This was our route across the United States

Santa Barbara - San Francisco

We left Santa Barbara early on Sunday morning and rejoined Highway 1 heading north. Navigating up this coastal road is relatively easy, you just need to remember to keep the ocean on the left and the hills on the right. Our next stop was San Luis Obispo which is only a few hours away so we decided to break our journey at Pismo Beach. This stretch of the shoreline is famous for its sand dunes and many people use the area for riding quad bikes. We were contented just sitting in the sun for an hour or so and watching the hustle and bustle. An hour later we were driving down the shady tree lined streets of San Luis Obispo. After checking into our small but comfortable hostel we explored the town on foot, passing by the famous Bubblegum Alley. Visitors to the town can add their own contribution to the thousands of pieces of chewing gum that plaster the walls of this narrow street. The town council once had this strange monument fully cleaned out but ever since it has regained it's title as one of the strangest landmarks in the United States. The town itself is reminiscent of Santa Barbara but further away from the sea and an awful lot more quiet. Nevertheless, the locals were incredibly friendly and we managed to have a very decent night out despite the fact it was a Sunday. One of the publicans was even kind enough to teach us how to play Texas Hold 'em, the most popular version of poker in the country. Luckily for us we weren't playing for money.
The next day we had a longer drive through more remote areas of the coastline towards Monterey. On the way we stopped at a protected beach where hundreds of elephant seals were lazing in the sand. One of the rangers working there informed us that there are some 35,000 of these strange looking mammals living along this area of the coast. The alpha male was 12 feet long and weighed two tons, it was amazing to see such large creatures in their natural habitat. From there on the road began to get narrower and narrower as it snaked its way up and around the headlands and into the national forest where we stopped for a picnic. The view from the tallest parts of the cliffs was phenomenal as all you could see was the sea as far as the eye could see and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We reached Monterey at dusk and settled in for a quiet night. The next morning we visited Monterey Bay Aquarium which has been voted the best aquarium in the states on several occasions. We spent hours watching sharks, yellow-fin tuna, jellyfish and countless other sea creatures going about their business. Some of the most entertaining animals were the sea otters who populate the bay itself. They dart around under the water with seemingly boundless energy wrestling each other and searching for food on the ocean floor. Many of the otters at the aquarium had been rescued at a few weeks old and are part of a big effort to boost the dwindling numbers in the Monterey area. We left the aquarium at dusk and headed an hour down the road to Santa Cruz. The hostel was very nice but unfortunately was the first place we have encountered that enforced a curfew, so we ended up staying in and watching a film.
On the way to San Francisco we stopped at another beach populated with surfers and spent a few hours soaking up the sun as we knew it would be our last opportunity to do so. Our hostel in San Francisco is small but well situated in the heart of Chinatown and within walking distance of most major attractions. The people here, the staff in particular, are all really friendly and we have spent a lot of time hanging around the common room in the evenings. In the past few days we have explored the Japan Center, the hippy haven that is the Haight-Ashbury district and the ritzy downtown area around Union Square. The city is divided into distinct districts that overlap as you wander up and down the rolling hills. Even though it is a large city it has such a relaxed atmosphere that it is impossible to feel overwhelmed. We are so glad we chose to end our trip here as San Francisco really has everything we could possibly want. Today we wandered around Fisherman's Wharf before catching the last tour boat to Alcatraz. We arrived on the island as the sun was setting which created a very moody atmosphere that complimented the stark cell block which looms over you at the top of the hill. On the audio tour we learned about some of The Rock's more famous inmates including Machine-Gun Kelly and Al Capone. We also heard tales of the many extravagant escape plans that had been attempted and failed over the years. Three men managed to escape the island by tunneling through their cells with spoons and creating models of their own heads out of soap to fool the guards. They have never been seen since, so it is uncertain whether they survived the mile and quarter swim through freezing water to the mainland. On our return trip we were treated to spectacular views of the city's skyline all lit up.
It's hard to believe that we've been out here for ten weeks but we couldn't imagine a better way to end what has been a once in a lifetime experience. We will spend tomorrow wondering around the city doing some last minute Christmas shopping before celebrating our last night in the States. This will almost certainly be the last blog entry that we make. So thank you very much to all of you that have taken time out to read our ramblings and leave your thoughtful comments. Hope to see you all soon, Happy Holidays!

San Diego - Santa Barbara

Ocean Beach is a really relaxed seaside town that is a breath of fresh air compared to the full on neons of the Las Vegas strip. We spent much of our time during the day wondering around the various strange boutiques that line the main street. In a simular situation to our time in Colorado people at the hostel are confused when we tell them that we don't surf. San Diego itself is reminiscent of Austin in that it is manageable small city and it is built around a vibrant central area known as the Gaslamp District. On Sunday we walked from the middle of town to the huge Balboa Park which houses all of the cities major museums and exhibitions and the world famous San Diego Zoo. The zoo had some of the most impressive purpose built habitats either of us have ever seen which allow you to get incredibly close to the animals without disturbing them. We spent hours watching gorillas, orangutans and hippopotomi that came within inches of our faces behind reinforced glass panels. One of the best exhibits was the purpose built panda enclosure where the zoo is attempting to stem their decline towards extinction through a unique breeding program. One of the new arrivals, a six month old female had managed to climb to the top of a very large tree and fall asleep, it was an endearing sight. It was great to see so many different species in one place and to discover yet more animals we didn't even know existed.
The following day we boarded our final Greyhound bus that would take us through downtown Los Angeles and in to the foothills of Hollywood. It was a great relief when we stepped off the bus because we knew that we wouldn't have to travel such long distances by bus again. The hostel was two blocks walk from the bus station on a street just off Hollywood Boulevard and four blocks from the Kodak Theatre. When checking in we booked an extra bed for Max who would be joining us a few days later. After getting something to eat we spent the evening wondering up and down Hollywood Blvd looking at some of the stars on the Walk of Fame. Los Angeles is so unimaginably massive that we decided to leave much of our sightseeing until we could pick up another rental car. That night we decided to get an early night so that we could rise early the next morning and go to Disneyland. The original Disneyland is so much smaller than the more modern parks at less than a quarter the size of Euro Disney. However, this seemed to make the experience all the more enjoyable as it was possible to see everything in one day. Because we went midweek in the off season it was also relatively deserted so the longest we had to queue for was about ten minutes. Many of the rides have been updated in line with Disney's more recent films and franchises but the world's first themepark still maintains it's original charm. Its was well worth the three hour round trip we had to get there and back.
The next day we had another two hour journey on public transport to pick up Max from Los Angeles International airport. Once he'd arrived we boarded an Alamo shuttle and were whisked away to pick up our rental car, a surprisingly flash Pontiac Grand Prix. It took us a further two hours to negotiate our way back through central LA and Beverley Hills in rush hour traffic. It was then we realised that it would make sense to get out of the city the next morning and begin making our way north towards San Francisco. So the next day after having breakfast at a local diner we drove up the coast through Malibu in the direction of Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is one of the most picturesque towns on the coast of California boasting soft sand beaches and white washed Spainish colonial buildings that give the town a real Mediterranean feel. We liked the look of the place so much that we decided to stay two nights. We have spent much of the day light hours at the beach and our evenings have been devoted to exploring State Street which has a wealth of restuarants, specialist shops and cocktail bars. Last night was the town's 54th annual Christmas parade which saw hundreds of children from the local schools performing and singing to welcome in the holiday season. It must be hard to get into the Christmas spirit here in southern California but they seemed to manage pretty well. The town's relaxed atmosphere and vibrant nightlife has been the perfect first stop on our whistlestop tour. Tomorrow we will be making our way towards San Luis Obispo on highway 1 and look forward to some spectacular seaviews. We only have ten days left of our trip so we are determined to make the most of it.

The Rockies - Las Vegas

We're so glad we hired a car for our tour of the mountains. Having the freedom to go where we want to and stop at any time to enjoy the scenery has been invaluable. Many of the roads are quite precarious as they wind their way through valleys and over ridges but they are all so well maintained that they are a joy to drive. We woke up early in Leadville to the same spectacular view in a whole different light. The mountains surround you on all sides taking up all of your peripheral vision and the way the light plays off the slopes ensures you never get the same view twice. The owner of our hostel "Wild Bill" has lived in the town for several years and assures us he has never grown tired of the scenery. We set off early to ensure we got the most out of the day as there are less hours of daylight this high in the mountains. As we headed south we saw frozen lakes on either side, as twisting mountain passes made way to vast plains with peaks on all sides. One particular road followed the range of the Collegiate Peaks which are some of the tallest mountains in Colorado and are all named after Ivy League universities. After turning off the main highway and heading further into the mountains we came to the ski resort of Crested Butte which is across the valley from the more affluent Aspen. Mount Crested Butte is one of the more striking peaks in the Rockies with a sheer cliff face on one side which curls up into an impressive horn at the summit. We arrived there at sunset and it was amazing to watch the view change as the sun disappeared behind it in what seemed like a few minutes. The hostel there had recently put it's rates up in line with the opening of the ski season so we decided to find alternative accomadation by retracing our steps.
After driving for another hour in the fading light we found the town of Pitkin which has a population of under 100 people and is nestled in the heart of Gunnison National Forest. It was a surreal experience approaching the town in darkness and unaware of exactly where we were headed or what we might find. As we passed the huge Indian Head Rock an owl flew over head and later as we entered the forest we had to brake to avoid a racoon. As we approached the hostel all was pitch black except for the light from the window where a tall, long-haired and bearded man wearing a baseball cap and vest stared at us intently. At first we were both a little nervous at the sight of our landlord, but when he apologised for not having built a fire, having assumed we wouldn't turn up, we felt immediately at home. The hostel was in practically the most remote location you can imagine but it was great to have a room to ourselves and our own fire to tend to. There was only one store in Pitkin which opened very rarely so we had to drive to the nearest town of Ohio City to find something to eat. Ohio City is just as small as Pitkin but has a combination general store, bar and restaurant which were all we needed that night.As we were leaving they urged us to drive carefully because one of the bar staff had written off her car just the other week when she crashed head on into an elk. Needless to say we heeded their advice and proceeded with caution back to our warm fire. When we woke the next morning we came down to find our landlord mending a large metal cage trap he had set to catch vermin around the grounds of the hostel. He informed us that something, presumably a lynx, had gotten into the trap and proceeded to rip the thing apart in it's efforts to escape. This fact hammered home just how far off the beaten trail we had come and made us even more glad to have the car at our disposal. That day we made our way back to Leadville stopping for a few hours at Twin Lakes to take in the view and more photos/sketches. It was completely silent there so much so that the only audible sound was the very occasional plane that would pass thousands of metres overhead.
The next day we made our way back to Denver and after a spot of frantic cleaning returned the car with an hour to spare. We spent the rest of the day in the city before boarding our last long haul overnight bus to Las Vegas. We experienced a bit of culture shock on our arrival in the city the next day. Firstly because we had passed into another time zone and secondly because of the obvious vast difference between the mountains and the Strip. We spent our few days there watching the new James Bond film and Tenacious D movie which are both well worth seeing. We got uncomfortably full at the buffet dinners and wandered back and forth between practically every casino on the strip losing the occasional dollar on the slot machines. The Venetian was perhaps the most striking of the themed casino's with it's scale model of downtown venice complete with gondolas and a canal that stretches back into the heart of the shopping area inside.
We are now in Ocean Beach, San Diego which is a haven for beach bums and surfers alike. Everything is so stereotypical that it feels like we have suddenly been beamed down onto planet California. However, the weather is great and it feels satisfying to have made it all the way across the US. We look forward to spending a relaxing couple of weeks making our way north to San Francisco.

Dallas - The Rockies

On Wednesday we met up with one of the guys we had being staying with in Austin at the Greyhound station and ended up catching the same bus to Dallas. Once there we checked into a small hostel in a town outside of the city called Irving. Irving has recently passed an intiative that makes it illegal to sell alcohol within their town limits. So we spent a quiet night at the hostel watching Crocodile Dundee 3 on TV and resting up for the long journey we would have to make the next day.
The next morning we rose early because there was one final piece of business we had to attend to before we left Dallas. One of our favourite musician's 'Dimebag' Darrel Abbott was murdered whilst on stage just under two years ago. We knew that his final resting place was situated in the nearby town of Arlington, what we didn't know was that Arlington is the largest town in the United States that doesn't have a public transport system. So we caught the first Greyhound out there in the morning and walked just over 2 miles from the station to the Moore Memorial Cemetery. After a bit of searching we found the Abbott family plot where Darrel is buried next to his mother who passed away in 1999. His memorial is a beautiful tribute in black enamel embossed with a gold design which shows his face, a silhouette of him on stage and two of his signature guitars crossed over the motif. Many people had left guitar picks, beer caps and flowers behind to show their respect for a man who revolutionised the heavy metal genre. He will continue to influence guitarists for generations to come and will be remembered for always being himself.
That evening we boarded our next Greyhound bus which was running late from the offset. Once aboard we settled in for ourlongest night bus journey yet a full nineteen hours to Denver, Colorado. We had to change at Amarillo at 4 o clock in the morning, so if you ever need directions we can get you there from Dallas at least. We awoke briefly at sunrise as we were crossing the plains of east Colorado, there was nothing but barren waste in all directions but the sky went from deep purple on one side to bright orange on the other. When we finally woke up fully we could see the Rocky Mountains jutting out of the landscape just under one hundred miles in front of us. We were filled with a sense of anticipation because we knew that the next day we would be able to make our way through those lofty peaks under our own steam in a hired car. Once in Denver we went to Budget car rentals and reserved a white Chevrolet Cobalt which cost us just under $400 for four days.
We picked up the car at noon the next day and made our way quickly out of the city and on to Interstate 70 which goes West all the way to Salt Lake City, Utah. We found it surprisingly easy getting to grips with driving on the wrong side of the road but agreed that the vehicle would have handled the slopes better if it were a manual. Our first destination was Winter Park which is known as the best ski resort in Colorado, the people we have spoken to think we're crazy when we say we don't ski. The hostel we checked into was one of the most comfortable we have stayed in thus far and the ski bums we have met were all very friendly. Sunset is at around 5pm up here so there was very little to do after the sun went down but we were happy to hit the hay in order to have a full day on the road the next day.
Today we drove further west and south to Leadville which is the highest municipality in the United States at over 10,000 feet. To get here we crossed Loveland Pass which is one of the highest roads in the Rockies and boasted spectacular panoramic views in all directions. Leadville itself sits in a basin and is surrounded by gigantic peaks on all sides, it would be hard to find a better view anywhere else in America. I can not even begin to describe some of the sights we have seen in the past few days so you'll have to wait to see the reels of photos we will have by the end of this stretch of our journey. Tomorrow we intend to head further south to Crested Butte which is the neighbouring ski resort to Aspen.

Austin, Texas

The official motto of this city, the capital of Texas is: "Keep Austin Weird"and it's clear that the residents intend to do just that. Austin has been one of the most laidback places we've visited, it almost feels like a small part of California has been planted right in the centre of Texas. Our hostel is situated a thirty minute walk outside of the city overlooking the Town Lake, a stretch of the Colorado river that has been dammed and is primarily used for leisure activities. The weather has been glorious for the past few days so we have spent much of our time relaxing on the veranda or strolling about town. We arrived on election day to find that the hostel's common room was being used as a polling station. It was interesting to see American democracy in action particularly the hi-tech electronic voting booths which were being used. We haven't paid a lot of attention to the exact results of the voting but the general impression we have from talking to people is that there was a marked change in fortune for the Democrats.
The city itself has a very liberal attitude, it is possible to ride the bus for 24 hours for only one dollar and you can even borrow free yellow mountain bikes to get about the place. The gigantic University of Texas makes up a lot of the north end of the downtown area and many of the shops, restaurants and bars cater specifically for students. One of the most interesting places we stumbled across is the Alamo Drafthouse Theatre which shows classic and cult movies and holds various themed nights. For example, we were very disappointed we missed out on seeing The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the big screen with an all you can eat pizza buffet. Last night we ate a place called Bouldin Creek which had a large selection of vegetarian and vegan food. This fact alone illustrates just how different Austin is to the rest of Texas.
On our first full day here we went to the cinema to see Sacha Baron-Cohen's new film Borat. It was of particular interest to us because it involves a trip across the United States. We were also intrigued to see how an audience of Americans would react to Borat's particularly controversial style of reporting. It is probably the most shockingly offensive film either of us has ever seen but it had us in stitches throughout. Surprisingly enough the whole audience reacted in a similar manner and we have since heard that there is already a bidding war in progress over who will fund his next film. That evening we went down to 6th Street with a couple of other British guys from the hostel for a few drinks and games of pool.
We spent most of the next day at the hostel chatting with our fellow hostellers, playing frisbee and board games and enjoying the sunshine. In the afternoon we hired a canoe and set out to explore the Town Lake. There are bicycle and hiking trails that encircle the water and the Texas University rowing team use the particular stretch we were on to prepare for competitions. While we were out there we saw a variety of birds including cranes, herons and swans that inhabit the several small islands that are dotted about the lake. We headed downstream roughly half a mile as far as Congress Bridge which was specifically designed to allow the vast colonies of bats that pass through this area to nest there. Unfortunately we haven't seen any bats as it is reaching the end of the season and the majority of them have flown elsewhere. However, we spent a fair amount of time viewing the city skyline from the water and watched the sunset before we headed back upstream. We hope to get out on the water again at some point when we reach California.
Yesterday we looked into hiring a car so we could drive 700 miles to Denver in Colorado. But the amount of money we'd have to pay to drop off the car in a different location and the extra fees they charge for being under 25 years of age meant that it was far too expensive. We've decided to catch a train to Dallas tomorrow and stay there overnight before catching a Greyhound bus to Denver. Once there we will hire a car for a few days so that we can tour around some of the hostels in the Rocky Mountains and take in some of the spectacular scenery.

New Orleans - San Antonio

B.B. King was even better than we imagined he would be. The gig itself was an intimate affair where he took a great deal of time out to make jokes and talk with the audience. It was clear that a great deal of the man's friends and family were in attendance as it was the last night of the tour. What's more the concert was being filmed for an upcoming DVD release. He said he wanted to capture the atmosphere of the small clubs that he hasn't had much oppurtunity to play at this point in his career. For a man of 81 years of age B.B. hasn't lost any of his flair, ripping through classics such as 'Ain't That Just Like A Woman', 'Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah' and 'The Thrill is Gone'. It was great to see him in his element and it was an experience neither of us will soon forget. The following night was Halloween and we spent a small amount of time taking in the rest of Beale Street. Many places had already had their Halloween celebrations on the previous weekend but there was still a great deal of people running around in costume and their were decorations everywhere. However, we decided to take an early night as we had a train to catch the next morning.
The Amtrak trains are so much more comfortable than the Greyhound buses. Our seats were of business class proportions with a huge amount of leg room, it felt like another world from the cramped conditions we have been used to in recent weeks. We were provided with some excellent views of the country side as we passed through the state of Mississippi and northern Louisiana. Mississippi is probably the poorest state in the US and looking at some of the houses on the outskirts of the towns felt like looking back in time. It was interesting to see some of the out of the way places we wouldn't have seen on the bus and to watch the landscape change as we worked our way south. The most dramatic changed occurred when we reach Lake Pontchatrain just north of New Orleans where the train line runs next to the water in the middle of the swamp. We saw plenty of white cranes laying in wait on the banks and fish jumping from the water. The contrast between this part of the Mississippi river and the part we had left behind in Memphis was remarkable. It really put into perspective the fact that we had been following the same stretch of water since we left Chicago on the other side of the country.
We had booked into a guesthouse called St.Vincent's in the Garden District about a twenty minute walk from the tourist areas of the French Quarter. The weather was wonderful and it was a joy to walk up and down the leafy boulevards lined with colourful and intricately carved wooden French colonial houses. Some of the buildings showed signs of damage from the flooding but it seems that for the most part areas further north and south of the French Quarter were the worst affected. We experienced no trouble while we were there and it was clear that residents were glad of the returning tourist trade and it's help in rebuilding the city.
Our first full day in the city was spent in the French Quarter where we visited the cathedral and the Farmer's Market before stopping at the Voodoo Museum on Dumain Street. This consisted of two rooms filled with voodoo dolls, paintings and other assorted artefacts. These included bones, feathers, roots and herbs and stuffed animals all of which held the ability to act as charms or hexes when used in particular ceremonies. The second of the two rooms contained an altar which is still used regularly by local voodoo practitioners. Many visitors had left offerings and written wishes addressed to the Grand Zombie and various other voodoo deities. It was an intensely interesting place and showed us just how different New Orleans is when compared with anywhere else in the States.
That night we visited the famous Preservation Hall a tiny venue dedicated to the continuation of traditional New Orleans jazz. There we sat on wooden benches and were treated to a three hour long performance by a group containing a piano, drums, double bass, three saxophones and no amplification. The emphasis was placed heavily on improvisation and the three saxophonists in particular were a marvel to behold as they played solo after solo off the top of their heads and directly from their souls. We felt priveleged to bare witness to such an intimate spectacle and were reassured that the spirit of New Orleans is alive and well in it's proud musical history. We spent the following night on the tacky and foul smelling strip known as Bourbon Street which is the heart of the Mardi Gras celebrations. This was once again like nowhere else in the States that we have seen so far. People are allowed to drink on the streets and the party goes on until all hours.
The next morning we caught another Greyhound that would take us on an epic 13 hour journey into Texas and on to San Antonio. So far we have seen the Alamo and walked along the Riverwalk which follows the original course of the San Antonio river. Tomorrow morning we intend to make our way further north to the state capital of Austin for an extended stay by the lake. From there we hope to hire a car for a week so that we can make our own way across the rest of Texas and onto the Rocky Mountains of Colarado. We have reached the halfway point in our journey and look forward to further adventures as we head out West.