote) just blows your mind when you see it all. In fact to achieve something similar today would still be a marvel.
After checking out the elephant seal colony and the prairie dogs that live in the scrub at the edge of the beach we headed back to the motel. We had an early dinner at the motel restaurant – great food, good service – most pleasant!
Sorry no photos today as Blogger does not want to upload. I will try to edit this later. In the meantime, here is a link to the Hearst Castle site if you are interested: http://www.hearstcastle.com/
Our tour started with a 15 minute bus trip from the Visitor Centre to the Castle. This tour is designed to give you a basic overview of Hearst Castle - the group is quite large, 50 odd people of varying age, nationality and interest – we have dubbed it the “been there done that” tour. After returning to the Visitor Centre at the end of this tour David headed back to the motel to do some work whilst Claire, Detlef and I decided that Tour 2: "Casa Grande Tour" was a must do. Same deal, in the bus, up the hill, to the castle but this time we only had 11 people on the tour which covered many of the upstairs private rooms, libraries and the kitchens. After the second tour we met up with David again to watch a movie called "Hearst Castle - Building the Dream" which was interesting and worthwhile as it put the Hearst story into better perspective.
What can I say about my experience today? Wow - it was amazing! That this work was started in the 1920's when this area was quite remote (this area is still quite remote) just blows your mind when you see it all. In fact to achieve something similar today would still be a marvel.
After checking out the elephant seal colony and the prairie dogs that live in the scrub at the edge of the beach we headed back to the motel. We had an early dinner at the motel restaurant – great food, good service – most pleasant!
Sorry no photos today as Blogger does not want to upload. I will try to edit this later. In the meantime, here is a link to the Hearst Castle site if you are interested: http://www.hearstcastle.com/
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
A Rugged Coastline
After leaving Quail Lodge and the beautiful Carmel/Monterey area behind this morning, we headed for our next "lodgings" at San Simeon. The road gets very narrow and windy for most of this section of the trip making it slow going. We stop in at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to walk a few trails that should give us a birds-eye view of the vista, only to find that the park is closed due to fire damage. However there is one very short trail that is open 10 miles up the road. We take their advise and head up the road and take a walk out to a very interesting point. Very rugged but equally beautiful.
After a snack lunch of nuts, dried fruit and iced tea we continued our journey south to Ragged Point. The road reminded me of a mix between the old Kiama bends road and the Great Ocean Road. Very twisty with regular rock slides and road works. At one point we saw three helicopters collecting water from the sea and dumping it just over the other side of the steep mountains to our left.
After a latte and a sticky beck we continued on to our new home for the next two nights Best Western Cavalier Oceanfront Resort. On the way, there were multicoloured elephant seals lazing on several beaches and people kite surfing at another.
We have an upstairs oceanview room which is nicely appointed with king size bed (a real one), fireplace and balcony overlooking the bluff to the ocean. The reception service was fast, informative and friendly.
This afternoon, we took a quick drive over to Cambria which is just 4 miles further on and on the way we saw zebras grazing with cattle! Any open areas this side of Carmel seem to be cattle ranches where north of Carmel is produce farming. They use all available land right up to the cliff or water's edge.
We had dinner at an Italian restaurant tonight within walking distance of our rooms - nothing to write home about really.
Today's photos are of the rugged coastline and sunset from our balcony.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Chipboard to Marble!
We managed to get through our third and final night at the Heritage Marina SF. We were only woken three times during the night. Reception was as rude on the way out as they were on the way in. So we said goodbye to San Francisco after driving down Lombard street and headed for Highway 1 and the south coast. We did enjoy SF and will definitely come back again.
Santa Cruz was our lunchtime stop. There is a huge wharf that you drive onto and park. It has shops and restaurants along its length. We enjoyed our fish and chip lunch with a view of the beach volleyball nets and the fun park over the sea with a few dolphins for additional entertainment. The resident sea lions that live under the wharf were calling in the background as a seagull waited patiently to see if there was any lunch left for him - the body of the gulls here are as big as a large chickens'!
We popped in to Monterey on the way to Carmel and our accommodation for the next two nights. Champagne on arrival. Large rooms with private courtyard overlooking the heated pool and spa. Down mattress and comforter. In the evening they come to turn down your bed, top up your bottled water (their own label) and give you the weather and activities update for the next day. It is so quiet here! David and Claire arrived early in the evening and we enjoyed dinner at Café Stravaganza.
After a leisurely walk to the clubhouse for breakfast we drove to Carmel and spent a few hours wandering around the shops and beach. We can understand why people escape the cities and flock to these gorgeous seaside towns.
After lunch we headed to the Carmel Mission which is slowly being resorted after falling into disrepair many years ago - just beautiful!
Dinner tonight was at the Baja Cantina which is in a group of shops not far from our rooms. We arrived just as they were starting their luck ticket draw. Detlef won a bottle of wine and Claire won a T-shirt! Huge meals - Mexican style - great stuff.
Two photos at Carmel-by-the-sea and one at Carmel Mission.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
San Francisco
We had our second night in the motel from hell. It is run down ie leaking taps, no toilet roll holder it has a "king bed" which is two uneven single beds pushed together and the service is very ordinary but that is not the worst of it. At night it turns into the San Francisco drug distribution centre, the drugs send them on a psychopathic trip and they scream like banshees. Now just throw in a few prostitutes and pimps coming and going at all hours. In the morning all the bleary eyed unsuspecting travellers quietly eat their less than average breakfast wondering if that was just a once off. Just have to get through one more night! Have now found tripadviser.com and will be taking their advise in the future.
Today we walked from our motel up to the top of Lombard Street (the most crooked street in the world) and caught a cable car into town. After visiting the Aquarium we had bay shrimp and chowder for lunch then off to Ripley's Believe it or not and the Wax Museum before having a quite Murphys and cider at the Irish pub, After seeing the lineup for the cable car back up the hill we decided to walk back to the motel. San Francisco is built on 43 "hills" - my butt must be looking good right now!
Watched the Oregon / USC football match on TV. USC had a very nice win, Claire will be happy. Then one last walk up to Polk Street to try out another little restaurant - Andy's Chinese tonight.
Today we walked from our motel up to the top of Lombard Street (the most crooked street in the world) and caught a cable car into town. After visiting the Aquarium we had bay shrimp and chowder for lunch then off to Ripley's Believe it or not and the Wax Museum before having a quite Murphys and cider at the Irish pub, After seeing the lineup for the cable car back up the hill we decided to walk back to the motel. San Francisco is built on 43 "hills" - my butt must be looking good right now!
Watched the Oregon / USC football match on TV. USC had a very nice win, Claire will be happy. Then one last walk up to Polk Street to try out another little restaurant - Andy's Chinese tonight.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Well, here we are in the USA.
Had a great flight over as we where upgraded to Business Class - very nice thanks David. Customs was not a problem just mention the word Vegemite and they wave you through. Jenny's brother had organised a car to pick us up from the customs exit. You know the little man with "Jenny Ruehmkorff" on a sign.
Spent the weekend relaxing with David and Claire. Watched (and listened to) the 73,000 people pack the Rose Bowl from the backyard. Went to Pie-n-Burger for breakfast with David on Sunday.
David and Claire's lovely friend Deborah dropped us at the car hire to pick up our Chevy Impala on Monday and we drove around Pasadena and went to Huntington Library and Gardens - we particularly enjoyed the Japanese gardens.
Wednesday took off to Sequoia National Park which was very interesting. The Sequoia trees are absolutely huge and have a beautiful red bark. Stayed in Merced for the night; it was a long day but very enjoyable.
Thursday we thought about going to San Francisco via Yosemite National Park but too many miles so we cut across to the West. Stopped by the NASA education centre just southof SanFrancisco and then into the city. Took a walk around the block (which is a challenge) and found a lovely little Thai restaurant called Lemongrass - lovely food but far too much.
Today we took a 3 hour city tour and then the ferry to Alcatraz - a must do! When we got back, we had a wander around Pier 39 which is tourism paradise and also checked out the resident seals. Back at the motel, walked around a few more blocks tonight and found a great burger place - did not order as much this time and they had tea! Interestingly, San Francisco only has 12 franchise outlets ie McDonalds etc so there are around 3,000 restaurants to choose from - mmmmm what's for dinner tomorrow?
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