One week later...

Now we have been home one whole week! Some generalised thoughts:

Southern California is an exception in almost every case.

Elsewhere we found incredibly polite people. Sometimes we suspected this to be a somewhat shallow/insincere front but certainly every effort was made to please. Most people we met were truly genuine.

Many people asked us about the political position in Australia (about which we know very little - we were told we had a female PM but an American). They appear genuinely interested in us.

Not as many as on our previous visit, but certainly there is still quite a concern about what Australian's think of USA.

Motorists actually stop so you can cross the road! No need to be an assertive pedestrian! No evidence of frustration because I walk a little slower than many. Even in crowded Manhattan and Washington DC at peak hour not one person bumped into me or expected me to move out of their way. Somehow they manage to walk without collisions...

In every case I was given a seat in a bus or train. Young people immediately stand for anyone older than them and there is never any thought of leaving people without seats while they take 2 for their personal use. Buses did not move off until everyone was seated or stable.

Slower drivers will actually pull over to let others pass. This is expected.

The scenery is awesome. All National Parks visited were unique and stunning. Whilst cities are kind of a mandatory touchdown, it is in the countryside of USA that I truly find I am filled with an inner glow.

I have refined my gun policy. Where there is no likelihood of meeting a bear, cougar, moose, bison, wolf etc that is in a 'bad mood', then guns are not a requirement for life. Where these natives may become a real threat (ie not for hunting purposes), then I absolutely would be having a rifle on hand! I like Australia's policy -licence, responsibility etc. This is the case in some parts of USA, where to threaten or even point a replica gun at a person is an offence.

Up north we encountered responsible environmental talk relating to conservation of forests, animals, glaciers, waterways etc. In Montana, where forest fire is a risk, people take extreme precaution to protect their neighbour.

So, most of my observations are positive.

Just a few negatives:

Tipping. It seems to be a way of avoiding taxation and at around 20% (rounded up and down a little) is ridiculously expected or added in almost every situation where somewhere serves you in any way.

Tax. Prices look lower initially, but don't forget to add the tax because this generally does not show on the price tag. When staying in hotels, sometimes there is also a bed tax, a reservation tax etc etc, which is not mentioned to you when the initial price is quoted. Impossible to predict how much to get out of your wallet or how much will go onto the card.

'You're welcome'. I am sure this is genuine, but we got sick of hearing every time we said 'Thank you'. It seemed to lose meaning because it was so spontaneous and never varied. We would have loved to leave a greater influence with options such as "No worries", "That's fine", "Not a problems". Better still a few Aussie phrases that were a little more ambiguous. We found that in general our regular comments such as "Here you go", brought questioning gazes...."Go...where?". Very literal interpretations.

Last day

The last day is always difficult. Bags are packed and yes, it did fit though we wonder how we will manage to get on and off a shuttle bus once we drop Charlotte back at the airport.

Southern California does nothing much for me and was an unwise choice to end our holiday here. What a downer after such a wonderful few weeks!

Without elaborating - dirty, rude, narrow minded. I cannot think of much about Hollywood or LA that is worth reporting as it cannot be done positively. Hilton Hotel in Glendale is fine, and probably the best place to spend the day - they have a nice pool and spa!

San Diego

The trip from Ojai, south to San Diego would take a little over 3 hours we were told by Tomtom. With a stop for lunch it took just over 4 hours. Not bad! How pleased I was to be heading south, as most of the multiple lanes for most of the northern trip were almost at a standstill. No wonder we were warned to allow 6 hours!

The beaches were packed (it was a Sunday) and really did not look so inviting to us spoilt (in this regard) Queenslanders. The perpetual daytime fogs probably did nothing to enhance this, so we opted instead for a swim in the pool/spa at the hotel.

Unlike last time we visited San Diego, there appears to be little Naval activity, though the civilian planes still fly with an alarmingly low appearance over the city.

A full day at San Diego Zoo was pleasant enough and kept us well entertained until shortly before closing at 9pm last night. The now mandatory open top double decker bus took us on a tour of 80% of the park to start a tour. This proved an excellent way to begin to understand the layout of the extremely hilly location - not unlike, or perhaps even worse than Taronga.

The giraffes do not have the view of their Sydney cousins. We apologised to the lone kookaburra in one enclosure for his loneliness, although there were others throughout the zoo. Many Australian animals were included and were obviously very popular, with each bus guide explaining that the koalas are not actually bears (though I note most clients were overheard to call them bears). The zoo appears to have a successful koala breeding program happening, which is nice to know should some catastrophe eliminate them from Aussie shores.

The wedding

Rolling Thunder was a mixture of relaxation and preparation on the morning of the wedding.

The day was quite pleasantly hot - probably a little over 100 degrees, so most spent some time in the pool. Last minute additions and preparations for the bean salad were made and with little fuss we all groomed ourselves up for the occasion.

A shuttle took us from the house, up the narrow, winding road to the venue - a private property owned by a wealthy benefactor who had donated a part of it for public use. In this section, irrigation had ensured quite lush vegetation/gardens appropriate for this dry climate, which included trees and succulents. Careful timing meant that the ceremony took place when trees shaded the area, though the fans provided were useful for keeping errant insects at bay.

The Mexican theme ran throughout the wedding, with a neat casual dresscode. As I review our photos I note few ties present for a brief period.

Naturally Tess and her 6 attendants looked absolutely gorgeous and a very meaningful ceremony saw her and Tony become husband and wife.

Marguerittas and Mexican food were provided in an abundant feast that followed, before music from the cover band introduced the new bride and groom in their dance, followed by Tess and her Dad. Unlike Australia, where the crowd usually joins in quite quickly, they each completed their dance to an entire song before they were joined and the party began.

Shortly after this point some of us 'oldies' decided to leave it to those of less vintage (who arrived home around 2am after a pretty good night from all accounts) and take a return shuttle back to Rolling Thunder, where we indulged in a quiet cuppa and chat before heading off to slumber.

How wonderful it was to be able to be here with family for this special, memorable occasion!

Rolling Thunder

Secrecy surrounded the location of the ranch rented by Rob and Terry in Ojai. Resourceful Rob had been able to Google it, so was able to give us the address, but was told that he would be given the identity of the high security prior guest upon their departure and when he picked up keys etc....

Laura felt Elvis may be in the building, while Bill and I wagered that Mel Gibson may be hiding out down here. Laura was actually closest. Lisa Marie Presley held her 40th birthday here. We assume she slept in the master-bedroom, where we slept last night.... and there are crumbs of pink frosting around the pool area, as well as a small bead that Laura has collected.

The house is amazing. On a few acres (horse ranch) with a couple of outer buildings as well, it is designed in what I am told is a South-Western design. The bathrooms are made from large river rocks, with a clam shell basin. Loads of dark timber and leather in the furnishings. A couple of goldfish ponds set in the floor beside the huge fireplace in the lounge. Light fittings have surrounds made from elk horns and the walls have various 'wild west' or Native American artefacts.

The grounds are heavily landscaped, so a great deal of shade around the pool and two spas. This may prove handy today, as the temp was over 100 degrees when we arrived yesterday. I guess we will be lounging around in the selection of outdoor furnishings or hammocks today, while final wedding preparations are undertaken.

Big Sur and SLO

It felt so nice to travel the Big Sur coastline on a beautiful, clear day (well there was just a little fog in places). I never tire of travelling this coastline, with its awesome beauty.

The elephant seals at San Simeon gave a wonderful display - the adult and juvenile males being in abundant attendance. Unfortunately the camera was not so abundant - oops, flat battery - so memories in our minds! A couple of sea otters amused us for quite some time as well.

After lunch and a wander through some galleries in the quirky little town of Cambria we headed into San Luis Obispo to catch up with cousin, Rob and Terry. Although busy with final wedding preparations for their daughter's wedding on Saturday, they entertained us to a highly appreciated halibut dinner before Laura and Bill headed off for the cultural experience of Toy Story 3, at the local drive-in.

It feels quite comfortable being here in SLO, where we have previously spent time. The familiar is greatly appreciated for a bit of a 'draw breathe' before we head off to the wilds of Ojai tomorrow. Our hotel is right next door to the famous Madonna Inn, where we shall probably take Laura tomorrow.

Carmel

How did I ever navigate us out of San Francisco previously, without the aid of Tomtom?

What a blessing… oh, and I received many of them whilst in SF! A family reunion was held in the suites where we stayed and I obliged by taking photos of them as they waited, clutching their Bibles to leave for Church the next morning. Also reminded one gentleman he had left his “Mountain Doooo” on the counter. For this I received abundant blessings from the amazingly clad Afro American family! Would have been fun to have looked in on their Church service!

We thought we had it all mastered, until the 6 lanes of traffic turned into a carpark for a while. Ho hum – here we go again. More ‘stimulus package’ roadworks or maybe a ‘wreck’. No – seems like it was routine maintenance on the road, but it was marked with flares, where we would use flashing lights and/or witches hats. Bizarre. How freaky it felt sitting in a traffic jam beside a flare in USA – hoping that it did not do anything more than belch out smoke and flame….

Thankfully traffic cleared relatively quickly and we were on our way to Carmel, with Chrissy awaiting our arrival. Carmel is a somewhat quirky seaside town, complete with narrow, winding, tree-lined streets. A relatively affluent area of which Clint Eastwood is now a business owner, having been Mayor some years ago, the retail section has all the top names along with boutiques and arty shops. The Carmel Valley, about 15 mins away is a major vineyard area.

Fog (as experienced in SF) remains over the coast - it seems almost daily - until mid morning, lunchtime or all day. This was again the case, with the fog lifting by about 2pm. It did not make the day particularly warm, nor did the wind ease until later than night when we were sitting with Chrissy on Carmel beach having a bonfire accompanied by nibblies and wine.

We had eaten a late Mexican lunch (complete with 1/2 taken home in a 'box', which is quite an acceptable practice), so felt no need for another full meal. Previous bonfire managers had conveniently left enough wood for us to scrounge a good quantity and the excellent boy scout fire-lighting skills of Bruce, Chrissy's Dad soon gave us a warming fire. There was not to be the spectacular sunset hoped for, due to cloud cover but nevertheless, little fires could be seen along the beach as darkness fell.

This practice is undertaken nightly and fires are required to be extinguished by 10pm. Dogs (aka little gods) come with their owners and join in the fun. Even given this - there does not appear to be the need for sand to be vacuumed etc as is the case in Australia because, it seems that people are responsible and clean up after themselves (and their dogs). Not a syringe in sight. A unique concept.... One that we note as a difference. The only place where we have noticed rubbish was in the NY Underground. Everywhere else has been noticeably clear of litter.

Further north, it appears that early training in bear safety results in trash being binned. Maybe that flows further south...just because? Or does the patriotism demonstrated with so many flags being flown also run to keeping the country clean and tidy?

Yes - I am becoming quite good at American language. Rubbish=trash, accident=wreck and so on! We do enjoy the blank looks given by the Americans when we use one of our familiar terms! Bill and Chrissy had threatened to comment to the waitress yesterday that "I am so hungry I could eat the arse off a low-flying duck" or "I am so hungry I could eat the arse off a ragdoll", just so we could watch her reaction!

Thankfully I am reasonably familiar with the phonetic alphabet because my email address - 'lizzier' results in blank looks and always requires this. My 'i' = their 'a', 'double zed' = zee zee. I now know to cut straight to 'lima, indigo, zulu, zulu, indigo, echo, romeo'. Rather funny!

San Francisco

A busy day started with a shuttle to Macarthur Station, from where we caught BART (Bay Area Rapid Transport) into downtown. Transferred onto MUNI (No idea what that stands for but it is like a bus/tram cross) to Fisherman's Wharf. Always good for a wander and a good number of seals were in residence. Fascinating to watch the boys squabbling with each other - rough and tumble play that involved pushing each other off the pontoons. A few older males who don't make the journey south to meet the girls for mating kept some order with their loud barking. Obviously their sleep is very important to them.... They do have some human-like behaviours!

Three visits to San Francisco have always resulted in cold weather, and the wind at Fisherman's Wharf felt like it was straight from the Arctic. Never-the-less after a sourdough/clam chowder/shrimp etc lunch (we conveniently forgot to eat the sandwiches I had packed) we took a boat ride out under the Golden Gate Bridge (which did occasionally poke its head out from amonst the clouds), then around the old penitentiary of Alcatraz.

Lining up for about 90 mins for the cable car up Powell to Market St was not exactly our idea of fun, but a few obliging buskers helped to pass the time. Trouble is we were a captive audience, so money in the hat was an obligation.

Eventually Bill and Laura managed to snare outside seats on the cable car, so they could hang off the side as we climbed the steep hills, then cruised down the other side. This is one of the fun activities of San Francisco.

We have always found SF somewhat depressing due to the amount of homelessness and poverty evident on the streets. This time was no different. Bill spent a few minutes people watching while waiting in Union Square for Laura and I, who had managed a 45 min retail therapy session in nearby Macy's.

Back to BART, shuttle and our 'home', where I managed to cook a concoction of left-overs for dinner. Laura and Bill are such obliging gourmet eaters! The lovely fresh strawberries for dessert remind us of summer in Wamuran!

Yosemite

California….

Yosemite National Park is usually one of my spiritual favourites, but not in summer! Crowded and hot. I have now been here summer, winter and autumn – winter is the best. But we made the most of it, catching the free (air conditioned) shuttle bus around the valley and spending some time at Curry Village, where we have stayed before. For Bill, it brought back memories of a birthday spent there.

We walked the 0.5 mile down to a sequoia grove, where the huge tree that we had seen pictures of tourists driving through is located. The return 0.5mi walk rises about 400ft and was quite a challenge, but we took it slowly and I made it! On the way we passed a bear, who had moved out of sight just before we arrived. A reminder that they are not totally put off by crowds.

I now own a lovely timber hiking stick to help me on my way (and fight of bears/ferals in shopping centres), which I hope Australian quarantine will let be bring home!

We drove along the Merced valley, which gradually took us downhill and to a lower altitude than the average 5000 – 10 000 ft we have been at for some time now. A very pretty drive along the rapidly flowing river until once again we came out onto the plains, where nuts and stonefruit trees grow in abundance.

A night in a not to be recommended Ramada Hotel in Merced was followed by a shortish (2hr) drive to a highly recommended Woodfin Suite just out of San Francisco. We have sat in the ‘hot tub’ and are now preparing for a little retail therapy. A quieter day today to catch our breath. Our suite has a kitchenette, so tonight I will even cook a nice home cooked meal. We are getting very sick of eating out.

Crossing Nevada in a day

After Idaho Falls the night before (nice, pretty and interesting as it is used to generate approx 40% of the power needs for the city) we travelled via Pocatello (where we tried to find the Princess Theatre, which is now a car park) to Twin Falls.

The flat plains of Idaho are, in places improved to grow the famous potatoes and grain but mostly they are covered in sagebush - about a metre high. No trees. It goes on - for miles and miles. An occasional ranch home and off in the distance some of the 50 or so nuclear power stations on this plain.

What a shock when we drove into Twin Falls and below the bridge was an amazing canyon, with the river winding beneath. Far below we could see a lovely, grassy picnic area on a bend in the river. The Shoeshone Falls, some 15 min out of town were well worth the drive. Currently much of the water is diverted for irrigation purposes, but when fully flowing they fall further than Niagara and even with only partial flow were spectacular. Once again, a hydro power station at the base.

On through the plains of Idaho, then the plains of Nevada. Hundreds of miles of..... nothing. Well, if you don't count the occasional prison or nuclear power plant. A stop for the worst coffee so far (2 sips) at what I realised was not an appropriate place for Laura - 'Bella's gentlemen's club' did nothing to enhance the experience. Finally we found some trees in a roadside stop, which broke up the monotony of this trip. Thank goodness for the left over Mexican from the night before (they offer take out boxes when you do not finish a meal), though it is not so good eaten cold. Oh well, it was food.

I did think strongly of those emigrants who crossed these plains in their wagons, seeking a new life and the lure of gold in the west.... Thank God for Charlotte's speed, comfort and air con as the temps are now in the 90s.

Thankfully this was the only day on our trip like this, and finally the mountains started to appear before us - covered in pine and fir with a little snow in places! Back to the familiar!

Eventually we crossed the border from Nevada into California, right in the middle of South Lake Tahoe, where we stayed last night. We have been spoilt in terms of lakes and beauty, so this somewhat commercialised winter ski area has minimal impact, though a nice Gyros overlooking the lake with some bluegrass music was a pleasant enough way to spend the evening. And thankfully the 3 rooms of basketball players upstairs did eventually settle down a little after midnight. Obviously they must bounce the ball at least 100 times before this can be done.....

Craters of The Moon

After Yellowstone, it seemed only reasonable that we would go and look at some more recent activity in terms of volcanoes - a mere 2000 or so years ago. Thought it would be a quick trip through, but the fascination kept us there for hours. This eerie landscape is really quite something, and tiny little wildflowers of all colours are taking advantage of the smallest amount of soil to create a colourful carpet in some places. Quite amazing.

Bill and Lozza walked through the lava tunnels and Lozza climbed to the top of a pile of volcanic ash, where she took photos for Nan and Pop who were resting at the bottom!

Yellowstone NP

We've seen the documentaries, so to be there is real life is almost a 'pinch me' experience.

Initially we thought one thing was to be different - the traffic jams, but that was to change later in the day as people stopped to take a photo shoot of the herds of buffalo, elk etc. Yes - we have our fair share of photos too, but all taken when it was appropriate to stop or we were already in the buffalo jam! We missed the photos of elk and moose, but did get the fabulous little beaver who we watched for quite some time. Cute as....

All over the park the evidence of geothermal activity is noticed, with steam spouts almost everywhere you look. An unusual but huge volcanic area, the colours of both the many pools and streams and also the rocks are quite amazing. Bubbling pools of water and mud spew the acrid sulphur smell into the air (which also irritated my eyes). The Yellowstone Falls and The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone are truly inspirational sights, while Old Faithful did his performance on cue at 7.20pm!

Lunch on the flats left us imagining the days when Indians would have camped in this space, teepees by the river, horses grazing in the meadows and buffalo roaming the plains. Our companions - the ever present ground squirrels and picos quickly cleaned up a piece of tomato accidently dropped from a sandwich.

Delayed by bison jams and also the roadworks being undertaken during the short summer, while road are clear of snow, we arrived at our hotel in Idaho Falls around midnight! But we had watched the final twilight in the sky around 11pm.

Happy 4th July!

Saturday at Rimini (pop 35) was spent taking it fairly easy, with a trip into Helena to buy some outfit to wear in the Rimini town parade and food for the "pot luck picnic" that followed. A walk to Mark's favourite fishing spot on the Little Blackfoot River, where there are always moose proved that the moose had a different idea. However we did spot lots of scat, which Laura is now becoming quite proficient at identifying. Mark also gave her some instruction in track identification, which included deer, probable mountain lion and the elusive moose. Mark described the weather as "like fall" - ie cold and windy.

July 4 was a beautiful, blue, sunny day. Preparations for the Rimini town parade, which Mark had pioneered with 3 others some 7 years ago were well underway. I had decorated the two cabins with the traditional red, white and blue ribbons seen in the movies. Mark retrieved his flag - the leader of the parade. The flag is very special. Its origins related to Vietnam, an Australian submariner, an American submarine. I will leave the rest to your problem solving skills! Bill wore Mark's beaver hat, carried his shotgun (yes - in public, down the main street of town!) and wore a blanket cloak. He absolutely looked the part. Laura was pretty in pink, wearing a pink bling hat and 'drama queen' sash. As quests of honour, they followed Mark and another flag bearer at the head of the parade. This year was a real benchmark, with 3 decorated floats, a squad of about 12 'Rimini Rockettes' (criteria - over 50, never been a cheer leader) and a bunch of old cars. Another little group formed a whistle and drum band, while Mae (the town's matriarch) rode behind Bill and Laura in a "T Ford". The local fire truck brought up the rear.

Along with about 30 others, I nominated myself as 'a bloody Australian spectator' and wore Mark's akubra hat.

It was so much fun! Nothing too formal - it just 'happens' without any real planning.

The picnic afterwards was held in a local lady, Cathy's 'shed' (used to be a helicopter hangar, but now very well set up for such events. The effort she puts in is phenomenal and everyone just brings along a pot of something to share. I have never in my life experienced such friendliness and good spirit from everyone we met, as well as generosity. I think we could have had 20 places to stay.

After a short break watching the end of Grease at Cathy's house, we gathered warm clothes and headed up the mountain for the fireworks display. This is put on by a local rancher, who supplies a 45 minute firework display every year for the local people - free of charge again! An introduction with anthem (we are getting to recognise it now), dancers, a pep talk about Independence Day and then by a little after 10pm when darkness was falling the fireworks started. How Laura laughed! We were sitting across a dam (they call it a lake) - maybe 50m from where they were being set off. She had never been so close to fireworks before!

The display was truly spectacular, accompanied by traditional American music! About 15 minutes into it the weather changed from cold and windy to cold, wet and windy then soon afterwards colder, wetter and windier. Eventually we had tolerated enough and the fireworks were stopped. Feeling like absolute blocks of ice we made our way back to our car, then down the mountain the the cabins, where fires were quickly lit in both cabins.

The warmth of the fire and a hot toddy prepared by Mark (Canadian Whisky, water, cinammon, butter and maple syrup I think), while Loz had a juice and I had a green tea. Soon we felt exhausted, but warm.

It was a truly memorable day for all of us!

Glacier NP

If there is one thing that must go in the bucket of 'things to do before you die', then Glacier NP is there. Unfortunately though, for those not planning this within the next 20 or so years, there may be no glaciers left, with total demise expected by 2030. At Many Glacier, we saw the final stages.

The valleys carved out over millions of years remain, and are filled with metres of snow every winter. The top of Logan Pass was cleared of about 8ft of snow to allow access only after we arrived in USA. A huge amount remains, so allowed us to have some fun times in the snow. Necessity required me to create what the locals called a 'butt slide' to get down a small hill back to the Ranger station deck. Of course this looked fun for the kids, so soon it was a popular activity!

The drive up Logan Pass is..... indescribable. I spent much of it taking photos, as I found that the view through the lens of a camera was far less daunting than the real thing - that had me trying to lean over into Bill's seat, with jelly legs. I am told many women demand to drive, as this also gives a greater feeling of security!

Bear sightings have now become too numerous to count, with one crossing the trail we were about to walk yesterday about 20 metres away. Eek! Likewise deer, who seem quite comfortable with humans and graze quietly beside the trails. Other animals prefer to get out of our way, so walking through the bush talking loudly is the go here.... cougar, wolves, bears, coyote etc are no foe to be met on the way! We watched a bear circle a group of hikers up a mountain yesterday - wondering if they knew it was there!

Out of the Rocky Mountains, but always with them in sight we drove through Montana to Mark's cabin in Rimini, near Helena. The plains that are encountered almost immediately upon leaving the mountains are vast and virtually treeless. Hence the name "the big sky" for Montana. It is indeed a large expanse of sky. Rimini is a ghost town, once a thriving mining town with 13 saloons and a few brothels. Now it is a collection of cabins and some of the old saloons or brothels in which people live an extremely simple life.

Mark is an artist, creating and teaching his craft - as do most of his neighbours. We saw photos of some amazing wood carvings. The people here seem to live very much in tune with their environment and are truly cooperative with each other, being about 16 miles out of town. Of course they all know each other well. His two cabins are rustic, but comfortable enough.

While he, Laura and Bill cooked the meat outside on the barbecue last night, a pair of deer came down to see what was happening - obviously they have had the run of the place while Mark has been in Australia for the last year.

Global warming has been quite a discussion - particularly relating to glaciers. It is also interesting to note an impact in the forests around Helena, where the pine trees are obviously dying in large numbers. This is due to a pine beetle, which usually is controlled during the winters. With warmer winters it has flourished and 10 consecutive days with temps of -45 degrees will be the only saviour. Truly a tragedy and an impact for so much the environment.

Of course there is no internet out there, so I am sitting in the laundromat...one of those functional activities that must occur! Next post... who knows?