I'm Back Home At Last

[AlanHo]

I am now back home after a wonderful 7 week holiday during which we had 9 flights (2 by seaplane), hired 5 cars, 5 trips by ferry/boat, and stayed in 14 hotels (one being a Florida villa). We started out with one large suitcase each plus carry-on luggage. This grew by an extra suitcase to accommodate purchases. We now have some serious muscles.

We had fun in Orlando Disney, Sea World and the Kennedy Space Centre. We spent time seeing the sights of New York and toured New Jersey for a couple of days. We then had 3 days in Las Vegas from where we flew into the Grand Canyon by small plane for a coach tour of the south rim. We both lost money in the slot machines in Vegas - the princely sum of 25 cents each for just one pull of the handle so we could say we gambled in Las Vegas. We did a 2300 mile 3 week car tour from Las Vegas which took in Los Angeles (yuk), Hollywood, Beverley Hills, Santa Barbara, San Simeon and Hearst Castle, Carmel, Monterey, San Francisco, Corte Madera, Sausalito, Napa Valley, the Redwood Forest, Hot Springs, Yosemite National Park (where we went scenic horse riding for half a day - I had never ever been on a horse before - my undercarriage is better now thank you) and Death Valley. We flew up to Seattle for 4 days then Calgary to take the fabulous Rocky Mountaineer train through the Rockies to Vancouver from where we visited Victoria by sea plane before flying back home.

Various people have asked which was the favourite part of the trip. Half way through the claustrophobic uncomfortable 9 hour non-stop flight back to London from Vancouver it would be tempting to say "going home" - but in reality the holiday was planned to cover a diverse range of activities and places so choosing one as "the best" would be impossible.

We met lots of interesting people, had some super meals, drank some very nice wines, soaked up some fabulous scenery and spent lots of money. Everything had been pre-booked on the Internet and all the bookings worked perfectly. Who needs travel agents nowadays.

I have been asked how easy it was to drive on the "wrong" side of the road. No problem actually – because I spent 12 years working in the Middle East and now visit Europe occasionally, so I am well practised in driving on the right. Unlike andsome, I am not one for boasting, but even the California Highway Patrol recognised my driving skills and gave me a citation. (sometimes referred to as a speeding ticket)

I use a portable in-car Garmin Sat Nav unit in the UK and Europe and purchased the Garmin maps of the USA so I could take it with me. It proved to be a wise decision because it enabled me to get off the main roads and do some exploring safe in the knowledge that I could not get lost. In addition - if I needed a restaurant, store or gas station etc - the unit will give you a list in your locality and navigate you there. I had pre-loaded the locations of all hotels, airports, ferries and friends addresses to be visited etc. so each journey was a breeze. I find it quite amazing how much mapping info can be stored on a 1 Gb compact flash card.

So now it is back to reality, a pile of correspondence, the inevitable bills, the washing and ironing, more than 900 photos to sort through and to catch up with the postings on this Forum.

[Thos]

Wow! That sounds wonderful. I have been lucky enough to visit most of the places you mention, some several times, but over a period of about 20 years. Unlike many folk, I am a fan of Disney and always have thoroughly enjoyed their Parks in Florida and California. But the places we most enjoyed were the National Parks. Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon Big Bend in Texas, Smoky Mountains, the Rockies N.P. all stick in my memory. You went to Seattle and did what sounded like a great trip to Calgary and back to Vancouver. We have never done that and now I suspect we never will ( insurance is prohibitive when approaching 80 years old!)

Great trip Alan, and thanks for your account.

Thos. :D

[doug]

Welcome back. Must read through your post more slowly as it looks a good read.

[artist]

Welcome back - I am green with envy!

Some pics would be nice? :P

[trackrat]

Welcome back Alan.

Same as Artist, green with envy. :lol:

Glad everything came together, it makes the holiday.

The last time I was in Las Vegas I actually came out winning.

[pwp]

welcome home sounds like you had a realy good time.

[deuces wild]

Welcome back.

I would agree with you on LA - yuk.

How did you like San Francisco? Did you do Alcatraz and Fishermans Wharf?

[expertec]

Wow... sounds like you had a good time! Welcome back! :)

[doug]

Thank you for a wonderful account. Have just read it again, this time more slowly to absorb some of your experiences with great envy. Welcome home.

[Craig]

Wow, excellent!

You've made me want to do that.

However (and I don’t know why), I am a bit nervous going to America :blink:

[djohn]

Welcome back Alan. Sounds as though you had a really good time. I've been to Florida, Vegas and a few more places over on the west coast but it was back in the 80's, loved Disney World, and Vegas.. :)

[bvw]

Good to have you home :D

Pleased to hear you had a great time.....but going to America, you would. It's a fantastic country with lovely people, the friendliest you will ever meet. I love America and the Americans....really genuine people. Craig, never worry about going there, what you see on the TV is out of all proportion.....I've never felt safer than when I was there. It's a wonderful country.

[deuces wild]

Good to have you home :D

Pleased to hear you had a great time.....but going to America, you would. It's a fantastic country with lovely people, the friendliest you will ever meet. I love America and the Americans....really genuine people. Craig, never worry about going there, what you see on the TV is out of all proportion.....I've never felt safer than when I was there. It's a wonderful country.

That's right. Ever since we passed a law here in the States that prohibitted prisons and jails from releasing their lunatics, rapists, murderers and werewolves for the night until after 3 a.m. not many, if any, reports of crimes have been received from whatever tourists survived the nighlty carnage we usually see here.

B) ;)

[andsome]

Welcome home. You visited some of my favourite places over the pond. Yosemite, San Francisco, Carmel, the redwoods, Monterey etc. Did you visit Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf for a meal, and also the aquarium in Monterey, and how about The Dogs Breath in Carmel? Did you do the sventeen mile drive through the multi million dollar housing area not far from Carmel?

[AlanHo]

Welcome home. You visited some of my favourite places over the pond. Yosemite, San Francisco, Carmel, the redwoods, Monterey etc. Did you visit Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf for a meal, and also the aquarium in Monterey, and how about The Dogs Breath in Carmel? Did you do the sventeen mile drive through the multi million dollar housing area not far from Carmel?

I have been to California a few times before and have done most of the touristy things including all that you mention - except only the Dogs Breath. What surprised us was the number of people walking dogs in Carmel - almost every other person had some fancy breed either on a lead, in their arms or jutting out of a handbag. This also applies to the local ladies. We did the 17 mile drive one morning in patchy sunshine, but it was slightly foggy and the famous lone cyprus was shrouded in mist. Despite the mist - they were still playing golf at Pebble beach.

I was not impressed with Alcatraz on a previous visit so we used the time to drive north to see the hot springs geyser, spend time in Sonoma, Napa Valley and visit the petrified forest. Of course we had to have a meal at Fishermens Wharf - a gorgeous meld of lobster, crab and shrimp washed down with a splendid californian pinot noir white wine because I am not a fan of Chardonnay. We have some American friends in Walnut Creek only 45 minutes from SFO so a half day was spent at their house catching up with old times as we journeyed to Yosemite.

One thing we did miss out on was the hurricane in New Orleans. Our original holiday schedule saw us travel from Orlando to New Orleans then Las Vegas - but we substituted New York for New Orleans a couple of months before we travelled in order to meet up with friends in new Jersey. If we had not changed the schedule - we would have been in New Orleans at just the wrong time. Having said that - I am no hero and have no doubt that having heard the warning we would have been leading the charge to safer places.

[andsome]

I think I should have said Hogs Breath instead of Dogs Breath. It is Clint Eastwood's pub. I will stand correcting if I am wrong.

[Thos]

One thing we did miss out on was the hurricane in New Orleans. Our original holiday schedule saw us travel from Orlando to New Orleans then Las Vegas - but we substituted New York for New Orleans a couple of months before we travelled in order to meet up with friends in new Jersey. If we had not changed the schedule - we would have been in New Orleans at just the wrong time. Having said that - I am no hero and have no doubt that having heard the warning we would have been leading the charge to safer places.

Very wise. We had planned to revisit the Florida Keys one on one occasion and were prevented from travelling down the causeway because of a hurricane warning. We went to the Everglades and then were chased up the Gulf Coast via Naples up to Clearwater until we finally had to go inland to Orlando where everyone seemed to have finished up. So it was crowded and very, very expensive.

But we kept safe.

Thos.

[andsome]

Try the west coast next time. Parts of California are incredible.

[Thos]

Try the west coast next time. Parts of California are incredible.

If this is addressed to me, I agree about the west coast. I have done four fly-drives there, two based from Los Angeles, one from San Francisco and one fron San Diego. I loved San Diego, a beautiful place: not too taken with LA itself but the touring from there to Arizona and Nevada were superb and, San Francisco was something else. Like you I adored the 17 mile drive. In fact that was my first American trip and it encouraged me to go again and again.

I don't know if there will be a "next time"; insurance for older people is almost prohibitive as you wiil find out eventually.

:D

Thos.

[nellie2]

All that sounds absolutley wonderful and like Craig... I want to go too. It sounds like you practically 'did' all of America. (I've never been :( )

However, I am off to Greece tomorrow for a few days. Sun, sand, ouzo (hmmn, perhaps not after last time. :unsure: ) feta cheese and Spiros B) B)

[Thos]

However, I am off to Greece tomorrow for a few days. Sun, sand, ouzo (hmmn, perhaps not after last time. :unsure: ) feta cheese and Spiros B) B)

Have a wonderful time. Should be lovely this time of the year.

Thos. :flowers:

[andsome]

However, I am off to Greece tomorrow for a few days. Sun, sand, ouzo (hmmn, perhaps not after last time. :unsure: ) feta cheese and Spiros B) B)

Enjoy it. I love Greece, especially the islands.

[dadyassa]

Watch out for the sea urchins, I mean the little ones with spines ;) ;) Have a good time, worry about the ouzo later......