Monterey & Carmel by the Sea

We decided to try to and do a few last minute things this morning in San Francisco before leaving town. But all that happened was that we got frustrated with one way streets and the car decided it couldn't cope with the hills and wanted us to stop and wait 10 minutes as the transmission was overheated !!

So, farewell San Francisco - hello next place.

Thought my eyes were playing tricks when I spotted this rainbow on the clouds

We found our way south - though not on the road we wanted to be on because the GPS that came with the rental is a bit anal and drives us nuts. Still, we found our way and by just after lunch had arrived at Monterey. Still crazy wind blowing in off the Pacific, so not too warm. But much more relaxed. We found somewhere for lunch - an ENGLISH PUB no less, playing Euro2016 on the big screen.

Then we found our hotel, did the washing, sorted out our cases and went back into Monterey too have a look at the Farmers Market, have a walk on the beach. That filled our shoes up with sand and wasn't much fun in the wind. Then we found some dinner and decided to go for a drive to Carmel by the Sea. 

The cute town where Clint Eastwood was once Mayor. We watched the sunset as we went and snapped a few photos to share as well. Then back to the hotel for the night.

Pohutukawa everywhere in California - and Eucalyptus in flower too 

Tomorrow is the last day of our roadtrip as we head from Monterey back to Santa Monica.

So, San Francisco...

Today's lyric is from Shania Twain - "That don't impress me much"

It was actually yesterday but I ran out of time to blog because of unforeseen events which shall be detailed later.

We got up early and set out to find breakfast as we had been led to believe the food scene was pretty amazing in San Francisco. But no, pastries, pastries, pastries or other greasy options. Blurgh. So coffee it was.

Then having decided we would do the Hop On Hop Off bus to see the sights, we found a stop and waited for the bus to arrive. We saw a few sights, wandered around Haight Ashbury and did a spot of shopping, then back on another bus for the trip over the Golden Gate Bridge and back to the stop closest to out motel for a little breather. We also had a short walkabout part of Pacific Heights. Our motel (right next door to an IHOP on Lombard St) was ostensibly in the Marina District, but actually was almost on the border of Pacific Heights - but at the bottom of the hill.

By this time, we were felling a bit deflated about San Francisco. Everyone had told us we would love it, but we didn't find it that easy to navigate, or very personable or even any different to many other places. Plus, despite being warned that it is often cold, we were completely unprepared for the freezing cold wind all day and only 14 or 15 degrees. We could have stayed in Wellington or Auckland to experience that. 

We had decided by now that we didn't want to stay another day. We have cities with harbours, and bridges, and earthquake surviving structures, and hills too - there just didn't seem to be anything that grabbed us and said STAY. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the difficulty in finding good food to eat. Who would have thought we would have found such amazing food in Utah - then nothing to compare in such a destination city ?

We caught another HOHO bus back into Downtown and wandered about a bit more trying to find shops and thongs to photograph that we had missed from the bus because inconsiderate vehicles obstructed the scene. Giving up in despair we caught another HOHO to Fishermans Wharf where we had hoped to find some food before doing the night tour. It was extremely cold too, but we decided to sit inside and just jump out to get photos when we could.

So we have photos. Afterward we caught a cab to a diner near the motel where we thought we might get some thing to eat, since nowhere else had had anything enticing on offer.

...oh, and the unforeseen even which stopped me doing this last night ? We got to the diner and then found I had left my phone on the cab ! Thank goodness for iphones !! We were able to track it and find the cab driver - and get it back. But that kind of messed up the rest of the evening.

Going to California

There is another song to get inside your head. (Led Zeppelin in case you didn't know)

This morning we got up, packed the car and had breakfast and were on our way again. Carson City has a few places worth having a better look, so maybe they might make it on the list for another time.

We had decided (or I had) to drive around Lake Tahoe to Truckee and then on to Sacramento. The GPS had different ideas though which caused a bit of a meltdown and ended up on some narrow backroads for a bit. But we were soon back on track. 

It is very lovely - and very popular which made our trip a lot slower than planned, with  a lot of roadworks thrown in for good measure. However, we made it to Sacramento to meet a new cousin and have a chat for a while before we made the last part of our journey to San Francisco.

The last 98km from Sacramento to San Francisco took close to 2 1/2 or 3 hours ! All of those people who had been out of town for the weekend, returning home. The bonus about slow traffic is that it gives you more time to concentrate and understand what the GPS is trying to tell you.

We've made it to the motel, found dinner and have some plans for tomorrow. Hopefully the June Gloom will stay away for us.

Driving, driving, driving

So today we farewelled Salt Lake City and Utah and drove almost all the way across Nevada.

The weather was cooler and the skies greyer so driving was much more enjoyable. We didn't stop as much to take photos though as there were never stopping places quite where the scenery was.

We stopped at the Casino just over the border for coffee - just as it started to rain. Actual rain. I don't think it had been forecast for that far north so early in the day but it was a nice surprise. Also don't laugh - we did stop for coffee, they have a Starbucks there. We also made 50 cents on a pokie machine while we were waiting - a good result.

We made a couple more stops for food and petrol and arrived at Carson City about 5pm after a quick detour to the drugstore (pharmacy) for cold remedies for me. Our arrival here was greeted  with thunder and heavy rain. Someone was VERY happy with this development. Now we are all checked in, washing done and dinner eaten.

Here are the pics from the two photo stops we did have today. Also I think there are salt pans in Nevada as well ? Some research will need to be done to confim this I feel.

Food and some sightseeing

Before I begin, my previous post was #100 - woo-hoo. Just felt it needed to be noted.

Anyway, back to it now. 

There has been a lot of anticipation about coming to Utah. For me, I wanted to see where the newly discovered rellies had lived, what sort of country they had settled, and where they had made their lives. I actually phoned a distant cousin before we left Kanab, to say hello. It was her birthday though (better remember to add that to the family tree) so we decided to forgo trying to meet up, and we will write to each other once I am back home.

This morning we wandered through the city centre and Temple Square and soaked up the atmosphere. Next time I am going to make sure I have a few spare hours or days to immerse myself in the records at the Family History Library. We had a bit of a drive around Ogden as well, where some people lived - and may still - and to check out the locations seen in a favourite movie.

But mostly, we have had GREAT food. A list of recommendations had been collected from some recent posts on welltraveledwife blog. Everything we have tried has been d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s !

When we were in Kanab, we found shaved ice, being sold from a caravan over the road from the hotel. Just what was needed on a hot hot afternoon.

Later the staff at our hotel recommended eating at Houstons Trail End and specifically that we should have pie. Sadly we forgot about portion sizes and didn't have enough room for the deliciousness that was on offer.

So, pie was added to the list of must haves. 

On our detour to Bryce Canyon we found a diner, which turned out to be more of a hamburger/hotdog joint - but it was lunch, although it didn't really rate that well. Had to be done though.

#merica

Fortunately I missed a turn off a little later on our trip north to Salt Lake and we ended up going through Salina where Mom's Cafe serves up delicious pie and pretty good coffee too.

Then last night we ate at Cafe Rio a mexican grill where everything is fresh from the farm to the table including the tortillas made right in front of you. They're a bit of a chain, but feel so much better than all those run of the mill ones we have.

Needless to say we were pretty full, by the time we had eaten all of these things in one day. And all had offered excellent vegetarian options as well which was a lovely surprise. Many offered gluten free as well.

This morning, the next places on the list were added to our itinerary.

Breakfast at The Protein Foundry in Cottonwoods. So delicious, what a way to start the day - we are even going back tomorrow for smoothies to go, as there was just so much to choose from on the menu.

I have to say too, just as an aside, I LOVE the granola you get here. So much nicer than ours back home. Anyway, off the the next places. We went shopping in downtown - but mostly window-shopping and then the plan was to walk to Even Stevens for lunch. Which we did after grabbing a drink from Starbucks (as you do) and which has so many more choices than those on offer back home.

The folk at Even Stevens have a great initiative, where for every sandwich bought they donate a sandwich to a non-profit organisation working with people requiring shelter and food. There are many businesses here who have great initiatives like this. A real community feel, where humans actually care about and respect each other. (Pickles and chips as a side - was a bit reminiscent of England I thought)

We made a visit to RubySnap - if you are ever in Salt Lake you need to check out the deliciousness of these cookies. We had a great chat to the staff there, SO friendly and one of whom had spent some time in New Zealand and wanted to share her experiences, and for us to share ours.

Then tonight after thinking we might try something from In n Out, we discovered they are just like the other well known chains and don't offer anything vegetarian. So we went to Zao - another of the eateries recommended on the welltraveledwife blog. It as delicious as well - although we were both unable to finish because of all the other goodies we had eaten through the day.

All of the staff we have met, including the retail staff who just bend over backwards to help, and who really take an interest in who you are and what you are looking for, have been amazing.

Ooh, I almost forgot - I bought some shoes today. TOMS. Another great little business with a giving back to the community initiative. For every pair of shoes sold they help a person in need. It started with shoes and it has expanded now to water, sight, safe births and preventing bullying.

...don't go thinking I have forgotten the pictures of the kitty cats at Best Friends the other day either. I'm still working on that.

Utah, you are so pretty and welcoming !

So, yesterday we drove from Kanab, north to Salt Lake City - with a few a little stops on the way - and time got away on us, so there was no time to write this last night.

As it turns out, this was a good thing.

We left Kanab after breakfast, and started northward. We decided to have a short detour to Bryce Canyon National Park so followed the Scenic Byway there through Red Canyon. Omigosh. Amazing. Every one of these oversized landscapes is so different to the next.

When we got Bryce, we came first to Bryce Canyon City which looks very new, and caters to the thousands of visitors these parks seem to have everyday, every season. We went into the park, but decided not to go adventuring too much in case it just delayed our arrival further north. So no photos of Bryce this time, I will have to go again another time.

So we set off again northward. Through teeny but thriving communities. Why can't we do this as well as the UK and US, New Zealand ? Every town we have been in, or stopped at passing though has notices in windows, advertising vacancies. True they may not be wonder jobs, paying great money - but they are jobs, and lots of businesses are obviously growing and looking to grow their staff numbers as well. It has to be good, doesn't it ?

The other thing which has surprised me has been the greenness, in Arizona and in Utah. Not always pasture, and not the same green we have in NZ, but trees and scrubby - maybe alpine/tundra - type grasses and shrubs. And always with majestic mountain ranges framing the scene.

As it turned out, our photo stops did effect our arrival time. Rush hour in Salt Lake isn't not so bad as LA, but it is up there with Auckland - but with more lanes, and more route options. Finding our hotel took a bit longer than planned as we changed midstream when the booked one gave us a non-smoking room which actually smelled smoky. Not good for allergies and asthma. Anyway we had a great dinner (see the next blog) and eventually found our way to a slightly better situated hotel - and definitely ready to hit the hay !

A different sort of day today,

We were up just after sunrise this morning, and on the road by 6am - why you ask ? Because we had a schedule to meet, and Arizona does not observe daylight saving, but just a bit north - Utah does.

 So anyway, we headed north to Page, past some incredible rock formations and stopped at the summit to admire the view. 

Just past Page is the Glen Canyon Dam on Lake Powell, so that was a photo stop too.

Anyway, like I said we had a schedule to follow and couldn't afford to dilly dally too much. Just before lunch (as planned) we arrived at Kanab which seems to be a lovely town just over the border in Utah. There are so many National Parks & Forests as well as State Parks and more in the area that visitors and locals are spoilt for choice.

Our activity for the afternoon was at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary just north of Kanab near Angel Canyon. We followed the signs to the visitor centre and were then directed up the road (to the other side of the sanctuary) where we could get lunch for $5. Best lunch we have had since leaving Santa Monica, and because it is an animal focused organisation - completely vegan or vegetarian. Very tasty. Then back to the visitor centre for our orientation and we were off. We spent the entire afternoon playing with cats in one of the houses they live in at the sanctuary. They run tours throughout the day for those who aren't able to volunteer and have two shifts for volunteers each day. We registered, and picked our day and time ages ago, and have been looking forward to the experience ever since.There are dogs, cats, birds, horses, pigs - all sorts, and you can specify your choice of animal and experience. It was lovely and relaxing after all the racing about we have done. Chillin' with the kitties, some of whom seek out attention and others who are still a bit unsure about humans - but all benefit from the socialisation, even if they wont come too close. (There would be many many photos, but icloud isn't being nice and uploading everything as quickly as I would like)

After our shift was over, we made our way back to Kanab and found our hotel for the night. We went for a walk to find dinner but weren't very successful. So we came back to the hotel and asked for recommendations. That done we found it and enjoyed our meal.

After dinner we went for a drive to Zion National Park. Another jaw dropping experience. Your eyes just don't know where to look - and remember that mine should also be looking at the road. There are no words to describe these places - and we still have so much more to see !