Sunday 29 th October This morning we packed up and, having done my emails, took a taxi to Union Station and caught the 12.25 to New York. The rain was set in when we arrived at Penn Station and we had a couple of hours to kill before getting to our accommodation, so we left our luggage at baggage claim for ten dollars a bag and went outside inro Madison Square for a coffee. We then took quite a while figuring out how to get a metro card as we couldn't use the machines as they required a zip code. Eventually we collected our bags and found the correct express 'A' uptown train. It was very crowded and as I couldn't reach the bar comfortably to hold on, I managed to fall on top of a man who then very kindly gave me his seat! Partway through the journey the Express turned into a local 'C' train which stopped at a lot of stations but as we weren't in a hurry it didn't really matter. Agnes from our Airbnb had sent us detailed direction which proved very us...
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Thursday 26 th October We had to wake at 4.30am and caught the airport shuttle from the hotel around 5am. We had an uneventful check in and caught our connecting flight in Houston without any hassle. Once at BWI we took a supershuttle (shared minicab) to the Fairmont. It took over an hour but we weren’t in any hurry and it was quite an interesting ride although the driver was very uncommunicative. Once at the hotel, in a very nice room, we showered and changed, and went down to the restaurant for dinner, which was excellent, if a bit pricey! Friday 27 th October We overslept and didn’t wake up until after 9am. We missed breakfast but did my emails whilst having coffee in the public lounge where there is free internet. We could have got internet in our room but it would have involved filling in a long questionnaire to register so I didn’t bother. We then walked for about ten minutes to the metro stop at Foggy Bottom (we loved the name!) and sussed out how to get a ten-dollar...
Wednesday 25 th October We had a leisurely start and having successfully Skyped both Lizzy and Ryan we set off about 11.30am. We took the longer scenic route through the San Gabriel mountains to LA, stopping for brunch at a picnic spot where we finished off the remains of salad, rolls and bacon from our previous dinner and breakfast. As we drove further away from Wrightwood, rather than pine forest, the hills were covered in green scrub-like bushes rather than trees. Once we hit LA Iain drove and I navigated, with the help of the Sat Nav. Thank goodness we had one with us as even with it, it was a bit scary navigating the lanes and getting the correct lane to exit or continue on. Once we had dropped off the car we caught the shuttle and the driver very kindly dropped us off at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel as he drove past rather than us having to go to the airport and then catch the hotel shuttle from there. We took advantage of our Club room and had some appetizers in the Cl...
Tuesday 24th October Today we had a bit of a lie-in and then made our own breakfast of fruit, cheesy bread and fried bacon in our own little kitchen. We sat and ate outside in the sunshine before driving up to Inspiration Point where we parked and went on a four mile walk to Jackson Flat and back (only 500 feet of up!). The views were lovely - on both sides. The narrow dusty path wound up and around through Sequoia and Pine trees with open areas where we could appreciate the views. We came back mid afternoon and I re-packed ready for the flight day after tomorrow.
Monday 23rd October After an excellent breakfast at Cheryl's Diner (both the diner and the proprietor reminded us of Hilary and the Country Kitchen!) we set off around Lake Isabella. Numerous photo stops later we came down into more desert area where the trees gave way to Joshua Trees which we had seen last year in the Mojave. We then drove for many miles along straight and rather boring roads across the lower hills and plains until we started to climb again into forested hills and thence to Wrightwood. We are in a charming little house with livingroom/kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and a small sauna! We decided to eat in tonight as there was a good supermarket in town, and we may even have a sauna. it is nearly a mile and a half to the part of town that has restaurants and it is 300 feet up on the way back as we are on the outskirts, nearly into forest.
Sunday 22nd October We woke to another sunny day and after breakfast we started out shortly after 11am for the drive down ro Kernville. We stopped to use the facilities at the Giant Forest Museum/Visitors' Centre and had intended to drive back up to Moro Rock and climb the 300 steps to the summit but we had forgotten it was Sunday and everywhere was very crowded so we decided to give it a miss, especially as we had had such magnificent views from Pamoramic Point yesterday. Also because it was Sunday work was suspended on the General's Highway and instead of the two hour delay we had five minutes! I wish I could say this was good planning on my part but it was just how it fell out. The Highway was quite spectacular and had a maximum speed limit of 25 mph (15 through the roadworks) which was quite generous given the twists and turns of the road! Part way down we stopped at Hospital Rock which was an ancient Native American site. In 1860, Hale Tharp and his brother-in-law, John ...
Saturday 21st October Today was a beautiful but cool, sunny day and I woke feeling extremely lacking in energy. So, after breakfast (I had granola, yoghurt and fruit which was nice but rather sweeter than I am used to, so Iain used the honey on his toast) we drove 2.5 miles up a very narrow winding road to Panoramic Point. The Point was only quarter of a mile from the parking place and we enjoyed spectacular views of the mountains, before walking a mile along another trail along the ridge, through large rocks and pines with lovely views on the other side as well. Iain drove back down and we only encountered three other cars coming up, luckily at places where we didn't have to reverse uphill! We parked back at John Muir Lodge and set out along the Sunset trail which starts nearby. The path soon wandered away from the road and we found ourselves walking along a really pretty trail that wound gently downwards through rocks and pines, with no sign of anyone else. We stopped at a rea...
Friday 20th October Today was the first day I felt at all cold - and we woke to light rain, that had stopped by the time we were walking to the restaurant for breakfast. After an excellent cheese omlette we drove along the General's Highway to the Giant Forest. The drive would have been very scenic but for the cloud and mist! We did stop at a stand of Giant Sequoias on the way, and after a bit over an hour we drove up a small road to Moro Rock. We decided that it was too misty to climb the 300 feet to the summit and we hope to do it in two days time, when we drive past again, to Kernville. We then visited the Auto Log where a fallen Sequoia was famously parked on by various cars for photgraphic purposes! We drove back and parked at the Visitor Centre and walked the mile or so around on the Big Trees Trail. The trees are amazing and there are so many of them! We drove back up to the parking lot at Sherman's Tree, which was a half mile trail down (and back up, of course!) and...
Thursday 19th October Today we drove to Road End and did a walk before driving back down Kings Canyon to Grant Village. It was meant to be a five mile circular but we were only able to get halfway to a bridge over the South Fork because they had closed the trail as they are setting prescribed fires the other side of the river - which is why everything was smoky yesterday before the breeze blew it away - so we had to retrace our steps. We didn't see any bears although they had been seen on the trail yesterday. The scenery is quite spectacular whichever way you look and the flies weren't as bothersome on the way back as there was a little breeze. We also stopped at Roaring Falls and had a lunch stop at Grizzly Falls, both of which were better than we had anticipated as it is the end of summer. We drove back on the 180, being suitably awstruck by the scenery, to Grant Village where we are staying at the John Muir Lodge. I had thought we were in a cabin but we ...
Tuesday 17 th October We saw a small deer on the way to breakfast today which was good although it didn’t stay long enough for a photo! After a bit of a wait for breakfast we packed up the car and went to walk the 3.5 miles around the Meadow Road loop. This was a very pleasant walk through towering pine trees and red and golden aspen on an old road that nature has reclaimed. When we got back to Wawona we had a very welcome iced tea and then set off to Kings Canyon, about a three to four-hour drive. Part of the way, near Fresno, was quite flat and boring, but after about 90 minutes we soon reached the hills and the quite spectacular drive into Kings Canyon. The rocks displayed wonderful colours in the gentle evening sun and it took quite a long while to drive the 35 miles to Cedar Lodge! We have a lovely room looking onto the river, with a fridge and a microwave, but no kettle or water glasses! I expressed surprise at the registration desk and we went and had a simple but very g...
Sunday 15th October After breakfast we wandered up to look at Yosemite Lower Falls and then left the crowds to drive up for a couple of hours along the Flat Oak road to walk to Merced Grove where there are some giant redwoods. It took us a couple of hours to walk there and back but it was a fairly gentle gradient. We then drove on a little way out of the park into the Stanislaus National Forest before turning back and driving past Yosemite Valley again and on down to the Big Trees Lodge where we are staying for a couple of nights. We have a room in an old wooden house built around 1918 and the main building is from 1860s. It is in a lovely spot and the food was very good too! Monday 16th October After excellent poached eggs for breakfast (which makes a nice change from scrambled) we did a five mile loop walk from the hotel to the Swinging Bridge. The first part was a narrow tarmaced road but through tall pine forest and then on a dirt trail to the Swinging Bridge. It was lovely, a...
Saturday 14th October Today, after an indifferent breakfast in the Food court that reminded Iain of Butlins when he went as a kid, we did a two hour scenic drive over on the Tioga Road which goes to a pass at around 9945 feet although we didn't quite make it to the end as there was a tail back of traffic due to road works. The scenery was spectacular all along the road with toweriing cliffs , domes amd pine forest. We retraced our steps a short way and parked up at Dog Lake car park where we did the most beautiful walk - an hour out and then the same back. We passed a spot called the Twin Bridges which was, I think, one of the most beautiful place I've ever seen. The hills opened out into a high altitude meadow and the river meandered with little waterfalls crossed by the two wooden bridges, and all around are huge grey granite boulders. I felt the effects of the altitude but Iain didn't seem to be affected and one of the best things about the walk was the lack of people...
Friday 13th October Today we sat for more than an hour in a traffic jam waiting to get through roadworks and into Yosemite - obviously yesterday we were very lucky! Many of the tress are changing colour and look lovely against the dramatic backdrop of sheer grey granite cliffs. We drove through the tunnel to enter the Valley and stopped to admire the views at Tunnel View, before stopping a bit further on and walking a short distance to Bridalveil Falls. We then drove to the far end of Yosemite Valley and took the shuttle bus to the stop where we then walked a couple of miles to Vernal Falls footbridge. The last 0.8 miles was up all the way, so I was very slow! Having got the shuttlebus back to near where we had parked the car we drove to Yosemite Valley Lodge where we are staying for the next two nights. We had trouble finding the Reigstration building and it put us in mind of the lodge at the North rim of the Grand Canyon (although we didn't have the fog and the darkness to con...
Thursday 12th October Today we drove 35 miles into Yosemite along a windy road through lovely pine forest. We then carried on up another very windy road to Glacier Point where we had spectacular views of the Domes and Yosemite Valley below. There was a lot of smoke down in the valley the opposite side to the main Yosemite Valley and a lot of dead trees due to a beetle attack last year because of the prolonged drought. We then backtracked a little to the Sentinel Dome/Taft Point trailhead where we parked up and did a five mile circular walk through lovely pine forest with amazing views. We climbed to the top of Sentinel Dome, which was well worth the effort and the 8000+ elevation gave me a good excuse for being out of breath! we then walked to the Fissures, deep clefts in the cliffs and Taft Point which had even more amazing views! We also watched a young girl playing on a high wire strung across one of the fissures - she didn't manage to tightrope walk - but seemed to be enjoyin...
Wednesday 11th October Today we woke to cloudy (?or smoky) skies and set off for the four hour or so drive to Narrow Gauge Inn just outside the douth entrance of Yosemite. Iain drove out of San Francisco but we managed a route that went south along the coast and then turned inland to hit the highway to San Jose so we missed most of the city area. All day it was really misty and much of our drive was across miles and miles of flat plains growing mainly sweetcorn and cotton and acres of fruit or nut trees where there seemed to be no horizon - just cloud. Once we neared Yosemite, in Oakhurst we stopped at a tourist information centre where a very helpful lady gave us loads of info and maps. She also recommended a teashop down the road where I had a sandwich and iain a scone with a nice pot of tea! It was all dolled up like an olde worlde tea shoppe complete with fine china and embroidered napkins, not to mention the proprietor dressed up in a black gown and bonnet. The tea and sandwich ...
Tuesday 10th October You could really smell the smoke from the Nappa Valley fires today and everything was a bit hazy. We had a hiccup with Iain's camera as it refused to work and said Zoom System Error. However a little later it had sorted itself out and worked fine all day - very strange. We took the bus down to Union Square again and hopped back on the Big Bus for a final time to get to Fisherman's Quay. Here we booked on a 90 minute Bay Cruise that included 30 minutes circling Alcatraz quite close in. We only had ten minutes to wait for the 11.30am cruise and then were pleasantly surprised at how warm it was - I only needed my fleece for a while and Iain stayed in his short shirt sleeves! We had a rucksack of warm clothes we didn't need. It was also quite calm, which was lucky as I had forgotten to bring my seasick pills in my bag. We sailed underneath the Golden Gate Bridge but we're not sure how well the photos will come out as it was very hazy. Having returne...
Monday 9th October Today we did a two to three mile walk down and through Golden Gate Park.to the Academy of Sciences building where we planned to pick up the hop on hop off bus. It was interesting to see the dismantling of the structures in the park that had been erected for a massive Blue Grass Festival last weekend. We waited half an hour with a crowd of other tourists only for someone to discover that they weren't picking up there but five minutes away on one of the main roads, so we all walked there en masse and then waited again. We had to wait for the second bus or we wouldn't have had seats but we then drove over the Golden Gate Bridge and back again into the city. We hopped off at Union Square where we went to Macy's that has a post office, so as to post the key back to Lucia. Unfortunately we had forgotten it was a public hliday (Columbus Day) so it was closed. We did have lunch there though - enchilladas - which were okay. We then hopped back on the bus to rep...
Sunday 8th October Today we drove north to San Franscisco but first we managed to find ourselves on the scenic ocean drive around Carmel on Sea - which was serendipitous, as it was only one way, and we happenned to hit it at the right end! We then explored the Monteray Peninsula and drove along the Seventeen Mile Drive. This is a scenic drive with viewpoints over the ocean and a road that winds through pine forest and the houses of Monteray. We saw lots of Harbour and Californian seals as well as cororants and storks. We then continued on the coast road to San Franscisco and our accommodation for the next three nights. This is near the coast and parkland and on a good bus route into the centre of town. Melanie, our host, recommended the Pacific Cafe for dinner which was a nine block walk away but well worth the effort! They do not take bookings and we had a forty minute wait for a table; which really didn't matter as they give you free wine while you are waiting and it was int...
Saturday7th October Today we drove up to the coast and along Highway 1 as far as the northern closure at Big Sur. The bridge opens next Friday but we parked up at Pfeiffer Sate Park and walked along the only two trails open which involved a one mile climb up to Valley View which was very hot! We saw some magnificent redwoods towering high above us and along the river trail we saw lots of blue Stellar Jays and a woodpecker. We then stopped for an iced tea and had an interesting conversation with the barman who came from the Teton area which we visited last year and he kindly gave us the tea for free. We then drove back towards Carmel and stopped off at Point Lobos State Reserve where we had a gentle stroll through the pine forest, returning along a coastal path. The sun was less fierce and the temperature much more pleasant! Once back at Carmel Valley, we had a dip in the pool but the sun went down faster than yesterday so we didn't have long to linger before we went indoors...
Friday 6th October Today we drove back over the Lucia Mountains on Naciemto Rd and then northwards to Carmel Valley. As well as the ubiquitus ground squirrels (or maybe chipmunks?) we saw a coyote crossing our road. Once in the Salinas Valley, we passed miles upon miles of vines and acres of lettuce fields before the terrain changed again to rolling hills covered with sundried yellow grass and then wooded areas with windy roads. It was also the first time I have seen artichokes growing - large fields of them. Carmel Valley is a pleasant looking village/town and we are staying at the far end in motel type accommodation. As we arrived a little early we decided to walk around the town which had a well stocked grocery store and lots of wine tasting places and restaurants. We stoped at the Corkscrew Cafe for an iced tea and a small beet salad on quinoa with goats cheese to keep us going until dinner! Having checked in, we sampled the swimming pool, and for dinner walked back to the Corksc...
Thursday 5th October Today we drove as far north as we could on Highway 1 towards Big Sur - about 22 miles from Lucia. There was wonderful scenery along the coast and we stopped at McWay Falls which had a short but beautiful trail on the cliffs around the cove, where the waterfall falls onto the beach. MacWay Falls You can't get down to the beach but we had another short walk along the coast to a fire road from Highway 1. We then drove on as far as the closure and retraced our steps to Nepenthe (a restaurant and shop) for an iced tea and a lager, sitting in dappled shade, overlooking the ocean and chatting to other travellers. we then drove back past Lucia to Limekiln National Park where we hiked a couple of short trails through the Redwoods to the old lime kilns and the waterfall. This involved clambering over a fallen Redwood tree (not easy with short legs!) and crossing the creek a couple of times on fallen branches and stepping stones; luckily my trousers were due to...
Wednesday 4th October Today we re-visited our Parisien Bakery for breakfast and siocked up with quiche and custard tart for lunch! Because Highway 1 is closed with the landslips we had to go the long way around to Big Sur. We drove through some lovely scenery in the Salinas valley with lots of vineyards until we turned into the military area where we passed through hills covered with dry yellow grass and quite a wooded area, onto Naciemento Road. This is a narrow winding road over the mountains but only small sections are single track. We hit highway 1 and decided to go the eight miles south to where the road was blocked, finding a lovely spot (Millers Creek) to stop and have a late lunch. We arrived at Lucia Lodge a bit early but sat in the sunshine with a cup of tea until our cabin (number 9) was ready. The cabins are on the edge of the cliff and have lovely views over the ocean. Yesterday a pod of humpback whales were playing nearby so we hope we can see some while we are h...
Tuesday 3rd October Today we had an excellent breakfast in a cafe just along from where we are staying and then headed over to Morro Rock where we watched lots of otters and seabirds, as well as a few hardy surfers. Otters in Morro Bay It was quite cool and the mist was down over the hills but it soon started to clear as we made our way along Highway 1 as far as we could get. The road is still blocked by a major landslip last year so we only managed 5 miles past Ragged Point. Even so the scenery was lovely and we also stopped to see lots of Elephant Seals that are protected and inhabit about six miles of coastal bays here. Elephant Seals As we walked around viewing the Rookery (the collective noun for seals) we saw a foot long brown snake on the path which soon slithered away. The volunteer ranger we spoke to told us it was a Gopher snake and quite harmless.
Tuesday 3rd October Today we had an excellent breakfast in a cafe just along from where we are staying and then headed over to Morro Rock where we watched lots of otters and seabirds, as well as a few hardy surfers. Otters in Morro Bay It was quite cool and the mist was down over the hills but it soon started to clear as we made our way along Highway 1 as far as we could get. The road is still blocked by a major landslip last year so we only managed 5 miles past Ragged Point. Even so the scenery was lovely and we also stopped to see lots of Elephant Seals that are protected and inhabit about six miles of coastal bays here. Elephant Seals As we walked around viewing the Rookery (the collective noun for seals) we saw a foot long brown snake on the path which soon slithered away. The volunteer ranger we spoke to told us it was a Gopher snake and quite harmless.
Sunday 1st October Our travel from Manchester yesterday was uneventful but long. Our taxi arrived at 6am and after a seven hour flight we had a three hour wait in the lounge before another five hour flight from Newark - and an eight hour time change. We arrived in LA and found the shuttle to the hotel where we had an early night (9pm LA time) after playing a game or two of Boggle. After a leisurely breakfast we caught the shuttle back to the airport and then another shuttle to the car rental. After having to change cars because my sat nav wouldn't work in the first car we had, we drove along the coastal highway (including Sunset Boulevard of fame and the Malibou.strip) and then across the Santa Monica mountains, back onto highway 101. We arrived in Santa Barbara about 3pm and are staying at the Eagle Inn, which is a very attractive place only two blocks from the Harbour. Hacing settled in we had a walk in very pleasant sunshine along the harbour front and marina and then decide...