Cooyens abroad!

Follows Matt, Vy and Molly's adventures, shopping and walks in 2014/15. As we've always done, Vy and I have left getting visas and living overseas to the last minute. But after some very rushed goodbyes, we have just started our 7 months abroad so I figured why not try and blog about it instead of bombarding friends with photos of rocks on Facebook...

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In our last days in San Diego, poor Molly picked up a pretty bad limp so we figured we’d rest it for a while. Still no better by the morning she had to fly out, we managed to find an emergency Vet to take a look at hoping she might still be well enough to fly home that evening (otherwise Vy was staying in LA for another week)..

This is when we found out what a foxtail was and had to have it surgically removed from the op of her paw. Most likely she picked it up while I was dragging her up to the Hollywood sign in the scorching sun... Sorry Molls! But after some good painkillers and hefty Vet bill, she came out with a clean bill of health and so as to distract American Customs with cuteness, she even got a custom tri-colour bandage!

So with the bandage we took her to the Qantas Freight Terminal where she commenced probably the longest 11 days of her dog life, another day in a box in cargo on a plane and then another 10 days in quarantine. But all in all, I think she’s been a pretty lucky dog that has got to see a lot of things most dogs when never dream of seeing (is dog a euphemism  for Matt?). I’m sure she’ll miss the hiking, the snow and all the friends she’s made but it time to get back to the Sydney life...

As with everything Vy turns her mind to, she achieved all sorts of success on this trip from going to Harvard, to getting a serious job in BC, finding her passion for community housing to managing an insane dog logistics program to get Molly home. I’m worried she will be bored when she gets home, so when and where is this next trip to?

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Hanging out with this Baywatch babe in Newport to soak up the last of the sun we can find before heading back to a Sydney winter. We also managed to sneak in cheeky swim with Paul, one of Vy’s workmates from BC Housing. Already such a small world.

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So I hadn’t been to ‘a whales vagina’ since I was 10 and Vy figured it would be worthwhile heading down south to check it out for a couple of days before we pack our bags for the last time (well at least for this trip) and head home. 

Managed to sneak in another ball game between the Padres and the Royals where we took in the best of ball park food and beer (Vy had her first lime flavoured malt liquor here because she’s a classy one) and even witnessed 2 guys rolling down 10 rows of chairs whilst punching on. Maybe we should go to more live sport at home...

Looking to unwind for a bit, Vy asked around for must see beaches we should be checking out. We were pretty impressed with La Jolla so figured the recommendation to check out La Hoia Beach should be good. Then it finally hit us after staring at signs to La Jolla, we’d actually already been to La Hoia. Good thing we didn’t ask anyone where La Jolla was. Having said that, I read Jolla isn’t even Spanish for jewel anyway!

Vy’s liked seeing wildlife this trip and took the chance to get up close with some sea lions. Now I’m sure the we were around the prime real estate part of town when we witnessed these sloths of the sea, but I think I’d have to no sense of smell to hang around in the sea lion smell whenever I was at home.

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Still keen on the hiking idea, we thought it would be good to take Molly to the top of the Hollywood sign since she’s never been. Was a bit of a punish in scalding hot weather but I still love the view (even with the smog). Little did we know life would get a bit complicated for Molly a few days after this hike...

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Eating our way around town. I think after being in LA four of five times now I’ve yet to make it to the Griffith observatory... maybe next time. After a failed attempt to get to Malibu due to a Police road block, we had another crack and surprise surprise, Vy found a pier set up with a farm to table restaurant that Molly was more than welcome to accompany us to. So how could we not go there to drink a bit and watch the sun disappear for one of our last nights of this adventure.

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You may not believe it but this screen shot marks my (and Molly’s) first ever movie at a drive inn. Vy never continues to amaze and the drive inn was no exception. Having been a veteran of drive inn movies, Vy directed me to park engine away from the screen. Before I know it, she had opened the back door and set up a Persian palace of blankets and cushions to lie down and watch the show (Entourage). Too top it off, the three of us then made our way through a 50 pack of McNuggets (for only $10)

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Enjoying the desert and heat 50′s style. We probably should have gone out and done more around town, but with the temperature at nearly 40 and a pool like this, it was hard to fight the desire to be lazy and lounge around in water. Even Molly liked the pool deck.

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Hard to leave Rancho Del Roosevelt when you’ve things like your own BBQ, bar, some peace and quiet and a starry sky backdrop. Finally motivated me to play with some star trails. Great AirBNB pick by Vy. And I want that Bronco

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Sun setting over Joshua Tree National Park. Finally starting to crack Vy on her lack of sunset appreciation...

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Looking for a change from the usual hotel fare, Vy took us off the highway, and onto the dirt roads of Surprise Valley to find Rancho Del Roosevelt. Possibly one of the best escapes we’ve had to be removed from the rest of the world. No TV, just some books and records. Ohh, and whole lot of coals and lighter fluid.

We even got to adopt Bodie the pitbull for a few hours as he was smitten by Molly’s playing hard to get.

I think I could nearly describe it with three Rs, Refined Redneck Retreat. Hoping we get the chance to come back, there is something about this side of America. All I was missing was a quad bick, an esky and some Buds.

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Tempting fate in a jumping cactus garden... Jumping because of how easy you get pricked by walking near these things.

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Back in Joshua Tree National Park for the last of our rock adventures. Plenty of sun, heat yuccas and boulders. Yet another example of how diverse the landscape of the States are, this time with Joshua Trees that despite having plenty of other desert, chooses only to grow here.

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Our second Frank Lloyd Wright work together. Granted i didn’t know the first was the Guggenheim in New York... I like architecture but after touring Taliesin West for an hour, I almost came away feeling like I don’t like/love architecture enough. Hidden away in the hills you don’t really feel the presence of the buildings until you are right up at the gate. I also didn’t know that this also served as a school for students as well. As part of your intensive tutilage under Frank Llyod Wright,  you also got to live on site, in a hut or structure you built yourself out of materials you found on the land. Luckily as part of the program you didn’t have to spend the summer with the scorpions and you migrated north to more mellow temperatures.

Will have to fit some more of these in to our trip next time.

Good to know that Frank probably helped pioneer the NIMBY phrase after escalating his disdain with a new power line that interrupted his view with the President of the United States, do you think Tony would listen either?

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It may have been too hot to drag Vy out to a cactus botanic garden but I had an urge to hug a cactus. The States continued to amaze me that you can go from one State to another and experience a different climate or ecosystem. Amazing that Saguaro cactus only grows in this part of Arizona.

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So, not many shots from around Scottsdale. Not because there isn’t much to do but it was just soo damn hot. Like 40 degrees hot. Typical of Vy and I to complain about the weather (did we catch that from Van?). The heat did have an upside that involved a lot of lying by the pool sipping beers. But before it got too hot, we did manage to venture out and about on bikes for Molly’s second time on a bike. As usual Vy dug up good coffee and booked us a great hotel that I’d be happy to go back to. They even had a saguaro (sah wah ro) cactus skeleton.   

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Getting grand and canyoney for our in Arizona! Given the other parks and canyons we’ve seen on this trip, it wouldn’t have been right to skip the tourist mecca that is the Grand Canyon. Whilst it makes sense given how many people must visit each year, I was still impressed with all the infrastructure they have in place and how accessible they have made walking the canyon top (there must be 30+ miles of footpath trails you can take).

We had a pretty hot day to walk around (I’m thinking high 30s) but this seemed to stir up the local wildlife as we came across deer not 5m from the main trail and I had to double take as we left  at what I initially thought were deer statues in a roundabout were actual deer having a good old graze even as we left, there was a herd of deer that had decided to make the refuge of a roundabout their happy place. Molly on the other hand found here limits and at that heat you couldn’t blame her. After some suspect burnt paws she threw in the towel so I had a good k and half of carrying her back to get an ice cream.

Overall it was a pretty amazing spectacle but I think we may have been canyoned out. Even with all the deer, its hard to feel as close to the great out doors when you have to shrae it with soo many people and you are walking on a asphalt footpath. compared to the freedoms we’d had exploring the other great parks of Utah and Arizona. Maybe next time we need to venture down into the canyon itself.

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Lake Powell strikes me as having the potential to be one of those iconic American 4th of July BBQ spots. You drive you car over the dunes, bring a tent, set it up on the beach, brings some coals, lighter fluid, sausages and beers, bunker yourself in a row of families along the beach and you are set. 

Maybe more so if there happens to be some crazies running around with fireworks. Or have a friend with a boat that can drag you behind on a tube.

Even when its not 4th of July celebration time was still such a good spot to go for a swim to escape the heat and relax. Best of all, it was Molly friendly. We even went twice. Molly may have got confused or was completely over us as she ditched us to hang out with some randoms for a good 20 minutes. Maybe she was just trying to make us jealous.