So, LA! What a great city....but they were ready to move on! Even though it was the weekend there was the hustle and bustle of the big city! But with that comes the uncertainty of who you might meet and wondering if where ever you are going is safe or not! But, they enjoyed their time despite realising that they are not theme park people - even though the visit to Universal was great fun! The city is a huge sprawling mass and some of the others travellers with us made it to the racecourse for some horse racing, some went on the wild side and crossed the city on the public busses and metro system - even crossing some of the more 'colourful' districts of the city! It appears to be a city of the 'haves' and the 'have nots'! You see the evidence of the 'haves' all around you and the evidence of the 'have nots' is also in your face! What you don't get a feel for being in the 'downtown' district is what it's like for the people in the middle - the ordinary people like us who are trying to go about their everyday lives in peace and quiet! However, as with the other places we have visited the people working in the service industry have proved to be very friendly, helpful and efficient!
So, we left early Sunday morning and would be be stopping for breakfast/brunch in Palm Springs about 90 minutes along Interstate 10! The roads were quiet for LA standards and we were soon heading out of the big city into some of the many suburban sprawls that surround the city.
Today is a driving day we were told! 400 plus miles to Phoenix, Arizona! Now, morally if you said you had 400 miles to go n a bus your heart would sink! But not today! The journey passed in a flash and we had two stops enroute! Today was a day of desert, rocky mountains, eccentric people, mega trains and cacti!
The railway line followed the route of the road for quite a while and we saw numerous freigh trains chug past on their way to LA, The trains went on for hundreds of yards and had container after container stacked two high along the length of the trains no wonder they needed two or three locomotives and both ends to push or pull the vast carriages they were carrying.
Their first stop was in Palm Springs! This is way inland from LA and is oppressively hot - although not the worst they would encounter today! Infant, I was beginning to wish I was not quite so furry as this heat is not good for keeping your fur nice and shiny!
Palm Springs, as with the other places we have seen In and around LA, is or has been home to a wide number of the rich and famous! President Gerald Ford moved there after his presidency and his wife opened up her famous 'clinic'' in the surrounding desert of Palm Springs! Liberace lived there for many years as did Sony and Cher! Infant, Sony Bono was Mayor of Palm Springs and I managed to get my photo taken beside his statue to commemorate his having lived there! Bob Hope lived there and the Bob Hope Classic is played on one of its many golf courses there!
However, the in attraction at the moment is a 26 foot high statue of Maryln Monroe in the centre of town! The statue, weighing 34 tonnes, depicts Maryln in her most iconic pose from the 1955 movie 'The Seven Year Itch!' it is stunning and seemed to be a real draw....especially to look up at it from underneath! I don't know why that was?
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/inland_empire&id=8666611
Follow the link to find out more about the statue!
So, they arrived just after 9.50am and had till 11.30 before they had to be off again. First order of the day for everyone was breakfast, or lunch, or bruch - but everyone wanted food! Craig had suggested a couple of places but most people seemed to gravitate to 'Pinochios'!
http://www.pinocchiops.com/main.php?PID=location
This was obviously THE place to be in town for breakfast as they were QUEUEING to get tables! As long as it was not as long as yesterday's queues that will be ok! The restaurant was heaving and the noise of the chatter was very audible! They got a seat outside and waited to have their orders taken! Quite a few seemed to be taking up the offer of champagne and orange juice but they stuck to just the orange juice and iced water! This was a must in the searing, dry heat! L had eggs bennedict while A opted for toast and fresh fruit! L was taken aback by the size of the portion that arrived along with quite a number of roast potatoes! Well. It would be a long day in the bus!
After breakfast they had an hour or so to explore! They went up the main street and checked out the shops, restaurants and other attractions! I got my photo taken at Sonny Bono's statue to commemorate him being mayor! Then they went back to see Maryln again and take some more photos! A got his photo taken under the statue and he would not let me look up as I am still a young bear! But she looked very impressive!
They left Palm Springs at 11.30. We now had a straight drive to the border of California and on into Arizona! We were heading for Phoenix, but would be staying in Scottsdale which is the neighbouring city to it. We had one stop on the way at a truck stop once we had just crossed into Arizona! To say it was hot was an understatement and I could feel my fur mating just in the heat! The air conditioned bus lulls you into a false sense of security as you feel nicely chilled! But as soon as you left the bus to go into the truck stop your breath was taken away! But, there was a breeze on hand to help! However, it was like standing infornt of a hair dryer and the wind was doing nothing to cool you down! Stocked up on some snacks they headed off for the third and last leg of the days journey.
The journey was spectacular....and we believe there is better to come yet on the desert front! The mountains in the distance n both sides of the valley were majestic as they soared up into the sky. In between was mile after mile of scrub land and desert! The views were spectacular! But you have to wonder why people would want to live out there! It's a desert and is incredibly hot! If it was not for the Colorado river providing them with water to. Live and work with there would be no chance of scraping a living there. However, the sign 'Gold Nugget Road' perhaps give you an ideas as to why some ventured out in those conditions to live their!
Continuing along Interstate 10 we passed a large nuclear power plant which dwarfed Douneray quite considerably! We also passed one of Arizona's State Penitentiary's and were slightly perturbed by the road sign on the highway! 'Please do not pickup hitchhikers in this area!'
After what seems no time at all we were soon pulling into Phoenix. We seem to be affecting the weather and for the first time in a long time there were clouds in the sky and a possibility of razor thunder - ordered especially for us just as we got to our lovely hotel the heavens opened and the rain are down! However, the rain was....yes......warm .....and so would have done little to help cool you off!
so, a day of desert driving, spectacular views and great scenery! Would have thought a 6 hour bus journey could be so interesting!
Now they had a short time to have a rest before heading out on a group dinner to the 'Rustlers Rooster' for dinner!
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