Well we're at the LAX airport

It's 9pm here or 3 pm in Melbourne. We are at the airport, scotch in hand waiting for the flight at 11.30pm.

This morning after a walk to the local shops to grab a coffee, I dropped the girls shopping at a large shopping outlet that was about 6km away, and went home for some more sleep. Tony was still a bit off colour so he was still sleeping. The girls texted me when it was time to collect them and we went for an hour drive along the the pacific coast before heading home to start packing. We saw some Dolphins off one of the beaches.

We were back at the house at about three so it was time to pack and get ready to come home. At about 5.45 we headed off but only as far as a local cafe for some seafood and to watch a pacific sunset.

It was brilliant - both the food and the sunset.

Leguna Beach is about 50 miles or just under 100km from the LAX airport. It took just under an hour to get to the Jeep rental office at the airport. They shuttled us across and we went straight through check-in and security in record time.

Metrics

We have -

• Flowen over 38,0000 km - both planes and helicopters
• Driven a little over 3,800km - We hired a Mustang and a Jeep

• Stayed in 11 different cities in California and Nevada - Rented 4 houses and stayed in resorts and motels for the other nights
• Traversed Yosemite and Death Valley National Parks and flowen into the Grand Canyon to float down the Colorado River.
• Ate out nearly every meal

 

It's been fun, fun, fun.











Animals

Sophie has kept a record of the animals we've seen in the wild whilst traveling in America:

Deers

Skunk

Seals

Elephant seals

Sea otter

Squirrel

Coastal squirrel

Coyote

Rabbit

Dolphin

Food

I tried to go 4 weeks without and vegetables or fruit; I lasted three. Fries were the substitute, even at breakfast. I think it was an accident but somehow I had a salad and then started having some fruit. I think I've put 8kg.

I took photos of most of my meals - wierd but so where some of them.




It's A Small World

On our flight from LA to New York our financial adviser was on the same plane

In 46th street in New York we bumped into some parents from Thalia's time at Caulfield Grammer

Saw Tim Robbins (Thelma and Louise etc.) a famous actor and producer at a supermarket in Venice Beach

Bumped into Rhonda and Kelly from Sophie's dance school at a shopping centre in Los Angeles

One Sophie's classmates was staying in a casino/resort opposite ours in Las Vegas.

Linda just ran in to another scientist from Melbourne here at LAX airport.

See you all soon.

 

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Tuesday 9th to Thursday

So there were a photo of us on Tuesday from San Diego at the bar they used in Top Gun. San Diego is the second biggest city in California (who knew) and a big naval town. It was actually pretty cool as we were

leaving and driving around San Diego Bay an aircraft carrier was entering the bay. Massive but I couldn't find out the name of it (wish I'd asked the old blokes watching beside us). After that we headed north on the Pacific Highway to where earlier in the morning Linda had rented zza house for us to spend the last 4 days of our holiday.

Tuesday

ZAs above we headed north to Leguna Beach which is on the coast, south east of Los Angeles. Pretty much the look and feel of Brighton back home. We travelled along the coast until it started looking like we needed speed things up and we went inland to a freeway; we had to meet the house owner at 5pm. 

 The house was so cool - picket fence, swing on thvermont porch and az little back yard with an aviary in it. Oh yeah, and the pacific ocean was at the end of the street. After meeting the owners and the rental foamlities we headed to the beach nd ended up up at a restraint/bar on a cliff over looking Laguna Beach. The sunset was fatastic. We had dinnner at another Restraunt later on.

Wednesday

Wednesday is rest day - no driving, and time to chill out as we are heading home in a couple of days and Disneyland is on the card for Thursday. So, we chilled out - sleep in, late brunch/lunch things, and an afternoon at the beach. I swzzam for about 45min as the water is still warm.

Warm water still, so the weather has been magnificent. An Indian Summer - the water is still unseasonably warm, and everywhere we've been has been warm to hot and no rain. Even the pilot that flew us to the Grand Canyon said we had a special day. The west pass we drove through in Yosemite usually closes zza week or so after we travelled it, and it was over 30C that day. They've been waiting for a big low pressure to cross the coast for two weeks and bring the fall weather break.

Thursday

Disneyland today!!!! We drove to Disney at about 9am as it was only a 20 min drive to Anaheim. Can't say anything else other than we went to Disneyland - grouse.

Hmmmm.... Poor Tony was a bit ill by the time we got home so we dropped him off and we went out for a very, very late dinner (10pm).

Ahhhhh - we fly home tomorrow night.

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At Disneyland plotting the days activities

It's true

Everything is better with bacon and cheese

Hello from Laguna Beach

Sitting in Johnny Rockets waiting for the movie theatre to open. Need a rest after an afternoon at the beach

Lunch in San Diego

We just drove into downtown for brunch. Ended up in the bar where Top Gun was filmed. On the way we were lucky enough to see an aircraft carrier entering the San Diego Bay.

After this we are heading to Laguna Beach where this morning we have rented a house for our final 4 days in the US.

 

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Grand Canyon and beyond

So last Saturday we were picked up by a limousine from our Hotel, New York New York, and taken zza short dive to the Los Vegas airport where we met our pilot for our flight to the Grand Canyon (I already posted some photos of us at the airport while we were waiting).

Grand Canyon

Once we're we're briefed about the safety we took of to the Grand Canyon. It was a 45 min helicopter flight each way. On the way we flew over Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam - all massive. But the best was to come. at times the mountains came right up to the helicopter. The helicopter seated 6 people, two in the front and 4 in the back - all had great views because of all the glasszz. We rotated the seating across the 6 hours of our tour.

As we flew over a ridge we had our first view of the canyon - it dropped 3 km straight down. It was amazing. The helicopter slowly fly along the canyon whilst deciding below the sheer cliffs until we reached the canyon floor and the Colorado river. It was mind blowing.

You have to see it to believe it, and photos and video can't show how great this place is.

We deparated the chopper on the canyon floor and hopped on a punt for a trip up the Colorado river. There were plenty of photos taken, as the punt floated back down the river to the Helicopter.

After the punt we hopped back in the helicopter and flew up the canyon, and then up to the west rim where we were dropped at the SkyWalk. The SkyWalk is a glass structure that hangs out over the canyon where you can look straight down 3km to the bottom.

We had a couple of hours to ourselves to explore around the west rim. This is where we had lunch and caught some buses, to other viewing area. All amazing.

At around 3pm we met our pilot back at the airport and he flew us back to Las Vegas.

Our hotel, New York New York is in the photo on the left. It was taken as we flew past.

On Saturday evening Tony and Linda went to another adult only Cirque De Solei performance that was shoeing in our hotel. Sophie and I hung out and over the evening went on 6 rides on the roller coaster ride that starts and finishes inside our hotel - you can see it in the pictur above, in the middle at the bottom.

Sunday

We checked out and drove to Palm Springs via the Majov Reserve. Not the quickest but the most scenic route. As per where we have been the scenery was great.

We detoured of the main road to see the Kelso Sand Dunes; these dunes are 20 meters high and form from the northwesterly wind collecting the sand and then blowing back on its self when it hits the mountains. The sand is dropped to form these dunes I. The middle of nowhere.

The scenery was fantastic and not far away was the Joshua Tree National Park which inspired U2 - and as we headed south through the Majov Joshua Trees started to appear everywhere. Apparently they can grow to 6-7 meters in height.

When we left the Reserve we travelled in part of Route 66.


Just before Palm Springs on either side of the road was America's biggest wind farm. 3,200 wind turbines - they generate all of Palm Springs power. ZAmazing.

 

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