North America
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- Written by: Richard_McKie
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In March 2025 Wendy and I flew from Sydney to Los Angeles (LAX) and caught a shuttle bus, south, to San Diego.
After a couple of days in San Diego we joined an eleven day cruise to Mexico, aboard Holland America’s ‘Zaandam’.
You can learn about the cruise and an earlier Mexico trip by following this link: Mexico
On returning to to San Diego, we hired a car to make our way up the coast to: Santa Barbara; San Simeon; and Carmel-by-the-Sea; to San Francisco.
We then flew to Las Vegas before returing to LA, for a few days before flying home to Sydney.
To see my photographs from the California trip follow this link
The text is copied from contemporary postings to my Facebook page
To lean more about Hurst Castle follow this link
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- Written by: Richard_McKie
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In March 2025 Wendy and I flew from Sydney to Los Angeles (LAX) and caught a shuttle bus, south, to San Diego (old Town).
After a couple of days in San Diego we joined an 11 day cruise to Mexico, aboard Holland America’s ‘Zaandam’.
This was our second trip to Mexico.
We first visited Mexico on our way to Cuba in 2012. I didn’t write about the Mexico or California components of our trip back then because I didn’t want to detract from the Cuba story.
If you didn't see it at the time, follow this link: Cuba
So, first, here are my recollections of that experience, mellowed by time, informed by hindsight.
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In Part1, in July 2023, Wendy and I travelled north from Los Angeles to Seattle, Washington, and then Vancouver, in Canada, from where we made our way east to Montreal.
In Part2, in August 2023, we flew from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, down to Miami, Florida, then Ubered to Fort Lauderdale, where we joined a western Caribbean cruise.
At the end of the cruise, we flew all the way back up to Boston.
From Boston we hired another car to drive, down the coast, to New York.
After New York we flew to Salt Lake City, Nevada, then on to Los Angeles, California, before returning to Sydney.
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In July and August 2023 Wendy and I travelled to the United States again after a six-year gap. Back in 2007 we visited the east coast and west coast and in 2017 we visited 'the middle bits', travelling down from Chicago via Memphis to New Orleans then west across Texas, New Mexico, Nevada and California on our way home.
So, this time we went north from Los Angeles to Seattle, Washington, and then into Canada. From Vancouver we travelled by car, over the Rockies, then flew east to Toronto where we hired a car to travel to Ottawa and Montreal. Our next flight was all the way down to Miami, Florida, then to Fort Lauderdale, where we joined a western Caribbean cruise. At the end of the cruise, we flew all the way back up to Boston.
Seems crazy but that was the most economical option. From Boston we hired another car to drive, down the coast, to New York. After New York we flew to Salt Lake City then on to Los Angeles, before returning to OZ.
As usual, save for a couple of hotels and the cars, Wendy did all the booking.
Breakfast in the Qantas lounge on our way to Seattle
Wendy likes to use two devices at once
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When we talked of going to Hawaii for a couple of weeks in February 2018 several of our friends enthusiastically recommended it. To many of them it's a nice place to go on holidays - a little further to go than Bali but with a nicer climate, better beaches and better shopping - with bargains to be had at the designer outlets.
Waikiki
To nearly one and a half million racially diverse Hawaiians it's home.
Downtown Hilo
To other Americans it's the newest State, the only one thousands of miles from the North American Continent, and the one that's more exotic than Florida.