I wake up as a hint of light is coming through angled skylights in the vaulted ceiling of John’s spare bedroom. The light slowly makes it way down into the room as I enjoyed a nice long hot shower that was not under a low-flow shower nozzle. That’s what I really hate about staying at hotel/motels. Sometimes, I feel like I’m trying to get clean under a trickle of luke warm water. That’s another reason I like to stay at a bed and breakfast or a friend’s place.
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| Photo- The view from John's back patio area. A very nice looking golf course. |
I’m dressed and surfing the web as John finally wakes up and
comes out of his room. He’s especially
happy to see that I already have a pot of coffee started and he asks how I
slept. It’s a comfortable bed I tell
him. I watch TV with him and kind of
just hang out for a bit both of us drinking coffee. But eventually I need to get packed up and
get off on the road for Laughlin. I call
to make sure that the hotel in Laughlin still has me for a reservation for the
2nd night at the hotel. I
also mention that I want to stay an additional night too. Yes, they have me for the night and say to
just let the clerk at the hotel know when I check in about the additional
night.
I’ve decided to take the longer version to get to Laughlin
just in case I have any problems with the car.
I’ll be closer to towns and hopefully have more cell phone coverage
too. About 10:30Am I pack up my car and
give John a hug. I’m off heading east on
I-10 after a quick fuel fill up. It’s a
two lane in each direction type of interstate and the traffic is rather
heavy. I really can’t put on my cruise
control because the speeds vary from 55mph, the truck speed, to 70mph, the car
speed. It’s one of the major interstates
in the area that goes towards Phoenix.
About a little over an hour later, I stop in Blythe, CA for
another fuel stop and a bit of lunch at a local Burger King which has VERY slow
service. I get back onto I-10 and then
get off at the next exit to head north on Hwy 95. Periodically, there are small towns all along
this route but for the most part you are in the middle of a dry arid bland
landscape. This landscape makes the
flats of Nebraska and Kansas look interesting. Shoot! This area makes the Salt Flats look like a resort. Okay, that might be pushing the envelope by saying that but you get the drift of my meaning. It's the pure definition of bland.
The traffic is light and I can set the cruise control for a few miles over the speed limit and just go.
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| Photo- The more interesting landscape as you get closer to Needles. |
As I get closer to the town of Needles the landscape gets a
little more interesting. There are some
rock formations and foothills. There are
also some green areas along the river. In
Needles I stop at a gas station and use the restroom. I would’ve topped of the tank with more fuel
but the price per gallon is $5.19 which I think is ridiculous! I buy a soda instead and continue on Hwy
95. Hwy 95 as it goes through Needles’
downtown area follows the old Route 66 and there are little signs on the side
of the road letting you know. I thought
that was neat but it’s not a very scenic section of Route 66. It follows the Route 66 for about ½ mile
through town and then Hwy 95 turns left and goes north towards Bullhead
City.
Not even 8 miles down the road, I’ve crossed a river and I’m
in Arizona. The gas prices are hanging
around $3.80/gal over here. I’m sorry
Californians but you really need to be looking at those gas prices in your
state. They are just terrible! There’s a series of smaller towns one just
after the other for the next 15 miles until I get into Bullhead City. Off in the distance I can see across to the
Nevada side of the river where the tall casinos dominate. I’m almost to Laughlin.
Laughlin has been described to me as the Poor Man’s
Vegas. I had to laugh when I first heard
that. After living for over 20 years in
Salt Lake City, I always thought that Wendover the border town closest to Salt
Lake’s Nevada border was a cheap version of Vegas. Though, most of us Utahans always referred to
Wendover as “Bend Over”. But I have to
admit that the hotel rooms are cheap.
For less than $90, I’m staying in a nice room with a King size bed on
the 18th floor for two nights.
OMG! The view is amazing
especially as the sun goes down and the lights of the Casinos go on. I go downstairs to an Italian restaurant
which I find out later is not cheap at all.
But I figure I’m saving quite a bit on the room so why not splurge here;
and maybe that’s the general marketing ploy here.
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| Photo- The view from my 18th floor room. Note to self- Turn off the bathroom light when taking a night shot of the view from the hotel window. |
After dinner, I wander around the main casino floor area of
the hotel. I put $20 in a penny machine
and it’s disappearing quite quickly down this drain. I changed to another machine and the same
thing happens. Then, off I went to
another and then another. The $20
disappears REALLY quickly. There’s no
lose slots here! I then go up to my room
and just watch a little TV and enjoy the view.
DAY 62- A Day Off in Laughlin…
I figured I would stay one more day where the hotel room is
cheap so that I could take a day off.
Yeah, I know some of you out there are like… she’s on vacation why does
she need a day off. But sometimes I need
a break from driving the car and sightseeing.
I just need a day of “vegging out”.
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| Photo- The view with the sun just starting to rise. |
I woke up early enough that I can watch the sunrise as the
casino lights are still on. It’s amazing
to watch the sun as it rises and lights up the landscape. I do this while lying in the King size bed
and kind of watching the TV too.
Finally, about 10am I figure it’s time to get out of the pj’s and I take
a shower. I grab my laptop and head down
to the Starbucks for coffee, a bit of scone, and free internet. They charge for internet service in the
rooms. I forgo the $10/day charge and
just go to Starbucks.
 |
| Photo- The sunrise about 10min. later.... and then 20 min later.... |
Yummy! It’s that time
of year when Starbucks has my favorite coffee the pumpkin spice latte. I surf the web and end up texting four
friends simultaneously. I head upstairs
and decide to hang out and watch a movie; Mirror Mirror with Julia Roberts in
it. I’m just being a total bum. I was playing with the idea of a manicure but
the nearest place is on the Arizona side of the river and I just don’t want to
drive at all. It’s my day off. I figure I’ll get manicure another day down
the road.
I start getting hungry at about 4Pm-ish and head down to the
Outback Steakhouse that they have in back of the casino area. I have a $25 gift card I can use and figure I
might as well use it. I sit at the bar
and order a beer and ask for the menu.
The gal at the bar says her name and the other name of the bartender and
then asks my name. They are really nice
and friendly. I order steak and shrimp.
The steak is good but it’s a disappointment after the steak
dinner I had with John. The steak I had
with him was juicier and had a slight crust with black pepper and sea
salt. This steak is just broiled and
doesn’t have the crust. The coconut shrimp is good, though and they have one of
my favorite beers on tap—Blue Moon.
Yeah!
A baseball game of Cardinals and the Giants is on the Big TV
and they have the Steelers vs. Bengals on the other. This is wonderful! I’m getting baseball and football. I watch my Steelers in a pretty close
game. The bar area starts to fill up
with a big group that just came back from playing golf. On my other side a guy sits down and orders a
soda. A soda? The bartender asks him what kind of
soda. The man gives a perplexed look
like there’s choices? Meanwhile, the
other side of me is talking about the golf game of the day and who got the best
shots in.
The bar area fills up completely and the noise level is
picking up. I can’t hear the TV’s at all
and I have to watch the Steelers game a little more closely. The indecisive soda guy asks who I’m routing
for. The Steelers, I answer. He throws a couple more questions at me but I’m
more into watching the game and he soon stops talking. I close my tab and Mr. Soda Guy is like you
are not staying to watch the rest of the game?
I’m going to watch it in my room upstairs where its quieter I tell him. His face seems to fall. I say good night to him and thanked Brandy
the bartender.
I head up to my room where I try to find the game on the TV
but it’s not on one of those channels. I
give up on the TV. There just doesn’t
seem to be much of anything on. I grab
my laptop and head down to Starbucks instead.
I surf the web while I enjoy a refillable black coffee. After about 10pm I head upstairs to my room
and decide to turn in early. I fall
asleep enjoying the view from my bed. Sorry no photos of a night shot; it is after all my day off. :)
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