We were on our way through LA last time we wrote, and had just waved to the stars before pulling up in a state park to camp for the night with just some rabbits for companry. This was a money saving move and frankly we were both very stiff in the morning especially evan who slept in the boot of a tiny car!! We took a relaxing drive up the Pacific Coast Highway which is very beautiful and stopped off at San Simeon , former home of William Randolph Heart, who in in 20s owned the entire US press and was very very rich, bit like Rockefeller. He built a crazy castle on his parents ranch by the sea on big hill and designed it around all the antiques he purchased from the churches and historial places of europe who were busy selling off WW1 savlavege to rich yanks to get some money in the 20s to rebuild everywhere. HE had a lady architect design the place and there are amazing fireplaces from monestaries, statues from palaces, all within amazing gardens. There are guest houses as well as the main castle and a pool flanked by greek marble filled with mountain spring water. An indoor pool too lined with gold leaf. He was having an affair with Marion Davies ) watch the film the Cat´s Mioaw which also stars Eddie Izzard as Chaplin to get the story) so had massive parties with the cream of 20s and 30s hollywood, everyone went there from Cary Grant to David Niven, so it was very exciting as well as opulent and beautiful.

Arrived into San Francisco, had our car valet partked for an indecent sum of money, and went to meet Alaric and Sara in his bar down the road. Was wicked to see him and several free drinks later were all staggering home a little worse for wear. Ahem.

The next day we blew away the cobwebs with a walk through China town to the world´s crookedest street then down to the docks to say hi to the seals. Then caught a bus to the Haight which is a cool neighbourhood where Alaric and Sara both live. Met them in a coffee shop where everyone there had a laptop open!! They confessed to feeling dreadful, so after viewing alaric´s new abode we went shopping and left them to collapse. Browsed cool book shops, vintage shops , ate some mint choc chip rice dream ice cream and enjoyed the sun.

The following day we took a boat out onto the harbour to view the Golden Bate Bridge and Alactraz, both of which were really cool, we didni´t hop off at the prison, didn´t want to get straneded there after all....

It was funny as i had done this boat trip before when I was hear with Jon and TIm. That day the fog was so bad that we could barely see our hands in front of our faces. The running commentary that says "look to your left to see the famous San Fran sky line," was completely lost on us, this was amusing til an ominous fog horn started roaring in our vicinity and we started to worry for our lives. The only view we had of the bridge that day was when we looked up and saw steel girders and realised we were underneath the thing having not been able to see it at all till that point. Fortunately this visit was far more scenic. This visit was also notable for me as once we got off the boat we were not accosted by a bush. Last time a guy was hiding in some branches and lept out surprising us and earning a dollar for his warped sense of humour, this time round we just saw his 2 branches laying on the floor near pier 39.. clearly on lunch....

Met the guys for lunch at a cool diner very old school ' evan had a moon doggy which is basically a hot dog with the works.

That evening we headed out of town and towards Yosemite national park, staying over night somewhere cheap and Taco bell adjacent..