Still, it was a beautiful clear and bright day, the trees were loaded with pink blossom and we had our first American hotel breakfast to look forward to! After an hours doze we went for a walk, remember we were staying near the airport in Westchester, not the prettiest of places and not conducive to walking! But it served the purpose, which was to keep us awake as long as possible. By 8.30 we gave up and slept solidly for 12 hours!
The next day we picked up the fifth hire car of our trip, a Jeep Compass. Impossible to create a name from the registration plate this time so Jim simply called it Al - it came from Alamo.
Since September we have been lucky to visit places we have never been to before, and determined to continue in this vein whilst in America and Europe where we have been several times, we bypassed Los Angeles and drove 1 1/2 hours south to the beautiful city of San Diego.
We stopped for lunch on the beach in the San Diego district of Oceanside, sharing our lunch of bagels and peanut butter, liberated from breakfast, with several squirrels. They loved the peanut butter but weren't keen on plain bagels!
That evening we visited the state park of Old Town, a celebration of Spanish mission houses and all things Mexican. It was beautifully restored, if a little like a theme park. Feeling a little spaced out we had an early night and another 10 hours sleep! Travelling back 21 hours messes with your body clock and your mind...
We woke up to a sunny, bright but windy day so took the trolley bus around the sights of San Diego.
It has a large military and naval presence with excellent maritime and naval museums. I loved the statue next to the Midway aircraft carrier which is now a museum. It's called 'Unconditional Surrender,' stands about 30 feet tall and depicts the photo of the sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square, New York at the announcement of the end of World War II.
What a gorgeous city, fountains, art work, statues, etc, so pretty. Jim got talking to a guy called William Princeton, Bill, an ex-army chap. He was fab, dead chatty and interesting. They were comparing policing in the UK and US. I left them to it! On the return journey on the trolley the driver was holding competitions where everyone clapped and whooped. How tiresome!! He eventually handed out a dollar to the person who came from the furthest away. Everyone was falling over themselves to shout out various states. Eventually we tentatively said, 'England.' Well, everyone went quiet, then gave us a round of applause!! The dollar was duly passed down the bus to us. Jim pondered, and said, 'Do you think they know thats further than New York?'
Today, finally feeling a bit more human we hit the mall! Jim insisted on wearing an England rugby top he bought in a closing down sale of a shop set up for the Rugby World Cup 2011 in Auckland. Twice, chatty assistants asked where we were from...
This afternoon we've seen Balboa Park, home to loads of museums, gardens, restaurants, walking trails, etc. We walked round the desert garden and down into a steep canyon. A fab lunch followed. All in all a great day.
I love American telly. Whilst I'm typing this Sean Hannity on Fox is holding a 'serious' political debate which has deteriorated into a shouting match. Brilliant!
Into the car tomorrow and heading out of town over the Algodones Dunes, past the Chocolate Mountains and heading for Blythe on the Colorado River.
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