Having left the "third" world, we returned to the western world. Almost like emerging from a cocoon and seeing the world with new eyes, we hit LA, in the USAs Golden State of California.Having had the misconception that LA was full of fake, fickle, air-kissing lovies and Downtown waitresses who "wanna be in da movies", I was pleased to be proven wrong. Very wrong indeed. In fact, right now, I couldn't think of a better place to live!
We stayed with Paul and Jen, a lovely couple whom we met briefly in Guatemala (if you're reading this, thanks guys, for everything) and whom live a stones throw away from the beach. The beaches here are amazing. Such clean, flat expanses of land. In fact everything about LA seems so clean, the air so fresh. Maybe we just noticed it more having spent months inhaling exhaust fumes!? And, despite my other preconception of the States, there are no fatties here, just fitties. Literally everyone you see is running, power walking, cycling, roller blading, even the elderly! Steve and I were so inspired that we went for a run along the beach - such a perfect setting.
Whilst in LA Paul and Jen took us to a party and again I was so surprised at how effortlessly hospitable, friendly and welcoming the people were. You just rarely get that level of hospitality at home when confronted by a whole room of strangers.
After some last minute changes in our itinerary, Steve and I decided on a life long dream of mine...an all-American road trip (albeit a very small one). Hire car. Check. Chauffeur (Steve). Check. Destination San Francisco. Check.
Day 1 and we set off, stopping off for breakfast at...ahem...Burger King. The ultimate cardinal sin but hey, a road trip wouldn't be a road trip without a big, fat American burger for breakfast. Our journey away from the City took us through a mixture of flat, baron lands and winding mountainous roads. Then we hit Route 1 aka Big Sur, taking us around miles upon miles of coastal, mountainous roads with the most stunning scenery, the air so alpine fresh (seriously, I wish I could bottle that smell and send it home!). I felt we were truly living the American dream.
Several hundred miles later we stopped off for a bite to eat at Monterrey before bedding down for the night...in our car. Thanks to our unrivaled organisational skills (again...sigh), we had failed to make a reservation and, being labour day weekend, all camp sites were fully booked. Nevertheless, our car proved to be a convenient (and surprisingly comfortable) shelter and extremely warm thanks to our $10 sleeping bags courtesy of Walmart, allowing us to hit the public toilets for a wash (pure class) then hit the road again at first light.Day 2 and we arrived in San Francisco, parking up at the Golden Gate Bridge. The view of the bridge and the bay, with Alcatraz in the middle, was so beautiful and, despite the flock of tourists, so peaceful. I could have just sat there all day. However, time prevailed thus we set off again, heading Downtown.
San Francisco is such a cosmopolitan City and so hilly, the hills affording the most spectacular views and making the hours of trudging around great for the thighs! We sat, under the shade of the trees, in Union Square, watching the world go by. Despite its size, San Francisco is not as busy or crowded as you might expect. On the contrary it's very laid back and chilled, quite simply one hell of a cool place. Now I understand what Steve had been raving about all those times, my main motivation for wanting to come here.
Again we had no accommodation for the night so, after much driving around, found a quiet road and bedded down for the night. Not such a great nights kip was had this time. With the pitch black darkness and various ambiguous scuffling sounds, my wild imagination got the better of me. I was convinced that a bear had, at some point, peered in at the window as there was a round, thawed patch on an otherwise misty window! Needless to say, my overworked imagination meant that we were up way before the sun, thus enabling us to head back to the Golden Gate Bridge for sunrise. Standing on the top of a hill wrapped in our sleeping bags and being pounded by the ice cold winds whilst the sun slowly rose, with only a handful of people around, made me feel that we had ventured where very few people care to venture. Definitely the best time to view this attraction in my opinion!
Day 3 and we left San Francisco, heading south to the Yosemite National Park. huge alpine covered canyons, cut away by glaciers many million moons ago, has left thousands of acres of the most stunningly beautiful scenery, complete with some of the highest waterfalls and overwhelming monoliths. A fine example of natures paradise. This place is just awesome. In fact everything Californian so far has been truly awesome!
After several hours here we drove a further 1.5 hours to Bass lake where we planned to camp for the night at Forks Campground (of which we did actually pre-book!). Pitching the tent in a record 5-minutes, again courtesy of Walmart and the best 20 bucks ever spent, we settled down, beneath the stars, with a bottle of vino and a BBQ. The campground was very sparsely laid out so it almost felt as though we were alone in the wilderness. Definitely the best and most rustic camping experience that I've ever had and, being so close to nature, stuff that (my) dreams are made of.
Day 4 and, following a mish-mash of anything BBQ-able for breakfast, we spent some quality time by the lake. Having not showered for 3 days our bodies went into overdrive at the sight of fresh water and it was certainly a refreshing experience! It was the perfect end to the perfect road trip. Thank you Steve for driving the 1200 miles to fulfill my dream, even though you've seen it all before! Sorry that I couldn't share the driving but you know the world is a safer place with me off the road (plus I didn't have my license, before anyone thinks I was just plain lazy!).
Guttingly, the time came to leave LA. There is still so much of California to explore, not to mention Vegas which is a mere drive away, and still so many places in LA I didn't get to see. Oh well, something else to add to the holiday wish list...
