Roughneck's Cross Country Adventure
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Roughneck
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January 5, 2007
I did not sleep in this morning as I had planned to, in fact at exactly eight eighteen am I was awakened by the family in the room beside me leaving quite noisily. Its all good, I woke right up and I was wide awake, and in the long run of the day the timing came out perfectly, that will become clear by the end of this entry.
I opted not to get any gas before leaving Redding, I still had three quarters of a tank. It occurs to me that this sounds like it is leading up to a story about running out of gas, it isnt. I got gas a couple hours later in a small mountain town. Sorry to lead you on like that, I was just being thorough with the details.
And the day began on the road like all the others, but before I start all the details, just let me say that this had by far been the best day. I took 471 pictures today, that is way way more than I had taken on previous days. The stuff I saw today was absolutely beautiful and inspiring to me. On the previous days I havent even took over 200 pictures in one day.
The day started out a little aggravating, have you ever driven on Highway 299 North West out of Redding? It is insane, there is a huge curve every few yards in crazy assed directions, and they go on for miles. At first I got a kick out of watching the dogs flopping back and forth in the back of the van, but that got old fast. Well it got old eventually. I started to become concerned that they might break their legs or something. So I was a little choked to start my day off that way but I will say that it was another beautiful site to add into Californias repertoire.
From there it was mountains and trees, one hell of a view that I cant really describe, well I can, but saying mountains and trees hardy does it justice. There were still some sharp ass curves as the highway ascended to heights of over 5000 feet, and when there was a break in the trees the view was simply amazing.
I came to a vista point sometime before Eureka, I cant remember exactly where it was. But from up there you could see for quite a ways. There was snow up at the point and it went down for a while then stopped and green hills were all there was below the snow line. The view from up there was the single most inspiring sight I had seen up to that point.
From there it was a pretty straight forward drive into Eureka, I stopped in one of the mountain towns for lunch at a Sub Way, which was also different than in Canada. Not too much though.
As I neared Eureka I was looking forward to seeing the ocean for the first time in my life, but I didnt. I stayed right on the highway and saw a lake thing with some land between it and the ocean but I couldnt quite see the ocean. Its okay, I knew I would see it later, its just the ocean anyway, and what is it? Flat blue water with a flat horizon that meets a flat blue sky. It could wait.
After a quick stop at a quick lube place for an oil change I was out of Eureka headed south on Highway 101. For some reason I started to wonder if the red woods were south of Eureka, I never really checked into it, for all I know they might have been to the north. Then I saw the turnoff for the Avenue of the Giants and I figured I went the right way. Now let me give you this piece of advice, and if you listen to nothing I say here, please listen to this one thing. If you find yourself driving south on 101 and are not in an extreme hurry please take the scenic route down the Avenue of the Giants. It is probably the most wondrous work of Mother Nature that this planet has to offer. Plus it is where the filmed the Endor scenes for Return of the Jedi.
It took a lot of time out of the trip, but man, was it ever worth it. One part that you can skip though is the Drive Through Tree that they advertise in one of the towns you will go through. Its not the big one that you see pictures of all the time, in fact I missed that one completely, it must be in another part of the forest. Nope, the one you can skip is in a little park that some folks have set up. It has a drive through tree (Which my van barely fit through), a drive on log, a two story tree house.
Actually it was alright, just dont pay the two dollars just for the drive through tree. Why the hell am I complaining about something that only cost two dollars anyway Thats insane, I didnt even have to pay, no one was tending to the gate, there was just a box and it was on the honor system.
The red woods though, they are just impressive. There are times when the Avenue of the Giants crosses close to the actual highway and it made me wonder if anyone drives down Highway 101 everyday and has never taken the Avenue of the Giants. There must be, and those folks have no idea what they are missing.
Speaking of not knowing what they are missing, I think the trip might be getting to my dogs a little bit. Today after the flipping and flopping they pretty much just sat in their cage. They both still eat regular and they are healthy and in good spirits, they just dont seem to enjoy the ride like the once did.
Out of the Avenue and back onto 101 I got behind a green BMW with the license plate B Starr with a star in place of the A. I tried to get up beside them to see if it was some B star but whoever it was, they were driving a way to fast for me to compete with the curves they way they were .we may never know.
When the time came for me to turn onto Highway 1, the Coastal Highway, I did so with glee once again anxious to see the ocean. I was a little surprised when the road before me was pretty much a mixture of the things I had seen earlier in the day. It was a series of hills all absolutely coated in red woods with crazy assed turn after crazy assed turn. It was growing dark fast and my thoughts again drifted to the possibility that I might be over hyping myself for the ocean. It cant really be that big of a deal.
Then I saw it, a brief glimpse between two hills, about an inch and a half off in the distance, with an orange sky behind it, and that was my first sight of the ocean. A few turns later and there was the full blown ocean in front of me. I stopped right in the middle of the road and just stared, before finally regaining my composure and pulling off to the side.
My timing couldnt have been better, my first look at the ocean was on a nice calm day as the sun was setting behind a couple of clouds off in the west. I was probably there for at least ten minutes just standing there and I am not ashamed to say that I teared up a little bit. I dont really know why, just seeing the ocean for the first time a feeling came over me that I have ever felt before. Now this I actually cant describe, I guess it was just over joy and insignificance flowing over me all at once. What I do know is that I regret that I will never again get to see the ocean for the first time.
As I was standing there some folks pulled in and took some pictures and were getting ready to leave when one of the asked if I was alright. I assured her that I was and explained that this was my first time seeing the ocean. She just gave me a look as if I were a weirdo and hopped into her SUV and drove off. The California license plates lead me to believe that she probably took the ocean for granted, I dont doubt that I would if Id seen it regularly for most of my life.
After watching the sun set I drove back along Highway 1, stopping a couple more times for pictures, straight to Fort Bragg where I checked into yet another Super 8 motel.
I did not sleep in this morning as I had planned to, in fact at exactly eight eighteen am I was awakened by the family in the room beside me leaving quite noisily. Its all good, I woke right up and I was wide awake, and in the long run of the day the timing came out perfectly, that will become clear by the end of this entry.
I opted not to get any gas before leaving Redding, I still had three quarters of a tank. It occurs to me that this sounds like it is leading up to a story about running out of gas, it isnt. I got gas a couple hours later in a small mountain town. Sorry to lead you on like that, I was just being thorough with the details.
And the day began on the road like all the others, but before I start all the details, just let me say that this had by far been the best day. I took 471 pictures today, that is way way more than I had taken on previous days. The stuff I saw today was absolutely beautiful and inspiring to me. On the previous days I havent even took over 200 pictures in one day.
The day started out a little aggravating, have you ever driven on Highway 299 North West out of Redding? It is insane, there is a huge curve every few yards in crazy assed directions, and they go on for miles. At first I got a kick out of watching the dogs flopping back and forth in the back of the van, but that got old fast. Well it got old eventually. I started to become concerned that they might break their legs or something. So I was a little choked to start my day off that way but I will say that it was another beautiful site to add into Californias repertoire.
From there it was mountains and trees, one hell of a view that I cant really describe, well I can, but saying mountains and trees hardy does it justice. There were still some sharp ass curves as the highway ascended to heights of over 5000 feet, and when there was a break in the trees the view was simply amazing.
I came to a vista point sometime before Eureka, I cant remember exactly where it was. But from up there you could see for quite a ways. There was snow up at the point and it went down for a while then stopped and green hills were all there was below the snow line. The view from up there was the single most inspiring sight I had seen up to that point.
From there it was a pretty straight forward drive into Eureka, I stopped in one of the mountain towns for lunch at a Sub Way, which was also different than in Canada. Not too much though.
As I neared Eureka I was looking forward to seeing the ocean for the first time in my life, but I didnt. I stayed right on the highway and saw a lake thing with some land between it and the ocean but I couldnt quite see the ocean. Its okay, I knew I would see it later, its just the ocean anyway, and what is it? Flat blue water with a flat horizon that meets a flat blue sky. It could wait.
After a quick stop at a quick lube place for an oil change I was out of Eureka headed south on Highway 101. For some reason I started to wonder if the red woods were south of Eureka, I never really checked into it, for all I know they might have been to the north. Then I saw the turnoff for the Avenue of the Giants and I figured I went the right way. Now let me give you this piece of advice, and if you listen to nothing I say here, please listen to this one thing. If you find yourself driving south on 101 and are not in an extreme hurry please take the scenic route down the Avenue of the Giants. It is probably the most wondrous work of Mother Nature that this planet has to offer. Plus it is where the filmed the Endor scenes for Return of the Jedi.
It took a lot of time out of the trip, but man, was it ever worth it. One part that you can skip though is the Drive Through Tree that they advertise in one of the towns you will go through. Its not the big one that you see pictures of all the time, in fact I missed that one completely, it must be in another part of the forest. Nope, the one you can skip is in a little park that some folks have set up. It has a drive through tree (Which my van barely fit through), a drive on log, a two story tree house.
Actually it was alright, just dont pay the two dollars just for the drive through tree. Why the hell am I complaining about something that only cost two dollars anyway Thats insane, I didnt even have to pay, no one was tending to the gate, there was just a box and it was on the honor system.
The red woods though, they are just impressive. There are times when the Avenue of the Giants crosses close to the actual highway and it made me wonder if anyone drives down Highway 101 everyday and has never taken the Avenue of the Giants. There must be, and those folks have no idea what they are missing.
Speaking of not knowing what they are missing, I think the trip might be getting to my dogs a little bit. Today after the flipping and flopping they pretty much just sat in their cage. They both still eat regular and they are healthy and in good spirits, they just dont seem to enjoy the ride like the once did.
Out of the Avenue and back onto 101 I got behind a green BMW with the license plate B Starr with a star in place of the A. I tried to get up beside them to see if it was some B star but whoever it was, they were driving a way to fast for me to compete with the curves they way they were .we may never know.
When the time came for me to turn onto Highway 1, the Coastal Highway, I did so with glee once again anxious to see the ocean. I was a little surprised when the road before me was pretty much a mixture of the things I had seen earlier in the day. It was a series of hills all absolutely coated in red woods with crazy assed turn after crazy assed turn. It was growing dark fast and my thoughts again drifted to the possibility that I might be over hyping myself for the ocean. It cant really be that big of a deal.
Then I saw it, a brief glimpse between two hills, about an inch and a half off in the distance, with an orange sky behind it, and that was my first sight of the ocean. A few turns later and there was the full blown ocean in front of me. I stopped right in the middle of the road and just stared, before finally regaining my composure and pulling off to the side.
My timing couldnt have been better, my first look at the ocean was on a nice calm day as the sun was setting behind a couple of clouds off in the west. I was probably there for at least ten minutes just standing there and I am not ashamed to say that I teared up a little bit. I dont really know why, just seeing the ocean for the first time a feeling came over me that I have ever felt before. Now this I actually cant describe, I guess it was just over joy and insignificance flowing over me all at once. What I do know is that I regret that I will never again get to see the ocean for the first time.
As I was standing there some folks pulled in and took some pictures and were getting ready to leave when one of the asked if I was alright. I assured her that I was and explained that this was my first time seeing the ocean. She just gave me a look as if I were a weirdo and hopped into her SUV and drove off. The California license plates lead me to believe that she probably took the ocean for granted, I dont doubt that I would if Id seen it regularly for most of my life.
After watching the sun set I drove back along Highway 1, stopping a couple more times for pictures, straight to Fort Bragg where I checked into yet another Super 8 motel.
CyberFaust
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yeah, they should 
Roughneck
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So I am in Fresno....that is the beatury of a trip like this...when I woke up this morning I never would have guessed I would end up in Fresno.....hell a couple hours before I wound up in Fresno I didn't know I was gonna end up in Fresno
Yeah...'cause making sense is what America's all about...
Roughneck
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January 6, 2007
I left a five dollar tip for the housekeeper this morning, I’m really not sure why. I didn’t make a mess, and any mess I did or have made I generally clean up myself. I put all the trash in a plastic bag, I have all the towels in a pile. Most of my adult life has been spent working in a hotel, I’m still not sure why I left the tip.
When I left Fort Bragg my destination was San Diego, and the quickest route to San Diego was unfortunately not heading down the coastal highway. Since the drive was going to be a long one I felt that the fastest way there would be the best one. Without even looking at the ocean I hopped in the van and headed inland.
After about three minutes of driving I saw a sign that has the really really windy arrow on it, and the words next 28 miles beneath it. I though that was not really the best way to start off the day, but yesterday went pretty well and started off the same way. So, I drove down the road and around all the corners and giggles to myself as the dogs once again flopped around the back of them van.
So, after the 28 miles I turned south onto Highway 101. For a short while the road seemed like the middle of Saskatchewan, it was prairies and even some cows. Then it changed, not a lot mind you, but there was different stuff to look at. I think I was in the wine country because there were plants that looked a lot like grapes. I guess it was not grape season, but there were rows and rows of these things. And there were orange trees on the other side of the highway, I’d never seen an orange tree.
So I kept driving and according to the signs San Francisco was still quite a few miles off, so I thought that I would quickly pass through San Raphael and then have some more country side. Well, for those of you who don’t know, well it’s all one giant assed city, huge man.
Before San Raphael I came around a corner and around a hill and then all of a sudden there is a really really long bridge and a huge bay. Had I stayed on the coastal highway I would have came across the bay on the Golden Gate Bridge. Not that the bridge I crossed was unimpressive, its just not famous. I’m cool with it anyway, I hear that you have to pay to cross the Golden Gate Bridge.
So, I cross the bridge and get onto this huge seven lane freeway with entrances and exits and overpasses and underpasses all over the place. I can admit that in the grand scheme of the world I am a small city guy, so this was a little much for me to handle. I am driving along trying to keep pace with everyone else and take pictures at the same time. But, I am taking pictures like some kind of covert ninja sniper because I don’t want to be seen taking pictures. That’s how I know I’m cool, because I don’t want folks to know I’m a tourist. Right.
So I think I drove through San Raphael, Berkley, Oakland and San Jose…I honestly have no clue, but I am fairly certain that I wasn’t anywhere near the actual San Francisco. But I was finally out of that crazy traffic and back out into the miles and miles of fields.
There is where the coolest thing happened on my radio, though I’m sure it’s not really that cool. But two stations began battling for the same frequency. I was listening to Adam Corolla in between bumps of oldies radio. What made it interesting is that there was a lot less static then you would expect, just clear Adam then all of a sudden clear as a bell it switched to music.
I turned off into one of those rest stops to buy some water, and while there I took a good look at my map. I was looking at Los Angeles compared to San Francisco and the though of all those eyes on me while driving down the freeway came flooding back. I know that I am not really the center of attention in my van, but you all know that when driving in a strange place it sure feels that way. Even though I was driving just as fast as everyone else and staying in my own lane, it still felt like they were looking at me and making fun of the stupid Canadian and the way he drives.
Anyway, it hit me that I did not want to drive through LA. San Diego might be a great place but I am not going to see it this trip. It seems more like a place I want to fly into a take a cab everywhere in. So, I was Las Vegas bound.
I decided that I was going to head into Fresno and spend the night there. I thought about my trip then. When I woke up in Fort Bragg that morning I never would have guessed I would end up in Fresno, hell fifteen minutes earlier I had no idea I would en up in Fresno. As I drove for Fresno I continued to think about my trip, not just this trip but future trips, I wasn’t thinking about if I would do this again. I was thinking about when I would do this again. I look forward to seeing the rest of the world, not just the continent.
Then I got to Fresno and had me an In and Out burger, it was decent. I thought about going through Fresno and onto Bakersville but it was pretty dark so I found an Econo Lodge and got a room.
And just before I went to bed I looked out the window and saw the gigantic graveyard right behind the motel. Sleep tight.
I left a five dollar tip for the housekeeper this morning, I’m really not sure why. I didn’t make a mess, and any mess I did or have made I generally clean up myself. I put all the trash in a plastic bag, I have all the towels in a pile. Most of my adult life has been spent working in a hotel, I’m still not sure why I left the tip.
When I left Fort Bragg my destination was San Diego, and the quickest route to San Diego was unfortunately not heading down the coastal highway. Since the drive was going to be a long one I felt that the fastest way there would be the best one. Without even looking at the ocean I hopped in the van and headed inland.
After about three minutes of driving I saw a sign that has the really really windy arrow on it, and the words next 28 miles beneath it. I though that was not really the best way to start off the day, but yesterday went pretty well and started off the same way. So, I drove down the road and around all the corners and giggles to myself as the dogs once again flopped around the back of them van.
So, after the 28 miles I turned south onto Highway 101. For a short while the road seemed like the middle of Saskatchewan, it was prairies and even some cows. Then it changed, not a lot mind you, but there was different stuff to look at. I think I was in the wine country because there were plants that looked a lot like grapes. I guess it was not grape season, but there were rows and rows of these things. And there were orange trees on the other side of the highway, I’d never seen an orange tree.
So I kept driving and according to the signs San Francisco was still quite a few miles off, so I thought that I would quickly pass through San Raphael and then have some more country side. Well, for those of you who don’t know, well it’s all one giant assed city, huge man.
Before San Raphael I came around a corner and around a hill and then all of a sudden there is a really really long bridge and a huge bay. Had I stayed on the coastal highway I would have came across the bay on the Golden Gate Bridge. Not that the bridge I crossed was unimpressive, its just not famous. I’m cool with it anyway, I hear that you have to pay to cross the Golden Gate Bridge.
So, I cross the bridge and get onto this huge seven lane freeway with entrances and exits and overpasses and underpasses all over the place. I can admit that in the grand scheme of the world I am a small city guy, so this was a little much for me to handle. I am driving along trying to keep pace with everyone else and take pictures at the same time. But, I am taking pictures like some kind of covert ninja sniper because I don’t want to be seen taking pictures. That’s how I know I’m cool, because I don’t want folks to know I’m a tourist. Right.
So I think I drove through San Raphael, Berkley, Oakland and San Jose…I honestly have no clue, but I am fairly certain that I wasn’t anywhere near the actual San Francisco. But I was finally out of that crazy traffic and back out into the miles and miles of fields.
There is where the coolest thing happened on my radio, though I’m sure it’s not really that cool. But two stations began battling for the same frequency. I was listening to Adam Corolla in between bumps of oldies radio. What made it interesting is that there was a lot less static then you would expect, just clear Adam then all of a sudden clear as a bell it switched to music.
I turned off into one of those rest stops to buy some water, and while there I took a good look at my map. I was looking at Los Angeles compared to San Francisco and the though of all those eyes on me while driving down the freeway came flooding back. I know that I am not really the center of attention in my van, but you all know that when driving in a strange place it sure feels that way. Even though I was driving just as fast as everyone else and staying in my own lane, it still felt like they were looking at me and making fun of the stupid Canadian and the way he drives.
Anyway, it hit me that I did not want to drive through LA. San Diego might be a great place but I am not going to see it this trip. It seems more like a place I want to fly into a take a cab everywhere in. So, I was Las Vegas bound.
I decided that I was going to head into Fresno and spend the night there. I thought about my trip then. When I woke up in Fort Bragg that morning I never would have guessed I would end up in Fresno, hell fifteen minutes earlier I had no idea I would en up in Fresno. As I drove for Fresno I continued to think about my trip, not just this trip but future trips, I wasn’t thinking about if I would do this again. I was thinking about when I would do this again. I look forward to seeing the rest of the world, not just the continent.
Then I got to Fresno and had me an In and Out burger, it was decent. I thought about going through Fresno and onto Bakersville but it was pretty dark so I found an Econo Lodge and got a room.
And just before I went to bed I looked out the window and saw the gigantic graveyard right behind the motel. Sleep tight.
Roughneck
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January 7, 2007
I finally got to sleep in today. It wasn’t until ten thirty that I woke up. Shortly after getting up I hit the road south towards Bakersville. It was boring and nothing happened, the view was plain and I really have nothing to say about it.
After Bakersville, however, southern Alberta was humbled in the way of those windmill things, there was probably about a thousand of them on this one hill. There were three different sizes that I could see and they were absolutely lining the hills on either side of the highway.
A disappointment came in the town of Boron. There was a sign that said there was a gas station on the next right turn, so I turned right into the tiny little crap pot of Boron. I followed the road down until it ended and then left down, I kid you not, twenty mule team road. There was no gas station, just a tour through their town and back onto the highway.
On the subject of gas, almost every station I have stopped with is pre-pay. That’s not a problem for me because a quick swipe of the credit card and I am good to go, though I am used to being able to pay inside after gassing up. But, every once and a while I will hit a gas station where the pump will ask me for my zip code before I can get gas. Well, as a Canadian I do not have a zip code, I have a postal code which is six digits.
The point is that it is a good security measure, but kind of sucks for Canadian travelers. Through trial and error I have discovered the following that can hopefully save you some trouble. When the pump asks you for your zip code, simply enter the first five digits of your postal code, obviously using the numeric substitute for any letters. One side note that you should be aware of, this only works for my American Express and thus far has proven useless with my Master Card.
Eventually I did get some gas and kept on driving for a while before I stopped at another rest stop. I was really just thirsty and, as it turns out, there were no vending machines at this one. What I did find was a fellow Canadian, at least he said he was.
The guy, I never did get his name, was by far the most ‘American’ person I have met all trip. He even had a southern accent. We talked for about half an hour. About many different topics, then employment problem in Edmonton, the was Americans think of Canadians, the motor industry in both Detroit and Southern Ontario and even Japanese tour busses.
Interestingly enough about another half hour later I passed him on the highway and he must have been going at least 15 miles per hour under the speed limit.
It was already dark by the time I reached the Nevada border and saw the town of Primm. Primm is like a miniature Las Vegas, lights, hotels and even a roller coaster. It’s actually fairly genius, I wonder how many folks heading to Vegas just stop in Primm and do their gambling. My fellow Canadian from before said he always stayed in Primm.
Once I was through Primm I could actually see the light shooting from the Luxor, I was amazed at how far out you could actually see it. And the traffic, the amount of traffic both in and out of Vegas was pretty astounding.
Anyway, I drove right by Vegas and onto Boulder City, where I would stay the night and head off to Hoover Dam tomorrow. For the first time this trip I got to eat at a Jack in the Box. Actually it was the same Jack in the Box that I ate at last year when I came to Vegas, it just turned out that way. It was really good. I got a room and a place called the Nevada Inn, I think it’s affiliated with Econo Lodge and Choice Hotels, but have yet to conform that suspicion.
On the internet I purchased a ticket for the Phantom of the Opera Las Vegas Spectacular. So, it looks like I am going to be in Vegas for another night, which just happens to be Elvis Presley’s birthday. I expect that to be a hell of a show, and it looks like my conscious decision not to gamble on this trip has gone out the window as tomorrow I am going to need to kill some time.
I finally got to sleep in today. It wasn’t until ten thirty that I woke up. Shortly after getting up I hit the road south towards Bakersville. It was boring and nothing happened, the view was plain and I really have nothing to say about it.
After Bakersville, however, southern Alberta was humbled in the way of those windmill things, there was probably about a thousand of them on this one hill. There were three different sizes that I could see and they were absolutely lining the hills on either side of the highway.
A disappointment came in the town of Boron. There was a sign that said there was a gas station on the next right turn, so I turned right into the tiny little crap pot of Boron. I followed the road down until it ended and then left down, I kid you not, twenty mule team road. There was no gas station, just a tour through their town and back onto the highway.
On the subject of gas, almost every station I have stopped with is pre-pay. That’s not a problem for me because a quick swipe of the credit card and I am good to go, though I am used to being able to pay inside after gassing up. But, every once and a while I will hit a gas station where the pump will ask me for my zip code before I can get gas. Well, as a Canadian I do not have a zip code, I have a postal code which is six digits.
The point is that it is a good security measure, but kind of sucks for Canadian travelers. Through trial and error I have discovered the following that can hopefully save you some trouble. When the pump asks you for your zip code, simply enter the first five digits of your postal code, obviously using the numeric substitute for any letters. One side note that you should be aware of, this only works for my American Express and thus far has proven useless with my Master Card.
Eventually I did get some gas and kept on driving for a while before I stopped at another rest stop. I was really just thirsty and, as it turns out, there were no vending machines at this one. What I did find was a fellow Canadian, at least he said he was.
The guy, I never did get his name, was by far the most ‘American’ person I have met all trip. He even had a southern accent. We talked for about half an hour. About many different topics, then employment problem in Edmonton, the was Americans think of Canadians, the motor industry in both Detroit and Southern Ontario and even Japanese tour busses.
Interestingly enough about another half hour later I passed him on the highway and he must have been going at least 15 miles per hour under the speed limit.
It was already dark by the time I reached the Nevada border and saw the town of Primm. Primm is like a miniature Las Vegas, lights, hotels and even a roller coaster. It’s actually fairly genius, I wonder how many folks heading to Vegas just stop in Primm and do their gambling. My fellow Canadian from before said he always stayed in Primm.
Once I was through Primm I could actually see the light shooting from the Luxor, I was amazed at how far out you could actually see it. And the traffic, the amount of traffic both in and out of Vegas was pretty astounding.
Anyway, I drove right by Vegas and onto Boulder City, where I would stay the night and head off to Hoover Dam tomorrow. For the first time this trip I got to eat at a Jack in the Box. Actually it was the same Jack in the Box that I ate at last year when I came to Vegas, it just turned out that way. It was really good. I got a room and a place called the Nevada Inn, I think it’s affiliated with Econo Lodge and Choice Hotels, but have yet to conform that suspicion.
On the internet I purchased a ticket for the Phantom of the Opera Las Vegas Spectacular. So, it looks like I am going to be in Vegas for another night, which just happens to be Elvis Presley’s birthday. I expect that to be a hell of a show, and it looks like my conscious decision not to gamble on this trip has gone out the window as tomorrow I am going to need to kill some time.
Roughneck
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January 8, 2007
Today was a good day. A little vacation from my vacation, a weekend as it were. It’s kind of odd but this entire trip kind of feels like work to me, not overly hard work. But if feels more like work than a holiday, and I think that after the month I spent unemployed that it is a good thing.
But today was my weekend and I was in Las Vegas on Elvis Presley’s birthday. I had a ticket waiting for me at will call for the Phantom of the Opera Las Vegas Spectacular. And it was a beautiful day.
I slept in until about ten thirty again today and after checking out of the motel I headed into the heart of Vegas. I drove up and down the strip a couple of times before turning off to tour the lesser seen parts of Las Vegas. A quick lunch at Carl’s Jr. later and I was strip bound once again, this time to find a hotel.
I didn’t want to stay in one of those filthy looking cheap motels, but at the same time I didn’t have any desire to stay in one of the big fancy places. And of course, the hotel needed to be within walking distance of the Venetian.
I went to a Motel 6 but it was sold out, so I ended up going to Travelodge. This is thus far my least favorite hotel I have stayed in yet. And incidentally it is also the most expensive.
Anyway, I put on a suit and walked over to the Venetian, I picked up my ticket and still had some time to kill. So, I lost two hundred and sixty dollars at roulette, I was up for a while and I should have quit, bit I didn’t. After my loss I still had some time to kill, I just ended up standing in line when there wasn’t really a line yet.
The show was fantastic despite some of the minor changes. Some of the changes were great but a few I felt just didn’t work, at least for me anyway.
After the show I walked back to the hotel and grabbed some McDonalds, outside of it I ran into a fellow Canadian. At first he was just a guy asking for money with no hope of getting any from me. Then he went into a story about how he was down from Calgary and ran out of gas. I gave him five bucks and we chatted for a bit. And no, I wasn’t wearing my Canadian pin. But, now I am about to go to bed. I’ve got to get back to ‘work’ tomorrow.
Today was a good day. A little vacation from my vacation, a weekend as it were. It’s kind of odd but this entire trip kind of feels like work to me, not overly hard work. But if feels more like work than a holiday, and I think that after the month I spent unemployed that it is a good thing.
But today was my weekend and I was in Las Vegas on Elvis Presley’s birthday. I had a ticket waiting for me at will call for the Phantom of the Opera Las Vegas Spectacular. And it was a beautiful day.
I slept in until about ten thirty again today and after checking out of the motel I headed into the heart of Vegas. I drove up and down the strip a couple of times before turning off to tour the lesser seen parts of Las Vegas. A quick lunch at Carl’s Jr. later and I was strip bound once again, this time to find a hotel.
I didn’t want to stay in one of those filthy looking cheap motels, but at the same time I didn’t have any desire to stay in one of the big fancy places. And of course, the hotel needed to be within walking distance of the Venetian.
I went to a Motel 6 but it was sold out, so I ended up going to Travelodge. This is thus far my least favorite hotel I have stayed in yet. And incidentally it is also the most expensive.
Anyway, I put on a suit and walked over to the Venetian, I picked up my ticket and still had some time to kill. So, I lost two hundred and sixty dollars at roulette, I was up for a while and I should have quit, bit I didn’t. After my loss I still had some time to kill, I just ended up standing in line when there wasn’t really a line yet.
The show was fantastic despite some of the minor changes. Some of the changes were great but a few I felt just didn’t work, at least for me anyway.
After the show I walked back to the hotel and grabbed some McDonalds, outside of it I ran into a fellow Canadian. At first he was just a guy asking for money with no hope of getting any from me. Then he went into a story about how he was down from Calgary and ran out of gas. I gave him five bucks and we chatted for a bit. And no, I wasn’t wearing my Canadian pin. But, now I am about to go to bed. I’ve got to get back to ‘work’ tomorrow.
tzarinna
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Do you have a video camera?
I hear you can get some really good stuff at the pawn shops in Vegas for obvious reasons.
Can't wait to hear about the Hoover Dam. Are you going to take the 'dam tour'?
I often feel like I put so much more into travel that I need a vacation once I've returned from my vacation.
Stay safe.
I hear you can get some really good stuff at the pawn shops in Vegas for obvious reasons.
Can't wait to hear about the Hoover Dam. Are you going to take the 'dam tour'?
I often feel like I put so much more into travel that I need a vacation once I've returned from my vacation.
Stay safe.
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