3 July 2004

We left for the airport at 05h30. Fortunately we got there early because there were quite big queues (there is a lot of security because of all the threats). We basically checked in and got through and then got straight onto the plane. The plane was quite full, fortunately the row behind us was empty so Jade didn't have to sit on Mom's lap the whole way. We slept a bit on the plane, and I coloured in.

We arrived in Los Angeles to an overcast day, the weather here is a lot cooler than in Florida. We picked up our car (a nice big Dodge Grand Caravan, Jade and I each have our own row of seats) and drove up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu. We checked into the Malibu Surfer Motel (the surfers here drive around with their surf boards on top of their cars - Range Rovers, Mercedes ML320, etc). Dad says he has seen more exotic cars here than he has seen in Executive Cars - Ferraris, Porsches, Astin Martins, etc.

Mom and Dad saw a little shack (literally) right on the beach for sale and thought that if they sold everything they owned, and borrowed a little bit of money they might be able to afford, .... then they realised that the figures quoted were just the annual repayments on the shack, not the price.

We went for a walk along the beach and down the pier. This place is quite different to Florida, there is a lot more money, the people are a lot more health conscious (Mom says that the food shops are really cool and have lots of vegetarian food) and there are lots of fitness gyms.

Everyone here is gearing up for 4th of July celebrations.

4 July 2004

Today we went off to Hollywood and Beverly Hills. With it being a holiday there were not too many people on the road (fortunately). They have really BIG houses here, although a lot of the houses are on relatively small stands. We didn't see any stars, although we did see lots of limos.

We tried to get into the IHOP (The International House of Pancakes) but there were just so many people waiting we decided to move on - we walked the streets of Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard and the famous Rodeo Drive (where all the stars shop - Mom said we couldn't even afford a tissue to blow our nose - so we had to take our own!). We had lunch at a really vibey restaurant called the French Quarter - they had loads of things on the menu. The restaurant was huge and in the middle of shops - it was a fun place and everyone kept stopping to chat to Jade (who was sitting in her own high chair).   

The studios were closed so we just drove around. Mom and Dad said that today was one of the hardest days travelling, Jade definitely doesn't like her car seat, whilst we were travelling around she just screamed to get out of her seat.

We went back to Malibu and had supper on the pier. We then went back to our hotel and watched all the fireworks.

5 July 2004

The BIG news is that Jade has started to crawl today.

We travelled all the way through a desert to a little town called Williams in Arizona just a short distance from the Grand Canyon. What a nice town. It is very small but full of nice shops with Harley souvenirs, cowboy and Indian curios, and lots of Route 66 memorabilia (Williams is on route 66). Dad says he HAS TO come back and travel on Route 66 on his Harley.

Whilst we were walking down the main street (only street) a few real cowboys came out onto the street and started fighting. Eventually there was a big gun fight and two of the cowboys got shot. They were asking us who had stolen their money (they said they had robbed a bank the week before - I told Mom it wasn't me!). There are horses and carts all around the town.

We had supper at Cruiser Cafe 66, Dad had ribs barbequed by the man with the biggest stetson I have ever seen whilst Mom and I had salads and a vegetable lasagne. One of the cowboys involved in the fight came and sat right next to us.

When we got back to the hotel room we put Jade in the middle of the room and next then we noticed she was on the other side of the room. We put her back in the middle of the room and off she went again. She half crawls on her hands and knees and half on her feet and hands - she has a few rests in between.

6 July 2004

We had breakfast at Ole Smokeys which is just across from our hotel. It is a diner that has been going since 1959. The food was really good.

We then flew over the Grand Canyon in a small light aircraft operated by Air Grand Canyon. The canyon is HUGE. The flight was a little bumpy but I wasn't scared. Jade fell asleep during the flight (it must have been too much for her).

We then came back to Williams and had an ice cream at the Twister  Cafe, it was full of memorabilia, and it had lots of Coke things, clocks, serviette holders, salt and pepper containers, posters, etc. It was the most "Coke" things I have seen in my life.

We went swimming across the road, Jade even floated in a ring all by her self.

7 July 2004

Today we took a drive to the Grand Canyon. It was as spectacular from the ground as it was from the air. There was a queue of about a mile to get into the park, but the park is so big that once we got in it wasn't that crowded. We drove around and looked at the canyon from a whole lot of different lookout points.

A Park Ranger then read me and Jade a story about Condors (huge birds), and a whole lot of other desert animals. He made us run around and make noises as if we were the animals. I was a little shy so didn't participate in all the activities but it was fun.

We then drove to a little town called Cameron (the same name as my friend's name) which is on the edge of an Indian reserve. They had an amazing shop there full of Indian jewellery and artefacts. They had some really nice Indian toy dolls, and masks, they had bows and arrows, and they had lovely paintings of Indians. Mom and Dad said that it was a pity that we didn't have any space otherwise they would have bought a whole lot.

We stayed in a really nice room - sort of Indian style. Dad and I went to the restaurant for dinner by ourselves because Mom had a bad headache. The restaurant was done out in all Indian stuff, it was really nice.

8 July 2004

Today we headed for Bryce Canyon - in Utah. It was about a six hour drive, but the scenery on the way was stunning (I was a bit tired of scenery after yesterday). Dad says he wishes we had his Harley here. Anyway, Jade seems to be getting a little better at her travelling, but she still screams quite a bit when she wants to get out of her chair. Mom spends time with me in the back seat when we are travelling doing all sorts of activities like learning to write my name, colouring, and playing games.

Bryce Canyon was very different and had amazing views - just like fairy castles (see the photos). We booked into a log cabin right on the edge of the Canyon. The cabin is in the middle of a big forest, and we even had a deer come right past our cabin. There are quite a lot of very small squirrels that run around, one has even got his home right next to our front door.

We all went to bed early because we have got a long day tomorrow.

9 July 2004

Mom & Dad changed our plan so it ended up not being such a long day - we took a leisurely drive down to Zion Canyon (still in Utah). We travelled through a very long tunnel (1,6kms) to get there. On the way we saw Bison (the first time we have seen these) and more huge mountains. We stayed just outside the canyon in a little town called Springdale. The place we stayed at (Terrace Brook Lodge) had a nice pool so we all went in for a dip to cool off, it was just what we needed.

We took a walk through the town - stopping at some of the cool shops - and we went for a really nice dinner at one of the very original restaurants of the town (it was very popular). 

10 July 2004

Today was a long long long drive through the Nevada desert to a place called Mammoth Lake (California). We wanted to stay at a little town called Lee Vining - just at the entrance to Yosemite National Park (back in California) but all the accommodation was full. We were a little bit nervous that we might not find accommodation because there are quite a few people around, but fortunately we managed to find a room at the Holiday Inn. We only arrived here at 20h30 so it was a long day in the car. Jade didn't like all the travelling and screamed a bit.

We didn't see any UFO's or aliens when passing through the Nevada desert, but we saw quite a few pictures of them when we stopped at a roadside diner.

11 July 2004

Mammoth is a fascinating little town, we are glad that we came through. There is quite a lot to do, in winter there is a lot of skiing and related activities, in summer it is hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, etc. The mountain bikes go on the ski trails used in winter. We arrived a few days too early for the jazz festival, but there were a few jazz bands around. There was even a jazz band playing in the parking lot. We stopped and listened for a while.

We took a long walk through the town looking at all the shops, and visiting the bakery. We then took a drive up to all the lakes in the area. The settings were quite spectacular, with forests surrounding crystal clear lakes. The surrounding mountains appeared to be covered in snow but it was in fact sand (see some of the photos). There were quite a few people fishing and picnicking around the lake shore.

We had dinner at a really nice restaurant called the Old Mammoth Bar and Grill with a great view of the mountains.

They had an internet connection at the hotel so Mom and Dad caught up on some of their emails. Unfortunately Dad deleted the email from Suzanne (from Colorado) by mistake and couldn't retrieve it so if you read this please resend an email because Mom and Dad would really like to stay in touch.

In order to give fellow travellers some tips on how to choose a hotel we decided to give some guidelines, here they are: -

How to choose a hotel (Hayley)

1. Must have a pool;

2. Must have lots of children to play with;

3. Must be able to run around without disturbing adults (including Mom and Dad).

How to choose a hotel (Mom)

1. Must have a stunning location, preferably on the edge of a canyon, or in a forest;

2. Must be a romantic quiet setting with very few guests;

3. Must serve vegetarian food;

4. Must have baby sitters.

How to choose a hotel (Dad)

1. Must be cheap;

2. Must have a bar;

3. Must serve steak egg and chips.

So far my criteria are the most commonly applied, with Dad's criteria coming last. Mom says I must do all the activities for kids on the cruise because Mom & dad need a rest - unfortunately there are no activities for Jade so I am not sure how much rest they will get !

12 July 2004

We set off quite late for the Yosemite National Park. To get into the park we had to go up a mountain pass which peaked at 9 945 ft (the highest point in South Africa is only 10 500ft). The views were quite stunning, possibly the best we have seen so far. There are really high mountains, covered in forests with crystal clear streams running through them. We saw Half Dome (a famous land mark - see photo) and lots of other sites.

We had heard that you have to book well in advance to get accommodation on the park but we were lucky enough to get a room at the Wawona Hotel. It has large balconies  which overlook a 9 hole golf course. It was built in the 1800's and is set in a forest. It also has a pool (so Mom and I both got what we wanted according to the hotel selection criteria).

13 July 2004

We travelled to Glacier Point which overlooks the Yosemite National Park. We were about 3 000 ft above the valley floor, and looked down straight vertical cliffs into the valley floor. There was a huge forest fire off to one side which meant that the view was a little hazy, but the views were as spectacular as they were from the valley floor.

We then travelled via Fresno to the California coast. We took a rather direct route down some really back roads. They were quite nice, but a little scary because they twisted back and forwards up and then down the mountains running along the coast. Fortunately there was not too much traffic on the road otherwise we might have had a problem, at some times the road was only wide enough for one car.

When we go to the coast we turned south and headed for a little town called San Simeon. We stayed at a nice little hotel called the Silver Surf Motel. It was the best value hotel we have stayed in so far.

14 July 2004

We set off for San Francisco (SF) believing that we would get there fairly early as we only had about 200 miles (300 kms) to do. However it took us a lot longer because we kept stopping to take photos - especially to see the sea lions - they were all over the beach and in the sea - really big ones and little ones too. The wind was really strong and we say quite a lot of wind surfers and para-surfers. They were going really fast. We stopped for lunch at the Monterey peninsula about 100km south of SF - one of the best value lunches so far - they had nice meals for us kids, Moms and Dads and we didn't have to wash dishes afterwards to pay for the meal.

We got to San Francisco at about 19h00 and headed for where we believed the hotels were. We couldn't find them (the ones we could afford), and to make matters worse the traffic was quite heavy and there were no places to pull over and ask for directions. Eventually we found a garage where we stopped and asked a lady for directions. She sent us to the correct area, really near the Fisherman's Wharf.

15 July 2004

We spent the day visiting all the sites in San Francisco, we went to Pier 39, Chinatown (which was really lovely), Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square (home to a famous chocolate factory), and Lombard Street (a really steep hill and also the crookedest street in the world). It is a really nice town (much nicer than LA) with huge steep hills everywhere - Mom had to do some serious pushing of the pram to get me up them.

We have been getting into the American way of having breakfast, doughnuts and coffee (I only get orange juice) although Mom has been stressing that this will need to change when we get on the cruise boat.