“EDELWEISS”. 8 NEWTOWN. MARKET DRAYTON. SHROPSHIRE.

TF9 1JU. ENGLAND.

Email glenswatman@yahoo.com www.glenswatman.spaces.live.com

Seasons Greetings

Hope this finds you well and that you have had an enjoyable 2007 as we have.  There is no doubt about it that time flies faster as you get older as I cannot believe that it’s a year since I was writing a similar letter.  In other ways when I think back over all the things we have done it seems like it must have been much longer!

So quickly recapping through our last year of travels during our 11^th year on the road. Beginning in South Africa we had a wonderful Christmas with Sheila, a host near Cape Town.  I weaned myself off my support boot and learned to walk again on my newly repaired Achilles tendon.  By the time our friends Judy & Stan arrived at the end of January I was walking almost normally, (well as normally as I have ever done!).  They accompanied us for a tour through Namibia, Zambia and Botswana back to South Africa.  In their 60’s they were great fun and sporting enough to spend nights in a mini tent beside the motorhome.

Our wildlife sightings were superb especially in Etosha National Park and Chobe and the only thing we failed to see was a leopard.  A campground highlight was Ngepi with its quirky open-air bathrooms.  In Zambia Victoria Falls were impressive as the Zambezi was almost breaking its banks so the falls were in full flow.

Finished our trip uneventfully and sold Millie, our 1984 Bedford campervan, to a couple we met when we first arrived in Africa.  After finally curing the starter motor problem in January it was plain sailing but we won’t tempt fate again by giving a motorhome a female name in case we get another moody one.

Late April found us back in England doing up our house in Keighley after repossessing it from non-paying tenants.  Following a backbreaking couple of weeks we had lost heart and realised it was not the best type of property to rent out if you were not in the area.  On the day we decided to sell we had a fair offer and took it. 

We were then free to spend time catching up with family and friends.  Our children and grandchildren are all well and the kids growing up fast.  Steve’s parents had a house move to Keighley and Glens Mum is in need of a hip replacement op next year but they are all very alert and active.  We met both our sisters’ new partners and managed to take Daniel and Natasha away for a weeks holiday to YSS in Hull.

It was lovely to see everyone but we missed our nomadic life and were glad to fly to Boston USA mid June.  Using the Internet we had agreed to buy an ex rental motorhome and soon became the proud owners of Harry, a huge 29’ Four Winds 5000 “c” class 8-berth.

We headed into Canada and east to Nova Scotia then visited Quebec City, Montreal and Ottawa before dropping back into America for the huge journey west.  The Canadian Rockies were a highlight as was an Alaskan cruise from Vancouver timed to celebrate our wedding anniversary and Steves birthday. 

Back in America we went south to Las Vegas then out into the desert before getting back to the coast at Los Angles where were are now.  Next week we will drop down into Mexico and spend out winter exploring another new country.

We have used many hosts from the various clubs we have joined and each experience has been wonderful and enhanced our visit no end.  Most of the time we have found nice free camping spots and for brief overnight stops we have Mr Wal*Mart to thank for allowing motorhomes to stay on his car parks.  People have been very friendly and helpful and our American English has improved no end so it just leaves me to say we hope to hear from y’all in the near future and have a super Christmas and New Year.

Should any of you wish to plough through my monthly diary then let me know if you want it sent to you directly by E-mail or you can check out our blog page.

Love and best wishes from

Steve and Glen

The Nu Drovers

200712

SATURDAY 1 DECEMBER 2007 – Being a weekend traffic is light so it is easy for Norm to make a brief stop at Hollywood Bowl, as in The Hollywood Bowl and not the English ten pin bowling version that we know so well!  The weekday museum is closed but the stadium open for us to wander inside and even pose on stage.  The location is fabulous because from the upper seats you are looking straight out over the Hollywood Hills.  Patrons are encouraged to bring picnics in and the box areas even provide a table and wine holder.  Parking in the city is cheaper at weekends, $6 (£3) day in the theatre district.  The Disney Hall makes an immediate impression as a stainless steel take on the Sydney opera house.  The free docent guided tours take you into it as well as the other 3 nearby theatres each with its own character. In the main square red balloons are being sent up after a conference for World Aids awareness day.  The AAA (American Automobile Association) handbook has a circular guided tour that we pick up on and head to the externally ugly concrete “Our Lady of the Angels” Catholic Church.  Internally it’s an unusual modern church with the main entrance either side of the altar and other nice features.  In the mausoleum we find Gregory Peck’s tomb.  Outside again we amble through the business area admiring the Art Deco City Hall and make our lunch stop in the “El Pueblo de Los Angeles”, site of the city’s original 18c town.  With a Mexican theme and lots of street stalls there comes a choice of eating places but again local knowledge (backed up by the Rough Guide recommendation) leads us to “La Luz de Dia” a café style restaurant with authentic Mexican chow served on paper plates at reasonable prices.  Picking up the metro at Union Station we can see why the building is used in so many movies as many of the original features remain.  $1.25 (60p) buys us a one-way ticket and we alight near the Central Library.  There appears to be a traffic jam but once we have taken in the whole scene we realise they are filming and learn it is a FedEx commercial and the overturned truck is part of the props.  The library has a lovely domed area and the Getty Exhibition has photos of how LA used to look.  Exiting at the back of the building we take the escalator to avoid the long climb up Bunker Hill Steps complete with waterfall in the centre.  The YMCA building is extremely modern with the gym having a view to die for.  Ultra modern Westin Bonaventure Hotel confuses us with its 4 circular towers linked by labyrinth style floating floors, spiralling ramps and balconies.  Manage to eventually make our way down to the lobby complete with lake and then take one of the external lifts up to the 34^th floor for the views.  It’s late afternoon so we press on to complete the tour but find the Angels Flights tram has flown and the Bradbury Building interior closed for filming.  There’s just one more main feature we want to see and it involves a drive to the historically famous area of South Central LA.  Location of the 1965 6 day riots and the gun battle that killed Pattie Heart’s Symbionese Liberation Army it also has the Watts Towers.  Within a housing area a small park contains these striking pieces of folk art constructed from junk and decorated with bottle fragments and approx 70,000 crushed seashells.  We are immediately reminded of the Gaudi style work and wish we had arrived at one of the few times when you could enter the compound to look closer.  It’s after dark so we are happy to leave the dodgy area and get back on the freeway.  Soon after Norm tells us there is a problem with the car and he is losing power fast.  With hazard lights flashing and Steve leaning out of the window making gestures (polite ones of course) we manage to cut across six lanes and make it to an exit ramp.  Unfortunately the upward slope of the ramp is too much for the car and we shudder to a halt half on and half off the narrow breakdown lane and partway up the ramp.  Not the safest of places as cars exiting the motorway seem oblivious of us until the last minute and then swerve round – probably most of the drivers are on their mobiles.  Pat assures me that in America the safest place to be is inside your vehicle unlike England where the recommendation is to get out and stand well clear.  They are members of the AAA and phone for tow service and within half an hour a local truck arrives.  They only have seats in the van for 2 people so Norm and Pat stay in the car lying down whilst we are towed to a nearby gas station.  A flat bed truck with more seating has been ordered and once it arrives the car is loaded on to the back and we are driven home.  Can’t understand why the tow truck driver doesn’t offer to take us via the Hollywood Hills for the tourist view but the direct route is still quite a distance.  I guess this is reflected in the $342 (£170) that has to be paid immediately and claimed back later. 

LOS ANGELES, THOUSAND OAKS 6 

SUNDAY 2 DECEMBER – The cold nights have caught up with us again and with nothing to get up for we linger in bed until 10am.  Norm is quite a good mechanic but can’t get to the bottom of the problem with the jeep.  He helps Steve do a service on our generator and to put on new fuel and air filters in the main engine in readiness for Mexico.  Other than that it’s a lazy kind of day.

T.O. 7

MONDAY 3 DECEMBER – Norm still can’t get the jeep going and their other car is a 2 + 2 sports car with hardly any room in the back.  I join Pat for a visit to Costco where I stock up on meat before we head to Mexico, it may be cheaper there but we know what the quality is like here.  In the evening I squeeze into the back of the car to go on a Christmas lights drive with Pat & Norm.  We head to a neighbourhood where they have nicknamed one street “Candy Cane Lane” so most of the gardens have illuminated candy canes along with other lights.  If you’ve ever seen National Lampoons Christmas Vacation you will have some of the idea of the scale of things here.  Think America, think big and think of someone illuminating all the 50’ high palm trees in their garden and joining them to Blackpool illuminations.  Someone has even covered their truck completely in bulbs.  Totally amazing and great fun, Steve on the other hand is happy to check out the photos when I get back, candy canes pah – he’s more like a humbug!

T.O.8

TUESDAY 4 DECEMBER – Norm comes knocking to say he it throwing in the towel on the jeep for now and we are off to the beach in their motorhome.  They have a luxurious “A” class 29 footer and it feels like you are travelling in a tour bus.  He drives us down through Malibu Canyon where we see a church that burnt in the recent fires.  Once on the waterfront it’s a lovely drive south on PCH with the surfers out in force to make the most of the lovely sun coupled with wind.  Arrive at Venice Beach where they double the $5 (£2.50) to $10 for motorhome parking but it’s directly behind the beach, shame they won’t let you stay overnight.  Begin by waking around the canal area where architecturally interesting homes have canals at the bottom of their gardens.  Steep narrow bridges connect the streets and each canal has a path on both sides so it makes for interesting meandering.  Back at the beach we walk along by the seaside shops and past muscle beach.  The area is instantly recognisable to us because of the many movies shot here plus it was used in Baywatch.  Retire to the motorhome for lunch before spending a few hours on the beach but the water is only warm enough for Steve to take a knee high dip. Hit the ubiquitous LA freeway jam on the way home with 6 lanes in both directions chock a block.  Fortunately Norm knows alternative routes.  

T.O.9

WEDNESDAY 5 DECEMBER – My 51^st birthday and we all head off to Universal Studios to celebrate.  $10 (£5) parking and with AAA discount tickets at $49 (£24) each.  Pat & Norm visit regularly so we follow their recommendation and begin with the animal show.  The back lot tour is extensive and includes a trip down Desperate Housewives “Wisteria Lane”.  The lower area of the park is where the rides are and after a thorough soaking on the Jurassic Park roller coaster we are happy to go into “Backdraft” special effects to be warmed up by their fires.  It’s really quite in the park so we get to stay on the thrilling Mummy ride for 2 goes.  House of Horrors is hilarious as you walk through various passages and live characters jump out and surprise you.  Grand finale is the Shrek 4D show, a 3D movie with the 4^th effect the moving seats.  By 5pm we are done and although not quite as impressive as the Florida version it has been enough to give us a full on enjoyable day.  We’ve taken Harry out today so Steve not only drive through the LA rush hour but also for the first time in the dark and does a great job.  I cook up a curry for us all to round off a super day.

T.O. 10 

THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER – After our longest stop anywhere on this trip we are ready to move on but couldn’t have enjoyed Los Angeles as much without the support of Norm and Pat.  The freeways a busy but traffic is flowing, well it ought to do with up to 9 lanes in each direction.  It’s almost 100 miles, and nearly 3 hours, before we have circled LA and finally reached a bit of countryside.  Break for lunch then hit the build up of the San Diego traffic.  Good directions lead us straight to the home of our host but street parking is impossible as the gaps between driveways are only long enough for cars plus the camber is too much for us to get a level.  Leave him a note and head to another host who also replied.  This time there are parking possibilities but he is still not home and hasn’t picked up our phone message.  We don’t want to be stuck after dark so decide to head for known free camping on Shelter Island.  Trapped in a network of narrow 1 way streets we suddenly find ourselves at the top of an incredibly steep, San Francisco style, street where we would almost certainly ground at the bottom and that’s if our brakes slowed us up enough to get to that point safely.  Luckily a city council car pulls up beside us, backs us up and advises an alternative route.  Shelter Island is amazing with dozens of motorhomes parked along the waterfront where you can stay until 10.30pm.  From then until 6.30am you must vacate the waterfront car parks but can park overnight on any of the nearby streets.  It’s getting late so we go for the street parking in order to get the ramps in place to level up the van, many other motorhomes leave it until after dark to move but they have probably got the fancy levelling jacks.  We get a prime view of a Celebrity Cruise ship leaving the port are adjacent to the airport and opposite a heliport so plenty to see.  There are severe storm warning for the west coast, so bad that our Canadian friends, who left Vancouver yesterday morning, have had to make a 400 mile detour as the I5 is flooded just south of Seattle.  Early snow melting combined with the latest storm has flooded vast areas of Washington State.  These are our hosts Kevin & Ruth who hosted us in Ottawa then within 10 weeks of us leaving had sold their home and bought a motorhome.  Unfortunately when Kevin imported the motorhome immigration found an un cleared teenage miss demeanour committed in America and will not permit him back into USA until it has been investigated and this could take months.  Unable to drive their motorhome down to Mexico to join us Kevin has flown on ahead whilst Ruth’s brother Colin flew to Vancouver from Ottawa on a weeks leave to drive the motorhome down to meet us in San Diego. So with a deadline of Colin’s flight out of San Diego next Wednesday they must press on.  We feel some effect of the storm with a windy rainy night.

SAN DIEGO 1, SHELTER ISLAND

FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER – It’s still raining when we get up but a short drive takes us to “The marine corps recruitment depot” where they have a free museum.  By chance it’s graduation day and very busy and the gate guard assumes we have come for our sons passing out.  The museum is quite interesting especially the film taking you through the marines 13 week training course.  It’s stopped raining so we see lots of marines in their smart uniforms walking around the base with their families.  Return to Shelter Island and pull up just as a huge naval vessel is slipping out through the San Diego bay. 

SAN DIEGO 2, SHELTER ISLAND

SATURDAY 8 DECEMBER – Drive back to Northside area where Daniel lives and secure parking on 24^th street, the one above his.  We join him for a drink and suggestions as to how to tackle San Diego.  He’s not far from downtown and in less than 30 minutes we are walking around exploring that area.  Outside Horton shopping plaza they are just finishing an ice skating rink.  Inside the centre Horton has some interesting architecture and the Horton Grand Hotel is rather quaint.  Gaslight district is full of restaurants and makes a pleasant stroll down to the harbour.  The new Hard Rock Café Hotel is interesting and very modern; staff is dressed completely in black and the décor is very trendy.  At Petco Park, home of the Padres baseball team, an artificial snow machine has been brought in to give the kids a chance to see what snow is like but it doesn’t look like it is going to last long.  Catch the free shuttle bus up to Balboa Park, the centre of the city.  It’s a massive park area with Spanish style museum buildings amidst pleasant gardens.  This weekend it is holding the “December Nights” festival and very busy.  Some of the museums are free all the time but during this weekend after 5pm they are all free.  Food stalls abound and we graze as we stroll around.  There’s an International Village with small cabins representing 39 different countries and most selling traditional food.  Unfortunately late afternoon it begins to rain heavily so we are glad when the museums become free so we can check out the Science, Natural History, Railroads one and a few galleries.  They are all like pocket sized versions of other we have seen so do not detain us for long.  Take the free shuttle back to the college then walk home. 

SAN DIEGO 3, 24^TH AND B STREET

SUNDAY 9 DECEMBER – Pop down for a quick chat with Daniel and meet his daughter Victoria.  Drive up to Old Town area and being early on Sunday morning we easily find a parking spot for Harry.  The Old Town is encompassed in a State Park where the original adobe buildings have been restored and now house shops or museums.  It’s all free and very interesting to wander round; we especially like the Well Fargo stagecoach museum and film.  In the tobacco shop his most expensive cigar, from Dominican Republic, retails at $75 (£37) but does come in it’s own wooden box.  Catch one of the guided walks to learn a bit more about some of the buildings then walk the nearby main streets but soon give up, as they are all selling Mexican products.  Back on Shelter Island we park up for the afternoon.  It gets busy late afternoon, as there is to be a Festival of Lights tonight with decorated boats on the harbour.  We have a ringside seat and really enjoy watching the illuminated boats go past, many playing music or with a tannoy so they can shout to the crowd.  Very different and a superb setting with the lights of San Diego in the background. 

Amazingly a couple of hours later Colin & Ruth arrive in Sherman, so named because it handles like a tank.  They set out at 3am today to get through a pass before it closed but then had another detour further south.  With the end in sight they felt determined to get here to give them a day of rest tomorrow. 

SAN DIEGO 4, SHELTER ISLAND

MONDAY 10 DECEMBER – Wake to a glorious hot sunny morning.  I take a walk along Shelter Island to admire many interesting statues.  In the evening we join Colin & Ruth for a BBQ around the picnic table with a superb view over the bay.  Such a shame that you have to move at night to the noisy roadside parking otherwise this would be a first class spot.

SAN DIEGO 5, SHELTER ISLAND

TUESDAY 11 DECEMBER – Off to Mexico and on a cold miserable rainy morning we are happy to be heading south.  Colin is frustrated when without realising it we find the freeway leads straight in to MEXICO, he intended to hop out before that to avoid the horrendous queues of people going back into USA.  Yesterday Kevin flew up from the holiday resort where he was staying and spent the night with a host in Tijuana.  We now see him waving at us and he changes seat with Colin thus relieving Ruth of the task of driving.  Now we need to complete formalities but have already bought vehicle insurance over the Internet at a cost of $280 (£140) for 6 months. We need a tourist permit, $22 (£11), for 180-days.  The officer is very witty and pretends I have ticked single (as opposed to married) on the form causing Steve to look up in amazement. When we arrived in USA we had a permit stapled into our passport and this must be surrendered to USA immigration but there is nowhere to do this other than at the entry point to USA.  We must walk over a bridge to join the line of people departing Mexico.  Interestingly going in to Mexico there are only 3 lanes of traffic and no pedestrians but leaving Mexico there are 7 lanes of traffic and a line over 1km long of pedestrians.  We walk to the front of the queue and manage to hail a customs officer who removes our cards leaving us clear to leave.  Following Kevin in our motorhome we must stop to push a button beneath a light.  At random it will flash red for a full customs check or green to let you through and we both drop lucky.  Fortunately Kevin’s host drove him round Tijuana to show him the Vehicle Import offices as they are no longer at the border and involve a drive through narrow crowded streets to reach the compound.   Once in the parking lot Kevin is unlucky to clip the front of a truck with his back end, a similar accident to the one we had.  He manages to negotiate with the driver and gets away with $40 for a new number plate.  His own buckled rear bumper he will deal with later.  It takes Steve & Kevin well over an hour to get our import permit at a cost of 541.04 pesos (£25) but it’s for 10 years.  (Exchange rate around 22 pesos = £1).  It’s now mid day and once we have battled our way out through the traffic we make for the faster toll freeway.  There are 3 separate tollbooths and we pay a total of 154 pesos (£7.50).  The dual carriageway has a reasonable surface and for most of the way it is a scenic run down the coast.  A quick beachside lunch stop gets us to the large town of Ensenada by late afternoon.  Steve spots a gas depot (LPG) on the opposite side of the carriageway.  Too late we realise that the central waiting zone is not wide enough for us, nor Kevin who has swerved over behind.  For a nerve racking few minutes we must sit there with cars aiming at us in both direction before finding a gap big enough for us to cross.   We are very happy with the price at 51 pesos (24p) a litre.   Tourist office assistance leads us to a huge Gigante supermarket with most things cheaper than USA.  Next stop the gas station with unleaded petrol at 67 pesos (32p) litre.  The government regulates the price; the same everywhere and you must pay cash.  With our locking petrol cap it is easy for Steve to check that the pump is zeroed before filling commences.  It’s all full service and you are expected to leave the attendant a small tip.  South of the town we turn off on the 23 towards Bufadora.  Recent torrential rain has caused landslides and in many places the road is covered in mud.  We are losing the light and all quite tired so settle for the first campground we find, Meneses, 120 pesos (£6) night.  For this we get a safe place to park behind the beach, toilets and cold showers and a comparatively dry surface to park on.  Not the greatest deal around but good enough for our first night in Mexico.  Kevin & Ruth join us for a curry and we catch up Kevin’s news and reflect on the events of the day and conclude that it has gone pretty well overall.  Blissfully the only noise in the night is the crashing of the waves. 

PUNTA BANDA, CAMP MENESES

120 pesos dry camping ($11)

WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER – We have a leisurely start and make us of the dump station before leaving the site, as we have no idea how common these are in Mexico.  Just a few yards through the village and we spot La Jolla Beach Camp, the one we had hope to make last night but didn’t know how far away it was.  For $1 more we could have had electric and hot showers!  At the end of the peninsula La Bufadora is quite strange.  The only road becomes a very narrow shopping street with vendors beckoning to us from both sides.  All available pieces of land are offered for parking or camping.  At the far end we find a superb spot on the waterfront and negotiate the price to $5 (£2.50) for an overnight stay, not bad considering day parking for a car is $2 (£1).  Some cruise ships call in here but not today so it is incredibly quiet making us the best targets the shop keepers are going to get.  They are all very friendly and give us little pressure.  A short walk takes us to the famous blowhole where waves force the water through a narrow crack where it burst up in a spout.  Today there is little swell but it’s still good to see.  It must have been amazing last week when the storms were hitting this area.  Spend the afternoon sat out relaxing and enjoying the moment.  Visit Kevin & Ruth for cards in the evening.

LA BUFADORA

$5

THURSDAY 13 DECEMBER – We have had a wonderfully quiet nights sleep and wake refreshed.  Sit out enjoying our breakfast looking out over the bay.  It’s a strange area with neither harbour nor beach but lots of houses built into the hills surrounding the bay.  Today the main street is heaving with people bussed in from Ensenada where the cruise ships dock.  Invite Kevin & Ruth to join us for lunch where we sit out in the sun enjoying a pasta meal followed by fresh fruit salad washed down with copious amounts of wine, gee life is tough!  It’s less than 2 weeks until Christmas so I decorate the motorhome using the beads we had free from the casinos.  Improvisation is the key as I use Christmas pics from magazines and silver foil home made shapes.  Steve brought me a mini Christmas tree a few days ago and this gets the seasonal treatment as well including cotton wool snow and a real star (fish) on top.  Cards at our place this evening where Kevin & Ruth are eager and excellent students at canasta.

LA BUFADORA 2

FRIDAY 14 DECEMBER – Leave around 8am whilst the shops in the narrow main street are still closed. It would have been nigh on impossible to get through the crowds of people yesterday.  Pick up highway 1 heading south and this takes us over many mountains and through a few villages and small towns.  Even in the towns there are no sealed roads and we can see how poor the country is.  We have to stop at a pest control roadblock where the sign indicates problems with meat.   I’m quite prepared to give up my $80 (£40) stock of American meat when I see soldiers in tanks with guns. Surprisingly we are waved through.   The side roads are all flooded or extremely muddy and this could be a problem as we want to camp by the beach south of Lazaro Cardenas.  Luckily it’s only the last part of the road that is muddy and we make it through to Cielito Lindo campground. There are a few permanents on site but no visitors in the camping area so Kevin heads to the office intent on some bargaining but doesn’t bother when we are offered sites at $5.  Walk down to the beach where the storm has pushed down the dunes and created a lake behind the beach.  The beach itself has sparkling golden sand and just beautiful, even if the wind is blowing and it’s chilly.  Part way along we spot a seal right by the waters edge, never been so closed to one on land before.  4pm is happy hour in the campground bar and $1.25 (60p) is the price of most drinks.  Needless to say it is busy and gives us a chance to pick up some travel tips.  Canasta at our place rounds of an interesting day.  Unfortunately it’s not a quiet spot as many people run generators including the man in the caravan next to ours who definitely doesn’t have the Honda silent model.  Back to very cold nights necessitating hot water bottle and occasional blasts of central heating.

SAN QUINTIN BAJA, CIELITO LINDO CAMPGROUND

$5 (£2.50)

SATURDAY 15 DECEMBER – A rude pre 8am generator stirs me out of bed.  We’ve already made the decision to stay on another day otherwise it would be tempting to press on.  At the moment the heat from the sun doesn’t warm things up until mid morning and we lose it again mid afternoon.  Granddaughter Natasha is 8 years old today and with no Internet connection the best we can do is send her a text greeting.  Funnily enough I leave the phone on in case of a reply and get a call from Steve’s brother Kevin who has Lisa and Netty with him for pre Christmas celebrations.  Would love to chat but at £1.50 minute for our incoming calls and difficulty adding credit we keep it brief. Ruth cooks a tasty turkey enchilada supper in their motorhome followed by the obligatory cards.

SAN QUINTIN BAJA 2, CIELITO LINDO CAMPGROUND

FRIDAY 16 NOVEMBER – Hoping to catch up with Les & Margaret we make an early start.  In Cottonwood a new locking petrol cap enables us to fill up on fuel. Unfortunately Les & Margaret are now on the move, to where we were on Wednesday.  Tuzigoot is a nearby ancient Sinagua ruin ($5 pp without pass) and we catch the guided tour based on “hunter gatherers”.  True to form we don’t manage to stay the course but do gain some new info and enjoy the sight of the ruined town.  Jerome is a resurrected ghost-mining town clinging to a steep mountainside.  Actually I should say abandoned copper mining town, as they certainly didn’t mine for ghosts!  After a steep ascent we miss the first parking spot on the edge of town and are forced onto the narrow one-way street.  The town looks really intriguing but parking is impossible for us.  Hope to park at the far end of town but before we know it we are through and heading up a steep mountain road with no place to turn around.  Too late I remember our Plan A (or was it B or C) was to turn back in Jerome to avoid the steep mountain crossing.  The road weaves higher to almost 8000’ and although you do reach one nice viewing point the journey itself is no fun.  Arriving in Prescott we pass impressive granite boulders and rock formation, one particularly nice area surrounding a lake.  Settle on to the Wal-Mart for the afternoon. 

PRESCOTT VALLEY WAL*MART

SATURDAY 17 NOVEMBER – At the nearby Prescott Resort we call in to see the opening of the  “Worlds largest gingerbread village”.  It’s a competition where people make gingerbread houses often in the shape of their own homes.  Free hot drinks and biscuits are provided whilst we file past all the entrants noting some really good ones including a winner in the form “A Christmas Carol” book.  Drive through, but can’t park, in the historic district which looks OK but not outstanding.  Once again we must do mountain roads in order to finally drop down into the Arizona desert.  Pass through many rough looking villages where almost everyone seems to have some junk displayed for sale.  The many giant saguaro cacti that grow here enhance the landscape; they are the big tree like ones with limbs that you see in all the movies.   Peeples Valley is peppered with large ranches and with the yellow autumn leaves it looks nothing like a desert. BLM (Bureau of land management) land abounds in the area and most of it is available for free camping.  Near Vicksburg is such an area and we make our way over compacted earth strewn with stones.  During World War 2 General Patton used this terrain for tank training but we stick to the flats.  There are a group of 4 other vans with ATV’s but apart from that we have the pick of the area and select a private spot by a bushy gully surrounded by giant cactus.

VICKSBURG, BLM LAND 

SUNDAY 18 NOVEMBER – A 15 minute walk takes us back to Vicksburg where there is a “swap meeting”.  For $150 (£75) month people camp here (with full hook ups) and display their wares for sale, mainly minerals and gem stones.  It’s rather like a car boot sale with interesting characters.  Return home and with the other group leaving at lunchtime we have the desert to ourselves.

VICKSBURG 2, BLM LAND

MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER – It’s too nice to leave, hot days, warm evenings and 1-duvet nights are too good to resist.  Sit our reading and then take time over our lunch of cream of mushroom soup followed by steak, cream sauce, stir fried celery, onion rings and chips rounded off with apple pie and ice cream. 

VICKSBURG 3, BLM LAND

TUESDAY 20 NOVEMBER – Nearby Quartzsite is famous for the thousands of RV’ers that spend winter there. The area caters for everyone from free campers up to luxurious campgrounds but all at reasonable prices.  Long-term visitors pay a one off $140 (£70) to stay for up to 7 months at any of the LTV free camping places.   Every other business in town is RV related and down the side streets all vacant lots seem to have been converted into mini RV parks.  It’s still very quiet as few people arrive until after Thanksgiving with most appearing in January ready for the gem and mineral show.  Just north of town the short-term free 14-day camping area on Plomosa Road is OK but after having our lunch we decide it is already too busy for us.  Parker is a good size town with all facilities and their Blue Water casino gets our thumbs up for its location.  It’s right on the banks of a mini lake created on the Colorado River and you can walk down to a man made sandy beach and even swim in the pleasantly warm blue water.  The icing on the cake is when Steve is wandering around the casino deciding what to spend his $5 play money on when he sees a slot machine with 25c left on it.  Within 3 goes he has won $26.75 and hastens back to the van to show me his winning payout ticket.

PARKER, BLUE WATERS CASINO

WEDNESDAY 21 NOVEMBER – Unfortunately it turns out to be a noisy car park, cinema goers leaving late at night and trucks setting off in the early hours.  Heading north we pick up the coast road along the banks of the Colorado River with superb views.  There are many mini tourist villages and lots of campgrounds along this attractive stretch.  Parker Dam is the highest in the world but with 2/3 of it underground and unable to cross it in a motorhome we don’t make the detour.  The whole journey up to Lake Haversu on the 95 is scenic with irrigated areas of green contrasting with the desert scenery and rocky outcrops.  We’re here to look at London Bridge, the second most popular Arizona tourist attraction after the Grand Canyon.  It comes with a good story.  In the 1960’s back in England it became evident the bridge was sinking due to the high volume of traffic.  It was purchased by Bob McCulloch his winning bid was $1.2m for dismantling, 100% profit to the city of London and $10,000 for each year of his age.  Each of the 10,276 pieces of the bridge were numbered before being dismantled, shipped to California then transported by road to Lake Haversu city in the Arizona desert.  The bridge was reconstructed on dry land on a peninsula that jutted out into the Colorado River.  Once re assembled a 1-mile channel was dredged out to divert water under the bridge.  Total cost was said to be between $5.1m and $7.5m.  Anyway the tourists began arriving and an English Village was created on the shores assisted by other artefacts brought over from England.  Unfortunately the consortium went bankrupt and the whole area is now falling into a state of neglect and feels rather like “Camelot” theme park on a wet day.  It’s a very windy day with a dust storm brewing so not pleasant for walking around being sand blasted. However China Buffet opposite tempts us with their $5.99 (£3) lunch deal and it is superb, the best Chinese buffet we have ever had with a huge variety of food (including sushi and traditional American fare) all cooked to perfection.  After a drive around town and bit of shopping we head south on the 95 and park up at MM174, Standard Wash on BLM land.  The first groups of vehicles have generators out so we venture further up the track for a bit more peace and quiet.  Peace is shattered at midnight when vehicles arrive and begin driving around nearby to us.  It seems to be an extended family with a large caravan, 2 4wd trucks, 4 motorbikes, children and dogs.  They noisily set up camp, fire up the generator to power an arc late then sit around a campfire chatting noisily whilst others zoom around on the scrambling bikes.  How considerate can you get?

LAKE HAVERSU, STANDARD WASH BLM

THURSDAY 22 NOVEMBER – It’s Thanksgiving Day holiday here so we are surprised by the amount of traffic on the road.  Return to Blue Waters casino as they are having a boat race tomorrow and should be practising today.  This time we park at the beach by the marina and have a lovely spot on the banks of the river.  At 5pm Steve goes to the casino to enter a Texas Hold Em tournament, as it’s only $10 to buy in.  He returns an hour and a half later $30 down on the deal but having had some fun and learnt from the experience.  A couple of other huge RV’s have come down to park by us.  In addition to their big rigs they have lots of toys, 4wd cars and boats.  We sit out in the evening chatting to Rod & Gerry and John (his wife has gone to bed early).  They are all wannabe travellers and Rod & Gerry have ordered a new motorhome for next year as they feel their 40’ long 16ton one is not big enough for full time living!  John’s truck based motorhome tows a 2-storey trailer behind to accommodate his toys, another world to our style of motorhoming but very nice people to chat to.

LAKE HAVERSU 2, BLUE WATER CASINO MARINA

FRIDAY 23 NOVEMBER – The roar of jet boats warming up wakes us.  The races begin with the jet skiers who have to do a circuit with a few bends in the middle.  Next are the regular jet boats followed by the 2 man craft.  Fun to watch but not mega exciting and it’s extremely cold out with a strong wind, so strong that by lunchtime they are talking of cancelling the rest of the day’s races.  In Parker we can see the making of a dust storm but luckily as we cross the Colorado River into CALIFORNIA  heading west the wind slackens.  Clocks back 1-hour on to Pacific Time (8 hours behind BST) with the downside being that it will be dark just after 5pm tonight.  The transition from Sonora to Mojave Desert is instantly noticeable as we are now in sandy terrain.  The road is very bumpy and has many drainage dips so it’s a bit like riding an old wooden roller coaster.  For many miles the railway runs at the side of the road and it’s really interesting because people have used stones from the desert to create names and slogans on the embankment.  Turn off towards Joshua Tree Park and once over the mountain we begin to see dozens of abandoned shacks in the desert.  At the park visitor centre we learn that many belong to people who had a farming lease but have now found it too hard and just left whilst others are still peoples holiday homes.  We’ve slipped up as being a national holiday all the campgrounds in the park are full.  The nearest free camping is said to be 8 miles away but when we find it we have travelled 15.  At least we arrive before it gets dark and other than a very cold night it is nice and quiet.

NR JOSHUA TREE TOWN, BLM LAND CASCADE ROAD ADJACENT TO SUNFAIR ROAD

SATURDAY 24 NOVEMBER – We can’t be bothered going all the way back to the parks east entrance so go in at the western end, pass saves us $15 admission.  The drive through the valley is extremely interesting with lots of granite boulder and rock formations and forests full of Joshua Trees.  They look like a cross between a tree, yucca plant and cactus and remind us of the quiver trees in Namibia.  Park up to do the exceptionally good Hidden Valley walk where we see a wide range of vegetation plus many examples of the Joshua trees.  The park is a great spot for rock climbers with enough variation to suit people of all abilities and the granite making it easy to get a hold.  Nearby Barker Dam walk is almost as good but by the time we get back to the car the parking lot is full and we realise that trying to visit any other places would be difficult.  Right decision because leaving the park the people are queuing up at the entrance gate.  In the town of Yucca Valley we learn we can’t park at Wal*Mart but it makes an OK lunch stop.  Just down the road the California Welcome Centre offers free motorhome parking with electric hook ups round the back.  After gathering lots of tourist info I use their free Internet and find out that there is a casino about 35 miles from here with free camping.  This is obviously not going to be the quietest spot around so at 4pm we make the decision to move on.  We immediately find ourselves driving into the blinding sunshine but luckily a mountain soon blocks it.  Realise just how high up we were as the road down to I10 is downhill almost all the way.  At Palm Springs we are amazed by the sheer number of wind generators, there must be thousands of them literally, most lined up like soldiers.  Once on the I10 we hit heavy traffic and within a few minutes are in a traffic jam crawling along.  Now we were expecting this problem around Los Angeles but not over 90 miles out.  Manage to get off the freeway and make our way to Morongo Casino just as it gets dark.  Friendly security staff on bikes guide us to the motorhome parking lot and free shuttle buses take you back to the casino itself. 

CABAZON - MORONGO CASINO

SUNDAY 25 NOVEMBER – Back on the freeway we by pass San Bernardino and then begin to see the smoke from the Malibu fires.  We’re going to visit some friends and they have given us a route plan that includes an overnight stop at Wal*Mart near Duerte.  The traffic is free flowing and we reach our destination by lunchtime.  Wander round the different stores noting that with thanksgiving out of the way the emphasis is now on Christmas.  Appropriate music is playing and people are loading up shopping carts with gifts and decorations.   Unfortunately the ambulance and fire stations are nearby so it’s not the quietest place to stay but good for entertainment including a car crash right opposite.

DUERTE WAL*MART

MONDAY 26 NOVEMBER – We’ve been warned that rush hour traffic can last until 11am but by 10am it seems to be over and we join the freeway.  We travel through the areas of Pasadena and Hollywood, all names very familiar to us Brits.  With www.mapquest.com directions we have no problem following our route but American drivers are another story.  They frequently weave between lanes but make it very difficult for us to change lanes when we need to as no one wants to be stuck behind a motorhome.  Entry lane slip roads come onto the freeway immediately before the exit lanes making for another interesting experience.  However we grit out teeth and make it safely through to the northwestern part of Los Angeles known as Thousand Oaks.  We met Norm & Pat on Wal*Mart car park near Quebec City and hit it off immediately.  They have invited us to park up at their place for a week or so and offered to “play tourist” with us.  They have the perfect set up for us including a dump station and city water connection.  Within minutes of our arrival Norm is pottering around helping Steve to do an oil change on the generator and asking what other problems we have that he can help with.  As an ex engineer and fellow motorhome owner he has lots of know how.  I join Pat for a ride out to the local shops and we talk about the things we would like to see in LA area.  My initial research showed no campgrounds near LA within walking distance of public transport and this coupled with the horrendous traffic had us giving the whole area a miss prior to Pat & Norms invitation to visit.  Consequently anything we do is a real bonus.

LOS ANGELES, THOUSAND OAKS

TUESDAY 27 NOVEMBER – Our 9am start is delayed by a freeway hold up but Norm uses the time productively and organises a cable TV connection for us.  At this rate we will be reluctant to leave!  By about 10am we head off in the free flowing traffic to the Getty Centre.  Free to visit but $8 (£4) to park.  It’s a massive complex in an architectural building designed to enhance the artworks including top floors with natural light for the old oil paintings.  From the car park a train takes you up to the main buildings with fine views en route.  After an orientation film we begin making our way through the many linked buildings.  Along with paintings there are photos, statues, furniture and other antiquities all bought from the Getty trust fund.  We thoroughly enjoy ourselves and round it all off with the architectural tour pointing out many of the fine features including the natural travertine used for the floors and building walls.  Norm drives us down the “Santa Monica Boulevard” with Steve and I unable to resist chipping in with the song and sure enough once we reach the oceanfront the sun is going down.  The homes along below the crumbling Palisades are all very interesting and the whole area rather pleasant.  We are more than happy to back by the ocean, our last sighting being back in September.  Following the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) around the coast we pass through Malibu where huge fire camps are still in use in anticipation of any flare ups.  Return through a winding steep canyon to T.O.  Pat cooks us a meal after which we watch TV to catch up on some of the crime series that we all like.

T.O. 2

WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER – There is a fierce Santa Anna wind and we all have a few jobs to do so no tourist activities today.  I’ve been getting some terrific shocks around the van so take the opportunity to remove and wash everything possible with fabric softener and bounce sheets thrown in to help.  Norm takes me to the local AAA office where posing as his wife I collect loads of maps and guidebooks for our continuing trip.  Fit in many other odd jobs but have the van straightened up enough to have Pat & Norm in to join us for a roast pork dinner in the evening.

T.O. 3

THURSDAY 29 NOVEMBER -  Our first stop of the day is Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery.  Famous people such as Walt Disney, Groucho Marx and Jean Harlow are buried here but other attractions include the stained glass depiction of  Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”.  It’s in a magnificent Italian style mausoleum and a presentation illuminates it to best effect and tells of it’s making and points out some interesting features.  Further into the park are many superb statues, mausoleums  and memorial gardens.  Unfortunately due to the families wishes the staff are not permitted to tell you the location of the famous graves but tell us you can find the info on line!  In a purpose built auditorium we find the 195’ x 45’ painting “The Crucifixion” and enjoy the accompanying information show.  Already impressed with the park the icing on the cake is the temporary exhibition of futuristic and imaginative art including lots of Disney sketches.  We drop down to the Hollywood area for an excellent Thai lunch at “Chan Darae” on Cahuenga Blvd, a bonus of local knowledge as Pat used to come here when she worked at nearby Capitol Records.  Park on Hollywood Boulevard at the Kodak Centre and notice that they must have been warned of our arrival as they are just rolling out the red carpet.  The Boulevard sidewalk is peppered with star shaped commemorative stones to various artists with a symbol underneath to show movie star, film, singer or speaker.  Outside the Chinese theatre we check out the many hand and footprints including a recent addition of the cast of Harry Potter.  Strolling the streets there are many buskers including a number of  Spidermen and other movie characters.  Norm drives us up into the hills from where we get a superb view of the famous “Hollywood” sign.  Heading down Sunset Strip (there is no 77) we enjoy seeing the different buildings and business and then the homes as we pass through Beverley Hills.  We’ve got tickets for “Deal or no deal” filming at the NBC studios and arrive late but get prime seats.  It’s very entertaining but we are disappointed to find they only film the first half of the show leaving us not knowing whether the contestant got the $1m or not. 

T.O. 4

FRIDAY 30 NOVEMBER – Rain induces us to cancel our planned visit to downtown as it would be mainly walking outdoors.  Spend the time organising things for our onward trip and Mexico. 

T.O. 5