10 May - Alcatraz

Today Rosa and I went on an Alcatraz tour while the Hirs' caught up on some last minute shopping. Alcatraz is an island in San Francisco Bay which has been used as a fort, a military prison, and for some 30 years a federal prison which housed some of the most infamous inmates in US criminal history, including Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. The tour starts with a ferry ride to the island and from there on you can walk around alone, join a National Park ranger for a guided tour or take the self guided audio tour of the penitentiary.



This proved to be one of the most interesting days of our trip. Alcatraz has been immortalized in dozens of Hollywood movies including, "The Birdman of Alcatraz" and "The Rock", and it was great to actually be there and hear and see the reality. As a prison Alcatraz was shut down in the 1960's and today it is under the control of the National Park service and supported by lots of volunteers. Altogether a wonderful and informative day.
This will be the last blog for this trip. I've had lots of comments by email from all of you who have followed our adventures - thanks for that. Tomorrow is our last day. We check out of our hotel at noon, and we'll head out to the airport around 7pm. From then on its all endless queues, lots of security checks and an interminable flight home, but it's all worth it. We've had an unbelievable adventure and everything occurred just as we planned it.

9 May - San Francisco

Rode the famous cable car to Lombard St. San Francisco is very hilly and these world famous cable cars are hauled up the steep streets by cables under the street. The cable car runs right past our hotel and the ride provides a wonderful cross section of urban life. Lombard Street is known as the crookedest street in the world. It zigzags it's way down the side of a very steep hill.



From here we walked for another visit to Pier 39 on another world famous landmark - Fisherman's Wharf, where we spent some more time looking through an interesting array of shops and checking out a colony of 100 or so sea lions which have adopted the place since 1989. had dinner this evening in a nice Greek restaurant - Santorini. Tomorrow Rosa and I are booked on a tour of Alcatraz which was a very famous penitentiary. John and Sandra visited it on a previous trip and will be catching up on last minute shopping.

8 May - Mothers Day in San Francisco

Mother's Day and our first full day in San Francisco. Started with breakfast at Lori's Diner, an authentic 1950's diner across the road from our hotel. The girls were presented with a complimentary red carnation. After breakfast we boarded one of the famous San Francisco streetcars and headed of to Fisherman's Wharf. Lots of interesting shops, cafe's etc. and strolling around and soaking up the sights took up most of the day. Later in the afternoon we visited the SS Jeremiah O'Brien, one of only three remaining Liberty Ships. This ship took part in the Normandy Invasion in 1945 and has since been restored to full working order and is still used for short cruises around the San Francisco area. Here's John at the wheel of the old girl.






For dinner this evening we dined at a very historic and famous steakhouse.






John's Grill has been in business since 1908 and is a local landmark. I think it's fair to say our steaks were the best we had all experienced. Overall, San Francisco is one of my favorite cities in the world.

6 May - Grand Canyon and Las Vegas

John and I got up at 5 am this morning to get to the Grand Canyon before sunrise at about 5:30. The temperature was 34 F which is a couple of degrees above freezing. When we got to Canyon viewing point there were already a couple of hundred people there with their cameras at the ready. It was pretty special watching the sun come over the horizon and slowly paint the canyon with splashes of sunlight. Left to come back to the hotel at 06:00 to wake the girls and get ready for breakfast. We were on the road by 08:00 for the 5 hour drive back to Las Vegas. After dinner at the Paris Las Vegas (Pizza and soup) we strolled down the strip to the Mirage for our 09:30 show of The Beatles Love. The show was spectacular. The soundtrack which consists of digitally remastered Beatles recordings, including a lot of the chat and banter of the four Liverpool lads during recording sessions is breathtaking. It is impossible to describe how well the acrobatics and choreography have been integrated with the timelessness of the Beatles music. My only complaint - it wasn't long enough. After what seemed only an hour or so, the intro to Sgt Pepper kicked in ('we hoped that you enjoyed the show'). In fact an hour and three quarters had passed and it was the end, and the crowd left to the refrain of 'All you need is love'.
Tomorrow we catch a a 1:45 pm flight to San Francisco.

5 May - Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon

Left Las Vegas at 08:00 this morning for the 280 mile drive to the Grand Canyon. En route we took the opportunity to visit the Hoover Dam, one of the seven industrial wonders of the world. This magnificent structure together with the stark Arizona landscape made this a memorable visit.

After that, we were back on the road for the long drive to the Grand Canyon National Park. Nothing quite prepares you for the actual impact of this magnificent natural wonder. Today was a perfect day,and it was late afternoon when we got there with our cameras at the ready. We spent a couple of hours just snapping away as the light slowly faded away.



We'll be back before sunrise tomorrow to catch the first light on the canyon as it has done for millions of years.



After that we drive back to Las Vegas and the following day we fly to San Francisco.

3 May - Viva Las Vegas

Left Los Angeles this morning at 9:00 for our long drive to Las Vegas. After spending an hour on freeways and dealing with LA traffic we finally reached the outskirts of LA and the foothills of the San Bernardino mountains. Our road up the mountains took us to 4,000 ft above sea level. Once you reach the plateau the road crosses the Mojave desert. We reached the outskirts of Las Vegas by 2 pm and were well settled into the Paris hotel by 3 pm. Spent the rest of the afternoon walking down Las Vegas Boulevard which is an exercise in sensation overload. There is an amazing sight in whatever direction you look. We have all day tomorrow to explore further and then the day after we head off to the Grand Canyon.


This is a view of our hotel, the Paris Las Vegas.

2 May - Los Angeles

Our hotel in LA is on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. Across the road is a restaurant called the Saddle Ranch. Had dinner there last night and climbed on board (briefly) the mechanical bull, which all diners are invited to ride. John and I climbed on board and quickly got off before anyone had a chance to switch it on. Today we drove to Santa Monica and visited the famous pier there. From there to LA's latest shopping experience (The Grove) and after that we attempted to visit the actual location of the Hollywood sign. This involves navigating some of the narrowest windy roads we've every encountered and although we got quite close, in the end we decided gin and tonics back at the hotel would be more fun. This evening we dined at the Cabo Cantina, a little Mexican place just down the road.



Fantastic food but the sheer quantity and the size of the drinks overwhelmed us. Great fun. Tomorrow we drive to Las Vegas, a trip of some 280 miles.

1 May - Hello to Hollywood

We arrived in Los Angeles this morning as we slept. When we went to breakfast there it was. Getting us and our luggage off the ship and through immigration and customs involves the usual interminable queues but eventually by 10:00 we were in a taxi bound for our hotel in Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood. After settling in we immediately headed for Hollywood Boulevard visit the usual sights. Here if you look very closely you'll see the Hollywood Hills and the famous Hollywood sign in the background. Tomorrow we pick up a hire car for a look around Los Angeles and then for the big drive to Las Vegas. Looking back, the cruise was an unbelievable experience. The passage through the canal was an absolutely unique experience and the ports we visited were unforgettable. Still a fair bit to look forward to before we head back to Oz.