California - Sonoma Valley in wine country

We awoke to yet more atrocious weather in Tahoe & frankly couldn't wait to leave. It was just too cold & wet to enjoy more of Tahoe so saving it for another visit, we set off for California's wine country.

With Napa apparently being "too touristy" we have plumped for next valley Sonoma as our 'base' here and it's wonderful.

For the first time on this trip, everything feels very European but with an American touch. The mile upon mile upon mile of vineyards make it feel very French or possibly Surrey as so called wine estate housing all look like the footballer wives ones in Esher. 

The Silverado Trail we did highlighted just where the money here is in this area. The vibe is very 'upmarket American'. No huntin' , fishin' & shootin' types as far as I can tell. I can imagine Chelsea Clinton & her mates hanging out here.

Dinner last night was possibly the best so far at a Portugese restaurant in Sonoma plaza. Very chi-chi. From there we meandered back to our Inn... to listen to one of the noises on our ambient noise maker machine thingy. 'White noise' is particularly interesting...?!?

Very random.

California - Lake Tahoe (south side)

Sat 27th Sept

Our drive to Lake Tahoe was yet again through some amazing scenery & vomit inducing mountain roads.

Me: "I can't look! I can't look. Wow! Ohmigod. I feel sick"
Mat: "So don't look"
Me: "But it's so pretty. Nope I feel sick".

You get the picture.

Being up in the mountains, the weather has also turned. It's c-c-c-o-l-l-d-d!! Good job Mat made me pack my down jacket.

We are probably here not long enough to get a real feel for the place but Lake Tahoe feels like the sort of place you would go away to for a romantic getaway or in other words a dirty weekend. There are loads of people just hot-tubbing about here! There are also countless wedding chapels. Not sure if its because Tahoe is on the stateline with Nevada and rules are different but it's all very odd. I did ask a waiter why earlier & he just said it was big business & people like getting married here.

They clearly also like 'adults only" rooms as we were offered one in one of the hotels we visited before we made our excuses and plumped for this one. What the actual f-ck is an adults only room?! The lady kept going on about a spa in the room but surely an adults only room is one where children are not in it and if you don't have children in it, then it's adults only then?! I dread to think what else could have been in there but it's all beyond my tiny mind.

Tahoe currently also seems to be in a state of flux. It's a little too early for skiing season & summer is clearly over so lots of people hanging around. There are lots of pretty bright young things here however and we joined in to enjoy what Tahoe's night life had to offer.

Frat boys, sororities, batchelor/ette parties... we encountered & a casino!

Mat had never played in one and can you believe that at first attempt on the roullete wheel he walked away with $200!!!!! On a $50 stake, we actually made money. Celebrating at a nearby bar earlier, it all got abit hazy but mojitos were involved & being the oldest hanging out with a bunch of 20-somethings, it felt like being at work!!

California - Bodie Ghost Town

Sat 27th Sept

Having got up from possibly the worst bed I have ever slept on & a hearty breakfast later at the only diner in town, we set off on a hike around North Twin Lake. The weather had changed overnight to very cold & we could see on the mountain peaks that it had snowed overnight. Hard to believe I was lazing by a pool a couple of days ago!

Lots of fishermen were out already. They like their fishing round here. Apparently the biggest trout in the world was caught in the lake. Our guidebook book says 'State' so possibly a fisherman's tale....

Conscious of bears in the woods, we stuck to the shoreline for our walk but again spent most of it being scared of meeting one!  No bears & drunk on yet more gorgeous scenery later we headed off to Bodie a ghost town now a historical site.

It was quite creepy wandering around what essentially was a thriving mining town 200 years ago. Peaking into peoples homes, bars & hotels & seeing their belongings covered in dust was all abit Stephen King.

Had it really been left as is or did a historical curator get let loose with the sprinkle dust to get that authentic feel. It looked very muc abandoned so who knows... What I did very much like were the copies of letters held in the museum from people apologising for taking stuff from the town since they had been 'cursed' from taking it. There are numerous newspaper articles on this so called 'curse' so are abit spooky.

There is nothing like perpetuating a curse myth to stop people from taking things but I left everything as is. You just never know!

California - northern Yosemite & the High Sierras

9pm Fri 26 Sept

We have now ended up further north in Yosemite but very much away from the valley and into 'wilderness' High Sierra country. The air is distinctly cooler up here & for the first time this trip, I'm having to wear a jacket.

We are in Mono Village where the folk round here are of the huntin', fishin' & shootin' variety & the men's beards have been lovingly grown for years rather than for the hipster look.

We have come in search of bears as apparently there are loads round here. We seem to be the only idiots who are excited about the prospect of seeing bears as most people here are carrying bear spray. In fact, we have frankly been shitting ourselves at the prospect of meeting one! As it is, the most bear like creature we have met so far at night is a guy called Ron.

As it is so far out from the usual tourist trail, Mat & I stick out like sore thumbs not least because of his bright green hoodie & well, I suspect not many Filipino-Essex girls have ventured up here.  There is no wifi or phone signal anywhere & this post will probably be posted this weekend when we hit Lake Tahoe. It is a little disconcerting to be so cut-off but that's 'wilderness' for you.

Having soaked up yet more amazing views from Olmsted Point & lunch by Tenaya Lake bird watching, a hike in Tuolumme Meadows made for yet another photogenic afternoon.  I also learnt what a 'tufa' is on Mono Lake. Weird alien landscape made of leftover calcium carbonate as opposed to 2for1 deals found in supermarkets... :-)

Still no bears though!

California - Yosemite

It's not every Thursday I'm sat by a boulder pool contemplating life while looking at Tibetan prayer mats swaying in the breeze next to an enormous Southfork Dallas type house but that's exactly what's happening right now. A take it easy Thursday rather than a throwback one.

Yosemite the last two days has lived up to the hype by slapping me round the face with her wilderness beauty demanding to be noticed. She screamed, never mind Sequioa with her f-uck off giant trees & cute bears! I have all those, MOUNTAINS & then some you know! I get it, I really do get it.

It's no wonder Yosemite is the mecca for climbers, the rock here is on another level. El Capitan, Half Dome, Royal Arches (Fallen Arches as I kept calling it!) & all their mountain mates just seduce you with their grandeur. They make you want to go up them & witnessing the hard core few who were actually climbing these iconic rocks was just incredible. They looked like tiny ants scrambling up the side in search of something better at the top. Amazing. As were the posh binoculars we were using - best Christmas present in a while & finally put to good use.

The 360° view at top of Sentinel Dome was certainly worth the sweat- soaked effort. It's so magnificent up there, by the time you catch your breath from the climb, said 'wow' a few times all you can do is drink in the view in front of you. And take a million & one photos.

Just like the most inappropriately dressed person for being on a mountain we met up there. Wearing a black summer dress split to the thigh on both sides, bright pink jacket & headscarf & pink plimsols she looked like she had just wandered off a yacht party. Countless panoramic shots later, she was off as were we as it was getting hot up there.

I'm still trying to work out how she missed the trail down & ended up on a higher unmarked path but she did. We only found out she had when we heard her yelps of help. She at first refused offers from Mat to assist her down but when she realised her outfit wasn't exactly conducive to skipping down a mountain, she did so holding on for dear life. And safely down she went .... as her dress got caught by the wind and pulled it over her head showing off her big pants in the most unladylike fashion!! Christ on a bike! My eyes nearly bled from the sight of it. A thousand blessings & thanks later, she was off to continue her travels.  How we didn't laugh I have no idea. I think we were just shocked at the ridiculousness of it all!

Mat completed his guided climb with someone called Nate and I'm pretty sure if I wasn't his travelling companion, I would have lost him to one of the climbing camps in Yosemite such was the look of sheer delight on his face when he returned.

I had also never seen the Milky Way so clear, so big and so bright until I was sat on a rock on top of Glacier Point. Yes, late night hiking up somewhere high wearing head torches isn't particularly health & safety conscious but as I had my own ranger in the form of Mat guiding me, it was fine...?!

It was so beautiful up there. Yes I did have a little tear in my eye as I looked up at the sky & marvelled at the spectacle in front of me. Billions and billions of stars in galaxies beyond my comprehension making me feel humble at the enormity and beauty of it all.

California - the first three days

I'm currently on a ridiculously large sleigh bed feeling like the princess and the pea as the mattress on it is h-u-g-e. Even by American standards, this bed is epic.

Mat and I are now in Mariposa just outside Yosemite National Park having got lost in getting here. The building we are in looks beautiful but it was so dark when we eventually found it, I could only see the outline. Exaggeration, but you get the picture! By our own standards of epic fails this one was a peach involving missing addresses, dead batteries & begging for wifi passwords!

Our stay in Sequioa was magnificent although by the end of it, I literally could not see the wood for the trees given the immense size of them! I knew they were big but they are so enormous & so vast in scale, at times they almost don't look real. They are like the Lord of the Rings tree people (Ents?) come to life.  The biggest tree in the world General Sherman being top boy.

A 2mile 'Congress Trail' hike was worth doing to see General Sherman's equally impressive tree mates but possibly not after an 11hr flight. I was knackered!
Fatigued & jet lagged, that evening's meal was demolished & I got to learn the difference between an American biscuit (soft & savoury) & a UK one (hard & sweet).

Today (Tues), we got to see a bear (!!!!) on the side of the road munching away on some acorns. En route to Crystal Cave, Mat & I were both so shocked we didn't take a photo of it! We then spent most of today looking out for another one at Kings Canyon but not finding any and strictly following advice on putting foods in bear lockers to stop them getting at them. Having had lunch prepared from the best deli in town, you could smell this a mile away! Alas, all we saw was yet more chipmunks.

Final highlight of the day was Crystal Cave's hipster guide & the coolest cave naturalist, Miles. There's not many folk who can make a caving system tour sound very interesting & be a little philosophical at the same time but he did. Miles, I salute you & your awesome beard!

Where were we?

So, the wedding happened & we had the happiest day of our life so far. Since then a few things have happened that I should have blogged about but was too lazy/disinclined to do so. A few highlights...

We honeymooned in beautiful Sardinia & had the best time. And I cried all the way round one of Europe's best via ferratta but secretly thrilled and amazed that I managed to do it.
I cut my hair short(er) although since then, its now longer!
We saw Bruce Springstein at Wembley where he showed us all who was the Boss.
I ended up contracting shingles where the pain was immeasurable, the blisters huge & the scars still refuse to fade.
Anna Grace was born on my birthday & what an adorable birthday twin to have.
Bobby was born soon after, further increasing our Supper Club Gang.
We visited Sicily where we got to enjoy her delights & further discover la dolce vita.
We saw the 2013 Lords Mayor Show from a boat on the Embankment.
We visited Dorset & fell in love with Lulworth Cove & her surrounds.
And to end an eventful year, we visited Norway where we discovered Oslo, saw the Northern Lights in Tromso as well as seeing whales in one of their fjords whilst on a rib trying not to freeze to death.

2014 started with a bang when my beautiful, precious niece Mathilda was born. Reminding me the importance of family, responsibility & and loyalty. I strive to be the best aunty I can be for her.

Since then most of this year has been spent completing our garden where finally this summer we were able to invite friends & family to enjoy our hard work with us.

In between, we visited Paris in the springtime back in March where Paris seduced us with her wonders.

We celebrated our first wedding anniversary at the Hay Festival where our first wedded year of paper & card was spent at the festival of books.

More friends have also got married & we were lucky enough to celebrate with them.

Mathilda got christened & I got to renounce the devil & repent my sins (again).

Summer was spent enjoying the fabulous weather, spending time with family and friends.
And now, having attended one of the quirkiest weddings of the year so far (a festival themed one), I'm on a flight to California for our California road trip.

The blog has awakened!