The Many Adventures of an Aussie Disney Honeymooner

[zanzibar138]

Moving along, the next attraction we came to was Artist Drive. This was a one-way loop (of about 5 miles I think) that weaved through the bottom of some of the mountains, some of the which had fascinating layers of colours.



The drive was quite fun, with lots of twisting and turning through rocks and canyons, and the occasional large dip.





The main attraction on the drive was Artist's Palette, an area of rock with intense pigmentation. Approaching the area, we were surprised to see many cars pulled over on the side of the road (all other points of interest we had passed had proper parking areas). Turns out the parking area was just around the corner lol! It was possible to walk through the mountains, but none of us were that keen to do much hiking there. We all thought that it was prettier from a distance, and generally preferred the rest of the drive.



Having completed the drive, we did the backtrack to the hotel and filled up at the nearby petrol station. It was also lunch time so we were on the lookout for something to eat. The door to the shop part of the petrol station appeared to be locked, and when we asked the attendant, she said it was shift change time and it would be open again soon. In the meantime, she wouldn't even tell us whether there was food available in there or not.

We decided to head back to the hotel to see what we could get there instead. We didn't really want to have a sit-down lunch, so we headed to their little takeaway cafe type thing, where they were selling coffee and pastries. We wanted to order some pastries, but were informed that it was also shift change time for them, so the guy at the counter just continued to tidy up while ignoring us.

We were getting a bit annoyed by this time, but headed next door to the general store part, where we found some pre-made salads and sandwiches. Success! We finally found someone who was willing to take our money! We sat on a bench outside the general store to eat our lunch before hitting the road again.

I felt like the guys were a little 'natured out', but I had one more stop on the agenda. I was still keen to see Zabriskie Point since we'd changed our plans the previous evening. We were literally driving right past, so it wasn't too big of an ask for the guys to pull in and park for a few minutes while I walked up to the lookout point and had a short look around.





I would have loved to explore a bit further down some of those trails, but it was well and truly time to get going.

There was lots more interesting scenery along the drive. We loved this large mountain range looming over the town of Pahrump, where we joined the main highway heading towards Vegas.



At first it seemed like a small country town, but when we hit the main highway, we realised it was quite a large city. Out of interest, I looked up the population and found it was around 45,000, which is about the same as Bunbury, the second largest city in Western Australia. For a bunch of Aussies, it was crazy to see shops selling fireworks, guns and 'pain relief' (not sure if using the correct name would get me banned from the DIS lol!).

I enjoyed the fields of Joshua Trees as we left the town and headed towards yet another large mountain range.



The mountain range turned out to be the Spring Mountains, which we passed through at about 5,500 ft (or around 1600 m).



Continued in next post...

 

[pkondz]

You ain't seen nothin' yet

Got it in one

My powers of deduction are limitless...

Sadly not. Although if we did, we would now have half a dozen pairs of noise cancelling headphones each lol!

That's what eBay is for!

I'd sneak them off the plane from now on.

Haha yes, it does get used that way over here too. In this context, it's more like 'was heavily impacted by'. Another example might be something like 'the coastal area copped the full force of the storm'.

Thanks!
Love comparing the differences in our common language.

That's what I was expecting too! Turned out to be 2 modern small-ish terminals quite close together (not dissimilar to Perth airport), and one tin shed way out the back

Amazingly, I don't really seem to get that affected by jetlag. Ben seemed to do ok too, although he had some trouble falling asleep I think.

That's lucky for you!

Or, 35mph feels really fast! Because you're expecting 35kph and it's actually closer to 50kph.

The biggest difference is probably the mountains. Australia is generally pretty flat, with very few areas that would actually be considered mountainous (as opposed to hilly).

Ah! Of course.

There seem to be mountain ranges everywhere in the US!

Uh, huh...

Try driving through North Dakota.
It's the definition of flat.

No, definitely not hot. Around Death Valley I think the maximums were around 16°C. Felt warmer though in the full sun.

Quite cool. I mean, I know it's winter, but still thought it might be warmer than that. Mid 20s at least.

It was only the last quarter mile when the road starting zigging and zagging with a 13% incline grade.

Skateboarder's dream.

We made it by about 4:30pm, just in time to see the sun disappear!

For a second there, I thought you meant the sun dipped below the horizon and became dark before you even got out of the car. Glad that wasn't the case.

Nice shot of you both.

We didn't go very far, acutely aware that once the sun was gone it would be very very dark!

Sun goes down much more quickly down south (from my vantage point.)

Beautiful.

Showing just how much of a gradual incline there was along that road, I pretty much did not need to use the accelerator for the entire drive back to the hotel.

Did I mention skateboarder's dream?
Reminds me of a scene in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (if you've seen it.)

Tin ceiling!

After dinner, A treated us to milkshakes at the ice-creamery (also at the hotel).

Nice. And yum!

Oh! Had no idea it was that low. (Or that you'd go even lower!)

I had been planning to just keep going after our morning of sightseeing, but backtracking would only add an extra 20-30 minutes and we all agreed that it would be well worth the effort to not get caught short on those isolated roads!

Yeah... judging from your photos, you do not want to run out, there.

Badwater Basin is famous at the lowest point in North America, at 282 ft (or 85.5 m) below sea level.

Cool! Did no know this.

we saw one group of people nearly on the other side of the valley!

Far! Hope they brought water.
Then again... you said it wasn't that warm, so... maybe not so much an issue.

Love this shot.

Whee!!

Nice and short. My drives are usually considerably longer. I love when I have a short (driving) day like that.

a surprisingly long way up a bumpy old dirt road

It's a rental.

Cool. Must've been a river at some point?

you could (carefully) walk out among the salt formations.

Last thing you want at the start of your trip is a twisted ankle!

Ben was also happy to see some 'hexagons' on the way in/out.

Oh good.

 

[pkondz]

The drive was quite fun, with lots of twisting and turning through rocks and canyons, and the occasional large dip.

Motorcyclist's dream.

The door to the shop part of the petrol station appeared to be locked, and when we asked the attendant, she said it was shift change time and it would be open again soon. In the meantime, she wouldn't even tell us whether there was food available in there or not.

Um... what the heck???

We wanted to order some pastries, but were informed that it was also shift change time for them, so the guy at the counter just continued to tidy up while ignoring us.

This is getting ridiculous.

We were getting a bit annoyed by this time,

I would have been, too!

We finally found someone who was willing to take our money!

I felt like the guys were a little 'natured out', but I had one more stop on the agenda.

She who makes the agenda...

I was still keen to see Zabriskie Point since we'd changed our plans the previous evening. We were literally driving right past, so it wasn't too big of an ask for the guys to pull in and park for a few minutes while I walked up to the lookout point and had a short look around.

Oh, good! Glad you got to see it after all.

We loved this large mountain range looming over the town of Pahrump,

Oddly enough, I've heard of Pahrump. No idea from where...

Out of interest, I looked up the population and found it was around 45,000,

Huh! Much bigger than I thought, too.

For a bunch of Aussies, it was crazy to see shops selling fireworks, guns and 'pain relief' (not sure if using the correct name would get me banned from the DIS lol!).

I feel the same way when I'm driving through the US. And billboard ads for lawyers are everywhere.

 

[zanzibar138]

Soon we caught a few glimpses of Vegas.



I assumed this was Red Rock Canyon. I would have loved to stop there (and it had been pencilled in as a possibility), but it was just getting too late (and the guys still seemed 'natured out').



We tried hard to find another view of the strip as we drove by Vegas, but this was the best we managed from an overpass.



We found ourselves stuck in horrendous traffic on the main highway out of Vegas, which we discovered was due to a crash. From there, it was a relatively straightforward run into Boulder City.

We stayed at the Best Western Hoover Dam, and it seems that I neglected to take a single photo! It was pretty standard motel type accommodation, but nice enough. A seemed to score an upgrade to a corner room that had a king bed and a whole separate sitting area, while Ben and I were given a standard 2 queens room to celebrate our honeymoon lol!

After a quick freshen up, we headed out to find some dinner.



I would have liked more time to explore - looked like there was a good selection of sculptures, artwork and kitschy bits and pieces.







We ended up at the Boulder Dam Brewing Co, where we enjoyed burgers with some great live music.

Sadly, that wasn't the end of the night.

After nearly a week of travel, Ben and I were just about due to do a load of laundry. I'd looked up where there was a laundromat and we planned to do that after dinner. Also, while in KL we had discovered that my laptop wouldn't plug into the power adapters that we got. The battery had pretty well, but I was definitely going to need a power source to get me through the next few weeks. We decided to go into Henderson to see if Lowe's had anything to help us. A decided to have a quiet night in while we ran our errands.

We didn't realise how close to Vegas we would be going to get to Henderson! We stumbled across this great view of the strip coming down a hill. I hadn't bothered to take my camera for running errands, and this is the best photo I could manage on my phone.



We decided to just ask for help when we got to Lowe's, and sadly they were unable to help us. However, they did direct us to the Best Buy across the road. The guy there was decidedly unhelpful, but Ben being an IT professional had a pretty good idea of what we needed anyway. We ended up spending about USD $80 on a US power cord for my laptop. We won't have any further use for it, but I think it was worth the cost for us to be able to access the laptop for the rest of the trip. We no longer had time to do laundry, so we grabbed a couple of snacks and drinks while we were out and headed back to the hotel.

 

[pkondz]

Looks so small from there.

(and the guys still seemed 'natured out').

I'd be natured in.
I'd be happily geeking out about all the sights.

We tried hard to find another view of the strip as we drove by Vegas

I'm surprised you didn't stay for a bit. But... there are only so many days in a vacation.

We stayed at the Best Western Hoover Dam, and it seems that I neglected to take a single photo!

Fail!

A seemed to score an upgrade to a corner room that had a king bed and a whole separate sitting area, while Ben and I were given a standard 2 queens room to celebrate our honeymoon lol!

That's... weird.

We ended up at the Boulder Dam Brewing Co, where we enjoyed burgers with some great live music.

Sounds like a dam fine time.

Sadly, that wasn't the end of the night.

Uh, oh...

Also, while in KL we had discovered that my laptop wouldn't plug into the power adapters that we got.

Nice view!

We ended up spending about USD $80 on a US power cord for my laptop.

Ouch...
But better than a dead battery.

We won't have any further use for it, but I think it was worth the cost for us to be able to access the laptop for the rest of the trip.

 

[zanzibar138]

Try driving through North Dakota.
It's the definition of flat.

Haha, well the parts of the US that I have seen seem to have mountain ranges everywhere

Quite cool. I mean, I know it's winter, but still thought it might be warmer than that. Mid 20s at least.

Yes, given just how hot it gets there, it was surprising that it also got that cold. I'd done enough research to realise that under the right conditions (or wrong conditions depending on your perspective), there was definitely potential for snow in the higher altitude parts. Hence why I was so happy to get to see Dante's View. The desert is definitely a place of extremes!

Sun goes down much more quickly down south (from my vantage point.)

I've definitely noticed that too - the closer to the equator you get, the quicker the sun goes down.

Did I mention skateboarder's dream?
Reminds me of a scene in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (if you've seen it.)

Absolutely!

Far! Hope they brought water.
Then again... you said it wasn't that warm, so... maybe not so much an issue.

It was definitely the time of year for hiking at Death Valley. In summer, you pretty much have to be out of that basin by 10am, but in winter you'd probably be ok to be out there for an hour any time of day in the full sun without water.

Nice and short. My drives are usually considerably longer. I love when I have a short (driving) day like that.

Although the drive was short, it was still a long day with all the stops. We left the hotel at about 9am and didn't get to the next one until sunset. With traffic, it also took us quite a bit longer than that estimated time. Probably 3.5 hours of straight driving once we left Zabriskie Point. Enough that Ben was getting a bit over it.

Cool. Must've been a river at some point?

I was a very bad tourist at the Natural Bridge and didn't bother to read the informational signage. However, it sure did look that way. I also noticed heaps of what would have been mini waterfalls during rain.

Last thing you want at the start of your trip is a twisted ankle!

The signage actually warned of the potential for nasty cuts, as those salt formations were very rough with sharp edges. Either way would not have been good!

Motorcyclist's dream.

I definitely had that thought. Even as a non-rider, I'd be tempted!

She who makes the agenda...

I did feel like a bit of a bossy-boots at times!

I feel the same way when I'm driving through the US. And billboard ads for lawyers are everywhere.

And the TV ads for prescription medications!

I'm surprised you didn't stay for a bit. But... there are only so many days in a vacation.

We would be back in the Vegas the following evening, so happy to just drive straight past to get to our destination.

That's... weird.

I'm sure there was a good explanation on the information sign next to it but again, I was a bad tourist and didn't read all the signage. I did read enough to know that many of the sculptures depicted life in the town during the building of Hoover Dam. But then there were other random ones like this Peter Pan...

 

[zanzibar138]

Chapter 3: In which we go exploring and nearly catch a wild donkey

3.3. Getting our kicks​

Today's drive would take us in a large loop back around to Vegas. While Death Valley was something from my wishlist, Hoover Dam and Route 66 were things from Ben's wishlist.



We started bright and early again, with our included breakfast. For a motel, this breakfast actually wasn't too bad. Ben took the driver's seat again for the drive to Hoover Dam, and promptly starting pulling out of the hotel carpark onto the wrong side of the road He quickly corrected when A and I started yelling at him! After an uneventful rest of the drive, we arrived at Hoover Dam slightly after 9am.





Last time I'd been to Hoover Dam (with my ex), I remember driving across the top of the dam and parking in a small carpark on the other side. There's now a security checkpoint (which may or may not be new - I can't remember) and a large multi-storey carpark. The guys were keen to do the dam tour, so we headed across to the visitor's centre. We decided to do the extended version, and from memory, were given tickets for the 10am departure. We were directed to a small theatre for a short movie, and then advised to wait in the holding area for the tour. It was a bit of a boring wait, but the time went quickly enough, and our group was soon called.

We were given a short briefing then advised that the larger regular tour group would be joining us for the first part of the tour, then we were taken down in the lift and left with a different tour guide. The tour started with this large pipe.



We were told about how these pipes (this one and another one on the other side of the dam) were used to deviate the river so they could work on the dam. It was all quite fascinating. Next we were taken back up a few levels in the lift to see the power plant.



This is where we deviated from the regular tour group, and were led through a set of gates to another tunnel and our original tour guide. We were told that these tunnels (unlike the first level where the deviation pipes were) were designed to host tour groups, so they were made 'pretty'.



The next part of the tour was also not designed for tour groups! We were directed to proceed in single file through this circular tunnel to the grate at the end, where we were encouraged to take turns taking photos and even stick our hands out to wave to people in the visitor's centre.





Once we were gathered as a group again, we proceeded to another lift to be taken to see the internal stairs. Along the way, our tour guide stood guard over an earthquake detector to make sure no one set it off! The stairs were fenced off, but we were able to take photos through the mesh.





And that was the end of the tour. We were taken back to the lift and up to the surface to continue exploring on our own. We all enjoyed the tour very much and thought it was worth the investment of USD $30 per person and an hour of our time.

Continued in next post...

 

[zanzibar138]

We emerged from our tour in the middle of the dam, and took in the views before crossing over and checking out the views on the other side.





From someone who's nearest state border is 1338km (or about 830 miles) away, crossing a state border is always a novelty. Don't even get me started on crossing into another country by road lol!



After a quick wander around, we agreed that it was time to move on. In hindsight, we should have grabbed a coffee and a snack first

But first, I had some more unfinished business with Hoover Dam. On my last visit, the Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge had only just opened, and I didn't get a chance to walk across it. So on the way out, we stopped to tick that one off the list.



The views were great, but the lighting at that time of day was terrible for photography!



And once again, the novelty of standing in multiple states at once



Without further ado, we headed off to continue our brief exploration of Arizona!

To be continued...

 

[pkondz]

Haha, well the parts of the US that I have seen seem to have mountain ranges everywhere

Smart.
Avoid North Dakota...

The desert is definitely a place of extremes!

I've definitely noticed that too - the closer to the equator you get, the quicker the sun goes down.

I remember years ago sitting down to watch the sunset in Hawaii.
I was shocked at how fast it disappeared! It was like a light switch had been flicked off.

Although the drive was short, it was still a long day with all the stops.

But the drive was broken up. Makes all the difference.

Probably 3.5 hours of straight driving once we left Zabriskie Point. Enough that Ben was getting a bit over it.

I've had that feeling.

The signage actually warned of the potential for nasty cuts, as those salt formations were very rough with sharp edges. Either way would not have been good!

I did feel like a bit of a bossy-boots at times!

And the TV ads for prescription medications!

Right! Sooooo many!

We would be back in the Vegas the following evening, so happy to just drive straight past to get to our destination.

Ah! I was wondering. I had thought I remembered you saying you were going, so was a bit surprised when you passed it by.

I did read enough to know that many of the sculptures depicted life in the town during the building of Hoover Dam.

Makes sense.

But then there were other random ones like this Peter Pan...

Nice statue, but... why??

 

[zanzibar138]

I remember years ago sitting down to watch the sunset in Hawaii.
I was shocked at how fast it disappeared! It was like a light switch had been flicked off.

Last year when we were in Tassie, we sat down to watch the sunset, and it took forever! It must have been close to an hour we were sitting there!

I don't think I've taken much notice on recent trips to SE Asia, but I remember as a kid watching the sunset in Bali and it was over in a flash. I remember clearly seeing the sun actually moving down in the sky.

Ah! I was wondering. I had thought I remembered you saying you were going, so was a bit surprised when you passed it by.

Yeah it was a bit of a weird way to do it, but we wanted to get all the driving out of the way so we could take the car back before settling in to Vegas. We didn't want to have to worry about driving down the strip or parking at the hotel.

 

[pkondz]

While Death Valley was something from my wishlist, Hoover Dam and Route 66 were things from Ben's wishlist.

Excellent wishlist.
I have driving the entire length of Route 66 on mine. (One of several... but time and money dictate when or if items on the list get done.)

Ben took the driver's seat again for the drive to Hoover Dam, and promptly starting pulling out of the hotel carpark onto the wrong side of the road He quickly corrected when A and I started yelling at him!

Whoops!
Glad it didn't result in an angry driver, or worse, an accident.

We were told about how these pipes (this one and another one on the other side of the dam) were used to deviate the river so they could work on the dam.

Dam big pipe! And dam cool, too.

I've seen this picture before... but you actually saw it with your own eyes!

We were told that these tunnels (unlike the first level where the deviation pipes were) were designed to host tour groups, so they were made 'pretty'.

Pretty dam nice for a utilitarian tunnel.

That looks pretty dam claustrophobic. Anyone feel some of that?

Nice dam shot. Don't usually see it from the reverse angle.

Along the way, our tour guide stood guard over an earthquake detector to make sure no one set it off!

Don't want to set off the dam alarms.

Another interesting dam angle.
Is that concrete all the way down the river? Or just the color of the bank nearest the water? It looks man-made?

From someone who's nearest state border is 1338km (or about 830 miles) away, crossing a state border is always a novelty. Don't even get me started on crossing into another country by road lol!

Looks dam windy.

And no... I'm not done with the dam puns.

But first, I had some more unfinished business with Hoover Dam.

Bathroom is down the stairs, to the left.

The views were great, but the lighting at that time of day was terrible for photography!

Dam lighting in the middle of a sunny day... yeah... tough one.

And once again, the novelty of standing in multiple states at once

Last year when we were in Tassie, we sat down to watch the sunset, and it took forever! It must have been close to an hour we were sitting there!

I believe you.
Tasmania is 42 degrees south of the equator. I live 50 degrees north of it.
I had a friend from California visit and she wanted to take a sunset photo; we were driving at the time. I told her I'd pull over at a better spot. She said "It'll be down by then." I knew better. Had time to drive to a better spot (Just a few minutes, not hours), get a good vantage point, and still have time to take plenty of photos.

For a few years I lived 59 degrees north. In summer, the sun barely set. You could watch the glow on the horizon move from the northwest to the northeast before it popped up again for another long day. On June 21st (summer solstice), sunrise is 4:05am and sets 18 and a half hours later at 10:31pm.

I remember as a kid watching the sunset in Bali and it was over in a flash. I remember clearly seeing the sun actually moving down in the sky.

It's almost shocking, isn't it?

Yeah it was a bit of a weird way to do it, but we wanted to get all the driving out of the way so we could take the car back before settling in to Vegas. We didn't want to have to worry about driving down the strip or parking at the hotel.

Makes sense.

 

[zanzibar138]

I have driving the entire length of Route 66 on mine.

Us too, but not sure if we'll ever get around to it, so at least we've seen some of Route 66 now.

That looks pretty dam claustrophobic. Anyone feel some of that?

We were warned that it would be claustrophobic in there and there was always the option not to go, but it didn't seem to bother anyone in our group. I imagine the entire thing could be a little difficult for anyone who suffers significantly from claustrophobia.

Is that concrete all the way down the river? Or just the color of the bank nearest the water? It looks man-made?

Seemed to be just the colour of the river banks - I assume it's where the water level gets to, but yes, it is a very distinct line!

And no... I'm not done with the dam puns.

I would expect nothing less.

I had a friend from California visit and she wanted to take a sunset photo; we were driving at the time. I told her I'd pull over at a better spot. She said "It'll be down by then." I knew better. Had time to drive to a better spot (Just a few minutes, not hours), get a good vantage point, and still have time to take plenty of photos.

Yes, definitely a bit like that in Tassie. In Bali it was more like by the time you got your camera out the sun was gone lol!

 

[pkondz]

Us too, but not sure if we'll ever get around to it, so at least we've seen some of Route 66 now.

We were warned that it would be claustrophobic in there and there was always the option not to go, but it didn't seem to bother anyone in our group. I imagine the entire thing could be a little difficult for anyone who suffers significantly from claustrophobia.

Glad no one was.

Seemed to be just the colour of the river banks - I assume it's where the water level gets to, but yes, it is a very distinct line!

Huh! I had thought "Why did they put concrete down for the length of the river? Erosion?"

Apparently... they didn't!

Yes, definitely a bit like that in Tassie. In Bali it was more like by the time you got your camera out the sun was gone lol!

I believe you!
"Okay! The sun's about to set... wait... where did it go????"

 

[zanzibar138]

I'll pick up where we left off, heading off from Hoover Dam. Ben was getting a little tired, so I took over driving. Probably just as well too as he actually fell asleep for a little bit! We were all starting to feel the fatigue after a few big days. Our next scheduled stop was Kingman. It was getting on for 12pm when we left Hoover Dam, so I was expecting to arrive by 1:30pm, which seemed a reasonable time for lunch. I would have liked to spend longer in Kingman, but we had a tight schedule that day and we all agreed that it would probably be best to just grab some takeaway on the way through.

Once we were through the mountains surrounding Hoover Dam, there wasn't much to break up the trip to Kingman, and it seemed to take forever to get there. At one point I looked over at the clock and did a double-take, as it was showing 1:30pm already! I feared we had missed a turnoff and somehow gotten lost, but it turned out that there was just an hour's time difference between Nevada and Arizona that I hadn't factored in

Coming into Kingman, we hit very heavy traffic (which turned out to be due to a broken down truck). While crawling along, we passed several takeaway places and I wondered if I should just stop at one of those, but the guys were keen to just get through the traffic and see what else was in town. Bad idea. I didn't really know where the commercial area of town was, and all we were seeing was restaurants. The guys were both giving me conflicting directions, and we all ended up having a bit of a grump and ditching lunch. I hadn't had a chance to plug in Oatman to my maps yet either, so we took a couple of wrong turns which didn't help matters!

Along the way, we came across a little kitschy shop, and decided to stop there in case they had any food. They didn't, but the distraction did us all the world of good and we got over our little grump and enjoyed looking around.



They had a large variety of Route 66 and 'sidewinder' merchandise. The stretch of road we were about to take has earned the 'sidewinder' nickname due to all the twists and turns. We came away with a few t-shirts between us.

As we were leaving, we noticed the large Route 66 marker on the road, and took a few photos before hitting the road again. Ben took over driving from here so I could concentrate on photography.



The windy section began as soon as we left the shop, and we enjoyed the views that emerged around each bend.







The windy section wasn't very long, and soon we were approaching the town of Oatman. We arrived in the middle of some sort of wild west show they were doing on the street. After the show, many people left, and we noticed a lot of the shops shutting down for the day. We had a brief wander and checked out some of the shops that were still open.

We were disappointed that we hadn't seen any donkeys along the road into town, but there were plenty hanging around the town itself. Unfortunately because people have been encouraged to feed them, they have developed a bit of an attitude, and some were looking a bit overweight and unhealthy. We were approached by a few donkeys who put their ears back and gave a threatening look when they realised we didn't have any food. I certainly wouldn't have said they were friendly. It may not have been such a disappointing experience if we hadn't had that great encounter with the less spoilt donkeys on the way to Death Valley.







It was getting on for 3:30pm (local time), and we still needed to find somewhere to eat! I was just about to give up and make do with an overpriced bag of chips or something, when someone directed us towards the Oatman Hotel, which was still serving food. I devoured my grilled cheese while looking around. The inside of the pub was almost completely covered in $1 bills with the names and hometowns of many travellers.



We didn't linger too much over lunch, as we still had a decent amount of driving to do and time was getting on. I'm glad we did the drive to Oatman, but for the scenery and the experience of driving Route 66 more than the donkeys or the town specifically.

It was a pretty straight and easy drive heading out of Oatman to the west, and we even saw a couple of donkeys a few miles out of town.



It was interesting to see some of the agricultural area along the Colorado River, and we enjoyed the sunset as we drove over yet another mountain pass, but soon enough the sun was gone, and we drove the last hour or so to Vegas in the dark. After a quick petrol stop, we dropped off the car and were soon in a taxi heading to the strip, ready to begin the next chapter!

 

[pkondz]

Ben was getting a little tired, so I took over driving. Probably just as well too as he actually fell asleep for a little bit!

Good thing! You don't want him falling asleep at the wheel!

Our next scheduled stop was Kingman.

Been there.

it turned out that there was just an hour's time difference between Nevada and Arizona that I hadn't factored in

I think I made that same mistake!

we all ended up having a bit of a grump and ditching lunch.

Oh dear.

What a neat looking place!

They had a large variety of Route 66 and 'sidewinder' merchandise.

Interesting that it's named after the road. I would've thought it was named after the snake.
Hmmm... then again, I wonder if the "sidewinder" road got it's name from the snake...

As we were leaving, we noticed the large Route 66 marker on the road, and took a few photos before hitting the road again.

Cool! I would do the same.

We arrived in the middle of some sort of wild west show they were doing on the street.

Fun.

After the show, many people left, and we noticed a lot of the shops shutting down for the day.

Whoops! Get your shopping done early, folks!

We were disappointed that we hadn't seen any donkeys along the road into town, but there were plenty hanging around the town itself. Unfortunately because people have been encouraged to feed them, they have developed a bit of an attitude, and some were looking a bit overweight and unhealthy.

There's a reason why you're not supposed to feed wild animals... there's a good example.

The inside of the pub was almost completely covered in $1 bills with the names and hometowns of many travellers.

Heh.
"We're going out of business... if only we had a few thousand bucks!"

Buddy is risking getting thumped by a passing vehicle.

 

[zanzibar138]

Chapter 4: In which we lose some money and zanzibar finds some fun

4.1. When in Vegas​

And so we come to the next chapter. You may notice that all the chapters so far have been very different experiences!

I'll start with a bit of background for those who weren't following my PTR. Ben and A (and another mate of theirs) spent some time in Vegas many years ago. As 3 young single guys, they all loved it. A has been back several times since, but Ben had never been back. He and A were super excited to fit in a few nights on our way through to Orlando, and I had to work hard to keep them to what I thought was a realistic timeframe! 4 nights was the negotiated minimum and, even when it was causing issues for flights and the timing of our WDW arrival, Ben was not willing to forgo any time there.

I also spent 1 night in Vegas many years ago, as part of a trip to the Grand Canyon with my ex. We had very little time there, arrived after dark and basically went directly to a show and directly back to the room again, and we had very little budget to play with. We had kept the car for the night in Vegas, so we could just drive to the airport the next day and drop it off there, however I had been driving when we arrived to the strip, and was so overwhelmed and stressed by the experience that I still carry the internal scars to this day! I just remember it being loud and crowded and chaotic and crazy and not my thing at all, and tried very hard to talk Ben down to 3 nights. After my previous experience, I was also very insistent about getting all of the driving done first, and then dropping off the car and getting a taxi to the hotel.

For this trip, we stayed at the Luxor, where the guys had stayed on their previous trip and was still reasonably priced. Pulling up at the front door in a taxi was a much nicer experience than trying to fight traffic and pedestrians and find our way around a tight carpark in a rental car. We had booked a pyramid room, but at the check in desk we were offered a cheap upgrade to a tower room, so we decided to go for it. A stuck with his pyramid room. They actually both looked nice, but the tower room was a little more modern, and the deciding factor for me was the nice deep soaking tub in the bathroom (which you can't really see behind the door in my photo). Unfortunately we didn't get much of a view - pretty much just glimpses of the airport between the other tower and the pyramid.





We just had time to quickly freshen up and change before heading to our first scheduled activity, the Tournament of Kings, which was very conveniently located in the Excalibur, the hotel next to us. The guys led the way through the interconnections of the hotels, and soon we were being seated at the show. It was a fun little show, and we also enjoyed our medieval feast.



A had the whole night pretty well planned out for us. Next stop was the ice bar at Mandalay Bay, the hotel on the other side of the Luxor. We splurged a little on the package that included 2 cocktails each, served in glasses made of ice, of course! Ben didn't like his first cocktail, so I finished it for him... well, when in Vegas







Next stop was the rooftop bar, still at Mandalay Bay. Being pretty late on a chilly Thursday night, they had closed off the balcony. In fact, they were pretty much getting ready to close up altogether. We just made it in as they were calling for last drinks. We had time to relax for a few minutes with our drinks before the music was lowered and the lights were brightened.



We weren't quite ready to call it a night yet, so we headed back through the Luxor and Excalibur to New York New York.



We wandered through to the MGM lobby and then turned back.



We found a little bar in the middle of the gaming floor at New York New York, and enjoyed another couple of drinks while people watching. Evidently, there was a very popular Japanese restaurant/bar in the area too, with a long line of people waiting to get in. I chose to be responsible and switch to Coke for the second round.



It was about 2am, and it had been a long day, so we decided to head back to the Luxor. The guys wanted one last drink at another little bar we found near the gaming floor. There was some confusion about what I was drinking, and I was presented with a Coke, but it was laced with alcohol. Randomly, they had dog agility playing on the TVs at the bar, which I found rather amusing but much more interesting than footy or basketball lol!

A wasn't quite ready to turn in, and wanted to have a bit of a flutter first. For some reason, he wanted to meet in the morning at 8am (it was nearly 3am by that point, and he wasn't even planning to go to bed any time soon!). I talked him around to 9am, then we said goodnight and headed up to our room. I was feeling a bit seedy after that last drink, but I had to admit I'd had a fun night, and managed to fall asleep without any incident.

 

[zanzibar138]

Chapter 4: In which we lose some money and zanzibar finds some fun

4.2. Feeling old in old Vegas​

It was a slow start to the day. The alarm went off at 8am, and I immediately knew that there was absolutely no way I was going to make it downstairs for breakfast by 9am. Ben called A, who it turned out was also quite happy to get back to sleep for a couple of hours.

The alarm went off again at 10am, and I cautiously tried to get up and start getting ready. It was slow going, and Ben called A again to let him know we'd probably still be a while. A was happy to have a little play on the pokies while waiting for us. We eventually made it downstairs and met up with A. While I was regretting how much I'd had to drink, Ben was regretting how much we'd already spent It was not the Vegas he remembered with cheap food and booze, plus the exchange rate was not in our favour. We realised we were going to have to be more careful, so we headed to the Luxor food court for lunch, where the guys got some overpriced pizza, and I got an overpriced Coke.

The plan for today was to head to the downtown area, as Ben hadn't made it there on his last trip. We'd been considering heading to an outlet mall, so Ben suggested we do that first since he hadn't packed a jumper and realised he probably would need one lol! We grabbed a taxi to the Las Vegas North outlet mall, where Ben found a well-priced Vegas hoodie in the Nike store and a few cheap souvenir t-shirts. I had been hoping to visit a Hot Topic to stock up on cute Disney outfits before we got to WDW. Sadly, there wasn't a Hot Topic at that outlet centre, but the guys were excited to find a Disney outlet there for me. I spent a bit of time having a look, but was disappointed with both the range of items and the prices, so I left empty-handed. I was starting to feel a bit better though and finally feeling like maybe I could eat something.

Usually I would have been up for the leisurely 30 minute walk from there to Fremont Street, but the guys weren't really into walking, so we got another taxi to take us to the Golden Nugget. A had stayed there on one of his previous trips, and was keen to show us some of the cool features there. The first thing we saw was this bar with an aquarium.



As we walked past, we noticed someone in there doing some maintenance.



We wandered around to the front of the hotel, where A pointed out the famous pool with the slide through the shark tank. Most of the hotel pools were closed for the season, and this one was no exception. We wouldn't have been allowed to the pool deck anyway since we weren't staying there.



The last thing he wanted to show us was the golden nugget. It was fun to read that it actually came from Australia!





We walked through the gaming floor and out onto Fremont Street, basically straight into a dance off.



Those guys were so good! I could have stood watching for a long time, but Ben and A were keen to move on. I took a bit of video to send to RayGun . We kind of just wandered from there, taking it all in while keeping an eye out for somewhere suitable for lunch. We enjoyed watching people speed past overhead on the zip line. It looked like a lot of fun, but not something we were willing to spend $80 on!



At the end of the street, we found a White Castle and a Denny's, and decided on White Castle which, for any non-Americans following along, basically just do sliders. It was a pretty average experience with pretty average food, but it did the job for a decent price. I was actually a bit sad that we didn't end up going to a Denny's at all on this trip!

After lunch we wandered with a little more purpose. We briefly visited Binion's to check out the $1 million cash photo opportunity.



Circa was new since A's last trip, so we went in there to check it out. It seemed to be sports themed, and had the most massive theatre style screen setup. I would totally be up for going to the casino in Perth with Ben and his grandma to watch the F1 if it had a cushy setup like that!



I saw this seemingly random neon hanging in a void over the escalators, and was pleased to read that she had been rescued from the previous building that was there. Apparently she was quite well-known and even had a name - Vegas Vicky.



We'd seen a bar back at the Golden Nugget that had a balcony overlooking the street, so we decided to check that out while we waited for nightfall. Sadly it turned out to be a nightclub that didn't open until 10pm. We ended up just having drinks at the bar near the lobby. I stuck to plain old Coke this time around

Continued in next post...

 

[zanzibar138]

After a couple of drinks, we noticed that it was starting to get dark, so we headed back out to Fremont Street. We came out to a light installation that was blue skies with clouds, that looked so realistic that Ben actually thought it was somehow daylight again Sadly I was too slow to take a photo, but the next installation was beautiful too.



In true Vegas fashion, there were people in costumes up and down the street, charging for photos. There were little circles on the ground, and it seemed like they each had to stay within their own circle. We ignored them all until we found this one, where Ben insisted on getting a photo.



We checked out a couple of the tacky souvenir shops on the way through and got a couple of trinkets. Before we knew it, we were at the end of the street.



While we were there, the guys were keen to check out the Plaza.



It was an older hotel without much of interest, but it did have a reasonably priced food court. We all got tacos which we really enjoyed. Was nice to eat something that wasn't deep fried and came with fresh vegetables!



I also loved the lights out the front and the pretty Carrousel Bar.





We'd all pretty much had enough of Fremont Street by then, but it was still early, so A came up with the idea of taking a taxi to the middle of the strip and checking out the various hotels and casinos on the way back to the Luxor. There was a handy taxi rank just outside the Plaza.

Continued in next post...

 

[zanzibar138]

We had the taxi take us to Treasure Island, where we got a little lost on the gaming floor before finding the main entrance.



Being a Disney fan, I would have liked to have spent more time checking out the theming around the lobby areas of some of these hotels, but A seemed to be focused on the gaming floors, which pretty much all looked the same to me.

We walked along to the Venetian next, which was really amazingly well done.







I may have taken us down a corridor that got us pretty well lost. As we kept walking, the theming turned into a pretty generic convention centre type look, and we soon found ourselves joining crowds of people who looked like they were headed towards a concert. We were too far gone down that corridor, and there was no longer any way out! Turned out we were headed towards the Sphere for an Eagles concert lol! When we got to the lobby where they were checking tickets, we were finally pointed to an exit, and came out right at the base of the Sphere.



We had actually originally planned to visit the Sphere, but when we discovered that there was a starting price of $90 each to see a documentary there, we'd pretty much ditched that idea. So it was kind of cool to end up seeing it close anyway, although it had taken us far enough out of our way that we needed to rethink the plan for the rest of the night.

A knew the Wynn was close by and had some nice floral installations that I might like, so we walked there. It did indeed have some nice things to see.









It turned out to be a bit too fancy for us though. We just wanted somewhere with a nice casual bar where we could have a relaxed drink before calling it a night. So we found the taxi rank and headed back to the Luxor.



We found another little bar there in the middle of the gaming floor to have a drink. A wanted to meet at 8am again the next morning... After early starts on our road trip, and knowing we would have early starts coming up at WDW, I'd really been hoping that Vegas would be our opportunity for sleeping in with no alarms! I once again negotiated an extension to 9am.

 

[pkondz]

You may notice that all the chapters so far have been very different experiences!

I had been driving when we arrived to the strip, and was so overwhelmed and stressed by the experience that I still carry the internal scars to this day!

Oh dear.
I guess it doesn't help that it's on the other side from what you're used to.

loud and crowded and chaotic and crazy

That about sums it up all right!

the deciding factor for me was the nice deep soaking tub in the bathroom

oooohhh...
Love a nice soaker tub.

It was a fun little show, and we also enjoyed our medieval feast.

I've done those a few times. Fun.
Did you eat the food without utensils?

Next stop was the ice bar at Mandalay Bay

Huh. I've stayed there and don't recall that.

served in glasses made of ice, of course!

Cool!

Literally!

Next stop was the rooftop bar, still at Mandalay Bay.

Haven't been there either!
Clearly drinking is not a priority for me!

enjoyed another couple of drinks while people watching.

Vegas has got to be one of the best places in the world for people watching.

A wasn't quite ready to turn in, and wanted to have a bit of a flutter first

What does that mean? "flutter"?
Going out on a limb and assume it has nothing to do with acting like a butterfly.

For some reason, he wanted to meet in the morning at 8am (it was nearly 3am by that point, and he wasn't even planning to go to bed any time soon!).

Uh, huh... I'm sure that will happen.

Ben called A, who it turned out was also quite happy to get back to sleep for a couple of hours.

A was happy to have a little play on the pokies while waiting for us.

Play on the pokies??? Now what is that??

It was not the Vegas he remembered with cheap food and booze,

Nope. Times, they have changed.
Did you know for a while, back in the late '80's/early 90's, Vegas tried to sell itself as a family destination?

Yeah... that didn't work!

the guys were excited to find a Disney outlet there for me. I spent a bit of time having a look, but was disappointed with both the range of items and the prices, so I left empty-handed.

Well, shoot.

The first thing we saw was this bar with an aquarium.

That's cool.

A pointed out the famous pool with the slide through the shark tank.

Oh! Didn't know that was there. Thought it might be over at Mandalay Bay.

The last thing he wanted to show us was the golden nugget. It was fun to read that it actually came from Australia!

I didn't realize there was an actual golden nugget!

I took a bit of video to send to RayGun .

We enjoyed watching people speed past overhead on the zip line. It looked like a lot of fun, but not something we were willing to spend $80 on!

Yeah... If I'm going to spend that kind of money, I want a better experience than that.
Try Whistler, BC.

I was actually a bit sad that we didn't end up going to a Denny's at all on this trip!

Um...

So... have you ever been to a Denny's? I'm going to assume not. Otherwise you wouldn't want to go there twice.

I would totally be up for going to the casino in Perth with Ben and his grandma to watch the F1 if it had a cushy setup like that!

You an F1 fan? Or only watch it because Ben does?

I saw this seemingly random neon hanging in a void over the escalators, and was pleased to read that she had been rescued from the previous building that was there. Apparently she was quite well-known and even had a name - Vegas Vicky.

I like it when things like that happen.

We came out to a light installation that was blue skies with clouds, that looked so realistic that Ben actually thought it was somehow daylight again Sadly I was too slow to take a photo, but the next installation was beautiful too.

But yes, the Fremont St. Experience is... pretty incredible.

In true Vegas fashion, there were people in costumes up and down the street, charging for photos. There were little circles on the ground, and it seemed like they each had to stay within their own circle.

Huh! I never noticed the circles... unless they're new. Good idea, though.

The only living "person" who can actually afford to gamble at Vegas...

We had the taxi take us to Treasure Island, where we got a little lost on the gaming floor before finding the main entrance.

They're designed to be difficult to get out of.

We walked along to the Venetian next, which was really amazingly well done.

I like the Venetian.

Turned out we were headed towards the Sphere for an Eagles concert lol!

Shoulda tried to sneak in!
Who wouldn't want to see the Eagles???

We had actually originally planned to visit the Sphere, but when we discovered that there was a starting price of $90 each to see a documentary there, we'd pretty much ditched that idea.

Um...
Yeah... the outside is cool. I don't need to pay that much for a documentary.

A knew the Wynn was close by and had some nice floral installations that I might like, so we walked there. It did indeed have some nice things to see.

Interesting. I've only seen the casino floor there, I think. Was a long time ago.

A wanted to meet at 8am again the next morning... After early starts on our road trip, and knowing we would have early starts coming up at WDW, I'd really been hoping that Vegas would be our opportunity for sleeping in with no alarms! I once again negotiated an extension to 9am.

Curious to see just what time A will be ready to go in the morning...