LA, Hollywood & Universal studio's

The last leg on journey in the US was all the glitz and glam of LA. I think no where else in the world can you be greeted by capt jack Sparrow, A guy from the movie 300, a band member from Kiss & Shrek all within 20 metres on the street... and all asking for money.
A trip to LA is also not complete without paying $20US for a map of all the 'stars' homes from the homeless guys and visiting them all- (please note the sarcasm). Despite the cheese factor LA was really cool I enjoyed the sights and Nadia really enjoyed the shopping.

Above- the famous 'Hollywood' sign on the hill in the background. It is not that clear as there was still the odd bit of smoke lingering from the many fires that they have had in California.

Above- One of the many star's that lines Hollywood Blv, everyone from Jimi Hendrix to the Wiggles gets a star- I did not see too many Shortland street stars although Hone Ropata aka Temuera Morrison may have made it.

Above- Who would have thought that Arnie would not only 'come back', but come back as the Governor of California aka the 'Governator'.

Nadia graces the red carpet in front of Universal studios

Above- I try my best to look as touristy as possible in front of the entrance to Universal studios.

Above the Jurassic park ride was fun. We laughed at the Japanese tourists who put jackets on in the 36 degree heat for this ride.... they certainly had the last laugh....

Above- Waterworld was the most expensive movie ever made when it was released, The Waterworld display at Universal is very cool and probably as expensive.

Above- for all the Desperate Houswives fans here is what you have been waiting for, Wysteria lane (I think this is Susan's house- oh who am I kidding of course this is Susan's).

Unfortunately the very slow mechanical 'Jaws' has lost his scare factor over the years, but it is still a must see on the Studios behind the scenes tour

Santa Monica beach

Above- A scene straight out of Baywatch but David Hasselhoff (the hoff) is nowhere to be seen.

LA concluded our tour of the US. We left the sunshine of the States behind us and were welcomed back to London to the English cricket team losing, the All Blacks winning, the weather raining and the transport system running late... aaaaah home sweet home, order had been restored in the world.

Monterey, Pebble Beach & Santa Barbara

After having a great time in Yosemite we drove back across to the West coast of the country. The plan was to drive to Monterey spend a night, then follow state highway 1 down the coast through Carmel, spend a night in Santa Barbara and then onto LA. Not all plans pan out exactly as you think they might though, and this journey was no exception.

Above- The rugged coastline of Monterey resembles a NZ coastline, oh except for the multi million dollar golf courses.

Above- Monterey is well known for its canneries among other things

Above- A classic American style lunch, burger, garlic fries and of course a Budwiser

Above- Montetery harbour

Above- the coast around Monterey and Carmel (90 mile drive) is a great sight, so good that you have to pay $10 USD for the privilege- I guess someone has to pay the gardners of the muti million dollar villas that Hollywood stars spend 1 week a year in.

Above- Carmel with the long luschious fareways of Pebble beach golf course in the background.

Above- What do Davis Love III, Tiger Woods, Mark Omeara and Phil Mickleson all have in common- All winners at the AT&T open at Pebble Beach.

The West Coast of America is home to one of the best drives in the world down State highway one all the way from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The picture above shows some of the action that you are in for with beautiful beaches windy roads and spectacular views.

Above- Unfortunately 40 minutes into our drive down state highway 1 we were meet with 5 police cars and the news that due to all the fires we would not be able to continue down the coast. This was dissapointing in itself, but what really ripped our undies is that we could not cut across and meet up with an adjourning highway but instead had to turn around and drive 1 hour back from where we had come from and start again.

After finally arriving in Santa Barbara after a long drive we were greeted to a lovely hotel room- unfortunately though there was no power because of the fires! The picture above shows not clouds, but smoke coming from the hills!

Yosemite National Park

Before leaving San Fran we went to pick up our rental car only to be told that our 4 door, economy vehicle was not available, but they did have a 2 door red Ford Mustang sports car if we would prefer, an easy choice! After travelling 5 hours east across the country in the 'Tang' we arrived at Yosemite National park.
Above- The Ford MustangAbove- We stayed at Camp Curry which is right in the middle of the National park. It has a lot more 'mod cons' that I am traditionally used to from camping in Cadrona including bars, restaurants and most crucially flushing toilets.

Above- The 'tent' that we stayed in was very comfortable. The green steel box at the base of the tent is called the 'bear box'. This is where you must lock up anything with a scent that might attract the bears including snacks and toiletries including toothpaste!

Above- the trail up to the very impressive Vernal Falls.

Above- Nadia takes a break on our walk

Above- The Vernal falls from Clark Point

Above- The Nevada falls

Above- The view from Camp Curry includes 'Half Dome' a large granite structure which is a popular hiking destination for the 1000's of tourists each year.

The views at Yosemite national park rival parts of NZ and we both really enjoyed our time there. The wildlife that you can see is unparalleled including bears, which we saw on one of our walks.

San Francisco

After having a great time in Las Vegas, we set off for San Francisco. Our only knowledge of San Francisco came in the form of the 90's classic, Full House unfortunately though it wasnt Bob Sagget and the Olsen twins that greeted us to the home of the Golden Gate bridge but instead there were lots of homeless people.
San Fran is well known for the amount of fog that it gets, but after our visit it will also be remembered for its smoke. During the time we were there the state of California was experiencing countless fires which was creating an eiry mist around the city which was not good for taking photos as per below.

Above- A picture of downtown San Francisco taken from the 'Bay' bridge which is almost as big, if not bigger than the Golden gate bridge.

Above Lombard Street- the crookedest street in the world.

Above- The Golden Gate Bridge- as you can tell from Nadia's apparel, the weather was not exactly barmy in San Fran.

Above- Alcatraz Island aka 'the Rock' which was once home to Al Capone. We did the night tour which was hugely entertaining and educational and a must for a visit to San Fran.

Above- One of the cells where the great escape from 'the rock' was hatched. In the bottom left you can see the fake heads made out of soap including hair to convince guards that they were still sleeping. Below the sink you can see the hole that was carved out of the cell wall so they could climb up the pipes to the roof and on toward their escape.

Above- Alcatraz is home to a lot of history including when the 'Indians' took over the island from 1969-1971 as a political protest.

Above- A view of San Fran from the Golden Gate bridge.

Fishermans wharf is a popular destination for tourists when in San Fran. We were dissapointed when we went to a water front restaurant to taste some of the local sea food delights, but the only fish they were offering was Mahi Mahi from Hawaii and unbelievably Hoki from New Zealand! Apparently the waters are too poluted so everything it brought in.

Above- How cool is that, they have a 'Clark' Bar in America.


Above- Nadia looks sultry in front of one of the many great wineries in the Napa and Sanoma wine region.


On one of our days in San Fran we went for a tour to the wine regions of Sanoma and Napa Valley. We were picked up in a bus an visited 5 different wineries before being dropped off to our hotel.
Above- Nadia inspects the grapes at one of the winery's in the Napa Valley.

Viva Las Vegas & the Grand Canyon

The start of our 2 week tour of America began in Vegas. Las Vegas was stinking hot, between 35-40 degrees, which makes sense given it is in the middle of the Nevada dessert.


Above- Las Vegas Airport welcomes you with all the glitz and glam that you would expect, including 1000's of slot machines in the terminals.


Above- New York New York- Las Vegas style (Note the roller coaster)


Me on the slots, proudly showing off my 'Invervegas' t-shirt, no such luck on the gambling front though.


Nadia and I at the Bellagio


The Monte Carlo where we stayed was located on 'the strip' just opposite the MGM grand, all the mod cons of the MGM and half the price- my kind of hotel!


Above- One of the many wedding chapel's in Vegas. Nadia and I opted out of the Elvis wedding instead going for the option in Invers in March.

Above- The Balligio hotel holds a water and light display every 15 minutes accompanied by classical music belting out from the surrounding speakers.

Whilst in Vegas we went for a helicopter ride into the Grand Canyon. The Helicopter tour was 3 hours and takes off from McCarran airport which is conveniently located 5-1o minutes from the 'strip'. It is definatley the way to do it, riding in style and it beats the 6-7 hour car drive.

Above- Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam

The sun creating shadows on the canyon make it an impressive sight.

After the intial 'clawing' of my arm in the early stages of our flight, Nadia loosens up to give the camera the big thumbs up.

Above- No picture can really do the massive size of the canyon justice, but here is my attempt anyway.