The road to LA

Having not been murdered in the shower we left the Rustic Oasis on a high. Breakfast at a true American diner, very yummy, and some cowboys doing their stuff just over the road.
The landscape changed quite dramatically on this stretch. Desert through to forest, winding rivers and steep cliff edges. We are now in Pacific Crest Trail territory. We stopped of for a refreshment break at Grumpy Bears Restaurant but it appeared to be more geared up for back packers on the PCT so we decided not to stay. 
The views were again stunning, beautiful mountains, in many places with trees destroyed by forest fires. I have to say I am looking forward to seeing the coast.
We kept bumping into  nice American couple, who were also on holiday, at each scenic photo stop. We had a chat about differences in our ways of life, their history, family, travels and politics. Americans are so friendly and do like to chat.
I got to know the car a lot more and have started to enjoy the laziness of an automatic. We coasted into LA early evening and the hotel was surprisingly easy to find. All parked up and we checked into the most luxurious hotel I have ever seen in my life, the Millennium Biltmore. It has been used as a set to a number of movies over the years and still has most of its original features, including an amazing lift.
We dressed up quite posh for the evening but sadly couldn't find anywhere nice nearby to eat. We plumped for something from the hotel restaurant which wasn't too bad and after a long day of travelling headed to bed.