US Road Trip 2012 - Day 11

Thursday, March 15, 2012

We packed up and left the relative splendor of Vegas and our suite, heading west again. This time we followed I-15 south in California for a while, before turning north at Barstow and west again at Bakersfield.

The dry lakes and desert and southern California was framed by the ever present craggy hills. Before long, we were driving through orange groves and vineyards, as we hit Paso Robles and turned north again for San Francisco.

Long day, with nearly 1000 km from Vegas to SF and some traffic once we got there, at which point Jane made herself incredibly useful in allowing me to drive in the carpool lane. We arrived before dark and settled into our hotel on Lombard Street for a good night's sleep.

PICS
1. Interstate 15 into California
2. Giant wind farm near Mojave, CA
3. Catching tumbleweeds
4. Coming into San Fran during evening rush hour
5. Down Van Ness past City Hall

US Road Trip 2012 - Days 6-10 Red Rock

March 10-14, 2012

Also visited Red Rock Canyon twice during our time in Vegas, a nice respite from the chaos that is Sin City, yet mere minutes away. Once again, I will let the pictures tell the tale.

Look closely at the reddest of the Red Rock pictures. There be tiny people in there, in case you weren't sure about the scale.

US Road Trip 2012 - Days 6-10 NASCAR

March 10-14, 2012

Due to the overwhelming charity of others and a free ticket, I spent Sunday with a front row seat (literally Row 1) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at the Kobalt Tools 400 NASCAR race. Not as rabid a NASCAR fan as some, though I watch it enough to know the drivers and even have "my driver", the #29 Chevrolet of Kevin Harvick.

I should also point out that Harvick has been "my driver" for years, long before he became sponsored by Budweiser, in case some of you out there think it was simply a matter of me choosing the beer sponsored car.

Great race, very LOUD, cool experience in the once-in-a-lifetime kinda way. Best $2 I spent all day was on the earplugs. Harvick ran in the top three for half the race before falling back on worn tires to finish 11th. Also came away with the best sunburn I have had in years, thanks to thevery long day in the desert sun and general lack of shade.

As a special concession, neighbouring Nellis Air Force Base allowed the shuttle buses from Vegas hotels to pass through the base and save a lot of time driving around. Even managed to see some high-tech military aircraft from the bus.

PICS
1. Las Vegas Motor Speedway early in the day
2. Driver midway
3. The crowd shuffles in
4. The Green flag drops
5. #29 hits the pits
6. Harvick flies by at 200 mph
7. Rush hour
8. Stealth bombers at Nellis AFB

US Road Trip 2012 - Days 6-10 Vegas

March 10-14, 2012

Spent five days in Vegas doing various things, maybe easier to break up into themes. Stayed at The Rio with it's Brazilian Carnivale theme, great hotel and sweet 27th floor suite (pun intended, and The Rio hotel is ALL suites) with floor to ceiling windows all along. Just off Strip but close (and with free shuttle), but never stayed there before and plenty to see and do without needing to go to The Strip.

The Rio had a really cool nightly "Show in the Sky" with dancers and music and floating "ships" on ceiling tracks, from which the dancers threw Mardi Gras beads down to the crowd. The hotel also had a very memorable rooftop restaurant and outdoor lounge on the 51st floor, The Voodoo Lounge, for awesome and airy night views of The Strip!

Also explored nearby casinos The Orleans, The Palms, and the Gold Coast. Nice to see some new ones this time around....and extra nice being OFF Strip having a car there and all. Much less hassle with parking, traffic, etc.

PICS
1. View from the elevator at The Rio
2. The Orleans hotel and casino
3. Our suite on the 27th floor
4. The other half of our suite
5. View from our room facing south
6. Inside The Rio
7. Voodoo Lounge on the 51st floor
8. More Voodoo

US Road Trip 2012 - Day 5

Friday, March 9, 2012

After another cool night in the tent, we packed up and left Grand Canyon National Park. After a brief fuel and breakfast stop in nearby Williams (cool old western town), we jumped back on the I-40 and continued west. Stunning scenery flashed by as we enjoyed the remainder of Arizona and followed 93N into Nevada, at the Hoover Dam.

The Dam itself is one border between the two states and two time zones, as is the new bridge built high above the Dam after 9/11 and concerns that terrorists could park a van full of explosives ON the Dam. We still drove across the Dam, but had to clear security first.

Also enjoyed a panoramic vista of adjoining man-made Lake Mead before travelling the final distance to Las Vegas.

PICS
1. Williams, Arizona
2. Interstate 40, Western Arizona
3. High speeds and stunning scenery
4. State border and new time zone
5. Hoover Dam and new bridge
6. Lake Mead
7. A look back at Lake Mead
8. Nearing Las Vegas

US Road Trip 2012 - Day 4

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Chilly night in the tent, got down to about -9 C but we were relatively cozy once zipped in. One benefit of camping is that one tends to wake up early, so we had a very full day to explore the wonders of the Grand Canyon.

We explored the entire length of the South Rim, and also used the very slick public transportation system they have to minimize the impact of vehicles. I could blather on about our day, or I could just let the pictures tell the story.....

US Road Trip 2012 - Day 3

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Still plagued by high winds, we followed "Route 66" through Texas, New Mexico and into Arizona. We were pleasantly surprised by the clean hill town of Albuquerque....then not so pleasantly surprised by construction delays and a blinding dust storm in the open plains just west of town.

We finished "The Hunger Games" on audiobook, and moved directly into the sequel, "Catching Fire". Stunning scenery was increasingly the order of the day the further west we drove, with red rocks, buttes and canyons.

We were also pleasantly surprised with the beauty of Flagstaff, Arizona. Expecting some city in a windblown desert, we were treated to a foothill resort town and gateway to the Grand Canyon, reminiscent of Banff or Jasper, Alberta.

A late lunch stop at a Subway/Gas/Convenience Store in Gallup, NM also netted me a six-pack of locally brewed Happy Camper IPA....this would soon and prophetically come in handy as we made it by day's end to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Having left Wheatley with no snow, we drove three days and 3500 km southwest to camp....in snow.

After another long day at the wheel, we got to the park with just enough time to set up camp and settle in, leaving the Canyon view to morning light. Chilly night in the tent, luckily we were well prepared.

PICS
1. Gas and bio break in New Mexico
2. The land rises up as we approach Arizona
3. Road from Flagstaff to the park...snow!
4. Plateau inside Grand Canyon N.P.
5. Aspen #19 site in Mather Campground
6. Settling in for a long winter's nap