Los Angeles

Los Angeles and Vancouver are the 2 entry points to America and Canada from Australia and NZ and I am sure I will be visiting both these locations many times in the future. In August this year I plan to be in Canada so will travel via Vancouver. I have been and stayed in the beautiful city Vancouver twice before but for now my stay in Los Angeles will be my first.
I depart Mexico on Tuesday and loose two days in my return to Australia, one through travel time, and the other crossing the date line. So rather than returning to work for the Friday I might as well stay a few extra days in LA so that I can arrive back in Melbourne for Saturday. That will allow me time to mow the lawns (I had almost forgotten about them) and perhaps adjust to the time zone, before attempting to work again... I wonder if I will cope?
How will I deal with all those emails, and all those things that have been put off until my return.
But enough of that, I must not think about such things while on holiday.
I chose a hotel close to the airport with free transfers to/from the hotel. There are plenty to choose from, just depends on your budget.
Driving is bad in LA especially during peak hour so the most obvious plan is to organise bus tours.

I managed to land, from Cabo, and get through LA airport and onto the hotel courtesy within 1 hour.
So was quite impressed, especially when I started off in immigration by standing in the US citizens only line, when he asked me for my green card I knew something was wrong. A woman was directing everyone into that line so I really don't think it was my fault! But I did not have any deadlines so the pressure was off, and perhaps the brain not in full working mode.
Never mind there were only 3 people standing in the non US citizens line, so not much of a time delay, it was off peak and only our plane being processed.

I have booked in for the "Grand Tour" of LA tomorrow. So will be quite different from being beside the pool, I am missing that already.
The Grand Tour was completed without issue. There were mixed reviews on Travel Advisor but it obviously depends on the driver and in my case I had a good one who gave lots of commentary.
We did have one small issue at the first stop in Venus Bay when one of the 12 passengers did not return to the bus at the nominated departure time. We waited an extra 15 minutes then left. So we don't know what happened to her. She was from USA so would not have any language problems in finding her way back home. The tour is prepaid so I wonder if she got back to the tour operator to arrange another tour.
We went and visited the main attractions and it gave me guidance on what I would do for the following day.
The last day in LA was back to Hollywood plus downtown LA, but this time using the Metro train and bus system, such a pleasure and so easy to use the trains and buses. After several a years of Melbourne attempting to introduce a system I still don't know how the ticketing works and just don't use it because of that.
The ticket for a day pass in LA was $5 plus a $1 fee for the first purchase of the TAP card.
I think in Melbourne the charge $20 for the purchase of a card which is very unfriendly for someone that wants to use it once.
Two days is enough time here this time, perhaps next time I may select somewhere closer to Venus Bay to stay as it looks interesting there despite all the homeless sleeping in very visible places

LA Photos Slideshow

Cabo San Lucas

Cabo is located in Baja California a State of Mexico close to California.

It is a tourist resort and famous for its deep sea fishing, golfing and time shares and plenty of people wanting to sell you cigars, jewellery and everything else.
Cabo is also famous for it's party boats and nightlife, something that is wasted on me these days.
The place is really buzzing at 9pm, and I think that is just the starting time.
Monica and Richard have a condo in Terrasol which is located close to the Marina and "The Arch"
The car was not needed as everything was in walking distance... But in my normal fashion I tried to see everything and go everywhere on the first days and have the blisters on my feet as a result, although I think that may be more to do with my thongs though, if I had of been wearing runners I don't think I would have got them.
I weighed myself before and after a walk and I had lost 1.5 kg so drink lots of water.
If you like the sun and heat and don't mind the humidity then this is the place for you.
This part of Mexico is relatively safe for tourist, but like everywhere you have to be careful not to get ripped off.
A lot of locals speak English especially those wanting to sell you something.
The beach is packed with people with all sorts of water sports available, including deep sea fishing.
Monica has heaps of documentation, which first looked too much, but I found myself often looking at it for reference.
The beach at the rear of the condo is deep water and only for fishing, the entertainment beach is 15 minutes walk away at Medano beach

Terrasol is the building behind the large boat on the left
Spot the seal riding on the back of the boat, after fish

View from patio to beach

Cabo Photos Slideshow

My first attempt at using the local white buses, called collectivo's, located near to the condo was not all that successful. I asked the driver if he was going near to the Walmart, and he waved me in and charged me extra because I was a foreigner. Normal fare is 11.50 pesos (about $1).
Anyway when we got downtown 1 km away he dropped me off and pointed to which direction I should go... He did not go anywhere near Walmart and I ended up walking over a km on my blistered feet. I saw later plenty of these collectivo's going to Walmart but they all have the main bus stops (including Walmart) written on the windows. I did not realise that at the time.
Now in hindsight, a week later, I may have been unfare to the bus driver... After he dropped me off I could have walked across a couple of streets and caught a bus going to Walmart. Perhaps that is what the bus driver was trying to explain to me.
The return taxi ride from Walmart cost $14 and I only had a $20... and of course he had no change :)
But I am a tourist and wanting to learn about the place. Not too expensive but a learning that you should have both $US and in smaller denominations as well as Pesos with you when you travel around. The local ATM dispense one or the other, just watch which output currency is in the machine.
Later on the week I tried again to get to the Walmart again, but I thought with a bit more knowledge. So I did manage to get on a bus that had Walmart on the window, but half an hour later I ended up going along a lot of dirt roads at 5km/hr as they were full of potholes and the bus has no suspension.
I ended up at the bus depot what seemed a long way from anywhere, so I obviously caught the bus that had already been to Walmart and was just returning to the depot. So another warning, just because the bus has Walmart written on it does not mean you are going there.... I got the next bus that returned me to the start. That was a good sight seeing tour and if you don't mind not knowing where you are or where you are going, it was quite exciting. The next day I figured out what side of the road I needed to be standing on to get to Walmart, quite an anti climax as I got there and back without concern. I had to get 2 buses to get back to my starting point but that was no problem at that stage.
Info that some other knowledgable tourist has written on the subject: Collectivo information
Today is a new day and the Collectivo's are now almost easy. I find myself having to advise other English speaking tourists that get on where it is going and what to do. Not very many on board speak English. Today I got the main bus that went to San Jose. That is about 45 mins away and cost 32 pesos each way. San Jose is much quieter than Cabo and definately worth a visit, even  if just to look at all the development along the way. There are lots of golf courses and resorts between the 2 towns. They are really magnificent resorts and on some beautiful coastline with warm seas, white sandy beaches, surfing and swimming.

Of course I am still managing to get at least 3 hours per day beside the heated pool. They serve drinks  and reasonably priced meals there most of the day, but I am content with being in the pool and soaking up the sun just so that when I return to work they will be able to see what I have been doing while they endure their winter.
I meet a lot of interesting people at the pool as most seem to go there at some stage to either eat or cool down. I get lots of invites to join others going out drinking or on their booze cruise but I am happy just to watch them all going past from the comfort of the patio. My bedtime is closer to 9 or 10pm rather than 1am, those days are past :)  Some may call that boring!

The weather and temperature is very predictable. Fine blue sky with 26 deg in the morning and 35 during the day, some call that perfect. For me it is a bit hot for sleeping at it is closer to 30 while trying to sleep and I don't like A/C units or ceiling fans.
They have about 10 days of rain per year and when it does rain it can be heavy and causes problems.
A lot of the resorts have desalinated water which is ok but if you want to drink water it is best bought.
Unlike in Australia and NZ where they manage to sell bottled water for whatever reason, since tap water is perfectly fine, here you do need to purchase bottled water for drinking.
Most of the shopping around the Marina and all the resorts charge you US$ rather that pesos, so you do need to have both currencies.
It is definitely an advantage to know some Spanish, or at least have someone in your party that knows it, that way you would make the most out of the place and perhaps seen with different eyes.

California - Bodega Bay

Bodega Bay is about an hour North of San Francisco and is a small fishing village.
This is my first return house swap, hopefully the start of many more
The house is located within a private golf course and has a magnificent view of the Bay.

View over golf course to Bodega Bay

Keeping an eye on things

California Photos Slideshow

I don't for one minute believe all exchanges will be this good as they really went out of their way in hosting me at their home which is about 30 minutes from Sacramento.
They live in a wonderful Delware over 50s village that has approx 7000 homes and includes 2 x  18 hole golf courses, and two village centres that have all the facilities and entertainment that you could ever want. Very impressive.

From Lincoln I drove to Bodega Bay with Janine's Honda RAV4, a perfect car for my trip.
I spent a few relaxing days at Bodega Bay trying to forget about work....
The views were fantastic and life was at a nice and slow pace.
At Bodega Bay I was introduced to their famous Calm Chowder soup, and had a few bowls.
I left Bodega Bay on Memorial Day and traveled 6 hours away into the Sierra National Forest to a place called Mono Hot Springs.
I chose this place because it was remote, had hot springs and had a nice river for fishing... Did I forget to mention that I bought my fly rod?
The trip to the campsite was on a one lane "road" but once there was a beautiful part of the country.

Road to Mono Hot Springs

The San Joaquin River was a nice size river, a little on the small size but quite good for fishing. This river like a lot of other rivers in USA is stocked with fish. There were a few other fishermen there but not too many. I caught a few but they were all small compared to NZ standards. All catch and release.

There used to be a resort on the bank of the river making use of the thermal springs. One resort still exists next to the campsite, but the resort on the opposite bank has been demolished. There still exists several spots where you can use the concrete lined baths which are topped up by the constant flowing natural hot spring water. They all are different temperatures ranging from very hot to tepid and all have great views of the river below.

On the first day, of a four day stay, a Bear arrived at the campsite. It was about 25m away from my tent. The campers next to me tried to scare it away but when it hung around they decided to relocate their tent closer to other campers leaving me all on my own. But I was not to worried as I slept in the tent with my pocket knife. I have a photo on my other camera and will download once I get access to a laptop.

On day 3 when I was fishing the river started changing colour from clear to muddy, then it started rising. Apparently they were releasing water and flushing out the river. So that put an end to my fishing on the river. I was stuck on the opposite side of the river from the campsite but I preferred that as I made my way back to the hot springs and stayed there for a few hours chatting with others. There was a bridge nearby so I could easily get back to the campsite.

The next day I explored the surrounding area and went to Florence Lake and Ward Lake. Ward Lake was very picturesque and there are a few campers that stay there to fish.

From Mono Hot Springs the intention was to spend several days in Yosemite National Park. The scenery was great and there is a nice river running through the valley .... But just too many people.
I had wanted to stay in Tuolumne Meadows but that area was not open.

So it was just one day in Yosemite to say that I had been there. 

Next I traveled to Markleeville where I stayed for a few days, and included a trip over the Sonora Pass. The river nearby was the East Fork Carson River. It was a nice size river with a lot of fish. But unfortunately even more fishermen. Every favorable spot had a car or two next to it with several fishermen. There was little chance of walking along the river, you had to go to a spot and stay there. It was the weekend when I arrived. I did catch a few fish here but that appeared to be more by luck. Like most rivers there is a technique for the river that I did not work out. If I was relying on my fish to live of I would starve.

On my arrival I took the last campsite and after that the Full sign went out. The weekends are very popular. The township of Markleeville doubled in size with all the weekend motor bike and street bike riders arriving for their days bike ride and to stop for lunch and one of several restaurants. It was a very nice and tidy town but not sure where everyone came from.

From Markleeville I went across the Sonara Pass to Dardanelle and the Stanislaus River. All very nice but the river was very hard to fish as it had trees on both banks.
My last destination before returning to Lincoln was to Lake Tahoe.
I initially did not think I would like Lake Tahoe but was impressed with the place. It was obviously geared up for skiing with Heavenly Village the heart of South Tahoe. My accommodation was in the BlueLake Inn, just a short walk from the Village. There was plenty of entertainment and on Friday and Saturday the village provided outdoor music from 5pm till 9pm.
MerryGold was the folk/country/bluegrass band that played on Friday evening and they were great, loved their music... Bought their CD to remind me later on.
I spent a lot of time on the private beach a few minutes walk from Motel. They provided a free beach pass as part of the package, and a small breakfast. They also had free wifi so I was quite impressed. The mid week costs were $35 per night so not all that much difference to the $20 per night I would pay for a campsite but all the luxuries.

On the Saturday night I had aleady pre booked at an alternative Motel. It was a dive and if I had spent all days at the Motel I may not have enjoyed South Tahoe as much.
From South Tahoe it was back to some more pampering from Janine and Donna before my departure from Sacramento to Cabo

Ward Lake

Yosemite National Park

Before my departure from Melboure... The story begins

John (my boss) has traveled through LA a few times and thought that I did not have enough time in transit between a International and Domestic as the queues in immigration can be long, but as soon as I got of the plane I rushed to the immigration counter and got to the head of the line. So his warnings of there not being enough time in the transfer did not eventuate and I was waiting for the plane to a sacramento with 30 minutes to spare. A lot of time for me. I could see how you could miss a onward flight though as if I was at the back of the line or more planes landed it could of easily been an extra hour.

The real adventure was at the Melbourne airport before my departure.

When I got to the counter they asked me where I was staying and I said I did not know, that I was being picked up. They said that they could not let me on until I could provide them a physical address. I check all my emails and I have never been told of the address of the Sacramento house or the Bodega Bay address. 

I got collected by Janine and Donna at the airport and they hosted me for a couple of days, so I had no need for an address, all I had was a phone number.

After about 10 minutes of standing at the counter, but letting others go past, and trying to find an address I came up with the name of an address of a property in Sacramento using Google Maps. I just got the street from the Map, added a street number and there it was. The lady Behind the counter thought it was suspicious but I convinced her that I had a pin placement on Maps and that is how I found it, and that I had been looking in the wrong place. I gave a valid street name and one that you would not suspect as being made up. It was 10 Waterwheel Lane.

So that was the first obstacle out of the way and of course by now I was running late.

So she proceeded with the creation of the ticket and then said that I did not have a visa. I said that I thought that I did not need one.  I did not realise that you had to apply for a ESTA which is a visa waver document, slightly different. That will last for 2 years so next time I come here I should not have to worry about it.

So then I was taken to another counter where they had a computer so that I could fill out the ESTA. So that was done and payment made so now I was really late but they did check my bags in. I was escorted through to the departure lounge going to one of the checkouts with no people, so that got me to the plane after boarding had closed, but still I was only the second last person on the plane.

So after all that I was fearing the worst for LA, and was trying to think of any alternatives.

Also bad in departing LA was the 45 minutes waiting in the plane waiting for our 1 hour flight to Sacramento.

I got collected ok and had no jet lag. I did not sleep on the plane so had been awake for a while.

The address that I chose ended up only one street away, so that was a good guess. I knew the house was located within a golf course so that did narrow the search a bit.

My Flight Itinerary:
Melbourne, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Phoenix, San Jose Cabos, Los Angeles, Melbourne