Day 17: Malibu, California

We decided we’d go ‘Californian’ and spend a day hanging out at the beach. So we packed up a picnic and set off for the Malibu Lagoon State Beach. We settled down next to the surf school and spent an enjoyable couple of hours watching the tourists take their lessons. The boys played in surf, played in the lagoon and played in the sand. Merryn, Mark and I dozed quietly and read our books.

Later in the afternoon we decided to head to Santa Monica and visit the pier, the official end to Route 66. Santa Monica is a short drive down HWY1 from Malibu and had a suitable tacky air, despite having a decent sprinkling of celebrity homes. The pier is home to a small amusement park and a lovely old carousel (as seen in The Sting). We didn’t get to see the carousel as it’s closed Tuesdays but the boys had a ball in the amusement park.
It was a fierce battle back through the traffic with a quick pit stop at an even more expensive store to grab something for supper. If we were going to see celebs anywhere it was here – the car park was full of expensive cars but no faces we recognized. Poor old Merryn; she was convinced LA would be awash with the great and the good. Hollywood tomorrow so maybe she’ll have more luck then.
Today’s Tune: The first verse of Stay the Night by James Blunt (Jowan sings it every morning in the shower block much to the consternation of all the other campers – he definitely has his mother’s voice!)
Wildlife Watch: The frog that shared mummy’s shower this morning. Still, less dangerous than a gopher snake!