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!

Day 16: Malibu, California

Mark rose early and disappeared off to the local laundromat whilst the children and I got up slowly and did some ‘tentwork’. The day began with glorious blue skies, rising temperatures and a welcome breeze – we’re back in screenplay territory which was very pertinent as we decide to follow the trail to the M*A*S*H set. Yes, just like everything else in this area, the state park has some serious Hollywood glitz to it. Originally a very upmarket country club for wealthy businessmen, it was bought by 20th Century Fox in 1946 who spotted its potential as a dramatic outdoor film location a stone’s throw from Hollywood. It was renamed Century Ranch and used for films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Some Like it Hot, Planet of the Apes, Roots, numerous Tarzan films and, most famously, as the army hospital base in Korea for the film and TV series M*A*S*H. So, we followed the five mile round trip route to the location of the set, stopping for dips in the lakes and rivers to revive the boys in the 89 degree plus temperatures. It was all worth it; the set is deep in the heart of the lush green mountains and made the perfect picnic spot, complete with rusting old ambulance, a defunct helipad and the ubiquitous wooden sign.
We returned back to camp and, after a reviving cup of tea, headed out for a quick stint in Starbucks to catch up on emails and to the supermarket for Merryn and Tristan to shop for the barbecue chicken they were preparing for supper. The perfect end to a perfect day.
Today’s Tune: Suicide is Painless, the theme music to M*A*S*H
Wildlife Watch: Ground squirrels, mule deer, lots of lizards and an exceedingly large toad – or was it a frog? – basking next to the river.

Day 15: Malibu, California

Two fifths of the way through our journey and we have finally landed where we’ve all been longing to go; the Golden Coast of California. And boy was it worth the wait! The Californians say that if the colonists had first landed in California, Virginia would still be a swamp and I can completely understand why. We can just imagine how the pioneers felt; slogging their way across the Midwest plains, battling the desert heat, dodging the arrows and bullets en route, climbing through the San Gabriel mountains and then, finally, descending into the lush, fertile plains of California to witness the pacific ocean glinting in the distance. Pure bliss!
Unfortunately, our day didn’t quite start as it does in the screenplays. We woke up to a thick, heavy fog that slowly lifted to a miserable and overcast sky. For the first time on our trip we contemplated long trousers for the day and took a risk by sticking with shorts. The meteorologist promised sunshine would soon break through but the children and I were not convinced. However all was not lost, we needed to spend the morning doing chores and they could only be done comfortably under grey skies. First stop was the rangers’ station to find out where we could stock up on camping supplies and find a sensibly priced supermarket.
Having ticked both boxes we decided to drive back into Malibu; it’s a 7 mile scenic road that follows the creek through a spectacular canyon the water has carved out over the past million years or so . More importantly, the road was also the setting for the key murder scene in The Postman Always Rings Twice.

Downtown Malibu looks a little past its best but is still the address of choice for the movers and shakers of the entertainment world; mostly in the huge estates that are tucked away on ranches high up in the mountains. In 1993 Barbra Streisand generously donated hers to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy for use as a botanical preserve. (True to form Ronald Reagan sold his to the state park). We parked up the car and walked along HWY1 (a beach walk was out of the question as most of it is private!) until we reached Malibu Lagoon State Park where the Creek ends in a glorious lake, currently home to hundreds of pelicans and Canada geese. We called into Malibu Pier, a shining example of a US 50s-style fishing pier, most famously used in the Rockford Files, and spent a small fortune on über cool magnets in the v. trendy end-of-pier store. We were tempted to buy a gorgeous pink dog collar for Missi, featuring VWs and surfboards, but decided we wouldn’t be able to eat for the rest of the week if we did.
The sun began to shine so we decided to hit Surfrider Beach. We were without costumes and towels so the boys decided to strip down to their pants and bathe in the lagoon. In true Californian, laissez-faire style this was completely acceptable. It would probably have resulted in a 911 call in Va. Beach! Just 24-hours into this state and we have already noticed how much more liberal the West Coast is. We weren’t greeted by a long list of dos and don’ts at the campsite, we’re allowed to drink beer next to our tent, we’ve seen a thong on the beach (no, it wasn’t a Dutchman) and a naked man in the carpark! It’s a huge breath of fresh air after spending two years living under the Virginian dictatorship.

After a couple of hours spent dozing on the sand, watching the lazily cool longboarders and enjoying the spectacle of a camera-carrying, remote control helicopter filming the surfers, we decided to head back to the campsite for more blackjack and a curry supper. Unfortunately, real life paid a call and I had to spend several hours filling in a ridiculously long application form for the Devon Return to Teaching course which I actually have to pay for. Still, needs must – we’ve got to pay for this trip somehow or other.
Today’s Tune: Surfin’ USA by The Beach Boys
Wildlife Watch: The gopher snake caught by the ranger outside the shower block. Yikes!

Day 14: Malibu, California

Apologies for the delay in uploading the post - access to the Internet is sparse in state parks and we can't spend all day loitering in Starbucks! All post should now be up-to-date and photos will be added soon. Sorry to keep you all in suspense.

We took our first casualty of the trip this morning. Poor old Mark’s sinuses finally gave up the ghost after days of battling against changing pressure and altitudes. His affliction –eustachian tube-induced sickness and dizziness – meant he had to forgo a full-on, free breakfast but wasn’t quite serious enough to subject the family to me driving them across the desert. He dosed himself up, supped on fruit and yoghurt and bravely drove the family west towards our destination of Malibu, California.
We waved goodbye to Priscilla and Elvis and the delightful staff of the Las Vegas Embassy Suites (I highly recommend this hotel chain to anyone travelling in the USA; they are consistently clean and reliable, give a generous military discount and offer a fantastic cooked-to-order breakfast and free evening drinks reception every day) and set off on the I15. Our route took us across the roasting hot Mojave Desert which appears to be awash in military bases. I had one of those spooky moments reading the last few pages of The Junior Officer’s Reading Club just as he gets posted to the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps base in … the Mojave Desert.

Our first stop was the ghost town of Calico, about 90 miles out of Vegas; a recommend from Jowan’s book Haunted Highways: Ghost Stories of Route 66. Calico is an old mining town that boomed in the late 1800s due to the rise in silver prices and then crashed a decade later as those high prices fell. The population fell from a high of 1,200 to 80 in just under two years. In the 1950s it was resurrected as a tribute to those miners and their lifestyle with the original buildings left restored to their glory and a few others added in for good measure. For a mere $20 bucks we were able to spend an enjoyable couple of steaming hot hours reliving the Wild West and the pioneer lifestyle; panning for gold, trudging through the mine shaft, drinking sarsaparilla out of jars and enjoying the rocking chairs in the shade of the wooden porches.
After exhausting Calico, fully stocked with sepia pix on the children’s cameras and a fridge load of magnets, we headed back on the I15 for the last three hour stretch of our day’s driving. Malibu, California - here we come!

Nearly four hours later, hot, bothered and starving hungry but without supplies, we arrived at Malibu Creek State Park. There was just enough daylight left to get the car unloaded and the tent up. About 8pm Merryn and I dashed into Malibu, to the Brangelina’s local shopping plaza to find a quick supper. We searched high and low through the Ralph Lauren, Juicy Couture and Mac corner stores only to stumble across a supermarket nearly an hour later. We would have asked for directions but most of the people we saw looked like they’d never stepped inside a supermarket in their life! Luckily, a friendly security guard took pity on us and pointed us in the right direction. I wasn’t sure how I’d manage to pluck up enough courage to locate a much-needed Laundromat tomorrow!
Today’s Tune: California Girls by Katy Perry
Wildlife Watch: Three mule deer grazing in the dusk at Malibu Creek

Day 13: Las Vegas, Nevada

We had no desire to see anymore of Vegas so decided to spend the morning digesting our enormous complimentary breakfast, lounging by the hotel pool and catching up on some R&R. The children only managed so much and then retreated to the room to catch up on the Disney Channel and to speak with Elvis and Priscilla, the hotel's resident swans!

After lunch they decided it was too hot to go back into The Strip, we couldn’t even tempt them with a ride on a gondola on the Bellagio’s eight acre indoor lake. So it was back to our books and the pool. That evening they opted for room service and more TV and Mark and I decided to give Vegas one last chance…
Today’s Tune: Tori Amos - 'Don't Make Me Come to Vegas'
Wildlife Watch: The British military on tour in the Embassy Suites pool (not sure why but think it might be something to do with the big USAF base here!)

Day 12: Las Vegas, Nevada

There are only so many staggering views you can take so we did our laundry, packed up camp and continued on our quest west to Las Vegas. It was back on the I40 as we had some miles to cover and Route 66 was a 90 mile detour. No stopping other than a quick one for petrol and Jolly Rangers – our first sweets of the journey – and then onto the Hoover Dam. We drove over the new and very magnificent bypass bridge without even realizing it and we were called over by a bunch of boy scouts (sorry – the Hoover Dam police) to be searched. Luckily the 112 degree heat rather sapped their strength and when they discovered they’d have to climb on the roof to search the roof bag, they gave up and waved us on, believing Mark’s claim we were not carrying propane (take note Homeland Security and Al Qaeda; the Hoover Dam police are a complete waste of time and money!).

Despite the ‘search’ inconvenience, the Dam was definitely worth a stop, if only to gaze at the new bypass bridge which now spans the Dam canyon. We paid our $7 parking fee and decided to forgo the $30 a head tour, choosing to walk the Dam in the piercing heat. The children were, of course, completely nonplussed only wanting to know how many had perished in the building of the Dam and where could we buy the fridge magnet!
Next stop Vegas! We drove across the desert and could see the city nestling amidst the smog from about 25 miles. Embassy Suites came up trumps yet again and offered a welcome relief from the heat and dust of Mather campground. After bathing off the campsite dust, ready for the Vegas grime, we stepped out into the heat in search of the New York, New York resort where we decided to try the recommended Italian for pasta and pizza. OMG, nothing had quite prepared me for this. I’ve obviously been living in the US for too long as I was so taken aback by the seediness of the place. The pavements are lined with metal boxes filled with soft porn magazines and the strip was heaving with touts essentially selling girls (and they had the T-shirts to prove it!). It was a quick lesson in life for Tristan who wanted an explanation of how exactly you could sell girls and why all the business cards had pictures of naked women – and this from the boy who was caught surfing the net for ‘hot ladies’ only three years ago. Merryn and Jowan did a pretty good job of spotting the ladies of the night and I decided two nights in Vegas was probably two too many.

The pizza and pasta was pretty good but eye wateringly expensive. We then cruised the south end of the Strip, watched the street entertainers, the Bellagio fountains and decided there’s only so much tackiness you can take in one night. Dinner had cleared out our cash so it was a long walk back to the hotel with much moaning from Tristan who had simply wanted to stay and gamble at the casinos. Sigh!
Today’s Tune: Viva Las Vegas by Elvis Presley
Wildlife Watch: Most of it unmentionable!

Day 11: Grand Canyon South, Arizona

Decided to spend the day hiking! Mark was keen to follow part of the Bright Angel Trail into the Canyon but I heeded the rangers warnings about temperatures etc and we opted for the paved path along the rim. A complete nightmare; not dissimilar to navigating your way down Oxford Street in the run up to Christmas. Three miles down the track we made it to the lodge for cold beers and a hearty lunch and decided the afternoon should be spent heading west along the rim in an attempt to get away from the tourists. (The national park receives in excess of 5 million visitors a year and most would appear to be there in June).

So, we caught the free bus out and hopped off where the path becomes unpaved. Spectacular views and relatively peaceful; we saw our first California condor swooping below us. We hiked for another three miles or so and watched the shadows lengthen in the afternoon sun. The bus delivered us back to the campsite in time for a quick supper before heading back to the Desert View Point for the sunset. One of the Park Rangers regaled us with the story of Powell’s expedition running the Colorado River in 18-something-or-other and then we watched the sunset spectacle. An even more staggering panorama to end a day full of staggering panoramas.

Today’s Tune: The Grand Canyon Trail (theme music to the film) sung, I think, by Judy Garland
Wildlife Watch: A day to impress Bill Oddie - Mule deer grazing by the showers; a magnificent elk and partner wandering past our tent; the rare Californian condor; an Abert’s squirrel; a skink and the back end of a snake (possibly a rattler???) but only seen by Mark.