Residence Inn Marriott Palo Alto - Los Altos

... with over our years of traveling has been trying to find good Sourdough bread - it doesn't exist east of Arizona, along with Italian dry salami and Artichokes. Well, Castroville is the Artichoke Capitol of the WORLD and we hit the mother lode. We found a stand selling artichokes. In fact you could purchase 10 for $1. They are little, about fist sized, but really good. Who cares if you ...

... for organising it all and to Wendy for getting us safely across Route 66. Hope we see you in NZ one day soon Can't believe that we have driven or rode over 4000 miles across 8 states, are here safely and after spending all that time closely together, we are still all speaking  and happy.Most priceless moment...seeing Russells face riding in the wind with his children and friends. Thank you Mumma X

Big catch up day and the laundry was in full use, cases unpacked sorted and repacked as we have 3 days here, drove down to Stamford University , then it was the last ride to return the bikes. Paul and Kim rode up to the skyline drive and back to SF to meet up with the rest, all ok with bike return, time to party!!! Lots of txts from family and friends, lots of champagne etc ...

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... with views of nearby Tenerife (34-922-87-11-00; parador.es; doubles, $131-$192). GETTING THERE: Book through a discount Web site such as flightline.co.uk for flights from the United Kingdom, or a bargain carrier like Spanair for those from the mainland. Langkawi, Malaysia The most splendid weather sweeps through this 99-island archipelago from December through April; in the ...

... accommodation for the next two nights. Seems to have gone up considerably - maybe as a result of people fleeing the Lake Tahoe fire a little further north. We are now going east and will avoid the area. Later we had a drink in a Irish bar before finding an Indian (just the same as home) for our evening meal. We've had a really nice time in SF - once we found out how to avoid the beggars. It's expensive and full of tourists but has a nice feel to the place and there is plenty to do.

... a neighbourhood really. We also went to Muir Woods. Most tourists come to San Fran to see them because the Redwoods that reside at the forest are more than 2000 years old. They are untouched, and kept in their natural habitat. These woods are also known because president Roosevelt held the first UN Meeting in the middle of the forest. We weren't as surprised to see Redwoods because we have seen them on our drive along the Oregon Coast Highway ...

after only about 12 hours in washington we had to fly to san fran. luckily i rang to confirm my flight and found out it was 2 hours earlier at 6am so i had about 3 hours kip befor heading off to the airport. the flight was sound bar no grub again, and from the air i got to see the pentagon lit up in all its glory so was chuffed at that. i then had a 4 hour lay over in dallas before settin off to san fran. that flight was even cooler, with views over ...

... Coffee on Columbus Avenue (http://www.cafferoma.com) for a good latte. Cafe Roma has been around for about 3 generations and they roast their own coffee on site. We learned a little about coffee roasting, and also why Starbucks coffee in the US taste "burnt". The story? I'm learning I'm gonna have to start taking notes in future so I can add it into my travel blogs! Sorry, no story to repeat this time! Good coffee, and a Cannoli. This is the first ...

... The owners are really friendly and greet the locals by name. Stewart tried the peanut smoothie and liked it. We then caught a bus into the funkier area of Haight - the Haight Ashbury cross. It was made famous in the 60's and still retains a funky florescent dope ridden culture! We then walked into the Golden Gate Park where we toured the lovely botanical gardens before having tea in the wonderful Japanese Tea Gardens. We then caught a bus up to the Golden Gate Bridge where we soaked in ...