Day 32

Heading out of the motel nice and early, it was time to do some laundry, but not before we had sampled the breakfast wares of the most expensive motel in the world! 2 orange juices, 1 coffee and a slice of toast later, we decided the Oasis Inn and Suites was not worth the money! This was our first experience of a Laundromat, having had the luxury of friends or hotels providing the service before and we were thankful of that! A woman was on an annual day trip with the local OAPs and everyone else smelt of wee, including Matt. Never mind, we got the laundry done without incident, even managing to write some postcards, and we were on our way to L.A.
Very excited (well Lynne was, especially after dreaming she met Tom Cruise last night) we headed to the City of Angels. Excellent directions by Lynne - no, seriously, meant we arrived ahead of schedule at Hollywood Pensione. Described online as a Zen escape from the city, we were delighted to meet Dougal, our host. This was B&B American style, and it was a real treat! Wine, chocolates and lemon water on arrival, as well as a living room, terrace and.. A bloody washing machine free of charge! We needn’t have spent the day with stinkers after all! The room was amazing, bathroom truly fabulous darling and a stone’s throw from Hollywood Boulevard. We headed out to explore the walk of fame. Star spotting such names as Juan Perez and Jim Todd, we realised it wasn’t so difficult to get a star on the Boulevard! Wandering back to the B&B, an offer of a celebrities’ houses tour at child prices was too much for Lynne and soon we were both aboard the bus with Jonny! An amazing tour followed, one of the best all honeymoon, there is some serious money in LA. Rodeo Drive was exactly as in Pretty Woman and Lynne has decided this should be her new home! We spotted Slash who was playing on Sunset Boulevard before heading back to the reality of not being married to Tom Cruise (or Katie Holmes) and the decision of where to eat tonight. We settled on a local hangout by the name of Birds. Surprisingly it was a chicken restaurant, and we devoured plates of half chickens with 3 sides at a bargain price. We liked the sign on the wall which read ‘ Beware of pickpockets and loose women’ so decided to move to the bar area and have another drink! No loose women, so we headed home, via a bench where Lynne pretended to be the star of The Last Exorcism - too many wines maybe?

Day 31

Wanting to get out of Pismo Beach early lest we bump into any of our ‘friends’ from the night before, we packed and hit the road without breakfast, deciding instead to find somewhere a little further down the coast. As it turned out, we drove for a couple of hours without passing through anywhere of great interest or attraction, and before we knew it we were in Santa Barbara. By now it was time for lunch, so we took the advice of our Rough Guide and located the Natural Café - noted in the guide as a place to grab good cheap veggie meals - where Matthew had a grilled chicken pizza and Lynne a ‘chicken stuffed spud’.
Realising Santa Barbara was full of rich people up from LA for the weekend, and thus expensive, we decided to press on a little further out of the city to find cheaper accommodation and perhaps another beach spot. However, as soon as we reached the freeway we hit gridlock, and after travelling about five miles in half an hour we turned around and headed back to Santa Barbara, where we managed to find a reasonable motel at a not so reasonable price.
Luckily, the motel was situated across the street from Harry’s Plaza Café - apparently a Santa Barbara institution - so after a couple of hours’ rest we crossed over to sample its wares. Finding it indeed to be a popular place with a lot of character and atmosphere, we happily allowed ourselves to be guided to a booth where we settled into plush red leather seats, Lynne opting for the pork loin (very tasty) and Matthew the snapper (a little bland, unfortunately).
A bit of a nothing day, all in all, after some of the amazing places we’ve been and experiences we’ve had. Still, it’s nice to take it easy after nearly five incredibly busy weeks, and besides we’ve got to save ourselves for the last leg of the trip - LA, where we’re headed tomorrow!

Day 30

Awoken early by the condensation dripping on our heads, it took us a while to emerge from our sleeping bags, which were lovely and cosy. After probably one of the most welcome warm showers either of us have ever had, we packed up the tent by stuffing it on the back seat of the car, and headed south for hopefully warmer climes.
The nice lady on reception had provided us with a guide to a ‘noodling drive’ south from Big Sur along California Hwy 1, so off we noodled down the coast, pausing to see some of the culprits of the night time noise up close on the beach (elephant seals are massive!) before stopping for lunch in Cambria - another delightful little town full of cute shops and restaurants. The one we ate in had some great quirky touches such as a ‘Hall of Mirrors’ mirror in the bathrooms, and Matthew’s clam chowder being served in a bowl made of bread (although Lynne’s turkey club sandwich was better)!
With no fixed destination in mind for tonight, our eyes (or possibly stomachs) were attracted by a description, in our noodling drive guide, of a famous farmers’ market on Thursday evenings (today!) in San Luis Obispo, during which the main street is closed off to vehicles and filled with stalls selling all kinds of good food and local produce. However, deciding we wanted to stay by the beach after cruelly being denied by the fog in Big Sur, we noodled a few miles further south to Pismo Beach, where we found a decent hotel a couple of minutes’ walk from the seafront.
After spending a lovely lazy afternoon on the beach, it was time for food once more, so back we headed to San Luis Obispo for the farmers’ market. This was great - fantastic food, gorgeous smells and a lively, bustling atmosphere complete with street musicians! We both feasted on a giant corn on the cob each (following the locals’ lead and smothering them in butter, cayenne pepper and parmesan cheese!) before Lynne treated herself to a baked potato and Matthew himself to a half rack of sticky BBQ ribs!
This should really have been the end to the evening, but arriving back at our hotel we decided to have a nightcap in the bar next door. One turned into five as we were transfixed by the mixture of genuine talent and absolute awfulness on display in the bar’s karaoke night! And then Lynne met Errol - a half Columbian, half Cherokee Indian from LA, who had arrived here 3 weeks ago for a 3 day visit! Charmed by his friendly manner and warmth on congratulating us on our marriage, we allowed him to introduce us to an acquaintance of his, Ricky - an incredibly camp, incredibly drunk man who looked like Dr Evil and had a voice like a cartoon character! Nevertheless, we accepted his invitation (or rather insistence) that we go to a party with them, which we did so via the swings on the beach. Some party! We made up half of the total number of attendees, before Erroll turned up with his extremely drunk, loud and aggressive lady friend, who proceeded to argue with him at full volume before storming off. It turned out Erroll had turned up 3 weeks ago because he was in love with her and had outstayed his welcome! This scene, coupled with Ricky’s increasingly mental behaviour, signalled it was time for us to leave, so we quickly made our excuses and escaped back to our hotel. Small town America eh? Full of screwed up people!

Day 29

Nest day!
Very excited by the prospect of West in the Nest (a phrase gleefully coined by the girl on reception), Matthew leaped out of bed and opened the yurt to be met with thick fog. The ocean was no longer visible and everything was cold and wet. Hmm, not looking good. Still, we must remain positive and the friendly hippy seems to think it will burn off by lunchtime. Time for breakfast, and Matthew finding a new talent - waffle making! The other glampers were very jealous as Matthew made a perfect waffle, while theirs were falling apart! So, what to do today? Having planned a day on the beach, we had to rethink and explore our options again. The friendly hippy gave us some sound advice and we headed north to Nepenthe. Here, there is a beautiful restaurant overlooking the ocean, so we stopped for brunch. The view, so they say, is amazing. All we could see was fog; so much for it burning off by lunchtime! Still, the food made up for it - Eggs Benedict for Lynne and the Café Kevah special for Matthew (Eggs Benedict but with crab meat and avocado). We carried on exploring the Big Sur and did make it to the beach, but only to stand in amazement at the size and wildness of the waves. With the cold and fog, we might as well have been at Tynemouth!
We finally accepted that the fog wasn’t going to burn off and headed back to check in to the nest. The advice from the lady was to set up our tent below, so that if it did get too wet, we could sleep in there. Off we went to our home for the night, armed with our tent and sleeping bags. This would have been amazing if the fog had lifted! The nest perches at the edge of Treebones, which is up a steep hill; the view of the ocean would have been perfect. Instead, there was a pervading wall of fog and dampness. We were determined to brave it anyway and sleep there, but set the tent up just in case. This was expertly done in a matter of minutes, so once again it was time for food. Tonight we decided to sample the on-site sushi bar, which was a hidden gem. Expertly prepared by a Mexican who learned how to make sushi in LA, it was surprisingly good!
Full of more great grub and fortified by a bottle of wine or two, we climbed the ladder and snuggled into our sleeping bags for what proved to be a unexpectedly good night’s sleep, drifting off to the sound of the waves and, of course, the sealions barking far below.

Day 28

Nursing slight hangovers after the wine tour, we packed and left the hotel by noon to head to the Big Sur. Not realising how ridiculous some of the speed restrictions would be due to an abundance of roadworks, our arrival time was somewhat delayed. The coastal drive was beautiful, however, and we did manage to arrive and check into our accommodation while it was still daylight. This was our first experience of the new concept of ‘glamping’ (we don‘t count the scary bear tent in Yosemite), and we were not disappointed. Our yurt was beautiful! Bigger than some of the hotel rooms we’ve been in, beautifully decorated and so clean. The ocean view was superb, so we settled to watch the sunset before heading to the lodge for dinner. Our obviously hippy waitress was lovely. She doddered about, forgetting things, and thought that everything was wonderful: our dinner choices, our wine choices, us! After our first 2 course meal of the holiday (more great food), we were truly stuffed and had to retire to the yurt, but not before purchasing a cheeky bottle of red to have on our decking while listening to the ocean. What we didn’t count on was the liveliness of the seals at this time of night; they are so noisy! The wine did its work though and we settled in for the night. This is an amazing place to stay - unlike anything either of us has ever done. We have both agreed that it is a firm contender for best accommodation on the trip.

Day 27

Up very early to our room service breakfast. We thought it would be a good idea to stock up on stomach lining seen as our wine tour starts at 8.30 am! Off to the aptly named Ferry Building to meet our guide, Safiya. We were then told that the drive to Napa would take an hour and a half, so the drinking, sorry tasting, would not begin until 10 am. A much more reasonable drinking time! Safiya was a brilliant guide; she filled us with San Fran knowledge, history and house prices all the way to Napa. We now know where Danielle Steele lives and how much she paid for her house, as well as passing George Lucas‘ Skywalker Ranch! We have also seen the Sausalito ‘Bay’ which was Otis Redding’s inspiration.
First stop, Domaine Chandon, makers of all things bubbly and sparkling - a good way to start any day according to Safiya! It is Lynne’s firm belief that all smokers will find each other very quickly and this rang true again as Lynne spotted Frank having a cheeky tab before the tasting! Firmly becoming friends due to their nicotine addiction, Lynne and Frank, with their respective partners Matthew and Diane, set off for bubbly goodness! We weren’t disappointed as Bob, our tasting guide, filled us with knowledge!
Giggling back onto the bus, it was time for stop two - the lunch stop. We decided to do the tasting first, settling for the ‘deluxe’ tasting, which meant seven of Napa’s finest. Actually it was six of Napa’s finest wines and one taste of Maderia, which definitely meant it was time for food. Armed with the $20 voucher from Safiya, we purchased some fantastic cheese, prosciutto and olive bread from the well stocked deli. Oh, and also three bottles of wine, which we did not consume at lunch (just half a bottle!). All aboard to stop three on the tour, minus two of our fellow tasters who were too ‘ill’ to continue. It was the woman we saw hugging a bottle of wine while slumped over the picnic table at lunch.
Reunited with Frank and Diane once more, we tasted some of Napa’s finest reds before wandering through the vineyards (Frank and Lynne smoking their way through!) until it was time for the last stop. Here, we once again tasted some fine red wines and we were even allowed to taste the grapes from the vines. Never before have we tasted a cabernet sauvignon grape, but they are nothing like ’normal’ grapes (apart from the pips). Back to the patio for the final tasting and Lynne, somewhat upset at spilling red wine on her white skirt, was rescued by Margaret, our host. ‘Here, spray some of this on it and watch it vanish’, and it did! The best invention ever, a product called Wineaway, which literally did as it promised. We are trying to buy this in bulk and sell it on the black market in the U.K.
Back on the bus to catch the ferry to San Francisco, it was naptime for Matthew. Please see attached photo for the comedy value of this!
The ferry trip back was wonderful; great company, more wine and lovely views of the Golden Gate bridge. As we docked, it was time to say goodbye to our new friends, but not before exchanging emails and a promise to keep in touch. Frank and Diane, we hope you are reading this, as we are planning our trip to Chicago already!
Phew, this is a long entry. Anyway, next we decided we wanted to see the sealions in the Bay, but didn’t know where we were, so we employed the services of Jason, our trusty steed. I say steed, he was a man on a bike with a carriage attached to the back. As promised, he took us to the sealions, via a ride on a carousel, and then back to our hotel where an early night was on the cards. What a wonderful day, with fabulous memories and two new like-minded friends!

Day 26

A well deserved lie in after being up so early with the bear yesterday, meant we left the hotel in time for lunch! Heading to Japantown, we stopped for a sushi lunch. We then strolled the streets of San Francisco, vaguely heading for the park via the hippy area of Haight Ashbury. This was a mix of tramps and incense burning - one tramp even exclaiming ‘it’s $20 a look’. No thank you, smelly man. Not giving up though, he then shouted from his seated position on the floor ‘What about your wallet?‘ That has to be the worst, laziest attempt at a mugging we have ever witnessed! We actually chuckled as we sauntered away! This was a very relaxing afternoon, in preparation for the Napa Valley wine tour we have booked for tomorrow! We meandered back through the dodgy part of town, including passing a mental man who still had his hospital pyjamas on! Feeling quite traumatised by the amount of mental illness and smelly tramps in San Fran, we headed to a bar for an aperitif while deciding where to eat in our San Fran guide. Deciding on an Asian themed day, we headed to an Indonesian restaurant just up the road. After the waiter’s recommendation and Lynne’s excellent choosing skills, we had a delight of a meal. Matthew even stated it could possibly be his #2 of the trip (Helen’s steak being #1). Off to bed, after watching a DVD from reception.

Day 25

5.30am - “Matt, wake up, there’s a bear outside my window.” Matt had already been woken by the banging on the tent frame of the people next door in an attempt to scare it away. The bear had come back. Peering out the window mesh in the dark, we saw that this time it was even closer - literally right outside our window! We could actually hear its heavy breathing and sniffing as it searched for more food (it turns out, when we went to investigate in daylight, that it had been chomping on a bag of pistachio nuts that some moron had obviously left lying around. Not sure if it took the shells off first, though.) Eventually, the banging from next door (and then us) scared it off, but there was no way we were going back to sleep now!
An early start, therefore, allowed us time to go and see the giant sequoia trees in Mariposa Grove, before heading off to San Francisco. On the way, we continued with this theme (Spanish for butterfly, you know) by stopping for lunch in the cute little town of Mariposa. This was another of those fantastic unexpected finds: a quaint tea room, very English in some ways but with its own quirky style, where we had afternoon tea - the first time Lynne has done so! Ironic that her first experience of such an English thing should be in America! Gorgeous sandwiches (quartered with the crusts cut off, naturally) and scones made this a real pleasure after some of the obscene portions we’ve eaten on this trip. However, Matthew, faced with a choice of so many teas, reverted to stereotype and went for English breakfast tea, forgetting from his time in Spain that this is not always a good idea abroad, and receiving a pot of tea-coloured water to drink.
Satisfied, and having chatted for a while to the lovely people who ran the tea room, we were on our way again. After a couple of hours, we saw it - the Pacific Ocean. Finally, after 3600 miles and approximately 60-70 hours in the car, we had reached the West Coast! Excitement that our directions told us to drive over the Bay Bridge soon turned to disappointment upon realising that this was not the Golden Gate. The bay, however, is beautiful. We had read that fog is a common problem in summer, but we weren’t quite prepared, when we stepped out of the car, for how cold it was! People were wearing coats; one or two were even wearing scarves! Having checked into San Francisco’s first official green hotel, with its ‘revolutionary’ system of having to insert your key card into a slot to operate the lights (I.e the standard practice in most hotels in Europe) we went looking for food and liquid refreshment.
Now, California is famously non-smoking and had a ban in place long before most European countries. However, when a guy next to us in the first bar we entered lit up, we discovered that we had managed to accidentally stumble upon possibly the only bar in San Francisco where you can smoke (apparently because the only people who work there are the owners)! We also began to sense it was a gay bar (though perhaps just one with an unusually high proportion of men), which made Lynne’s excited English outburst of “Well in that case I’ll have a fag!” all the more embarrassing. More bars followed, ending up in Vesuvio - a favourite haunt of Jack Kerouac and the Beats - where Lynne was able to relieve her margarita withdrawal symptoms having not had one for several days. Finally it was off to bed, another day filled with memories behind us.
Photos as soon as we can, promise!

Day 24

Not having had the most comfortable of nights, Lynne was up with the sun, just in time to see a bobcat duck under the tent cabin opposite ours! Still no sign of any bears though. The plan for today was to hire some bikes, so we duly reported to the hire centre at 9am sharp to pick up our steeds - magnificent machines with handlebars resembling those of a Harley Davidson!
Feeling just like Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in Easy Rider - apart from the ‘easy’ part, and the fact that we were riding what were essentially adult versions of a Chopper - we set off to explore the valley, the sun on our faces and the wind in our hair! This was a fantastic way to see what is a beautiful place, and made a lovely change from being cooped up inside a car. It did have the disadvantage of not being able to listen to music, so we weren’t able to get our daily dose of Brad Paisley - our new country music hero - but this was compensated by having ‘Born to be Wild’ running on a constant loop in our heads.
Having completed a 10-mile round trip around the valley floor, we stopped on the shore of a mountain stream for a picnic lunch. Hot and sweaty from our exertions, we decided that said stream looked very inviting, so pulled up our bikes at a small beach area where other people were paddling, swimming and kayaking, and happily ran down the sand into the FREEZING water! Not really surprising in hindsight, considering the stream was probably the product of snowmelt or glacial run-off, but ‘refreshing’ is hardly the word!
By the time evening came around, we were exhausted after probably the most exercise we’ve done all trip, although not so exhausted that we couldn’t enjoy yet another all-you-can-eat-buffet! Not up to the standards of Vegas, however - Matthew didn’t even go back for seconds, let alone the five return trips he made at the Paris hotel buffet! Returning to our tent cabin for the second night, we now considered ourselves Yosemite veterans, all fears of bears banished from our minds. Matthew even declared that he thought their presence was overplayed and that the measures we had been required to take were more precautionary than anything. Not so the guy we overheard walking past our tent, however, who announced he was imposing a 7pm curfew on himself the following night, or possibly going to stay in the Hilton. Following a game of ‘Backpacker’ (thanks Paul and Liz), we got into our single beds to read for a bit before going to sleep…
It took a while before it registered with Lynne that the crunching sound outside her window had been going on a bit too long - “What is that sound?” Matthew, who had assumed when it had begun that it was just a fellow camper sorting out the contents of their bear-proof locker, picked up the torch and shone it out the mesh window, straight onto a big hairy arse. No, he wasn‘t looking in the mirror; “It’s a bear,” came his measured response. There followed a brief period of trying to convince Lynne of this fact, but eventually she plucked up the courage to take a look herself, in time to see it disappear around the tent one row back. So much for the ‘precautionary’ measures and the ‘exaggerated’ threat of bears! A little scary, but at the same time a great privilege to get to see one so close. Not that we would have wanted it to come back…

Day 23

Rising early, we took advantage of the little time we had at Lone Pine to have a dip in the motel pool, the contrast of the grey granite mountains of the Sierra Nevada with the clear blue sky providing a gorgeous backdrop in the morning sunshine. As soon as the kids began to arrive at the pool, it was time to pack up and head to Yosemite National Park.
First stop, however, was Mono Lake - a salt basin in North East California that sports a bizarre collection of calcium-carbonate spires (known as tufa) rising from the water, caused by spring water bubbling up through the bottom of the lake, which is high in salt and minerals and “makes for a delightfully buoyant swimming experience” according to the park literature. Braving the brine shrimp, as well as the thousands of flies buzzing around the shoreline to lay their eggs in the water, Matthew therefore waded out to enjoy bobbing about on the surface of the lake like a poo that won’t flush away.
Following a picnic lunch by the lake, it was off to Bodie State Park to explore a real wild west ghost town - a gold rush boomtown with a population of 10000 at its height. After a tortuous drive up yet another winding mountain road, the last 3 miles of which were unpaved, we arrived with only half an hour to spare before the park closed - a real shame as this was a unique experience and it would have been great to have had more time to explore the eerily deserted streets and abandoned, decrepit buildings. As it was, we rushed about snapping pics like a pair of Japanese tourists, before jumping back in the car to head to Yosemite Valley.
This, we had worked out, was only about an hour away, and sure enough after about this time we found ourselves entering Yosemite National Park. What we hadn’t realised is that the Valley is only a small part of the National Park, which is massive and involves yet more twisty mountain roads! By the time we finally arrived at our destination it was dark - not the best conditions in which to unload absolutely every food/drink item and scented product from your car to lock in a bear-proof locker outside your tent cabin! Having done this, checked in and signed a form to say we were ‘bear aware’, we went for a surprisingly good pizza in the camp lodge before retiring to our single beds to shiver in the dark, a sheet of canvas the only barrier between us and a potential bear. Fortunately, the only wildlife we encountered on the walk back to the tent were a raccoon and a skunk, but at least, if one does come knocking, we are bear aware.

Day 22

After checking out, we had one last taste of Vegas for breakfast. No, not a margarita - Lynne had a curry and Matthew had a Philly cheese steak! Lovely start to the day. Following that, Matthew finally gave in to Lynne’s retail cravings and drove to the outlet shopping center. 2 hours later, he appeared with a handful of shopping bags while Lynne only ended up with one little jumper. We are beginning to switch roles in our relationship!
Such a busy morning meant that we now had to drive through Death Valley - one of the hottest places on earth (and, incidentally, the lowest point in North America at 86m below sea level) - in the heat of the afternoon. Very sensible! Pulling up at the information kiosk to purchase park permits, only to find it manned by an automatic ticket machine, we toyed with the idea of not paying but, terrified of the wrath of the desert Gods, dutifully fed $20 into the slot. Luckily we made it through in one piece and were privileged to once again see some incredible scenery en route - sand dunes, unearthly rock formations and a breathtaking view of the valley behind us as we climbed out of it up a twisty, somewhat hair-raising mountain road. What’s more is that our late departure enabled us to witness a beautiful sunset over the Sierra Nevada as we pulled into Lone Pine - our stop for the night.
We had originally planned to press on to Bishop, about an hour further north, but it was dark and Lone Pine looked lovely. And so it turned out to be - one of the most unexpected pleasures of the trip so far! We found a quaint, charming beauty of a motel - the Dow Villa - where, it turns out, John Wayne was a regular guest when filming in the nearby Alabama Hills. Our room was like something from an old people’s home - antique furniture, a separate living area, and a kitchen complete with cooker from the stone age. We headed straight out for food and had a lovely steak by lantern-light on an outside terrace, the warm evening air a perfect antidote to the stifling heat of Vegas. This is one of the many things we looked forward to on this trip - rolling up spontaneously at an unplanned location - and Lone Pine has proven to be everything that Roanoke wasn’t!
N.B. Photos to appear shortly - Blogger's playing up again.

Day 21

We had many things to do today after accidentally spending all of yesterday by the pool. We got up early so that we could do the touristy things up and down the strip before the heat really kicked in. First stop was MGM Grand to see the lion habitat. They were amazing - little lion clubs playing about in their 9 million dollar home. Lynne has decided to change career and become a lion tamer; the avenues will be investigated on our return! A quick trip across the road and we were on the rollercoaster in New York New York. This was so much fun, hurtling around the hotel at 65mph! As we were walking to the Bellagio for another all you can eat buffet lunch, the lure of the $3 margarita was too much for Lynne and we entered Diablo’s for an aperitif. After this, and another obscene amount of eating at the buffet, it was naptime.
Next item on the agenda - buy some champagne to have in the Jacuzzi in our room. After pricing it up in the hotel, we decided to walk to the bargain booze shop down the road to purchase it at a more reasonable price. On the way back, we had a margarita at the front of Caesars before going to get ready for the show we were off to see: Mystere, Cirque Du Soleil, at Treasure Island. We had to arrive an hour early to pick up the tickets, so we had a bit of time to kill. Luckily, Lynne spotted a tequila bar so the margarita addiction could be fed a bit more. Matthew, being more sensible, stuck to the beer and had a go at the computerised poker game built into the bar. Lynne was trying to learn the game, and just as Matthew was about to collect his $8 winnings she touched the screen asking ‘what does that one do?’ Neither of us realised that the game was actually touch screen, as Matthew had been pressing the buttons. It plays again, is what it does! However, Lynne's mistake turned out to be a blessing as we drew four tens and won $57! Margaritas all round!
Mystere was probably the best show that either of us have ever seen. A mixture of acrobats, trapeze artists, tumblers, pole climbers, clowns and strongmen left us in awe of their strength and talent. Matthew has also decided on a career change - he wants to be an acrobat.
On to the casino for Matthew’s final bit of gambling and a nightcap for Lynne’s margarita addiction. Matthew was up (finally) and when a nasty man told Lynne she couldn’t sit down unless she was going to play, Matthew took his $92 and left the game - hooray! We watched some big money gamblers for a while - one guy throwing down $1000 within ten minutes - before heading off to sleep. Absolutely love the decadence of Las Vegas and are planning a return trip very soon!