Monday 17 August
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| Welcome to Gold Nuggets, after the desert heat |
last nightover at the honky-tonk 2-storey Connor Hotel, Jerome
this one in the dunno how many floor Gold Nuggets casino, on Laughlins Casino Dr.
Our room's on the 3rd floor and I'm looking directly across at the bottom floor of the carpark of which I've counted another seven levels up
but there's no wifi, (wonder if thats got something to do with betting security)
and the bath dosent drain too well so you finish up standing in half a bath of water taking a shower.
Have found quite a high incidence of upper-floor plumbing malfunction over here
and you'd laugh at where most of the bathroom design puts the toilet roll holder
but not bad digs for $21/night, that's what they do to try and get you to punt.
We did the inevitable feeding of the gambling animal
every stool at every bar has a poker screen, playing gets you free drinks
my 2 g&t's, and 2 after-dinner b&c's cost me $10, you just slip your greenback into the slot and away you go.
I watched the craps, roulette, and blackjack for a while but couldnt figure any of it out
and after a working lifetime of "investment" in horse breeding and racing, dont feel any inferiority to the punters here
at least I get to end up with a horse.
No sauve James Bond's or his ladies at the tables either
just a standard cross-section of hopeful down-dressed Americans.
Have been amused to see signs in most shop windows around the country
"no shirt, no shoes, no service", jees what class
mind you, going around barefeet has its hazards
the ants are nearly as big as flies.
There's a phobia bikers have about dropping your helmet compromising their structural and head-banging integrity, so they put them on the ground beside the bike when doing a short stop-over
but the few in our group adherent to this religion changed denomination pretty quick
after watching in fascination, a colony going about its business.
I even found one scuttling up my shirt-front, how it got there I dunno.
Speaking of insects...
while following 2 couples on bikes in the Black Hills, all wearing shorts
one of them made a sudden concertina-inducing stop
leapt off his bike, dancing around clawing his shorts
a bee had gone up his leg and stung him in the crutch
moral of the story, dont bike in shorts.
We fronted at one of the casino's 3 restaurants, dreading the tipping single-tab-for-several requirement
but no problem here, in fact you get the feeling you neednt tip if you dont want to
except if you want valet service parking and hauling your luggage upstairs.
Ken gets us a section of not far outside the front entrance carpark specially railed off for bikes.
Our waiter introduced himself as Remus, tried to pick him as Italian
but on inquiry, he's from Rumania
'ah, New Zealand, he exclaimed, 'I tried to go there first but couldnt get work
He's a masterate level architect/civil engineer, now in his 3rd year waiting tables in the land of the free.
The tourism support industry must be totally huge, hotel staff, room prep, laundry etc
A few days back, in one of the outback towns we stayed at, the room servicing lady was Guatemalan
her Texan born 5yr old boy could have passed as maori, same shy delight in his eyes
her family were based in Texas, she just ranged up as far as central Utah to get work.
her family were based in Texas, she just ranged up as far as central Utah to get work.
we've been really favoured by the weather gods, temp for the first half of the journey under 90deg
Interstate 40 has largely taken over this section of 66, you could see traffic on it across the way, and on the railroad
but a few small half-dead and dying towns/villages still try and survive on the nostalgia trippers
rough little bullet-holed hamlets, that I'm sure delivered many kicks over the years.
Also motored along one of the longest straights I've yet seen, here on 66.
There's a real "Field of Dreams" air about America, if you build it, they will come
punch a rail-road and a super-highway into nowhere, and a town springs up
complete with fleet-yards of concrete trucks.
Passing through a not so huge place called Kingman, noticed three yellow liveried 737's parked on a runway.
Some of the others reported being stunned to count 150 double-deck rail-wagons full of cattle
in one train hauled by 4 loco's, thunder past their lunch stop
heading south for you know what I guess, there's no finishing pasture round here.
Where had they come from, Montana?
Where had they come from, Montana?
Sure the temps weren't over the top, but cant see what the fuss over dehydration is about.
Maybe a lot of these blokes havent done a days work out in the summer sun,
although, you could probably do with a couple of bottles of H2O if you broke down
and you'd think twice about going to knock on the door of some of the desperado desert dwellings we've passed by.
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| Shoppers at Oatman |
another 40 odd minutes, and suddenly, here we are at what must be the top end of Lake Mead, or Lake Mojave
sparkling clear blue water, artificial beaches, jet-skis and ski boats ripping up and down
across the bridge into Nevada, and our digs in another casino canyon alley.
Dont know how long I'll be able to keep sending pics
the pic file is becoming a drag to read to the netbook each day.
My camera file is getting pretty big and I dont want to delete each days pics
preferring to keep two full copies, and cant work out how to create another folder on the camera/phone...
if there is one.
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