Unfortunately the internet in all hotels seems to be very slow, so videos will still be some time in coming. In the meantime, here is the latest update of our adventures....
Our second day began with a trip to San Jose, which we now know the way to! This 40 minute drive gave us more of a chance to get to know the car that will hopefully take us the 5000 miles between here and the Atlantic Coast. As you can see from the picture, it would be considered a monster in Britain, but here there are plenty of cars/trucks bigger than it on the road, and it can be easily forgotten that you're driving such a big machine. It is very comfortable and I think we've now figured out how to work all the features we'll need. Some fancy things it has : Cruise Control, a camera on the back that feeds a picture to the rearview mirror when you are in reverse, a facility to override the automatic gear box and go back to good old manual, a fuel economy setting and a direct link from the iPod to the stereo system, so no need for the sometimes crackly and tempramental iTrip.
In San Jose we visited the world's biggest Monopoly board and a giant mall to buy some clothes and stock up on toiletries and trip essentials, such as a cool bag, which seemed to be a foreign concept to most Americans we spoke to. Perhaps they all have fridges in their cars?
After San Jose we headed off down the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway, which was amazing. On one side of the road are the most gorgeous beaches, with the clear waters of the Pacific crashing onto the rocks, while on the other is lush green forest or farmland. Every corner seemed to bring a view more spectacular than the last, although driving in the clifftop forest section was quite tiring with all the twists and turns.
Tomorrow we have more of the same before arriving in Los Angeles.
Wow, that is a nice car. I've never driven one with a camera for when you're in reverse. If I had, I might now be able to parallel park.
ReplyDeleteRe: cooling bag--I think you just want to ask for a small cooler. Most pharmacies/drug stores (think Boots) will sell them. Keep an eye out for CVS, Walgreens or Rite Aid, they will probably have them, usually in the seasonal aisle with beach furniture and suntan lotion. You could also probably find coolers in any large supermarket.
PS-if your hotel wireless continues to be slow, you could always go to a Kinkos, which is a copy/internet shop and is all over the US. It's not cheap but if you're going just to upload photos/video it shouldn't take long. And they are everywhere so not hard to find.