San Francisco

Howdy Partners, we have hit the big city. Sat Nav's are wonderful things they directedme straight to the door of the Marriot Hotel where we are staying. I was a bit daunted about driving in the city, as you can see from below the views were amazing, but so too was the traffic, all six lanes of it.


We asked for a high level room and are up on the 28th floor, this is the view from our bedroom window.


Tonight we headed out for chinatown and I foolishly thought that been in the heart of the city I would be safe from bear attacks! How wrong I was, just on the corner of 4th and Market Street this great big brown fellow grabbed me. After a mammoth struggle I grappled it to the ground and told him to come back with his mates and meet me in Yosemite, and that I was hard, came from Silky and had pidgeons, ya kna!


This morning we headed for Fishermans Wharf and took a cable car to get there. It was quite full so we had to hang onto the outside. Does this count as a roller coaster ride?


Mrs B and Samantha looking very scared, riding the cable car!


It is a great way to see the city, often at very close quarters!! The hills are quite steep and I am thinking about next years bike trip - you have been warned!




Where there is an up there is a down - look at this down hiller coming up. Heed down, arse up, weeee!


Lunch today was on Pier 39, here are some family shots:


A four person long arm shot taken by Samantha!



We then went to a shop called seasons, which sold items to do with Christmas, Easter and we really liked these for Halloween.


I am kind of worried what "The Rust" has been doing in his spare time though??

Good bye coast hello big city!!

After a day at the Monterey Aquarium and a seafood lunch at Bubba Gump's Samantha is worn out and has a power nap (Billy-time!)















"My name is forest gump, most people call me forest"















We went to bubba gump shrimp co. it was so nice it was theamed around the film forest gump and was mint!














We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and got close up with some big fish. It was a good job we did not see this big critter before the girls went surfing. The guy who took the girls for thier surfing lesson said that there are Great White Sharks swimming off the coast of CA. When I asked him if there was any danger of one attacking a surfer he simply replied "it is my motto not to surf alone as this increases your chances by 50%". He did have an artificial leg as well, which did make me wonder!















Hi there guess who? Cant guess! Your weird!
To help you i will show you a penguin - see the penguin??














its mermaid girl... can you guess now?
if you guessed vicky victoria or ross your right!!
so today we decided, lets go see vickys family! so we went to the aquarium it was full of... fish!
When we finished there it was time to head up to san fran baby woo, but me and samantha where tired so we slept the whole way there!!

Big Surf and Big Sur

Samantha and Victoria goin surf'in - surf'in USA


Yes, they both enrolled for a surfing lesson today as you can see from the action shots below

This next shot looks more like a scene from "The Birds"




Hi there folks its good old vicky here from the state of california. yeh surfing was awsome but after we hit the waves,we did more boogie bording then actual surfing, (we now know why the surfers are so fit!!) so we decided it was time to leave santas holiday home and head up to monteray by driving up the BIG SURR!

it was beautiful! see for yourself :)







As you can see, we were pretty close to the sea yet in the middle of a forest. When we were travelling, we came across some seals and elephant seals and squirells.






In this last photo, there are two small seals lying on there backs and we could actually hear them clapping!

Tonight we enjoyed a meal in The Hogsbreath. Question of the day: Who owns the Hogsbreath? Well to answer this question you have to ask yourself "are you feeling lucky? well, are you punk?" go on make my day and answer the question.

Santas Vacation Home

Last night we arrived at San Louis Obispo, Pismo beach where we are staying in Santas Vacation home (the hotel that samantha picked, and it was a good choice)((which gives out FREE fresh baked cookies at 4pm, yummmmmmm!!)).



and with it looking like this youd expect the views to be of snow and reindeer. wrong.



Whilst Samantha and Fishgirl swam (again) Mam and Dad enjoyed a bottle of bud and took in the view.



Last night we went and enjoyed a meal at a Saloon themed resteraunt where dad had yet another incident with a bear.




And he also met an actual GNU



Todays plan is to go and get breakfast (from ednas bakery!) then take a walk along the beach and then drive to shell beach so that samantha and victoria and dad if hes not too afraid can have a lesson in surfing and then ride the waves. mam is watching the bags haha.

Also, mam can hardly contain herself at the fact she is going to walmart to get some american straightners.

Tonight we are staying in Monterey so will update again there.

p.s. the weather is LOVELY!

Santa Barbara and beyond

Today we spent sometime in Santa Barbara, it is a harbour along the coast from Los Angeles.

The girls wanted to spend sometime on the beach,as you can see below it was lovely, they particlularly liked the lifeguard!


Following lunch we headed up the coast. We have created a few CD's with good driving songs on. We took a detour on the road up to San Luis Obispo so that we could drive alongside Lake Chachuma, as we were driving this stretch of road we were all singing "on the road again".


The detour proved worthwhile the views of Lake Chachuma were brilliant. I guess that Chachuma is a red indian name.




Hi, this is vicky again :)


Today:
woke up, ate breakfast, swam.
went to santa barbra beach,walked miles!
enterd paradise a.k.a San Louis Obispo!
swam all after noon

Santa Monica, Santa Barbara and Santa Claus

Hi All, well today we officially started our road trip by being on the road. We left Los Angeles this morning after scoffing ourselves on a buffet breakfast. We did a little tour of LA (Hollywood bowl and the Hollywood sign).


Here we see Mrs B at the Hollywood Bowl


And the Beaney Girls at the Hollywood Sign


We then had our first warning of dangerous animals (more to come I am sure!)


Now that we are on the move, we can start to look back at where we have been. Todays image shows a view back to Los Angeles, you can see the skyscrapers in the distance.

The funny part of the day was that we were heading to Santa Barbara and decided to call into Santa Monica for lunch on the way (which was lovely), although Victoria thought it was too much like Amity Island and she is still scared of Jaws! Mrs B particularly enjoyed Santa Monica because we found an English Pub where she gratefully accepted the English Hospitality by downing two pints of Storngbow. The beaney babes also enjoyed shopping in bloomingdales, victoria bought a bag so that she could get the designer carrier bag. (Go figure! - it must be a girl thing!) We then saw a sign for Santa Claus and all roared laughing (I guess you had to be there). We then had a lovely drive up route 101 to Santa Barbara, by which time the sun was setting. Hodge (Amateur Photographer) would have had a great time with shilloettes over the ocean - and no need for his extraordinary long arms.

We are now in a Hotel in Goleta, slghtly north of Santa Barbara and have sorted out the laptop so uploaded several posts tonight. Tomorrows plan is to spend some time in Santa Barbara before heading up the coast to St.Luis Obispo, where we hope to do another posting....

Universal Studios and Sunset Boulevard

Today we got our 'car' aka a small bus.




then had a little drive about Sunset Blvd and Hollywood Blvd and Santa Monica Blvd.







After dads skilled driving we went back to the hotel to get changed. can you tell which car ours is from the odd parked car??



once we were ready, we went back to universal studios and city walk, this time we walked. when walking around universal, we saw a hummingbird. can you spot it?



Last night we enjoyed a meal at a cowboy/ranch themed resteraunt called Saddle ranch where we scoffed a lot of pig!



And proof mam does eat elaine:

before:

After: