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Old 4 Dec 21, 10:45 PM  
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cornishfrogboy
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West Coast trip fourth effort.. California, Nevada and Arizona.

This pretrip is 14 days duration and covers visits to..
SFO
Monterey
PCH
San Luis Obispo.
Barstow
Las Vegas
Winslow
Tucson
Tombstone
Davis Monthan Aircraft Graveyard
San Diego.

The last month has been a bit of a Groundhog Day as I cue up a West Coast vacation for the 4th time... Cancelled Florida vacation by the Volcano, Cancelled on an Egypt vacation due to the bomb over the Sinai desert and now this…cancellations of a West Coast vacation in both March and August of 2020. as well as August 2021 . That is five cancellations in the past few years, 4 to the States. I will not be defeated! I pick myself up and start over. I always prevail in the end!

With no more ado... the plan!… and I make no apologies for the fact that there will be occasional further revision and fine tuning as we approach the day.

__________________________________________

We are a family of Husband, Wife and boys of 18 and 15. We love vacations, particularly multi centre, intensive vacations, either in the US or Europe. We are also theme parked out after 10 USA visits. We will be having one last family Hurrah to Toronto, Niagara, Orlando, Crystal River, Tampa, Naples, Miami next Easter ( see Pretrippie in my signature link) and then this.. The West Coast with just Mandie and myself. Real romantic.

We visited California in 2018. It was a partial disaster as the main attraction, the Pacific Coast highway was blocked by a mudslide. We still had a fabulous vacation, but we resolved to return... 3 cancellations thus far.. and now, 17- 31 October 2022 it is.


The infamous PCH Mudslide that took so long to sort out. In the end they built a new road over the top of it!

Our previous trip is subject of trippie ‘California N to South at Easter’ and may explain the planning for our itinerary and what would seem some very strange omissions. No Alcatraz, Dylan’s ultimate Cycle tour, theme parks etc.

With all that has happened, we thought we would not for the first time ‘go unusual’. There is a very famous desert boneyard of stored United States Military aircraft at a location called Davis Monthan AFB in the Arizona Desert. I have never been in a desert and never been to Davis Monthan a location that is currently no1 on my World bucket list. It was a no brainer!

We sat down and worked out the ‘must sees’. We did not like LA in the slightest last time and had no intention of seeing more than we had to. We also figured we had covered marvellous San Diego reasonably well.. but absolutely love the place.. It made the list!

We settled on 2 nights in SFO, 2 in Monterey, 1 at one of Morrow Bay/ Pismo or Madonna Inn, 1 at Barstow, 2 in Vegas, 1 at the Yavapai Lodge, 3 in Tucson and 2 in San Diego. Practically everything is to be cash up front (fears re exchange rate) and cancellable without charge (experience of March, August and August).

And now the cunning, finalised plan...

SUNDAY 16 OCTOBER.
It is a train up from Penryn, leaving at 1028 and arriving at 1544, Hayes/Harlington. The return price for this 5 hr 15 minute return journey is £134 for the pair of us using a ‘Two together’ Railcard and with just two changes. To drive would have taken 5hr and a bit, cost £80 in fuel return and an astonishing £210 (minus 20%) to use Purple Parking, £268 total and exactly twice the price of the Train!

A very economical (for us), GWR train.

It will then be a taxi or Uber to spend the night at Premier Inn Terminal 5 LHR (very much a family tradition, despite us now being a couple).

Premier Inn T5

———————————————————————————————

MONDAY 17 OCTOBER.
It will be the Hotel Hoppa to Terminal 5. We fly BA , LHR to SFO from 1110, arriving at 1415. We are Coach and hand baggage only. We have booked exit row seats adjacent to the Air Bridge for quick exit from the A380 (since changed to a B777 but still seats next to theAir Bridge door) and will hopefully be out of SFO before the baggage reclaim even starts rolling.

A BA Boeing 777.
We then catch the BART to Powell and the Cable Car from the Turnaround down to the Fisherman’s Area where we will stay at the Riu Plaza (booked). We have opted for this one as it is very well located just a block or so from Fishermans. I believe it a good deal at £367 inc breakfast for 2 nights.


The Riu Plaza on Mason, just a block or so from the Wharf.

As soon as we are checked in, we will be up to Union Sq as we never fully did it justice last time. Then it is the SFO Ghost Hunt around the Nob Hill area with ‘Christian’. We had booked this for March 2020 and when it was cancelled, not only did he refund, but he gave us a code to do it for free when we returned!
The evening meal will likely be in the Hardrock on Fisherman’s.


Christian’s ghost hunt.

We like to hit the ground running!

———————————————————————————————-

TUESDAY 18 OCTOBER
Well, it’s a short walk to Fishermen’s. Here we will get picked up at 1100 by ‘The Love Tour’.. a 6 person VW air cooled, hand painted camper Van and with 60s music and a shag pile carpet. It takes you on a 2 hour tour of SFO that includes Haight Ashbury, The Golden Gate, driving down the Lombard St Zigzags etc. Can’t wait! I think this tour an absolute bargain at $159 total for the pair of us. Best price, strangely was through ‘Bay city bikes’.



Love tour bus... on the Lombard Zigzags.. it will certainly beat just looking at them!

Then it’s lunch and probably a pick up of cycles for an adventure, Lombard Street, Golden Gate Park, Sutra Baths, Golden Gate, back over the bridge and then along the bottom to Fishermen’s.. phew!.. Time for an evening meal at the Tipsy Pig. This is clearly very dependant on Mandie making a recovery from Long Covid. It has deeply affected her.


Golden gate park.

———————————————————————————————-

WEDNESDAY 19 OCTOBER.
It will be checkout then a Cable Car to Powell before walking to Post Street to collect a car. This will be a Ford Mustang Convertible. We have always wanted to hire one, but resisted with 2 young adults and 4 hand baggage items as it would have been impracticable. With just the two of us… simples!

Car hire is through Holidayautos and onwards to Dollar. 10 days for £643.. plus a one way drop off fee of $270, payable on collection of the car. We want a Yellow one, (hence the image).

We then drive through Santa Cruz (Lost boys) to Monterey, arriving at the Monterey Bay Inn late afternoon. We stayed there on our last visit and were deeply impressed to hear the Sea Lions barking during the night.
A 2 night stay with a room service breakfast is booked at £576 for the two nights, ocean view.. Whilst Monterey Cannery Row is clearly expensive, it is well worth it for location!

Well located.


Lovely rooms. This is the type of room we selected, dual aspect and Ocean view.


Excellent hot tubs.

———————————————————————————————

THURSDAY 20 OCTOBER… A big day!
1. If there are Blue or Orcas in the bay, then it is a Whale Watch. We ‘only’ had Humpbacks, Grays, Rizzo’s Dolphins, Albatrosses (or Albatrossi) last time.



2. If sightings are few, then it is the aquarium and a lazy day.
I could happily have a lazy day in Monterey.

It may even be both and then a meal on Cannery Row.


What a dull day!

———————————————————————————————

FRIDAY 21 OCTOBER.
This is a rather long day and pretty much the purpose of the vacation. It will be an early start and then a rather long, 150 mile drive taking in Big Sur, Partington Ridge, Pfeiffer Burns, Bixby Bridge and ending with one of Madonna Inn at San Luis Obispo/ Morro Bay or Pismo where we will stay the night. We obviously hope to see some Whales from Partington Ridge.. you never know your luck!

We will finish this rather long day at the Apple Farm Inn in San Luis Obispo.. quaint and chintzy. It will also give us an opportunity to contribute to the famous SLO bubble gum alley! Normally it would have been the Madonna Inn, but hey! Let’s try something different.


A wonderful PCH view. Let’s hope we don’t have sea mist.


Partington ridge, apparently a good Whale watching spot.


Bixby Bridge.


Pfeiffer Burns State Park.


..and we may even have another look at the previously underwhelming Elephant seals as we pass.

And then the Apple Farm Inn.. our ‘source’ led us to pay for a room in the main building, rather than the annex. £184 for the night.



And then.. Bubble Gum Alley.

Nice!

———————————————————————————————


SATURDAY 22 OCTOBER.
This is another driving day, 4 hours to be exact as we depart after a quick hop down to Pismo Beach and a peak in the Monarch Butterfly grove..





… And then we head for Barstow. Besides forming a break in an otherwise long drive to Las Vegas, there is plenty to see there.



We will be driving past Edwards AFB. It will be a shame not to divert a few miles and see the Legendary B52, Balls 8 that launched so many NASA aircraft from under its wing!


Barstow would appear a Route 66/ Railroad town with nostalgia aplenty and we have booked the Rodeway Inn, Barstow, not too far from the Route 66’Mother Road’ Museum. Budget came into play here, £55 inc breakfast. It has very good reviews, is apparently very clean .. and is simply a bed for the night, then away to Calico before Peggy Sue’s for Lunch.

The Rodeway Inn.


Peggy Sue’s 1950s diner is a must!




———————————————————————————————-

SUNDAY 23 OCTOBER.
We will be starting early and visiting Calico Ghost Town before then heading up to Vegas, intending to arrive late afternoon. Calico would appear a partial reconstruction of the old, Wild West and great for photographs.


Calico.

We then head on to … Vegas! This is a location that is not high on my bucket list.. or on it at all. We are however in the area and it would be a shame not to put it in. We will arrive late afternoon and stay 2 nights. This gives us 2 x evenings and a full day. This would seem more than enough for our purposes.

We will be staying in a perhaps unusual choice, the Luxor. Reviews are mixed, but the Pyramid is truly iconic. We went luxury and have paid a whole £270 inc resort fees and taxes for a Pyramid Elite, Corner Suite . This is a whole, huge 1200 foot of floor space! We generally go sub 350. Not bad at £135 per night.. we hope.


The Luxor.


A Pyramid Elite Suite with its sloping windows.

Eating? We will probably use Bahama Breeze on one evening and have a LV Buffet on the other. Research is continuing!


A rather familiar looking Bahama Breeze .. but in Vegas.

———————————————————————————————-

MONDAY 24 OCTOBER.
Our full day in Vegas. This will be a stroll up the strip (research needed) during which we will be entering some of the iconic Hotels. The evening will involve a Buffet and spectating at the awesome Bellagio Fountains. We hoping to be overwhelmed.. but may be disappointed.. this sort of thing simply ain’t our bag, Baby.

———————————————————————————————-
TUESDAY 25 OCTOBER.

An early start on this one, out of Vegas and a stop at the Hoover Dam, possibly seeing the pump rooms before moving on to the Yavapai Lodge on the Grand Canyon South Rim for Sunset. Clearly timekeeping is important on this day as we do not want to miss it!


The Hoover Dam.


The apparently rather basic, but brilliantly situated Yavapai Lodge in the GC South Rim National Park. This came in at £121.22 for the night. Unfortunately, dinner is likely to be a Wendy Baconator on the way in.


A sunset view from near the Lodge.


———————————————————————————————-

WEDNESDAY 26 OCTOBER.
This is another driving day. We will be up for sunrise over the Canyon..

Sunrise over the Canyon.

We will then be on our way to Tucson.. via an 80 mile detour down the 66 to take in Winslow, where I am assured by the Eagles that if I stand on a corner, then I may see ‘A girl my lord in a flatbed Ford driving by to take a look at me’.


Statue of Glen Frey R.I.P (Eagles) standing on the corner.. although it was actually co writer Jackson Browne who the story relates to.. and he later believed that it might have been at Flagstaff, but Winslow sounded better in the lyrics!.. and that ‘window’ with the reflection is actually a painting.

Take it easy, Glen!

We will eventually arrive late evening at the Country Inn and Suites, very close to Tucson Airport. This is for 3 nights and came in at £336 including breakfast. It was chosen because it has free shuttles to the airport concourse, besides being just a few hundred yards away.


A very average looking Country Inn and Suites.

———————————————————————————————
THURSDAY 27 OCTOBER.

My most anticipated part of the trip! (and Mandie’s?)

It’s Pima day! This will be a Taxi trip to the legendary museum and after a look around, a coach trip into the AMARC aircraft boneyard, currently home to around 4000 aircraft awaiting regeneration, spares reclamation.. or death at the hands of the various scrapyards littered around the facility. Another one off my bucket list!


The rather large Pima Air Museum.


The former RAF Harrier Fleet, reclaimed to keep the US Marine Corps fleet in the air and now sat on pallets.

A taxi back and then a locally sourced evening meal will follow.

——————————————————————————————

FRIDAY 28 OCTOBER. will be a day trip to Tombstone (an hour away) to see the scene of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corrall, Boot Hill etc and also a Horseride with ‘Tombstone adventures on Horseback’, visiting a derelict Silver Mine before a drive back to Tucson after Lunch at ‘Big nosed Kate’s’.


Main Street Tombstone .


Boot Hill and the Clanton, Mclaury graves from the famous O.K. Corral gunfight. Where Wyatt, Morgan, Virgil and Doc settled some scores. It were called ‘justice’ in them days.


A bit of Horseriding will take place courtesy of 'Ponyland', a trip to the silver mines and old railway beds extant in the area.

Then it will be back to.. Tucson for a meal after returning the by now, well worked Mustang to the Car Hire Centre at the Airport (hence why we wanted a Hotel close to the airport), possibly in the Yardhouse. We like the Yardhouse chain!

—————————————————————

SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER.. AKA as internal flight day.

Time is of the essence and therefore we leave on the very first flight to San Diego at 0810 (via a 60 minute stop at terminal 4, Phoenix). We get into San Diego at 1117.

American Eagle Bombardier 900 for Tucson-Phoenix.

American Airlines A 321 for Phoenix to San Diego.

We will be in San Diego early and have thus ‘saved a day’. Flights have been a bit of a saga and I am finding myself unable to use my credit note from August as it is for an internal flight and expires in March of 2022 and only then for flights by the four individual pax. I can use it on long hauls from the U.K. through 2022, but have no more planned.. £305 wasted.
Flights have come in at £215.20 the pair. Seat allocation that we have selected is free and near the exit.. remember that at Phoenix, we have 60 minutes.

On arrival at San Diego, it will be straight to our Hotel, dump the bags and out.. to Coronado Beach via the Coronado Ferry.
We are hoping that on this occasion, one (or more) of the CVN Carriers will be in port for a photo call as we pass in the Ferry.

The Coronado Ferry.


A USN CVN.


Coronado Beach.

We have booked the Springhill Suites after consulting with ‘Aims’. It looks fabulous and we are somewhat excited by the room, a corner dual aspect with a bay view!… and breakfast. £522 for 2 nights inc free cancellation


The Hotel.


The room.


The view.


Coronado with the Bridge from San Diego behind. Note the delicate curve, making the bridge long enough for Government, rather than State funding.



SUNDAY 30 October
This is a Nautical Day.. A Harbour cruise, hopefully both directions with Hornblower and then some time on the Fabulous USS Midway. Mandie will give Midway a miss and go shopping. We will meet up in the Kansas City Grill (the Top Gun Bar) for a meal.


Mandie cruising the bay in 2018.


A Los Angeles class Nuclear attack submarine from 2018.


The Magnificent USS Midway.


A 2018 shot of Mandie in the ‘Top Gun’ Bar.

MONDAY 31 OCTOBER
Our final day and the flight departs at 1920.
A lazy morning wandering downtown and the Seafront beckons. Then the long flight, landing at LHR 1325.. and a train home to Penryn… after a night in the stay city aparthotel, next to Hayes and Harlington railway station (£67.53 and looks to be Prem Inn standard). We can get from Terminal 5 to Hayes/Harlington on the Elizebeth Line.




This vacation would not suit everybody .. or even many, but as I said, we saw most of the ‘must sees’ last time and this is about covering things we missed. It is a fair bit to cram in, but hopefully rather relaxing!
I will of course be preparing a foodie trip report, given my clear preference for high end restaurants.. I am quite the little gastronome on the quiet! 🤓

Edited at 07:14 AM.
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Old 5 Dec 21, 09:53 PM  
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DisneyMadAng
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Looks like you have some really interesting places planned. Nice to do something different.

It looks like your Vegas stay will be more as a base? That's what we did. I'm not sure that I'd go back for anything other than that. It was a culture shock arriving there after Yosemite. Not the best planning from me 😂 We stayed in the castle hotel across the way from your hotel.


We've planned the Disney trip for next year but to be honest if it wasn't for the fact it'll be with the grandchildren, we, husband and I, would be looking at California area again. Even though we kept busy it just had a different feel. We loved it.

I'm in for the San Diego part too. I confess I cried when we walked through the Coronado Hotel. I was actually a blubbering idiot going on and on about Marilyn Monroe having been there. Yep. I was an embarassment.

Anyway. All that waffle to basically say I'm looking forward to following along 🙂
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Old 5 Dec 21, 11:13 PM  
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cornishfrogboy
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Originally Posted by DisneyMadAng View Post
Looks like you have some really interesting places planned. Nice to do something different.

It looks like your Vegas stay will be more as a base? That's what we did. I'm not sure that I'd go back for anything other than that. It was a culture shock arriving there after Yosemite. Not the best planning from me 😂 We stayed in the castle hotel across the way from your hotel.


We've planned the Disney trip for next year but to be honest if it wasn't for the fact it'll be with the grandchildren, we, husband and I, would be looking at California area again. Even though we kept busy it just had a different feel. We loved it.

I'm in for the San Diego part too. I confess I cried when we walked through the Coronado Hotel. I was actually a blubbering idiot going on and on about Marilyn Monroe having been there. Yep. I was an embarassment.

Anyway. All that waffle to basically say I'm looking forward to following along 🙂
LV Isn’t really even a base, more a stop and look as we pass through between Barstow and the Grand Canyon. It would be silly not to have a look and hence the two evenings, one day decision. On earlier, cancelled vacations, we had slated in the Heart Attack Grill and other bits, for our boys, but scrubbed them once we decided to go as a Couple.
We probably won’t even go half way up the strip, just taking it in. Neither of us Gamble and neither of us are into Tacky, Glitzy and over the top… or big cities, as can be seen in the itinerary.
As for Hotel and room selection, a huge suite is perhaps what Vegas should be about.

Disney is a bust for us. We haven’t even entered a Disney park in our last 5 Orlando visits preferring the Discovery Cove ultimates and if staying longer, also Universal. Next Easter it is just 7 days, hence just the D.C. Ultimates. After next Easter, we are unlikely to ever visit Orlando again, preferring the Gulf Coast anywhere between Pensacola and Key West on future visits. Theme parks end as of Easter 2022.

In summary, for us, the West Coast beats Florida hands down. We haven’t even been North of SFO yet. In 2023, we are looking to Hawaii.. with 3 day stops both out and back at two of San Diego, SFO, Seattle or Vancouver.

San Diego? For us, the only City that thus far equals it is Boston.
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Index of all my Trip and Pretrip reports..https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho...6#post15662196
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Old 18 Feb 22, 08:26 PM  
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HermioneGranger
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Looking forward to this! Your 2018 trip has been so helpful in my current trip planning.

We're staying at the same hotel in San Francisco; is it easy enough to navigate the BART and Cable Car with luggage or should we look into another form of transport?
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Old 18 Feb 22, 08:46 PM  
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cornishfrogboy
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Originally Posted by HermioneGranger View Post
Looking forward to this! Your 2018 trip has been so helpful in my current trip planning.

We're staying at the same hotel in San Francisco; is it easy enough to navigate the BART and Cable Car with luggage or should we look into another form of transport?
Hi. I am really pleased that my trippie 2018 has helped you. Are you staying at Union Sq, as in that report… or Hotel Rui as in my 2022 pretrip report? If you are staying at the one in Union Sq, then it is a 1 block walk from the Powell St Bart.. trouble is that there are, I believe 4 exits!

The Bart is extremely simple to use, baggage, no problem and there are self serve machines that take bank cards etc. You will want Powell Street if wanting to use the Cable cars as the Powell St Cable Car turnaround is very near to the station entrance. This will work well for us, as we are hand baggage only. It may not be so much fun if you have hold luggage.

If I was using hold luggage, then I would be rather tempted to simply get a taxi or Uber, if a family sized group. If a couple, then it may pay to get the Bart to Embarcadero and a taxi or Uber from there. You will have to do the sums!

It is rather unfortunate that the Bart does not get you any nearer to the Fishermans Wharf area. Fishermans is certainly the area that works best as a base point.
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2005 onwards.. lots of times!

Index of all my Trip and Pretrip reports..https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho...6#post15662196

Edited at 08:50 PM.
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Old 18 Feb 22, 09:11 PM  
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enjibenji
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Sounds like a good trip, when we were there in October 2017 we missed a big chunk due to mudslide. I believe they have just had another one near Big Sur, hope it will be sorted before you go 🤞
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Old 18 Feb 22, 09:13 PM  
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HermioneGranger
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Thank you for this! I thought the cable cars might be a tight squeeze with our suitcases. We're staying at the one in Fisherman's Wharf! I'll price up the options and see what works out best, a cab/uber might be the easiest start.

Edited at 09:26 PM. Reason: missed out info
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Old 18 Feb 22, 09:40 PM  
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cornishfrogboy
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Originally Posted by HermioneGranger View Post
Thank you for this! I thought the cable cars might be a tight squeeze with our suitcases. We're staying at the one in Fisherman's Wharf! I'll price up the options and see what works out best, a cab/uber might be the easiest start.
The cable cars are great!.. but as you can see from images, they don’t have a great deal of space, with passengers standing on the side boards.

The hotel Rui looks really nice, has a pool and also has a few bicycles on first come first served hire. It also gets good reviews and sounds remarkable value, given its very good location.

SFO is an awesome, iconic place.. but be aware and prepared for widespread homelessness, particularly if you venture far from the tourist areas.
For us this time, ‘The Love Bus’ will be an absolute highlight as I like all the summer of love music and find that whole episode, absolutely fascinating. The fact that it is a guided tour means that hopefully I won’t miss anything in the Haight Ashbury area.

The ‘Dylan’s ultimate’ cycle tour with Sausalito and Muir Woods was also excellent on our last visit.
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Old 26 Apr 22, 11:30 PM  
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stanleycamel
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Originally Posted by cornishfrogboy View Post
This pretrip is 14 days duration and covers visits to..
SFO
Monterey
PCH
San Luis Obispo.
Barstow
Las Vegas
Winslow
Tucson
Tombstone
Davis Monthan Aircraft Graveyard
San Diego.

The last month has been a bit of a Groundhog Day as I cue up a West Coast vacation for the 4th time... Cancelled Florida vacation by the Volcano, Cancelled on an Egypt vacation due to the bomb over the Sinai desert and now this…cancellations of a West Coast vacation in both March and August of 2020. as well as August 2021 . That is five cancellations in the past few years, 4 to the States. I will not be defeated! I pick myself up and start over. I always prevail in the end!

With no more ado... the plan!… and I make no apologies for the fact that there will be occasional further revision and fine tuning as we approach the day.

__________________________________________

We are a family of Husband, Wife and boys of 18 and 15. We love vacations, particularly multi centre, intensive vacations, either in the US or Europe. We are also theme parked out after 10 USA visits. We will be having one last family Hurrah to Toronto, Niagara, Orlando, Crystal River, Tampa, Naples, Miami next Easter ( see Pretrippie in my signature link) and then this.. The West Coast with just Mandie and myself. Real romantic.

We visited California in 2018. It was a partial disaster as the main attraction, the Pacific Coast highway was blocked by a mudslide. We still had a fabulous vacation, but we resolved to return... 3 cancellations thus far.. and now, 17- 31 October 2022 it is.


The infamous PCH Mudslide that took so long to sort out. In the end they built a new road over the top of it!

Our previous trip is subject of trippie ‘California N to South at Easter’ and may explain the planning for our itinerary and what would seem some very strange omissions. No Alcatraz, Dylan’s ultimate Cycle tour, theme parks etc.

With all that has happened, we thought we would not for the first time ‘go unusual’. There is a very famous desert boneyard of stored United States Military aircraft at a location called Davis Monthan AFB in the Arizona Desert. I have never been in a desert and never been to Davis Monthan a location that is currently no1 on my World bucket list. It was a no brainer!

We sat down and worked out the ‘must sees’. We did not like LA in the slightest last time and had no intention of seeing more than we had to. We also figured we had covered marvellous San Diego reasonably well.. but absolutely love the place.. It made the list!

We settled on 2 nights in SFO, 2 in Monterey, 1 at one of Morrow Bay/ Pismo or Madonna Inn, 1 at Barstow, 2 in Vegas, 1 at the Yavapai Lodge, 3 in Tucson and 2 in San Diego. Practically everything is to be cash up front (fears re exchange rate) and cancellable without charge (experience of March, August and August).

And now the cunning, finalised plan...

SUNDAY 16 OCTOBER.
It is a train up from Penryn and then spend the night at Premier Inn Bath rd, LHR (very much a family tradition, despite us now being a couple).

———————————————————————————————

MONDAY 17 OCTOBER.
We fly BA , LHR to SFO from 1110, arriving at 1415. We are Coach and hand baggage only. We have booked exit row seats adjacent to the Air Bridge for quick exit from the A380 (since changed to a B777 but still seats next to theAir Bridge door) and will hopefully be out of SFO before the baggage reclaim even starts rolling. We then catch the BART to Powell and the Cable Car from the Turnaround down to the Fisherman’s Area where we will stay at the Riu Plaza (booked). We have opted for this one as it is very well located just a block or so from Fishermans. I believe it a good deal at £367 inc breakfast for 2 nights.


The Riu Plaza on Mason, just a block or so from the Wharf.

As soon as we are checked in, we will be up to Union Sq as we never fully did it justice last time. Then it is the SFO Ghost Hunt around the Nob Hill area with ‘Christian’. We had booked this for March 2020 and when it was cancelled, not only did he refund, but he gave us a code to do it for free when we returned!
The evening meal will likely be in the Hardrock on Fisherman’s.


Christian’s ghost hunt.

We like to hit the ground running!

———————————————————————————————-

TUESDAY 18 OCTOBER
Well, it’s a short walk to Fishermen’s. Here we will get picked up by ‘The Love Tour’.. a 6 person VW air cooled, hand painted camper Van and with 60s music and a shag pile carpet. It takes you on a 2 hour tour of SFO that includes Haight Ashbury, The Golden Gate, driving down the Lombard St Zigzags etc. Can’t wait! STILL TO BE BOOKED



Love tour bus... on the Lombard Zigzags.. it will certainly beat just looking at them!

Then it’s lunch and probably a pick up of cycles for an adventure, Lombard Street, Golden Gate Park, Sutra Baths, Golden Gate, back over the bridge and then along the bottom to Fishermen’s.. phew!.. Time for an evening meal at the Tipsy Pig. This is clearly very dependant on Mandie making a recovery from Long Covid. It has deeply affected her.


Golden gate park.

———————————————————————————————-

WEDNESDAY 19 OCTOBER.
It will be checkout then a Cable Car to Powell before walking to Post Street to collect a car. This will be a Ford Mustang Convertible. We have always wanted to hire one, but resisted with 2 young adults and 4 hand baggage items as it would have been impracticable. With just the two of us… simples!

As is invariably the case, Andy at DFCH has produced a good price at £885 inc the different location drop fee of £270.. I want a yellow one, (hence the image).

We then drive through Santa Cruz (Lost boys) to Monterey, arriving at the Monterey Bay Inn late afternoon. We stayed there on our last visit and were deeply impressed to hear the Sea Lions barking during the night.
A 2 night stay with a room service breakfast is booked at £576 for the two nights, ocean view.. Whilst Monterey Cannery Row is clearly expensive, it is well worth it for location!

Well located.


Lovely rooms.


Excellent hot tubs.

———————————————————————————————

THURSDAY 20 OCTOBER… A big day!
1. If there are Blue or Orcas in the bay, then it is a Whale Watch. We ‘only’ had Humpbacks, Grays, Rizzo’s Dolphins, Albatrosses (or Albatrossi) last time.



2. If sightings are few, then it is the aquarium and a lazy day.
I could happily have a lazy day in Monterey.

It may even be both and then a meal on Cannery Row.


What a dull day!

———————————————————————————————

FRIDAY 21 OCTOBER.
This is a rather long day and pretty much the purpose of the vacation. It will be an early start and then a rather long, 150 mile drive taking in Big Sur, Partington Ridge, Pfeiffer Burns, Bixby Bridge and ending with one of Madonna Inn at San Luis Obispo/ Morro Bay or Pismo where we will stay the night. We obviously hope to see some Whales from Partington Ridge.. you never know your luck!

We will finish this rather long day at the Apple Farm Inn in San Luis Obispo.. quaint and chintzy. It will also give us an opportunity to contribute to the famous SLO bubble gum alley!


A wonderful PCH view. Let’s hope we don’t have sea mist.


Partington ridge, apparently a good Whale watching spot.


Bixby Bridge.


Pfeiffer Burns State Park.


..and we may even have another look at the previously underwhelming Elephant seals as we pass.

And then the Apple Farm Inn.



And then.. Bubble Gum Alley.

Nice!

———————————————————————————————


SATURDAY 22 OCTOBER.
This is another driving day, 4 hours to be exact as we depart after a quick hop down to Pismo Beach and a peak in the Monarch Butterfly grove..





… And then we head for Barstow. Besides forming a break in an otherwise long drive to Las Vegas, there is plenty to see there.



We will be driving past Edwards AFB. It will be a shame not to divert a few miles and see the Legendary B52, Balls 8 that launched so many NASA aircraft from under its wing!


Barstow would appear a Route 66/ Railroad town with nostalgia aplenty and we have booked the Rodeway Inn, Barstow, not too far from the Route 66’Mother Road’ Museum. Budget came into play here, £55 inc breakfast. It has very good reviews, is apparently very clean .. and is simply a bed for the night, then away to Calico before Peggy Sue’s for Lunch.

The Rodeway Inn.


Peggy Sue’s 1950s diner is a must!




———————————————————————————————-

SUNDAY 23 OCTOBER.
We will be starting early and visiting Calico Ghost Town before then heading up to Vegas, intending to arrive late afternoon. Calico would appear a partial reconstruction of the old, Wild West and great for photographs.


Calico.

We then head on to … Vegas! This is a location that is not high on my bucket list.. or on it at all. We are however in the area and it would be a shame not to put it in. We will arrive late afternoon and stay 2 nights. This gives us 2 x evenings and a full day. This would seem more than enough for our purposes.

We will be staying in a perhaps unusual choice, the Luxor. Reviews are mixed, but the Pyramid is truly iconic. We went luxury and have paid a whole £270 inc resort fees and taxes for a Pyramid Elite, Corner Suite . This is a whole, huge 1200 foot of floor space! We generally go sub 350. Not bad at £135 per night.. we hope.


The Luxor.


A Pyramid Elite Suite with its sloping windows.

Eating? We will probably use Bahama Breeze on one evening and have a LV Buffet on the other. Research is continuing!


A rather familiar looking Bahama Breeze .. but in Vegas.

———————————————————————————————-

MONDAY 24 OCTOBER.
Our full day in Vegas. This will be a stroll up the strip (research needed) during which we will be entering some of the iconic Hotels. The evening will involve a Buffet and spectating at the awesome Bellagio Fountains. We hoping to be overwhelmed.. but may be disappointed.. this sort of thing simply ain’t our bag, Baby.

———————————————————————————————-
TUESDAY 25 OCTOBER.

An early start on this one, out of Vegas and a stop at the Hoover Dam, possibly seeing the pump rooms before moving on to the Yavapai Lodge on the Grand Canyon South Rim for Sunset. Clearly timekeeping is important on this day as we do not want to miss it!


The Hoover Dam.


The apparently rather basic, but brilliantly situated Yavapai Lodge in the GC South Rim National Park. This came in at £121.22 for the night. Unfortunately, dinner is likely to be a Wendy Baconator on the way in.


A sunset view from near the Lodge.


———————————————————————————————-

WEDNESDAY 26 OCTOBER.
This is another driving day. We will be up for sunrise over the Canyon..

Sunrise over the Canyon.

We will then be on our way to Tucson.. via an 80 mile detour down the 66 to take in Winslow, where I am assured by the Eagles that if I stand on a corner, then I may see ‘A girl my lord in a flatbed Ford driving by to take a look at me’.


Statue of Glen Frey R.I.P (Eagles) standing on the corner.. although it was actually co writer Jackson Browne who the story relates to.. and he later believed that it might have been at Flagstaff, but Winslow sounded better in the lyrics!.. and that ‘window’ with the reflection is actually a painting.

Take it easy, Glen!

We will eventually arrive late evening at the Country Inn and Suites, very close to Tucson Airport. This is for 3 nights and came in at £336 including breakfast. It was chosen because it has free shuttles to the airport concourse, besides being just a few hundred yards away.


A very average looking Country Inn and Suites.

———————————————————————————————

THURSDAY 27 OCTOBER. will be a day trip to Tombstone (an hour away) to see the scene of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corrall, Boot Hill etc and also a Horseride with ‘Tombstone adventures on Horseback’, visiting a derelict Silver Mine before a drive back to TUcson.


Main Street Tombstone .


Boot Hill and the Clanton, Mclaury graves from the famous O.K. Corral gunfight. Where Wyatt, Morgan, Virgil and Doc settled some scores. It were called ‘justice’ in them days.


A bit of Horseriding.

Then it will be back to.. Tucson for a meal after returning the by now, we’ll worked Mustang to the Car Hire Centre at the Airport (hence why we wanted a Hotel close to the airport), possibly in the Yardhouse. We like the Yardhouse chain!

———————————————————————————————
FRIDAY 28 OCTOBER.

My most anticipated part of the trip! (and Mandie’s?)

It’s Pima day! This will be a Taxi trip to the legendary museum and after a look around, a coach trip into the AMARC aircraft boneyard, currently home to around 4000 aircraft awaiting regeneration, spares reclamation.. or death at the hands of the various scrapyards littered around the facility. Another one off my bucket list!


The rather large Pima Air Museum.


The former RAF Harrier Fleet, reclaimed to keep the US Marine Corps fleet in the air and now sat on pallets.

A taxi back and then a locally sourced evening meal will follow.

———————————————————————————————

SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER.. AKA as internal flight day.

Time is of the essence and therefore we leave on the very first flight to San Diego at 0650 (via a mere 25 minute stop at terminal 4, Phoenix. We get into San Diego at 0905. We will be in San Diego early and have thus ‘saved a day’. Flights have been a bit of a saga and I am finding myself unable to use my credit note from August as it is for an internal flight and expires in March of 2022 and only then for flights by the four individual pax. I can use it on long hauls from the U.K. through 2022, but have no more planned.. £305 wasted.
Flights have come in at £215.20 the pair. Seat allocation that we have selected is free and near the exit.. remember that at Phoenix, we only have 25 mins.

On arrival at San Diego, it will be straight to our Hotel, dump the bags and out.. to Balboa Park and then Coronado Beach.
We did not explore Balboa as thoroughly as we would have liked on our last visit.

We have booked the Springhill Suites after consulting with ‘Aims’. It looks fabulous and we are somewhat excited by the room, a corner dual aspect with a bay view!… and breakfast. £522 for 2 nights inc free cancellation


The Hotel.


The room.


The view.


Balboa Park.
Balboa Park.



San Diego Airspace Museum, (that we may just wander past).

Onwards to Coronado Beach.



Coronado with the Bridge from San Diego behind. Note the delicate curve, making the bridge long enough for Government, rather than State funding.



SUNDAY 30 October
This is a Nautical Day.. A Harbour cruise, hopefully both directions with Hornblower and then some time on the Fabulous USS Midway. Mandie will give Midway a miss and go shopping. We will meet up in the Kansas City Grill (the Top Gun Bar) for a meal.


Mandie cruising the bay in 2018.


A Los Angeles class Nuclear attack submarine from 2018.


The Magnificent USS Midway.


A 2018 shot of Mandie in the ‘Top Gun’ Bar.

MONDAY 31 OCTOBER
Our final day and the flight departs at 1920.
A lazy morning wandering downtown and the Seafront beckons. Then the long flight, landing at LHR 1325.. and a train home to Penryn.




This vacation would not suit everybody .. or even many, but as I said, we saw most of the ‘must sees’ last time and this is about covering things we missed. It is a fair bit to cram in, but hopefully rather relaxing!
I will of course be preparing a foodie trip report, given my clear preference for high end restaurants.. I am quite the little gastronome on the quiet! 🤓
Love a good detailed well researched trippie. Don't forget the time difference when you visit the Hoover Dam and cross over on your way to Yavahapi Lodge. I once managed to do that and missed an episode of Star Trek.
stanleycamel is offline Click to view Members Trip Plans Add Member to Ignore List
Old 28 Apr 22, 06:51 PM  
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#10
Spam The Man
Proud to wear my Ears
 
Join Date: Apr 20
Location: Lakeside
Hi just some info, All the Buffets in Las Vegas that are open seem only to be serving Breakfast and Lunch, none seem to be open in the Evening. I was there last week and didn't manage to get an all you can eat.

Also not sure if your aware or it's your thing but there is the Meteor Crater between Winslow and Flagstaff , there is a tour with a guide that takes about an hour and is included in the admission price $24.00 per person.

Have a Great Trip
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