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Published: February 5th 2007
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The helicopter at Santa Clarita
Yeah!! Mark and I got to fly over Santa Clarita Valley in this refurbished Blackhawk, Hello Fellow Travelmates!!
Sorry about the long delay but we have been experiencing some technological issues here in the USA. Briefly the converter which we had bought was not compatible to the computer power cord…..and the phone could not be forced onto the US mobile phone system. Well as they say you have to experience it to learn about it.
So here we are after about a week uploading the information about our week (so far) in the US.
Well, it is hard to know where to start…..briefly though here is the rundown:-
The first full 3 days we stayed in Santa Paula. This was amazing. Wally was our host and so very nice. He arranged for us to see all sorts of marvelous things including schools, land fills (dumps) and the site of major housing developments. He also sent me with the lovely Elizabeth to an Outlet Mall. For those of you who are not so knowledgeable about these things they are traditionally middle to high end designer products which are offered to the public at warehouse prices. This could be because they are seconds or end of line items. Mum, they had a Royal Doulton
Universal Studios
We were accosted by this Mummy at the gates to Universal studios on our last night in Santa Clarita. Thanks to Amelia and Ryan for making it such an amazing adventure store among others including Waterford Crystal. (I couldn’t face going into the Waterford store)
On the morning of Tuesday we transferred over to Santa Clarita. I would love to point out that in reality the distance is not too far and the traffic was not to bad either.
Santa Clarita……it was just fantastic. Ken and Debbie were tremendous hosts. We started with a ride in a Fire Hawk helicopter (which is a Fire Dept Blackhawk and had been modified) to survey the surrounds of Santa Clarita. There has been a lot of development which can be seen very clearly from the air. On a more personal note, this was a long held ambition of Mark so he was extremely happy to have the opportunity to do this.
From there we headed off to meet with a variety of staff from the City of Santa Clarita including a guided tour of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill facility (which is very very large!!) Then around the town to see the development, historical monuments etc from the ground. Staying overnight with Ken and Debbie was delightful and they were most attentive hosts.
Wednesday morning dawned and we headed off in opposite directions again. Mark went to the Post Office. A most interesting experience. Thanks to Robert our parcel finally got on the way after 40 mins trying to work out what they wanted. Then Cross Valley Connection which link two of the major highways. Then on to the Sheriffs office (sorry no photos of Mark in jail) and then off for discussions about Local Government in America (California specific) and then lunch.
Nicola went to visit this most amazing place called Teen Grove. Sian, I am going to bring some info home for you to read about this program….I think you will enjoy it. Then off to the Community Centre. This is located in a lower Socio-Economic area and offers a range of services to the community including afterschool and holiday care, boxing, Ballet de flamenco (a local speciality) along with other counseling and care services. Amazing. Finally a school which has an integrated Special Needs facility. Again quite interesting. Thanks to Adele.
Lunch was a lively affair and then Amelia and her husband took us to Universal Studios. We did the Backlot tour (very interesting) where we almost were eaten by Jaws, had an Earthquake experience and were nearly flooded out (all in the name of fun!) Then we checked out the Terminator 2: 3D experience (thanks to Amelia who organized us) and of course a ride of the Mummy Returns rollercoaster. Yeah!
Dinner was at a lovely little restaurant nearby and then back to Ken and Debbie’s place. Hello too to Kohl and Skye (pussy cat and puppy dog respectively). In the morning it was off to Burbank Airport to catch a Southwest Airlines plane to Sacramento and our latest hosts Carlos and Judy.
Sacramento is a lovely town which with the frosts the trees have taken on the “cold and grey look” that usually means really really cold! We have been into the City of Rocklin to visit the Whitney High School a truly amazing experience. There is a fully functioning Television Station, Computer labs that would make you drool and the Art Department has everything an aspiring artist could hope for: 3 kilns, rows of pottery wheels, acrylic paints, charcoals etc etc etc, The running track, Tennis Courts and waveless pool are all state of the art. The Cafeteria area is so big and don’t mention the size of the gymnasiums (yes, more than 1).
Development is also continuing at pace here, and we drove around to see the main areas of growth and development. Overnight with Carlos and Judy and dinner was at the 33rd Street in Sacramento. Very nice.
In the morning it was the Police Station…again State of the Art facility. Thanks to Mike for the tour. Off to Roseville to see a local Theatre which has been restored as part of a Public-Private Partnership and then lunch at La Provence. Back to Rockville to Check our Sewerage Plant and then the MRF (which is a Recycling Plant and Landfill facility) which was a truly amazing experience and back to Carlos and Judy’s for dinner.
On the next day we headed out again (but a little later) and visited the State Capital (Sacramento) making sure to see the old Governors Mansion and the State Capital Building. This was quite an experience. Carlos then dropped us off and we went shopping. The interesting factor is that the shopping centre is fully open to the elements.
We then went to dinner at a Mexican Restaurant (Food was yummy but very very spicy) and then off to see a live play at the B-Street Theatre (What the Butler saw) which was great.
Today was Napa Valley wineries (some yummy yummy drinks) and then in to San Francisco to stay at the Crowne Plaza. Interesting.
Bye!!
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