Aug 24th 2012 Leaving Dublin

Well into the second week of our adventure and I am only now getting around to opening my blog. While I love technology I am still working on the social media aspect of it. I grew up with, and participated in, the promotion of technological change, but Facebook, Twitter and indeed Blogging are still somewhat alien to me. However, my Bucket List is about challenges, about getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things.

After creating my blog I sought some guidance from Google on what makes a good blog. I was not surprised to find a vast array of suggestions containing many contradictions. There were, however some common threads and it is with those few suggestions I will endeavor to impart some small insight into our US Road Trip.

I will be posting photos on Flickr whenever I get a chance and I will provide a link from time to time.

According to  Mark Twaine“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” 

I believe this to be true but only where the traveler is prepared to open their eyes, heart and mind

Friday August 24^th 2012:

In the beginning there was the book:

And so it begins.  Already I can hear you asking “what the hell is the significance of this first photo” or words to that effect. Well, all will be revealed shortly. We are not good packers and generally most of the clothes we take with us never see the light of day when we are away. They simple make the round trip and then get put away until our next holiday. We had intended to pack early in the week and then repack the day before we left but, as usual, we left it all too late. So, Bags packed by 3:30 am and off to bed for a few hours’ sleep.

To the Airport – our first ‘oh crap!’ moment

A good friend, Paul Sherlock, offered to take us to the airport. He arrived as planned and we left the house at 10am thinking that went well. Fifteen minutes into the trip Brenda says, ‘Jack, do you know what I forgot?’ Too late to turn back now I though, so, (a) we do without it or (b) if it’s really important we buy one when we get to our destination. But no, it didn’t fall into either category. She forgot the book, her Journal.  For those who don’t know Brenda let me tell you she is very creative in the artistic sense. She created a beautiful Journal to record her journey. (I will post images as we go along – if she lets me: )  )  Anyway, (already failing on Google’s suggestion to keep the blog short) we called Damian back home and asked him to pop the Journal in a taxi and send it to the airport a.s.a.p. Paul, a self-confessed careful driver, was genuinely concerned that the taxi would reach the airport before us despite our twenty minute lead on a 30 minute trip. The Journal arrived, by taxi, shortly after we did and was reunited with Brenda. The taxi guy apologized for having to charge 50 Euro for taking a book for a ride.  We were back on track

I am trying to find a suitable name for our travelling companion in the images below. Your help with this would be appreciated.

The Journal

August 24th 2012:

First Stop Chicago O’Hare Airport.

We arrived in Chicago with about 4 hours to kill before our next flight to Albuquerque. Feeling tired and in need of some real food after the flight we spotted a restaurant called Wolfgang Puck and decided this would be a nice place to enjoy a meal and maybe a bottle of wine. This is where we met Constantine, a great conversationalist and far more than an excellent waiter. After helping us choose our food and a great bottle of wine we found out he is also a great artist

Have a look at his web site here http://www.constantine-gallery.com/  I love the vibrant colours on his paintings. Don't you just love life when you discover hidden treasures?

Brenda Updating her Journal at Wolfgang Puck

August 25th and 26th 2012:

The first few days of our US road trip were spent with Brendan, Julie, Mya and Sean. This gave me an opportunity to organize to a couple of mobile phones and  rent a car for the next couple of months. Brendan was a great help. Thanks Bren. I love the new Facebook site with your superb photos, 

http://www.facebook.com/BODImages

Walmart an American institution.

We went to Walmart for the phones where you can get anything you could ever want and you will purchase many things you never needed in the first place. There’s no such thing as ‘just popping in’ for a single item. That may be your intention but 1 hour later and a couple of hundred dollars poorer you will emerge back into the real world. Anyway, we got a couple of cheap phones and pay as you go minutes.

Car Hire:

I can recommend  Budget at Albuquerque Airport. Just ask for Laura, she gave us a great deal on a Ford Fusion for the full two months. She even made renewal after one month as easy as a phone call while other operators wanted us to call back to the center to renew. Ask for Laura and tell her I sent you : )  Ladies you may like to check out her nails.

Cliffs Amusement Park:


We went to Cliffs Amusement Park in Alququerque with Brendan, Julie, Mya and Sean

I will load more images onto Flickr once I can get WiFi that runs a little better than old dial-up.

Cliffs Amusement Park on Flickr



Brenda watching the speedometer

Brenda, Mya and Sean take a helicopter ride

Brendan and Sean on the Train



Julie enjoying a train ride

Brenda and Mya on the Train

Brenda and Sean on the Waterslide

For tourist information about Albuquerque and New Mexico click the links below:
Albuquerque ,  New Mexico 

August 27th to 29th 2012

The long drive from Albuquerque to Sedona was worthwhile as you can see from this panoramic photo supplied by Brendan

We stayed in the Junipine resort for a couple of days. We could easily have stayed a couple of weeks. The mountains, woods, rivers and the amazing town of Sedona are so beautiful.

Brendan catches a twig and it tries to run away.

Mya spots something in the trees

Sean listens to Julie about the dangers of the river, then gets back in

Sedona



Julie teaches Mya, or is it the other way around?



 

Brenda with Sean



Mya has a chat with one of the locals from Sedona

To see more of our images from Sedona click here: Sedona images 

I will continue to add images to this set, time permitting.

Tourist Guide to Sedona and Arizona here: Sedona ,  Arizona

August 29th 2012 Bearizona

Aug 29th 2012

Bearizona

We left Sedona and hit the road for Bearizona. We stopped along the way to take a last look at the mountain all around us.

For more images of our trip to Bearizona click on the links below:

Our Images from Bearizona

Bearizona web site

We had a great day at Bearizona with the kids. 

At this point we parted company with Brendan, Julie, Mya and Sean so we could continue on our adventure. We will come back to Abuquerque at the end of our trip. We were sad to leave them behind so with mixed emotions we took off for San Diego via Phoenix.

August 30th and 31st 2012

Thursday August 30^th 2012

Travelling from Bearizona we arrived in Phoenix at about 6:30 pm where the temperature had reached a scorching 107 degrees. We booked into the Phoenix Place hotel after getting a great rate. I think this is because all sane people had left the city for cooler places.

The next morning, after breakfast, we stepped outside the air conditioned hotel and decided it might be best to skip Phoenix, where we were unable to breath, and head straight away to San Diego. The Phoenix Place hotel was really nice and I would recommend it to anyone making a trip to Phoenix.

Left Phoenix for long journey to San Diego

We checked into the Hilton Garden Inn in San Diego and set off to check out the city and Coronado Island.

I should mention at this time that the images of the landscape all the way from Albuquerque to Phoenix and on to San Diego are only stunning. If you are a purely greenscape type of person then it's not for you. If you can see the beauty in the amazing rock formations, lava rocks, dunes, cacti, grasses and dazzling colours then you will appreciate this different landscape. I found it really beautiful.

So San Diego city, zoo and Coronado.


View of San Diego Cityscape from Coronado

Friday August 31^st 2012

Today we decided to take the ferry to Coronado Island a stones throw across from San Diego.

 http://www.coronado.ca.us/

Coronado Islands is really beautiful. The Hotel Del Coronado, used during the production of many movies including 'Some Like It Hot', is located on the island. http://www.hoteldel.com/



The San Diego highlight for me was meeting with Smokey and Cindy (Smokey’s Girl). They belong to the Sacramento branch of the Buffalo Soldiers. Follow the links here to get more information about the Buffalo Soldiers. This is such an interesting topic and by following the links you will get an insight into the struggle of these brave men.  Smokey and Cindy travel around on their motor bikes bringing the story of the Buffalo Soldiers to school children. I enjoyed our brief encounter with this beautiful couple. 

Buffalo Soldiers
Buffalo Soldiers Sacramento and Smokey
Wikipedia and Buffalo Soldiers

We enjoyed a very relaxing day on Coronado often just sitting on the beach looking across the short stretch of water separating the Island from the City.
I have placed some of the images captured on this part of our trip on Flickr. Use this link to see our  image: Our images of San Diego and Coronado

Here are some other links to California, San Diego and Coronado Island:
California

San Diego
Coronado

Aug 31st 2012 - end of day

At the end of our first day in San Diego We returned to our Hotel and had a refreshing pint of the local brew. When I asked the lady behind the bar what it was called I thought she was having a go at me but it turns out the beer is actually called "Arrogant Bastard"





Saturday September 1^st 2012

We spent several hours in San Diego Zoo today and could easily have stayed the whole day.

I always enjoy a trip to the Zoo and will usually try to visit one in all major cities we visit. I know many will argue that it's not right to lock up all the magnificent animals, especially the large creatures who are used to open skies, the African plains or polar ice caps.

Leaving San Diego we drove into the Mission Bay area was packed with thousands of cars SUVs RVs etc. Large groups sitting together, BBQs on the go, beside the beach.  How easy it is to plan events with family and friends when the weather is always so good. At home you might decide to have a BBQ in the morning because the weather starts out so well only  to find yourself running for cover to avoid hail in the afternoon. We also visited La Jolla Village for lunch before moving on to Carlsbad

 

Our images from San Diego Zoo
Web site for San Diego Zoo

Sep 2nd and 3rd 2012

Sunday September 2^nd 2012

September 3rd. 2012 is Labor Day in the US. Unfortunately were were unaware of the impact this would have on the movement of people and the hotel reservations. This is a holiday weekend so many people took the opportunity to get to the beach. Road were clogged with traffic and beaches everywhere crowded with people making the most of the beautiful weather.

Arrived in beautiful Carlsbad to find every hotel booked to capacity. At the Hilton we used their complimentary WiFi to search for any vacancies. After about 45 minutes we found a ‘Quality ‘ Inn with a room. We booked it. This was a lesson in Supply and Demand at work. The Inn was a Motel. The room was tiny but in fairness it was clean and I would have no problem staying here if the nightly rate was fifty dollars, however, at $200 it was daylight robbery. Clearly rates were pushed up for the holiday weekend. I can’t blame them for that, It’s the same everywhere. A bigger disappointment was the fact that they advertised free wifi. While I could ‘see’ the network the signal was showing only a dot and therefore neither my iPad or Laptop could pick up anything. Will have to enter Big Mac territory again. Not knowing what part of town we we in and not feeling as secure with our accommodation as we would normally feel we did not stray beyond the parking area. A Chinese Buffet looked like the only option for an evening snack. We got fortune cookies at the end. Mine said, “ you have at your command the wisdom of the ages” . I guess they didn’t know about the absence of Google in my room.

Went to the Carlsbad Village Fiesta where local artists were displaying their work in galleries and in the open areas inside the centre. This is where I chatted with a few of the artists about their work.

Beverly Struber a Watermedia Artist produces beautiful layered water colour images. You can see her work at the Oceanside Art Gallery. This gallery features the work of many local artists. Beverly works from the studio at the back of the gallery
Some links associated with Beverly: Oceanside Art Gallery and  Artists Alliance

Alan Katof produces photographic images on canvas. Many without any post capture enhancements while others are modified using Photoshop and similar products. Alan is a retired teacher from New York. He now enjoys his real passion and if the images I saw are anything to go by he is living the dream. Have a look at Alan's work here: Alan Katof web site 

Alan describes his art with such enthusiasm

Michael Alan Nelson prints photographic images on different material. Some are printed on metal and the effect is stunning.



Capistrano Beach

Our next stop was Capistrano beach.
Have a look at our images here: Our images from Capistrano beach 


We had been advised not to miss Balboa Island. Well, the holiday weekend (Labor Day), made this next to impossible. We drove up the main street and found ourselves in a traffic jam for almost an hour. We turned around as soon as possible and left Balboa behind. What we did see was so beautiful. We will have to return at some point in the future.
Have a look at Balboa here.

We arrives in Los Angeles in the early evening and after finding a hotel and settling in we went looking for somewhere to eat. We struck gold when we fond an Itilian restaurant Buca di beppo the food was fabulous.

I loved everything about the place. Have a look at some of our images from Buca:

Our images of Buca di beppo

Sep 3rd and 4th 2012

Monday Sept 3^rd 2012

Left for Santa Monica, went up to Hollywood, decided to stay and have a look around.

Tuesday Sept 4^th 2012

Went to Hollywood hills to take photo

Venice Beach

Follow these links for more information: 

Los Angeles
Venice Beach
Santa Monica

Our images from Los Angeles

We took off for Santa Barbara but only got to Oxnard. We stayed over in Oxnard and moved on the next morning.

Sep 5th and 6th 2012 San Luis Obispo and through Big Sur to Carmel

We stopped off at San Luis Obispo on our way to Carmel, liked what we saw and decided to stay the night.


This is a 1914 Model T Ford

Can you imagine how long it would take you to do our US Road Trip in this 1914 model T Ford. Well, unfortunately this vehicle is no longer operational and even if it was I doubt we would have been allowed t take it on the road. This would be a good page header for our US Road Trip ??



Brenda meet  Lushana 

Lushana, like Brenda, shares a love for paper art. They were like best buddies within miutes of meeting. Brenda purchased one of Lushana's cards (see below). The shop 'Minerva' sells clother, all designed and made by Lushana's mother using local and imported vintage fabrics. I'm no expert on this subject but they looked fabulous. I don't think they have a web site yet . Brenda and Lushana have promised to swap their work once we get back home.

Lushana's hand made card

Jannelle spoke with us about her work with school kids

We also me with Jannelle. She counsels kids attending one of the local schools, mainly first to eight graders. She really loves her work and you just know, from our too brief encounter, that she is a great help to all the kids. She was kind enough to delay her planned departure so we could talk some more about many other topics.   

Our Images of San Luis Obispo and the journey to Carmel

San Luis Obispo

Sep 6-7th 2012 Carmel and then on to San Francisco




Just one of the many fabulous buildings in Carmel

Carmel is a very prosperous town just south of San Francisco. It's probably one of the most beautiful towns we have visited on our journey so far and I doubt we will top it. The building are just stunning beautiful as you can see from the photo above. You can see more image if you click on the links at the end of this post.

This is Tamara of Tamara G Fine Art



As you may have gathered from my blog I love to visit the art galleries in each town or city we visit. I popped into Tamara G, a fine art gallery on Ocean Avenue and was greeted by the very lovely Tamara herself. I had a look at the work from three Italian artists and would love to own any of them,  You can see their work if you click on the link below. My favourite artist was Bruno Paoli. Have a look at his work and see if you notice a common thread?

Tamara, if you read this, remember, three years : )    

Tamara G Fine Art

This image is for the folks back home. A security and logistics firm in Carmel.

This has nothing to do with our own police force. This is a security firm in California, just thought you might like to see it? Have a look: Garda

Aleks Raskin:

I was in the Carmel Plaza and just about to leave when I decided to go up another flight of stairs. This is where I met Alexs Raskin. I had the most  enlightening conversation with Aleks and I will definitely be in touch with him again. There is a link here with another of my 'Bucket List' challenges but that I will leave between Aleks and me, for now. 

Aleks produces what he calls 'Surreal Photo Transformation' His work is mesmerising and like nothing I have ever seen before. He does not have a web site so if you want to see his work you will just have to pay him a visit at the gallery he shares with other artists on Level 3, Carmel Plaza. Alternatively, you could sponsor an exhibition of his work at a gallery near you?? 

Some of our images from Carmel (more to follow)

Web site for Carmel

Sep 7th to 11th 2012 San Francisco

This is our fourth time to stay with Jean and Kris in San Francisco, the last time being only September of last year. Each time we arrive it's like we never left, we just pick up where we left off the last time. This is truly our home from home. I love San Francisco. I have, on previous visits,covered many parts of the city on foot and taken hundreds of photos over the years. On this occasion we were looking for somewhere to relax and enjoy good company. That's exactly what we got from our hosts. Thanks Jean and Kris for a great time. Oh, we did of course do the mandatory trip to Cha Cha Chas.

Here are some images from this visit and below you can find a link to Flickr where I will be posting
more images

Click here for other images from our San Fran trip