14th September

We started off early on what we knew would be a long drive to Indian wells/Palm Springs. This really is a desert, with white sands encroaching on the highway. I’m so tired, having had a bad night in wuksachi lodge, but we set off with high expectations, and Liz spotted a lone foraging bear on the way down a very frightening mountain pass which dropped from 7000 feet through hairpin bends to sea level. Liz needed a clean pair of underpants.

We retraced our steps along highway 99 but ended up as far south as Los Angeles. Well this time I was the one who needed clean underpants, as motorways converged along the way. Liz kept me going with quizzes about what cowboy programmes ŵe could remember from our childhood, she was an amazing companion to have on such a long and very difficult trip,

We have finally arrived at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells, the most stupendous hotel we have stayed in. It cost me an arm and a leg for someone to park the car, and the embarrassment of having them bring our bread rolls picnic up to our room was overwhelming! We had stopped for breakfast of eggs and bacon on the motorway, so had not inhaled our Philadelphia spread rolls on the way.

We were so overŵhelmed with the grandiose nature of the hotel (check to out) that we had to go and have a beer. We went to the bar for a refreshing drinky poo, and stayed there until bedtime (-about 7 pm). Liz has collapsed and I won’t be far behind. It’s been a long day.

There’s our morning bear

Tomorrow we are off to La Jolla (pronounced la Hoya) before going to our final hotel in San Diego. Not sure if the lure of the Joshua tree national park is sufficient to keep us in the area tomorrow however beautiful the hotel, especially as the outside temperature here is 108 degrees, which us higher than it was in a Death Valley!