4 go La La in La La Land - Day 5: I have climbed the highest mountains

[Pumba75]

Sunday 5th August 2018

Today we would be hitting the road again, for the next stage of our trip. But first we needed to feed ourselves for the journey - taking advantage again of the complimentary buffet. There was a slightly different selection to yesterday (sausage rather than Canadian bacon!), other than that it was exactly the same! We helped ourselves - the girls particularly enjoyed making their own waffles!

Having eaten, we packed the last of our bits and checked out. The Fairfield Inn had been a good choice, and really good value at just over £200 for the two nights. The view of the mountains as you walked out the main door was also impressive.

By around 8.20 we were pulling out of the car park. We weren’t doing the journey to San Diego in one go, but breaking it up with a trip up the San Jacinto Mountain on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.

Melissa finally saw a cacti...

And I had an immature giggle at a road sign!

Enjoyed the scenery on route.

It took us about an hour to get there, the last stage of the journey taking us up a road in the foothills of the mountain - I wondered at one point if the car was going to make it, but we finally parked up in the parking lot.

We’d booked the trip via Expedia and had vouchers we had to exchange for tickets - this was a simple process and at 9.45am we were boarding our tram - in reality it was a cable car! It also had a revolving floor, so as we ascended we got a full 360 degree experience.

It moves quite quickly, and we were disembarking at the mountain top station after around 10 minutes - looking up the mountain as we boarded, actually travelling up, and then looking down the mountain once we’d arrived at the top, it was impossible not to appreciate what a feat of engineering it was that this thing actually works! As well as the process that went into constructing it.

We had a quick pit stop in the cafe as M wasn't feeling 100%. Think this was a touch of travel sickness but it quickly passed after a drink and something to eat. And this was our amazing view!

Melissa is a big chocolate fan and as it was much cooler being so high up, opted for hot chocolate and she felt on top on the world!

After a quick coffee (and maybe a cookie!) we decided to watch the film about how the Tramway was built - it was billed as an 18 minute film, but only the first couple of minutes showed it being built - it then went into a VERY detailed explanation of how it works! We stuck with it for a couple of minutes, but honestly, we had no idea of what the guy was talking about so we gave up and began to go and explore the various viewing areas/platforms.

Words cannot do justice to what could be seen - and I’m not sure the photos can either, but here’s a few to demonstrate.

The girls at the end point.

It was odd to think that just 24 hours earlier we were stood on the other side of the valley looking across at where we were now - almost 8,000 feet up. It was just “wow”!

We soaked up every moment and memory.

It was time to get back on the road, so we boarded the tram for the downward journey, which was equally as stunning as the trip up the mountain.

Having purchased the obligatory fridge magnet on the way out, we were back in the car and setting off for San Diego.

The journey was uneventful and, with a short stop for a fairly forgettable gas station lunch, we arrived at the Best Western Plus Island Palms Resort at 3pm. Officially we couldn’t check in until 4pm, but we asked at reception and our room was ready - result.

The hotel is in the Shelter Island area of San Diego - one side looking out into the marina, and the other into a larger lagoon and also the Naval base and downtown area. Our room was facing the latter.

After getting settled and unpacking a bit - we had the luxury of a longer stay of 5 nights here, so no need to live out the suitcases as in LA and Joshua Tree - we decided it was time for dinner. A bit of research told us there was a Buffalo Wild Wings not too far away, and it was a unanimous choice for our first dinner in San Diego. We first visited B-Dubs during our 2014 Florida holiday and it immediately became a firm family favourite - every holiday since had featured a visit!

Whilst we’d obviously not visited this particular location before, it all felt familiar as we walked in and before long we were sat down deciding what we wanted - like there was any decision to be made!

We’re creatures of habit here, always opting for the boneless wings- the girls had plain, Melissa had Sweet BBQ, and I had blazing hot. Not! Haha (I’m not silly - I’ve read Wizzo’s Trip Reports!). I had Parmesan Garlic - we also had a selection of sides to share, fries, their home chips and some fried pickles. As always here, the food went down well.

Once back at the hotel, the girls got ready to go to bed. I sat out on the balcony, drinking a beer and reading, looking out at the downtown area all lit up - these are the moments that make it all worthwhile. We’d only been here a short time, but we were all already a little bit in love with San Diego.


Tomorrow - shopping and the cinema!

Thanks for reading.

[spenners]

I loved the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and I’m really enjoying your report so far. I’m interested to read about Avis when you take the car back, we had an issue with them in 2016, I wonder if it will be the same thing🤔

[MichelleB]

Lovely day, such stunning scenery.

[mrsdjh]

The Aerial Tramway looks like a great experience.

Looking forward to reading about your San Diego stay - every time I read someone's report it sounds a nice place to visit. Your hotel looks nice with a great view.

[scottishgirl1]

Really enjoying reading all about your trip. Palm Springs looked fantastic! San Diego is a favourite of mine also

[Aims]

Beautiful trip up the Palm Springs Aerial tram It's amazing what a huge change in temperature you can get at the top. I went up once when it was a warm day, but there was some light snow at the peak. Enjoyed your photos of the view!



Looks like you had a great start to your San Diego visit- love me some Buffalo Wild Wings! The view from your room at the Island Palms was gorgeous.

[wizzo]

Originally Posted by Pumba75

I had blazing hot. Not! Haha (I’m not silly - I’ve read Wizzo’s Trip Reports!).

See more...

Not funny! It took months for my @rse to recover! We were in BWW a couple of weeks ago and I thought of having them again but as soon as I read Ghost Chilies I had the reality check I needed!

[Lisa29]

Another great day, love the views from the top, not sure I could get on that tram though!

Your dinner looked very good.

[Lisa_Lollipop]

Oh wow the photos from the top of the tramway are just stunning! This had been on our agenda whilst we were in Palm Springs but we ended up missing it as my tired pregnant body was lagging by that point... I'm so sad I didn't battle through now after reading this! Yet another reason we need to get back over to the West Coast!

[Grump$]

Did the person at the aerial tramway tell you how cold it is at the top?

We were told it's a chilly 55F at the top, so that will be a normal spring day for us then, we left with a "crazy Brits" ringing in our ears. We did have hoodys in our bags but weren't letting on.