Woke up to a sunny LA morning and walked up to Hollywood Boulevard to look at the stars on the walk of fame and try our hands in the concrete at Graumann's Chinese Theatre. Mine fitted Shirley Temple's; Mark's fitted King Kong. Just kidding! Posed in front of Hollywood Sign and hung around waiting to be snapped up by a big studio agent, but it appeared to be their day off as no lucrative movie star offers came. Have to make mention of overhearing a conversatio...

Welcome to Hollywood! Left Long Beach and took the metro to centre of Los Angeles passing through some choice neighbourhoods (Compton, Inglewood...). Surfaced right on Hollywood Boulevard, packed with tourists and assorted oddballs. Found our way to the Saharan Motor Inn, a retro motel on Sunset and checked in. Soon realised the place was not in the bit of Sunset that is super-cool but with a smattering of weirdos and loons, or day-walkers as Mark calls them....

Another day in San Diego and it's my birthday - yay! Started the day with a fairly mental breakfast experience at the hotel: the word "rammy" springs to mind. Then ambled up to Balboa Park to check out the museums. Turned out to be really busy as it was 'free to SD residents' day. Took a jaunty tram ride round the park instead where the driver/guide was Jeff Goldblum's long lost twin. Then wandered down through Uptown and watched the planes coming in to land ...

Like Lewis and Clark, we have finally made our passage west to the Pacific! Rolled on into San Diego and dropped the car off at about midday. Took a wander about downtown and Gaslamp Quarter before checking into our hotel which has the most incredible views across the city. The temperature was now a pleasant 80• with a sea breeze from the ocean. Had a fairly lazy afternoon, then went for a Chinese and off the check out the nightlife. Delighted to be ID'ed s...

Left Joshua Tree , a real western town and took a short drive to the manicured lawns and plastic surgery town of Palm Springs. Nice to be the youngest people around, by about a good thirty years. Found a nice downtown hotel and went off to look at the aerial tramway that takes you up to 8000+ feet. Didn't ride it (I've seen too many disaster movies) but did get the excitement of seeing a real live wild snake at the visitors centre. It was pink - well it is Pal...