The Three L’s Travel The West

Up early this morning and enjoyed the continental breakfast before taking off.  Departure time was 9:30AM.  Filled up the gas tank at $4.05/gallon.  Best we’ve seen so far.  Turned the radio to 660 AM KTNN, The Official Radio Station of the Navajo Nation.  We were treated to a mixture of country, top 40, and Native American chanting.  When in Rome…

Our first stop was at Wupatki National Monument.  We visited four different Hopi ruins that were about 800 years old.  Constructed with sandstone and limestone found in the nearby Box Canyon, they were cemented together with local soils.   Then covered with flat roofs of timber and more mud.  There was one we were able to walk inside, and the children discovered the doorways were shorter than they are.  We also saw jackrabbits and lizards.  Hard to imagine carving a life out of this desolate area.

We found a Sonic Drive-In for lunch in Tuba City.  A first for all of us.  Reminded me of when I was very young and my parents took me to A&W Drive In.  Order through a box and they bring it out to your car.  Very cool.  It was about 80 degrees and windy there, and very desolate.

Our next stop was at Four Corners.  We all took pictures standing on the marker–essentially in four states at once.  Four Corners is out in the desert with nothing remarkable nearby.  There are little covered vending spots surrounding the landmark.  Most of the 38 stalls were full of locals selling Native American items.  We only indulged in the Frybread.  The heavenly treat was only offset by the smell of the outhouses behind us.

Our last leg of today’s trip was to our final destination of Cortez, Colorado.  We are staying at a great little place about 1 mile from downtown.  After dinner at Denny’s Diner, we came back and headed for the pool.  Water too cool for me, only did about 16 laps and then hopped into the hottub.  Louie and Lynnae were back and forth between the two.  We’re now on Mountain Time, but we are still feeling Pacific Time.  Will have to force ourselves to bed soon.

283 miles driven, 7 hours 25 minutes travel time.

After a good night’s sleep, we all woke up late and got showered up.  Guess I didn’t have to worry about the train noise.   Walked across the parking lot to the Country Host Restaurant for a late breakfast.  Slow service, but full of locals and character.

Our trip for the day was relatively short, just a short jaunt to the Grand Canyon.  Took lots of pictures, but unfortunately cannot download them from my camera as I left my memory card in the laptop.  Will work on that and try to get them added soon.  It was partially cloudy there and about 75 degrees.  We only went to one viewpoint, the Yaki Point.  It was amazing, even with partly cloudy skies.  It’s hard to imagine it’s 10 miles across.  The colors were amazing, and I could have sat there for hours looking at it.  But there was threat of storm, so we moved on to the Information Plaza.

After we had a light lunch and did some gift shopping, a doozy of a thunderstorm blew in and it rained about an inch in 20 minutes.  Lots of thunder and lightening, much to Louie’s delight, and Lynnae’s and my dismay.  We opted to head back to the hotel at that point.

Had dinner at Burger King and then the children were off to the pool again.  I managed to get two loads of laundry done at the cost of $6.00.  This should get us to Amarillo where we will have a few days to get all our clothes washed up.  Off to bed now and hopefully on the road relatively early tomorrow. 

Total miles today: 181, unknown MPG.  Temperature: 75 degrees, but chilly at night.

Our day to leave Las Vegas.  We decided we would definitely come back here to explore more, but perhaps when not so hot or crowded.  Have learned that October is a great time for that.  We did manage to check out by 10:30AM after Louie once again did a fantastic job packing everything into the car.

Our first destination this morning was Hoover Dam.  Since we were short on time, we did not take any tours, simply drove across it and back, taking photos as we went. 

From Hoover Dam, we backtracked a bit and headed south toward Oatman, Arizona.  We set the GPS for the fastest route to get there.  Little did we know the last 10 miles would be on gravel road with no shoulder and lots of dips and curves.  We also saw abandoned TV’s, computer monitors, kitchen appliances, and even an old car off the road, most of them riddled with bullet holes.  There were also warning signs about flash flooding and trespassing in staked mine areas. The skull and crossbones was very effective.

It was mid afternoon upon our arrival in Oatman.  This town’s economy is based solely on tourism, as each shop sells a plethora of Route 66 items.  Half of the shops appeared to cater to bikers passing through.  Route 66 runs right through the middle of town, and it felt like we had stepped back in time (well, WAY back to the early 1900’s).  It was old and historic and I loved it!  Louie found the old jail, and was enthralled with that.  Lynnae made friends with the roaming burros.  She bought a bag of carrots and fed them to the burros while Louie and I watched.  A couple of them nosed my elbow and back looking for carrots.  Very docile and friendly creatures. 

After leaving Oatman, we travelled Route 66 al the way to Seligman.  There were a few towns along the way that still had remnants of that golden era of highway travel.  This is also where we saw our first rain in days. 

At Seligman, we found a Subway for dinner.  Turned east and on I-40 and headed toward Flagstaff, arriving around 7PM.  A little more time on the road than I expected, but Louie and Lynnae did very well and were very patient for my indulgence to travel the “Mother Road”.

Unloaded the car and the kids jumped into their swimsuits.  They swam for about an hour, and I sat by the pool wrapped up in Lynnae’s towel trying to keep the wind off me.  After they finished swimming, the took a dip in the jacuzzi. 

Our hotel is right off the freeway, but we can’t hear any noise from it in our room.  We must be close to railroad tracks as we have heard several trains, but can’t see them for the darkness.  Will be curious to see how it goes tonight sleeping.

Travel time: 9 hours. Travel miles: 338 miles. Average MPG: 29

Good morning to sleep in a bit. Made it down to the breakfast buffet by 10:30AM.  There was more selection there than should be legal.   

After we stuffed ourselves to bursting, we waddled back to our room to prepare for fun at the Adventuredome here in the hotel.  Adventuredome is the Circus Circus five-acre indoor theme park.  This is definitely the way to go to a theme park.  Air conditioned and very clean.  There are arcade games, midway games, rides, food stands, and all sorts of booths selling carnival-like items (jewelry, souvenirs, toys, gadgets, etc). Our first ride was the “Disko”, a saucer that rotates while sliding back and forth on a rail that’s like a bowl shape.  After that one, I had to sit out a few rides to get my stomach settled.  Not Louie and Lynnae; they were ready to try almost every ride.  Louie and I did ride on the roller coaster, one minute 45 seconds of drops, loops and corkscrews. After roughly 3 hours, we left the “Dome” and took our midway winnings back to our room. 

From there, off to the arcade located within Circus Circus.  There were over 300 different games and activities for children to enjoy.  Louie and Lynnae dropped their quarters into the games that spit out tickets.  It was all about the prizes at the end.  They ended up with quite a haul and my mind was already starting to think: Where are we going to put all this?   

I must admit that I did step away to drop $10 into a “grown-up” machine to see what happened.  After three spins I won $31, so cashed out.  My big Vegas gambling! 

By this time, we are starting to get tired, but Louie and Lynnae wanted to head back to the “Dome” after a snack of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  I figured we had walked enough to justify them.  After several rides and then a light dinner, we opted to venture out of the hotel to M&M World.  After the lesson the night before, we drove. 

There isn’t a lot of parking in on the Strip, unless you park in a hotel parking lot.  Which is what we did.  Found a spot behind the Travelodge and just hoped that we wouldn’t get towed.  No guards or attendants, so I felt good about it. M&M World was five floors of everything M&M.  We explored each one.  There was one floor dedicated to Christmas M&M’s.  If you could think of it, you most likely would find it within those five floors.  Louie set himself to task to make up a bag of multicolored M&M’s for us to share.  As we stepped out of the store, the 90-degree heat hit us hard.  Unbelievable that it was 10PM and still so hot!  The streets were packed with people.  Thousands moving along the sidewalks, some with drinks in hand.  Louie also pointed out the sidewalks littered with trading card size ads for strip clubs.  You couldn’t walk 10 feet and not see a guy trying to hand out cards to those passing by. 

Drove back down the Strip under the lights of Las Vegas.  I wish I could have taken pictures, but my camera isn’t the best at night.  It’s very good that traffic was slow so that I could take it all in.  There was so much we missed seeing.  Arrived back at Circus Circus and found a better parking lot closer to our tower room.  We stumbled to the elevators, up to room 13713 and fell into our beds.   Another long day, but full of fun and hardly any driving.  Louie’s pedometer showed that he took about 15,000 steps, so I am estimating we all walked at least 5 miles, maybe more for Louie as he’s always on the go. 

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.