This week's highlights..

Hi everyone, sorry its been a while since I've been able to do this. We've been camping out in the back of beyond and internet is pretty scarce to say the least.

On to business then:

Alcatraz

San Francisco didn't exactly blow us away, what with the sketchy district we ended up in, but having checked out we felt far more at ease (even with all our possessions in the car parked on the side of a road) and spent the morning wandering along the tourist-crazy boardwalk waiting for our tour of Alcatraz, sharing a carafe of wine in the Ferry Building to while the time away.

I am so grateful for the lovely Argentine man who advised us to book this tour a week in advance. Without him, we would have been left stumbling from vendor to vendor and receiving the same blank 'no' from each one, passing the signs that notified us the next available tickets were 10 days away. Ouch.

The tour is excellent; another fantastic example of the US approach to doing things properly. We started with a guided trip up the hill to the cellblock, where we learnt the much less famous history of the island as an Army base and it's time under Native American control. Afterwards, we were led around the cellblock itself with handheld audio recordings of real life guards and prisoners telling about their experiences of Alcatraz; memories of escape stories and the more mundane aspects of the daily life out there. At the very end of the tour there was an exhibit of rehabilitation stories of prisoners in the area describing their attitudes towards prison and turning over a new leaf.


It was a quick drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and on to the Napa Valley wine region next.

Yosemite

After a day of our own rehabilitation in Napa, we set out for the long drive to Yosemite National Park, starting at the unearthly time of 5am to secure a spot in a walk-up campground. Reservations can made up to 366 days in advance and although we've been pretty organised we certainly weren't planning time in the US from Egypt!


The US take on a National Park is starkly different from that in the UK. Here, there are burger joints, outdoor shops, RVs roam around and people wander about in flip flops and pretty sundresses. Our Merrell walking shoes and free tshirts looked dowdy in comparison, but then we were here to hike. And boy, did we hike.

We took it easy for the first full day, splashing around in the pool that a spectacular waterfall had bequeathed as a gift from the heavens. This was in preparation for a 17 mile walk/climb which took us up (and then back down) 4800ft, 900 of which was a sheer granite face reached only by hauling up on cables and between planks every 8ft to provide rest for those taking on the challenge - rest was necessary, it was 8800ft above sea level after all, and we'd started 5 hours previously.

I cannot describe what it felt like to be up there, though. The fear of getting back down was supressed by the literally breathtaking views down Yosemite valley. As far as the eye could see was unsurpassed natural beauty, and there was a definite satisfaction at having finally made it to the top, too. Ben took some fabulous pictures so check them out on the site he has created.

We camped with black bears in Yosemite, and I know this blog post wouldn't be complete without a brief nod to Ben's bravery in facing up to the one that interruped our sleep one night, scavening for food in the bear-proof box the dumbass Italians we were sharing a site with had left unlocked. It was the sight of Ben in his undies that did it, I think.

Sequoia and Death Valley

Of course we couldn't miss the world's largest tree. So we spent one night in Sequoia National Park and checked it out.

I have to say, I love the signs here. On every 'trail' there are signs letting you know the distance and height climbed along the way in case you don't think you'd be able to manage it. Getting to the General Sherman tree is probably less walking than an hour spent in Selfridges, yet you are told at about 5 or so places how much is involved in this 'hike' and to make sure you carry adequate water. C'mon people!

Leaving Sequoia we headed for Lake Isabella as a stop off on the way through to the long-anticipated hotel room in Vegas. How long it was without a shower I won't tell you, but let's just say it was overdue. The drive took us through Death Valley at around 44 degrees celsius, where we saw a pool that has been evaporating since a flash flood in 2004!! We were lucky enough to show up just at the point a ranger was explaining the formation of the salt flats on the Valley floor and listened, fascinated by desire to live out here and his hat.

Vegas

Vegas is a bit like Butlins on steroids. If you could imagine it, it's there and I'm sure I'm not telling you anything new. We stayed in a pyramid, of course, and walked down the road to Excalibur Castle, New York, Paris and Venice. Hmmm.

We did spend a excellent night dancing in the Coyote Ugly bar, though. Those girls would wear ANYONE out but they challenge you to try anyway.

Now, we're at Zion National Park (yes, we do have an Interagency pass which gets us into them all) and I am blown away by the pink rocks. What a great idea, Mother Nature.

We miss you all and love to hear from you with all your news, so stay in touch. Bye for now.

Highway 1

In the few days we spent in Morro Bay, we busily drove around the local State parks, enjoying the the monumental landscapes (the continent's largest sand dunes at Guadalupe and the 4 mile sandspit separating the Bay from the Pacific) and getting out of the city into the fresh air. I quickly changed my mind about all this beautiful countryside on encountering a snake. I couldn't move. Totally frozen to the spot, seemingly mesmorised by this slippery black and yellow creature on the ground only inches away from me Ben yanked me away and we watched it slither into the undergrowth.

On our last day in this area we went to the garish and overstuffed 'Hearst Castle', the manifestation of one (very rich) man's obsession with European art and architecture. Filled with real antique statues, oil paintings, carpets and even walls lines with church pews, this place screams the old motto 'money cannot buy you taste'. Over the course of 29 years Hearst built somewhere to entertain famous guests, and as a home to his long-term partner Marion Davies, only requiring guests would stay sober and busy, and come to dinner in the evenings where he would preside and listen to their stories of the days' activities. The views from the top were breathtaking, and it was fascinating to listen to the knowledgeable guide talk us through the three re-fashionings of the Neptune pool and see how so much money and such vision and determination can come together to make dreams come true.

Monterey and Big Sur

Having decided to book ahead we took what we could and booked a couple of nights at Pinnacle's National Monument Park near Monterey. 'Near' isn't strictly true, although if we could have borrowed Hearst's private plane it would have been far easier. The roads seemed to run mockingly parallel, forcing us to drive 3 sides of a square to get to the site, which was itself 40 miles inland. Teething troubles of travelling a foreign country I guess!

We spent a day at the world famous Monterey aquarium, playing with Bat Rays and starfish, as well as freaking out at the jellyfish and hammerhead sharks swimming far too close for comfort. Thank god for the reinforced glass between us is all I can say..

Time is running out here on our pcs at St Helena, Napa Valley public library so I will leave you pondering this: what is it, do you think, that could have been the reason our hotel in San Francisco was so cheap? Option one: ghetto location, option two: crazed, porn-addicted fellow residents or option three: Norman Bates-esque hotelier.

The whirlwind of LA

Click here for photos!

I left you last time with a serious hangover, from which it took an entire day to fully recover. Los Angeles is restless and unrelenting (and so is Ben), so the first stop was The Guitar Centre (does exactly what it says on the tin), where even I was blown away by the size and beauty of the shop. The entrance on the 'sidewalk' is a mimic of the Chinese Theatre, with handprints of famous players embedded in the ground. We had a wander around the mini museum next door, full of memorabilia and relics of past music heroes.

Next stop on the Strip was Bootstar, a very dangerous place. Imagine the best boots you can, and now imagine an entire shop full from floor to ceiling of more of the same. And imagine us, with a healthy account (meant for eeking out over months of camping and travel) in this very shop. Of course, we couldn't resist and came out with two gorgeous pairs. They were on sale, I swear!

Quickly stocked up on hangover repair food at Mel's Diner, where I was once again transported into the movie world, listening in on a film deal going down at the table next to us. Ben was spotted by a passing tour bus as a writer. It's the glasses.

Drove through The Hills and Bel Air to the coast and walked from Santa Monica beach down to Venice, and back along the boardwalk. Saw some Baywatch-esque lifeguards, some excellent street performers and some of the underwolrd of Venice beach engaging in dubious activities too.

Finally got in touch with Ben Hill and headed to Guns n Roses hangout, Rainbow Bar and Grill for dinner.

Universal Studios

Just go. Go, go, go. The rollercoasters, the log flume, the 3-D movie, the House of Horrors, the Simpsons simulator, the Studio Tour, the special effects show, the pyrotechnics exhibition... it's just fantastic, and worth every single one of the 6700 cents it costs. Everything there is done to an impeccably high standard and with the best of the best in engineering, technology and attention to detail.

It was an exhuasting experience for us all, but Ben had booked tickets to see Gilby Clarke at The Viper Room months ago and there was no way we were going to miss it. Again, this was an example of how the Americans get the service and music industies right. The venue was clean, nicely done-out and didn't have that dodgy smell you get in similar places in the UK. Even the second support act were excellent musicians, the sound was spot on and there was enough space to move so you didn't feel like you were lining the pockets of the owners at the expense of your enjoyment of the evening. The following band were Semi Precious Weapons, a New York pop-punk band with an eccentric (to say the least) frontman giving the show his all in some fantastic outfits. There was no comparison, though, with the gig we'd been waiting for, for so long. Gilby Clarke and co blew us away with Stones and Beatles covers, some of his own stuff and even 'It's so Easy' and 'Knocking on Heaven's Door'. This was the stuff dreams are made of.

Heading North

Our last day we spent cruising LA with Ben Hill, and enjoying the view from the roof of his hotel, swimming in the pool up there and enjoying the classic tunes the DJ kept bringing out. We drove up to the Hollywood sign, where I managed to take an awesome photo of Ben where he almost totally obsucures the sign. It was emotional leaving Ben Hill at his 5 star hotel, although I'm sure he'll be well looked-after there.

We hit the road (the first journey on this epic trip) and were at our campsite in Morro Bay, CA 3 hours later where we are staying for a few days to explore the coast. Luckily, we took the last tent spot available at 8pm on a Sunday evening. Hmm.. maybe we need to book ahead in future!

The very beginning

Two days in and there already seems so much to write about. I will start this blog post with an apology for any typos - I am extremely hungover this morning after an indulgent night in LA.

On picking up our car we opted for an upgrade - we are driving around the US in a white Toyota Rav4 - it's pretty awesome. I wanted to drive it from the rental place to our hostel as we'd spent so much making sure I would be insured on the damn thing that it seemed like good sense to put this to use. Of course, after around 5 minutes I was pulled over by the police for not using the 'turning lane' to turn left. Just like in all the movies, that short whirring siren was switched on, I checked my mirrors, swore, pulled over and gave my best smile.

'I know you're out of town, lady, but you can't drive like that here'.
'Thanks, officer. I'm ever so sorry and I'll know for next time'.

Trying to cure ourselves from jetlag we walked out of our place, and round the corner to Hollywood walk of fame and saw all the stars. It was around midnight to our bodies, but everyone around us was at 2pm so we soldiered on and grabbed a few beers, crashing out around 10.

Yesterday, our first full day here, we spent.. shopping! Maybe it's this place, but everything we seem to do here feels like it's straight from a TV show/movie. Putting all the (many) bags in the 'trunk' felt rather 'Clueless' to me, although I'm sure Ben wouldn't agree.. I think he probably felt more 'penniless' after the spree!

Last night we went out on a tour around Hollywood, organised by our hostel. They put on two massive 4x4 limos (one Hummer) and gave us bottles and bottles of peach and strawberry champagne, plus a couple of cases of beer, then drove us to Rodeo Drive (we saw the balcony of the hotel room that much of Pretty Woman was filmed in - a cool $11k for one night in that suite), Sunset Strip and on to a club. Luckily, this was right next door to the hostel, or I wouldn't have made it home.

Today we're off to Universal Studios and hooking up with our friend Ben Hill (or Bath-famous DJ Dick Stroker). Oh, and heading for the obligatory tour of the guitar shops on Sunset...

10 weeks to go

Although the most interesting part of this blog will the adventures we have between July 22nd and September 24th in our 6000+ mile journey across the US, some may like to read about the preparation involved in planning something like this; choosing a guidebook, finding a car rental agency, estimating a budget and all the behind-the-scenes organisation necessary to avoid the pitflass of turning up in the dead of night to an unknown city with a reservation (or a clue)!

Last week, after months of having excitable conversations about the sights we wanted to see, Ben and I went to a lovely pub in Primrose Hill, ordered a couple of pints and sat down with the Lonely Planet and a notebook. The idea was, having already decided on destinations, to agree on the rough timings of how long we would stay at each stop and how long it might take to drive between them - longer than you might think..

Ever since, I've been unable to concentrate on much. How are we going to squeeze it all in?