We're moving to San Diego!

Hi all,

Sorry has been a long time since an update, we have been busy working on our tans and partying! Actually we've hardly had a second to lie down andd sunbathe , between surfing, catching sunsets and hiking Grand Canuyon and driving on very twisty roads it's been all go! Well we survived our 2nd night in Vegas and managed to win a grand total of 130 dollars between us! We left Vegas and headed for Grand Canyon, however darkness hit before we reached a campsite and it was getting very late so we had to do some improvisation camping on the side of the road - the delay was mainly caused by our 3 hour stopover at Walmart - the super centre!! There was just far too much to see there! When we came out it was almost dark. Hence we had to pull in on trhe side of the road and try and erect our new tent (from Super Wal Mart!) , however it was difficult to ascertain where amongst the shrub and rock we could actually pitch it. Our headtorches were put to use for the first time on the trip and soon enough we had our bed for the night assembled and a camp fire lit , clearly although we were exausted and it was very nlate we had to have smores!

Next morning we woke up to the sweltering heat coming through the tent nad ono we drove to The Grand Canyon. Where we intially wanted to go all the campsites were full (turned out this has become a frequent complaint in the last week!) so we went to the only one htat had a space and set ourselves up and then off we went to hike the canyon. However for those of you who have been there will know the canyon is huge (an understatement!) and therefore we only got to see a very small bit of it. We werent prepared enough nor did we have the energy after 2 nights in Vegas to hike all the way in and back up so we did a mini hike, took a lot of photos that all look the same, bought the essential shot glass and ticked Grand Canyon off our list of things to do!

Next day we tackled the 1050 km drive to San Diego - after going back to our orginal campsite form the night before to do a CSI style search party for Frank's phone which ofcourse had we trusted our instincts and known he had only done a 'male look' for it we would have known it was under the car seat all along!! We passed through Hoover Dam, did some pretending to hoover shots much to people's amusement and passed through a lot of other random places where I would not want to live (seems they put all the hardcore criminals in buildings out here in the middle of nowhere!)Enroute we also passed through the most bizarre place we have ever been to - Bombay Beach in the Saltensea ( I do not reccommend this place to anyone!!) It became a flood plain and was once a thriving holiday resort however now itis a smelly scary desolated place with a lot of dead fuish, burnt out trailers and not one living human being insight during day light hours. Although we did see a lot of evidence that quite possibly there is human life here , including a circle of chairs around a campfire on the side of the road - possibly used for some kind of sacrifcial ceremony - who knows in that place!

On we went anyway and eventually arrived into San Diego, a little disappointed that we didn't see any Mexicans running across the road trying to cross the border!. We were exausted so grabbed dinner in a Mexican restaurant (Mexican food had become part of our staple diet!) and then checked into a motel right beside the airport and train station - made for a very peaceful night's sleep - not!! Next day we headed for the Coronado to do some laundry - Jo was especially excited about this!! This would vbe the first time since we left home we were doing laundry (you can imagine now why it was so exciting!) Did some sightseeing while our clothes spun themselves and then off we went to Pacific Beach which within minutes of arriving into Jo and myself have decided we are going to live here! Checked into another motel by hte beach and strolled down to our new favourite bar , grabbed a 3 dollar beer and watched the sunset - life doesnt get much better! Spen the next day here and in La Jolla where we went sea kayaking and impressed ourselves by not capsizing while tackling the surf to get out. Saw some sea lions and generally faffed around for the rest of the day!

Onward to Huntington Beach where we spent the next few days on a friend of a friend of a friend's floor ( thank you John and Sarah!) and watched Kelly Slater nad the rest of the pros 'tear it up' athe US Pro Surf Open - ah life is tough in the world of Jo and Jane!! Partied with the pros on Saturday night and headed up to Santa Barbara the next day , picking up our own renta car enroute. We have downsized from our luxury Infinity to Tipsy Trixie the Toyota!! She's beautiful, no electric windows , no sun roof and some strange noises coming from the wheels but we love her! Spent 2 nights in Santa Barbara with Frank's brothers (than you Stevie and Andrew!) , ate some more Mexican food and had a filling in my tooth! A trip to the American dentist was very exciting, got handed Adventure magazines, a fleecy blanket and opera music - hardly noticed the injection at all!

We parted ways with Frank on Tuesday and Jo and myself spent most of the day shopping in SB and now don't quite know how we're going to fit everything we've been throwing into the car into our rucksacks! The orginal plan form SB was to head back up the coast to San Fran, however we were both missing San Diego so much we made an execurtive decision to turna round adn go back down there! We planned to break up the journey by camping enroute but even after begging we couldn't get into any campsitesd on the coast - its chocablock here at moment. So arrived into SD late and checked into the only motel that was open. We did toy withthe idea of sleeping in the car but needed a toilet and we were in a very populated area so we treated ourselves to a motel out of our budget! Next moring we milked the frree breakfast and then checked back into our motle form the previous week - got the room next door to where we were! So spent 3 nights partying and surfing in Pacific Beach and now we are payinghte price with sore throats and ears and generally need a rest feeling!

So we booked ourlseves into the only campsite we could get into, 60 miles inland on a reservouir. Arrived late at night , had to queue for an hour at the gate with all the well to do Mexicans with their power boats , jet skiis and supersized bags of Doritos. Our supposedly peaceful night was interrupted by the crazy Mexican family beside us who were riducoulsy loud and played horrific music very late and very early - a cross between the circus and dodgy Spanish music I'd say!. The theme of the campsite seems to be pack as many people in your car, as many deckchairs and as much food as you can. We burnt our dinner and went to bed - our first night in bed before 12 , however with the shennanogans of the crazy Mexicans beside us it wasn't a very peaceful night! Next night we stayed in Avila beach near San Luis Obispo and got a good 10 hours recuperation  - we are nearly ready to start partying again! Today we drove up the coast ,m through Big Sur, saw some beauiful scenery and are now in Monteray where we are spending tonight before heading to Santa Cruz for tomorrow night and then back to San Fran  before we fly out to Hawaii on Thursday. So until then hope everyone is well, sorry if this blog entry is a little boring , not all our stories are suitable for the general blog!!! Love to all xo