Wed 25 Aug
Day 38, 12,034 km
But first...
2 days ride in from last log town Jerome, as I said, 1st class old-town hotel bed.
Top food, at The Mile High, 10/10
then on up the steep winding hill to little town, Ash Fork, then Interstate 40 for 30 odd km looking for the exit onto old Route66
avoiding the dumb-tourist trap in Ash Fork that got me, and a few others, last year
with old route66 street signs and arrows to the Route66 museum
that turned into an ever-diminishing dirt track that I bloody near dropped, and couldnt hardly turn, the ST1300 I had then
and wrenched my back so doing.
First town on the R66 road, Seligman, was packed with passersby, Japanese mostly, posing for photos with the era-dressed mannequins on shop facades
near deserted last time, the bullet ridden signs put me off, and I didnt stay long.
Long straight R66 to Kingman...
here last year we saw, counted 150 wagons on the rail next to the road, double deckers full of cattle
this time 150 wagons with containers, most of them branded 'Hyundai', 5 locos on the tow, 1 reversed.
Doubt ridden moments looking for the right road out of town
Ken's instructions wrong, the GPS up the boo-eye.....,
next best thing, follow the road signs.........,
Historic R66, it works, and we're on the way to Oatman
ghost mining town, resurrected sort of, boardwalks intact, and the old mine donkeys left to their own survival
doing very well today their descendants, on carrots and titbits from the tourist traffic.
Sweltering though, and so all the way till the aircon palmed oasis of next night stopover at Gold Nuggets Casino, Laughlin
the CB idling at 110c at the traffic lights, cooking my ass
but can hold around 90c in the +100F open road air.
Dinner at the casino CrabShack, huge crab legs with a table centre bucket for the shell discards
and wildlife off the deck to the Lake Havasu
a racoon and her 4 cubs stranded by the crowd on a gangplank
her partner down on the rocks in front feet together begging pose, looking longingly up at us
ducks all round, fat, as the catfish lurking in the water
plus a skunk
Own rooms this night, $25 tariff, as a subsidy you might dispurge yourself of more at the tables.
A yank in the lift told us it was cheaper than camping, so he brought the family here instead...
yeah riyght..
An easy start in the morning for the 96 mile run into Vegas.
Had a look at the possibility of detouring via Grand Canyon West Rim but didnt,
100 mile round trip extra, looks like some of it gravel
best part of $80 there to do the glass Skywalk, $220 if you take the bus tour from Vegas.
Its an indian owned concession, no cameras allowed, in case you drop it into the canyon
but you can get one of those official photographers ones, probably another $20
Bit cooler as we climb out of Laughlin, 92F
but the lead vehicle is doing 130 clicks, and I'm at the back doing 160 trying to keep up, dodging round traffic, leaning further than I want, even on the beautifully cambered and sealed highway sweepers
and thinking about the other day down the track
a huge 'blam' at a gas station forecourt
everyone looks around to see who shot who...
and there's a forlorn Hispanic standing beside his old De Soto
immaculate explosion
and me back here, wondering how good Mr Dunlop designed his bike tyres for use at 100mph in desert heat...
not to mention the local polizia.
We pass all these law-firm road hoardings
'we go to court for you, $75 for traffic fines, $700 DUI, no loss of insurance, no drivers lesson requirement'
so stuff it, ease back and go easy on the hardware.
So to Las Vegas
explosions to be had a plenty at the Gun Shop.
At the indoor range, for $500 you get to fire a machine gun 80 rounds, an M16 40 rounds, and choice of pistol or revolver 20 rounds.
Pick of man-size targets including Batmans nemisis the Joker, a crim holding your missus round the middle, or your daughter round the throat, Osama bin Laden, and several other targets of swarthy countenance, take home after your punt.
You can take an option up to $800 odd, or small as $80, but you'd get that sprayed off in 30 seconds probably.
The taxi driver told us one punter reckoned it was the fastest $80 bucks he'd never seen disappear.
The shop staff were all armed up too
I didnt like the way one of them was eyeing me up and down like I was an advance purchase agent for the middle east.
So we left, even the nice uniformed female packer couldnt entice a longer stay
well, sort of.....
maybe he thought I was spending to much eye on the girl not the guns.
Shelves of interesting books too
how to's for defending your home, offensive pistol packing, break down and cleaning your gun, gun law in 50 states, gun handling for females, etc
fwoar.........
Casino's of course...
aircon caverns of non-stop 24/7 bells and whistles
US residing Peter Hall's put me onto the half price show tx booths, of which there are half dozen on the Strip.
First night it was Beatles Love at the Mirage, so enjoyed last year I went again
USD99 this time from the booth, as against NZD224 pre-booked then.
Pick a booth near your chosen shows casino theatre, where you take your booth coupon to for seat allocation.
Booth opens 9am, seats sold only on a same day as show basis, go straight across to the box office to get the best seats for your coupon.
Bit of a pig in a poke as its unsold space being unloaded at the discount, but no disappointment to us so far, have got good seats.
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| Sunset from the Embassy Balcony |
Taxis are great for getting round too, our hotel Embassy Suites on
Paradise Rd, about $7-8 from the Strip,
Paradise Rd, about $7-8 from the Strip,
but get on a side-street facing home for the return trip.
The hotel dosent have a casino, but full-scale breakfast, continental, full-cooked, and/or choose yourself omelette included in our share room tariff,
plus the managers shout, 5.30 to 7.30pm, a no-brainer for thirsty kiwis.
Beatles Love, 360 degree seating round a centre stage, is a Circ du Soleil production, so heaps of aerial action, Lucy does come from the sky, which also rains petals.
I saw it all this time, no nodding off.
And last night, again on Peter's recommendation, Viva Elvis, for $85 including a 20% discount at a poncey italian restaurant for after show dinner
which they didnt honour, and we didnt argue
you just get so run down in this place defending from the hustle
but the show was simply............ fantastic
Peter didnt give me any inkling of what i would see, and neither will i give you.
Like with the Beatles, i just got a bit wet eyed at the heart-tug of music long forgotten, that was so much of our lives back then.
Another Circ production with a heap of aerials on a conventional stage this one
a real credit to the producers not demeaning the icons with tacky impersonators
actual photos, film, news-reels and real voice-overs as backdrop instead.
Stuff we'll never get to see, at this price anyway
If you've got a bucket list, put this on.
Tonight its the free street antics on Fremont
(after the manager's shout)
and the word is the new movie 'The Expendables', Stallone, Statham, and a host of other hot-shot action jocks, is the go.
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| Nice Jag |
the classic car show for $8 at the Imperial is superb value
the quarter-hourly fountain display in the lake in front of the Bellagio
the space-age architecture in City Centre and Crystals
the casinos are stunning, Caesars Palace , Treasure Island, Paris , Miss Universe show was on at Mandalay
heap of other shows we dont have time or money for,
Manilow, Cher , Jersey Boys, Lion King, Phantom, even Donnie and Marie, and Thunder Down Under
or simply people watching.
Tomorrow, we're outa here
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