Los Angeles northwards

Having hired a car for a few days we decided to head north to San Francisco. Before we left Los Angeles we wandered back to the Hollywood and Highland Mall as we had heard that the Oscars would be on display to the public. Luckily they had just opened up and although a small queue had formed we didn’t have to wait too long to get inside. All 50 Oscars were on display, including one we could pick up ourselves and pose with!!! It was actually quite heavy!!

We then made our way down Santa Monica Boulevard to Venice Beach. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t too good so there weren’t many ‘muscles’ to be seen on Muscle Beach. Bob did try the gym equipment – the rings and beam – but only lasted a few seconds on each!!!

We had a wander along the beachfront watching the entertainers who lined the pavements – from a young lad doing stunts on a bike to a man playing classical music on a piano.

We then headed north through Malibu to Santa Barbara where we spent the night. Unfortunately by the time we got there the Information Centre had closed, but we managed to stop two young lads who pointed us in the right direction of the hotels and motels. Santa Barbara has a distinctly Spanish feel about it (in fact all the coastal towns north of LA are similar) with a lovely beach front and busy main street packed with shops and restaurants.

The next morning we were due to head out to the Scenic Coastal Route towards SF but were warned by the Information Centre that the heavy overnight rain and next band of rain due meant the road could be dangerous with the chance of mudslides!! Reluctantly we therefore decided to stay on Route 101 missing what we had been told was a beautiful scenic road – the weather once again getting the better of us! We ended up in Monterey where a big Pro-Am Golf Tournament was just finishing (AT&T). We managed to get the last available room in the Holiday Inn where we were treated to a Wine and Cheese Reception. All the bars and restaurants were full of spectators from the golf enjoying a last evening of chatter about swings, bogeys and eagles!!!

In the morning we had a drive around, and spotting a crowd on the seafront assumed it was to do with the golf so made our way over to see if we could spot any celebrities. It actually turned out to be a 10k/5k local road race. Luckily for Bob it had just finished – his eyes lit up at the thought of a bit of exercise, but although the mind was probably willing, the body now needs a bit of work!!

We then drove the last stretch up Highway 101 to San Francisco where we have 3 nights booked in the Redwood Inn Motel.