Hello Yosemite – Day 22 – Sunday – July 10

Our road trip is half done, if you don’t count the week at the beach.  Time has flown and we have seen and experienced so much already.  Today we are going to pack up for a couple nights and head into Yosemite Village for a couple nights in a Yurt (a tent cabin with canvas walls and beds – not much else). 

Jackson and I decide to hit the stream behind the campground, but in order to make it work with the move we need to be up early.  Not sure what the fishing will be like at 7 AM, but we decide to give it a shot.  I wake up around 6 and get Jackson up at 6:30.  He pops out of bed, fixes his breakfast and we head down to the stream.  We walk about half a mile downstream and wade in.  It is VERY cold this morning (mid 50’s) and there is steam rising up off the water and you can see your breath.  The step in is very invigorating.  We start to slowly work our way up steam, fishing the same types of spots our guide pointed out yesterday.  No hits all morning, and Jackson keeps getting his line tangled up.  Our legs are numb (as are other parts for Jackson as he is often in waist deep).  Our feeling is that we are out too early.  There is not a single bug in the air.  We do get a couple takes, but nothing we can hook.

Mist Over Big Creek

When we are just about to the campsite, I get a take and quickly pull up.  It turns out to be a 12 inch rainbow, but very grey in color.  It must be one of the stocked fish they put in this spring.  Still nice catch and I again fumble for the camera and lose the fish before getting a shot off.

Jackson loses another fly and decides to head out and up to camp.  I keep working the stream right up to our RV.  I have lost track of time and it is 9:45.  We wanted to be on the road by 10, so I hustle up and get dried off.  Wendy has started laying out the clothes, but it again takes us another 2 hours to finish packing and eat lunch.

12:15 and we are finally on the road, I need to stop at the lodge a mile back and drop off Jackson’s wading boots that he borrowed.  We then turn around and head into the park.  The line is a little bit longer and it takes 15 to 20 minutes to make it through the guard station.  We flash our pass and head up the road toward Wawona.  The drive to the village from the south end is about 35 miles and it can take anywhere from an hour to two and a half hours.  We are moving right along winding around the mountains.  We come up on the road to Glacier Point and decide to do this hour long side trip as we are not sure we will make it on the way out.  From here you have excellent views of Vernal and Nevada falls and Half Dome.  The trip is worth the extra drive.  Spectacular views and even my kids who have been saying “Mom, it’s just another mountain” are very impressed.  We stop for multiple photo ops, buy a set of binoculars (I left my good ones in the RV) and take in the surroundings.

View of Vernal and Nevada Falls from Glacier Point

We will hike to the top of the first falls later in the week.

Half Dome from Glacier Point

Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls from Glacier Point

Yosemite Valley from Glacier Point

Georgia Jumping for Joy at Glacier Point

After 30 minutes of taking in the sights, we head back up the road.  At this elevation there is still a lot of snow and I ask the kids if they want to hop out for a snow ball fight.  They all say “been there – done that on the last sabbatical” and Wendy mentions that it would probably just end up bad with someone getting a snowball in the face.  We keep moving on and make a quick stop for some shots of El Capitan before heading into the Village.  A lady has a telescope set up and we can see some of the climbers on the wall of El Capitan making their way back to their tent on the side of the cliff.

One at Yosemite Village, we work our way to Curry Village and get in line to get the keys for our Yurts.  A short wait in line, and we head over to the parking lot to hump our stuff into camp.  Fortunately, Wendy convinced me to have each person have their own bag, so each is able to carry rather than making the bags so heavy only I can pick them up.  The yurts are clean and sparse. 

Our Yurts with Half Dome in the background

We unpack and head over to check out the other facilities.  There is a nice grocery and I take Georgia over to pick up a snack to tide her over while we do a short hike.  Wendy and I buy tickets for 3 to a star talk back at Yosemite Village from 9 to 11.  Charlotte is up for it.  By the time everyone is thinking about being ready for our hike, we decide we are all a little hungry and tired, so we opt to hit the buffet and take in the bear talk they are doing next door to our tent.  This will allow us to get to bed a little earlier (we have a very early rise for a horse ride in the morning).

We also notice that the building next door to our tents has free internet access.  I stop over and pick up email, though the service is spotty as there are a bunch of kids trying to watch Netflix movies.  We head over to dinner for the buffet.  Reminds me of dorm room food while in college, but everyone is able to find something they will eat and I am able to wash it down with a great brown ale from the bar.  Next the talk about bears with a 45 minute film featuring some of the bear experts from within the National Park system.  Great film and we all learn a lot.

Off to the yurt for bed, we close up the flaps, make sure all the cosmetics and food is in the bear lockbox outside and cover up with 4 wool blankets.  Alarm is set for 6 AM – everyone has opted to skip showers to get that extra couple minutes sleep.  Who needs a shower before heading out for 4 hours on a horse?

Fishing, Steam Engines and Big Trees – Day 21 – Saturday – July 9

I wake up at 6 and quietly get out of bed.  I pull out my Orvis book and spend some time boning up on technique.  An hour later and I head outside to organize my gear.  It is still quite cold and you can see your breath hanging in the air.  Our guide said that the fish don’t start hitting until after 9 when the bugs start flying, so although we will be getting started later than I would have liked, I don’t want to spend time out if the fish are not going to be hitting.  An hour later and I wake up Jackson for breakfast.  He comes outside and we go over the gear and talk about where we might be heading.

Jimmy from Sierra Fly Fishing shows up right at 9 as promised.  He lets us know that the stream behind our RV is stocked with rainbows, but he prefers to fish natural waters.  He suggests heading out to another spot and tells us we can fish this stretch on our own on Sunday.  We agree that this sounds like a great plan and load up the gear into his truck to head out.

We will be fishing the same stream, just 1000 feet higher in elevation.  He tells us that the fish won’t be as large as where we are – mostly 6 to 8 inches – but it will be much more challenging that fishing the area we are camping in.  A couple miles down a dirt road, ford a couple steams and we come up on a clearing called Big Sandy Campground.  There are some campers out here, some with trailers.  I am amazed that they have been able to get some of these rigs back here.

We gear up, put on our wading boots, but no waders as they will slow us down and we won’t be in much over our knees.  He goes over knots and line set ups.  Gives us some tips on moving through the water and brush and a refresher on casting.  We then head over to the stream and he talks to us about the approach.  The fish in these waters get spooked very easily.  You need to stay very low, come if from directly behind and you only get 2 to 3 casts before they are gone.

He walks Jackson in to first area we are going to fish and takes his rod to show him how to make a cast into the short distance. This is very different than when we fished the bigger waters in Wyoming. His first cast goes out – and a hit. He pulls in a 6 inch rainbow. He gives us the “yes, I’m really that good” with a wink and a nod.

Now it’s Jackson’s turn. He gets a hit on the second cast and pulls one in.

Next area and Jackson pulls in a 10 – 12 inch rainbow.  As I struggle to get the camera out while Jimmy unhooks it, it does a flip out of his hand and off the hook.  We will be the only ones who will know the true size.  To everyone else, it will just be another fish story.

I take my turn and we start working our way up the steam.  Jackson gets another one, and I am getting some takes, but no hooks.  Jackson starts working a small pool and takes a couple more.  Jimmy asks if it is OK if we leave him there and move further up stream.  He is fine, and we keep working our way up.  I finally get one on the hook and then another.  Jimmy goes back for Jackson who is now up to 6 fish for the day.  I am at 3.  A couple hours later, and our feet are numb.  The water is really cold and you can see the snow still on the sides of the steam melting its way in.  We decide to hit a couple more spots before heading back.  I end up at 3 and Jackson has 8.  Not a bad day at all.

As we are walking back on the bank, Jimmy tells us about the issues they are running into here in the National Forests around the Sierras.  Poaching on the steams is becoming a big problem.  People come up from the cities, pour a couple gallons of bleach in the water and stand downstream with a net catching everything that floats down.  They pull out anything worth cooking and dump the rest on the shore.  He also has some issues with the ATV’s that are out here.  There were 6 in the camp we pulled through and we hear them screaming around in the forest.  It is one thing to stay on the trails, but they make their own and it is destroying acres of forest.  There are not enough people to patrol, so it is tough to catch them.  As we are driving out, we come across a park ranger who asks if we have come across any poachers.  They found some dead fish on the side of a steam a couple miles from here, and he is checking to see if they are still in the area.  Very sad as if this keeps up, these streams will be completely dead within a few years.

Jimmy drops us off and we thank him for the great day.  Wendy has headed into town to do some laundry and the girls are with her.  We fix some lunch and set the wet clothes out on the table to dry.

When Wendy gets back, she tells me that she has booked a 3:30 train ride on an old steam engine up the road.  The Sugar Pine Railroad line used to run here around the turn of the century when they were clear cutting the trees off these mountains.   We head out at 3:15; sure we will have enough time as it is just a mile or so down the road.  5 miles later and it is 3:25 and she is sure we missed it a ways back.  The girls are sure it is further up the road, but we turn around a drive a couple miles.  We then turn back when we cross the road that Jackson and I headed up to fish as I am sure I didn’t see the steam engine this morning.  We double back once more and a couple mile past where we stopped is the sign.  It is 3:30 and we hear the whistle blowing and we are sure we missed the train.  Turns out he was only doing a turn around and they are running late.   Luck is with us again.

We wait another 15 minutes before boarding and then ride on an old lumber car from the turn of the century (last one – not this one).  The ride is relaxing and we hear the history of lumbering in these parts and the history of narrow gauge railroads.  A stop for water halfway through and they allow me to climb into the engine.  Built in Lima, OH – it is amazing this thing still runs.  It burns a gallon of oil and uses 40 gallons of water for each mile that it runs.  The smells remind me of when we used to go to the Threshers Convention at the Fulton County Fairgrounds back home.

After the return, we drive back to the RV to pick up the National Park Pass and head into Yosemite.  We are going to do a short hike in the Mariposa Pines and hope to visit the 25^th largest tree in the world.  We breeze in, no traffic this late in the day and quickly find a parking spot.  The trailhead is right next to our parking spot and we head out.  It says 1.6 miles to the Grizzly Giant and we head up the hill.  About a mile in we run into a fork in the trail.  We ask a couple people if we are on the correct route and finally run into someone with a map.  It shows a loop with the Grizzly Giant right next to the parking lot (about .3 miles in).  We will be doing a 2 mile hike, but got to see a small tunnel tree on the way.  There is a much larger tunnel tree (one that my Dad got a picture taken after he graduated high school and took a trip out west), but it fell in 1969.  The remnants are still there, but we did not make another loop to see it. 

These trees are huge. 

The Grizzly Giant is bigger than a 747, wider at the base and taller and over 2000 years old.  We all admire it for a bit and head back to the car. 

A Fallen Tree Near the Parking Lot

A short drive back out of the park to our campground, fire up the grill for dinner and Jackson and Georgia start a fire in the fire pit.  Jackson heads over to the camp host to buy some more wood.  $7 a bundle and he picks up 3 with 5 to 6 pieces in each, making 3 trips back and forth to haul it back.  We should be stocked for the remainder of the trip as there are only a couple more spots where we can make a fire.

Burgers done, we all sit at the table for a family dinner and then decide to play a board game rather than sit by the fire. After we are done, the fire is still going, so we head outside to make some smores (minus the chocolate – can’t seem to find it).

We let the fire burn down a bit, and then head in for the evening.

NASCAR’s got nothing on me – Day 20 – Friday – July 8

A great night’s sleep after a long day at the beach.  We need to be up and out of the hotel by 8 AM if we are going to make it to Oakhurst (just south of Yosemite) in time to pick up the car.

I am up and showered and ready to go by 6:15 and start waking everyone else up.  An hour later and Jackson is the only one showered and ready to go.  8:30 and we are finally up and I am sending the kids down to get some breakfast.  9:00 and we are still showering and packing.  9:30 and we are finally ready to call the bellman to come pick up the bags.  10 AM and we are in the car on the way to the RV Park to pick up the RV.  We throw all the luggage in the RV, but no, wait, Georgia was doing cartwheels in the room and put down her phone.  A call to the hotel and they found it.  I run the trip on the GPS and it puts us in Oakhurst at 4:40, just in time to pick up the car before they close at 5.  No other rental agencies there and they are not open on Saturday or Sunday.

Wendy has been asking to wash the bugs off the front of the RV for the past couple weeks, so we pull over to the boat wash where she will wash while I return to the hotel 20 minutes away to pick up the phone.  I make it back in 15, spot the security guy a $20 for having it outside (against policy – I am supposed to find my way to the security office) and head back on the PCH one more time.  I take a picture of the Pacific Coach Highway sign while at a red light (the picture Wendy wanted to get but I wouldn’t stop before because we are already running hours late) and make it back to the RV in less than 15 minutes. 

Wendy follows me to John Wayne Airport to drop off the car.  The GPS is now showing 5:15 and we have to stop to get gas (not a quick endeavor with the RV), drop off the car and make up 15 minutes plus any minutes we lose along the way.

By the time we pull out of John Wayne Airport at 11:45 the GPS is now saying 5:45.  I don’t think we have a chance.  I have to make up 45 minutes on a 6 hour drive through LA and the mountains.  I decide to push on as we really don’t have any other options.  If we don’t get the car, we will be driving the RV everywhere.  Not what I want in Yosemite which has worse traffic than LA.  As we head north on 410, I hit stop and go traffic.  More time to make up.  We then hit I-10 and things free up, but it is up hill into the mountains.  I have the pedal to the floor, but I’m still stuck in the second lane with the slow trucks as the RV screams.  Further north, we finally hit a stretch of highway where I can make up some time.  Each time the radar detector screams, I slow down just in time to spot California’s Highway Patrol sitting behind a clump of bushes.  But I am making up some time.  After 3 hours of pushing it at every opportunity, the GPS is now saying 5:15.  By 3:00, it is now saying 5:10 and I call Enterprise to see if they can keep the door open for me.  She lets me know that she is very willing to help, but has to get a car back to Fresno (45 minutes away) before they close at 6.  She can stay 10 minutes or so.  I’ll keep on pushing, but now realize that I am supposed to also check in with our guide for fly fishing by 5.  A quick call to them, while white knuckling the wheel and all is well there.  He can have someone at the shop until 6.  As I’m screaming through central California, I don’t have any time to take in the sights or stop for a brief rest.  At 4:40, I call the agent to say that barring any traffic, we will be there.  Now the low fuel light comes on.  I hope we have enough gas to make it to pick up the car.

We pull in at 5:10 and I run in.  She is complaining to someone working there that she is so going to be in trouble for being late getting to Fresno, but really wanted to help me out.   Car in hand, we head over to the fly fishing outfitter.  The guide there looks over our equipment, suggests some adjustments to leaders and tippets and lets us know that Jimmy the shop’s owner will meet us at the campsite at 9AM.  Wendy still wants to wash the RV and needs to pick up some food.  I really would like to just sit back and relax for a bit.  I find a gas station and fill up, we wash the front of the RV (the whole thing will not fit in the wash), head to McDonald’s to pick up some dinner, and head to the grocery store.  It is 105 here in Oakhurst, so while Wendy shops; I sit with the air on and eat a salad.  I get to rest for 45 minutes.  I’m exhausted.  When Wendy returns, she asks how we are going to deal with no electricity with this heat.  I convince her that it will be much cooler at the campsite.  It is 3000 feet higher in elevation, and I remember the old adage that you lose 3 – 4 degrees for each 1000 feet.  I hope this still hold true or it will be a long night.

We head out of town for the 15 mile, 30 minute drive.  The campsite is just outside the park at a National Forest campground.  No water, no electric.  Just us and Mother Nature again.  Oh, and what power we have in the battery and fresh water we have in the tank.

We pull in and find out our spot is right next to a nice stream.  The host lets us know that they are expecting a low of 52 degrees.  Plenty cool.  We settle in and head to bed.  A long hard day’s drive, but it should all be worth it if we can get out and do some hiking and fishing tomorrow.

No internet access for past week

We are now literally "out of the woods".

Blog is up to date, just not uploaded. Heading to The Hotel at Mandalay Bay where I will try to find time to catch up on posting.

Half Dome - Memories of 19 years ago

Wendy and I climbed to the top on our first sabbatical. The hikes will be shorter with the kids this trip.

Steam Engine Through the Mountains

Steam Engine Through the Mountains

Sent from my iPhone

Let's go surfing now - Everybody's learning how - Come on and safari with me – Day 19 – Thursday – July 7

Up early everyone, surfs up!

We need to be at the surf shop by 8AM, no problem getting the kids up this morning.  Everyone is excited for our surf lesson.  We have booked a two hour lesson at Toes on the Nose.  Great name for a surf shop.  A quick breakfast at the Regency Club and then down to the shop just off the lobby.

We meet our instructors, Cody and Jason.  Cody greets me with a “Surf’s lookin’ good.  We’re gonna have a blast duuude!”.    They grab us some wetsuits.  These things really MAKE you look the part. 

We pick up the long boards and head down to the beach. 

They go over some of the basics of the board and we do a little practice hopping up.  They also explain they will start by pushing us into the waves, picking the best ones and will give us a signal on when to stand up.  They also say not to get discouraged.  Many people don’t get up the first time out, just enjoy the surf and the experience.

We all walk the boards out, hop on and paddle out a bit more.  The waves are 2 to 3 feet and Cody says they are breaking just right for beginners. 

Charlotte is the first to go.  They give her a push and yell stand up.  She is up and surfing the first wave.  I see Cody and Jason looking at each other in amazement.  They keep saying they have NEVER seen someone get up first time and ride it to the beach.  WOW!

Jackson is next and gets a start then off to the side and down he goes.  Same with Georgia. 

I am next and with a push and a scream to stand up, I try to hop up.  I get up on one knee, but as I step up, over I go.  Same for Wendy.  It is very tough to find both your balance and the correct positioning on the board.

Jackson then gets up on the next try and rides the wave to the shore.  Georgia also gets it on the next ride.  Again, both Cody and Jason say they are amazed at how well we are all doing.  For the next hour and a half, we all keep getting instruction and catching waves.  Jackson and Charlotte are now paddling into their waves on their own.  Georgia is getting up each time.  Wendy and I have each gotten all the way up for a short ride into the beach.  Success by all and boy are we having fun.  I paddle out to see Jackson sitting up on his board, hands on hips watching the waves break and looking for a good one.  He looks like he has been out here for years.  They are working with Charlotte on riding the line to get more out of the wave.

Wendy and I take turns heading in to take pictures.  On one of my rests on the beach, I check out the 3 families and other kids getting lessons.  None of them are getting up the way my kids are.  Guess Cody and Jason were right.  Our kids are naturals.

Failed Attempt

Charlotte milking out the last of the wave

One I rode all the way in

Georgia - perfect form

Only shot of Jackson - he really did look much better than this

Wendy - she rode this one to the beach

By the time we are getting close to ending the lesson, I realize I don’t have any more paddling in me.  My arms are sore in the shoulders and elbows.  I’m sure I am going to feel this later, but for now, this has been incredible.

We grab one last photo op and head back to the shop.  This will be one of the highlights of the trip for sure.

We head off to the Grotto pool with hot tubs and soak a while and talk about how fun this was.  Then off to the larger pool for some lunch.  Charlotte went back to the room to relax a while, so Wendy leaves to take her some lunch.  Jackson and Georgia head to another pool, and I sit and soak up some sun.  I don’t have a key or phone to see where they are, so I just wait it out until they return.  3 hours later, Wendy returns.  She had stopped by the Spa to see if they had any openings and took an immediate spot they had available.  We call the kids and let them know we are heading to the beach.  We rent some boogie boards and beach chairs and head down.  The surf is breaking much rougher this afternoon, and we have some fun crashing in the waves.  Jackson and I get beat up pretty bad with a couple of slams into the bottom, but we come up each time ready to dive into the next one.

A Huntington Beach Life Guard truck and the Hyatt in the background

After and hour of this abuse to ourselves, we decide to head back to the room to shower and catch some dinner.  Wendy and the kids are tired, but I really don’t want another room service dinner so I head down to the restaurant to check out the menu.  They tell me I can order at the bar across the hall, so I head over there and order a glass of wine while looking over the menu.  A nice 7 oz tenderloin catches my eye, medium rare and it melts in my mouth.

Back up to the room where they are eating pizza and watching Soul Surfer.  Great way to finish off our last day at the beach.

In the morning, back to pick up the RV and off to Yesomite.  Wilderness here we come again.  Will we survive without electricity, cell phones and internet?

Heading South Again – Day 18 – Wednesday – July 6

When we got back to the room last night, I noticed that I am having some issues with my internet connectivity and need to get in touch with work and AT&T to sort it out.  I actually have some work to do today and need to get this fixed.  I have also received an urgent call from Youth Guidance, a not-for-profit that I have been working with giving some assistance on reporting and analysis for their programs.

I decide to head down to the lobby at 6 AM, grab a cup of coffee and get on the phone to our support desk.  They hook me up with AT&T where we figure out that the card I am primarily using has a 5 gig limit and I have maxed it out.  I do have another data card that is on an older plan that is truly unlimited, so I will switch to that one going forward. 

At 7 I get on a conference call with the folks from Youth Guidance while sitting by the pool.  I sip my coffee, watch the waves on the beach and spend an hour helping them figure out how to keep them moving on some of their reporting until I get back and can spend some time with them downtown.

Back up to the room and everyone is just waking up.  We are moving out of the hotel and into another RV Park in Newport Beach.  This stay at the hotel has been so nice; Wendy has been talking about keeping the RV at the park and checking into the Hyatt Huntington Beach.  This was something we discussed when we were first planning, but we felt we would be close enough to the beach at the RV Park.  We check out some prices online and decide to let things stand the way we have them currently planned.

It takes us a little over an hour to pack up all the stuff.  I call the bellman, call up the car and have Wendy drive me over to the Viceroy to pick up the RV.  They said it might take some time to pull it out depending on the number of cars they have to move, so I tell her to take the kids to an early lunch and I will catch up.  Turns out they can drop the chain and I can pull right out.

I meet up with them at Burger King.  First time I have eaten here in years.  They have a veggie sandwich that Wendy wants Charlotte to try, so I go with the flow.

Onto the highway, we have a little over and hour to drive to get to the south side of LA.  We pull into the RV park, check in and back into the spot.  Turns out there were some branches on a tree at the back.  Wendy told me they were there, but I didn’t look and did not think they would be a problem.  Well, it takes off the antenna for the satellite radio and bends the other over.  The others are OK, but I will have to see if I can repair the one that broke.

The park has a nice view of the bay and is very clean.  We send the kids to the water park, and Wendy and I head up to the store to find out some info about where we can schedule surf lessons for Thursday.  They have some suggestions, but this is NOT the concierge at the Loews.  When we get back to the RV, we again discuss moving to the Hyatt.  The kids are complaining that they were told they have to wear life jackets in the swim area and need wrist bands.  We have not unpacked, so it would be an easy move.  I check online and the only room available with 2 queens is in the Regency Club level.  More expensive, but it includes access to the Club where they have breakfast and snacks.  We figure we can make up the difference in cost by eating and drinking.  We book online, close up the RV and head the 5 miles up PCH (Pacific Coast Highway CA-1) to Huntington Beach and the Hyatt. 

This is the location that Wendy has seen many times on Regis and Kelly, so she is excited to get back out of the RV again.  We were only back in for an hour!  But, the stay at the Loews in Santa Monica has us a bit spoiled.  We pull in and head up to the room.  It has a nice view of the courtyard with views of the beach off to the side.  We unpack and head out to the beach for a walk to the pier.  On the way out, we decide to talk to the people at the surf shop about lessons for Thursday.  They let us know that they usually need a full day’s notice, but if we book within the next half hour, they can make it work.  We book on the spot for 8AM the next morning and head off to the beach.

It is a ¾ mile walk to the pier, and most of the shops are closed.  When we get there, Wendy and the kids head down to the water front while I head out on the pier to get a close up view of the surfers in action.  There are 10 to 15 out there catching waves.  Not really big waves – 4 to 6 feet – but big enough that they are able to work them a bit.  I also talk to some of the fishermen on the pier and then head down to see the kids.  Charlotte is soaking up the late afternoon sun while Jackson and Georgia are romping in the surf.

We head back to the hotel and make a stop at the Regency Club to pick up some appetizers and water, then off to the room to order room service.  The kids have been bugging us to watch Arthur (the new release with Russell Brand) at the last hotel, so we decide to have pizza night with a movie.  I work while watching the movie and fall asleep just before Arthur turns his life around.  Will have to catch the ending later.

More LA LA Land – Day 17 – Tuesday – July 5

No big agenda today.  We are going to revisit the Hollywood Walk of Fame and want to make it down to Venice.  Wendy set a target of 9 to be out the door and on the road. 

The kids don’t wake up until 8, so I know we are never going to hit that target, but we don’t have any firm commitments today, so all is good.  Charlotte’s computer had been giving her fits and finally gave up the ghost late last week.  I think it may be a simple battery issue.  This morning when Jackson got up, his started beeping and was showing a fan error.  Charlotte has been using Jack’s to work on photos and I don’t want both of them relying on my computer for the remainder of the trip.  I do a quick search on Best Buy and find a couple that are reasonably priced at a location not far from here.  We decide to pull the trigger, order two new ones and pick them up later today.

We get downstairs around 10 and head to McDonald’s a block away for breakfast.  Then on the road to Hollywood.  The GPS is not taking us on 405, so a lot of stop lights, but we do get to see a bunch of neat shops and some different neighborhoods.  I follow the route and it takes me down a back alley.  Doesn’t seem to be right.  There is parking, but I am not even sure we are close to where we want to be.  We pull around front to find we are on the correct block, and I pull into another garage expecting to pay $30 for parking.  Nice surprise when I find out it is $10 for valet.

We head back up to the street and come out next to a $10 store.  Is everything here $10?  Nope, they are having a sale!  Everything in the store is on sale for $6.99.  We look around a bit; Jackson finds a new cover for his iPhone that will work with his headset.  Nothing else catches anyone’s eye so we head back out on the street.

We are right at the Kodak Theater and a block from Grauman’s Chinese Theater.  There are many characters that are “willing” to take a picture of you.  Spiderman, Darth Vader, Shrek, etc.  All really bad costumes including a really bad looking Michael Jackson.  As we watch them approach people, we see that they are very aggressive and demanding.   We were told by out driver yesterday that Diego from Dora got arrested last week for punching someone.  We decide to stay away and watch these people from a distance.

We check out some of the stars on the Walk and the handprints and footprints of the stars at Grauman’s.  Then walk down the block to do some shopping.  We stop at a couple t-shirt shops and then loop back.  Jackson wants to visit a military surplus store while Wendy and Georgia move on to find a bathroom.  We catch up with them at McDonald’s and then head down to Ripley’s.  The kids want to do a museum and we have a choice of Ripley’s, Madame Tussaunds or Guinness World Records.  They opt to do Ripley’s again.  Personally, I would have picked something else, but they are sure this will be different than the one in San Francisco.  It is different, but some of the material is the same and it is smaller than the one we saw last week.

Once done here, Wendy spots a Forever 21 and decides she wants to spend some time there.  I walk another block with Charlotte and Jackson while Wendy and Georgia head across the street for some shopping.

We are now ready to head out.  The kids are hungry, but just want something fast, so we decide to pick up something on the way to Best Buy.  More driving thought new neighborhoods, keeping an eye open for someplace that everyone can agree on.  Wendy spots a yogurt shop with a Baja Fresh next door.  We pull in and the kids don’t want anything here.  Wendy and I get a yogurt, and we head a couple blocks down to a Subway.  Now on to Best Buy where they should have the laptops waiting at the pickup.  We get there only to find out there is some type of mix up.  They have the laptops, but started doing a setup, so they need to close that out and box them back up.  30 minutes later and we are finally on the road back to the hotel.

Once there, we change and head down to the beach to rent some bikes to ride to Venice Beach.  Georgia spots some large 3 wheelers that she thinks will be fun and the kids agree.  We rent 5 and start our trek down the beach.  It is about 1 ½ mile down the beach and we take it easy as there is a lot of traffic on the bikeway.

The pedal down to Venice Beach is short and we make it past all the vendors and to the end.  We look at some of the beach houses and talk about how nice it would be to have a spot right on the beach.  We do want to walk and head back to the beginning of Venice beach, lock up the bikes and walk.  People watching here is a blast.  It really draws all sorts of strange people.  The kids are all intrigued by the medical marijuana shops.  Stop in, claim an ailment and get your prescription filled in 10 minutes or less.  They even have a board outside with a list of “ailments” that qualify.  They also have a Botox and teeth whitening shop right next door to one of the medical shops. 

Get a tattoo, get high and get your teeth whitened all within 100 feet.  Wendy and the kids stop in for a 10 minute massage and I head back a bit to a bar for a little relaxation of my own.  A couple beers, a little of the Reds game and a band playing reggae outside.  This is relaxation.

We notice that we are running out of time before the rental shop closes, so we don’t make it all the way to muscle beach.  We will have to hit that on the next trip.  We hightail it back to Santa Monica, drop off the bikes (trikes) and head up to the hotel pool. 

Sunset Over Santa Monica Pier - by Charlotte Hurst

We find a spot next to a fire pit and order up some dinner and drinks, and then back to the room for another early bed. 

Star Search LA – Day 16 – Monday – July 4

Happy 4^th of July!

This pic is the flag that was flying over Alcatraz when we visited in San Francisco.

Today we are doing a tour of LA.  When we asked the concierge for recommendations, he let us know that for the cost of the standard tours we were looking at, we could almost do a private.  The other tours simply drove you around, did some narration and dropped you off at the various spots for photo ops.  The one we booked will be custom to what we want to see and we should be able to hit many more highlights.

We get everyone up early for our 9AM departure and are all down to the lobby by 8:30.  Georgia asks me what our guide will be like, and I tell her he will be kind of like a guy from TMZ or better yet a non-sleazy Parez Hilton.  She says “Oh, that guy who does the news on B96 in the morning.” and I reply “Yes, but he won’t cover the financial news the way Parez does.”

Mark arrives right at 9 and we head out to the van.  It is equipped with a very large DVD screen and he has rows of DVD’s in the visor above his head.  He asks what type of tour we would like.  Charlotte would like the “Sex, Drugs and Train Wrecks Tour featuring Charlie Sheen and Friends”.  Georgia wants the “Disney and Friends featuring the Young Stars”.  Jackson only wants to see Megan Fox’s home….

Wendy and I tell him that those tours filled in with some of the other big stars and sights would be great.  He lets us know that making it up to Malibu today will be very difficult as everyone heads to the beach on the 4^th.  Many of the communities have cancelled fireworks due to budget constraints, but Nick Cage always rents a barge and does his own off the beach – better than any of the others, so many people are heading there.  But, he lets us know that we will get to see plenty with the time we have booked.

Off we go to Venice to start the tour.  The first thing we encounter is a filming of Cops – Venice.  Wait, nope – no cameras – just LA’s Finest in action. 

I had never seen the actual canals of Venice here and he pops in a DVD that tells about some of the history.  He will use the DVD player though out the tour.  He tells us about a building or sight, turns on the DVD and then pauses it right as we are driving to the spot that the camera was when the scene was shot.   He also has laminated pages from tabloids that show the homes and spots where stars were spotted and pictures from others who have done the tour when they came across celebrities and got their pictures taken.

 

We drive past Lindsey Lohan’s home and see the jewelry store where she stole the necklace. 

We see Robert Downey Jar’s home and Dennis Hoppers home now up for sale.  A few more sights in Venice (scene from White Men Can’t Jump and a couple other movies on the beach) and then head on the road to Beverly Hills.

The number of homes we visited and stories are more than I could ever blog or even remember.  It seems that every turn has another 3 to 4 homes and stories about the stars.  Mark knows his stuff!

Some highlights:  Johnny Depp’s compound off Sunset Strip, Justin Timberlake’s home, the Tate home where the Manson murders took place, Rod Stewart’s old and new homes, Sylvester Stallone’s home, Denzel Washington’s estate, the apartment where Elton lives, many of the older stars homes and new too.  Michael Jackson’s rented home where the 911 call came from, and the Spelling Estate (with the themes from Dynasty and Love Boat playing in the background).

Peacocks at The Playboy Mansion

We drive past the Playboy Mansion and discuss jumping the fence to see the Bunnies at Play sign.

We drive past the Cyrus home and see Miley’s house and her Dad’s house decked out for the 4^th.

We cruise past P Diddy’s longtime on again - off again girlfriends home – and a block later I spot who we think was P Diddy walking to the parade with kids in tow. 

We stop at the Chateau Marmont for a restroom break and Wendy is sure she sees Jeff Daniels walking out.

We drive down Rodeo Drive,  past the Beverly Wilshire and circle past the hotel where Gere makes his drive up in the limo to see Roberts on her balcony in Pretty Woman (again, with the scene playing in the background so we can notice all the details).

We stop for lunch at Alcove and enjoy a very nice meal outdoors before finishing up the tour of downtown Hollywood.

A drive up to the Hollywood sign, past where all the tour buses are parked to a “much better photo spot”.

A final loop through yet another neighborhood to drive past Megan Fox’s home.   Her garbage is out, and we notice a box on top.  Our guide hops out, grabs the box and quickly hops back in and hands the box to Jackson.  Unfortunately, the label  lists a B-list actor (we find the name on IMDB), but it was still in Megan’s trash and Jackson wants to keep it.

We decide that we will come back down to visit the Kodak Theater and some of the other sights on Tuesday and head back to the hotel.   We are all worn out and I don’t think I could even remember what we are seeing – so many homes.

Mark was a great guide and we tip him well.  It was an expensive outing, but one that we will all remember forever.

We head back up to the room, change and head down to the beach.  Jackson will finally get his swim in the Pacific!  We find a spot on the beach, drop our towels and Jackson, Georgia and I head out into the surf.  The water is cold, though not as cold as Lake Michigan.  After 15 minutes, I am ready to head back to the beach and Jackson does not complain.  The younger two head back to the pool while Wendy, Charlotte and I soak in some sun before heading back.  It is now about 5:30 and happy hour by the pool.  I find a table in the sun and order some drinks and appetizers.  Jackson joins later and orders up some sushi.  Wendy decides we should just make this our dinner for the evening, so we sit for another couple hours, enjoy some drinks and food and watch the sun set.

Back up to the room around 8:30 and everyone is beat.  Another early bed to get some much needed rest for another big day.