Wednesday, 24 August 2016

Day 21 (6 August 2016) - San Diego to Palm Springs

Leaving the Pacific Coastal Highway meant that the end of odyssey was near. In the morning we went to the La Jolla Cove where you can see more seals and down toward Ocean beach. We then drove up the Pacific Coast and had a final dip in the ocean.

Our route to Palm Spring was not the fastest route which is usually via the interstate or highways. It was over the mountain range and descending onto the desert floor. Our route is shown below


This was the more interesting route to take rather than sit on the freeway. This does seem to mean to descend into the desert valley. The route essentially crosses one side of the San Andreas fault but any fault formations were not apparent in the mountains. You essentially client from Aguanga up and descend onto the floor at Palm Springs.

Photo below is what you can expect to see along the way




You can see from the shots below that the road twists and turns up the sloped and its quite an interesting drive. Even more interesting is the transition from a desert to an oasis in the desert Palm Springs. Palm Spring is on the desert floor and form part of a set of connected towns. Its obviously a playground for the rich. The places is limited in size yet has a Beverly Hills feel about it. A number of the stars have home here which makes the mix interesting.

We were staying at the Renaissance Palm Spring and it was a great hotel. So this happened to be another afternoon by the pool. The pool waters were warm and we stayed until early evening and then set off for the main area where all the restaurants are situated. Our hotel had an shuttle service so we it took the stress of driving there and back away. Thankfully the main area was only a couple of blocks away but you do not really want to be walking there in the dry heat of the region.


Monday, 22 August 2016

Day 20 (5 August 2016) - San Diego

San Diego felt like a real laid back place, we were staying in La Jolla which seem to be on the outskirts of the main San Diego which means especially laid back. Our day in San Diego was means to be one of our recovery days from the intense travel to date and the part of the journey that lay ahead.

So this page is not really going to be about San Diego and all the wonderful things we did, if you're looking for that the tourist website will give you the low down. We had seen many aquariums and zoo's before so San Diego was going to be an easy day.

We went to the main shopping close to La Jolla and it was one of the best shopping areas we had been to to date. It was relaxed and the shops were easy to navigate. Although it was baking hot, the San Diego experience was a taster for going back to the desert.


San Diego Sunset


We said good by to the Pacific Coast line with a San Diego set and whilst cloudy it did not disappoint. The sun and surfers put on an excellent show for us in the evening.






Day 19 (4 August 2016) - Los Angeles to San Diego

Everyone who travels these days will TripAdvisor everything and for Los Angeles the Getty Museum and Villa rank highly. Being from London and have access to a large number of museums means that while the Getty visit was interesting it was not mandatory. But our day's driving to San Diego was a reversal. It started going backward, tracking back on ourselves to the Getty and then even further back to Malibu.


The Getty


The Getty was a short ride away from where we were staying and there are no entrance charges to the Getty but there is a parking charge (also give access to the Getty Villa). The museum is extensive and one of the nicest to walk around the buildings are spaced out and give you time to absorb everything. Technology is well employed throughout the museum.

The gardens are excellent too and the place is definitely worth a visit.




Malibu Beach


There were a number of exhibition going on that day we visited a few before we getting on with our continued journey down the Pacific coastal highway. We continued our reversal up to Malibu with  view to going to Nobu in Malibu for lunch we never quite made it and ended up going up to Point Dume State beach while was wonderful. Our lunch stop was just off Malibu beach at a place called "The Sunset". The restaurant is right at the end of Malibu Beach and makes an amazing spot to stop for lunch. Its the kind of place where you can look out of the window and know you are blessed for that moment.




Los Angeles to San Diego


We resumed our drive south from Malibu to San Diego. We continued to follow the Pacific Coastal Highway South.


We were staying around La Jolla Cove. The drive down too an absolute age while the indication on the picture above says 4 hours it took us closer to 7 hours. Yes we stopped but we also got caught up in LA traffic. We persisted with the traffic so that we could say true to the Pacific Coastal Highway but as soon as darkness fell that persistence felt misplaced and we went out to the interstate 15 route and on to San Diego. That was the last of our love affair with the coastal route and what a magnificent coast line it was.

Wednesday, 17 August 2016

Day 18 (3 August 2016) - Los Angeles

After the previous day at the beach our second day was pretty much a day of arranged pre-planned activity. We had shunned the Universal Studio's tour on the pricing grounds primarily and opted for the Warner Bros Studio tour.

Tour of the Star's Hollywood homes


We opted for a morning tour of the Star's homes in Hollywood hills and Beverly Hills. There are a number of companies offering these that leave pretty much hourly. You'll be put in a bus and driven round for a couple of hours past people's houses. There are no photographs of these as while the stories and locations were interesting to see most of the houses have large gates and trees which largely mean the tours pretty much a drive around. You can maybe walk away with a view that you have been breathing the same air as all the people you know in the movies!

Our guide was quite funny insisting that Hollywood is blessed with "paradise weather", "exotic birds" and was an "earthquake zone so was prone to rock falls"

Warner Bros Studio Tour


The Warner Bros studio tour was a 4 hour experience which takes you through the set, wardrobes and functioning sound stages. You wont be taken where filming is going on but they take you to the set's of interesting and familiar programs.

The tour takes you through the process of filming and give you an insight into it's extensive history. Its an informative tour and the experience is largely driven by the guide's level of knowledge and how s/he holds you attention. The tour is expensive but worth doing especially if you are a Friends fan!



Back to Santa Monica


I couldn't get enough the previous day so i dragged the family back to Santa Monica beach with the objective of getting in a sunset. We arrived a touch late as the sun had gone down but the sky was still lit up with the hues of the setting sun. Dinner was at one of the many restaurants around the Santa Monica district.