Yet Still More Road Trip!

THURSDAY, APRIL 5

So began the longest day of the trip...starting out in Nebraska with a bit of snow on the car and a nasty windchill, we headed across rolling plains of grain and cattle, angling towards Omaha. Our goal was to reach the far side of Iowa, or perhaps western Illinois, before stopping fopr the night. Just before reaching Omaha, we skirted the city to avoid mid-day traffic and crossed the Missouri River into Iowa, hooking up with the I-80.

Nebraska

Making good time across the plains, we traversed Iowa at high speeds on the interstate, until traffic chaos at Des Moines slowed us considerably. Before long, we had reached Davenport, and this time crossed the Mississippi River for the second time on the trip, stopping a short ways into Illinois for more food and gas. Given the cold temperatures, and our general state of mind, we decided just to keep driving....

Mike's Eye-View

Iowa

Enjoying a beautiful sunset in the rearview mirror, we plunged on into Illinois, skirting Chicago, and then found ourselves ensconced in the industrial complex that is lower Lake Michigan. In growing darkness we forged ahead, thinking perhaps to stop in rural Michigan once we had cleared the urban areas of Chicago and Gary, Indiana.

The Weary Travellers

Out of the traffic and into the wilderness again, now in utter darkness, we drove on. With only one headlight and flagging strength, we began to conceive of actually crossing the border this very night, so as to avoid the traffic of morning rush hour in Detroit, and longer wait times at the bridge to cross the border. Flying across 94E in the solitude of night, we made one last fuel stop in Ann Arbor, MI, to fill up on cheaper gasoline.

Utter annoyance set in as we searched in vain at several exits for a McDonalds, that signs kept declaring to be open 24 hours - it was late, and we needed a washroom stop! After about seventeen hours of straight driving, Mike muttered something under his breath about how he was going to "punch that &*#* clown in the mouth!"....and got back on the highway. Shortly thereafter, we found the Ambassador Bridge easily, with no hindrance of traffic or line ups....and stopped just long enough to visit the duty-free shop for $17 cases of Alexander Keith's!

Crossing the border without incident, we motored east on the 401, back in familiar territory, stopping finally at Chatham for the night. With plans to do some general house-hunting in the morning, we grudgingly ate Tim Horton's chili at nearly 4am (there was nothing else open in Chatham!). After 19 hours of driving, we fell asleep quickly in the car at a truck stop on the 401, in sub-zero temperatures......

More road trip!

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4

The morning saw us heading east across the barrens of Wyoming, towards the Black Hills area in the northeast corner of the state. Scenic rolling hills and ample antelope gave way to rugged red rock and the imposing Devil's Tower national monument, looming ominously in the distance. Luckily, it's base was surrounded by deer and really cute prairie dogs! After picking up some Devil's Tower Lager for the road, we moved on...

Devil's Tower National Monument

Crossing east into South Dakota, we followed I-90 as far as Rapid City, where we turned south to explore Mount Rushmore. We climbed through white evergreens as a hoar-frost fog clung to the mountain...and unfortunately obscured the very faces of Rushmore we had come to see! From the top, the only thing visible on the mountain was a wall of grey. However, our disappointed quickly abated as we descended a winding backroad down the mountain (Iron Mountain Road, route 16A!!), through single-lane tunnels in the rock, crossing pig-tail bridges, and observing bison, deer, wild turkeys, and the odd inquisitive burro.

Tunnel on the backside of Mt. Rushmore

Jane's cousin

Rejoining the I-90, we continued east through the rolling hills and badlands of South Dakota to Murdo, where we turned south. The landscape began to flatten as we approached the Nebraska border, and we passed by Little Big Horn, site of Custer's fabled last stand. As we entered Nebraska, the cold temperatures persisted, and we again found ourselves seeking shelter for the night. Luckily, in small-town Valentine, NE, we found the perfect solution at Dunes Lodge - great suites for a very reasonable price! Rounding out the evening with dinner from the ever-present Pizza Hut, we tried to get caught up on our reading....

Road trip continued....

TUESDAY, APRIL 3

After a VERY cold night in the tent, we packed up early and grabbed coffee and gas for the road in nearby Hyrum, UT. Shortly thereafter we crossed into Idaho, angling northwest along the mountains to hook back up with I-15.

Approaching Yellowstone Park

From Pocatello and Idaho Falls, we left the I-15 again and climbed into the mountains, through Targhee National Forest, and into the picturesque tourist village of West Yellowstone, the west gate into Yellowstone National Park. Unfortunately, despite good roads to that point, almost all entrances into the park were closed, and several mountain passes within the park were, well, unpassable. Even Old Faithful was not open for business! We're sure it was still erupting....we just couldn't get to it.....

In the end we were forced to skirt northwards around the park (it's a BIG park!), catching a bit of the scenery but vaguely disappointed. In doing so we meandered through parts of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. Catching the I-90 east at Bozeman, MT, we made up some lost time at 80mph until we hit a snowstorm at Billings, MT, just as we turned south again for Wyoming.

Northern Wyoming

Southeastern Idaho

Heading south through Montana, we passed out of the snowstorm, and passed by Little Big Horn, site of Custer's famous last stand. From there we crossed back into Wyoming, and in light of the weather, opted for a cheap motel rather than another night of sub-zero camping. Stopping for the night at the Parkway Motel in Sheridan, WY, we enjoyed a night of warmth and television while catching up on some postcards.

Montana

Road Trip continued....

MONDAY, APRIL 2

The trip had reached its mid-point, at least emotionally, as we departed Las Vegas and headed for home. All the same, we had an entirely new route with unseen scenery to enjoy, other than a brief duplication of the route from Vegas to mid-Utah.

Departing early from our hotel, we headed north on I-15 and marvelled at the heavy southbound traffic into the city, even this early in the morning, and the overhead F15's on maneuvers from nearby Nellis Air Force Base. We took an hour out of our getaway day to explore the Valley of Fire on the way out of Nevada, and were not disappointed - quite possibly the best $6 we ever spent!

Valley of Fire, Nevada

Valley of Fire, Nevada

We carried on up the I-15 north for most of the day, all the way to Salt Lake City, at which point we wandered off the interstate in search of camping. The mountains became a fixture on our right, even as Great Salt Lake and the Bonneville salt flats revelaed themselves to the left.

Along the way in northern Utah

In the end we made our way to Hyrum, UT, and camped at a state park there with everything we could hope for - a lake, mountains all around us,and best of all....it was open! With a cooked chicken from the nearby grocery store and beer from the gas station, we settled in for what we knew would be another chilly night. Jane prepared for a cool night in the tent with double socks, double pants, four layers of tops, woolen mitts, and the Russian flap hat reinforced with two hoodie hoods....

Our campsite at Hyrum State Park, Utah

Viva Las Vega$!!

THURSDAY, MARCH 29 thru SUNDAY, APRIL 1

More pics from our days in Las Vegas....

The Strip at night

Bally's

Our hotel!

Viva Las Vegas!

THURSDAY, MARCH 29 thru SUNDAY, APRIL 1

What can I say about Vegas? We spent several days touring fabulous casinos, wasting a total of about $8 on penny slots, and trying to find cheap food....but I was able to walk around anywhere I wanted with open liquor!

Gondola and canals in The Venetian casino

The courtyard at Terrible's Casino

Overlooking the airport from Bally's

We were very happy with our choice of Terrible's Casino as a cost-effective alternative to The Strip, and a mere two blocks (15 minute walk, 2 minute drive) away! It was certainly a stark contrast to sleeping in the car at a truck stop in the snow.....

The water show at Bellagio

Road Trip continued....

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28

Much to our chagrin, we awoke in the night to snow....in southern Utah! We spent the rest of the night starting the car for warmth. Luckily we were the only people with a snow brush handy, as Mike cleaned off the car at dawn, while Jane stayed bundled in her sleeping bag. Early morning in southern Utah

Interstate 15 wound south out of Utah, briefly through Arizona, and then into Nevada. We gained another hour of time as we crossed into Pacific Time. Before long we were in the midst of Las Vegas...but still many hours before we could check into our hotel. We decided to pass through Vegas and beyond into California for a ways...

Utah - Arizona - Nevada

Dry lake beds in California

We journeyed through sandstorms about an hour into California, where we turned around and headed back to Nevada. Unfortunately, there was no warning that there would be no gas for the next while, and we were forced to stop at a "town" in the hills that consisted of one gas station in the middle of nowhere, that was charging $4.299/gallon (compared to an average of $2.60/gallon everywhere else!). Returning to Vegas, we toured around and shopped (new card for the camera and beer for the room) until we were permitted to check into our hotel, Terrible's Casino on Flamingo. After settling in with pleasant surprise, we headed off to the Old Strip in downtown for the Fremont Experience, a two-block canopy of overhead lights that displays a ten-minute show. After wandering the old strip, we returned to our hotel for much-needed rest in a real bed!

The Old Strip

The Fremont Street Experience