Monday 2 Oct
Phoenix (3 nights)
194 miles
Shocking news to wake up and find that many people had been gunned down at a free concert on the Strip in Las Vegas. The whole American gun culture thing is a mystery...
Heading for Phoenix today - in the Sonoran desert so back to being hot!
We hadn't really got a plan for the day so we said that we'd just see what turned up as we drove. About 90 or so miles from Phoenix we saw a sign for Montezuma's castle so we went to investigate.
It turned out to be a sort of 5 floor housing complex called Montezuma's castle set into rocks. Really interesting.
Then one stop back on the motorway was Montezuma's well which supplied the area with water. All absolutely fascinating.
Even a bit of ancient advertising! We found the motel and found that we were near enough to the centre to walk in to look for the tourist office.
After a brisk walk to the tourist office we came out with an armful of maps and ideas - and headed into the nearest bar for a drink to cool off!
The temperature was in the thirties!!
Lovely sunset.
Tuesday 3 Oct
47 miles
We arranged to meet Niki and she was able to wangle things so that Seth and Hannah could come too briefly. Great Mexican meal.
Great to see them all and have a little catch up.
And even nicer to learn that Seth and Hannah will be coming over to the UK next March!
Then drove down the road to look at the Mesa Temple.
As it was 98°F (37°C) we decided it was too hot to look round the cactus gardens - we'd seen some at the temple.
So we retreated to the air conditioning and waited for it to cool down a bit (and it did - just a bit!) before going out for a little walk.
I thought that the bar we went into was very dark and no one was eating and wasn't keen on staying. But it turned out that there was a great juke box and others started eating so we had some food too. No idea what as it was too dark to see but it tasted ok (and cheesy!) - and the music was brill!
Wednesday 4 Oct
25 miles
We went to look at the Chase - basketball stadium for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Big knockout match against the Colorado Rockies tonight so they were getting ready for that.
We passed a pub selling Cornish pasties! A pub was strange enough but selling Cornish pasties seemed even stranger so in we went. We shared an Oggie - and it was surprisingly good - apart from the rather odd red wine gravy that it was served with!
Then it was off to find the Alamo/Enterprise car hire desk at Phoenix airport. We'd been told at Flagstaff airport that we needed to go to an airport to extend our car hire/insurance contract as it was only valid for the first thirty days.
Turns out that we didn't!! So another wasted trip to another airport!
Still hot (100°F hot!) so we went back to watch the baseball on TV.
Thursday 5 Oct
Overnight at Blythe
241 miles
We decided to go to Gila Bend to look at the Sonoran desert national monument. We couldn't find it but then realised that we'd actually been going through it and that there wasn't a lot at Gila bend so we went back to the highway - an unnecessary 60 mile round trip!
Then got to our accommodation in Blythe to find that it had been closed down but soon found another.
The Colorado River was nearby so we had a pleasant evening there.
Friday 6 Oct
Los Angeles (2 nights)
270 miles
Delicious bran muffins for breakfast - fresh from the bakery next door then we were off.
The Joshua tree national park was very beautiful and very large! It was nice to do a couple of short walks as there was a bit of a breeze even though the temperature was in the 80s and 90s.
The tortoise that Mike rescued from the road.
We found out later from a Ranger that he too had rescued a tortoise from the road earlier in the week. At about the same location so it was probably the same tortoise - which seemed to have a bit of a death wish as we found him (her?!) a few minutes later teetering on the edge of a three foot drop down into a dry river bed!
Short walk to a little oasis with underground water.
Joshua trees - just big yuccas really!
Mike has started getting a bit picky about rocks... 'it's just another lump of granite innit?!'...
Skull rock.
Lots of different cacti here - and some flowers...
Date milkshakes as recommended by Niki - I liked them but Mike wasn't so keen.
Long drive into LA - lots of traffic. Bit of a different sunset to the previous night!
Saturday 7 Oct
13 miles
As we only had one full day in LA we decided to use the hop-on, hop-off bus to see the sights. Great idea but it was very, very hot!!
Then we did it all again on another tour - but a bit cooler this time as the sun was not overhead and there was more shade between the buildings - much more pleasant!
Sunday 8 Oct
Buellton (2 nights)
148 miles
Went first of all to Santa Monica and did another bus tour along the coast to Venice and Marina del Rey.
Not sure what was happening as we waited but there were 4 four police cars parked up and then 2 policemen shot off after a youth with a car going in hot pursuit the other way. It all seemed to calm down and then our bus came!
Interesting to see all the activities along the boardwalk and look at the boats and buildings.
There was a good band playing on the pier - all young siblings.
Had a bit of a boogie.
Then onwards to Buellton.
Funny little place - advertising itself as 'the home of the split pea'
Monday 9 Oct
41 miles
A quiet day in the middle of the Californian wine area. And a scarecrow festival.
Just went to three nearby villages - Solvang (Danish and quite surreal to see windmills!), Santa Ynez (sort of wild western! also the name of the valley) and Los Olivos (bit western but basically wine tasting and tours).
Found your house Julie!
Phoenix (3 nights)
194 miles
Shocking news to wake up and find that many people had been gunned down at a free concert on the Strip in Las Vegas. The whole American gun culture thing is a mystery...
Heading for Phoenix today - in the Sonoran desert so back to being hot!
We hadn't really got a plan for the day so we said that we'd just see what turned up as we drove. About 90 or so miles from Phoenix we saw a sign for Montezuma's castle so we went to investigate.
It turned out to be a sort of 5 floor housing complex called Montezuma's castle set into rocks. Really interesting.
Then one stop back on the motorway was Montezuma's well which supplied the area with water. All absolutely fascinating.
Even a bit of ancient advertising! We found the motel and found that we were near enough to the centre to walk in to look for the tourist office.
After a brisk walk to the tourist office we came out with an armful of maps and ideas - and headed into the nearest bar for a drink to cool off!
The temperature was in the thirties!!
Lovely sunset.
Tuesday 3 Oct
47 miles
We arranged to meet Niki and she was able to wangle things so that Seth and Hannah could come too briefly. Great Mexican meal.
Great to see them all and have a little catch up.
Then drove down the road to look at the Mesa Temple.
As it was 98°F (37°C) we decided it was too hot to look round the cactus gardens - we'd seen some at the temple.
So we retreated to the air conditioning and waited for it to cool down a bit (and it did - just a bit!) before going out for a little walk.
I thought that the bar we went into was very dark and no one was eating and wasn't keen on staying. But it turned out that there was a great juke box and others started eating so we had some food too. No idea what as it was too dark to see but it tasted ok (and cheesy!) - and the music was brill!
Wednesday 4 Oct
25 miles
We went to look at the Chase - basketball stadium for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Big knockout match against the Colorado Rockies tonight so they were getting ready for that.
We passed a pub selling Cornish pasties! A pub was strange enough but selling Cornish pasties seemed even stranger so in we went. We shared an Oggie - and it was surprisingly good - apart from the rather odd red wine gravy that it was served with!
Then it was off to find the Alamo/Enterprise car hire desk at Phoenix airport. We'd been told at Flagstaff airport that we needed to go to an airport to extend our car hire/insurance contract as it was only valid for the first thirty days.
Turns out that we didn't!! So another wasted trip to another airport!
Still hot (100°F hot!) so we went back to watch the baseball on TV.
Thursday 5 Oct
Overnight at Blythe
241 miles
We decided to go to Gila Bend to look at the Sonoran desert national monument. We couldn't find it but then realised that we'd actually been going through it and that there wasn't a lot at Gila bend so we went back to the highway - an unnecessary 60 mile round trip!
Then got to our accommodation in Blythe to find that it had been closed down but soon found another.
The Colorado River was nearby so we had a pleasant evening there.
Friday 6 Oct
Los Angeles (2 nights)
270 miles
Delicious bran muffins for breakfast - fresh from the bakery next door then we were off.
The Joshua tree national park was very beautiful and very large! It was nice to do a couple of short walks as there was a bit of a breeze even though the temperature was in the 80s and 90s.
The tortoise that Mike rescued from the road.
We found out later from a Ranger that he too had rescued a tortoise from the road earlier in the week. At about the same location so it was probably the same tortoise - which seemed to have a bit of a death wish as we found him (her?!) a few minutes later teetering on the edge of a three foot drop down into a dry river bed!
Short walk to a little oasis with underground water.
Lots of different cacti here - and some flowers...
Date milkshakes as recommended by Niki - I liked them but Mike wasn't so keen.
Long drive into LA - lots of traffic. Bit of a different sunset to the previous night!
13 miles
As we only had one full day in LA we decided to use the hop-on, hop-off bus to see the sights. Great idea but it was very, very hot!!
We were absolutely shattered and quite fried after sitting on the bus for a couple of hours in the heat so we found a lovely diner and had a burger and a beer to recuperate!
Then we did it all again on another tour - but a bit cooler this time as the sun was not overhead and there was more shade between the buildings - much more pleasant!
Flowers around Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' star on the walk of fame in Hollywood.
Sunday 8 Oct
Buellton (2 nights)
148 miles
Went first of all to Santa Monica and did another bus tour along the coast to Venice and Marina del Rey.
Not sure what was happening as we waited but there were 4 four police cars parked up and then 2 policemen shot off after a youth with a car going in hot pursuit the other way. It all seemed to calm down and then our bus came!
Interesting to see all the activities along the boardwalk and look at the boats and buildings.
There was a good band playing on the pier - all young siblings.
Then onwards to Buellton.
Funny little place - advertising itself as 'the home of the split pea'
Monday 9 Oct
41 miles
A quiet day in the middle of the Californian wine area. And a scarecrow festival.
Just went to three nearby villages - Solvang (Danish and quite surreal to see windmills!), Santa Ynez (sort of wild western! also the name of the valley) and Los Olivos (bit western but basically wine tasting and tours).
Found your house Julie!
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