Monday 3rd October 2016

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Today was a day of rest for most of our party. It is exactly 3 weeks ago today that we arrived in the US and it although we have had a fabulous time, a day of doing not very much sounded like a good plan. One couple decided to take a trip to Universal studios taking their RV, another couple went into LA on the local bus and visited Fox studios, but the rest of us chilled at the campsite.

It was a beautiful morning, so we had a leisurely breakfast outside the van on our own picnic table, looking over the pacific ocean. Then, inspired by the cleaning of the van taking place on the pitch next to us, we decided to give Ellie a bit of a spruce up in readiness for our handing her back to the depot. Then it was coffee time, followed by a bit of a gossip and then it was lunch time.

After lunch we decided to go for a walk along the beach. We could only get so far before it became a private beach, so we climbed up to the road behind the beach houses fronting the private beach and took a stroll down there. Most of the houses appeared to be empty except for cleaners and maintenance men and we reasoned that this was because it being a Monday, all the families had returned to their town houses after the weekend. There were a few cars sheeted down, but those in driveways included a Rolls Royce cabriolet, several Porsches, Bentleys and a fair number of Mercedes and BMW's. These houses were not huge, but right on the waterfront, one had 7 garages!!! We were not to envious though, as although there is never a frost here, it has also not rained for 5 years and they are desperately short of water. We don't think we could live here, how could you moan about the weather!!!

Tonight we have cooked our last meal in Ellie, as tomorrow we are having a barbeque on the beach, then there is a farewell group dinner on the last night. We are going to Newport Beach tomorrow - just a little matter of driving through Los Angeles to get there!!

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