its a long drive from Vegas to Ventura ....
one of the things you have to get your head around when driving in America, is the maps. we look at a map and think in kms .... and think oh that is not too bad,  but in America....

and even when using google maps they say 5 hours they are correct, but then its 325 miles ... so almost double that for kms.  And the 5 hours is all on Interstate, so four lanes of traffic, road trucks and 75miles an hour min non-stop. It take 4 hours Chch to Dunedin, we went almost twice that distance in another hour, to give a perspective.

the good things though, are the roads are separate , for each way, no oncoming traffic and with two lanes you can pass all the time.

the freeways though, now that's another story .. that's 7 lanes of traffic, one way, so theres another 7 on the other side,  at the least... often more and all doing 75 miles an hour too,  (about 130kmh) all around you and lots of it!

and then you have to navigate the interchanges. no not one land ramps on and off, usually two and the interchanges are often multiple on and off each side and multiple layers. 

so if you get it wrong,  its really wrong and often 20 miles if not more before you can get it sorted.
so today was a long drive......... on the interstate then onto the freeway in to LA then on to the Ventura highway and across to the beach.

Couple of interesting things. Arizona not only doesn't have number plates on the front of cars, motorcycle helmets are not compulsory (and not used much). Riding gear pretty much everywhere consists of T Shirt, shorts and jandels! Very few wear jackets or gloves.

on the road again ....

over there Rus is where we are going ..

Barstow for lunch, Route 66 again.

heading in to San Bernadino

Ventura Highway

 (song from America for those young folk who don't understand these things)

through the

Alivra mountains and down into the coast. Still on the freeway down a 6% gradient and all doing over 75 miles an hour, such fun!!!

you could smell the burnt brakes from all the cars at the bottom

Ventura Beach looking south

looking north

and ... I am off to the sea, possibly not coming home ... it is lovely here!!!!!

Dicks Fish and Chippy for dinner.

 

 

a foot note today... today was made possible by Jill, who with out her we would have never made it to Ventura, from taking the completely wrong road out of Vegas, and she sorted that out, to getting us through LA and out the other side unscathed. Jill Garmin we love you.....