Day-21, Santa Monica

Wednesday 16th September 2009

We had to vacate the room by mid-day so we packed up and asked the hotel if they could hold on to our bags until we needed to leave for the airport, around 6pm. This would enable to scrape every last moment out of our holiday. They agreed so we grabbed some breakfast and then went down on to the beach to hire bikes for the day.

The bikes were great – totally different to our mountain bikes at home. They are “cruisers” so have no gears, handle bars that are like cow horns giving a very comfortable upright cycling position. Also they have no brakes – you have to peddle backwards to stop them and this did take some time to get used to. The cycle track is perfectly flat and runs for miles in either direction of the pier. We chose the route towards Venice beach and set off. It was an absolutely beautiful day with the clearest of blue skies and a perfect temperature. The ride was delightful and so easy to do that we could just take our time and look at the amazing view across the beach and out to sea as we cycled along.

We hadn't been going long when we stopped to take some photos. A very weird guy approached us and offered to take a photo of both of us. It seemed rude to reject the offer but there was definitely something strange about him. He was middle-aged and wearing a suit and wanted to know all about us and introduced himself with a long, firm handshake which we both thought was a bit over the top. He kept telling me to leave my bike and stand closer to Howard but I was aware of leaving my rucksack in the bike basket and so moved my bike as near as possible to Howards'. He took 3 photos and then we made our excuses and went on our way. Nothing un-toward happened but Howard is convinced he was up to something and may have been trying to remove his watch when he was shaking his hand. These sort of instances, although not major, just make you feel a bit on edge and can spoil a perfect moment. We just wished we had never stopped in the first place.

Anyway, we went further along the route, passed Muscle Beach and then on to Venice Beach which is very dirty, shabby and full of homeless, hippy type characters selling tat so we didn't stop and continued until the path ran out and found ourselves at a dead end. When we turned around it was clear everyone else who had hired bikes was in the same predicament so we stopped to chat with a young couple from Worcester Park who had also been touring California like us and then decided to turn around and go back towards Santa Monica.

On the way back we got off the bikes at Venice Beach to have a look at the stalls and shops and I nearly got a bike thrown at my head. Some drugged up down and out was angry at not being able to park his bike outside somewhere and in his rage threw the bike in the air, narrowly missing my head!

We continued our ride under the pier and along the coast in the opposite direction for as long as we could before returning to Santa Monica for something to eat. We chose a restaurant on third street called “Yankee Doodles” and sat outside soaking up the atmosphere before heading back to the hotel lobby toilets for a quick wash and brush up.

Our plane left LA at 8.55pm which meant we had time to watch a film and have something to eat before trying to get some sleep, which is not easy in economy class but the 10 hour flight was bearable and uneventful.

Day-20, Santa Monica

Tuesday 15th September
It was the most beautiful, sunny day so we took a walk to the main shopping street and had a late breakfast sitting outside a delightful café where we were served by another lovely lady who was an actress by night and came from the south of France, having moved to LA 11 years ago.
She had a chat with us and took our photo and felt very sorry for us when she heard we were returning to the grey skies of the UK the next day.

We walked down from the shops to the beach, which has to be the longest, widest beach I have ever been on. It takes about 10 minutes to walk across the soft, golden sand just to reach the sea. It was so sunny but at the waters edge there was a light breeze so we decided to walk along the edge until we got tired. This took us under the pier and past muscle beach where all the body builders work out – I had to stop Howard showing off on the parallel bars and then we turned around and retraced our steps making a decision to return the following day and hire bikes so that we could go further.

A stop for a drink was followed by a walk down the pier and then guess who we bumped into – Yes, the Austrian couple again! We both accuse down LA and where on an organised trip to Santa Monica. The chances of meeting them again seemed so unlikely.

It was now getting late so we returned to our hotel to get washed and changed before returning to Fritto Misto for dinner, which of course was lovely and an ideal way to spend our last night in California.

Day-19, Las Vegas

Monday 14th September 2009
We got up and made use of the “Garden Buffet”in the hotel, which allows you to eat yourself silly for a small amount of money, then checked out and returned the car to the rental office which is a short shuttle ride from the airport. The last internal flight was with United Airlines but this one was with American Airlines and checking in was not so straightforward. It didn't help that when we finally got to the front of the queue they told us my bag was too heavy and that I had to lighten it by 6lbs. This involved opening it up in front of everyone with all the contents spilling out and then trying to select the most heavy items and try and cram them into my, already full, hand luggage. In the end we had to buy a larger holdall at one of the gift shops for $10 to facilitate this.

Anyway, once on the plane we had a short journey to LA during which time we started chatting to an American lady sitting next to Howard who lived in LA. She told us about herself and how her son was an actor currently appearing in a very popular, long running soap opera called “General Hospital”. When we told her where we were staying she informed us that this wasn't the most convenient place to be for seeing the sights and offered to meet us at a favourite restaurant of hers in Santa Monica for dinner later that night, after which she would drive us to see the Hollywood sights! We couldn't believe our luck and gratefully accepted her offer. When we arrived at LA airport she helped us find the shuttle bus to our hotel, exchanged phone numbers and went on her way.
The shuttle bus ride was quite amusing with the driver circling the airport about 3 or 4 times in an attempt to pick up further customers to fill the bus, whilst eating his lunch with a fork out of a tupperware container on his lap. Incredibly on one of these circuits we saw the Austrian couple who had helped us at the bus stop in Vegas! We waved to each other and managed to shout a greeting through the open window – what a coincidence!

When he pulled up outside our hotel we were very impressed. It is called "The Georgian Hotel" and is situated on Ocean Blvd. It is an old hotel, built in the 1930's and decorated in the art deco style which seems to be evident in several buildings nearby. It is situated on Ocean Blvd overlooking the sea. Although our room is at the side, we still had a view of the beach and the sun setting over the sea. The beach here seems to go on forever and just to the left of the hotel is the old wooden pier which has apparently been used in several films.

We quickly got washed and changed then made our way to “Fritto Misto” which was a 10 minute walk away, to meet Karole. We had a delicious Italian meal accompanied by a nice bottle of wine and very interesting company. When we could eat no more without bursting, we got in Karole's car and drove to Hollywood where she parked the car and showed us the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the walk of fame where the film stars have left their foot and hand prints in the pavement, and the Kodak theatre where the Oscars are held every year.

We had a lovely time and couldn't thank Karole enough for her hospitality to two strangers who she only met on a plane a couple of hours previously. We took a taxi home to our hotel and promised to repay the compliment if she was ever in London.

Day-18, Las Vegas

Sunday 13th September 2009
We had intended having a lazy day by the pool but I could tell Howard felt disappointed at not seeing Hoover Dam properly so we went into the travel agency within the hotel and asked if it was too late to book a trip there later that day. They said it was too late to book a tour with a company but suggested we hired a car for the day because it would be cheaper than getting a taxi, according to them we could hire a car for $30-$40. We thought this would be a good plan so they sent us to the bell desk to book it. So far so good – the bell desk were able to get us a car for 1pm and assured us the price would be $30-$40 encl insurance & taxes so we happily went off for brunch and returned at 1pm to meet the guy from the rental company who would take us to our car. Needless to say when we got there and had to sign on the dotted line, it was DOUBLE the cost quoted by the hotel! We were not amused  - this trip was only an after thought and we wouldn't have considered it if we thought it would cost this much. Anyway we were there now so we went through with the hire and got into our “compact car” which was new and seemed OK The most important thing was that it had AC.

The drive to Hoover Dam takes you through Boulder City which is the town that was created to house all the workmen building the dam. The journey is only about 40 mins so we arrived mid afternoon and were in time to take a tour of the power plant which takes you down hundreds of feet below the towers at the side of the dam and was conducted by a young girl who had the most irritating voice I have heard since we got here, but she seemed to know her stuff and gave us an overview of how the  water from the Colorado River has been harnessed to provide electricity for an area stretching as far as Los Angeles.

We then went to an exhibition area that told the story of the dam with audio and visual exhibits including tools used by the workmen, the type of clothes they wore and vivid descriptions of the conditions endured by the men who worked for 7 days a week, 363 days of the year in temperatures   approaching 120 degrees in the summer.

It was all very interesting but for me the whole thing was put in perspective when we climbed the stairs to the observation tower to get a closer look at the dam. As we left the cool atmosphere of the air conditioned exhibit hall, the intensity of the heat outside combined with a fairly strong, hot wind was overwhelming. We were, however, rewarded with the most amazing view of the imposing wall of the dam. Each block of concrete is 5ft high (my height) and when you saw the numbers of rows of them, the sheer size of this structure became apparent and you could really appreciate what an incredible feat of engineering this was, especially as work started on it in the 1930's. The dam is half in Nevada and half in Arizona, a line divides it right down the middle of the Colorado River. Crossing the bridge you were able to admire the art Deco style of the building and see the attention to detail on things like the brass fittings and marble floor tiles in the toilets.

On the far side of the dam, we crossed the road and returned on the other side – the dam is 45ft wide at the top and 650ft at its base so its just wide enough for a road and pavement along thee top. As you return on the other side you look down on Lake Mead which was created by the dam. It is quite weird to see how much higher the water level is on this side compared with the level on the other side. Although as you can see from the water mark around the edge of the lake, the water level is at its lowest ever as this part of the country is currently experiencing a drought – due to global warming?

We bought a bottle of water and returned to the car for the short journey home but we couldn't resist  stopping to take some photos of Lake Mead which looked particularly lovely in the setting sun. As it was getting late we forgo the luxury of returning to the hotel for a shower before venturing to the strip but instead, went straight there and parked in Excalibur's car park (not sure if this is allowed but we got away with it). We had wanted to return to the strip to see, in particular, the Bellagio fountains which we had missed on the previous occasion.

We had to walk about 2 miles along the strip to get from the Excalibur to the Bellagio and we were both very tired and very hot. I was feeling unwell – whether it was the hot or the result of the meal at the canyon the previous day, I don't know but I was not happy. However, when we got to the Bellagio I made full use of their opulent rest rooms and stayed in the air conditioned lobby until the fountains were due to start. They only “perform” at certain times and people gather on the perimeter of the small lake in front of the hotel to watch this beautiful, free show. As soon as the show started, I forgot about how unwell I felt and enjoyed the show. The fountains “danced” to the theme from the Pink Panther and built to an almighty crescendo sending the water hundreds of feet into the air. I

It was certainly one of my favourite moments in Las Vegas so we decided to walk a bit further on towards Caesar's Palace and stop to watch another show which was scheduled for 10 minutes later.

After this we moved onto Caesars Palace, watched a Mariachi Band playing in the lobby and then sat and had a drink at one of the numerous bars. I was still feeling a bit queasy so we skipped dinner and headed back to find if our car had been towed away. We made a detour to look at The Mandalay and then found our car – safe and sound fortunately!

The drive back to South point was not good. The SatNav was sending us down roads that didn't exist and ones that just petered out into dirt tracks and finally sending us along the main free-way to LA!
The worst thing was that every now and then we could see our hotel all lit up and looking lovely but we just couldn't get to it. Finally after about an hour we got home and dragged our very weary bodies up the 20 floors to bed!!

Day-17, Las Vegas

Saturday 12th September 2009
We had to get up at 6.30am as the jeep was collecting us at 8.00am and we wanted to have breakfast first as we didn't know how good or bad the complimentary lunch would be.

Our guide for the day was “Donald” and he introduced himself like he was a long lost friend. A really lovely man who “made” the trip. There were 8 of us in total on the tour – all British. The jeep was indeed pink, very big, very comfortable with leather captain chairs, air conditioned and as much ice cold water as required. All then time Donald gave us a running commentary which was perfectly audible as he was wearing a headset with microphone. We went through Boulder City and then the reality that we were actually in a desert became apparent. The landscape changed dramatically as you left the artificial environment of the town. On either side of the road we could see volcanic peaks and vast, dry desert covered with cactus. The first thing you come to, is the Hoover Dam, about 30 minutes outside Boulder City. We were stopped for a security check before crossing the dam and then Donald pulled over so that we could take some photos and get a closer look. Unfortunately due to time constraints this was only a short stop and I think this amazing piece of engineering really deserved a longer and closer look. However, we needed to get going so we all piled into the back of the jeep and continued our journey to the canyon.

After about another hour we stopped again for a “comfort break” at a small general store in one of the few settlements along the route. Just next to the store Donald showed us an Owl sitting in the tree above our heads. It was perfectly camouflaged, about 2 feet high and completely motionless except for an occasional blink. Apparently it is always there and you would not see it unless pointed out to you.

See if you can see it in the photo on the left.

We got back on board and were now beginning to increase our altitude. This made a change to the landscape as were now going through acres covered in Joshua Trees which apparently only grow in areas above 3000 ft. They are not trees at all but cactus and look very strange, according to Donald the first settlers thought they were people standing on the hillside with their arms opened outstretched. We were heading for the west rim of the canyon which is less accessible than the more popular south rim, and the last 14 miles of the road to the canyon is unmade and became very bumpy and dusty, so we were very glad we had decided to take this trip and not try and do it in a hire car. The road seemed to go on forever but eventually we reached the point where we could see the edge of the canyon in the distance. We parked the jeep then had to go into the tiny airport lounge to be weighed for our helicopter flight.

Each helicopter has 4 passengers and the weight determines their distribution so for once in my life, my size was to my advantage. They put the smallest in the front so Howard and I were allocated the two front seats and had “FRONT SEAT” stamped across our hands to let the ground crew know. This did not seem to please everyone in our party who were afraid they might not be able to see everything at the back and there was a feeling of disharmony in the group for a while but I think Donald managed to smooth things out admirably.

I was feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement when boarding the helicopter but things happen so fast you don't have time to think about it. Before you know it you are being strapped in and the thing is taking off. It was only of the most exhilarating things I have ever experienced!

The moment you cross the edge of the canyon and drop down into it made me feel very emotional and I felt very lucky to have experienced such a sight. Obviously everyone has seen the canyon on TV and in films but to actually be in amongst it is indescribable! The ride lasts about 8 minutes and it seems that before you know it you are landing on the canyon floor. As you leave the aircraft the first thing you notice if the incredible heat down there. We had to wait about 10 minutes on a pontoon at the side of the Colorado for the boat to arrive and take us on a short trip up the canyon. As we stood there in that heat and looked up at the canyon walls, it was a very special moment.

The boat driver was somebody who obviously enjoyed his job and was eager to take photos, let you drive the boat and play practical jokes at our expense. He had a bucket of water hanging off the side of the boat and asked us if we would like to feel how cold the water was then when you put your hand in there was a very large, rubber frog in the bucket. Of course everyone screamed and he laughed. I wondered how many times a day he pulls that trick!

On the boat we were able to take lots of photos of the canyon, the walls of which were towering above us on either side. However good they were it is difficult to capture the size and beauty of this place.

Once off the boat it was back into the helicopter for our second ride but out of the canyon this time. This was just as amazing although a little more frightening as this one seemed even smaller and I was practically sitting on the pilot's lap.

Once back down we then took a short coach ride to Eagle Point which is where the Sky walk is built. We could not go in the jeep because this area of the canyon is owned by native American Indians who also happen to own the sky walk which you have to pay a separate charge for going on.

Then we got to Eagle Point (so called because the rock formation looks like an eagle with its wings spread out – see photo) everyone was clamouring to take photos and our hearts were in our mouths when you watched how some people seem to be so cavalier in their attitude to standing so close to the edge! We decided not to go on the sky walk because it is not cheap and in our opinion you did not gain any better view than we had on the helicopter. Also they do not allow you to take your camera so if you want a picture on the sky walk you have to pay $30 extra for an official one!

We now went in the coach for another 10 minutes to Guano Ridge to have lunch. This was much better than we had expected. Chilli,chicken,rice,vegetables, tortilla & drink of water followed by small piece of sponge cake and coffee. The best thing of course was the view at your table as you sat and ate it – the best in town! A lot of clouds had started to gather above us and we began to see some dramatic lightening forks across the sky.

We had an opportunity to look at some examples of native American home buildings and visit the gift shop before getting back on the coach for the short ride to where the jeep was parked. The driver on the coach was called Francisco and he was obviously a frustrated comedian – his accent made everything he said sound twice as funny and he had the whole coach in fits of laughter. When he spotted a tarantula at the side of the road, he reversed the coach so that we could all get a better look and take photos. Apparently the last time he did this, he reversed over the spider and squished it – ha!ha! The rain was now beginning to fall very heavily and Donald was keen to get going before the unmade road part of the journey became hazardous so we grabbed some souvenirs and our certificate to say we had visited the canyon and made a dash for the jeep.

It was pretty bumpy and muddy on the drive back to the main road but I think that added to the drama of the day and once we were back in the valley the sun came out and we sat back and listened to Donald's interesting commentary all the way back.

We got back to our hotel at 6.15pm feeling very tired and looking forward to a shower and change of clothes. We went down to the bar to finish the day with a couple of cocktails before having an early night.

Day-16, Las Vegas

Friday 11th September 2009
Grabbed a bagel and coffee from one of the many food outlets in the hotel then booked a trip to Grand Canyon for tomorrow. There are several options for this trip i.e. fly to the canyon on an aeroplane or helicopter, take a coach to the canyon or a combination of the two. We decided to use Pink Jeep Tours which had been recommended by a friend. It seemed to offer the best tour – we would be collected by a 6-10 seater jeep from the hotel, then fly to the canyon floor in a helicopter, ride down the Colorado for a short time then fly back to the west rim of the canyon and return home in the jeep. We couldn't wait! As the next day was going to be both tiring and expensive we decided to spend the day by the pool, reading and listening to music.
The outdoor pool is lovely with several different areas and depths. Loads of sun-beds and big fluffy towels are available at the poolside for you to use and then discard in a large bin when used. Piped music comes out of speakers hidden among the manicured gardens and waitresses wander around all day in a bikini bringing drinks. Although the temperature was about 100 degrees and it was impossible to walk on any paved areas because it burnt your feet, we managed to have a good time.

In the evening we had a shower, put our glad rags on and headed for the Las Vegas strip. It's about 8 miles from the hotel and we had thought a shuttle bus was provided when we originally booked the hotel but apparently this had been discontinued so we had two options – bus or taxi. We chose bus as we were told it stopped right outside the hotel and only cost $7. However, to get to the stop we had to cross a 12 lane free-way, then stand in unbearable heat waiting for it at the side of the road. When the bus arrived, it was operated by the usual, helpful driver – NOT. There were two young Austrian tourists waiting with us and between the four of bus we managed to come up with the exact change and get on and off at the correct stop despite having to change buses at the south end of the strip in a very dark, dodgy area.

The strip itself was everything I had imagined – bright, exciting, loud, brash but a bit intimidating. We headed for the MGM where Howard had stayed as he wanted to show me how much bigger it was than where we were staying. It was like walking into a small air conditioned city and the noise and commotion caused by all the slot machines and piped music is mad.
We decided to eat in the buffet at MGM which was $28 for everything except drinks. The choice was huge so we made a start with crab legs which I had never eaten out before. Each leg was about 12 inches long and you got about 10 of them with a little plastic fork to get the flesh out with. It was incredibly messy but delicious. Howard followed this with a steak, of course, and I helped myself to a selection of Italian food. We both agreed the quality was amazing, so much so that Howard had to go up a further 2 times to try other dishes. I, of course, saved myself for the section of 30 or more desserts. Most were served in shot glasses so you could try loads without feeling too bad. When we couldn't eat any more we left the MGM and explored the rest of the strip, unfortunately as you head further along it, it gets seedier and seedier. This became quite unpleasant as we were constantly being hassled by dodgy men and women giving out cards with girls names and phone numbers on them.
The fact that Howard was walking along with me didn't seem to make any difference and when this became too much we headed back and dropped in on New York, New York (named because the outside façade looks like the New York skyline) and Excalibur which has a King Arthur theme. Once you get inside these incredible buildings they are pretty much all the same and very tacky. By now we had had enough and decided to call it a day, however we didn't fancy repeating the bus journey there and opted for a taxi which we hailed outside the Luxor hotel and cost $20.

Day-15, San Francisco

Thursday 10th September 2009
Had our complimentary breakfast in the hotel lobby which was a bit strange in that the lobby is quite small and has only a few chairs so everyone was trying to balance a muffin/danish pastry on their lap whilst holding a flexible cardboard cup of coffee. They have a restaurant here so we couldn't understand why they didn't use that? Anyway having polished off breakfast we had 4 hours before the taxi was collecting us to go to the airport so we took a cable car to pier 39 for a last look around.

We said goodbye to the sea lions and bought some souvenirs before grabbing a seafood lunch in sour bread and climbing the hills back to the hotel. The temperature was about 86 degrees and the walk back to the hotel up the 24 degree incline nearly killed us! We made a brief stop to look inside the cable car museum and wished we had spent more time there on a proper visit but perhaps next time!

When we got to the hotel, the minibus was waiting so we had a scramble to get our bags on-board and then had an extremely hot, half hour journey to the airport. Our journey took us passed some of the poorer areas of SF which we had not seen before and this certainly gave a different perspective to the city – long queues of down and outs outside missions waiting for food handouts and lots of people sleeping on the streets. A bit of a contrast to the wealthy shoppers in Union Square.

SF airport was very busy and we felt a bit like a fish out of water but a very helpful person from United Airlines showed us how to check in and then we were set for our short flight (1hr 20min)
to As Vegas.

A shuttle bus was waiting at Vegas airport to take us to our hotel – The South Point. First impressions – WOW I've never seen a hotel like this. It is enormous!!!

Our room which was the cheapest one on this holiday, was the size of a football pitch! The hotel has 7 restaurants, a 16 screen cinema, a 64 lane bowling alley, an equestrian centre with an arena, a theatre and 2300 slot machines and of course, poker and roulette tables. It took us about 15 mins to walk from the lobby to our room on the 20th floor!
We had a shower then ate at the buffet restaurant which has food from all around the world, and then took a tour of all the facilities. The temperature was about 104 degrees and people were lounging around the pool at 10.00pm. Amazing!

Day-14, San Francisco

Wednesday 9th September 2009
This was one day we hadn't planned before leaving the UK. We had three options:

• Stay in Tahoe one more night and drive straight to SF airport to catch our flight to Las Vegas on Thursday.
• Drive to Napa, stay one night there and then drive to SF.
• Drive back to SF, see Alcatraz, stay in SF one more night then leave for Las Vegas.

We decided on option 3 and made a reservation at a hotel just off Union Square and booked the last trip of the day to Alcatraz, which was at 4pm.
We got up early and left for SF, not intending to stop (approx 4hr journey) but about 1 hour before reaching SF we pulled off the “free-way” for coffee at a McDonald's. It was a beautiful, sunny day and we looked forward to seeing SF one more time. Our journey would take us across the Oakland Bridge which is not as big as the Golden Gate but bigger than anything we had been on before.

We knew we would have to pay a toll but were unprepared for the stressful situation as you approach the bridge. You turn a corner, the road gets incredibly wide and you are presented with about 20 different toll stations with little indication as to which one to go through. Needless to say we chose the wrong one, realised at the last moment, tried to change lanes, got tooted at by angry commuters and ended up going across the bridge without paying!

Apparently once you have crossed the bridge you cannot make the payment and we will have to pay a hefty fine which will be sent to the car hire company and then taken off our credit card at a later date.

This was just the start of our stress for the day. Once we entered SF we had to find our hotel which would have been easy on foot but we were essentially driving into the centre of SF for the first time with all its one-way roads, pedestrians, cable cars, taxis, and incredibly steep gradients. Having driven around Middlesex for the majority of his life, doing a hill start in these conditions was quite challenging for Howard and by the time we reached our hotel we were beginning to wish we had chosen option 1.

We were staying on the 8th floor of the hotel and it certainly wasn't the Palace Hotel as experienced previously in SF but it was clean -ish, and the bed was OK but you couldn't get out the bathroom if you shut the door and it did smell a bit. We literally dumped our bags in the room and headed off for Pier 35 to catch the boat to Alcatraz.

I wasn't prepared for the commercialism of the whole thing and found this a bit disappointing. Howard had been there before about 15 years ago when you were shown around by a guide who was an ex in-mate but nowadays you are processed like in-mates yourself, given headsets with a recorded commentary and off you go.

This made the whole experience a bit “sterile” and I would have preferred to go around in a smaller group with a real guide like the one we had at Hearst Castle. Also it was so busy that you could never take your time soaking up the atmosphere and looking at things because there was always a stream of people waiting to look at whatever you were looking at and anyway if you took a bit longer looking at something it made the whole commentary out of sinc and then you didn't know where you were.

All in all, I found the whole Alcatraz thing very disappointing and we both wish we had, had one more night in the beauty and tranquillity of Lake Tahoe.

After Alcatraz we returned to our hotel room for our complimentary wine reception which consisted of a small glass of wine that made us both feel sick before having a shower and going out for dinner. As we had such a great meal at The Cheesecake Factory above Macy's last time we were here, we decided to repeat the experience. When we got there it was busy but not as bad as before and we managed to get a table after about 20 minutes and it gave us some time to go out on the roof-top terrace and take some photos of Union Square by night.Coincidentally they sat us at the same table as before – Howard ordered the ribs again and I chose a pasta dish which was inedible (incredibly salty and literally dripping with garlic) so I sent it back and saved myself for the cheesecake. There must be about 30 to choose from and after much deliberation I chose a chocolate one which comes with a heap of cream and boasts that it is 1099 calories per slice. I just managed to eat it all with a bit of help from Howard – it was delicious!!

Day-13, Tuesday 8th September 2009 - Lake Tahoe

Sadly this was our last day at Lake Tahoe and we knew the next few days were going to be a bit hectic so we decided to take advantage of having the place to ourselves again and spent the morning sitting by the pool, reading and listening to music. This was the first time we had actually done any of this “normal” holiday behaviour since we had got here.

We made some lunch then couldn't resist returning to Sugar Point for one last time.

It was just as beautiful the second time and we settled down on “our” jetty and relaxed for the afternoon. Later on  we got into conversation with a lovely American lady from Sunnyvale who was on holiday here but was a regular visitor to the lake and understandably this was has her favourite place too. We had a long chat with her before leaving to return to our hotel to pack.

Day-12, Monday 7th September 2009 - Lake Tahoe

Had a late start as we had to sort some things out back at home. A combination of our Acer notepad and free internet access has been a godsend on this holiday so far and enabled us to keep in touch with home and book hotel rooms/trips as we go along, for pence rather than pounds. My mobile phone reception has been really flaky and so would not recommend relying on this as a method of communication here unless you opt for buying a cheap pay&and go one when you get here.

Having sorted everything out we decided to hire bikes from the local shop and cycle along the designated cycle path to Tahoe City which runs parallel to the Truckee River and is very scenic.

The very helpful lady in the shop promised us that the track was flat and that her daughter had comfortably been riding it since she was 5 years old. This didn't turn out to be completely accurate – the track is about 8 miles long, is not flat and Howard's bike could have done with a service. His handlebars were wobbly and his back wheel was crooked so that it rubbed on the brake pads and made cycling quite arduous. Anyway we persevered and the route was very pretty but we arrived at Tahoe City tired and cross that the bikes were in such poor condition considering we were going to be paying $40 for the hire of them.

We didn't stop for lunch at Tahoe City as intended but decided to return the bikes to Squaw Valley as we were being charged by the hour but not really enjoying the experience. The 8 mile journey back   was even worse as it was mainly uphill and now in the midday heat! We had some lunch in the apartment and decided to explore the lake shore some more but with the car this time. Our first stop was a place called Sunnyside. This was a small beach area which was quite crowded and very hot -we could feel ourselves burning so we got back in the car and drove further south, passing Fleur-du-Lac where the wedding scene in Godfather 11 was filmed. We didn't want to drive too far as this was supposed to be the part of the holiday where we had a rest from it so when the opportunity arose to turn off the road we did so.

We were at a place called Sugar Pine Point Nature Park. At first we couldn't work out what it was – everything suggested that you had to pay to go in but there was no one on the gate and everything looked shut but there was no barrier to stop you parking or entering the grounds so we took a chance and got out to have a look. On closer inspection it appeared that it was something like a National Trust place with a grand house set high on a hill overlooking the see. The place was teeming with wildlife, unusual looking birds, chipmunks,etc. We made our way down to a jetty that was just in front of the house and settled down to take in the glorious view and enjoy the lovely sunshine. It was heaven and I didn't want to leave – ever!

When we got back to the hotel the place seemed deserted. Everyone, it seems had been here for the Labor Day week-end and had now gone back home so we made the most of having the hotel to ourselves. We played table tennis then went in the gym and topped it all off with a dip in the outside hot tub when it was dark. I say tub, but it's the size of a small swimming pool! Lying there under the stars on a clear night with the mountain as a backdrop we felt like lottery winners!

Day-11, Sunday 6th September 2009 - Lake Tahoe

Enjoyed a bit of a lie in before looking for a grocery store to buy some provisions. The one in the complex turned out to be very over priced so we just bought some milk and bread so that we could have some breakfast then drove to Tahoe City to get further supplies.
The traffic congestion was the worst we had seen since we got here due to the Labor Day holiday. It was impossible to stop or park so we went thought the main high street then turned off down a side turning  and parked on a road that lead to the lake shore. This was our first sight of the lake and we were not disappointed. It is, of course, enormous but also very blue and very beautiful.

The sun was shining and the skies were so clear but there was quite a strong wind blowing so after we had taken some photos and soaked up the scenery we left the beach and went for a walk in amongst the pine trees and in a small forest which was less windy and much warmer. Howard nearly got left unconscious when a large pine cone fell out of the trees and crashed to the floor next to him. When they leave the tree they are nothing like the open, feather-light cones you see littered on the forest floor, they are heavy and shut tight and have the shape of a torpedo. We laughed at the time but if it had hit him I think it would really have done some damage!

We returned to the car and found a “Safeway” store and bought some provisions for the next 4 days so that we wouldn't have to keep eating out all the time.

Back at Squaw Valle y there was a wine festival event going on which we would have loved to take part in until we saw that tickets were $40 each so we listened to the live music for a while and checked out the bike hire place for the following day.
A quiet evening in eating the delicious chilli from Safeway and writing up the blog whilst occasionally watching “SharkTank” (the equivalent of “Dragons Den”) completed our first day at Lake Tahoe.

Day-10, Saturday 5th September 2009 - Lake Tahoe

We had intended to drive thought Yosemite along the Toga Pass and exit the park at the north to continue our journey to Lake Tahoe. Unfortunately the forest fire we had seen in the distance the day before, was still raging and the Pass was closed so we had to consult the women at reception and our Sat Nav for advice on the best route north. In the end we decided to skip the scenic route and go for the fastest but probably not the shortest which involved driving along major highways most of the journey. This was OK but not very pretty, the route took us through mainly flat, farm land. We stopped for brunch at “Wendys” and continued our 6 hour journey north.

Gradually after we passed Sacramento the landscape got more interesting but the traffic became more congested as it was Labor Day week-end and many Californians were also heading for Tahoe.

Soon we could see acres of pine trees and vast blue skies and we knew we were nearly there.
Our accommodation was booked at Squaw Valley Lodge which is in Olympic City on the west side of Lake Tahoe.

The place was built for the 1960's Winter Olympics and is now one of the largest ski resorts in California. It looked really lovely nestled in the mountainside at the point where the cable cars take the skiers up the mountain. We were very impressed with our room – it was large and more like a small flat than a hotel room with a kitchen and lounge area. Everything was very clean and tastefully furnished, the bed was the most comfortable we have had since arriving in the states. The complex itself has every amenity from a much needed laundry room to tennis courts and swimming pool.

We were unable to unpack properly for the first time – we were booked in for 4 days and were looking forward to relaxing and taking a bit of a break from the travelling.

A huge pizza and our first bottle of Californian wine from the very busy but very good, “Pasta & Pizza” restaurant in the nearby resort helped us unwind from the stress of so much travelling.