LOS ANGELES
LA was sweet, we stayed right near Venice Beach and really close to some bars and restaurants and well away from the ghetto. After battling the LA traffic we were keen to get out of the car so we went for a walk down Venice Beach and had some chicken wings. There was an awesome Mexican Restaurant just next door to the hotel and it was pretty packed so we thought we'd give it a go. It was amazing. As soon as we sat down they gave us FREE corn chips and fresh made salsa. We had massive burritos and pints of Dos Equis and toasted to five and a half happy years together.

Venice Beach


The next morning we got on the road to San Diego. Before leaving LA however, we had some serious sightseeing to do. We saw the Hollywood sign, cruised along Mulholland Drive, Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood Boulevard and onto Rodeo Drive. I could've spent a whole day in the shops but time and money restraints kept us on the road. We went onto Newport and Laguna Beach to see how the rich people live. There were hundreds upon hundreds of mega-mansions on the hills, and we were certainly feeling like hobos in Veronica, surrounded by Mercs and Escolades.

The View from Mulholland Drive


Rodeo Drive Baby!
SAN DIEGO
We only saw the outskirts of San Diego, as our campsite was a bit out of town, but at night we could see the city light up from where we were staying. It was a really nice site but pretty busy and we had some noisy neighbors. They were horses and they were quite content whinnying and neighing to each other, only one of them had a bit of a hoarse horse throat and he sounded a bit like an old man horse.

At nighttime a few rabbits came out and there were heaps of squirrels so it put us in a good animal mood for the next day at San Diego Zoo.

My favorite animal at the zoo is from South Africa and is called a Dik-Dik. It's like a tiny little antelope. Fully grown they are only the size of a beagle. I also really liked the little baby duckies and the little monkeys, especially this one that looked like an Ewok from Star Wars. Zane liked the lion and the bearcat from Thailand.

Dik-Dik
Nap-time for Mr. Lion
Panda!
Meerkat
Polar Bear
Flamingo
Monkey/Ewok
Bearcat from Thailand. The keeper was taking it for a walk so we got to see him up close.
Skyfari- Takes you over the top of the Zoo.
SEQUOIA/KING'S CANYON NATIONAL PARK
Gong from the 20 degree temperatures we experienced at San Diego to -2 and snowing in Sequoia all in one day was a bit of a shock. We weren't anticipating snow and for this late in the year, I don't think the park staff were expecting it either. We pulled into the campground and saw it was only $10 but then we realised that maybe hypothermia isn't really worth it, so we continued onto Montecito Lodge. Here we got a room with a big bed and bathroom and all meals included so we were pretty happy to fill up and snuggle in for the night. The snow continued all night and well into the next day so we were holed up for a little while with road closures. Not that we minded, with a steady supply of food and NCIS Season 1 on DVD.

We were able to leave the next day, with newly purhcased chains on our tires. Unfortunately as we were taken out the Northern exit, we weren't able to see the highlights that we had come to the Park to see, General Sherman (a tree that is the largest living thing in the world), the tunnel log (a fallen giant sequoia tree that you can drive through, lenthways), and the crystal caves.
On the road again...
And now we are heading to Death Valley for a few nights and then onto Vegas. We've booked a helicopter ride from Vegas that flies over the Grand Canyon, so Zane is very excited about that.
Much love, T and Z.