Our trip to America and Alaska 2013

Wednesday for us the 21st.....
Well Douglas, Dad and I take our hats off to you and Shon and driving on the interstate! The freeway was one thing but ..... the interstate.... we don't know how you managed to stay on the dam thing for over an hour. We had to get off after 20 minutes, and mainly because at this stage we had left anyway, due to taking the wrong turn after being surrounded on all sides by very large container trucks. we found the Pacific Coast highway and pretty much stuck to it after that.
Anyway, today was Russell's day so he can tell about all that we saw and what happened .......

Interstate! We were doing a minimum of 70 mph with 14 lanes of traffic, and everything was passing us except the idiots on bicycles!!!

Anyway, after the alarm didn't go off this morn, we were late for the 10:00 show at the Science Museum. We are quickly finding the limitations of using a GPS called Jill, especially when running late through LA!

We finally made it in time just.... after going through the exhibits, to finally walk into the hanger with the Endeavour was stunning to be there! The first guide we ran into, after talking for a few minutes, found he had just walked the Milford Track, so he was our friend for the next hour! As close to space travel as we are ever likely to get...

We were then off on the freeway to Long Beach. After a couple of wrong turns and a lot of stress, (politically correct comment) we made it to the Queen Mary. Amazing old tub. Didn't go through but just seeing her was enough. Just annoyed the Spruce Goose isn't still there. (to the uneducated, look it up)

Then down past Long Beach with container ships lined up to dock amongst the oil rigs. Lots of on shore pumping of oil out of the ground to! Actually all very clean, I always imagined oil soaked ground surrounding them!

AND this is where Jill decided to stop talking to us altogether and wouldn't speak to us again until after two hours. She only was 99% there and just wasn't going to do anything until she had the full story. Talk about a sulky bitch! Caused us considerable grief when we ended back on the Interstate for 6 miles until we could work out how to get off again. That is one female with attitude. (personally I think she just needed a wine...).

From there down the Pacific Coast Highway through Huntington, Newport Beach (the cars) Laguna Beach, Oceanside, Carlsbad Beach (Westfield Navy Academy), Solana and Del Mar. (and no Philippa, couldn't stop at the racetrack & take photo, even though races were on). Some nice spots on the coast, particularly, Newport, Encinitas and Laguna Beach (which was just like Whitianga). Further down the coast some very poor places and very Mexican. From one beach to the other just so different.

Then into San Diego during rush hour. Yuck. Almost as bad as Auckland!