A Whales Vagina, otherwise known as San Diego, was a city many people recommended we visit. Conveniently, Aidan has a friend living there so we left the glamour of Los Angeles and headed towards the home of Ron Burgundy (sorry if you've never seen Anchorman..) Aidan met April during a very hazy, but fun-filled week in Barcelona back in 2007 and has had little contact with her since. Thanks to Facebook, she heard we were in California and generously opened her do...

Los Angeles is a place where thousands of folks have come from all around the world to seek their fame and fortune. It is a metropolis of glamour, indulgence and commercialism, some of which even we enjoy in small quantities. Our challenge was to enjoy the best of this city in the most economical and time efficient way we could! After checking out the surf scene at world famous Malibu on the way in, we worked up the courage to book a motel in downtown LA for a f...

The Californian central coast is probably one of the most acclaimed coastlines in the world. We passed through pretty quickly, but got a great feel for the place and it didn't disappoint! We stopped at places with familiar names like Santa Cruz, Monterey and Big Sur, but Highway 1 was just as brilliant as the towns it linked, hugging the coast with postcard views around every bend. One of the main reasons this coastline is so famous is for the surfing! The sport...

All refreshed from our last four weeks immersed in nature - from the Oregon coast to Yosemite National Park - we thought we were due for a little city mischief. So, we repacked the car and headed off towards San Francisco. Jess's friend, Kendra, whom she met during her time in Sheffield, happened to be in the area visiting her boyfriend so we planned a rendezvous. We thought it couldn't hurt to take a minor detour through the heart of California's wine region, th...

Feeling pretty re-energised after some much needed warm weather, a taste of the Californian countryside and a magnificent three day trek through Yosemite National Park, we're now on our way back to the coast towards San Francisco. As soon as we heard the National Parks were open again after the recent government shutdown, we decided to head inland to visit Yosemite. Over the coastal mountain range we were finally able to shed the thermals and ugg boots! The weat...