5 months later, back home

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I've been back for almost a week now, but need to tie up a few loose ends and write a bit about the last few days that I had in California before coming home. My parents flew over from the UK to see me and their friends, the Haycocks, near San Francisco, and we immediatley drove out to Yosemite National Park for 3 days. The weather was pretty bad, lots of rain and low cloud, but the scenery was perhaps even more dramatic, and it was great to see El Capitan and Half Dome, formations I'd seen loads of photos and heard stories of, but not seen before. We did a little bit of walking but mainly drove around the park, had the occasional picnic, took loads of photos and also spent a bit of time in a grove of massive Sequoia trees. We stayed in a great B&B just out of the park and ate a couple of meals in a good old-fashioned American diner too.
We then headed back towards the coast to stay in Alameda with Elizabeth and David (Haycock), and did some of the touristy things - Golden Gate Bridge etc. Loved San Fran, very cool city and close to some very nice beachy places just down the coast. The last day we were there was the day of the election, and before some people in California had voted, Obama had been proclaimed the victor! People in California were very happy, as a lot of us in the UK are too!
And then home, via a 10 hour flight overnight. Good to be home, had a great trip, can't recommend it enough, but lots to do and look forward to back here. Not least the next trip - honeymoon!

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