Vegas nights part 1

Hard rock was a fantastic hotel! Although not on the main strip, its smaller size makes it much more manageable than the mega hotels. Here is Matt chilling outside in the neon lights and palm trees:




The highlight? Meeting Dominic from the Muse, a british rock band at the vegas music conference opening party. Had to get a picture to prove it!:

Kernville to Las Vegas (via Sequoia National Forest & Death Valley)

Another early start before embarking on our longest day yet...

The forest was a real treat and we were lucky to see some genuine cowboys herding cattle:

Then coming out of the forest, rising up to 9000ft and then down to death valley (-200ft) before descending into vegas:

Santa Barbara to Kernville (Sequoia National Forest)

Leaving Santa Barbara, it was more a less relative tame drive to a random town outside the Sequoia National Forest known as Kernville-- ummm, there's not much here... Some parts of the central california are quite scenic and look very midwestern. The region is rich in agribusiness. I think the region produces more fruit than any other area in the world. The temperature shot up to 93F and the convertible roof had to be put on!

The I-5 highway connecting the north and south california:


Opening up into the central valley- goodbye coastline:

Monterey to Santa Barbara (via Big Sur & Hearst castle)

Early bed time- that is the key, but like there is much to do in Monterey/Pacific Grove on a Sunday night.
We were on the road by 8am and started what was probably the most scenic drives, not mansions and golf courses, but sheer natural beauty- cliff meets the pacific in a striking way and a eerie fog at horizon level.

We hit the much raved about Nepenthe restuarant, a family run restuarant that has been around for generations. We stopped for brunch t enjoy the breathtaking Big Sur views.

The convertible really paid off at this part of the trip as the rolling hills, cliffs and windy roads continued.

By midday we reached Hearst castle. Due to a prompt arrival, we decided to adjust our itinerary accordingly to reduce driving time for the Santa Barbara to Vegas portion- essentially skipping a night at Big Sur and going straight on Santa Barbara.
Hearst castle, or more like a "priceless mansion estate", was a real feast into the ridiculous wealth of one media/publishing mogul, William Randolf Hearst. I'll let the photos do the talking:

We ended our day entering Santa Barbara by 6pm- A great driving day with fantastic views. In the evening we headed into downtown Santa Barbara for a meal followed by a short trip to a bar playing live music.

Santa Cruz to Monterey

Following a suprisingly early rise (8am) after an intense reggae night, we proceeded to get a breakfast burrito and coffee in capitola and watched a group of surfers at pleasure point. We then said goodbye to Hilary as she headed off to her omni-faith church service.

A 40 minute drive took us into Monterey where we spent 2 hours wondering around the famed aquarium by the waterfront and stop over for lunch. Free passes from Hilary were handy in skipping long lines (we'll return them to hilary on our way back). The highlights were definitely the surprisingly large tuna fish among sharks and shoals of sardines. Question of the day- What determines the direction that fish swim in a circle that they always form round a tank? Is it pre-determined or random?

Monterey looked bit soul-less, with tacky shops and a much older and conservative crowd (at least compared to the freaks of Santa Cruz!)
We checked into Borg's motel, located in Pacific Grove on the coast, just of monterey- the GPS locating it spot on. However, GPS is no tool when it comes to locating essential supplies- We went on an hour frustrating mission to find water in this most typical of californian suburbs- where there seems to be no obvious indication of where to find a general store- the side benefit was seeing some spectacular houses in the area. We will learn to stock up next time to avoid such thirst emergencies- we don't want this happening whilst going through the deserts of death valley or Joshua tree!

A deserving afternoon nap was just what was needed (atleast for jet-lagged Matt)- I proceeded to try and make arrangements for the following events to come. The road trip has gone of to a great start- although some have said it will be tiring, we seem to be making excellent progress- early starts are key.

The 17 mile drive, an estate around the carmel area, was a great sunset drive with a glimpse into the wealthy who enjoy surfing, golf and good weather!

Palo Alto/Stanford- Santa Cruz

After a late night in Palo Alto (matt was holding up well with the jetlag), we were up surprisingly early to sort our car rental. Matt took time to get used to driving on the other side of the road- including taking the time to go palm drive:



After a prompt breakfast at the university cafe, we set off for the first stop, Santa Cruz. we arrived by 3:30pm at Hilary's place, who was kind enough to show us around the local sights, including some famous surf spots. I was particularly excited to see the bridge where the classic teen horrow movie, the lost boys, was filmed.


Hilary's friend joined us for dinner before we hit THE Mo's Tavern for Reggae night... Its hard to forget how many wierdos/freaks Santa Cruz has, as well as the surfing culture.

Announcing the California road trip 2006!

So in 2-3 weeks time, the mother of all roadtrips will begin. Matt and Mbwana will set off on an epic california road trip touching on some major sites along the way and crashing at various peoples places or finding cheap motels or even lavish ones if we feel like treating ourselves (vegas!?). Matt and I (Mbwana) will be documenting the trip on this blog with a pics and even videos without crowding your inboxes and making you all jealous- so watch this space!!!
The theme will be a combination of exploring, partying and chilling. Expect atleast 4 surfing opportunities, breathtaking views and some insane partying...
The itinerary is starting to take shape- and briefly here it is:

The first 8 days or so will be a pure road trip:
- Start in Palo Alto/Stanford
- Santa Cruz
- Monterrey, Big Sur, Carmel
- Santa Barbara
- Death Valley (and possibly Grand Canyon)
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles (Santa Monica, Palm Springs, Beverly Hills)
- San Diego.

Afterwards, since I will be starting my second year of my MBA, the focus of the trip will be more local to the bay area, it doesn't mean the fun stops there:
- San Francisco (inc. Alcatrazm Pier 39)
- Napa Valley
- Yosemite
- the infamous Los Gatos...
+ more!!

Check back here for details. Hopefully matt will sort his blogger/google account and can offer you his insights starting from across the pond in England, where I am sure it's grey and miserable. Not that Seattle, where I am now, is much different this morning.