This is it

Well, there are scant hours left before our plane departs. The trip has covered 26 states and over 5000 miles of track, lots of food and drink and more than its fair share of strangeness.

Thank you to everyone we've stayed with: Kath and Rob, Margaret and James and Gen. I'd also like to thank Amtrak, Starbucks, Subway, Best Western, my parents, etc. etc.

From the snows of Chicago (now just a distant memory):



David & Hannah xx

You know you’re in southern California when...

It’s been a day of living the life. A relaxing morning disappeared in a haze of Pavlova for breakfast before we went to In’n’Out for lunch. This is the pinnacle of the burger joint world. Everything is cooked fresh, and fries are made from real potatoes. The best bit is the hidden menu items. If you know what to ask for they’ll give it to you, such as the legendary Neapolitan shake of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla combined.

In'n'Out was near the mall and after lunch we found ourselves inexplicably drawn in. The Easter bunny was already there but I resisted the urge to have my photo taken with it. It's also St. Patrick's weekend so everything is decked in green and people who can't even spell "Riverdance" claim direct Gaelic heritage.

After a cup of tea back at home we walked to the communal facilities on Jim and Gen’s development. The trend these days is for new Californian houses to have very small gardens and for communities to pay towards large central recreational areas. And what an area! We had the choice of three pools, a jacuzzi, tennis, a beach volleyball court, tree-lined strolls etc. etc.

Hannah and I found ourselves in the huge hot tub where two eight-year-olds were discussing their trust funds.

“How much money do you have?” one asked the other.

“Right now? About $1,100. How much do you have?”

“Um...about three million.”

“Really?”

“Well, my grandparents in Korea have that. They give me money whenever I see them.”

We realised we couldn’t keep up with the big boys and left as the conversation turned to which Star Wars episode was the best.

We started another game of Killer Bunnies before dinner at Zov’s Bistro (not as strange as the name sounds) and finished it when, with top trouser buttons popped from all the delicious food, we got home.

Everyone has forsaken me now and gone to bed. It’s just me and the cat, who’s trying to claw more biscuits out of her automatic feeder. Tomorrow our plane leaves at 4pm, taking us back to the forecast of snow and ice in Newcastle. One last blog entry before we go!

In'n'Out burger. McDonalds should be ashamed.



Look at the good stuff. Top right is the "secret" animal style fries.



Walking to the communal club (to burn off the burgers).



Oh yes.



Very nice.



Hannah and David get used to the Californian lifestyle. How long can you stay before you're deported?



The view from the pool.



More Killer Bunnies. Note the empty margarita glasses. (I won, by the way).

Hannah & James's margarita recipe

2 measures of tequila
1 1/4 measures of triple sec
3/4 measure of lime juice
1 teaspoon of sugar syrup

Shake then strain over crushed ice in a salt-rimmed glass.

Drink and dream of Californian sunshine.

Surf and turf

I awoke to find that Hannah and Gen had already left the house and were indulging in an activity that begins with “s” and ends with “hopping”. I couldn’t complain as fresh donuts awaited downstairs when I’d got washed and dressed.

We then did something out of the ordinary and engaged in healthy outdoor activity. Crystal Cove is a lovely little nature reserve directly west of Irvine and we headed off there for a walk around the beach and a delve into the rock pools. Great fun was had by all, many treasures were found and a number of sea creatures were poked to see if they would rouse themselves into activity.

We had lunch at Ruby’s Diner at the end of a pier and then came home for a rest before – would you believe it? – going shopping. This, however, was only because it was on the way to Gen’s parents’ house where we’d been invited for a barbecue. Gen’s aunt Lynn was over from the Philippines, and while we chatted with Gen's mum and aunt inside her dad masterfully scorched steaks out by the pool.

After a delicious meal we came home for experimentation with margaritas (I’ll post the recipe from Hannah if she’ll disclose it) and a game of Killer Bunnies. Our original plan of a trip into LA tomorrow may be put on hold in favour of more drinking and playing in the sun. It's the Californian lifestyle!

Heading down to Crystal Cove beach.



Jim does his surfer impression.



Hannah and Gen are mightily impressed.



Gen attempts to get the attention of a crab with a sea creature impression.



And it works!



An urchin!



A sea monster (not actual size)!



Gen attacks David after an unfortunate misunderstanding over seaweed. Once again, disproportionate American response.



A star fish!



Rock pool life!



But with friends like these, who needs anemones?



Balboa Pier.



The diner at the end.



Californian sweethearts (unstaged, of course).



James plays barman at Gen's parent's house.



Gen's dad expertly sears meat outside.



Mum, aunt, Gen.



Steak. It was HUGE, and strangely in the shape of the continental USA...



David relaxes after dinner.



Gen's dad Frank, mum Margarita, aunt Lynn, Gen, Jim.

Shopping LA

Shopping isn’t a pastime, it’s a way of life. So it would seem in Southern California, where we’ve had a day of mall-to-mall paradise. Luckily I’d stored Hannah’s credit card in the freezer to keep it from overheating. Together with Gen they were girls with a mission and a list of local retail outlets.

James and I discussed the possibility of visiting “man shops” but were inevitably sucked into the consumer maelstrom. First up was T.J. Maxx. We walked away with a new suitcase and new shoes. Next was CompUSA where a blue iPod shuffle was added to Hannah’s accessories. Then, after a quick refuel at Nick’s Pizza, we were off to the Newport Beach Mall. An optician was hit for some new designer glasses before Macy’s was raided for a suit. A double-tall-toffee-nut-latte later we were on our way home.

That’s about it. Shopping in LA requires little stamina – you get out of the car, walk around the shop/mall, get back in the car and drive to the next shop. You can keep it up all day! Tomorrow there may be a couple more shops involved but a far more physically demanding stroll along the beach has also been mentioned. I’ll try to veto that.

Minnie, Jim and Gen's cat. She's really quite friendly.



Hannah models the new case...



...and then her new toy.



A close up. Yummy!



David prefers DKNY.

Actually quite nice!

Don’t believe what you hear. Los Angeles has a nice centre that you can walk around!

The day started at 5.20am. For some reason breakfast on the train ran from 5am to 6am so we stumbled to the dining car while the dark countryside rolled by. We were sat opposite a chap who opened the little single-serving milk cartons and drank them, one after another. We got back to our room to discover that the man in the one opposite had been kicked off the train for trying to throw the conductor out the door while we were still moving. He was probably a smoker.

After all the excitement it was a big relief to get into LA and find Jim. Train travel has been nice, but spending a few days without the floor moving around will be even better.

We walked from the station to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. It’s the brand new $190m Roman Catholic cathedral and is mighty impressive. Everything in there has been built to last 500 years, and it shows. All the light is filtered through thinly cut sheets of alabaster and there’s a huge mausoleum underneath. It’s surrounded by a lovely piazza with a children’s garden, fountains, etc. Let’s hope it gets fully used.

We then popped into the even brander new Walt Disney Concert Hall, a building of stainless-steel sails, and found our way up to the public garden behind full of blossoming cherry trees and designer water features. We met Gen, who had just bought a hot dog wrapped in bacon for her lunch, before we found ourselves food at a gas company’s staff cafeteria (it was in the guidebook!)

After a long discussion about whether we should look around the Museum of Contemporary Art we discovered that it was closed, so wasted the rest of the afternoon in the Californian sun drinking smoothies. Our magical rail passes got us back to Irvine where James cooked (home-made food! Wow) and we mixed margaritas.

Over dinner we discussed plans for our time in LA. In summary: shopping. Pictures from the mall tomorrow.

For completeness, the interior of an Amtrak washroom. Note the beautiful decor.



We've found Jim! Our travels are at an end.



The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. I liked it, Hannah was less impressed.



Inside. Massive.



Hannah looks out onto the meditative garden.



The Walt Disney Concert Hall.



This is the garden at the back, three storeys above street level.



More billowing steel, and a Frank Gehry rose fountain (he designed the building too).



The MoCA, shut.



We're glad we did the journey by rail.



Hannah mixes...



...while upstairs Gen has brought her work home (booooo!)

Finishing Flagstaff

Quick blog as I'm in a restaurant eating pudding (have I no shame?)

Flagstaff is lovely: compact, friendly, clear mountain air. It's a college town so there's a good variety of shops and eateries.

We checked out of our hostel early and checked in our bags at the station, where the nicest Amtrak employee we've met so far took them. The limit is 50lbs per bag. One was 47.5lbs, the other 48.5lbs (full of all the presents we're bringing back for everyone!) We then walked Flagstaff's historic centre (historic for what? Not sure) and popped into the boutiquey shops. After lunch at The Pita Pit we decided that a walk one of the many mountain trails. Unfortunately flashbacks of our canyon exploits were experienced, mainly through the pains in our legs.

We turned back and rewarded our physical exploits with a trip to Cold Stone. Soooo good! The sun went down, and at this altitude the temperature drops quickly. But do you know where is warm? The bars. A gin and tonic (made with soda water - yuck! Do Americans have tonic?) and a margarita later is was time for dinner. That's where I am now. The train leaves 8.51pm Arizona time (which bears no resemblance to anywhere else in the country) and hopefully tomorrow I'll be reporting meeting Jim at LA station!



Hannah relaxes in the sun, sat on something strange.



Which way to turn?



Amongst the pines...



...and snowy peaks.