Out West Adventure: Part 1--Heading Towards Home

March 3-6: (Sunday) Careful thought had to be given to closing the camper and packing to return home, leaving the truck and camper in storage for two months. But we still managed to get out of the campground by 11:00, fairly confident that we had done everything we had to, but leaving ourselves open to having to open the camper again. As we headed north and then east we quickly left behind the greater Los Angeles area and re-entered the Mohave Desert, even passing through forests of Joshua Trees again. The traffic heading south and west was heavy the entire way (Californians returning from a weekend in Los Vegas?) but our traffic was lighter. There were few exits or rest areas and we actually ate our lunch sitting in a McDonald’s parking lot. As we drove we managed to listen to most of the MSU/um basketball game which the Spartans lost by just one point at the very end. Even with going over two 4000+FT passes our mileage was over 22mpg because from then on it was a gradual downhill all the way to Nevada. We got to Las Vegas by about 3:30 and were pleasantly surprised by our well-situated Super 8 motel, which had large, clean rooms and a big enough parking lot that we could park the truck and camper out there until we turn it in. We settled ourselves in our room and then walked to the Strip. We visited The Bally, The Paris, shared a burrito and a margarita in The Mall, The Bellagio (with its lighted fountain show that we saw twice and Chihuilly glass ceiling), past Cesar’s Palace to the Mirage for the volcano show, and back to the Dueling Piano Bar at the Paris (which we decided was too loud without earplugs). We sat for a bit and shared a French pastry at a “street side” indoor café, and finally back to the Super 8. We had walked over 6.5 miles and were gone (and on our feet most of the time) for 4 hours and 19 minutes. My dogs were barking!!!! Back at the room we had a drink and some cheese and crackers before hitting the sack.

Looking South on The Strip from Flamingo Blvd.

Looking North on The Strip from Flamingo Blvd.

Volcano Show at The Mirage

Chihully Ceiling at The Bellagio

(Monday) We had some fussing around to do in the morning, mailing a package to save on having a second bag, getting something for lunch, and buying gas, but eventually we were on our way an hour north on 15 to drive to Valley of Fire State Park. We came in from the south and drove north on the park road and managed to see most of the high points:

1. Climbed on the red rocks at Arch Campground and then walked around the main Arch Rock
2. Ate our picnic of a can of salmon and large soft Mexican bread rolls at a picnic area and then climbed the 80 steps up to Petroglyph Rock
3. Took the hike to see the petrified logs
4. Stopped at the Visitor Center to watch a video about the park and see some of the displays
5. Drove the 6 mile scenic drive
6. Hiked the Fire Wave Trail
7. Hiked the Mouse Tank/Petroglyph Canyon Trail

And we did it all in about 6 hours! The park is really beautiful and we saw all the colors of the rainbow in the plants and the rock formations. The rock colors are like nothing we've seen before and we were really happy we took the time to do it. The lights and glitz of Las Vegas are interesting but this was really more our speed. As the sun set we drove into the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and followed the north shore drive which afforded us occasional views of the lake but always from pretty far away. We saw very few cars and lots of nice scenery so it was a good alternative to taking I15 back to the Super 8. It seemed easiest by then to have dinner at the Ellis Island Brewery and Casino, which is just across the drive from our hotel and we got our second pleasant surprise of the day. We had a great meal at a surprisingly small price and their “home brewed” beers were just $2 for a 20oz. glass! What a steal!! We consider that one of Las Vegas’ best kept secrets. Back in our room we worked on pictures and the blog, feeling like we had had enough walking for the day.

In Arch Rock Campground

One of many arches, but not "Arch Rock"

"The" Arch Rock

Rugged country

Atlatl Rock

A few of the petroglyphs, including the Atlatl for which it's named

Petrified log

Between a rock and a hard place?

Stone trail on Fire Wave Trail

Some of the Fire Waves on the trail

(Tuesday) We had plans today to meet Suzanne Stevens Aaron for lunch so we made final decisions on what to put in the truck and what to take home and then walked over to The Strip. We went to a half-price ticket booth but there was a good half-an-hour wait so instead it was back to The Paris, where Rob and Suzanne are staying for his conference. Suzanne and I had dressed very similarly and, with our matching curly hair, we all had a good laugh. The Candy Factory had a table next to the open wall-sized window on the patio by the street where we had a great view and could enjoy the lovely, sunny day. Rob managed to get away from the conference to join us. It was great to be able to spend some time him, too. After a good (but expensive!) lunch, we returned to the hotel to get the truck and camper to turn them in. We found the RV place without a problem and it was all as promised. Marv parked the camper next to an old Airstream trailer that is waiting to be renovated and raised the front jacks, parked the truck on the other side of the Airstream and disconnected the battery, and they called a cab for us, all in less than an hour. The friendly cab driver dropped us at The Mandalay Bay on the south end of The Strip and told us about the free tram we could take on to The Luxor and then to The Excalibur. From there we walked north to New York, New York and then The MGM. Along there we found a half-price ticket spot and bought tickets for an Improv Comedy Club for that evening. The Club is at Harrah’s so we had to walk north of Flamingo Street, south of which is our hotel, and about half an hour farther to redeem the tickets at the Box Office. I was REALLY dragging by then. Walking on sidewalk is so much harder on ones feet than walking on trails! We stopped off at the Ellis Island for another cheap beer and relaxed in our room for a while before returning there for a quick supper before returning yet again to Harrah’s for the 8:30 show. The MC and warm-up comedians were mildly amusing, not hilarious. Then a two man comedy team did some funny Improv bits. It wasn't an uproarious evening but it was fun and I think we were both glad we saw a show while in Las Vegas, since we didn't gamble at all. After walking back to the hotel for the last time, I was sorry I hadn't tracked our walking for the day but it had to be even more than the 6½ miles we had done our first day.

Our Room in Las Vegas

Marv, Peggy, Suzanne, & Rob

The Luxor

The Luxor

The Luxor Ceiling in the pyramid

New York with MGM across the street

(Wednesday) We could afford ourselves a relaxed morning and had breakfast at the Ellis Island restaurant before catching the shuttle to the airport. Our flight was delayed because of the snow in Chicago so it left about 50 minutes late. Our one bag was 46 pounds, well over Spirit Airlines’ ridiculously low 40 pound limit. We tried removing items to our backpacks but couldn't get below 42lbs. so begrudgingly paid $25 extra. This crummy airline doesn't offer so much as a cup of water without charging. NEVER AGAIN!!! The flight was uneventful although the young woman next to me had a cold and sniffed every few seconds the entire time and a 2 or 3 year old just behind us wailed continuously for at least an hour and a half; longer than I think possible for a normal child. We had missed the 7:15 Michigan Flyer so we had to wait for the 9:45, arriving home about midnight. Luckily our bodies thought it was 9:00. A Green Taxi got us home quickly, where Chalo had turned up the heat and the house was cozy. Everything looked to be in good order and we went to sleep in our own bed for the first time in 6½ weeks. As far as we can figure we had driven around 5700 miles in the first leg of our Out West Adventure and all of Marv’s hard work planning had worked out beautifully! Here’s hoping the next phase goes as smoothly.