Home. Meh. Ruminations + reflections...

We all manage to get a half-decent sleep on the flight, and Vicki demands some bubbles before we land. We're into our cab by 17:30, and home just before 19:00. The boys are somewhat happy to see us - a little bit skittish, but they settle quickly.

So, some reflections, thoughts etc etc.

1) We've had an awesome trip. Vegas was, well - Vegas. Northern California is a lovely part of the world to spend time in.
2) Road-trips are tough. I think if we head off on another similar trip, I'll plan on a maximum of 5 hours per day in the car. The first day was brutal, and at times a little scary! Ant and I wanna do a road-trip through the deep South for our 50ths in a few years' time, so some helpful lessons learnt.
3) I love the US, and particularly the West coast part of it. Folks are lovely without being folksy, the scenery is some of the most breathtaking I've ever seen, and the cities are great. It's wickedly expensive right now (thanks Liz Truss...), with basic drinks regularly costing £10 or thereabouts. It's still possible to eat and drink on a bit of a budget, but you've just gotta work a bit harder to do it.
4) We thought of several things that the US demonstrably does better than the UK. In no particular order:
a) Hash browns.
b) Pocket packets of tissues
c) Happy hours
d) Back roads
e) The cooking of bacon
f) Turn-outs on single lane roads
g) Sports bars
h) Gas stations (the stock of the attached shop, and the ability to pin the nozzle open, so you don't have to hold it to fill up).

5) San Francisco has gone straight into my top few cities in the world. Since you ask, the others are Cape Town, Amsterdam, Melbourne, Barcelona. London is not in the top 10.
6) I need another holiday. (Antigua, January. Tenterhooks, obviously).Read more