USA 9

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I assume we made back a little of the sleep debt we had been gradually building up over the week, but Nathan ensured that any hopes of pushing our accounts back into credit remained unfulfilled. He did this by being very audibly active; doing nothing very much in particular as far as I could tell, except repetitively exiting and then, moments later, re-entering the room again before adjusting the curtains to let in an irritating amount of light. I couldn't take much of this so very quickly took the opportunity to jump in the shower before the other two similarly lost patience with this charade and contemplated doing the very. A good call, because it gave me precious moments to acquaint myself with the surroundings whilst Max and Charles got on with their morning ablutions.
Then we head off to the 'cafe' and get ourselves a 'three brothers' baguette. This is the culinary high light of my trip thus far. We all indulge but each employ subtle variations - such is the nature of the Three Brothers experience. The 'numerical' value of this delight refers to the three meats involved - ham, salami and pepperoni. You can then choose your type of bread, the salad contents, the cheese and finally your condiments. This, coupled with a coffee, is the perfect way to start a day playing in the great out doors.
We have given ourselves about three hours to take in the majesty of Yosemite National Park before hitting the road for our next destination; Monterey.
A shame because we, all agreed, could have spent a good couple of days in Yosemite. The weather was glorious yet there were still the physical traces of winter daubed all around us. And what is more the spring wave of tourists had yet to arrive so the experience was free from the commercial permutations that could have so easily spoilt this most tranquil of settings. The smell of the air is purity itself and the views are quite spectacular.
Before we leave there is the small matter of 'gas' to clear up. You will recall how we cut it fine on the drive in and we now have to swallow what little pride we have and 'buy' some gas from the local garage. They don't like this. You can't really blame them either considering the amount of warning signs that are positioned alongside the roads leading to Yosemite. So quite naturally they try to deter people from relying on this service by almost doubling the price. So we're given a lecture about how this facility is designed for emergencies and not with four simple minded Englishmen in mind that can't even differentiate between a temperature and fuel gauge. The thing is, we're on holiday and couldn't really care less - we're just relieved we can buy enough fuel to get us back on our way. Our nonchalance is visibly irritating but he obliges none the less.

We hit the road then not wanting to leave but at the same time looking forward to the 'unknowing' that lies ahead. It is a long drive through pleasant countryside, pretty uneventful except for an 'innocent' encounter with a policeman curious to know what we are doing pulled over by the roadside about 2 hours south/west of Yosemite (Just stretching our legs officer).
When we hit Monterey it's dark again but we successfully pull off our now standard trick of rolling up somewhere without booking in advance. We find a suitably basic motel and head into what is probably the deadest town in the whole of North America. Sure it's a Monday, but for Christ's sake. The only bar displaying a mere modicum of life is some English themed 'pub' down on the quay. It's the last thing you want in the way of entertainment but it turns out to be actually surprisingly pleasant. Copies of 'The Onion' are pasted to the walls of the toilet, there is a wide selection of beers and the locals are very friendly. We chat to a US Marine who tells us that "Tony Blair's got balls, man!", but who, despite his misplaced affection for our goon of a Prime Minister, is far more congenially articulate than his average English counterparts generally ever are. We get the most pissed since our previous Friday in Delirium and are rewarded with the most comfortable beds of the trip thus far for our troubles.

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