Simply put it is such a beautiful area, and on the day we went the weather was perfect – bright and sunny with clear air due to the early November winds.

We stayed at the Hadsten House in Solvang – a rather pleasant hotel despite it having been converted from a bog-standard motel. From there we had arranged a day’s wine tasting with Mark Chumley of Silver Cloud Transportation Servicves. He picked us up as scheduled and we hit the wineries.

I’m not a wine man, preferring beers. However, I must admit wine tasting is actually pretty good fun. Ok, none of us are experts but we really enjoyed trying reds, whites and the differing styles of each grape type.

Mark took us to some great places and looked after us well – the minivan was clean, he supplied waters and even bought us lunch (included in the cost of his hire, of course).

All in all a pleasant day and highly recommended.

This trip was with Glenn, CP, Clark, Michelle and Ranger the dog. The aim was to climb Mt San Grogornio in the San Grogornio Wilderness area via the Fish Creek trail. We would be camping at Mine Shaft Flat on the first night then continue up to the summit before returning back to the cars.

Getting to the trail was a wondrous journey on unpaved and at times rocky trails. Upon arrival we all geared up and hit the trail. Weather was bright and sunny but not too hot. After a few hours climbing (and a pass-check with some rangers) we arrived at our campground for the night. We pitched up, collected water and had dinner. I was tired so it wasn’t long after 9pm before I turned in (to my Eureka Spitfire 1 tent).

That was possibly the worst night I have ever had. Despite my pitch not looking too slopey, and after clearing away rocks, I ended up sliding around on my sleeping pad and feeling a particular rock sticking into my hip whenever I turned over.

Next morning after a hard lesson in where not to pitch a tent and a fitful sleep I arose – a monster of my former self. I had long ago in the night decided that I wasn’t going to continue up to the mountain summit. Nope, I was knackered and felt like crap. I was going back to the cars. I informed the others of my decision as we packed up camp. We hiked up out of the campground and at a trail intersection parted our ways.

I had a very pleasant stroll down the mountain. The solitude was amazing, and again the weather perfect. After a couple of hours I was back at the parking lot where I ate lunch and had a snooze. I was expecting the others a couple of hours after my return. This, however, turned into a mammoth test of patience. As each subsequent hour ticked by there was no sign of them. I was getting worried. I even asked other hikers as they came off the trail whether they’d seen my party. Nope.

It wasn’t until a whopping 6 hours after my return to the car park that they came into view – tired and thirsty. The hike up the mountain had taken longer than they’d thought it would. I was just glad they came back as I was making plans to still Glenn’s truck if they didn’t show soon!

At least during my wait I caught up with some podcasts. All of the backlog I had!

Oh, and throughout the trip I didn’t have to crap in a hole, so it wasn’t all bad.

Brendan, Cath and their two young boys therefore filled Dave’s boots and hit these shores last week. We’ve all had a great time, taking in Laguna Beach, San Diego and Disneyland. They’ve now headed north en route to Yosemite and San Francisco.

Brendan has a new found appreciation for American beers (a Sierra Nevada convert) and Cath a not-so-keen Disneyland rocket-rider.

Me? I need a vacation to get over their vacation!

Aside from the obvious difference in weather, a couple of things stuck out during my visit.

Smoke

Of course people smoke here in California, but it is known for a relatively low rate. Soon after my arrival in the UK, one of the first things I noticed was the smell of smoke as everyone who smokes has to do so outdoors since the smoking ban. There’s been an indoor smoking ban in California for years, but I hardly notice the smell as I walk down the street.

Shops

I found it quite pleasant that I could enter most shops and not have to exchange pleasantries with the store employees or fend them off as they asked if I “need help with anything”.

Beer

I never thought I’d say this but I was missing my American bottled IPAs! I only had a couple of pints in the UK, but was yearning for a drop of the good stuff.

Trash

There is trash in the streets of California but it’s nothing compared to that in the UK. The grass verges and gutters are full of fast food wrappers, cans and bottles.

Weather

Ok, I will mention the weather. It was cold and wet in the UK. To be expected in February of course, but the day before I flew out form the USA, it was in high 20s °C. It was just taunting me before leaving on that jet plane…