All good things come to an end, they say and, almost in the blink of an eye, we had come to the end of our road trip and reached the day when we had to head for the airport to make our way home. But our flight was scheduled for late afternoon and as long as we dropped off the car by 3 pm the day was ours. Incredibly, the bright blue skies were back and the sun was beating down once more. Venice Beach was on our way to the airport (sort of) so we finished packing and headed to the beach.

Parking presented the same problems as previously but we found a space on a meter just a short stroll from the bright blue ocean. Sunday morning appears to be the time for exercise at the beach and fun in the sun. Venice Beach is certainly a ‘happening’ place and as we made our way across the white sand to inspect the flights and loops of the skate boarders, we were amazed to see a guy performing incredible acrobatics with a large hula hoop. Further down were basketball matches, tennis, paddle tennis and football. The runners, weight lifters and press-up maestros, with their rippling muscles, added to the scene. A home from home for the ‘body beautiful’, so we stayed covered up and indulged in nothing more strenuous than ice cream licking and people watching.

The small town away from the beach is a quirky place, with its murals, crowded bars, tee shirt shops and a reputation for a bohemian lifestyle. The last time we had been here you could almost get high on the smell of marijuana, although that was in the evening! But for now, it was a very reluctant goodbye, not only to Venice Beach but to California and to our 2019 Road Trip.

We covered 3225 miles (instead of the planned 2652) and loved every one of them. This was an especially memorable journey, with just the right balance of rest and relaxation as well as the driving. So here’s to all the wonderful memories, the fun the laughter and to the planning of our next adventure.

We will be back!