I got up before the wife as usual and showered up. We grabbed our complimentary breakfast and loaded up the car. I had already filled up the car with gas so we were good in that department. It only took us a couple minutes to find our way to the highway for Las Vegas. The trip wasn't too bad. Only about 2 hours. We took it easy and decided to do some sight seeing along the way.
The Hoover Dam was pretty amazing as a kid and it's still pretty cool. This time however, we didn't drive over the dam. We took the new bridge and got off to park and look around. I don't remember walking around the dam before, but that's what we did this time. We had a look at the gift shop and walked across the dam (it didn't seem so huge this time). We spent about 45 minutes in total as we had to meet my cousins at the Las Vegas airport at around noon.
The drive into Las Vegas wasn't eventful. We had an easy drive in and found the airport pretty easily. The Las Vegas McCarran Airport is pretty nice. Lots of little (but expensive) shops. Friendly staff members helped us find out way in and around the airport. The only problem was due to all the time changes we got there super early so had to wait around. Not a problem
My cousins arrived hungry which was fine with us because we were hungry too. After picking up our bags, we were off to our hotel, the Rio. We didn't check in right away, first we hit the buffet. It was expensive, but it had everything. It was so good. They had just about anything and everything you could want. I ate about 3 large platefuls. Old me would've devoured 6 or 7, but not anymore. We talked and ate for about 2 hours. After gorging ourselves we checked into our rooms and took a rest.
I wandered around the casino for a bit and had a seven dollar beer at the pool bar. There wasn't much to see or do since it was on a weekday, but it was still cool. Rio is designed in a Brazilian, carnival theme. There are even floats that descend from the ceiling and dancers on them throw beads to the onlookers.
Around 6pm we all met up again and headed to the strip. We wandered around the Bellagio and Venetian and a few other places, just taking in the sights and experience of the casinos. After awhile we had a snack at the Venetian food court and continued in our slow trek across the strip. Finally we made our way back to my car and headed to the hotel and sweet sweet bed.
I had been to Las Vegas once before back in 1997. I was pretty amazed to see how much the city had changed in the past 15 years. The area where I had been back then was now becoming a slum, a place where low ballers hang out. The area where I was now had not existed back then. It's quite a transformation.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Great Trip to the West Day 3: The Grand Canyon
I woke up around 5:30 this morning. I sat in the lobby of the hotel and waited for my wife to wake up. Around 6 the news was reporting high temperatures throughout Arizona. I woke my wife and we began our preparations to leave.
Before leaving Winslow I wanted to do two things: stand on the corner and see La Posada Hotel. Both places are within walking distance of each other and are fairly easy to find from the interstate. The corner, made famous by the Eagle's song "Takin' it easy", is pretty sedate. There's a little monument there and a shop or two. Nothing too crazy, but it's still fun.
La Posada is pretty great. It was the first hotel in Winslow. It was very beautiful and my wife and I would like to stay there overnight someday. It was built by Mary Colter, the same architect who designed the Desert Watchtower at the Grand Canyon. La Posada was great, but again we were pressed for time so we spent about 10 minutes walking around and then headed to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.
The way to the Grand Canyon was pretty easy. We got off at Flagstaff and followed Highway 89 up to 64 and then West to the canyon.
The canyon was amazing. I had forgotten how wonderful it was. Just endless landforms and vivid colors. We originally went to the East Rim gate. We showed our parks pass and skipped the 25 dollar fee. We spent a long while at the East Rim, taking pictures, looking at the gift shops and just relaxing. Finally, we hopped over to the South Rim, did a few more pictures and watched a short video on the canyon and then headed out.
We drove all the way to Kingman, Arizona. We were trying for Las Vegas, but that wasn't happening. I was pretty tired and wanted to rest and so was the wife. We finally found a cheap place (Quality Inn) and got some In N Out Burger. For those of you who don't know, In N Out is perhaps the best fast food joint around. Their food is fresh and excellent tasting. They also only have a few things on the menu: cheeseburgers, hamburgers, double cheeseburgers, fries, drinks and shakes is about it.
After eating dinner we lazed around and watched TV. Tomorrow: Las Vegas
Before leaving Winslow I wanted to do two things: stand on the corner and see La Posada Hotel. Both places are within walking distance of each other and are fairly easy to find from the interstate. The corner, made famous by the Eagle's song "Takin' it easy", is pretty sedate. There's a little monument there and a shop or two. Nothing too crazy, but it's still fun.
La Posada is pretty great. It was the first hotel in Winslow. It was very beautiful and my wife and I would like to stay there overnight someday. It was built by Mary Colter, the same architect who designed the Desert Watchtower at the Grand Canyon. La Posada was great, but again we were pressed for time so we spent about 10 minutes walking around and then headed to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.
The way to the Grand Canyon was pretty easy. We got off at Flagstaff and followed Highway 89 up to 64 and then West to the canyon.
The canyon was amazing. I had forgotten how wonderful it was. Just endless landforms and vivid colors. We originally went to the East Rim gate. We showed our parks pass and skipped the 25 dollar fee. We spent a long while at the East Rim, taking pictures, looking at the gift shops and just relaxing. Finally, we hopped over to the South Rim, did a few more pictures and watched a short video on the canyon and then headed out.
We drove all the way to Kingman, Arizona. We were trying for Las Vegas, but that wasn't happening. I was pretty tired and wanted to rest and so was the wife. We finally found a cheap place (Quality Inn) and got some In N Out Burger. For those of you who don't know, In N Out is perhaps the best fast food joint around. Their food is fresh and excellent tasting. They also only have a few things on the menu: cheeseburgers, hamburgers, double cheeseburgers, fries, drinks and shakes is about it.
After eating dinner we lazed around and watched TV. Tomorrow: Las Vegas
Great Trip to the West Day 2: Into the desert
We drove west, leaving Amarillo behind us. We continued through the scrub bush landscape and slowly it began to give way to desert. Though we were safe from the desert heat in our air conditioned car, we could see the ravages of the desert heat.
The landscape remained unchanged for most of our long drive to our second destination: Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Santa Fe used to be on the old Route 66, the main highway from the East to the West before the days of the interstate. However, Santa Fe was cheated and was bypassed by the new interstate system. Though it is the capital of New Mexico, it retains a small town feel. Santa Fe was a very interesting stop for us. We grabbed some lunch and wandered around the downtown area. We only spent about 30 minutes in downtown due to our schedule. It's definitely on our list of places we want to return to.
After Santa Fe we returned to the desert on our way to Arizona. One thing that I did not like was that heading West on the highway there is a sign shortly after leaving Santa Fe advertising a rest area. We got off for the rest area only to return to the highway and go back the way we came. The rest area is only really for travelers heading East. It was a slight inconvenience, but we made it through.
The journey through the rest of New Mexico was much like the previous leg, boring and long.
We actually had a major stroke of luck in Arizona. We stopped at the visitor center and the lady working there advised us to continue on to the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. Had we not gotten her advice, we would've ended up being hurried and rushed on the following day. We had originally planned to sleep early and back track to the National Parks before going to the Grand Canyon. It was good that we took her advice. It really saved us a lot of hassle and heart ache.
The National Parks of the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest closes at 8pm. It was about 4:30 or so when we arrived at the Arizona visitor center. We got to the parks at around 5:20 or so. This was the first time we got to use our parks pass and it worked beautifully. We got some patches and our National Parks Passport stamped and went on the drive around the park. It's about a 20 mile trip and takes about 2 hours to complete (thoroughly). We stopped at most of the lookout points and took pictures and video. My wife was pretty tired so we didn't do any hikes, but we intend to return and do them in the future.
The trip through the parks dumps you out on a highway to the South of the interstate. We took that into Holbrook and finding no hotels (we didn't look very much). We headed to Winslow. Yes, that Winslow. We found a hotel after a little searching and relished in laying down and resting after another full day of travel.
I apologize for the infrequency of my posts. I have been away from internet for a while. I'll try to be better from now on.
The landscape remained unchanged for most of our long drive to our second destination: Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Santa Fe used to be on the old Route 66, the main highway from the East to the West before the days of the interstate. However, Santa Fe was cheated and was bypassed by the new interstate system. Though it is the capital of New Mexico, it retains a small town feel. Santa Fe was a very interesting stop for us. We grabbed some lunch and wandered around the downtown area. We only spent about 30 minutes in downtown due to our schedule. It's definitely on our list of places we want to return to.
After Santa Fe we returned to the desert on our way to Arizona. One thing that I did not like was that heading West on the highway there is a sign shortly after leaving Santa Fe advertising a rest area. We got off for the rest area only to return to the highway and go back the way we came. The rest area is only really for travelers heading East. It was a slight inconvenience, but we made it through.
The journey through the rest of New Mexico was much like the previous leg, boring and long.
We actually had a major stroke of luck in Arizona. We stopped at the visitor center and the lady working there advised us to continue on to the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. Had we not gotten her advice, we would've ended up being hurried and rushed on the following day. We had originally planned to sleep early and back track to the National Parks before going to the Grand Canyon. It was good that we took her advice. It really saved us a lot of hassle and heart ache.
The National Parks of the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest closes at 8pm. It was about 4:30 or so when we arrived at the Arizona visitor center. We got to the parks at around 5:20 or so. This was the first time we got to use our parks pass and it worked beautifully. We got some patches and our National Parks Passport stamped and went on the drive around the park. It's about a 20 mile trip and takes about 2 hours to complete (thoroughly). We stopped at most of the lookout points and took pictures and video. My wife was pretty tired so we didn't do any hikes, but we intend to return and do them in the future.
The trip through the parks dumps you out on a highway to the South of the interstate. We took that into Holbrook and finding no hotels (we didn't look very much). We headed to Winslow. Yes, that Winslow. We found a hotel after a little searching and relished in laying down and resting after another full day of travel.
I apologize for the infrequency of my posts. I have been away from internet for a while. I'll try to be better from now on.
With apologies to Amarillo
In my last post I made it sound like Amarillo, Texas was a tiny village of nothing more than a few hotels and restaurants. I found that I was greatly mistaken. As I drove west, I saw that Amarillo is actually a nice sized city. When I wrote my last post I had yet to go through the downtown area. It's a large area and certainly worthy of more note.
Someday I will return to Amarillo and see what that city has to offer.
Someday I will return to Amarillo and see what that city has to offer.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Great Trip to the West Day 1: Interstate Travel
Today began our great trip to the western part of the United States. We traveled from Memphis, Tennessee to Amarillo, Texas. It was a long and for the most part a boring trip.
I have to say the state of our interstate system is horrendous. Large tracts of interstate are in disrepair. It was like driving over a washboard. Other parts of the interstate were closed down, causing traffic to slow down to a crawl. It wouldn't be so frustrating, but I've been on better roads in the Philippines. What's up with that? I know states have problems with funding and such, but our infrastructure is seriously in need of some tlc.
Arkansas was pretty nice. Drove through some hills, had some nice forests to look at as we drove by. As soon as we passed into Oklahoma it all changed. The forests gave way to grasslands and sparse trees. It became worse as we passed Oklahoma City. As far as the eye could see was endless grasslands with maybe a house or silo out in the distance. It made the trip very draining.
One cool thing about Texas is that the speed limit is 75 mph. It was pretty sweet getting to "speed" legally.
It was a bit eerie at how far towns can be in Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle. You definitely want to make sure you keep your fuel level well above the "E" mark. Though I had plenty of gas I decided to fuel up about 30 miles outside of Amarillo. It's pretty desolate out here.
Amarillo is definitely worth the trip. It's not much more than hotels and restaurants, but this little town has character. I really like it here. The people are extremely friendly and welcoming (like they are all over Texas). My main reason for coming here was the Big Texan steakhouse. It's claim to fame is the 72 oz steak challenge. The challenge consists of a 72 ounce steak, a salad, a baked potato, shrimp cocktail and a roll. If you can eat it all in an hour, it's free. As I sat down at my booth I noticed someone was doing the challenge! I had to find out who this guy was. He was Ron Lee of Amarillo. He was already well into the challenge. Though he gave it a valiant effort, the challenge won. I am glad to have met him. Seeing him up there really made me want to give the challenge a go, although I doubt I can finish half of the beast. Perhaps one day I'll make it back to Amarillo and will give the challenge a go myself. Ron, thanks for making the Big Texan experience more awesome! (Please note that the challenge isn't as easy as it sounds. The steak is huge and no matter how hungry you think you are, it'll give you a run for your money. Even Adam Richman couldn't finish it).
The Big Texan also has a decent brew pub. They had 11 of their beers on tap. You can get a sampler of them (11 4oz beers) and then decide what you like. I particularly liked their Pecan Porter. It was very tasty. The sampler is 11 bucks and well worth it.
My final note on this leg of the trip: There's something about Texas that makes you wish you were Texan. Don't know what it is, but it's a nice feeling. I actually miss being in Texas.
I have to say the state of our interstate system is horrendous. Large tracts of interstate are in disrepair. It was like driving over a washboard. Other parts of the interstate were closed down, causing traffic to slow down to a crawl. It wouldn't be so frustrating, but I've been on better roads in the Philippines. What's up with that? I know states have problems with funding and such, but our infrastructure is seriously in need of some tlc.
Arkansas was pretty nice. Drove through some hills, had some nice forests to look at as we drove by. As soon as we passed into Oklahoma it all changed. The forests gave way to grasslands and sparse trees. It became worse as we passed Oklahoma City. As far as the eye could see was endless grasslands with maybe a house or silo out in the distance. It made the trip very draining.
One cool thing about Texas is that the speed limit is 75 mph. It was pretty sweet getting to "speed" legally.
It was a bit eerie at how far towns can be in Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle. You definitely want to make sure you keep your fuel level well above the "E" mark. Though I had plenty of gas I decided to fuel up about 30 miles outside of Amarillo. It's pretty desolate out here.
Amarillo is definitely worth the trip. It's not much more than hotels and restaurants, but this little town has character. I really like it here. The people are extremely friendly and welcoming (like they are all over Texas). My main reason for coming here was the Big Texan steakhouse. It's claim to fame is the 72 oz steak challenge. The challenge consists of a 72 ounce steak, a salad, a baked potato, shrimp cocktail and a roll. If you can eat it all in an hour, it's free. As I sat down at my booth I noticed someone was doing the challenge! I had to find out who this guy was. He was Ron Lee of Amarillo. He was already well into the challenge. Though he gave it a valiant effort, the challenge won. I am glad to have met him. Seeing him up there really made me want to give the challenge a go, although I doubt I can finish half of the beast. Perhaps one day I'll make it back to Amarillo and will give the challenge a go myself. Ron, thanks for making the Big Texan experience more awesome! (Please note that the challenge isn't as easy as it sounds. The steak is huge and no matter how hungry you think you are, it'll give you a run for your money. Even Adam Richman couldn't finish it).
The Big Texan also has a decent brew pub. They had 11 of their beers on tap. You can get a sampler of them (11 4oz beers) and then decide what you like. I particularly liked their Pecan Porter. It was very tasty. The sampler is 11 bucks and well worth it.
My final note on this leg of the trip: There's something about Texas that makes you wish you were Texan. Don't know what it is, but it's a nice feeling. I actually miss being in Texas.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Final post before departure
Things are going well. Clothes are drying. The wife is bug proofing (the insect not listening devices) our apartment and I'm double checking the packed items and blogging about it.
I always have a feeling that I'm forgetting something. I hate it. I've got all my stuff ready, but still there's a feeling...
I guess I'll just have to triple and quadruple check this evening.
Now off to canoeing!
I always have a feeling that I'm forgetting something. I hate it. I've got all my stuff ready, but still there's a feeling...
I guess I'll just have to triple and quadruple check this evening.
Now off to canoeing!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Packing progress report
Most of my stuff is packed and ready to go. We'll do laundry tomorrow and I'll pack the rest of my clothes (mainly underwear). My wife, on the other hand, needs to pack most of her stuff tomorrow. I know she'll get it done.
We bought some of our travel food today. Just gotta get some sandwich fixings and some more water tomorrow and we'll be good to go. This is one of the rare times that I feel fully prepared for a trip. I always feel like I'm forgetting something or rushing around until the last minute to get something done. Not this time. I think we're good.
Anybody have recommendations for some good travel literature? I mean books, novels, etc. It doesn't have to be about travel.
We bought some of our travel food today. Just gotta get some sandwich fixings and some more water tomorrow and we'll be good to go. This is one of the rare times that I feel fully prepared for a trip. I always feel like I'm forgetting something or rushing around until the last minute to get something done. Not this time. I think we're good.
Anybody have recommendations for some good travel literature? I mean books, novels, etc. It doesn't have to be about travel.
It never fails.
I get sick before every major trip I plan. Seriously. I can be healthy for months upon months then as the day of my departure creeps closer, I get sick.
A couple days before Guam, I get a sinus infection. The morning I wake up to go to Washington DC, I wake with a cold. And so many other of my trips have been: hampered by a sickness.
On Thursday I started to feel something odd in my right ear. Not exactly pain, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either. I took some Tylenol and colloidal silver and attempted to sleep it off. Woke up yesterday and though it felt better I could still feel something amiss. I was hoping to shrug it off, you know, man style. But alas I decided my trip could not be put in jeopardy like this so I went to a Walgreens walk in clinic.
The doctor was nice, but she didn't really listen to me. I told her that a specific medicine made me sick to my stomach, but I had it in other forms and was fine. It is NOT an allergy. Later on she states that she's giving me Cipro because I'm "allergic to penicillin"! I quickly reminded her that I was not allergic to it or any other known medicine. She didn't care. I don't know why, but it annoyed the shit out of me. The prognosis: I have a sinus infection! Though it's not affecting my sinus (at least it doesn't feel like it is), it's screwing with my ears and throat. So I'm on anti-biotic for the next five days or so. It shouldn't affect my trip much, but it's a pain in the ass.
I don't know why I get sick before a big trip, but it has been the pattern for years now and it frustrates me every time. I keep myself healthy for most of the time, but for some reason my defense drop before a trip. Maybe it's the stress of the impending adventure or maybe it's just fate being a bitch.
A couple days before Guam, I get a sinus infection. The morning I wake up to go to Washington DC, I wake with a cold. And so many other of my trips have been: hampered by a sickness.
On Thursday I started to feel something odd in my right ear. Not exactly pain, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either. I took some Tylenol and colloidal silver and attempted to sleep it off. Woke up yesterday and though it felt better I could still feel something amiss. I was hoping to shrug it off, you know, man style. But alas I decided my trip could not be put in jeopardy like this so I went to a Walgreens walk in clinic.
The doctor was nice, but she didn't really listen to me. I told her that a specific medicine made me sick to my stomach, but I had it in other forms and was fine. It is NOT an allergy. Later on she states that she's giving me Cipro because I'm "allergic to penicillin"! I quickly reminded her that I was not allergic to it or any other known medicine. She didn't care. I don't know why, but it annoyed the shit out of me. The prognosis: I have a sinus infection! Though it's not affecting my sinus (at least it doesn't feel like it is), it's screwing with my ears and throat. So I'm on anti-biotic for the next five days or so. It shouldn't affect my trip much, but it's a pain in the ass.
I don't know why I get sick before a big trip, but it has been the pattern for years now and it frustrates me every time. I keep myself healthy for most of the time, but for some reason my defense drop before a trip. Maybe it's the stress of the impending adventure or maybe it's just fate being a bitch.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Pass arrival
Just a quick note: our America the Beautiful National Parks Pass has arrived! I'm surprised at how quickly it came. I ordered it on Friday and it arrived today. Great work NPS!
Friday, June 8, 2012
America the Beautiful Pass purchased!
I've been pretty lazy about buying this, but it's done! I have purchased the America the Beautiful National Parks Pass. It's 80 bucks, but it allows you into all the National Parks for one year.
Not all parks charge an entry fee, but some do. After calculating the prices for the parks we are intending to visit, I decided it was best to get the pass. Now that we have it we can go to any National Park we want to whenever we want. It's pretty sweet.
This will not only make our trip a little easier, but we now have the option of seeing more. Since we have no real itinerary, we can basically do whatever we want and see whatever we want. Having this pass will just open up the country a little bit more.
You can find info about the America the Beautiful Pass here. I will review the pass once I have used it a couple times.
Not all parks charge an entry fee, but some do. After calculating the prices for the parks we are intending to visit, I decided it was best to get the pass. Now that we have it we can go to any National Park we want to whenever we want. It's pretty sweet.
This will not only make our trip a little easier, but we now have the option of seeing more. Since we have no real itinerary, we can basically do whatever we want and see whatever we want. Having this pass will just open up the country a little bit more.
You can find info about the America the Beautiful Pass here. I will review the pass once I have used it a couple times.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Getting ready for the summer trip
Traveling with someone requires a lot more planning and effort than traveling alone. When I was single I'd usually make a plan, inform people who lived in or near my destination that I was coming so we could hang out, and then go.
Now, I have to make lists and have a more defined plan. The wife doesn't really want to fly by the seat of our pants, and I guess that's cool. It is nice having a list so that I don't forget stuff. Once I almost flew back to the United States without my computer charger. That would've been horrible.
Since the planning began we've researched possible destinations, sights and places to eat. The wife has been pretty diligent in thinking about what we need to bring and other logistics. I've basically been in charge of our "flight plan" so to speak. I absolutely refuse to make reservations at hotels along the way as the time to get to a certain destination may not always be what we think it will be. I have a lot of friends tell me stories how they made reservations for their long car trip only to get delayed and miss the reservation. To make matters worse they often times would have paid the full amount prior to departure. I don't want to spend money on something I may not be able to use. I know I run the risk of not finding a hotel where I want to, but there are plenty of hotels along the way and I'm sure we'll find one. Another reason I dislike hotel reservations is that you never know where you might need to stop. Sure it's easy to look at a map and have a destination in mind, but you may get tired earlier or you may have more energy and decide to press on. There are dozens of factors when it comes to car travel and I feel that they all dictate the necessity of having open ended plans. I also really like just knowing the end date and figuring stuff out on the road.
The wife and I purchased some stuff for the trip such as some dehydrated camp meals. We really want to save money and so we're going to eat in most of the time we're traveling. We'll probably eat one meal out a day, but we'll see figure that out later. I do, however, have a couple places that I absolutely want to eat at. One of these places is the Big Texan in Amarillo, Texas. I've seen it on TV and read about it online. I have to try one of their steaks. I'm not going to do the 72 oz challenge. That's a young man's endeavor...
So far we've got our list of gear we need and an outline of places we want to go and by when we need to be there. I think we're good for our trip. Now to just wait out the next two weeks and pack and we'll be good to go.
Now, I have to make lists and have a more defined plan. The wife doesn't really want to fly by the seat of our pants, and I guess that's cool. It is nice having a list so that I don't forget stuff. Once I almost flew back to the United States without my computer charger. That would've been horrible.
Since the planning began we've researched possible destinations, sights and places to eat. The wife has been pretty diligent in thinking about what we need to bring and other logistics. I've basically been in charge of our "flight plan" so to speak. I absolutely refuse to make reservations at hotels along the way as the time to get to a certain destination may not always be what we think it will be. I have a lot of friends tell me stories how they made reservations for their long car trip only to get delayed and miss the reservation. To make matters worse they often times would have paid the full amount prior to departure. I don't want to spend money on something I may not be able to use. I know I run the risk of not finding a hotel where I want to, but there are plenty of hotels along the way and I'm sure we'll find one. Another reason I dislike hotel reservations is that you never know where you might need to stop. Sure it's easy to look at a map and have a destination in mind, but you may get tired earlier or you may have more energy and decide to press on. There are dozens of factors when it comes to car travel and I feel that they all dictate the necessity of having open ended plans. I also really like just knowing the end date and figuring stuff out on the road.
The wife and I purchased some stuff for the trip such as some dehydrated camp meals. We really want to save money and so we're going to eat in most of the time we're traveling. We'll probably eat one meal out a day, but we'll see figure that out later. I do, however, have a couple places that I absolutely want to eat at. One of these places is the Big Texan in Amarillo, Texas. I've seen it on TV and read about it online. I have to try one of their steaks. I'm not going to do the 72 oz challenge. That's a young man's endeavor...
So far we've got our list of gear we need and an outline of places we want to go and by when we need to be there. I think we're good for our trip. Now to just wait out the next two weeks and pack and we'll be good to go.
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