On Monday morning we began the coastal leg of our trip and left San Francisco heading for San Jose and Santa Cruz. We reached San Jose around midday and as there didn’t seem to be much happening drove North West to Half Moon Bay. On arrival it was evident that the American people are not scared of a pumpkin and in the build up to Halloween had decided to grow enough to keep them going until Christmas (seriously, loads of pumpkins)! From Half Moon Bay we joine...

Arrived in San Francisco on Saturday morning and found a hotel to stay at in Oakland just across the bay from downtown San Francisco. We had a walk around the waterfront at Oakland before getting the Bart (or subway) to San Francisco. Once in the city we went to Pier 39 and saw the sea-lions before having a coffee, we then wandered towards the centre of town passing through Chinatown before reaching Union Square where we went to the top of Macy’s for views over...

On Thursday morning we set off for Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon. After just 8 miles along the road we stopped off at Exeter a small picturesque town with murals painted on shop walls and back streets, a lovely little place. From here we made our way towards Sequoia and Kings Canyon. After about an hour we reached the entrance and began our drive through the impressive valley climbing to around 6000 feet. The area is dominated by huge Redwoods and Giant ...

Howdy! We awoke early on Tuesday morning at about 5.30 to go and watch the sunrise from the south rim of the Grand Canyon. It was a pretty spectacular sight although it was quite chilly and far too early! After the sunrise we walked along the south rim stopping off at various viewing points for photos. It is really impressive and to get some idea of its size, it is around 10 miles across to the north rim and around a mile deep! From the canyon we drove back in...

Today we have collected our car which is a lovely brand new Ford Focus and driven out to the Grand Canyon via the Hoover Dam crossing from Nevada into Arizona. The weather is hot hot so air con is a must. We are hauled up in a motel just ouside the National Park and plan to get up for the sunrise over the canyon tomorrow before heading back towards Death Valley National Park. The people are ridiculously friendly and helpful and the petrol is $2.80 a gallon which ...