My last day in the U.S. of A.

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Hello Friends!

I thought it was time to update you all on how I have been filling my time in the last couple of weeks, with none of my new cycling buddies to entertain me!

I have got to know San Diego pretty well now, having spent lots of time here, enjoying the lovely hostels (I have tried out two of them now), relaxing and reading, making new friends, cooking some tasty meals, scooting around on my bike to visit the beaches, the zoo, the shops, the park, the Natural History Museum, walking some trails on the coast and even squeezing in a quick massage for the benefit of my poor overworked legs!

And then guess what - I flew back to San Francisco! I was so taken with what little I saw of it when we whizzed through on our bikes a few weeks ago that I decided I would like to spend more time there. And the great bonus was, at the very last minute I managed to get a place on a weekend hiking trip to Yosemite National Park. As it turned out, it was the perfect time of year to be there, because the Autumnal colours were at their best and we were treated to scene after scene of blazing oranges, reds, pinks and yellows, all with the huge granite cliff faces as a dramatic backdrop. We did three hikes, which took us through the beautiful valley, among the Giant Sequoia trees and up a steep ascent to the top of Vernal Falls from where there were incredible views.

My group consisted of 8 fun people all in their 20s and 30s. Hey, I have at last met some younger traveller companions :-) Our leader was Benny, who looked like a character with his long straggly hair and enormous beard - in fact, he could easily have auditioned for a part as Jesus - but was full of information about the flora and fauna and the history of the Park, so we were able to throw all our questions at him and learn a huge amount about what we were seeing.

We stayed in basic hostel accommodation which was part of a rustic mountain resort just outside the park, and it included a wooden cabin housing a cafe and cosy lounge area so we did lots of relaxing there when we weren't walking, and even played a rather crummy board game on Saturday night called "Passport to Culture". I would have preferred Twister, myself! Anyway, it was such a great place to be, so I was delighted that I had spontaneously decided to go there.

Back in San Francisco, who should I find but my great friend Shirley, who is also taking a holiday over here totally by coincidence! It was great to spend time with her, and when I wasn't doing that, I was tramping all over the city, getting the exercise that I am missing now that I am bike-less, and at the same time getting the measure of the place and sampling plenty of the coffee houses while I was at it. I did get a ride on one of the famous cable cars too!

I'm now back in San Diego for a couple of days before flying to La Paz tomorrow (on a newly-booked flight, since the airline I was originally flying with has gone bust - agh!). Last night was a hostel-organised pub crawl, which I happily joined and got chatting to lots of fun people. The second location on our 'crawl' was a fabulous piano bar here in the Gaslamp Quarter that had not one but TWO pianos and a couple of brilliant musicians playing and singing everyone's requests - they seemed to know every song in the whole world! I spent a long time there soaking up the very uplifting and buzzy atmosphere, and I even got bought a rose - aah! Any questions on a postcard! (Or an email).

Wish me luck as I depart the US tomorrow and say "Hola" to Mexico. I will attempt to post another update from there. Hope everyone is well.

xxx

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Photos

At San Diego zoo...
..these were some of the chaps I saw

The planes in San Diego...
fly right in over the city with only inches to spare! (Or so it seems).

Three of my new Yosemite pals
..with a GIGANTIC sheer drop immediately behind us

Look who I found in San Francisco!
The fabulous Shirley complete with enormous smile!

Comments

[Ellie]

bendiciones en Mexico
Thanks for the latest news Laura. I'd never even heard of Yosemite before but it looks stunning. Have a great time in Mexico.

[Shirley]

Great Stuff
Have a terrific time in Mexico. It was fab to see you in SF. Love the picture of us!!