And That's a Wrap

Hi y'all.

We've been back a little over two weeks now and I think I am just about over the jet lag. Still not over the post holiday blues though, especially with it raining, as it has the last few days. It was damned hot on the Route but we never complained, as we can rarely rely on such sustained warmth in this country. OK, there may have been a slight grumble from Ms Dozey on our sightseeing day in L.A., as we trudged around the street in 95+ degrees but that was all. I guess on the road, the air-con in the Escape always beckoned, if it got a tad warm.

It has taken me quite a few days but I have, as promised, finally uploaded a selection (about 1/7th) of the photos I took. I'm hoping it gives you a flavour of what we saw and got up to along the way and that you enjoy looking at them. There's one or two there that I am quite proud of. What I might call the money shot. Not bad for a bloke who just points and shoots!

To access the photos, which are stored on Flickr, page down the blog until you reach the Historic US 66 shield, just below Ms Dozey. Click on that and, fingers crossed, it will take you straight to the album in Flickr, where you can either view them singly or in a slide show, by clicking the the little icon (toggle slideshow), top right.

Once again, I hope you enjoy them.

Falling back into daily life after such a fantastic adventure, isn't easy, especially when I am following several Facebook sites, related to Route 66, so I shall just have to keep myself occupied by planning my next adventure. That, a Scandinavia Motorcycle Tour with my Wild Hog buddy Grizzly, is well into the planning and booking phase and if you're interested, you can follow that adventure from the blog link below;

 http://www.whscan16.blogspot.co.uk/

We'll be spending 18 days on the road, starting July 3rd next year, so not too long to wait.


As far as this adventure is concerned, it's time to say, That's All Folks!  All that remains (apart from paying for it all), is for me to thank Catherine (Ms Dozey), for allowing me to drive her, for being such a wonderful companion on this trip and for helping to make the trip a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable one. I couldn't have done it without her......

.......well I could but it wouldn't have been the same.

I'd also like to thank y'all for taking the time to read the blog, wish you all the best and hope that you'll follow me again some time soon.

Thanks

Neill

P.S. If anyone wants to try this themselves, I'm happy to pass on my routes and offer any advice.

Ms Dozey's Daily Diary - 9

Day Twenty

Well, despite warnings that public transport was “iffy” we took the subway into town, changing lines twice and finding nothing unusual: just one man telling me his father was getting an Emmy that night (too modest to name his Dad) and a musician being pestered by fans for selfies. Despite his distinctive haircut and clothes, I haven’t been able to identify him so sitting next to a star has been wasted on me. 

Back in the UK, when we planned our walking tour of LA, it was a pleasant temperature in the high 60s, maybe breaking into 70s.  When factoring in another thirty degrees, the plans became too ambitious.  After the first 90 minutes outside I needed a long shade break – we took a rest in the underground and headed off to Hollywood hoping it would be cooler than the civic centre of LA.

It was cooler there as the buildings offered some shade but we still did not do everything we planned and in the end had to sacrifice the tour of China Town.  We saw the key sights and enjoyed some of the quieter side streets away from tour guides and ticket sellers pouncing at every step.

We made our way back to the hotel, stopping to photograph aircraft coming in to land and then checked in for our flight the next day.  Whilst at the hotel’s flight desk we had a few comp drinks which we now think were for conference delegates in a nearby room.  

Day Twenty One

Thank you to our lovely friend Carol who picked us up and drove us out to Manhattan Beach for breakfast.  The well-heeled town had a much more authentic feel than Santa Monica which had been brimming with tourists.

After breakfast, on the patio of a trendy restaurant, which had long queues for tables and waiting times of at least half an hour, we had a walk on the pier and a peep into the real estate agent’s window. I don’t have a spare $6m but if I did, I could probably buy a one bed apartment there. Carole dropped us off with a couple of hours to spare before our check in time – enough to squeeze in a last ice cream sundae and root beer. It was almost time to say goodbye to the sunshine.  

Virgin was very accommodating on the flight home and despite pre-ordering a veggie meal, there were none on board at breakfast time.  I ended up having a hot meal from first class (should have been a cheese croissant), loads of posh cookies (also from first class) and two fruit bowls which I shared with fellow passengers.  I felt more than compensated for the oversight.

Weather at Heathrow was not as cold as expected and after stopping for a sleep at the services – we were both really fatigued and it would have been dangerous to carry on driving – I arrived home to a lovely clean and tidy house and a small premium bond prize, so all was good!

Before signing off, I leave you with my top tips for America – if you don’t drink coffee, take a travel kettle.  Some hotels do offer tea bags but the hot water is tainted with the taste/smell of coffee making it unusable.  Send any paperwork to your kindle/tablet – saves carrying paper copies around and I found it easier to read on the move. 

Till the next time, Ms Dozy is signing off.  Family and friends can look forward to a VERY BRIEF slide show and Americana Night once we have chosen highlight photos and video. You can check out the selection of photos Neill has linked on FLICKR, just as soon as he gets through sorting and uploading.

Ms Dozey's Daily Diary - 8

Day Eighteen

We left the Best Western in about 83 degrees around 09:15, nipped back into Arizona from California as fuel was significantly cheaper.  After a long drive through the desert we arrived at our second Wigwam Motel.  This one had had much more investment and was well equipped and a better standard of accommodation, in palm tree gardens.

Earlier we met a couple at a volcanic crater in the desert who were also staying there so we caught up with them by the pool. The site was a little remote so we bought drinks at the local store and ordered pizza delivery -  watched the news and weather.  A bit like being at home except for the heat!

Day Nineteen

The rest of the drive through California to Los Angeles was a bit hairy with (at times) seven lanes with over and undertaking on both sides.  We made use of the car pool lane (two or more occupants) but it was not really much quicker.  We visited one or two road side attractions on the way but most had fallen into disrepair (e.g. The Rialto Theatre, Aztec Hotel) and with one exception of a gas station, nothing had been refurbished like in the Mid West.

The end of the route is in Santa Monica with all the same attractions as the British sea-side (pier, fortune tellers, fast food, fairground, amusements, expensive parking) plus added attraction of warm sunshine, blue skies and the Pacific Ocean. It would have been nice to stay longer but with road works and heavy traffic we didn’t want to miss our hire car drop off time slot.

Tomorrow we plan to go to China Town and Hollywood on a self guided walking tour. Walking is a bit unheard of but we are convinced it will be the best way to visit landmarks and sight see in our own time.