Viva Las Vegas

We left behind the bright lights of Vegas and started towards Death Valley. It is a couple of hours plus and so we need to have some coffee first.

 We had a recommendation for a coffee shop which does its own roasting, Sunrise coffee. It was slightly out of town, in a less salubrious area, but I had Linda to guard me. The coffee was excellent and the croissants enormous. Unfortunately, on the way back to the main road, Linda spotted a Walmart so we had to stop for her to go shopping, on a positive note we did buy some supplies for the journey.

We have a nice Ford SUV which has bluetooth so we can listen to Country songs from my Iphone whilst we the people  travel along. The good thing about car hire here is you get to test all the cars out first, so I sit in them to see how it feels, then I check what gadgets it has and then Linda sits in them, to see if she would be comfortable. However, if she is not comfortable then my 1 and 2 do not matter, we cannot have that car. It was a choice between a Chevrolet, a Jeep and the Ford. The Jeep was winning, but the seating was not too comfortable and as we have a lot of driving to do then it was not a sensible option. The Ford was comfortable, but more importantly lots of gadgets and electronics for me to play with, so it won! Linda preferred it as well.

We stayed at the Monte Carlo and had a nice room on floor 21 which gave good views of the city. In the evening we went for a walk around Las Vegas, hasn't changed much over the years. We found an Apple store which I had a look round, but did not buy anything. We went to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville restaurant for dinner, it had music on, which was rather loud. I had a nice pork wrap and Linda had a vegetarian option.

We were both tired from having interrupted sleep on the train, so an early night. The problem is when I sit down I still feel the ground swaying.

We left the hotel about 11 and then visited the various places aforementioned before following the signs to Death Valley. It was an easy drive especially with cruise control, a lack of traffic and straight roads. We saw hardly any other cars on the 120 mile trip. Death Valley was given its forbidding name by a group of pioneers lost here in the winter of 1849-1850. Even though, as far as we know, only one of the group died here, they all assumed that this valley would be their grave.

There are a lot of dangerous animals here, scorpions, rattlesnakes, tarantulas, mountain lions to name a few. I am being cautious, I let Linda get out the car first, just in case! In this below-sea-level basin, steady drought and record summer heat make Death Valley a land of extremes. Yet, each extreme has a striking contrast. Towering peaks are frosted with winter snow. Rare rainstorms bring vast fields of windflowers  Lush oases harbour tiny fish and refuge for wildlife and humans. Despite its morbid name, a great diversity of life survives in Death Valley.

We are staying at the Furnace Creek Ranch and we booked in. There was nowhere to park outside our accommodation, so Linda was not  happy so went back to speak to the manager. They had no other accommodation so they upgraded us to a bigger deluxe room. It is very nice and our balcony overlooks the golf course. I can sit on the balcony in the rocking chair, with my hat and shades on and drink coffee, rocking to my hearts content.

Everything is expensive as they hold the monopoly on food, petrol etc. We went to the saloon and had a drink and shared a pizza, before returning to the room to use the free wi-fi.

It's very peaceful here and some stunning scenery. On Thursday we went and toured the area. First we went to Badwater Basin which is 282 feet below sea level, is not only the lowest place in the park, it's the lowest in North America. We walked out onto the salt plains and Linda took some pictures, well hundreds to be more precise. She had her small camera, her big Canon camera and her mini IPad and just kept changing devices. After this we went for a tour, I just drove and stopped when told, Linda would take a few pictures and then tell me to drive, till the next photo opportunity arose.

We went to see a borax mine, I thought Linda said botex and couldn't understand how they would mine botex. Borax is used in soap, household cleaner, insecticide a bit different from botex. There have been lots of films made here, Star Wars, Return of the Jedi, Spartacus and Tarzan to name a few.

We were out for about six hours and Linda must have photographed every mountain, sand dune, salt plain, tree in this side of the national park. I just drove, a rider in Death Valley.

Planes, Trains and automobiles

We have just been on the train for 22 hours from Seattle to San Francisco. It does not actually go into San Francisco but stops outside and you catch the Amtrak bus into town, which takes about another hour. 

The train was a large one with double decker carriages. We were on the top floor with our roomette. This was two seats which converted into beds at night, Linda was sleeping on the top one.  We had a 'parlour' carriage where only first class passengers (us - no riff raff) were allowed. Linda does not like travelling with the lower classes any more. She has been accustomed to her luxuries. The parlour did  have internet access as well, although very intermittent. It had big windows which allowed us to see some great views as the train moved along through Washington, Oregon into California.

For us, first class passengers, we are no longer just we the people, there was lunch and dinner included. So I had a nice steak burger for lunch and  then a steak in the evening. Linda, as usual, had the vegetarian option. There is free tea and coffee on the train, so we can sit in our big seats, drink coffee and watch the world go by (literally).

I was able to do some work on my Ipad, working on the next series for Church.  Linda was happy sitting there with her camera, just taking pictures, pictures and more pictures, although she did read her Alan Sugar book. She accused me of being like Alan Sugar, I was aghast, She's fired

The bunks were quite comfortable to sleep in and had enough room to move around. However, once Linda was in the top bunk, she had to stay there as it was not easy to get in and out. I was ok and no problems getting in or out. We were up early as the train arrives at 0815 in Emeryville (the stop for San Francisco) and so we had breakfast and then re-arranged our suitcases.

Once deposited downtown we stopped for a latte ( haven't had once since Monday morning - getting the shakes) before getting the Bart to the airport. Our flight is not till 1410 so we were 3 hours early, but we can sit and watch the planes out the window and an excellent opportunity to update the blog. Vegas here we come.

Sleepless in Seattle

I have had no problem sleeping in Seattle, I have been exhausted after all the walking and therefore sleep comes easily. I am writing this on the train back to San Francisco, we have a roomette which means we are classed as first class and therefore can use the parlour carriage to travel. It's quite good and our room is upstairs so plenty of opportunity for Linda to take pictures and pictures.

Anyway, back to Seattle and whilst we did not see Meg Ryan, we did see lots of Starbucks and other coffee shops.  We may be in a recession but people are still buying coffee judging by the queues. Every time we went into a shop there was a queue. 

The Edgewater  is the only hotel on the Waterfront and it juts out over the sea, it was a posh hotel, with an intimation log fire in the rooms making them very hot, but also useful for Linda to do some washing. 

As the Prime Minster recently said 'wake up and smell the coffee' which is not a problem in Seattle, you can smell it everywhere as you walk past the shops.

On the Saturday we did the world famous coffee tour. Seattle is home to the world’s largest concentration of coffee roasters (more than 70) and it’s the birthplace of the world’s dominant purveyor of coffee drinks. On this coffee crawl, we delved into the history and the mystery of Seattle’s obsession with coffee–from the inside story of Starbucks to the emergence of latte art.  We sampled a variety of blends, roasts and brews at some of the city’s best-loved coffee houses. This tour was more than coffee…we walked through several different downtown districts and visit some of downtown’s most impressive towers, buildings and views. Our guide was Ed and was very knowledgable, even Linda enjoyed the tour.

We did visit Starbucks first shop for 1971, even though technically it was the fourth  shop, the other three burnt down in various fires. Initially Starbucks only sold coffee beans, it did not make drinks.  It was named after a character from Moby Dick called Starbuck.  This was  not due to any affinity for coffee, but because the name "Pequod" was first rejected by one of the co-founders.

There  were several actual whalemen of this period named "Starbuck," as evidenced by the name of Starbuck Island in the South Pacific whaling grounds, which lies 336 nautical miles south of the equator. It was discovered by Obed Starbuck 1822.

Breakfast at the hotel was quite filling, if you had pancakes then there were five of them and the omelettes were very large and long it filled us up for most of the day. I did have a coffee I. The original Starbucks, it would have been rude not to. Linda found a shop that made cheese and she spent ages looking though the window watching them and of course taking pictures. We, the people, also visited Pike Place market, in existence since 1907.

On August 17, 1907, Pike Place Market was born. On that first day, a total of eight farmers brought their wagons to the corner of First Avenue and Pike Street—and were quickly overwhelmed by an estimated 10,000 eager shoppers. By 11:00 am, they were sold out. Thousands of would-be customers went home empty-handed, but the chaos held promise. By the end of 1907, the first Market building opened, with every space filled. Today, Pike Place Market is internationally recognised as America's premier farmers' market and is home to more than 200 year-round commercial businesses; 190 craftspeople and approximately 100 farmers who rent table space by the day; 240 street performers and musicians; and more than 300 apartment units, most of which provide housing for low-income elderly people.

Capitol Hill was recommended as an up and coming place to visit, with independent coffee shops and book stores. It was a dive. It took ages to walk there and then it was not very interesting, and no good coffee shops. We also visited the Seattle Space Tower, because its a tourist attraction, and we were tourists. We did not go in, that cost money, but took some photos to say we had been there.

The hotel is very relaxing some have spent time in the room reading books and I have visited the gym a couple of times. So now we are travelling by train for 22 hours back to San Francisco to get the plane to Viva Las Vegas.

Go ahead punk make my day!

We are in Dirty Harry territory. A punk on every corner, do I feel lucky. 'We the people,' as the New President ( and Abraham Lincoln before him)  put it have been exploring San Francisco. It is a hard working walking up and down the city's 43 hills, good thing we have only done one, knackered after that, needed oxygen by the time I got to the top, there was none but a Starbucks helped.  The weather is warm and a mixture of rain, cloud and sun. The sun has been out today as we were leaving. Wednesday was wet and someone didn't remember her raincoat, even though I had mention that rain  was likely. They did bring an umbrella, but left it in the suitcase, not helpful when you are 5 miles away from the hotel. However, it was not a problem she could borrow my coat, no point both of us getting wet. This meant she had to go shopping for a new coat, typical. 

We have bought a three day transport pass, very good value for money, we have been on trams, buses and the cable cars. The cable cars have been running since 1873 and not changed much, it was great fun going up and down on them. We did go several times, make sure we got a good return on my investment in the pass. 

On Wednesday we did some shopping as I need a SIM card for the iphone. It is very useful as you put where you want to go into Google Map and then it gives you bus routes and directions. We walked along the front from Pier 3 to 39, it was quite a long walk. We saw the America's cup shop and then the Alcatraz pier, before ending up at Pier 39. Linda was in her element Sea Lions around a 150, but very noisy individuals. She liked watching them jumping off the platform, into the water and then getting back on the platform. It was her afternoons entertainment, but if you have seen one, the rest look the same! 

After that we went to look at the Golden Gate Bridge, it looks good in the rain, we were soaked by now, so we took some pictures and back on the bus to downtown. We are still jet lagged so when we got back to the hotel we fell asleep. 

The next day was Alcatraz and this was a 15 min boat ride, did Linda feel lucky or was she going to be sick like normal. It was a pleasant ride and breakfast did not make a re-appearance.  Alcatraz is interesting, it's what prison should be. I walked round quite quickly, but Linda  took her time and wandered around taking photos of everything. A good point was the weather had improved so we got a good view of the bridge. 

I was in charge of the camera back and getting pictures of the Island and anything else I was told to. Once on dry land we wandered around and found our way back to the cable cars.  As President Obama said ' Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown.....' Well he missed San Francisco off, but we have done the hills here. 

There is no breakfast at the hotel, so we have to eat out every day, we found a nice cafe called the Olympic, which also describes the meals. I had bacon and egg burrito and it was large, large, large, even I struggled to eat it all. Linda had blueberry pancakes, but you don't just get one but two. The only good thing is the free coffee refills, so I can fill up on caffeine for the day.  Starbucks is in abundance so we have visited a couple, just to compare them with the UK of course, and they are very similar, except they all speak in silly accents and say "have a nice day".

Today, or yesterday depending when you read this blog, we are going to Seattle, not quite sleepless in Seattle, more likely raining in Seattle.  We are flying Virgin Atlantic which does have Internet on the plane, although I did not pay to use it. 

So we will be in Seattle - Home of Starbucks.

To the Land of Starbucks

Starbucks, here we come. We are off to the land of the free. I am typing this in the air, obviously cannot upload it, but can do some preparation for when we land in San Francisco. We left our home yesterday and stayed at a travelodge overnight which was good planning in view of all the snow. I had wanted to leave at 14.30, but Linda does not understand the concept of time and leaving on time. She then complained I was rushing her, she has only known for three months about the holiday and had plenty of time to pack, and then I was rushing her! We left an hour late, but fortunately due to the bad weather the traffic was light and we were at Heathrow in about ninety minutes. I did drive slowly in case of ice.

We had booked in online, the boarding pass are logged on our Iphone and Ipad so we did not need paper ones.  The hotel was ok, the bed was rather soft but there was a tv in the room. We went for a brisk walk on the  cold, icy pavements to look for somewhere to eat. There were several Indians, but I didn't want to risk a Delhi belly with flying the next day, so we found a KFC and good news a Starbucks opposite.

Our flight was due to leave at 1430, but when I had downloaded the boarding passes it said 1630, however by this morning it was back to 1430. We dropped the car off and went to T5, it was not very busy, in fact there was no queue for security, well not in the fast track section. We browsed the shops, before going to the lounge.

There was plenty of food and free Internet, so I was very happy. We had not had breakfast, so I made up for it here. The plane was leaving on time, so we boarded and sat in our nice seats, which of course will turn into a bed later. I had downloaded Taken on the Ipad so was able to watch that, before watching Taken 2 on the aircraft movies. Linda watched a few films before gong to sleep. The journey is just over 10 hours, which must be horrible in cattle class, but very enjoyable in business.

The flight was ok, apart from when we started to land and suddenly the captain accelerates and goes up. I looked out the window and saw another plane, I think that goes down as a near miss. We did land successfully second time round. We were out the plane as quick as possible to be at the front of the queue for immigration. Then collect the bags and the Bart train into town.

We are staying at the King George's, well Er Indoors (who is now outdoors) likes to thinks she's royalty. She does have one thing in common with her Majesty, she never carries any money!

The only concerning thing is in the welcome pack there are instructions about what to do in an earthquake, not that they will be any use to Linda, last time we were in an earthquake, the bed moved off the ground, but she slept through it all.

It's rather warm here, we were walking round without any coats on. There are a lot of beggars on the  street worse than Nairobi. Good news I found Starbucks (several in fact).