19th September

On Monday we watched the Queen’s funeral on our iPads while we were waiting for our delayed flight to Los Angeles. It is hard to believe that this lady who was the figurehead of our country for all my life is no longer with us. It’s a sad way to start our holiday but also I was proud to see how the British all come together at times like these and at how the pageantry of the occasion was beautifully orchestrated.

We were lucky to be able to get away with only a minor delay on this sad day as some flights had been cancelled altogether. 

The flight was uneventful and I was glad we got the emergency exits and the extra legroom that goes with it!

Even the great selection of movies couldn’t keep Jane awake!

Nearly there!

We arrived very tired at a slightly rundown hotel in a fairly seedy area of LA. Jane had forgotten her foundation so we asked the receptionist if we could walk to a local chemist and buy some….…….she said no one in LA walks, especially at this time of night, so the shuttle bus driver took us to a local CRV store and we stocked up on a few other things for the start of the road trip the next day.

20th September

Tuesday  morning we had an early start  so we could pick up the hire car.   We both found the receptionist very challenging, she was not particularly helpful in trying to explain to us the ins and outs of the additional insurance that we were expected to pay, and why we had to pay it, as we were both sure that we had purchased the all singing and dancing cover back in the UK. 

I coped unexpectedly well with LA traffic, mainly thanks to the Apple maps guidance. I had been dreading the drive out of LA after several bad experiences on previous holidays, but having a Satnav on my phone made it easy and worry-free!

 We had a pleasant drive to Pismo beach and Kevin had done lots of research and found us a nice motel with stunning views.

The only downside was the terrible smell which was due to the thousands of pelicans that were making their home on the cliffs behind the hotel!

We took a stroll along the beach towards the pier and found a spot to drink a couple of frozen Strawberry daiquiris, while watching the sunset.

They cost an eye watering $35 for the two, just our luck to be in the US when the £ was at its lowest against the $ for 35 years!

At the end of a busy day we caught up with Kev and Val and sat by the fire pit putting the world to rights and watching the waves breaking on the beach.

21st September

The next morning we continued our drive up Highway 1. Our first photo opportunity was at the seal sanctuary at San Simeon. Although the seals look like they are asleep I can assure you that they were wide awake and making a hell of a racket!

Highway 1 is a lovely road to drive, it’s a scenic byway rather than a busy freeway and most of the traffic is holidaymakers out for a leisurely cruise and taking in the views.

An hour or so later we passed a car park with a crowd of people looking out to sea, so we pulled over to join them………..

What they had spotted was a whale, it seemed to be putting on a show for the crowd. What a great sight!

We were certainly very lucky with the weather, I have driven this route before and on that occasion there had been a bit of fog obscuring the view.

I took this photo at a restaurant where we stopped for a coffee………I just liked it so here it is!

As the day was coming to an end we were close to 17 Mile Drive between Carmel and Monterey, and I wanted to get a picture of the 18th green at the Pebble Beach golf course. This is one of the most famous courses in the world and has been home to the American Open on many occasions. I would love to play here but it’s way too expensive for me!

This is the Lone Cypress, a Californian icon and one of the world’s most photographed trees. It was looking great as the sun began to set……

…………as was Jane (I bet she edits this out!)

Kev had found us another good-value motel for the night. We wondered why it was so cheap and then we looked next door!