USA Road Trip - Monterey to Cambria

Day 8- Heading South to Carmel and the Big Sur

Who is looking at who? Elephant stare

This was the best day in the car of the entire trip and perhaps we should have allocated an extra day to this stretch of seaside. We hit the Coast and made our way onto 17 mile drive. There was a 10 Dollar toll to pay but it was worth it. We stopped for coffee at Pebble Beach. It is a Public Course, anyone can play. Well if you have 500 Dollars in your pocket you can. We made do with a look at the practice putting green, that was free. Carmel by the sea beckoned. We did the Tourist thing, a wander on the beach and then a nose around the shops. It was still a bit misty and cool but we enjoyed our time in this very pleasant town.
Our aim was to have Lunch at the Mission Ranch, owned by Clint Eastwood a former Mayor of Carmel. We found it OK but they were only serving Dinner.
Must have a word next time I see him, Go on Clint, Make my Day - open for Lunch (please)!

Tee in the rocks

Tea for two at Pebble Beach

On course

Carmel Beach

Keen Shopper in Carmel

Mission Ranch

Mission Ranch

Their Reception recommended The Hyatt Carmel Highlands so off we toddled.

Lunchtime vista

Great views of the Ocean, even with low cloud, and a nice Lunch with great service. They only have Valet parking by the Hyatt but a kind Lady at a hotel up the road let us park free over lunchtime.

Onward and downward along Highway One. It is a fairly leisurely drive, Americans going South towards LA are somewhere else, on one of the fast track options. It was a stop and start journey as we took in the scenery from the various viewpoints.

Looking back in the mist to Bixby Bridge

Nepenthe Restaurant - Coffee Break

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
an 80ft waterfall hits the beach

A stop at the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park was recommended to us. We duly stopped and paid our 10 Dollars. Some bounders parked by the road and avoided the fee. Some foreign tourists ignored the signs that the beach was out-of bounds and were give a citation by the Park Rangers. There were also wiped down as the local vegetation includes poison oak an innocuous looking plant that can cause very nasty allergic reactions.  We had a good chat with one of the Rangers and he told us that some indigenous people are immune. He also told us that the whale we saw off-shore was a Humpback. 

TW takes in the view at JPBSB

Poison Oak

Piedras Blancas Beach

The Elephant Seals are a sight to see. They were nearly hunted to extinction but were saved when we humans found other sources of oil. They first turned up here in the 90's and now about 17,000 call this beach home. Happily not all were on the sand for our visit, they are very, very smelly! Next stop the Bluebird Inn, our excellent Motel. Dinner at Robins Restaurant was lovely.

The sun goes down on a great day

Where we stayed http://www.bluebirdinncambria.com/  Cambria

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USA Road Trip - Monterey or bust

Day 7 Coastal Caper

Seals at Monterey

Back in the Malibu for another long drive down from the Sierra Mountains towards the Pacific Coast. It started as a pleasant easy run on a quiet road flanked by Pine Trees. The forests are sadly being depleted by a combination of a prolonged drought and a dastardly beetle. Anyway, we were soon on the fertile inland plain that runs the length of California. They can grow practically anything here, everything from Almonds to Zucchini. Spot the fruit was a good game to play as we headed down the long straight roads. We took a Lunch break at Hollister which was a little frustrating. Jerry's looked from the outside to be fast food but it was pretty slow and mega portions. A massive Gammon steak turned up after a delay and alongside were Potatoes, Pancakes etc. Hollister was previously only know to me as a sporty tee-shirt brand from Southern California. From today it will be a mega meal destination with very leisurely service. Eventually we traversed the coastal range and reached Monterey. We stopped at the Stagecoach Inn, a Motel in a decent location, not far from the sea. Bags were quickly dumped and we headed for the bike hire shop in Cannery Row.

Back on the bikes

We managed to get an hour in before the shop closed. We pedalled South along beautiful coastline and then were blown back to Cannery Row. We saw seals, birds and nice but not too posh homes. TW reckoned some of the lawns were artificial? Nice colourful plants but the coastal vegetation is not native having been imported from South Africa.

Our Coastal Bike Route

On the Coast

The native stuff was dominated by Poison Oak which is a really unsociable plant that can put you in hospital. Very nice to get some sea air after the long drive. Cannery Row made famous by Steinbeck and Sardines is a bit tripperish today but otherwise Monterey made a nice stop-over. TW insisted on a break at the Ghirardelli Choc Shop. We dined out on the local Fisherman's Wharf. We were a bit late and the meal was a bit underwhelming but we probably chose the wrong place. We could have done with a wagon and horses to get us back to the Stagecoach but instead it was a safe 30 minute wander.

Wagons roll at the Stagecoach

USA Road Trip - Yosemite - Heading for the Hills

Day 5 - On the safe side of the street

Leaving the San Francisco skyline behind

Time to pack up and pick up a hire car - but not before a walk around the City. TW wanted to have a look around Macy's. I planned to sneak a nice coffee and cake but sadly their Cafe opened too late. Off to Alamo  at mid-day to pick up a very tidy Chevrolet Malibu. Hire companies always try and up-sell and we bought additional roadside assistance. Not really sure why the standard roadside assistance does not cover tyre issues? Bit (very) concerned about driving out of the busy, hilly city that is crisscrossed by tram lines in an unfamiliar car on the wrong side of the road. One wrong left turn and we would be dicing with the cable cars and definitely heading for the stars! Our route to the Freeway was planned meticulously and our strategy worked famously. We were soon heading East with the traffic on our carriageway going in the same direction - phew! Only 4 hours to Yosemite National Park. Not a bad drive, we stopped for Lunch at McDonalds in Livingston. It was named after Dr David Livingstone but someone dropped a vowel. Americans do have a habit of doing that. It was in a mostly Agricultural area and many of our fellow guests were speaking Spanish. A nice climb up Highway 140 through Mariposa, an attractive Western looking town. The road was quiet in our direction, our strategy of leaving SF late paid off. Our Motel was just short of the Park in El Portal. The Yosemite View Lodge was pretty pricey for just a standard Motel Room but it had a kitchen area so it was fine for a hastily purchased Spam Pasta and Wine meal. An Irish couple had advised against using the Motel Restaurant as the service was deathly slow. Our room was a bit dark, the Riverside Rooms are better but they cost even more. We were paying for location, and what a location.........

Day 6 - Yosemite National Park

TW in the meadow with Horsetail Falls

Yosemite is stunning and we had a lovely sunny day to see it. A very full day with a wander up to Mirror Lake being a highlight. It was extremely busy with tourists but it did not detract from our day.
They have an optional Park and Shuttle Ride system - we did the decent thing and opted in. The buses were a little bit of a trial, they seem to do multiple figures of eight so there is no such thing as a simple A to B.

Lower Yosemite Falls

 

Bear Necessity - put your food out of reach

Oh, and bears like Tarragon. We had a talk and walk with a very jolly Ranger who meandered verbally and on foot through the bear history and habitat. Humans have a very negative impact on our furry friends. Like the rest of us, the bears like the easy life and a few treats and its vital to keep them away from our foodstuffs and waste. The huge number of campers have to put their food in bear-proof cages and eat their fatty and unhealthy food themselves. A scavenging bear might only last 6 years whereas a bear with a proper varied diet of berries and whatever else satisfies their omnivorous taste buds will last 30. In times past the Rangers used to encourage the bears to come to feeding time but not any more. Stay wild young Bruin! No Burgers.

Small world - some other tourists took this - from Southampton

Mirror Lake

Spot the climber - on El Capitan

Lower Yosemite Falls

Falls and Fools - its a ussie sort of place

 Beats me how people climb on the vertical rock faces like El Capitan. This is a glacial valley and the rock-faces are absolutely vertical, Suitable only for waterfalls and birdies.

USA Road Trip - San Francisco here we come

Day 2 California Drizzling

Cold and wet in LA. California is not supposed to get English weather. Mind you, the Hilton could have been anywhere. We could not afford the breakfast in the Restaurant but we did get a nice muffin and coffee at the Bistro in the Hotel before we headed for Terminal 4 and our flight to San Francisco.

Bit of a trial going through security. Seemed strange with no belt, no shoes, no wallet and having to stand in a glass cubicle with arms aloft. Bit like having a dry shower without the pleasant hot water. Anyway we passed and made it to a transfer bus to the plane. After a grand tour of LA Airport the driver eventually found our plane. The Pilot then bounced us back in the opposite direction to where we joined a queue to take off. Must be a nightmare coordinating all the ground traffic, everyone seemed lost. It took ages to get airborne.

Nice flight with American to San Francisco. Bit of a worry when the plane took off and headed right out to Sea over the Pacific. Luckily the pilot realised his mistake before we reached Hawaii and we turned North to SFO. A quick flight, they only had time to give us a glass of water. They could have served a 3 course meal while we were on the ground.

San Francisco Airport! It seemed strangely quiet as we made our way to BART. Apparently it’s named after a character in the Simpsons? It’s a Rapid Transit System that is indeed pretty quick and, despite the difficulty we had buying a ticket, whisked us to Powell Street near Union Square. We expected lots of homeless to be hanging around and we were not disappointed. We looked pretty obviously lost and lumbered with bags so we took a taxi to our hotel on Bush Street. The streets are pretty steep so it was a good move although tricky to find a taxi able to turn right. We were told there were so many one way streets the drivers specialised in either left turns or right turns. We reached our B&B after an uphill and a couple of right turns and were made very welcome. The Petite Auberge on Bush St was a bit of a haven for the following 3 nights. They serve a very good breakfast with porridge and have an Afternoon wine party. No problem settling in here then! The décor is a bit strange but this is countered by bottles of water and soft drinks being free from the fridge and also coffee on tap. The location is not bad, very close to Union Square. We were advised NEVER to turn left out of the Hotel. We never did it because apparently down to the left was dangerous and took the unsuspecting victims into Tenderloin or to the painfully named Tender Nob.

TW at Bubba Gump

Dinner at the Daily Grill

We stuck with our Right Turns and were soon in Union Square. We dined out in style in the nearby Daily Grill, tough on the pocket but delightful on the palette. A lovely steak with great beer. It is apparent that US beer quality has improved markedly since my last visit. I had a lovely locally brewed IPA.

Day 3 Streets of San Francisco and off to prison

On the Bus - dripping wet

Lost in San Francisco. Our first job of the day, after a hearty and convivial breakfast, was to pick up our tickets to Alcatraz. It used to be free to visit there, you just needed to do something horribly violent or upset the warden at one of the mainland prisons. It;s only a 15 minute ride on the ferry but it was just about escape proof. If you tried to swim home the currents would drag you away,you would freeze to death and you would be eaten by crabs. Anyway we decided to pay to visit and our trial was to find where to pick up the tickets. We took a bus from Market Street to Fisherman's Wharf and expected to be in the right place - wrong!

Gone fishin - Fisherman's Wharf in the rain

We were the wrong end of Fisherman's Wharf and wound our way for the next 2 hours through the streets of San Francisco. It was one helluva relief when we found the office, we arrived wet and bedraggled. We had pre-paid in UK for the boat trip plus hop-on hop-off buses. We found we were booked on the 14:40 boat so had plenty of time for a hopping tour before the cruise. They use an open-top red bus which ironically is almost identical to the one that passes our house in Poole. This one, sadly, was really knackered. The open top was empty due to the heavy rain and cold. Water was leaking through the roof onto the downstairs passengers. We were supposed to have a running commentary as we made our way back on the very route down Columbus that we had just walked but all we heard was a damp induced fizz from the speakers. TW complained and they turned up the sound. We did hear the commentary Lady say we were now in Tendernob which made the Ladies giggle. We hopped off the bus at Pier 39 and had lunch at Bubba Gump. We decided we needed some light relief and a few shrimps.  

The Golden Gate

SF skyline from the rock

TW in solitary

Cell Comfort?

And so to Alcatraz. Quite an interesting afternoon. TW nearly got locked in a cell. I got a bit fed up up with all the tales of failed escapes, the gloomy cells and the cold wet weather.

Alcatraz invites

 I resisted the temptation to swim for shore and,instead, enjoyed a boat trip back, it was a relief to see the skyline of SF getting closer. A cheap dinner at Macdonalds was ordered. It was becoming clear this would not a cheap trip.

We are sailing

Day 4 Hopping off to Sausalito.

Right, we now have bus transportation sorted. We are ready for Sausalito via the Golden Gate Bridge. 

We hopped on the sight-seeing bus at Union Square for a comfortable journey to the start of the Sausalito bus tour. Quite a jolly tour guide for the route through Chinatown and Nob Hill. We saw a lot more as the windows were not steamed up and it was a great deal more comfortable with the raindrops not falling on our heads. A much brighter day meant we could sit on the top deck on the run over the Golden Gate to Sausalito. It was a windy ride across the bridge but well worth it.

By the time we reached Sausalito it almost felt warm. We certainly felt more comfortable in the sunshine as we wandered around the pretty seaside town. A lot of people cycle over the GG bridge and take the boat back.  As a result, bike parking has become a problem - or maybe an opportunity. Valet parking has been introduced for cyclists! Probably not a bad idea as the pavements are narrow. Also nice and secure, when you hire a bike over here you have to pay up for a replacement if it gets stolen!

We had a really nice lunch in Scoma's on the Harbour front. We had the cheaper options and shared a pud. but we were looked after very well. It was USA Mother's Day and Restaurants were very busy.

Our great Restaurant in Sauasalito - Scoma's

Lunchtime at Scoma's

And so to the Ferry for the trip back San Francisco. It was a bit of a scrum because all the cyclists were coming back with us. Once on board we had a very good cruise across the bay. We made time for a coffee at Fisherman's Wharf but not before a careful study of the Sea Lions on the adjacent pontoons.

Benidorm - sea lions

Not a lot different to watching humans on the beach - only the umbrellas, cool boxes and sunscreen are missing. Some of the beasts are sociable whilst others obviously like a little privacy and try to dominate their very own pontoon. Apparently the sea lions moved in after one of the many earthquakes and could not be dislodged. They are now protected so they cannot be deported.

Doing a U turn

A dilemma now - shall we walk or shall we take a cable car home? The cable car won easily and we had a ride home in style. Back home to the Auberge in time for a glass of wine and then time travel to the fifties for Dinner at Lori's Diner. All very Fifties, the only modern thing was the price. Happy Days!

Petite Auberge - our little home in San Fran

http://www.petiteaubergesf.com/           San Francisco

USA Road Trip 2016 - The Prologue

California here we come - plus a little bit of Nevada, Arizona and Utah

On a little cable car heading  the stars

Day one – on the Siven, Siven, Siven – NZ1 to LA.

We chose Air New Zealand flights for our trip.

Two good reasons - The price was keen and we like them

Bit odd getting on the plane knowing we were getting off half-way. NZ1 was on its way to Auckland. We were, of course, down in steerage but we were able to look at Premium Economy so that was a consolation. Not sure what we would do with all that space if we had it, would only lose stuff. Our little seats were still a giant step from Southall. The drive from Poole towards Heathrow was fine but we had a bit of a conflict with the Sat Nav lady. TW nearly threw her out of the window.

For some reason she did not want to take us to our destination, she refused to navigate us to a disused gas works in Southall, does she know something we don’t?

Will our little car be OK at Purple Parking? We managed to trick her into taking us there eventually and then took an immediate transfer to Terminal 2.

The first time at the new Terminal and it was very smart. Check-in was as complicated as ever, a lot of people standing around showing you how to self-check in. Never seems straight-forward despite the fact that we have already done it on-line and we still had to check in bags at the counter. Best thing is to play dumb and they do it all for you anyway.

We still had time to buy lunch before the flight, but not to eat it and my fruit salad went in the bin.

Anyway, Air New Zealand looked after us very well. I sat next to a chap from SF who was thoroughly engrossed in films on his lap top. He only moved to go to the loo but, rather oddly, stepped on my seat to get there.  I was not sitting in it fortunately. I think he said he was a dancer so at least he was light on his feet. TW sat next to an English adopted kiwi lady who lived near Nelson and had a vineyard. Did not invite us to come and stay unfortunately. I did not have a lot of luck with the Entertainment System, getting to an age when I can’t really see it or hear it very well and don’t really like what I could hardly view or listen to anyway. There was some violent rubbish on with a bearded Leonardo de Caprio shouting and everyone get stuck with arrows or garrotted. Pity he did not go down with the Titanic.

No problems with entering the USA at LAX. TW had thrown away or eaten all her food and the visa’s worked. There were actually quite welcoming in their nice new Terminal. Next stop the Hilton on a transfer bus.

Ski Season 2015/2016 is over.

That's it then for this Ski Season

Last day Blues on top of H5

It was a very good year. Lets face it, every year that we are able to strap on the ski's and tour around Gasteinertal is going to be good.

Only 49 Ski Days this year. We delayed our New Year trip until the 12th January and then the March trip was truncated due to a combination of illnesses and the early Easter.

As always we skied hard and ate well on the mountain. The Haitzingalm is my favourite coffee stop, Tom and Waltraud always give us a warm welcome.

Elevenses at the Haitzingalm

In Summer or in Winter the Baerstein is very hospitable. The season was no exception. Its new extension is all ready for the new lifts that we hope to see in 2017/2018. The snow person takes some beating. Johanna insisted she did not model for it!

Tough last Day?

A cold front at the Baerstein.

In the evenings, the Berglift was as good as ever. We used the Gastein Alm a few times as well as it is more lively and at Da Dinos the Pizza's and Padrone are great. We had two great nights out at the Hirschenhutte. Too much dancing for my tired knees but great company and superb chicken and Ribs.

Bring on December!

Austria - Skiing Day Trip to Zell am See

Zell am Ski - Life by the Lake

Heading for the See

Always time for elevenses

Zell is pretty close to Gastein, only about 45 minutes by car. It is a very different sort of place and is the local commercial centre with a big shopping area that sprawls along the valley. A good place to buy a TV but also, I now know, a great place to ski. We were lucky to have a bright sunny day with great snow. There were plenty of trees and nice wide slopes with plenty of space to accommodate the various standards of skier. We are fortunate that Gastein is quite a tricky resort so when go elsewhere its not too daunting a challenge. The blacks into the village were quite steep but had plenty of width. The scenery is beautiful and definitely my favourite 'out of valley' experience of the season.

Zell - good enough to be rated 94th for the season