IF YOU'RE GOING TO SAN FRANCISCO

Here's a few snaps from my holidays...

First day in San Francisco and we bagged a couple of superb seats on the cable car from Powell St to Fishermans wharf.  We did big breakfast with the best Orange juice we have ever tasted.  Sea Lions, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge on a boat trip round the bay. Then we did a long walk around the City in the sunshine.

Saturday night and to the Oakland Colisseum to watch the "A's" play the San Francisco Giants. Near capacity family crowd. Home and visiting fans all mixed up together.  Giants fan shouted "A's suck!" and was told to stop being rude by nearby spectators. Football fans note. This beats sending bombs to managers of opposing teams.

Collected the car. Managed to swap with another couple who thought that a Camaro was going a bit muscle too far! They had the Mitsubishi Eclipse and we had this beast.  Yaaay!

Headed down the Pacific Coast Highway towards Big Sur. Stayed in a coastal bar/motel/shack. Reminded us of the film The Fog and The Ghost and Mrs Muir. Bar/Restaurant crammed with bits of driftwood and dead whale. Chowder was ace.

Across Death Valley in 118F heat. To Las Vegas.  Booked into a casino and were upgraded. The new room had a water leak above the jacuzzi. So upgraded again to a suite with a bigger Jacuzzi as well as a full kitchen and laundry facilities and a huge sitting room with L-shaped leather sofa and marble topped table with seating for 6.  The suite also boasted 5 TV sets including a pub style overhead projector.  Dark Lady lost $1 in a slot machine so our gambling spree started and ended there! 

Left Vegas behind and headed east.  Blew into Williams (this is what you do when you don't have a reservation).  Fabulous one horse town on Route 66. Now the interstate has opened it is a backwater.  Arrived just in time for a Wild West evening. Lot of shouting and shooting.  Fabulous BBQ then on to a bar the walls lined with shot stuff. When you live out in the sticks. Guns are obviously one of the only sources of entertainment.

Boggled at the Grand Canyon then drove through the heat to my favourite location, Monument Valley. "The View" is the only hotel in the National park.  Owned and operated by Navajo's, it boasts Native American cuisine and no alcohol.  So nothing to dull the senses.  Set the alarm so we could wake in time to watch the sunrise.  This is what we saw from the balcony of our room. Already a week had flown by.