West Coast Trippin...

It was wonderful seeing my parents again after so long ~ and great showing them some of the sites Los Angeles has to offer. After a sad goodbye to Jen's family we loaded up the "tank" which we rented for our West Coast trip and set off along the coast to Monterey, Big Sur and finally San Francisco. The coastal road provided spectacular views for us as we drove along ~ incredible cliffs and beaches that rivaled the Great Ocean Rd (no sign of decent fish'n'chips though). It was once again very strange to have my parents in the back seat and taking them on a holiday ~ all planned by us (I never want to be a travel agent) ~ to their credit there was very little noise from the back and I did not have to threaten to turn the car around...

After a good number of hours in the car we arrived in San Francisco for the night. My parents enjoyed their first American 'diner' experience (followed by brutal American indigestion...) and then the following day we set off on foot to explore the city. My parents loved the city...slightly less by the time we finished walking the famous hills/streets...and then ended the day with an enjoyable dinner with some old friends.

Admirably, my parents have been willing to try almost any gastronomical experience we can offer...as long as we preface it with 'this is American'. So far they have enjoyed Ben & Jerry's famous icecream, clam chowder in San Francisco...and the piece de resistance - peanut butter and jelly Uncrustables...

The next stop would be the Redwood Forests of Northern California and a quick two day rest on our journey to Portland, Oregon.