One thing I failed to note yesterday is that although in many ways California is the most liberal state in the USA it is also the most highly regulated. This sign is a good example.
One thing I’ve noticed in the 3 hostels stayed in so far is how noisy the Japanese are; not in a rowdy sort of way but just in their general progress around the building. I share a room with an elderly Japanese who has told me that he too is retired and on holiday by himself at the age of 66. We struggle to communicate as his English is poor but is still 100% more effective than my Japanese. Anyway, everyone else tends to creep in and out of the room for fear of disturbing others. Not him. He crashes through doors is if everything will open if you simply charge at it hard enough!
There is really not much to report today. We left on time and drove on massively wide concrete, bumpy freeway varying between 4 and 7 lanes. After 2 hours we seemed to have left Los Angeles. An attempt to find a supermarket failed as there was nothing where the GPS system seemed to suggest one should be. We did find one a little further along. After a brief bit of countryside urbanisation re-started and we were in San Diego. On the approach there was a decidedly European gothic style cathedral by the road which turned into something a bit more modern as we got close. I noticed signs warning against Car Pool violations, for which the penalty is minimum $341 or, in some places $351. Apparently this is the result of an attempt to preserve the outside lane for cars containing at least 2 persons. It’s really not trying very hard, is it? Sam says that on the east coast the crucial number is 3. However, most prosecutions result from drivers reporting offenders on their cell phones. So, there are people driving quickly on a motorway who have the time to ring the police whilst driving and report people with empty cars. Very Strange!
We set up early at the Camp Ground in San Diego (Campland on the Bay) and set off for the beach as, guess what, the sun has decided to shine. The waves were very powerful but I did venture in. I also managed to jog for about a mile along the beach which is the first time anything like this has happened in ages. During a brief walk I found a surf simulating machine thing that looked exciting and noted the regulations about what could be taken onto the beach. How can they be enforced? The Life Guards use their vehicles to drive along the beach and shout at swimmers who are doing silly things.
Returning to the campsite I noticed a number of homes flying the American flag and decided to count. By the time we got back I’d reached 3. Not conclusive evidence of anything but definitely 3 more than the number of Union Jacks in Reepham.
There were two other Sun Trek groups in the camp site and we shared a campfire on the beach. One group seemed very young and included an Australian couple with two children. As they were from Melbourne we had a bit to talk about. They have an early start tomorrow so went to bed early. As we are a day behind that’s what we have to look forward to tomorrow.
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