Los Angeles
Since we did our 'Goats' blog over a month ago this is the 3rd new segment to be added - check out the previous two if the last one you read was entitled Goats.
Our flight to the US passed off without incident. The plane was not full so we had a bit of space to stretch out a bit. We sniffed and examnined the new 777 plane as advised by our hispanic greeter (see previous posting)...we thought the older planes that we had flown on before were more comfortable with a tiny bit more space...still no complaints Air NZ a really good carrier.
US customs were fine. It was a bit odd to be fingerprinted but on the up side our bikes and luggage passed through without a hitch. We found a cheap shuttle to take us to the Hyatt in Orange County (near Anaheim/Disneyland). The hotel was pretty good; we got upgraded so we had a room that was bigger than our old flat in Newquay. We were not particularly jet lagged so we used the time to contact Mike (Wink) Watson an old school friend of Mark's who has built a great life for himself and his family in Sacramento. We hunted around for info on cycling in California but there is no one comprehensive publication that can function like our Lonely Planet Guide to NZ. Internet access in the US without a lap top or smart phone is often extortionate eg 8 dollars for first 10 minutes then 50 cents for every minute after that. So using the internet was not really an easy option to do our research.
We also used the time to score a car rental. We are currently driving a Chevy Cobalt which we got a good deal on. We had forgotten that most cars in US are automatics. Mark caused deep concern at the Enterprise garage when he was spotted kangarooing around the car park (in the car, not on his own!) - so the oppo's advised him to use only his right foot to work both the brake and accelerator and refused to brief him about all options on the gear box advising him to stick to just park, drive, reverse and neutral. He kangaroo'd off down the boulevard much to the consternation of the worried looking rental staff who all came out of the office to watch him 'drive' away.
As urban myth suggests hardly anyone walks in LA/OC. We walked 5 miles to the nearest big mall/bookshop and stopped for directions occasionally and at one point managed to command the attention and concern of a full Starbucks.
After having got our bearings and our wheels we headed north toward Sacramento. Its a big drive so we stopped in the Paso Robles area - heart of wine country in between LA and San Francisco. This allowed us to get off Highway 5 which is such a boring road. A lot of CA roads are not in good condition either. We had a look at nearby San Luis Obispo and Avilla Beach. Its the end of winter here so everything a bit quiet and bare but you can still see how lovely these areas will be the rest of the year. We then finished the journey to Sacramento. The width, volume and speed of traffic of the roads in urban areas takes some getting used to. Still the weather was pretty good and we arrived at Watson Towers in El Dorado county just outside Folsom as dusk fell. Mike/Wink has done really well in CA, his success in building IT service businesses has allowed him and Stacey to build a dream home which sits hacienda like atop a quiet community overlooking Lake Folsom. Very impressive. Its over 6 years since we last saw one another and longer since we saw Stacey and the kids - Max and Vince - so it was great to see everyone. Caroline's ears pricked up when she heard some woofing - and was delighted to find that the Watsons have two fabulous hounds called Winston and Bentley. All was well. The Watsons also had some other guests - Peter and Loeki Maddra and their son Gregory - and it was lovely to meet them and spend time with them. The short term plan was to set up for the Super Bowl Party the next day, drink some wine, plan some skiing by the mountains in near Lake Tahoe, drink some wine and then drink some more wine...
The House is large enough to have a space that is modeled on a lounge in an english pub. As this was fitted out with a beer keg and massive TV screen along with the kitchen it became the focii of the super bowl party the next day. Lots of the Watson;s family friends appeared who were incredibly friendly. An added bonus was that several of them knew of good cycling routes in the area. Instructions were scribbled on coasters only to be indecipherable the next day. In the super bowl game the Green Bay Packers won a tight game against the Steelers who made a strong come back in the second half. We met quite a lot of people at the party and cannot remember everyone's names, but thanks all the same to them for their friendliness. The night ended with several games of 'name that tune and artist' using streamed music over the house wide-system - Mark won the final game by recognising a song by the Pointers sisters. A bit of good natured joshing and competitiveness was involved (Caroline remarking that all that useless music trivia had at last come in useful!).
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