Day Eleven - Pasadena, CA

An incredible evening. Just incredible. I am like a little kid with a grin the size of the Hoover Dam.

I went to Pete Strobl's house in Monrovia - just outside Pasadena. By quirk of fate, Pete lives just off Route 66 - so aligning nicely with my journey.

What an amazing guy. We sat and talked for nearly three hours - complete strangers whose passion for music and admiration for Mark Knopfler in particular caused us to come together with some help from Google....

I am not going to write about what we talked about - a) because there was just so much and b) because some of it or most of it was private conversation about things which need to just stay in the room as they say.

BUT, it was fascinating and Pete is very nice person. I also met his girlfriend Amanda who designed the Shangri La website and who is the proud owner of a wonderful gentleman poodle.

I touched and indeed briefly played a Mark Knopfler Signature Fender Stratocaster which Mark had given Pete as a thank you gift after the recording of the Shangri La album at the Shangri La recording studios. It was magnificent. A wonderful guitar - a '57 body with a '62 neck and a really amazing feel to it.

I learned a lot about the history of the Shangri La studio and of course about Mark Knopfler, who from all that Pete said, must just be a great guy as well as a truly remarkable musician and lyricist.

Pete is also an extremely talented composer and we exchanged notes on recording and editing software for music - he is a Cubase fan, and discussed a whole range of musical topics. He knows a lot of stuff and is wonderful to talk to about music - not to mention the other topics of our conversation such as the state of the US, healthcare system problems and life in the UAE. The main thing was the music though - and I think we spent about 30 minutes just talking about one guitar - The Spectrum - which Mark Knopfler had given a rather amusing nickname to for the Shangri La sessions.

There are few people I know who could or would fully appreciate what a totally magical experience this was. To meet the guy who used to manage the Shangri La and indeed refurbished it and brought it back to life after Robbie Robertson and The Band had left the Shangri La Ranch where they had lived in the '70s and it had fallen into disrepair.

A guy who managed the recording sessions for Mark Knopfler's Shangri La album and who considers Knopfler a friend and vice versa. And a guy who just loves music and understands its power and its beauty.

To most who will read this - this will mean very little and their response may well be "So what?" For me, however, this was a most memorable evening.

Pete was not only generous with his time and spirit, he also gave me some gifts to take away. Gifts which to me are priceless - particularly as they came with the story behind them too.

Tomorrow I will try to meet with the current manager of the Shangri La - with whom I spoke this evening. I have been asked not to reveal his name or any details - but will speak with him in the morning after he has had a chance to consult with the owner of The Shangri La ranch - a mysterious character - to see if I might visit the studios where The Band lived, where Eric Clapton, Bonnie Rait, Neil Young and countless others have recorded over the years and where one of my favourite records of all time - Shangri La - was made by one of my favourite artists.... Mark Knopfler.

When the manager asked me how I got his number and why I wanted to visit (suspecting something a little fishy) my answer was so straightforward and yet so bizarre I think I won his trust.

Fingers crossed!

In the meantime, I have set the alarm for the first time on this trip - so I can set off early for Malibu for my rendezvous....

And I still have to drive another 30 miles or so to complete Route 66. I guess that can wait 'till the afternoon!