The Three L’s Travel The West

Up early this morning to hit the road for Las Vegas.  We were on the road by 7:15AM.  had a great continental breakfast and I got my coffee to go.  We filled up the tank at $4.13/gallon.  Louie tried to get all the bugs off the windshield, but some were just to stubborn!  Looks like we will be trying to find a car wash here in the near future to get the front end cleaned up as well. 

The drive was very long and lonely.  I’ve also discovered that the only radio you get in the middle of nowhere is old country music (40’s and 50’s), and it’s AM to boot!  Something else I noticed was the presence of “cat houses” 20 miles from anywhere!  Just on the side of the road.  Usually a couple single-wides painted in bright colors. We also passed through a couple of mining towns that looked like time for forgot them.  Would have liked to stop to explore, but we wanted to press on to Vegas.

We stopped for lunch at a nice rest area north of Tonopah where it was about 110 degrees with a hot wind blowing.  We made a pit stop down the road at a campground that was right off the road.  There were more spiders there than I have ever seen in my life.  We were freaked out for about 30 minutes after that, convinced some had crawled in the car with us.

Then in Beatty, we stopped for ice cream and candy to boost our sugar levels. This is where Louie pumped his first tank of gas.  Didn’t spill a drop.  Think this will be his new job on the trip.  Our total time on the road was 8 hours 19 minutes. 452 miles and average 34 mpg.

We arrived in Las Vegas around 3:30 PM; staying at Circus Circus.  The check-in line was a 15 minute wait.  This place is huge.  Our room is on the 13th floor, and we overlook the KOA RV park, and have a great view of the Stratosphere.  The AC runs full time here.

 After we unpacked a bit, we rested, then went exploring.  Found the Arcade for the children, and Krispy Kreme, not to mention 30 or more shops.  After our “little” tour, we caught a cab to Excalibur for the “Tournament of Kings” dinner show.  It started at 8:30PM and was amazing.  We all loved it, even though we had to eat with our fingers.  Dinner was cream of tomato soup, broccoli, a small whole chicken, potatoes, and a small dinner roll.  Dessert was an apple tart.  The show itself was fantastic.  When you thought it was done, there was more.  Definitely worth the price of admission!

Finding our way home was another adventure in itself.  I wanted to try to find the bus “The Deuce” to get back to the hotel.  We ended up walking about a mile before we gave up and got a cab.  It was still about 90 degrees outside and there were throngs of people walking around.  This is truly the city that never sleeps.  We saw new casinos being built where they were obviously working 24/7 to get them done. 

We finally got back to Circus Circus about 10:45PM.  Found our rooms again and will be going to bed immediately.  A very long day, but full of great things.

We had a good night’s rest at the Red Lion Inn, Klamath Falls.  Up and on the road by 10:15AM.  We had a healthy breakfast at Elmer’s, and it’s a good thing.  As we left Klamath Falls, we saw 5 National Guard fighter jets.  We pretended they were giving us a send off. 

By lunchtime, we were in the middle nowhere.  We kept going through small California towns like Madeline, Termo, and Likely, all with populations under 80.  One only had a population of 20!  I noted there was no cell service most of the day, until we reached Nevada.  We did find a rest stop north of Litchfield in Northern California.  Two pit toilets, three picnic tables and one water fountain.  This was literally on the edge of the road.

Travelled Hwy 395 most of the day.  A two lane highway that at times was straight for 10 miles at a stretch.  We watched the heat shimmer on the road.  For our mid afternoon snack, we found a Shell gas station with a food mart.  The price for unleaded gas: $4.69.  Fortunately, we were good to go; no fuel needed that stop.

We drove through downtown Reno and saw all the casinos.  There were lots of people roaming around, and Louie was amazed to see right into the casino from the street.  Since I’ve never been to Reno before, I can’t compare, but it seems to sprawl with lots of new housing on the outer edges of the city. 

When we arrived in Carson City, it was 100 degrees.  Our hotel room is very nice and cool.  There is a pool here, but not heated.  Louie and Lynnae decided too cold for a dip, even with the heat.  We had dinner at IHOP (two breakfasts in one day).  A quick trip into Safeway for snacks for tomorrow.  Noted while checking out a small room with about 6 slot machines.  Also notable is the little Quickie Mart across the street from our hotel has a sign “Loose Slots”.  Amazing!

Today we were more comfortable in the car, and watching the miles add up as we go.  Total milage: 296 miles/30 MPG  Drive time: 6 hours 5 minutes.