Well, I have returned from a trip stateside (apologies for the few weeks of blogging silence). On the flight back I started to think about what my first blog post would be about. Inspired by my rather apt holiday reading (right), I decided it simply had to be a theme which ran constant throughout the very diverse trip. From the misty cold of the Golden Gate Bridge to the 40 degree heat of the Mojave desert, from the glamour of Hollywood to the, er, equal glamour of a highway motel in San Diego (won't be reviewed or named on here, but had to sign to say we weren't on the run), we did it all by road. Given the enormity and vastness of the USA (yes, even California) it is only right to travel by the intended means - car.
If you are, understandably, taking in all the sights of California (and maybe Nevada if you do Vegas) by an organised coach tour, then the only surprise would probably be the amount of time spent sitting on the coach. An hour journey will get you little further than 'across town'. If, like us, you decide to go it alone, hiring a car and using a map, there may be a few more surprises about travelling across California by road. The advantage about going on an organised coach is you can't see how not very far that last hour got you, and you will probably go on the freeways and interstates. We were a bit scared of them, so decided to avoid them, which is probably a common occurrence among travelers unfamiliar with America's roads. On the map, what looks like a 'little' further, or 'just' around the corner, probably isn't. Once you discover this, and get over it, enjoy it. Enjoy not being on the interstate. As the photos show, you will probably have the smaller roads to yourself.
We traveled, from San Francisco, inland through Fresno (where we took a day trip into the Sequoia National Park - highly recommended to see the massive trees), then down through the Mojave desert. This will was the longest leg; vast open desert. For those who know what it is, we could just about see a plane bone-yard in the distance. After all that (as long as you haven't followed the freeway into LA), you come to Palm Springs (left), a bizarre oasis (literally) of luxury resorts, preceeded by the largest wind farm I have ever seen (below).
The other thing about sticking to the freeway/an organised tour is the stops. It's fine if you want to sample the fine American cuisine of Taco Bell, Starbucks or Denny's (that wasn't actually sarcasm, these places are worth at least one visit, but that is all there is along the freeways). Sign posting on the freeway is also confusing, rarely indicating rest areas and particular places, only street names. Leaving Palm Springs, towards San Diego, we traveled through Apple Country, where we had some pretty good pie at this Julian Pie restaurant (left).
From San Diego, we turned back to go north up the coast highway (again, there is a parallel freeway, your choice). Driving through the various surfing towns (including Laguna Beach), we reached Santa Monica (where we stayed) and LA. Santa Monica Pier is the end of the route 66 trail (well, technically not I am told, but that is where the sign is anyway (right)). It is also a good base from which to explore the rest of LA, convenient for Hollywood, Downtown (below, at night) etc.. Same rule applies with distance; took us a good couple of hours from Hollywood to Venice Beach.
Finally, we continued along the coast highway up to Monterey, our final stop before flying home. The road follows the line of the coast, at times a little too closely (the Big Sur for instance), and so there are some fantastic views not to be missed. The distances do, however, seem less vast given that there are plenty of small towns and places to stop along the way.
The open road this definitely the way to go when you're stateside, at least as far as California is concerned.
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