Bakersfield

So here we are again.... back at the start of the journey in good old Bakersfield.  We check in with Duane and end up parking the RV up outside his shed and staying here for a few days while we sort things out and organise flights home etc.  The neighbours walked past while I was sitting outside the RV reading my book...."Vacationing in Bakersfield huh"....'something like that' I reply.   Not that we are mad or anything but mention you are going to Bakersfield and you get those funny looks on peoples faces - like ' why would anyone go the Bakersfield'.

Anyway, Duane has kindly offered to put up with us hanging around here and we finally bite the bullet and book tickets home on the 8th, arriving on the 10th in New Zealand. 

We drive the RV down to repair shop so they can get a look before the Assessor comes - the guy takes one look and says it' stuffed....yip we know that - bent as a banana. 

Time to kill.....

Later we go with Duane to pick up Cash and take him out to the Speedway where we see the normal suspects racing but also the midget cars for kids,  The kids were actually more entertaining than the big cars....

Duane & Cash @ his first Speedway

Next day we take the RV down to be assessed & pick it up again later as we are still sleeping in it although the kitchen at Daune's has become a mutual territory with everyone pitching in to make dinners and my job to sort lunches each day.  A couple of good nights having dinner and movies at home with Duane.

Yesterday we finished packing up the car - the boot is chocka and the forty has a huge boot!  Hope the boat doesn't sink.  We got up at 2.45am and followed Daune over to Long Beach as he was dropping off a couple of cars and picking up parts - so we delivered the forty to the shipping yard and hitched a ride back with Duane.  We called in to So-Cal for parts and caught up with Pete, so all in all it was a very productive day all round.  A quick stop for lunch at Frisco's ....food was pretty good but definitely a guy hang out..... say no more!

Waitresses are on rollers skates -hope she got a big tip!

We got back in time to pick up Cash from day care.  Needless to say we were all stuffed and had an early night!

Next day the RV goes in for repairs to the awning which got damaged in the micro burst at Topeka and the boys are busy in the garage. 

Duane has put Daryl to work doing some panel beating for him.

Anaheim

Sadly we move on San Diego - we could easily have spent more time here as there is so much to see and the weather has been perfect for us.

We head to Anaheim for a couple of days which is only a hour & half away and about half way between San Diego and Bakersfield.  Reality is setting in about going home although we still do to have any tickets to get there yet as the flights have sky rocketed most likely due to America's Cup in San Francisco - on one day the fare is $7338 each...........think we will stay a little longer!

We check into the same RV park as last time where we stayed with Errol & Val as we know our way around and it is handy to Disneyland. 

We head over to Early Ford as Daryl is looking for some parts for the forty, so that sort of fills in the afternoon followed by a swim in the pool.



















Daryl takes me out for dinner in Down Town Disney where we have a great meal and wander around the place - it brings back lots of memories, mostly of family and friends that we have spent time with here.

Next day we cruise around Orange County for some more parts we haven't managed to get yet and then headed on out to Newport Beach where we spent a few hours relaxing down on the piers, walking the beach and around the shops before heading back to the RV.

 

We check with Mel and head out to Downtown Disney again to pick up Libby's birthday present as we realise we are not going to make it home in time and need to get it in the post to reach her for her 7th birthday - how time flys.

San Diego - Day 2

Last time Daryl was in San Diego about 10 years ago, they were building the aircraft carrier area and so he wanted to visited the USS Midway Museum now it is completed.

 

Commissioned in 1945, the USS Midway cost $90 million dollars to build and was the largest ship in the world for a decade. 

 

The flight deck was enormous with several different kinds of aircraft on it.  The bridge below was the one we crossed yesterday to go over to Coronado - has fantastic views of the bay.

 

 

 

Look out Tom......

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next we wander around the ship and find the seafood market so had to get a bite to eat......then walk over to the tall ships in the harbour, many of which have been in the movies, such as Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

Then it is a stroll...a long stroll....up to Little Italy to find that camera shop, which as luck would have it, just happened to have the lens we were looking for - great! 

Then we take another drive up to Balboa Park to try and catch the museums but by the time we got there they were closing.  We were late because as we were driving along, I kept smelling burning rubber, next thing there is smoke coming up from the dash  ..."we're on fire"!  Daryl pulls over into a car park and switches off the motor which stops the smoke.  After some detection work, he finds the fuse for the fan had shorted & burnt!  A quick detachment and we are on our way again - again this is why we love old cars!.........Never a dull moment.

 
               

 

             Back home to the camp for a BBQ and to watch the sunset go down.

Oh and Daryl re-wired the fan so we are all go again.



San Diego - Day 1

As we drove out of camp Daryl thought he spotted a kiwi flag so on the way back in we detour and have a closer look - sure enough the NZ flag is hanging off the mirror and we find a pair of kiwi's having a wine.  We stop for a yarn and find they are doing the same as us having just spent two years in Europe.   

Meet Don & Val Megget from Kaiapoi, near Christchurch.

A lovely couple and it was nice to catch up with some more kiwis and swap stories about our travel experiences together.  They will be back next year so who knows we just might meet them again on the road somewhere.
 

Next morning was another beautiful day in perfect temperatures.......  we head over to Old Town for a look around. 

Nice setting but priced for the tourists as you can imagine and we had seen most things before for a lot less $$.  Relaxing just to wander around and enjoy the atmosphere though.

Next we hopped on the trolley which does 11 stops around San Diego and was a great way to see the place without having to drive, navigate and find parking! 

We went past the harbour stop and hopped off at Seaport for a look around the shops and walked around the bay where we had a very fattening but yummy Ben & Jerry ice cream....


The water police checking out Daryl.......hmmm
no seriously the cops had some guy bailed up just down from us and that was the back up in the water.

Lots of restaurants and cafes with fantastic views like this one - such gorgeous weather, what more could you want.


Back on the bus we pass the convention centre & the Horton plaza before hopping off again at the Gaslamp Quarter.

Another cool area to check out and we also found a Hard Rock to add to Daryl's collection of guitars, so that was handy.

Back on the trolley and we go past the next few stops, Hilton Bayfront, Coronado Ferry, Coronado McP's, Balboa Park/Zoo and Little Italy before returning to Old Town.   

Crossing the bridge over to Coronado

 

Old villas and the Coronado Hotel below - some of the original old buildings here.

 

Navy fleet boats as we cross back to San Diego from Coronado

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balboa Park - there was a free concert playing at the 40 pipe organ.  The architecture is beautiful and the setting in the park lovely.

 

 

We have another look around Old Town as we had not covered a third of it this morning before hopping on the trolley but it is now 5pm and the trolleys are on their last round so we needed to be back where the car was parked.

We decide to head back down to Little Italy for dinner as we both love Italian as this is supposed to be the biggest Little Italy.  Our memory of how we came back on the trolley proved to be a little sketchy so after a couple of loops around the blocks we finally made it back there....

As we stroll around we see a camera shop that was closed but decide to come back tomorrow to look for a lens and we check out the restaurants, selecting a nice one for dinner.