We’re off again. First stop, to spend Christmas with daughter no 2, who lives just south of San Francisco. It’s quite a trek. I reckon if everything went smoothly it could be done door to door in 18 hours. However, in my experience, San Francisco has one of the slowest immigration lines in the world and I’ve yet to get through in under 2 hours. We decide to break the journey by driving to London the night before and staying at an airport hotel.
| Day 1 | London to San Francisco |
| Day 2 | Palo Alto |
| Day 3 | Palo Alto |
| Day 4 | |
| Day 5 | |
| Day 6 | |
| Day 7 | |
| Day 8 | Palo Alto |
| Day 9 | |
| Day 10 | Palo Alto to Temecula |
| Day 11 | Temecula |
| Day 12 | Temecula |
| Day 13 | Carlsbad and Oceanside |
| Day 14 | La Jolla |
| Day 15 | Temecula |
| Day 16 | Temecula to Los Angeles |
Day 1 – London to San Francisco
We get up, check out and take the shuttle to Heathrow. An hour after arriving at the airport, we reach the front of the United check in queue (having successfully negotiated the pre queue and the pre pre queue). Next, we spend an hour passing through security.
We are informed that the flight is delayed because the staff haven’t had the required amount of rest. Then it’s delayed some more because the plane has not been cleaned. Finally, we are able to board. The pilot is flying on his day off and the flight attendants look like they’ve been dragged from God’s waiting room. We sit on the tarmac for ages. Five hours since we checked out, our hotel is still visible out of the plane window.
Two hours behind schedule we finally depart. Shortly after take off, we are served food. Then it’s time for lights out. I’m not sure why. It’s day time where we’ve come from and where we’re going. So why we have to sit it darkness for seven hours pretending like it’s night time is beyond me. I feel like a naughty kid being forced to play sleeping lions by a grown up who’s not sure how else to keep me quiet and still.
Eventually, the ancient air hostesses bring a snack. It’s a turkey sandwich. I ask what the vegetarian option is and am told it’s not to have the turkey sandwich. Good old United and their awesome customer service.
We land and promptly manage to break two records from my five flights to San Francisco; firstly, we get through immigration in a mere 90 minutes! Secondly, we collect our hire car and succeed in finding the I-101 junction after only three wrong turns!
We reach our ultimate destination (daughter no 1’s house) around 8.30pm. It’s taken us 19 hours from Heathrow and one of us had two very generous measures of wine on the plane, so we’re quite tired and emotional. So, after a quick catch up and dinner, we depart for our hotel.
Accommodation – Menlo Park Inn
We check into tonight’s accommodation at the Menlo Park Inn and crash. I’m too old for this travel malarkey.
Day 2 – Palo Alto
This trip, as we didn’t want stay in a hotel over Christmas, we’re trying something new; housesitting. We have to be at the house (a 5 minute drive away) at 7.15 am. We get up and check out of our hotel, which serves complimentary breakfast from 7 am. Keen to get our money’s worth, we endeavour to eat breakfast in 10 minutes. We almost manage to scoff down bagels like they’re going out of fashion (which they’re definitely not in America). Then hastily depart – the old man wraps half a bagel in a napkin before heading for the hire car.
Almost immediately, the windows steam up and we can’t work out how to demist them. The old man decides to use the bagel napkin to wipe the condensation off. We arrive almost on time with a windscreen smeared with cream cheese.
The main focus of our house sit is a dog called Mariah. Once we have been shown round and the homeowners have departed, daughter no 2 arrives and we set off to combine walking the dog with a visit to downtown Palo Alto and Stanford University.
Palo Alto
We walk through downtown Palo Alto, lined with shops and a large variety of bars and restaurants.
Stanford University
From here it’s on to Stanford’s enormous squirrel laden campus. Mariah loves squirrels.
Rodin Sculpture Garden
There is plenty of public art scattered around campus, particularly by Rodin. In fact, Stanford holds one of the world’s largest collections of Rodin sculptures. Mariah is particularly taken with ‘The Gates of Hell’.
Hoover Tower
The 87 metre high Hoover Tower is a campus landmark. Not only across campus even. As you fly into San Francisco, you descend over the bay then perform a U turn above the tower before coming in to land at SFO. The tower, named after Herbert Hoover, former US president and Stanford graduate (not related to William Henry Hoover who invented the vacuum cleaner) allegedly offers superb views across the campus. It’s my third trip to Stanford and I still haven’t managed to make it up that damn tower. The first time it was closed due to covid, the second it had opened for affiliates only. I tried begging but to no avail. Now, it’s closed for the holidays. Oh well (books another trip to California). Reservations to climb the elusive tower can be made here; Hoover Tower.
The Main Quad
The Romanesque Quad holds Stanford’s 12 original classrooms from its opening in 1891. From here, the campus spreads for literally miles. Some interesting facts I gleaned from the university’s website; the campus consists of 8,180 acres of land containing 630 buildings, 140 shops, 150 companies, 2,360 housing units and 43,000 trees. That’s a lot of walking! And a lot of squirrels!
Stanford Memorial Church
Stanford University (Leland Stanford Junior University to be precise) was established by Leland Stanford Senior and his wife Jane as a memorial to their only child died of typhoid aged 15. Jane Stanford designed the church as a memorial to her husband after his death in 1903. The church is noted for its beautiful mosaic-tiled frontage and 19 stained-glass windows. Again, in three visits, we’ve not yet been able to go inside. But the exterior is certainly very impressive.
We return to the house via Trader Joes to stock up on supplies. We have walked almost 10 miles. The dog is exhausted and immediately falls asleep in the fireplace.
Day 3 – Palo Alto
Thursday 22 December 2022
- The Instructions: ‘Mariah usually has breakfast around 7.30 am’
- The Reality: At 6.36 am, a ginormous cloud monster launches itself onto the bed, scaring the living daylights out of me.
Once I have concluded I’m not actually having a coronary, it’s apparently time to get up and do breakfast. Still not satisfied, Mariah takes a rummage through the old man’s luggage and finds something tasty to chew amongst his underwear.
I’m not feeling great today, so once the old man’s smalls have been wrestled from the dog’s mouth, the others set off in the hire car (trying to get our deposit back should be interesting) for Arastradero Preserve.
Arastradero Preserve
The preserve, on the outskirts of Palo Alto, is home to various trails, many of them steep, thus providing great views of the city and San Francisco Bay. As I’m not feeling up to a long walk, I opt to return to bed.
In reality, they return with lunch from Trader Joe’s, which is somewhat better than a sprig of something green. Meanwhile, the robot hoover sets off on its daily routine of randomly bumping into furniture, getting stuck in the heating ducts and trying to run me over. I feel like I’m in a early episode of Dr Who, being menaced by some rubbish, yet slightly sinister robot.
Dinner from Curry Pizza House
In the evening I rally sufficiently to take a walk around the block, then it’s time for dinner. Daughter no 2 suggests ordering pizza from Curry Pizza House. Like the name suggests, it sells pizza with curry toppings. We choose half and half; one side aloo gobi and the other palak paneer. Interesting flavour combinations.
Day 5 – Palo Alto
Saturday 24 December 2022
No blog yesterday as I have been laid low with flu for the past couple of days. The others went to San Jose and I really wanted to go with them, but once I got out of bed, I started shivering violently and couldn’t stop. So daughter no 2 sent me back to bed with an abundance of tangerine juice and I had to admit defeat.
However, this morning is parkrun day and I am determined to drag myself from a sea of snotty tissues and make it to Byxbee Park.
Byxbee Park
Byxbee Park, on the outskirts of Palo Alto, is on the shore of San Francisco Bay. It is constructed over a former landfill site and consists of trails along the shore line plus some manmade hills with public art which look like someone got hold of a job lot of telegraph poles and couldn’t think of anything better to do with them than plonk them on a hillside.
Byxbee Parkrun
Byxbee parkrun takes place in Byxbee Park every Saturday at 8 am. It consists of two out-and-back loops along Creek Loop Trail. As you run along the shoreline, you can spot waterfowl and other wildlife aplenty. Once I actually overtook a hare by the finish line proving that I really am the tortoise.
It’s a very friendly, mostly expat affair. Parkrun hasn’t really caught on among Americans (they appear to be suspicious of anything free) so the runners are usually a mixture of Brits, Australians, Germans – every nationality except American. This morning we are volunteering. I am car park marshal, daughter no 2 is doing the first timers’ briefing and the old man (and Mariah) are tail walking.
As parkrun takes place earlier here, it’s an early start. I wake to see a woman has broken the world record at Poole this morning. Personally, I’m just pleased to be able to get out of bed, which is more than I managed yesterday.
Once the onerous duty of car park marshal has been fulfilled (standing in the road holding a sign), we set off on our run. I manage to walk/run for alternate minutes, which is somewhat of an achievement, if probably not a good idea. Not only do I make it to the finish, but I’m almost 20 minutes in front of the tail walkers.
On the way home, I can’t resist stopping at some OTT Christmas decorations. Check out my baubles!
Lunch comes from another of the many restaurants on the downtown Palo Alto strip. This time, from Crepevine. I chose the California crepe. To be honest, I bought it for tea last night and it was so huge I’ve split it over two meals. And there’s still some left…
As I have not actually been out of bed for two days, Christmas lunch is not looking good. Not to mention the lack of presents. So in the afternoon, it’s a last minute dash to the shops to buy the ingredients to make a vegetarian Christmas dinner in someone else’s oven, which frankly we haven’t got to grips with. What could go wrong?
Once we have amassed a strange array of ingredients from what’s left on the shelves of Target, the others take Mariah to the dog park while I have a little nap. Not the most successful outing. She manages to stick her head into a can and get her ears covered in engine oil. To make things worse, the front door is left open while we try to clean her, and the robot hoover makes a bid for freedom.
In the evening, after a rather interesting sprout based teriyaki stir fry, we take Mariah for one last walk, taking in some of Palo Alto’s Christmas decorations. Downtown is looking very festive with its illuminated trees.
But my favourite is a house in Addison Avenue which is decorated several times a year. For Christmas they have really gone to town with the lights and poinsettias. There was even a fancy ice sculpture in the garden at one point which hasn’t lasted long in the Californian climate…
Day 6 – Christmas Day
Sunday 25 December 2022
Although I’ve travelled extensively, I’ve only not made it home for Christmas on three occasions and two of those were due to diplomatic postings, so still very British affairs.
Today, we have our California Christmas, which is different in a number of ways. First, timing needs to include factoring in calls to family in different time zones. As daughter no 2’s boyfriend is in Australia, and thus 18 hours ahead of us, Christmas phase 1 was last night.
This morning, after a festive breakfast of bagels with strawberry cream cheese and blueberry cream cheese (I don’t understand why Philadelphia don’t sell fruity cream cheese in the UK!) it’s time to call family in England. Not the most successful of calls as my voice is really croaky and when I try to talk, it rapidly deteriorates into coughing.
Next up, to wear out the dog so she hopefully sleeps through Christmas lunch instead of drooling all over the table.
Stanford Dish
Today we have chosen Stanford Dish. Situated on a hill overlooking Palo Alto, and so named because there’s a radio telescope on the top of the hill, the area consists of a number of trails.
As I am still struggling with the flu, I return to bed to rest. When the others arrive at the Dish, they realise dogs are not allowed, so the old man has to walk Mariah elsewhere. Only daughter no 2 actually makes it to the Dish, as part of her marathon training.
Christmas Lunch
Back home it’s time to tackle a vegetarian Christmas lunch, made with food bought last minute from Target, in an unfamiliar kitchen. Before I get started, some googling is necessary. The oven is in Fahrenheit and there aren’t any measurements I understand on the measuring jug either. And don’t even get me started on the fact that the pan handles, lids and utensils are all metal and I keep burning my hands.
First up, veggie pigs in blankets in a country where sausages are somewhat different to what we’re used to back home. We have bought a couple of different sorts to experiment with. In addition, the old man has had a meat panic buy and purchased some sausages of his own.
Next up, gravy. There was no vegetarian gravy in Target, so we must make from scratch from what we can find in the cupboards, which are stocked with some weird and wonderful produce. I give you onion gravy with a splash of pomegranate vinegar. Add in some vegetables and we have a veritable, if slightly unorthodox feast. For dessert, we have a Ghirardelli’s chocolate brownie kit to bake.
After another a quick nap, we spend the afternoon watching Matilda the Musical. Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll finally be over this damn flu and we can explore a little further afield…
Day 7 – San Francisco
Today, after five rough days, I’m starting to feel vaguely human. So, for the first time in what feels like forever, I am able to join the others on today’s outing. As it’s a public holiday, we decide to take a drive up the I-101 to San Francisco.
We park near Fort Mason because we know there’s free car parking there, then take a walk through Fort Mason, along the Embarcadero to Fisherman’s Wharf, as far as Pier 39.
Fort Mason
The former shipyard of Fort Mason has been transformed into a cultural centre and park. For me, the best thing is the views it offers across the bay to The Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. Although, to be honest it’s not that great a view today because the weather is rather overcast.
Fisherman’s Wharf
The area along the bay shore is lined with all manner of tourist opportunities; souvenir shops, restaurants, old ships and museums such as Musee Mechanique and Ridley’s Believe it or Not! But not really places to explore with a dog in tow.
Pier 39
So we continue to the iconic Pier 39, lined with even more shops, restaurants and tourist attractions. Including, of course, the sea lions for which it is famous.
We do a full circuit of Pier 39, from the festive displays at the entrance, as far as the heart at the end.
Then back down the side to watch the sea lions which bask on nearby pontoons. It turns out that Mariah is scared of sea lions, so we move (very) quickly on as she pelts off up the pier with daughter no 2 clinging on for dear life!
Lunch at Boudin Bakery
On our return, we stop for lunch at Boudin Bakery, famous for its soup in a sourdough roll. The store is absolutely heaving. It appears that we were far from the only ones who thought a stroll along Fisherman’s Walk and and lunch at Boudin’s was the way to spend the day.
The store is beautifully decorated with a tree adorned with bread decorations. We finally make the front of the queue, purchase our soup and take it outside to eat. The old man opts for the clam chowder, while we choose tomato soup with Parmesan and croutons. Because if you’re going to serve soup in an entire loaf of bread, what it’s really crying out for is a garnish of more bread! Mariah sits underneath the the mesh table, trying desperately to work out why she can see food but somehow not quite reach it.
After lunch, we walk back to the car and return to Palo Alto to pack for the next leg of our adventure. In the morning, the old man flies to Los Angeles to start our second house sit in Temecula. We will follow slightly later. Being British and living on a small island, I happily agreed to two housesits – one finishing tomorrow and the other starting tomorrow in the same state. Simple, right? I forgot how absolutely enormous California actually is. It turns out the houses are 448 miles apart. Hence, in the absence of a teleport, we must split up with him going on ahead, while we wait for Maria’s owners to return.
Day 8 – Palo Alto
Tuesday 27 December 2022
Today, the old man gets up early and heads to the airport for his flight to Los Angeles. From here, he will pick up a hire car to drive 90 miles south east to Temecula for our second house sit.
Meanwhile, theoretically, we will wait for Mariah’s owners to return, then join him in the morning. Only our flights are with Southwest Airlines. Whereas some airlines have cancelled some flights due to adverse weather elsewhere in the US, Southwest has pretty much rolled over and played dead, cancelling most of their flights for the past three days. So it’s no huge surprise when I get the message that Wednesday’s flight is cancelled with an option to rebook for Sunday. That not even this year! I’m not impressed and ask for a refund. Apparently I’m not being flexible!
After a stressful morning looking at alternative flights (which would cost an arm and a leg) or alternative methods of transport (which would take many hours), we are beginning to despair, when daughter no 2’s friend offers us a lift to Pasadena on Thursday. Which is close enough for the old man to rescue us. Daughter no 2’s friend is an actual Angel.
So we can relax, pack and take Mariah for one last walk. We take a wander through downtown Palo Alto. Daughter no 2 may have lived here for 18 months, but she spends most of her time on the University campus, so there are still places she hasn’t been. Like this interesting house where the owner wasn’t afraid to experiment with colour…
Elizabeth F Gamble Garden
We walk to the Elizabeth F Gamble Garden. Elizabeth Gamble was the granddaughter of the founder of Proctor & Gamble. Her family moved to Palo Alto when she was a child so her brothers could attend Stanford University.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth attended college then dedicated much of her time to the garden of her family home, which she later inherited and subsequently bequeathed to the city of Palo Alto.
The garden is open to the public for free all year round during daylight hours. There are also opportunities to take guided tours of the house, but not in winter.
To be honest, the garden isn’t at its finest in winter; none of the roses or irises it is known for are in bloom, but we still enjoy a pleasant stroll round the grounds.
Hewlett Packard Garage
We return along Addison Avenue. Here, outside a private house, is a plaque commemorating the role of the property’s Garage. You can’t visit the garage; it’s in someone’s back garden, but the plaque out front acknowledges the garage as being the birthplace of Silicon Valley.
When a Stanford professor urged his students to go and start their own tech companies rather than joining established firms, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard did just that. From this garage in Palo Alto, Hewlett Packard went on to become the world’s leading PC manufacturer.
We walk back through downtown, which is buzzing with people out eating and shopping. We stop at the nearest thing to a supermarket (Whole Foods) to buy some drinks. I wait outside with the dog. I went in Whole Foods once. As a food allergy sufferer, it’s not somewhere I’d venture twice.
Once Mariah’s owners have returned, we can head to daughter no 2’s house for dinner and bed before an unexpected bonus day in Palo Alto tomorrow.
Day 9 – Palo Alto
Wednesday 28 December 2022
Today, thanks to the Southwest Airlines Christmas sh** show, we have an extra day in Palo Alto. Some good news, however is that after a fairly prolonged argument about my lack of flexibility (not being prepared to wait 4 days for them to get their act together) I have been promised a cash refund.
So, now that we are finally dog free, we decide to have a day of culture. We borrow a bike for me and set off for the Stanford campus to see some art.
Cantor Arts Center
First up, The Cantor Arts Center. The Center is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11-5. It is free to enter, but you must have an online reservation.
Stanford University was conceived by Leland and Jane Stanford as a memorial to their only son who died of typhoid in his teens. Leland Junior was an an avid collector, and the building which houses the Cantor Arts Center was originally The Stanford Museum, built to house these and other treasures amassed by the Stanford family. Later it evolved into the Cantor Arts Center, partly due to most of poor Leland’s collection being lost in an earthquake. The 24 galleries house a mixture of permanent and temporary exhibitions.
First Floor
Lobby
In the lobby is this impressive brass cast of a horse made from driftwood.
Stanford Family Room
The remains of the Stanford Family collection can be seen in The Mourning Cabinet.
Meier Family Galleria – The Faces of Ruth Asawa
Here you can see The Faces of Ruth Asawa. On the wall are 233 ceramic face masks which Asawa cast from her friends and family.
Rodin
The Center has the largest collection of Rodin sculptures outside Paris, with 199 works. In addition to the exterior Rodin sculpture garden, there is more of the sculptor’s work inside, including The Thinker.
African Art
There is plenty of traditional African art on display, but I was drawn to the work of a Kenyan artist on a rather British topic; Brexit.
First Floor
Running round the first floor is Yinka Shonibare’s The American Library. It consists of 6000 books wrapped in batik fabric embossed with first and second generation immigrants who have made an impact on American culture
Sculpture Terrace
Temporary Exhibition – East of The Pacific
This exhibition focuses on the work of Asian and Asian American artists, highlighting key moments of intersection between Asia and the USA. There are some beautiful pictures of life in various Chinatowns.
My favourites are some of the work by artists of Japanese heritage painted while they were incarcerated during WWII.
Early European Art
To be honest, not my thing and some of it is rather creepy. Like this painting of baby Jesus holding a cross. What’s all that about?
Rehmus Family Gallery – Indigenous American Art
The Anderson Collection
Next door is another gallery, this one focusing on modern American art; The Anderson Collection. It has the same opening hours and likewise requires an online reservation to visit.
To be honest, modern art is lost on us, so we have a quick wander round, then pootle off on our bikes towards Trader Joe’s in search of lunch and supplies for tomorrow’s California road trip.
Day 10 – Palo Alto to Temecula
As Southwest Airlines cancelled our flight and purchasing new tickets was not possible, our only option to reach Temecula before 2023 is to drive. So today we set off on our impromptu 450 mile California road trip. Daughter no 2’s friend has offered us a 327 mile lift to Pasadena, and the old man, who is already at the housesit, will drive the last 121 miles to collect us.
Drive to Temecula
So, it’s an early start for a long day on the road. Without stops or traffic it would take just over 7 hours. Throw in lunch and swapping cars and we’re estimating around 9 hours. At 7 am, we set off, armed with snacks, on our incompetent airline inspired road trip. It’s actually an easy drive, with little traffic and the sort of navigation instructions you’d never see in the UK; ‘turn right in 237 miles’. So we drive and drive through mile after mile of farmland with the occasional mountain range thrown in.
Pyramid Lake
We stop for lunch at Pyramid Lake, which has a nice view for a picnic. We aren’t allowed to go too close to the lake, which has been shut due to the presence of toxic algae.
Vista del Lago Visitor Center
Overlooking the lake is the Vista del Lago Visitor Center dedicated to water conservation, with some fun hands-on exhibits, such as trying to generate sufficient energy to bring water over the Tehachapi Mountains to Los Angeles.
Towsley Canyon Park
We continue to our rendezvous point; Towsley Canyon Park in Santa Clarita, as daughter no 2’s friend is even more hard core than her and is going for a trail run in the mountains.
From here, we are rescued by the old man who drives us to Temecula. As the next part of the drive is round the outskirts of Los Angels, we make rather slower progress, finally reaching Temecula just under 9 hours after departing Palo Alto. It should have been a 90 minute flight. Thanks Southwest Airlines!
Following a brief stop in town to purchase dinner, we drive up into the mountains overlooking Temecula, famed for its vineyards, to our home for the next week. It’s a huge house with a spectacular view presided over by the infinity pool. There’s also a Jacuzzi but using it is complicated; we have to text someone 4 hours in advance and he turns it on remotely for an hour.
In addition to the rationing of the hot tub, we are forbidden to go upstairs. Not that it really matters as the house is massive. We are taking care of one well behaved dog and cat plus a huge dog which the homeowners said lived outside during the day and in a cage at night. However, they changed their minds the day before departing and the huge dog is now no longer caged at night. He is very excited about his new found freedom and spends the evening alternatively terrorising the cat and humping anything that moves and plenty of things that don’t move!
Day 11 – Temecula
Harveston Lake
Daughter no 2 wants to go for a run this morning, so we drive to Harveston Lake. This pretty little lake has a 0.8 mile long walking/jogging trail round the perimeter. So, daughter no 2 can run four laps, while I jog three laps and the old man walks two laps, all ending up at roughly the same place at the same time.
Wilson Creek Winery
Temecula is set in a valley surrounded by grapevines, so today we select one of the many wineries in the area for a tasting session. We choose Wilson Creek Winery which offers a taster menu of any six wines of your choice.
The choices are red wine, white wine or a variety of flavoured sparkling wines, such as Orange Mimosa, watermelon and Limoncello. There’s even a red wine with added chocolate. Weird and not altogether pleasant.
After a prolonged argument about daughter no 2’s age and the validity of a British driving licence as a form of ID, they eventually agree to serve her and we can set about selecting our six wine samples. The old man is driving, so just generally paces and moans about the lack of provision for designated drivers.
We stop on the way home to purchase a bottle of wine for the evening at supermarket prices, then return to the house, for a relaxing sunset soak in the hot tub, which comes complete with colour changing lights.
I say relaxing; in reality, once I climb into the hot tub, the dog steals my clothes…
Day 12 – New Year’s Eve in Temecula
Old Town Temecula
This morning daughter no 2 has to do another run and there are no pavements on the roads round here, so we take a drive into Old Town Temecula.
The Hotel Temecula
We park at the Old Town Garage, where parking is free and daughter no 2 sets of in her run, while we take a wander along Main Street as far as The Hotel Temecula, which was built in 1883 when the railroad arrived in town. Adjoining the hotel is the Emigrant Office. This popular backdrop for tourist photos isn’t as old as it might seem. It was built by the U.S. Border Patrol after WWII.
Old Town Front Street
Once daughter no 2 has finished her run, we take a walk (via refuelling stops for donuts and hot chocolate) along Old Town Front Street, lined with old style buildings housing restaurants, antique and gift stores. There are some very nice stores, but the prices are a bit too 21st century; $1.95 for a post card – what’s that all about?
Old Town Arch
At the northern end of town, you will find the Old Town Arch (there is also one at the southern end). The iconic iron gateways depict the city’s history.
Temecula Valley Museum
We walk as far as Temecula Valley Museum. Here, in theory, you can ‘Take a step back in time and experience the rich history of the Temecula Valley from its discovery to today. A visit to the Temecula Valley Museum promises a fun and informational day for the entire family.’ In reality, it is shut today, so no fun family day for us…
Utility Box Project
I love a bit of public art. Throw in a trail and I’m off and running (well walking anyway). In Temecula, the Utility Box Project consists of 20 utility boxes around town which have been decorated with the work of local artists. A map of the boxes can be found here.
Temecula Farmers Market
In a car park on 6th Street, a weekly Farmers Market takes place. Here you can find all sorts of local produce, such as food, flowers and toiletries. It theoretically takes place every Saturday from 8 am to 12.30 pm, however when we arrive shortly before midday, many stalls are already being packed up.
New Year’s Eve Grape Drop
It’s New Year’s Eve, so we’re off to watch it being celebrated Temecula style – with the New Year’s Eve Grape Drop, when an enormous bunch of grapes is dropped from the roof of City Hall.
According to the press release, there will be a fun zone and the grapes will dropped twice; once at midnight and once at East Coast midnight (9 pm). Ideal for old fogies like us, as we don’t have to stay up past our bedtime. Plus, we have to be home before 11 pm when the alarm is triggered.
The fun zone turns out to be two bouncy castles, a burger van, a face painter and a stand where you can make your own hat. There’s still 80 minutes to go before the big event, there’s nothing for it, we’re going to have to make hats.
After a wander round town, we return to City Hall to watch the band in the build up to (East Coast) midnight. The weather is lousy and we get progressively colder and wetter as we wait.
Finally a lady comes on stage to explain that it’s too windy to drop the grapes. Instead they’re going to illuminate City Hall in grape colours. TBH City Hall had been illuminated up until that point. They’ve just turned the lights off and hoped nobody noticed.
Then there’s a big countdown and the lights, which had been all evening, are turned back on again. Talk about an anticlimax! Happy New Year from Temecula.
Day 13 – Carlsbad and Oceanside
It rained heavily all night and we woke up to find ourselves in a cloud. Today’s plan was to drive to the Pacific coast. To be honest, when I put the itinerary together, I had a somewhat different image of Southern California which didn’t include torrential rain and gale force winds. But, hoping that maybe the weather might be better by the coast (lol), we set off regardless.
Carlsbad
Our first stop is the small town of Carlsbad. We park near the beach, with the plan of walking through town then back to the car along the shore.
We walk through the town, where most of the restaurants but not much else is open as it’s New Year’s Day.
It’s a pretty town with plenty of murals. I especially liked this oversized painted chair which, of course, I managed to sit in with total dignity!
Walking back along the beach is not as easy as anticipated. The coast is lined with residential properties with zero public access. I can’t think of another country in the world where the beach is so closely guarded by the wealthy. So, we have to walk for some time along a road with no pavement, jumping into the ditch each time a car passes.
Eventually, we find an alleyway which provides beach access and can walk the rest of the way along the shore. The beach is sandy, but has two levels. As we walk along, the difference between the levels increases. By the time we are adjacent to the car park, there’s a metre high sand cliff to negotiate. Obviously, I climb this with grace and elegance! Why, when I’m stuck, daughter no 2 thinks the appropriate response is not to give me a hand but turn on her camera, I don’t know! At this point, the heavens open and we get completed drenched in the few hundred metre dash back to the car.
Oceanside
We drive 3 miles further along the coast to Oceanside. The rain has subsided but there is a fierce wind. Daughter no 2 needs to run 6 km, so the old man and I decide to talk a walk along the pier.
Oceanside Pier
This iconic 19th century Oceanside Pier stands almost 600 metres long. Walking along it requires fighting our way into a very strong headwind and the walk feels infinite. The only good thing about the wind is that it dries out our soaking clothes fairly rapidly.
Finally, we reach the end and turn for the much quicker return to shore. The waves rolling up to the pier are enormous, almost reaching up to the railings.
We have just enough time to take a quick wander into town. Then we return to meet daughter no 2.
Two of us want to explore further, find somewhere nice to eat and visit the California Surf Museum, but the old man declares he’s had enough, so we drive home via the supermarket for a very late lunch.
In the evening, we decide to brave the cold for another dip in the hot tub accompanied by some Wilson Creek watermelon sparkling wine.
Day 14 – La Jolla
It’s finally stopped raining and I get up to a stunning view of mist hanging over the valley. I decide to walk along the rim of the infinity pool to take a photo.
I don’t have very good balance, so am grateful to make it to the end without teetering over the end and down the side of the mountain. I turn round to find my way barred by an enormous dog.
Once the animals are sorted, we set off on today’s outing to the coastal town of La Jolla. I had to planned to meet up with an old friend from uni, but he had emergency surgery over Christmas, so we are going to have to entertain ourselves.
La Jolla Shores
We drive the 60 miles south to La Jolla, only we don’t; daughter no 2 has navigated us to La Jolla Shores, a couple of miles further along the coast, because it has a free car park.
Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier
From here we walk along the beach to the succinctly named Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier.
It’s an interesting structure, but unfortunately you can’t actually gain access, as it is a university research facility.
From here, daughter no 2 wants to walk the 3 miles into town because parking is difficult/expensive in La Jolla. I’m perfectly comfortable with forking out $10 to avoid a 6 mile return walk. There is an argument. Ultimately I win and we drive to La Jolla, which is absolutely heaving and finding somewhere to park is really difficult. We should have walked (just kidding).
La Jolla Cove
We finally find a garage, where we can park for $10 and take a walk along the shore, starting at La Jolla Cove. The cove is teaming with the most pelicans I’ve ever seen; flying, swimming, nesting on the cliff tops. There are pelicans everywhere. Meanwhile, frolicking around the edge of the cove are dolphins.
There’s also a cave here, if paying $5 to visit a cave is your thing.
Ellen Browning Scripps Park
We walk through Ellen Browning Scripps Park. To call the area a park is a little generous; it’s just some grass and a few sad bushes. But the ocean views and the marine wildlife make this the most photographed spot in San Diego.
On the beaches are dozens of seals and sea lions along with more pelicans and other sea birds.
La Jolla Children’s Pool
We walk through the park to La Jolla Children’s Pool. Here, someone had the smart idea of constructing a sheltered area where, in theory, children could play safely in the ocean. In reality, a whole load of seals and sea lions promptly moved in. Even if it wasn’t sealed off (see what I did there) I wouldn’t want to swim here – the smell is pungent.
Downtown La Jolla
After our marine wildlife extravaganza and we take a wander through town for some window shopping and in search of lunch.
Lunch at Java Earth Coffee
We settle on Java Earth Coffee, where I order a soy chorizo burrito. Daughter no 2 can’t read the menu without her glasses, so borrows mine. Half blind, I take the old man his coffee, misjudging the distance to the table. The upshot is that he ends up wearing most of his coffee.
Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church
The Mission Style Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church dates back to 1909. The church has some interesting artwork. There is a mosaic entitled “Our Lady, Star of the Sea” above the entrance, the interior is adorned with murals, while outside are several sculptures.
Murals of La Jolla
We round our trip off with some mural spotting. According to the website, the Murals of La Jolla consists 15 murals painted on buildings around town. Now usually, this would be right up my street, but in this instance, they’re too far apart to make a walking tour realistic. They’re also quite difficult to spot.
We go looking for a mural allegedly on the side of 1250 Prospect Street, but a thorough circumnavigation of the building fails to locate said mural. The photo on the website is clearly taken by a drone. How you would see this ‘public art’ without a drone is beyond me. Next….
We do manage to find the latest mural further down the road at 1162 Prospect Street, entitled ‘Hedonic Treadmill’. This is, apparently, ‘an ecstatic amalgamation of imagery seeking to playfully and poignantly deconstruct the current state of the American mythos’. And with that our time in La Jolla is at an end. We drive back to Temecula for another fun filled evening of trying to prevent the dog from killing the cat.
Day 15 – Temecula
It’s our last full day in California and we had planned a day trip to sunny San Diego. Only it’s not sunny, it’s raining. Again. So, we abort our original plans in favour of a shopping trip, where we can at least keep dry.
Promenade Temecula
So we drive into town to Promenade Temecula, which is the most enormous shopping mall I’ve ever experienced. It contains over 160 units, including several department stores.
We don’t even cover a fraction, but end up walking five miles. It’s not the most successful of trips, but by the end of the morning we have amassed a Mickey Mouse babygrow, a haircut (daughter no 2) and sore feet (me).
After a quick stop for groceries, we return to rescue the dog, who has been out in the rain all morning. It’s not that he doesn’t have anywhere to shelter; more that he’s stupid.
Finally, the rain subsides and we can spend one last evening relaxing and drinking Californian wine in the colour changing hot tub. Tomorrow sees the end of our Californian Christmas and we must clean the house and depart for our respective airports for our onwards journeys.
Day 16 – Temecula to Los Angeles
Not much to report today as not much happened. I got up to a very brief break in the almost constant rain and went out to take a photo of the sun rising over the mountains. Then it started raining. Again.
Temecula to Los Angeles
After a lovely couple of weeks with daughter no 2, it is time for her to go home. So, we drive her to San Diego to catch her flight. Then we drive back to Temecula to await the homeowners. Their flight is delayed, so we now have 8 hours to kill before we can depart for our hotel in Los Angeles. A fun filled afternoon of cleaning and reading and cleaning entails. Finally we are relieved of our adopted menagerie and can drive the 95 miles to Los Angeles, so we are nearer the airport for tomorrow’s flight to Tokyo.
LAX Stadium Inn
Tonight’s hotel is LAX Stadium Inn, a bog standard airport hotel. A bit of a come down after 2 weeks of housesitting, but it’s a nice to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet and no dog hair. It’s not the best hotel we’ve ever stayed in, but it’s not the worst either. It’s reasonably clean and comfortable. The main downsides are that there are no duvets; just a very thin blanket, and I end up having to put my fleece over my pyjamas to keep warm. Plus it is sandwiched between a busy road and the airport but only has single glazed windows, so it’s also extremely noisy.
After a long drive, we decide to unwind before bed time with a beer. The old man already has some beer, so I go to the off licence across the street and buy myself a couple of cans. They’re very big cans – 25 fl oz to be precise. Oops!
I hope you found the above information useful. For guides to more destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full list of Independent Travel Itineraries here.
- Trip taken: December 2022
- Updated December 2024
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