California Road Trip…

The idea for this holiday had been brewing for many years but we decided to go for it now as a treat for Sue’s birthday. The plan evolved from finding out that the Pacific Coast Highway is one of the best drives in the USA, and how better to do it than in an iconic American convertible. Talking to others who had been to the US we decided to add a few National Parks to our list of places to see. So in the end we had a journey that took us from the bright lights of Las Vegas out into the desert of Death Valley, up into the mountains of Sierra Nevada, over into Yosemite and down to Sequoia then across the state of California to the coast at Santa Barbara up the coast on that road, over to Napa and ending up in San Francisco.

Here is how it went…

We flew into Las Vegas, a strange fantastical city in the middle a barren desert where we stayed at one of the many mad hotels on the Strip.

The Excalibur Hotel is a mediaeval castle that looks like a cross between a giant sand castle and a Disney fantasy and the in-house entertainment apparently consists of large indoor jousting competition. But the accommodation was quite cheep and the hotel well located, the room was fine and the hotel had almost everything you could want apart from good WiFi – we suspect this was deliberate to either prevent punters on the casino floor using the internet or to get guests out of their rooms and hopefully down into the casino. We were not confident enough to play the machines and didn’t know any of the card games so we went and explored outside. This in itself was a challenge as it was difficult to find our way outside through the warren of blinking and bleeping machines, and when we did it was stinking hot. Going back indoors to avoid the heat we ended up lost in another casino. The city is an assault on the senses, lights flash like an epileptic’s nightmare, machines ring, music blares and everybody has to shout to be heard, smells from the food stalls waft everywhere. My head was spinning within minutes.

We had had a tip off about a place to visit as the sun goes down to get away from the hustle and bustle and to appreciate the lights from up in high, so we went up to the Mix Lounge at the Mandalay and here in a relaxed bar at the top of the hotel we could site on the open air balcony with a cold glass of wine in our hands and see the sun turn the bleached out hills golden, and watch as the lights of the strip took over, the beacon out of the top of the Luxor pyramid shining bright right in front of us. Yes we were in the good old US of A now!

The main reason for coming to Las Vegas was to allow us to fly over the Grand Canyon. We didn’t have time to drive out there in our busy schedule so after spending the morning around the pool we were picked up from our hotel and taken to a smaller airport where we joined four others in a small twin prop plane from Vision Airlines for the ride over the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the Grand Canyon. The heat on the mountains caused thermals that threw us about enough to have Sue (not the best in aircraft) to be almost gripping the seat in front with her teeth. But she persevered and luckily for me the noise in the cabin and the headsets meant I could hear what names she was calling me. Sue even took her hands off the seat long enough to take some great pictures of the immense gorges and cliffs.

After we returned and had recovered we went out in the evening and explored more widely, taking the monorail to travel to the other end of the strip, passing as it did around the back of the hotels looking so much like the back stage of an elaborate set, all functional and drab as opposed to the glitzy and glamorous façade.  We were headed for the Level 107 Lounge at the Stratosphere, a tall spear point at the end of the strip where adventurous types could ride a rollercoaster at the top or fling themselves off like Jami and I had done off the Sky Tower in Auckland a few years back. For us though it was nothing more arduous then another glass of wine and a few nibbles as we watched the sun set from a different viewpoint. We could get used to this.

The following morning we checked out and our road trip started in earnest when we went to pick up our car. At the desk we asked what vehicle we had and we were told you get to choose from what is in the parking lot. I had tried to make out that I would be happy with any convertible but really there was only one I wanted. As I walked anxiously towards the convertible section I passed the hideous Seebring’s and then saw one… …a Ford Mustang convertible, shiny and silver.  I pointed it out to Sue

who said, what about that red one over there. Red one! Of course a red one! (After all red ones go faster, that’s why the paint fire engines that colour). There she was metallic red shiny, our Ruby (alternatively My Little Pony). We were worried about the boot (trunk) size and it took a bit of pushing and shoving to force our bags in, but we did so. Then we had to figure out how to make the top come down, connect the MP3 player and fire up Sally SatNav, but soon enough we were easing our way out onto the road and off on our journey. First stop was Wal-Mart where, taking advice of a friend of ours, we stocked up on water and other provisions. On the highway with the prancing pony emblem pointed towards the hills we slipped the first of my ‘mix tape’ cds in the player and cranked up the volume as Elvis belted out ‘Viva Las Vegas’, we looked at each other, our hair blowing in the breeze and smiled… …rock and roll baby!

As we neared Death Valley we felt the temperature rise under the burning sun and we turned off the main road and drove up to the aptly named

Dante’s View from where we could see over the salt plain, up across the dry and patched valley floor over to the dust coloured mountains in the distance.

After a few photos we drove back to the highway and onto Furnace Creek where we had a drink and an ice-cream as the temperature gauge showed 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Still further on the heat caused a shimmer on the road and we had to put the top up to get some respite from the burning rays as we neared the Mesquite Flat Dunes where we got out and walked over the red hot sand.

Travelling through Stovepipe Wells we headed out of the valley and up into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. Climbing for hours the temperature cooled to a more comfortable level and we wound our way up into the mountains until we came to our stop for the night.

Lone Pine is a small town but it has a big history as it was a place where many Hollywood filmmakers came out of the city to find a wild looking setting for movies. The town has hosted a film festival for many years now and the hotel/motel we stopped at claimed to have been where John Wayne stayed when he was filming here.

The Dow Villa Motel was a great find, a traditional motel with three blocks of rooms arranged in a horse shoe around a parking lot, a pool with a view of the Sierra’s, and a grand old hotel next door. We took a dip in the pool to cool off as the sun started to set and looked out at Mt Whitney, the tallest mountain in the USA, sipping our G&T and Whisky.

In the evening we went out and had a meal at the Miguel Totem Café which has plaques on the wall commemorating the film festival with the names of the special guests who had attended. Some of whom have now faded into obscurity with the passing of time.

Early the next morning we drove north until we came to the strange and mystical Mono Lake where eerie stalagmite like tufa growths emerge from the around the lake in a weird alien landscape. From here we drove along a bone shaking unsealed road to find the fabulous Bodie Ghost Town. Abandoned many years ago, this mining town was left to the elements that helped to preserve it. You can still feel the ghosts of the original inhabitants in the buildings and ephemera left behind.

Lunch was at the Whoa Nellie Deli that has a reputation for its live music and fish tacos. Unfortunately we there was no music when we were there but we did try the food and it was interesting.

We headed towards Yosemite via the Tioga Road entrance which winds past some lovely lakes, meadows and ponds until we rounded a corner and saw the icon silhouette of the Half Dome in the distance. After we crossed into Yosemite Valley and emerged from the trees we were gobsmacked with the view, in front and above us the mountains soared, everywhere we looked there were grey peaks and misty falls glimpsed through the gaps in the towering trees. Now we understood why American’s say awesome so much.

We did not fully go into the valley as we were staying at the Wawona Hotel that was in an adjacent valley.

We missed out staying in Yosemite itself as there was a rush on the accommodation after a scare at the tented village where several guests had been infected with a deadly mouse born disease. But when we saw this lovely colonial hotel on its peaceful grounds we were happy with our choice. The white weatherboard walls and shady verandas ideal for relaxing with a glass of wine (have you noticed a theme yet). Even without TVs, air-conditioning and private bathrooms this was a fine old place of faded luxury in spectacular surroundings.

Located out of Yosemite the hotel was also better placed to access Glacier Point where after a day of walking through the splendour of the valley amongst the forests, by crystal clear rivers to mountain lakes and breathtaking falls, we got a bird’s eye view from a vantage point thousands of feet high. The vertiginous outlook back down to Yosemite just emphasized the scale of the scenery as we tried to take it all in. I practiced taking panorama views knowing that there was no way to really capture the grandeur of the place. On our way back to the hotel as dusk started we were rewarded with another treat as we saw a coyote sat at the side of the road, unperturbed as we slowed by next to it.

Mariposa Grove is also near our hotel and is where we visited some of the large sequoia trees that had been left to provide a shady and magical area to explore.

We stayed two nights before travelling down to the SequoiaNational Park our journey taking us out of the mountains into farmland and on the highway before we cut back towards the peaks again. We entered through Kings Canyon prior to Sequoia proper and as we got closer the trees kept getting bigger, monsters wide and tall.

Our destination was the Wuksachi Village but we were too early to get our room so we headed to the nearby general store. As we approached the turning for the store the car in front us stopped suddenly, and there bold as brass, a bear sauntered across the road in front and entered the woodland next to us. We looked at each other with eyes like saucers. After that Sue was convinced by the all the warnings that our car was going to get trashed as we had our bags in the trunk, so we only made a short stop, long enough to buy an ice cream and to book tickets to the CrystalCave for the following morning

This hotel was a more modern affair with accommodation in three large blocks away from the reception, bar and restaurant in the lodge. What it lacked in personality was made up for by the view and the animals (deer outside the window).

Early next morning we drove down to get the first tour through the Crystal Cave. The road was a narrow winding trail (most roads up till now were wide even though they were called small), at the car park we prepared for the trek down to the cave and were warned to put any food or cosmetics in the bear proof boxes (Sue had left everything in our room to avoid the dreaded bear attack), and we were warned to look out for snakes (luckily one creature we did not see on our holiday). The caves were very interesting with some quite amazing stalagmites and stalagmites in a series of interconnected rooms through the hillside.

In the afternoon we spent our time communing with themajestic trees visiting the largest - General Sherman, walking out to see Tharp’s Log – a cabin made out of a hollowed fallen tree, and driving through the Tunnel Log. Once again we were treated to some animal treats seeing more deer, chipmunks and as we drove down the quiet road we saw a shape on the verge and stopping realised it was another bear. Bigger and darker in colour (all the bears are Black Bears even though they can be different colours). I asked Sue to take pictures on her phone as it reared up (to get to leaves on a bush it was eating), and after taking a couple of quick shots she told me to ‘drive, drive, drive!’ afraid that it would smell the mints in the car and attack and eat us.

We left Sequoia after two nights there and drove across the state to the coast. A long drive through a varying terrain, first through huge fruit farms and then through industrial towns, past mile long trains and over more hills until we saw glimpses of sea and felt the air change, becoming fresher and saltier.

I had planned for us to stop at Santa Barbara but when we got to the information centre we found out that the town was packed with holiday makers who had come down for the summer solstice that evening and a parade on the next day. All the hotels were full or horrendously priced. I was a bit disappointed but as we walked along the pier through the throngs of noisy youngsters and crazy aging hippies I started to feel that this wasn’t the sort of place that we wanted.

Instead we drove off up into the Santa Ynez wine region until we came to the quirky Danish settlement of Solvang, where we took a room in a motel at the edge of town opposite the Spanish Mission.

At Svendsgaard’s Danish Lodge we took a room that was basically a small apartment that lead off to the swimming pool in the middle of the complex. The buildings were half timbered in a manner that was supposed to indicate Danish architecture.

The town was an odd collection of these half timbered buildings along with a smattering of windmills (did someone mix up Denmark with the Netherlands?), a bust of Hans Christian Anderson and a copy of the mermaid on a rock were also proudly displayed.

We did find a great place to eat at the Solvang BrewingCompany where they made their own fine selection of beers and served sausages platters.

On our merry way back to the hotel we watched as families gathered with picnics out on the green to watch a movie that was being played in the rotunda. A much better atmosphere here, much more like us.

The Old Mission Santa Ines was across the road from the hotel and was a surprising revelation to us. Full of atmosphere and a history we know little about, the building was remarkable and it was out the front that we saw our first hummingbird.

 

Our journey took us back to the coast as we headed north and stopped briefly at Pismo Beach. Again this was full of people taking in the sunshine on the large beach with its miles of sand backed by dunes. The town was like Blackpool on steroids but without the tower to redeem it. So we jumped back into the car and ploughed onwards.

We came to Morro Bay which seemed less rowdy and more upmarket. We picked a simple motel to stop the night.

The Sea Air Inn was the most basic accommodation we stayed at on our journey but was also the cheapest and was well located just a short walk from the main parade.

Here we found the lovely Dorn’s Original Breakers Café for lunch and were so impressed we returned for our evening meal where we overindulged as the sun went down behind the huge rock in the bay.

Earlier we had walked around the bay to the rock and had been stunned at the wildlife, seals and sea otters and cormorants and pelicans. The water front establishments included candy stores but in place of the tacky tourist traps at Pismo it had art galleries with some lovely pieces (also some tacky ones – but expensive tacky).

We booked tickets for next morning to see HearstCastle. The former home of William Randal Hearst is a very big attraction in this area and we could see why as we approached up the long sweeping road in the coach and saw the towers of the large house on top of the hill. We opted for the guided tour of the main rooms of the big house where we saw how the avid collector Hearst and his accomplished architect integrated the ancient artefacts so skilfully into the buildings and gardens as to present them sympathetically into an integrated whole that did not jar with the then modern building techniques. Outside there are three large guest villas, a lovely established garden, an open air swimming pool and a large indoor pool under the tennis courts. The position on top of the hill gave the place a commanding view over countryside and coastline. I spent several minutes trying to take pictures of a pair of hummingbirds bathing on the top of a tall fountain with little success – boy those little critters can move!

A few miles up the road we stopped at an Elephant SealRookery where a large number of adolescent seals were sunning themselves as they moulted. If these huge creatures were only adolescent then the full grown adults must be something else to see. Several were asserting their dominance with loud barking and occasional bouts of fighting until one or other backed down and slunk away, a mountain of undulating flesh.

The coast road winds around bays and headlands with a variety of flora and fauna to be seen in a spectacular fashion and we could have spent more time in the many parks along the way, but the weather was cooler and the sky was getting a little grey, so we decided to continue on until we reached Carmel.

Our first stop here was at the Carmel Mission where we saw some sort of confirmation ceremony taking place with many children dressed in their finest clothes. We drove through some of the pretty back streets and up the glamorous high street with its big name fashion shops and boutique establishments that the attractive people were frequenting until we came to the Tourist Information centre. There we booked a night at the Carmel Wayfarer Inn just a couple of blocks away from the centre of town. We had had a long day and were greatly encouraged by the promise of wine tasting in the dining area of this small motel. Along with another British couple and a couple from Seattle we didn’t so much have a wine tasting rather than a take part in a bit of a session. Needless to say we were not so keen to go far for dinner so we went down to the corner of the street and ate at Brophy’s Tavern. This is a sports bar with a large mural of the nearby Pebble Beach golf course on the wall signed by notable players. Apparently Graeme McDowell celebrated his win at the US Open by taking the caddies for a drink at this bar. After our meal (where everything was deep fried) we went for a walk into town and down to the beach as dusk was falling and in the eerie sea mist, along with several other people gathered there, we could see a pod of dolphin and a seal playing in the surf. We strolled back along the high street with its twinkling lights and romantic colonial styled shops and restaurants to our motel to sleep.

The drive to Napa was less scenic after Monterey as we cut inland through a mixture of built up suburbs and large expanses of farmland. We were almost at Napa before we saw our first vineyard and we drove straight to the middle of town to find the tourist centre. The helpful girl behind the desk founds a room in the conveniently located and beautiful B&B called The Napa Inn. This place is two large colonial villas that have fabulous bedrooms and amazing communal areas such as a large lounge with piano, book and DVDs to borrow, and an impressive collection of antiques and historical paraphernalia. The dining room was also prettily decorated in period prints and furniture and the hostess was very pleasant. On the sideboard were cookies and chocolates and later in the evening sherry was available for the guests.

After we checked in we dropped of our bags we got back into the car and headed off on a self guided wine tasting tour, driving up the valley and stopping at Beaulieu Vineyard first and then visiting the V Sattui Winery where not only do they have great collection of fine wine they also have an impressive deli counter. Here we bought cheeses and breads and other goodies that we had for a picnic lunch.

We continued up to the head of the valley just passed the pretty town of Calistoga and off out to the Petrified Forest. This was not quite what we expected and took all of half an hour to go around before we jumped back in the car and head back down the other side of the valley to our hotel.

We decided to take some time out and chilled out in our room with a borrowed DVD of a film set in the area called Bottle Shock. This film was about the 1976 blind tasting competition in Paris where Californian wines beat the French best and brought Napa to the attention of the world as a wine producing region. It stared Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman and was a very amusing diversion.

Later we strolled into town and saw a packed bar and grill, so decided to go into the Norman Rose Dining where we had to wait at the bar for a while for a table. We got talking to a few friendly locals who were watching the Stanley Cup final of the ice hockey league. Another nice evening was had and we tottered back to our accommodation very mellow.

The weather was not so nice in the morning being grey and drizzly so we started on our way towards our final destination on this trip. We drove towards Sausalito  A pretty town north of San Francisco, but we didn’t linger long, and we continued to the Golden Gate Bridge.

We stopped at a couple of the viewpoints to take pictures of the city and bridge in the wet. I had a plan to enter San Francisco dramatically in the mustang, with the roof down sun shining and playing ‘Let’s go to San Francisco’ over the stereo. We videoed ourselves crossing the bridge but it was with the roof up and windscreen wipers going, but even as we arrived at our hotel the skies were clearing and after we dropped the car of and returned to check in the sun had come out.

We stayed at the Chancellor Hotel just off Union Square where we had stayed many years before when we passed through SF on our way to NZ to celebrate my Uncle’s 50^th. Then we were with my aunt and uncle and had Jamie with us, now it was just the two of us and so we booked the Romance Package (wine and chocolates), I also let them know it was Sue’s birthday so in the room we ended up with loads of booze and gifts, we didn’t hesitate to crack into the fizzy and chocolates.

It is a quaint hotel and has some nice personal touches (like the rubber duck in the bathroom and bowl of sweets in the bedroom). It is also has the cable car running right outside and is a short walk to Chinatown, which is where we went for dinner.

First we had cocktails and nibbles at the Empress ofChina where we could look out across the higgledy piggley rooftops. Then after walking through the vibrant and colourful streets we ate at the Chinatown Restaurant until we felt uncomfortably stuffed.

In the morning we went to Lori’s Diner, a place we had been to before on our earlier visit and the one that sparked my love of diners. Inside there is an Edsel car and the diner’s seats are sparkly red vinyl, and tables Formica edged in chrome. Fuelled up for the day we went down to Fisherman’s wharf and walked along the waterfront and pier with the other tourists before grabbing a quick bite and taking the trolley bus towards the Golden Gate Park. We had to change to a regular bus when the aging trolley bus broke down but a little while later we were enjoying the expanses of greenery in the middle of the city.

There are many places to visit in the huge park such as galleries and museums, greenhouses and formal gardens, but for us our favourite was the small and beautifully formed Japanese Tea Gardens, an oasis of serenity and order.

For our last evening in the USA we wanted to end with sunset and cocktails like we had started in Las Vegas and we found a suitable named place in the Top of the Mark where we spent a pleasant few hours drinking, eating, listing to fine piano music and watching the sun sink behind the bridge.

In the morning we returned to the waterfront and strolled about, watching the America’s Cup yachts sailing up and down as we had lunch at the Bistro Boudin, a bakery, café and restaurant.

We finished off with more walking along the bay, witnessing a column of Police bikes riding along the promenade, before we jumped on a cable car back to the hotel and collected our bags for our journey to the airport and back home.