Started out with breakfast at the hotel (hmmm) and then headed out in the car into LA (had to take the car out as we were moving hotels). Drove to Hollywood Blvd via Beverly Hills (to see how the other half live) and the Sunset Strip and then went exploring. They were setting up the red carpet for the G-Force Premier. Then we went to see Grauman's Chinese Theatre which is beautiful. The walk of the stars is looooong! Found John Singleton so have a photo of that star. Also found a Penny Singleton.
We then went to the Hollywood Museum: Lots of great stuff but the quality of the displays wasn't that great (they could learn something from the Seattle Sci-Fi museum) but it was all very interesting. The problem was that some of the displays weren't labeled and some were labeled wrong.
Oh, also got chatted up by the guy on the door as we were leaving. Nice but no.
We then headed up to the Griffith Observatory. Busy so a long-ish walk from the car (feet nearly melted). Shortly after we got in they were demonstrating the Tesler machine (very cool) then we had a wander round the ground floor displays and made our way down to the cafe to get some lunch.
Random Moment: had a text from Katy asking what I was up to so texted back where we were... then had a call from Katy saying they were just walking into the Observatory! So, had a chance to catch up with Katy which was cool!
Then it was back to the coast (beautifully cool breeze coming off the ocean) but to Santa Monica rather than Venice and the Sea Shore Motel. We then headed out to Santa Monica Beach and walked up to the Pier.
We passed by the original location of 'Muscle Beach' which how has a load of gymnastics equipment (parallel bars, rings, etc) and we stopped and watched some very fit guys 'do their stuff' on the beach and then made our way to the Pier.
Lots of tat on the pier but lots of bustle and atmosphere with beautiful views as the sun was setting and the Pier itself was beautiful after the sun went down, all the lights of the funfair and the ferris wheel all pretty and lovely.
I'd rather have stayed the two nights in Santa Monica but hay, you live and learn!
Sunday, 19 July 2009
Saturday, 18 July 2009
18th July - San Francisco to LA
A Day of Driving.
Another long drive down to LA, stopping at Pismo Beach for lunch.
The scenery we've been driving through is amazing. We had mountain ranges on both sides of the road (so BIG!!); on the west side they had a greenish hue and on the east side of the highway they looked like sand dunes. Beautiful all the same.
Pismo Beach was beautiful - we came upon a local 'market' thing on a coastal park with pelicans flying in to roost on a rock just off the coastline (lots of pics). I picked up a lovely curry & rice from the market... beautiful.
We got to Malibu and hit traffic. Long and hot drive into LA!
We got to Marina Del Rey and the Marina Del Rey hotel in time to chill for a bit (recovering from the drive) and then head out for dinner. Marina Del Rey is a bit like Ocean Village or Town Quay (although bigger) - water and lots of boats and some tacky restaurants. Finally found a decent pizza place where I got a salad...had got to the point where I'd begun craving greens!
Another long drive down to LA, stopping at Pismo Beach for lunch.
The scenery we've been driving through is amazing. We had mountain ranges on both sides of the road (so BIG!!); on the west side they had a greenish hue and on the east side of the highway they looked like sand dunes. Beautiful all the same.
Pismo Beach was beautiful - we came upon a local 'market' thing on a coastal park with pelicans flying in to roost on a rock just off the coastline (lots of pics). I picked up a lovely curry & rice from the market... beautiful.
We got to Malibu and hit traffic. Long and hot drive into LA!
We got to Marina Del Rey and the Marina Del Rey hotel in time to chill for a bit (recovering from the drive) and then head out for dinner. Marina Del Rey is a bit like Ocean Village or Town Quay (although bigger) - water and lots of boats and some tacky restaurants. Finally found a decent pizza place where I got a salad...had got to the point where I'd begun craving greens!
Friday, 17 July 2009
17th July - San Francisco
Lack of internet and then the madness of ComicCon has seen a hiatus in updates...but here they begin again! Photos will follow (have a lot to sort through!).
Our last day in San Francisco started early with a Cable Car ride to Fishermans wharf (on the Powell Mason line if you want to know!). I managed to get a standing spot at the front which was fantastic. A little bit scary when there was a coach reversing into a roadside parking space that was a bit close... but breathtaking all the same and much better than walking up and down those hills!. When we got to Fisherman's Wharf we wondered to Pier 39 where I grabbed a coffee and something for breakfast then we wandered down to see the Sea Lions and we stopped to take some pics and watch for a while. They are beautiful, fascinating animals.
Then we wondered down to the Aquarium. Not a patch on Vancouver. Some lovely displays - the fish "tunnel" is charming - plus the opportunity to touch a Bat Ray, Skate and Leopard Shark but the information on the displays were not as good, very basic and very much aimed at kids. The Vancouver displays were informative, accessible but pitched to all levels; they also had a great interactive section. But, that said, it was a good time.
After the Aquarium we went on a Duck tour of San Fran which was great - lots of local info and a good laugh to boot.
On our way from the Ducks to the boat to Alcatraz, we stopped back at Pier 39, at the Fog Harbor restaurant, for lunch. I had a beautiful, beautiful, utterly delicious scallop risotto (sorry Jan!!). Then it was off to Pier 33 for our 3.20 boat out to Alcatraz.
An experience and a half. It's such a bleak place, you can't begin to imagine what the conditions would have been like for the inmates over 'bad' and 'cold'. It's a really great tour though - although I'd recommend the first boat of the day if you can... It would have been great to have more time to investigate the rest of the island rather than just the prison block.
Whilst we were on the island the fog started to roll in and things got a bit cooler!
Caught another cable car back, picked up some Burger King on the way back to the hotel and then crashed out! Long day and lots of walking!
Our last day in San Francisco started early with a Cable Car ride to Fishermans wharf (on the Powell Mason line if you want to know!). I managed to get a standing spot at the front which was fantastic. A little bit scary when there was a coach reversing into a roadside parking space that was a bit close... but breathtaking all the same and much better than walking up and down those hills!. When we got to Fisherman's Wharf we wondered to Pier 39 where I grabbed a coffee and something for breakfast then we wandered down to see the Sea Lions and we stopped to take some pics and watch for a while. They are beautiful, fascinating animals.
Then we wondered down to the Aquarium. Not a patch on Vancouver. Some lovely displays - the fish "tunnel" is charming - plus the opportunity to touch a Bat Ray, Skate and Leopard Shark but the information on the displays were not as good, very basic and very much aimed at kids. The Vancouver displays were informative, accessible but pitched to all levels; they also had a great interactive section. But, that said, it was a good time.
After the Aquarium we went on a Duck tour of San Fran which was great - lots of local info and a good laugh to boot.
On our way from the Ducks to the boat to Alcatraz, we stopped back at Pier 39, at the Fog Harbor restaurant, for lunch. I had a beautiful, beautiful, utterly delicious scallop risotto (sorry Jan!!). Then it was off to Pier 33 for our 3.20 boat out to Alcatraz.
An experience and a half. It's such a bleak place, you can't begin to imagine what the conditions would have been like for the inmates over 'bad' and 'cold'. It's a really great tour though - although I'd recommend the first boat of the day if you can... It would have been great to have more time to investigate the rest of the island rather than just the prison block.
Whilst we were on the island the fog started to roll in and things got a bit cooler!
Caught another cable car back, picked up some Burger King on the way back to the hotel and then crashed out! Long day and lots of walking!
16th July - San Francisco
Today was a day of walking.
Scratch that... today was a day of HILLS!! Surprising as we're in San Francisco!!
Started out with a leisurely start and then wandered down to SoMa (South of Market Street) to the Cartoon Art Museum. A fascinating place. The current exhibitions were of the Art of Sleeping Beauty and Watchmen - a fascinating insight into the processes behind comic/animated feature creation. Also, fantastic to see some of the original art work from Sleeping Beauty.
We then headed into the Financial District to see the Transamerica building (better seen from a distance, it's a great architectural design but doesn't look all that pretty up close... lots of concrete) and then went up a big hill to visit the Cable Car Museum where you can see the actual workings of the cables and read about the history of the lines and cars, including how the cable car system was nearly permanently lost and replaced with diesel busses. The lines that remain were saved by the lobbying of a community campaign group set up to save the cable cars. Interesting stuff.
I picked up a lovely cable car charm for my charm bracelet.
We then carried on up the big hill (Russian Hill, through the neighborhood of Nob Hill) to Lafayette Park where we saw a flock of parrots (too high up in the trees to photograph) and hummingbirds. Yes, Hummingbirds!! I did manage to get a photo, will have to do some editing to make it a bit more visible! They are fantastic birds, this one was a beautiful green. They move so quickly. Definitely an experience of a lifetime.
After Lafayette Park we headed south to Alamo Square to see the Painted Ladies (painted housed looking like doll house fronts) and then headed back to the hotel past the Opera house.
I'm currently allowing my legs to recover from the hike around the city and might head out to see Harry Potter a bit later.
Tomorrow is a day for investigating the Fisherman's wharf and a trip to Alcatraz!
Photos
Scratch that... today was a day of HILLS!! Surprising as we're in San Francisco!!
Started out with a leisurely start and then wandered down to SoMa (South of Market Street) to the Cartoon Art Museum. A fascinating place. The current exhibitions were of the Art of Sleeping Beauty and Watchmen - a fascinating insight into the processes behind comic/animated feature creation. Also, fantastic to see some of the original art work from Sleeping Beauty.
We then headed into the Financial District to see the Transamerica building (better seen from a distance, it's a great architectural design but doesn't look all that pretty up close... lots of concrete) and then went up a big hill to visit the Cable Car Museum where you can see the actual workings of the cables and read about the history of the lines and cars, including how the cable car system was nearly permanently lost and replaced with diesel busses. The lines that remain were saved by the lobbying of a community campaign group set up to save the cable cars. Interesting stuff.
I picked up a lovely cable car charm for my charm bracelet.
We then carried on up the big hill (Russian Hill, through the neighborhood of Nob Hill) to Lafayette Park where we saw a flock of parrots (too high up in the trees to photograph) and hummingbirds. Yes, Hummingbirds!! I did manage to get a photo, will have to do some editing to make it a bit more visible! They are fantastic birds, this one was a beautiful green. They move so quickly. Definitely an experience of a lifetime.
After Lafayette Park we headed south to Alamo Square to see the Painted Ladies (painted housed looking like doll house fronts) and then headed back to the hotel past the Opera house.
I'm currently allowing my legs to recover from the hike around the city and might head out to see Harry Potter a bit later.
Tomorrow is a day for investigating the Fisherman's wharf and a trip to Alcatraz!
Photos
15th July - Napa to San Francisco
Wednesday was a short drive from Napa to San Francisco in beautiful sunshine with the top down, ideal weather for the car. That was until we were approaching San Fran and saw a large bank of Fog in our future (apparently a 'thin' fog bank at only 800ft), that was rather chilly and somewhat hindered the views from Point Bonita Lighthouse in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, although we did get to see some Harbour Seals at rest and some Turkey vultures. We then drove down the hill and went for a walk, looking rather sexy in shorts and hoodies! Next stop was Vista Point (not much to see cause of the fog).
We drove into the Golden Gate Park (parking was a nightmare) and wandered around killing time until we could check into the hotel. It's a lovely park but the enjoyment is somewhat lessened because of the sheer volume of traffic. If you're visiting San Francisco go to Golden Gate Park on a Sunday when there is no traffic allowed in the Park.
We then headed to the hotel and went for dinner. I had THE most amazing banana milkshake at a place called Lori's diner; the place to go if you want an Iconic American Diner experience, looks like something out of a film. fab.
Photos
We drove into the Golden Gate Park (parking was a nightmare) and wandered around killing time until we could check into the hotel. It's a lovely park but the enjoyment is somewhat lessened because of the sheer volume of traffic. If you're visiting San Francisco go to Golden Gate Park on a Sunday when there is no traffic allowed in the Park.
We then headed to the hotel and went for dinner. I had THE most amazing banana milkshake at a place called Lori's diner; the place to go if you want an Iconic American Diner experience, looks like something out of a film. fab.
Photos
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
14th July - Clearlake to Napa
Today was a fairly simple day. Clearlake to Napa. However, we took a couple of detours which weren't so 'straight' forward.
View Larger Map
The views were fantastic but there were some steep hills and bendy, windy roads!
We got to Napa around 2.30 and we checked into the room (wine valley lodge), watched Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer to recover from the drive and the heat before heading out to dinner (Downtown Joe's) which was lovely. We wandered back to the hotel and then went for a swim, read my book for a while until the sun hit the trees.
Tomorrow we have a short drive to San Francisco when we'll do some shopping before checking into the hotel, having some dinner and then watching the season 2 premier of Leverage!
View Larger Map
The views were fantastic but there were some steep hills and bendy, windy roads!
We got to Napa around 2.30 and we checked into the room (wine valley lodge), watched Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer to recover from the drive and the heat before heading out to dinner (Downtown Joe's) which was lovely. We wandered back to the hotel and then went for a swim, read my book for a while until the sun hit the trees.
Tomorrow we have a short drive to San Francisco when we'll do some shopping before checking into the hotel, having some dinner and then watching the season 2 premier of Leverage!
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
12th & 13th July - Gold Beach & Gold Beach to Clearlake
Sunday was spent chilling out in Gold Beach - mostly in the Condo with a brief trip into the town to investigate and get some cash out and supplies. Had a lie in and woke up eventually at midday (I think I was tired) and managed to finish my laundry (I know, the high life is my natural habitat) and did my walk and managed to watch a lot of Harry Potter (abc Family channel had a HP films marathon). Followed this all off with a reasonably early (ish) night ready for the long drive on Monday.
Geek mention: there was a market in Gold Beach called McKay's Market for all the Stargate Atlantis fans (esp Kirsty) - photo taken.
Today (Monday) saw us leaving Gold Beach, OR and heading down the 101 to Clearlake, CA via Eureka and Fort Bragg (sadly, no hunky Marines spotted in Fort Bragg).
Ange drove to Eureka, where we stopped for lunch in a cute Mexican themed bagel store (Eureka may be a large town but the 'interesting' part covers about 10 blocks!).
I then had the drive from Eureka to Fort Bragg and then on to Clearlake. We had some very curvy and steep roads on route 1. Like the Welsh hills on steroids. As steep and windy as they were, they were going through some fantastic scenery, huge redwoods and beautiful Pacific views.
In Fort Bragg there was a shop called "Bragadoon" which made me smile!
Made it to Clearlake around 5/7ish and headed out for dinner after we had checked into the hotel. Found a decent little place called the Corkman's Clipper where the food was decent, the music 'ok' (although they had murdered a few tunes at least it had some attempt at Irish ambience); but the waitress was not the best - clearing my plate before Ange had finished and offering us the pudding menu before Ange had finished (and also not offering it again later, not that we were intending to have one). But, other than that it did the job. I had sausage and mash with veg and gravy... tasty.
After dinner we headed out onto a jetty to watch the sunset - very beautiful - and headed back to the hotel.
It's been a long day so I'm going to head sign off shortly for an early night.
Managed to pick up my US mobile phone today so if you want to have the number, email me or comment on here.
Photos of the last few days
Hope you're all safe and well.
Especially love to Jacky - sorry I can't be there. We will be in Napa tomorrow so I plan to raise a glass of local vino, have a cheese platter for dinner, have a pudding with lashings of squirty cream and finish it all off with either a port or a single malt to celebrate the good times.
Geek mention: there was a market in Gold Beach called McKay's Market for all the Stargate Atlantis fans (esp Kirsty) - photo taken.
Today (Monday) saw us leaving Gold Beach, OR and heading down the 101 to Clearlake, CA via Eureka and Fort Bragg (sadly, no hunky Marines spotted in Fort Bragg).
Ange drove to Eureka, where we stopped for lunch in a cute Mexican themed bagel store (Eureka may be a large town but the 'interesting' part covers about 10 blocks!).
I then had the drive from Eureka to Fort Bragg and then on to Clearlake. We had some very curvy and steep roads on route 1. Like the Welsh hills on steroids. As steep and windy as they were, they were going through some fantastic scenery, huge redwoods and beautiful Pacific views.
In Fort Bragg there was a shop called "Bragadoon" which made me smile!
Made it to Clearlake around 5/7ish and headed out for dinner after we had checked into the hotel. Found a decent little place called the Corkman's Clipper where the food was decent, the music 'ok' (although they had murdered a few tunes at least it had some attempt at Irish ambience); but the waitress was not the best - clearing my plate before Ange had finished and offering us the pudding menu before Ange had finished (and also not offering it again later, not that we were intending to have one). But, other than that it did the job. I had sausage and mash with veg and gravy... tasty.
After dinner we headed out onto a jetty to watch the sunset - very beautiful - and headed back to the hotel.
It's been a long day so I'm going to head sign off shortly for an early night.
Managed to pick up my US mobile phone today so if you want to have the number, email me or comment on here.
Photos of the last few days
Hope you're all safe and well.
Especially love to Jacky - sorry I can't be there. We will be in Napa tomorrow so I plan to raise a glass of local vino, have a cheese platter for dinner, have a pudding with lashings of squirty cream and finish it all off with either a port or a single malt to celebrate the good times.
Sunday, 12 July 2009
11th July - Salem, OR to Gold Beach, OR
Slightly later start today - which was good as I didn't wake up until after 9!
Headed out from the hotel onto the I5 south for a short spell before coming off onto US Highways 20 and then 101.
We stopped for some lunch just after joining the 101 in a little town (either Forfar or Seal Rock, not sure!), had a lovely Clam Chowder.
The weather wasn't good enough to have the top down which was a shame but it was still a beautiful drive, the clouds hugging the hills and the pacific rolling in on our left. Had a few chances to give the 'Stang her head but not too many.
Got to Gold Beach around 4 and had a minor panic when they said that Expedia had double booked us (!!!!) but fortunately they had a condo available which we've got for the same price as a room. We have a king bedroom up stairs and a sofa bed downstairs with a full kitchen, two full bathrooms and a washing machine! Bonus as I was planning to do some washing whilst here!
Once we'd settled in to the condo we headed out for a walk on the beach, then stopped in to the Panther Pride Pizza restaurant which has memorabilia from the local High School Football team (three time devision championship winners, so not too shabby) and then we went to look round the County Fair which was going on - fantastic; rides and games but also had a horse section (obviously have some western riding classes during the day) so I got some horse time to keep me sane until I get home to see Belle and Archie, and some monster trucks!! A good evening. Then headed back to the hotel and have been chilling out and updating the blog. I'm currently very excited by the prospect of watching the new season premier of Leverage on Wednesday!!!
Geek/notable sightings on today's route: -
we have been traveling on Highway 101 - the Pacific Coast Scenic route (not quite the PCH for the VM fans)
on the I5 we passed 'Enchanted Way' (for Ryan)
We passed through Neptune
We drove over Bob Creek
We're in Gold Beach for two nights so have a day of chilling tomorrow.
Headed out from the hotel onto the I5 south for a short spell before coming off onto US Highways 20 and then 101.
We stopped for some lunch just after joining the 101 in a little town (either Forfar or Seal Rock, not sure!), had a lovely Clam Chowder.
The weather wasn't good enough to have the top down which was a shame but it was still a beautiful drive, the clouds hugging the hills and the pacific rolling in on our left. Had a few chances to give the 'Stang her head but not too many.
Got to Gold Beach around 4 and had a minor panic when they said that Expedia had double booked us (!!!!) but fortunately they had a condo available which we've got for the same price as a room. We have a king bedroom up stairs and a sofa bed downstairs with a full kitchen, two full bathrooms and a washing machine! Bonus as I was planning to do some washing whilst here!
Once we'd settled in to the condo we headed out for a walk on the beach, then stopped in to the Panther Pride Pizza restaurant which has memorabilia from the local High School Football team (three time devision championship winners, so not too shabby) and then we went to look round the County Fair which was going on - fantastic; rides and games but also had a horse section (obviously have some western riding classes during the day) so I got some horse time to keep me sane until I get home to see Belle and Archie, and some monster trucks!! A good evening. Then headed back to the hotel and have been chilling out and updating the blog. I'm currently very excited by the prospect of watching the new season premier of Leverage on Wednesday!!!
Geek/notable sightings on today's route: -
we have been traveling on Highway 101 - the Pacific Coast Scenic route (not quite the PCH for the VM fans)
on the I5 we passed 'Enchanted Way' (for Ryan)
We passed through Neptune
We drove over Bob Creek
We're in Gold Beach for two nights so have a day of chilling tomorrow.
10th July - Kalaloach, WA to Salem, OR
Kalaloch is beautiful. lovely apartments and beautiful surroundings. I'd love to go back there (although I'm saying that about everywhere we've been so far!).
Another early start from Kalaloch as we back-tracked to go to La Push, home of the Quilalute Reservation and lodges (where we would have been staying if the resort took single night bookings during July. Have to say I'm glad we weren't staying there - it was a bit drear and run down, although it did have a fantastic sign at the 'treaty-line' (you'll see it in the photos and it will make sense after I tell you about Forks.
We then drove back through Forks 'Home of Twilight' as they filmed a lot of the film around Forks and La Push. Nearly every store had some reference to Twilight in either their name or sign - I have photos of some of them. We also passed one building called Almar Building so i had to take a photo for Almar!
We stopped for breakfast in Forks, a decent little diner with very good service. I had french toast with sausage and an egg: served with a scoop of whipped butter - overkill so I tried to avoid it. Other than that, it was very nice.
After Forks we were back on the road, back past Kalaloch and then down the 101 and finally out towards Portland and ultimately to Salem.
It was a beautiful drive down the 101 - really rather chilly until the fog cleared and then it was beautiful views of the Pacific and the Olympic National Forest. Spotted a lot of eagles - wish I'd brought my binoculars and had done some revision on identifying the species we'd be likely to see. I've become such a bad ornithologist!
The weather, after the fog, was fantastic and we had the top down. I managed to get a bit pink on my shoulders but after a long cold shower and lots of moisturiser they were much calmer!
Once we'd checked into the hotel we headed out for dinner and found a fantastic diner with lots of '50s memorabilia, and the most amazing sign (see photos!). Then it was a night to chill out in the hotel and have a relatively early night.
Photos
Another early start from Kalaloch as we back-tracked to go to La Push, home of the Quilalute Reservation and lodges (where we would have been staying if the resort took single night bookings during July. Have to say I'm glad we weren't staying there - it was a bit drear and run down, although it did have a fantastic sign at the 'treaty-line' (you'll see it in the photos and it will make sense after I tell you about Forks.
We then drove back through Forks 'Home of Twilight' as they filmed a lot of the film around Forks and La Push. Nearly every store had some reference to Twilight in either their name or sign - I have photos of some of them. We also passed one building called Almar Building so i had to take a photo for Almar!
We stopped for breakfast in Forks, a decent little diner with very good service. I had french toast with sausage and an egg: served with a scoop of whipped butter - overkill so I tried to avoid it. Other than that, it was very nice.
After Forks we were back on the road, back past Kalaloch and then down the 101 and finally out towards Portland and ultimately to Salem.
It was a beautiful drive down the 101 - really rather chilly until the fog cleared and then it was beautiful views of the Pacific and the Olympic National Forest. Spotted a lot of eagles - wish I'd brought my binoculars and had done some revision on identifying the species we'd be likely to see. I've become such a bad ornithologist!
The weather, after the fog, was fantastic and we had the top down. I managed to get a bit pink on my shoulders but after a long cold shower and lots of moisturiser they were much calmer!
Once we'd checked into the hotel we headed out for dinner and found a fantastic diner with lots of '50s memorabilia, and the most amazing sign (see photos!). Then it was a night to chill out in the hotel and have a relatively early night.
Photos
Saturday, 11 July 2009
9th July - Vancouver, BC to Forks, WA
Early start! Breakfast in the hotel restaurant of Blueberry buttermilk pancakes (with maple syrup and berries) - yum!
Headed out in the Mustang to the ferry terminal which would take us through the Gulf Islands to Victoria. Beautiful sights. A little chilly but fun.
Once we disembarked in Sidney it was a short drive down to Victoria and another ferry to Port Augusta. We parked in the ferry port, got our tickets and grabbed a hot-dog for lunch (minor mishap in mistaking the hot sauce for Ketchup - Angela was worst hit) and then waited in the car (top down) to be checked by border control and board the ferry. We managed to confuse one woman who asked where we were from (seeing our California plates) to which we replied 'the UK'; queue puzzled look on her face until we explained!
We also got chatting to another woman, and her husband, (who have friends in Bristol funnily enough) who happen to be bona-fide Hanna Barbera family. A serendipitous geek score for our trip!
We were followed out of Port Friday by two sea-planes and watched them take off behind us. One of them flew straight over the ferry so I got some fab photos.
The trip continued through Olympic National Forest and Park skirting the edge of Crescent Lake (H U G E) and on to Forks and Kalaloch to our stop for the night at Kalaloch Lodge: Beautiful situation right on the Pacific coast looking down onto an accessible beach (took a walk down to the beach after dinner - sand between my toes, yay!) with a series of lodges looking out to sea and a small block of rooms, where we stayed). Got some lovely photos of the beach at sunset.
Photos - not all have uploaded but it gives the general idea
Headed out in the Mustang to the ferry terminal which would take us through the Gulf Islands to Victoria. Beautiful sights. A little chilly but fun.
Once we disembarked in Sidney it was a short drive down to Victoria and another ferry to Port Augusta. We parked in the ferry port, got our tickets and grabbed a hot-dog for lunch (minor mishap in mistaking the hot sauce for Ketchup - Angela was worst hit) and then waited in the car (top down) to be checked by border control and board the ferry. We managed to confuse one woman who asked where we were from (seeing our California plates) to which we replied 'the UK'; queue puzzled look on her face until we explained!
We also got chatting to another woman, and her husband, (who have friends in Bristol funnily enough) who happen to be bona-fide Hanna Barbera family. A serendipitous geek score for our trip!
We were followed out of Port Friday by two sea-planes and watched them take off behind us. One of them flew straight over the ferry so I got some fab photos.
The trip continued through Olympic National Forest and Park skirting the edge of Crescent Lake (H U G E) and on to Forks and Kalaloch to our stop for the night at Kalaloch Lodge: Beautiful situation right on the Pacific coast looking down onto an accessible beach (took a walk down to the beach after dinner - sand between my toes, yay!) with a series of lodges looking out to sea and a small block of rooms, where we stayed). Got some lovely photos of the beach at sunset.
Photos - not all have uploaded but it gives the general idea
8th July - Vancouver
Forgot to mention one thing from yesterday.... Walked past Leah Cairns on the way back to the hotel. Or so Angela tells me, I was more concerned with keeping my legs moving so I missed her.
Wednesday was a day for exploring the city. We had a lazy morning after yesterday's excursions and headed out for lunch at the Irish Heather in the Gastown district (very nice, had the 'Heather Pot Pie' aka Steak & Guinness pie). After that we wandered through the rest of Gastown, down to Chinatown, out to Yaletown (not much there) and back to downtown.
I managed to pick up a charger for my camera battery - a bit extravagant but it's a universal charger that also has a car charger so will last longer than the holiday!
When we got back to the hotel I headed down to the pool and had a session in the steam room (very, very hot and steamy). Had a lovely swim until annoying children arrived.
After my swim we headed out for a drink and ended up in a bar called Lennons (I think) and nursed one drink each whilst people watching before heading back to the hotel for an early night (delayed by the turning on of the TV) as we had an early start to head out to Forks the next morning.
Wednesday was a day for exploring the city. We had a lazy morning after yesterday's excursions and headed out for lunch at the Irish Heather in the Gastown district (very nice, had the 'Heather Pot Pie' aka Steak & Guinness pie). After that we wandered through the rest of Gastown, down to Chinatown, out to Yaletown (not much there) and back to downtown.
I managed to pick up a charger for my camera battery - a bit extravagant but it's a universal charger that also has a car charger so will last longer than the holiday!
When we got back to the hotel I headed down to the pool and had a session in the steam room (very, very hot and steamy). Had a lovely swim until annoying children arrived.
After my swim we headed out for a drink and ended up in a bar called Lennons (I think) and nursed one drink each whilst people watching before heading back to the hotel for an early night (delayed by the turning on of the TV) as we had an early start to head out to Forks the next morning.
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
6th & 7th July - Vancouver
After some chilling out in the hotel we ventured out to the Gotham Steakhouse for dinner. After the initial feeling that we should have looked at the website, and the menu (prices) before we came out, we then did the exchange calculations and realised that it wasn't so bad after all. Not cheap but not as expensive on the £ as we first thought.
Steak Heaven
Seriously, if you ever visit Vancouver, go to Gotham Steakhouse. The steak is the best that I have ever tasted. The service was excellent (thanks to Colby our waiter for the evening) and the decor was beautiful - high ceilings, luxurious textures throughout the fixtures and fittings and subdued lighting.
We walked back to the hotel and collapsed into steak induced comas!
This morning we set out to investigate Stanley Park, via somewhere for me to pick up a rain coat as I'd forgotten to pack mine. Although a soggy day, the worst of the rain held off until we were safely in the Aquarium.
Stanley Park is beautiful - wonderfully tranquil. It's hard to put it into words but walking through the trees I could feel my brain sliding into neutral. We are 4-days into our holiday (or 3 if you don't count the 24-hours of traveling) and I'm already feeling rested and relaxed and ready to enjoy the rest.
We got back to the hotel by about 5ish and have been chilling out relaxing and watching TV, allowing our legs and feet to recover from all the walking. I'm now debating whether to go for a relaxing session in the hotel steam room and a brief swim before bed. I'll let you know if I make it in my next update!
Tomorrow is a day of investigating the city with lunch planned at Heather's Irish Pub. Thursday we head out for one of our longest drives from Vancouver, BC to Forks, WA via Victoria BC and the Olympic National Park.
Steak Heaven
Seriously, if you ever visit Vancouver, go to Gotham Steakhouse. The steak is the best that I have ever tasted. The service was excellent (thanks to Colby our waiter for the evening) and the decor was beautiful - high ceilings, luxurious textures throughout the fixtures and fittings and subdued lighting.
We walked back to the hotel and collapsed into steak induced comas!
This morning we set out to investigate Stanley Park, via somewhere for me to pick up a rain coat as I'd forgotten to pack mine. Although a soggy day, the worst of the rain held off until we were safely in the Aquarium.
Stanley Park is beautiful - wonderfully tranquil. It's hard to put it into words but walking through the trees I could feel my brain sliding into neutral. We are 4-days into our holiday (or 3 if you don't count the 24-hours of traveling) and I'm already feeling rested and relaxed and ready to enjoy the rest.
We got back to the hotel by about 5ish and have been chilling out relaxing and watching TV, allowing our legs and feet to recover from all the walking. I'm now debating whether to go for a relaxing session in the hotel steam room and a brief swim before bed. I'll let you know if I make it in my next update!
Tomorrow is a day of investigating the city with lunch planned at Heather's Irish Pub. Thursday we head out for one of our longest drives from Vancouver, BC to Forks, WA via Victoria BC and the Olympic National Park.
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
First few days... a welcome change
So, my holiday started on Friday with a bit of a rushed, stressed me having a panic at the absence of broadband in Wales and needing to get three last bits completed for work.
It was very strange getting up to Wales. The first time I had been up there since Champ died and there were no animals, not even the sheep! Very strange not having to worry about the dog running off!
Once work was sorted I was able to get on with packing and, once I had realised that all I really needed was my passport, tickets and hotel details, I eventually left to get the train from Caersws.
Train from Caersws to Birmingham New Street was uneventful, but on time which is a miracle for Ariva. At Birmingham I was on a lovely Virgin Pendolino train, and going for my usual weekend upgrade to first class. Yet again, I managed to get this for free and even managed to get free wine although I had been let off the upgrade charge, woo! off to a good start.
Eventually made it out to Heathrow and to the Sheraton by midnight and was up again early to get to the airport.
Met up with Angela and checked in (very boring, long wait, long flight, long wait for customs at LAX, long wait for flight to Seattle, short flight to Seattle as we both slept through all of it, shot trip to hotel, sleep, short trip to airport to collect car).
The Car. Oh, The Car! A White Ford Mustang (Sally) who purrs like a beast and is just fantastic!
Drove into Seattle and to our first hotel (not counting the Travelodge as it was just somewhere to lay our heads after the flights). Stayed at the Inn at the Queen Ann near the Seattle Centre. A lovely independent, boutique hotel close to the business end of Seattle but not too noisy. If you are going to Seattle, i strongly recommend you go there.
Had a lovely day in Seattle going to the Experience Music Project - a fantastic place with lots of music (and Jimmy Hendrix) memorabilia and history, as well as a fantastic practical session where you can have a go with drums, guitar and keyboards and have the opportunity to record a CD. Also part of the same building was the Science Fiction Museum (very appropriate for our trip!) which has lots of original props from many sci-fi shows including Star Wars, Blade Runner, Star Trek and the original costume from the Rocketeer (that last one is especially for you Clare!).
After that we went on a Duck Tour of Seattle which was great fun and great value, you see all the main parts of Seattle as well as going out on Lake Union were we saw Gas Station Park, St Mark's Cathedral and the house from Sleepless in Seattle. Then we went down to Chinatown and had some fantastic Chinese food; Ange had the house chow mien which had beautiful squid, scallops, prawns, chicken and beef; and I had Prawns Schezwan style with mixed vegetable fried rice. All was beautiful and fresh and tasty and excellent value.
We then came back to the Seattle Centre and went up the Sky Needle. It was rather chilly but beautiful seeing the city by sunset. The history of how they built the needle was fascinating.
Today we had a late-ish start and then went down to Pike Place market (to see the fresh fish stalls) and wandered back via a bit of lunch to collect the car and start out to Vancouver. The trip across the Canadian Border was very uneventful, although Ange and I both wanted to take the border guard home with us. We didn't think it would go down too well if we commented on it though! Arrived in Vancouver around 5.30 and we've checked into the lovely Century-Plaza Hotel and Spa. We're now chilling out before heading out to an Irish bar and then for some food and cocktails at Gotham restaurant (again, to continue the geek theme!).
We're here for three night's in Vancouver so we're hoping to get out to Whistler as well as exploring the city.
It was very strange getting up to Wales. The first time I had been up there since Champ died and there were no animals, not even the sheep! Very strange not having to worry about the dog running off!
Once work was sorted I was able to get on with packing and, once I had realised that all I really needed was my passport, tickets and hotel details, I eventually left to get the train from Caersws.
Train from Caersws to Birmingham New Street was uneventful, but on time which is a miracle for Ariva. At Birmingham I was on a lovely Virgin Pendolino train, and going for my usual weekend upgrade to first class. Yet again, I managed to get this for free and even managed to get free wine although I had been let off the upgrade charge, woo! off to a good start.
Eventually made it out to Heathrow and to the Sheraton by midnight and was up again early to get to the airport.
Met up with Angela and checked in (very boring, long wait, long flight, long wait for customs at LAX, long wait for flight to Seattle, short flight to Seattle as we both slept through all of it, shot trip to hotel, sleep, short trip to airport to collect car).
The Car. Oh, The Car! A White Ford Mustang (Sally) who purrs like a beast and is just fantastic!
Drove into Seattle and to our first hotel (not counting the Travelodge as it was just somewhere to lay our heads after the flights). Stayed at the Inn at the Queen Ann near the Seattle Centre. A lovely independent, boutique hotel close to the business end of Seattle but not too noisy. If you are going to Seattle, i strongly recommend you go there.
Had a lovely day in Seattle going to the Experience Music Project - a fantastic place with lots of music (and Jimmy Hendrix) memorabilia and history, as well as a fantastic practical session where you can have a go with drums, guitar and keyboards and have the opportunity to record a CD. Also part of the same building was the Science Fiction Museum (very appropriate for our trip!) which has lots of original props from many sci-fi shows including Star Wars, Blade Runner, Star Trek and the original costume from the Rocketeer (that last one is especially for you Clare!).
After that we went on a Duck Tour of Seattle which was great fun and great value, you see all the main parts of Seattle as well as going out on Lake Union were we saw Gas Station Park, St Mark's Cathedral and the house from Sleepless in Seattle. Then we went down to Chinatown and had some fantastic Chinese food; Ange had the house chow mien which had beautiful squid, scallops, prawns, chicken and beef; and I had Prawns Schezwan style with mixed vegetable fried rice. All was beautiful and fresh and tasty and excellent value.
We then came back to the Seattle Centre and went up the Sky Needle. It was rather chilly but beautiful seeing the city by sunset. The history of how they built the needle was fascinating.
Today we had a late-ish start and then went down to Pike Place market (to see the fresh fish stalls) and wandered back via a bit of lunch to collect the car and start out to Vancouver. The trip across the Canadian Border was very uneventful, although Ange and I both wanted to take the border guard home with us. We didn't think it would go down too well if we commented on it though! Arrived in Vancouver around 5.30 and we've checked into the lovely Century-Plaza Hotel and Spa. We're now chilling out before heading out to an Irish bar and then for some food and cocktails at Gotham restaurant (again, to continue the geek theme!).
We're here for three night's in Vancouver so we're hoping to get out to Whistler as well as exploring the city.
Monday, 6 July 2009
3rd, 4th & 5th July - the details
3rd July -
0630 - left Bath for Wales
1000 - arrive in Wales
1000 - 1730 - finish some bits of work whilst overcoming minor problem of no Broadband at home. Finish packing and depart for station
1837 - depart Caersws for Heathrow (via Birmingham New Street, Euston, Northern and Picadilly lines)
midnight - arrive at Sherraton Heathrow Hotel, sleep
4th July
0630 - early morning call
0815 - leave hotel for T3
0850 - meet up with Angela, begin checkin
1115 - plane begins taxi to runway (obviously with us on board!)
1115 UK time - 1430 West Coast time - killing time on the flight. watched: Monsters vs Aliens, 17 again, HSM3, Watchmen and Yellowstone summer
1430- 2045 - disembark Virgin Flight and check-in for Alaska Air flight. get food (adequate) and sleep on airport chairs waiting for flight
2045-2250 - flight to Seattle
midnight - arrive at travelodge and sleep (comfortable bed, functional, nothing more)
5th July
0930 - awake from comatose state and get ready to go back to airport to collect car
1145 - collect rental car (Ford Mustang Convertible, white) after some coffee and muffin for breakfast
1230 - drive to Inn at the Queen Ann - lovely little boutique hotel in Seattle
1300 ish - walk to Sky Needle Centre and book on to Duck Tour of Seattle. have time to kill before 1630 tour so go to the Science Fiction Museum and Experience Music Project.
1630 - 1800 - Duck tour of Seattle. V nice, see all the important bits and get a little jolly on the water. See house from Sleepless in Seattle
1800 - 2100 - monorail to Chinatown and have lovely, lovely Chinese food. Walk back to Monorail and go up sky needle
2100-2200 - admire views of Seattle and surrounds from Sky needles, take photos, experience reason that Seattle is called the windy city!
2230 - bed after taxi back to hotel (extravagant as it was easily walkable but it was v, v chilly). Sleep!
Will post a review hopefully later today, with another update on today. Will also post photos.
Right now, breakfast and some more Seattle investigating.
0630 - left Bath for Wales
1000 - arrive in Wales
1000 - 1730 - finish some bits of work whilst overcoming minor problem of no Broadband at home. Finish packing and depart for station
1837 - depart Caersws for Heathrow (via Birmingham New Street, Euston, Northern and Picadilly lines)
midnight - arrive at Sherraton Heathrow Hotel, sleep
4th July
0630 - early morning call
0815 - leave hotel for T3
0850 - meet up with Angela, begin checkin
1115 - plane begins taxi to runway (obviously with us on board!)
1115 UK time - 1430 West Coast time - killing time on the flight. watched: Monsters vs Aliens, 17 again, HSM3, Watchmen and Yellowstone summer
1430- 2045 - disembark Virgin Flight and check-in for Alaska Air flight. get food (adequate) and sleep on airport chairs waiting for flight
2045-2250 - flight to Seattle
midnight - arrive at travelodge and sleep (comfortable bed, functional, nothing more)
5th July
0930 - awake from comatose state and get ready to go back to airport to collect car
1145 - collect rental car (Ford Mustang Convertible, white) after some coffee and muffin for breakfast
1230 - drive to Inn at the Queen Ann - lovely little boutique hotel in Seattle
1300 ish - walk to Sky Needle Centre and book on to Duck Tour of Seattle. have time to kill before 1630 tour so go to the Science Fiction Museum and Experience Music Project.
1630 - 1800 - Duck tour of Seattle. V nice, see all the important bits and get a little jolly on the water. See house from Sleepless in Seattle
1800 - 2100 - monorail to Chinatown and have lovely, lovely Chinese food. Walk back to Monorail and go up sky needle
2100-2200 - admire views of Seattle and surrounds from Sky needles, take photos, experience reason that Seattle is called the windy city!
2230 - bed after taxi back to hotel (extravagant as it was easily walkable but it was v, v chilly). Sleep!
Will post a review hopefully later today, with another update on today. Will also post photos.
Right now, breakfast and some more Seattle investigating.
Thursday, 2 July 2009
nearly getting started....
Today is my last day of work before the holiday!!!!
I've managed to get my accommodation sorted for when I'm back from Holiday so that is a big weight off my mind and I can sit back and enjoy!
Tomorrow I drive to Wales to deposit the various bits of luggage I have been carting around the last couple of weeks and finish the packing for the US. I then catch a train to London and from there to Heathrow where I am spending the night in a hotel. Make things a bit more relaxed for the off.
Then, Saturday morning, Angela and I take off for the US. It's all very exciting and I can't belive it has crept up so quickly, I'm really not ready.
I have not even looked at what pannels and screenings are on at ComicCon in San Diego... think that's one task for during the holiday; a bit of research and planning.
Last couple of days at work have been hectic, with a long list of things to do, a limited number of hours to do them and then things either going wrong or taking much longer to get done.
Anyway. Soon I will be in another world having the time of my life! At the very least, the holiday of a lifetime.
I will try and update every day, and will try to post photos as I go but I'm not promising anything.
I've managed to get my accommodation sorted for when I'm back from Holiday so that is a big weight off my mind and I can sit back and enjoy!
Tomorrow I drive to Wales to deposit the various bits of luggage I have been carting around the last couple of weeks and finish the packing for the US. I then catch a train to London and from there to Heathrow where I am spending the night in a hotel. Make things a bit more relaxed for the off.
Then, Saturday morning, Angela and I take off for the US. It's all very exciting and I can't belive it has crept up so quickly, I'm really not ready.
I have not even looked at what pannels and screenings are on at ComicCon in San Diego... think that's one task for during the holiday; a bit of research and planning.
Last couple of days at work have been hectic, with a long list of things to do, a limited number of hours to do them and then things either going wrong or taking much longer to get done.
Anyway. Soon I will be in another world having the time of my life! At the very least, the holiday of a lifetime.
I will try and update every day, and will try to post photos as I go but I'm not promising anything.
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Route Update
View Larger Map
That's the updated map, below is the updated itinerary....
Coach to Heathrow, Fly to LA, connecting flight to Seattle... Crash out
Seattle, WA - 2-nights including 'landing day'
Vancouver, BC 3-nights
Forks, WA (Quilete Nation Reserve) - stopover for 1 night
Salem, OR - 1 night
Gold Beach, CA (Pacific Beach Resort) - 2 nights
Clearlake, CA - 1 night
Nappa, CA - 1 night
San Francisco, CA - 3 nights
LA (Santa Monica/Venice), CA - 2 nights
Las Vegas - 2 nights (in the Tropicana!!)
San Diego - 6 nights
Drive to LAX, Fly to London, Coach to Bath... CRASH OUT
back to work the next day
This is all getting thoroughly exciting and 'real'! Although the threat of Swine Flu is somewhat worrying but there's still two months between now and then so we should be OK! All I can say is 'hurrah' for travel insurance if the worst comes to the worst.
Monday, 16 February 2009
The Route...
Updated on the weekend with THE MAP of the majority of THE ROUTE but thought I'd do a proper update of the full route, as planned by Angela and myself on Saturday.
It was fun to plan... we started at San Diego with the Comic Con dates and did accommodation for San Diego, Vegas and Santa Monica... then flipped to the start and did flight booking and car hire... then did the rest of the hotels from Seattle & Vancouver down to Santa Monica. The three weeks look like: -
Coach to Heathrow, Fly to LA, connecting flight to Seattle... Crash out
Seattle - 2-nights including 'landing day'
Vancouver 3-nights
Hoquiam - stopover for 1 night
Salem - 1 night
Klamath Falls - 2 nights
Eureka - 1 night
Nappa - 2 nights
San Francisco - 3 nights
Santa Monica - 1 night
Las Vegas - 2 nights (in the Tropicana!!)
San Diego - 6 nights
Drive to LAX, Fly to London, Coach to Bath... CRASH OUT
back to work the next day
This is really starting to become a reality... have flights and car booked (Ford Mustang Convertible or similar) and some of the hotels.
It was fun to plan... we started at San Diego with the Comic Con dates and did accommodation for San Diego, Vegas and Santa Monica... then flipped to the start and did flight booking and car hire... then did the rest of the hotels from Seattle & Vancouver down to Santa Monica. The three weeks look like: -
Coach to Heathrow, Fly to LA, connecting flight to Seattle... Crash out
Seattle - 2-nights including 'landing day'
Vancouver 3-nights
Hoquiam - stopover for 1 night
Salem - 1 night
Klamath Falls - 2 nights
Eureka - 1 night
Nappa - 2 nights
San Francisco - 3 nights
Santa Monica - 1 night
Las Vegas - 2 nights (in the Tropicana!!)
San Diego - 6 nights
Drive to LAX, Fly to London, Coach to Bath... CRASH OUT
back to work the next day
This is really starting to become a reality... have flights and car booked (Ford Mustang Convertible or similar) and some of the hotels.
Saturday, 14 February 2009
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