Vegas

Memorial Day weekend, and our hotel was hosting a night of UFC cage matches and a Police concert. Fight weekend meant thousands of musclebound dudes in tank tops and SUVs with bumper stickers saying things like 'my kid could choke out your honor student'. This didn't prevent me from playing countless hours of blackjack, though Tripp needed to escape to the room at least once for a window-nap.

Sam landed just after midnight Friday, flying in all the way from Paris. But like a champ he ignored his jetlag and stayed up with me to take the casino's money until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore. After a nap we wandered around the strip just to see if it was day or night.

Sam wants to do the 575m drive from Vegas to San Francisco in one shot, so tomorrow we'll hit the road early and he'll try to break my car's maximum speed record somewhere in the desert.

Snow in Arizona

Our plan was to leave Flagstaff in time to buzz through the Grand Canyon and maybe Hoover Dam on the way to Las Vegas. But as soon as we hit the road the snowstorm started.


We drove in it for a few miles then agreed the little car wouldn't do very well in the storm, and neither of us wanted to drive 15mph all day. So we called an audible and diverted ourselves straight to the Hoover Dam. On the bright side, this would mean an earlier arrival in Vegas and more time to win money at blackjack.

Sure enough, it got sunny as we headed west for our Dam visit.

ZZ Top's rendition of 'Viva Las Vegas' was the best I could do to welcome Tripp back to town. Sam arrives tomorrow after Tripp flies back to Denver. Glad the airport is only about 25 feet from our hotel.

Utah's Red Rocks

If you ever get the chance to drive through southeastern Utah, don't miss it. This is the most amazing terrain I have ever seen - hundreds of miles of untouched red rocks and formations that seem like they belong on some other planet.

We did a quick hike in Arches National Park up to the 'Delicate Arch' (below). This is the one you see in all the Moab tourist literature. It's extremely cool in person, and you can climb up into the hole if you aren't worried about annoying the other tourists trying to take pictures.

Monument Valley is an area on the Utah/Arizona border used to simulate the old west in movies.

It was tough picking the photos for this post because all day we were looking at scenes like these.

One especially treacherous stretch of road over a mountain was a narrow two-lane gravel road that gave us a view down over a huge valley. It was a little terrifying but also awesome - and a great time to have a little car.

What a day. Tomorrow we're planning to visit the Grand Canyon on the way to Vegas, if the weather cooperates.

Colorado to Moab

I didn't know much about Moab, or Utah, but Tripp assured me the rock formations and other sights would be worth the trip. He also agreed to drive part of the way, so I could finally use my powers of reading in the passenger seat without getting carsick.

We opted for the scenic Loveland Pass route across the Rockies so we could take the following picture of me at the top:

The scenery got bigger and more beautiful as the hours passed. The temperature rose 40 degrees as we approached the desert and the highway eventually met up with the Colorado River. The Colorado flows down to the Grand Canyon, which we'll see in a few days.


The scenery has gotten increasingly spectacular and we still haven't seen much of Utah. I took the next photo from the car - there were dozens of equally cool views all along the way.

Tomorrow's plan is a scenic hike in Arches National Park in Moab, then a few more sites on the road to Arizona.

Mountain time

My mom and I headed out of Kansas early enough to give us plenty of time to hit all the quilt shops and souvenir stores on the way to the Denver airport. We made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare and even coordinated pretty well with my friend Tripp, who I picked up there after dropping off my mom, the first passenger of my trip so far. We had a lot of fun and it will be especially boring the next time I have to drive a long way without a passenger.

Next on the schedule was the Rockies-Giants game at Coors Field, about a 5-minute walk from Tripp's trendy downtown Denver apartment. Finally, a baseball game! Our seats were behind home plate but only about 3 rows from the very top. There was a single row of purple seats just a few rows below us. I learned those seats designate the 5,280 feet (one mile) mark. So we sat more than a mile in the air to watch the game. No wonder I couldn't remember the rules for a double-switch pinch hit substitution.

Beth and another Denver friend Zach came along to watch the home team pull out a nailbiter victory. That's Zach on the left, Tripp hiding in the shade, and Beth taking the picture.

Tomorrow Tripp and I are heading out for Moab, Utah. He'll hopefully take a turn driving so I can take some pics out the window.

Kansas (because it's halfway to Denver)

After two much-needed two days of R&R in Texas it was time to hit the road again for 500 miles only to wind up in Kansas. I randomly picked Hays, Kansas as the destination because it's a little over halfway to Denver.

My mom volunteered to keep me company all the way to Denver. I thought it was a great idea - the only conditions: no backseat driving and I get to pick the music. And try to bring a tiny suitcase.

One highlight of today's trip was lunch in Norman, Oklahoma, where I went to college. There weren't any other highlights in Oklahoma, despite driving its entire width.

Kansas on the other hand was a barrel of laughs. Apparently there are no highway patrolmen there and even the rest areas have hilarious signs (it's worth reading - click the photo):

In between miles and miles of flat farmland we passed a farm of giant windmills.

Tomorrow we'll hit the road for Denver, another 350 miles. I'll trade my mom at the airport for Tripp.

Bugs

A mudbug is the same as a crawdad, crawfish, or crayfish - a little bottom-feeding crustacean that looks like a tiny lobster. They taste sort of like lobsters too, after you pull the head off, dump out the green (or orange) slime and pull the meat out. I think people call them 'mudbugs' to creep out people who have never tried them.

I was invited to the Texas A&M alumni crawfish boil in Dallas by my friend Jody, who despite being a Texas alum is a friendly dude and socializes with Aggies. Jody is the one in the hat. Interestingly, his was the only cowboy out of 500 Texans standing for hours in the blazing sun. On the right is Mitch, our Aggie link to this shindig.


The bugs were served up in a styro box with a potato and corn on the cob. Since the restaurant patio was beside a pond, we were able to throw the heads right into the water.

Next: Kansas .. with a very special guest co-pilot

Texas!

I got up early Thursday because I knew Elvis was waiting. And since Graceland was on my way out of town, how could I resist? I took the guided tour of his house and visited the museum filled with his wild stage costumes and gold records. Later, on the news, I learned that he earned $60 million last year just by being dead. Not bad for a guy who only lived to be 42. I better get started..

Leaving Graceland I started my longest mileage day yet, all the way to my folks' place in Denton, Texas. Unfortunately most the trip was consumed by the state of Arkansas. No offense - just nothing to see from the interstate. I even drove right on past Hope without stopping at the Bill Clinton birthplace attraction.

This morning I treated the car to its first washdown of the trip, old-school style, with the water cannon and sponge.

It's great staying with family for a couple of nights and also the free lodging and laundry service. I even got to visit my friend Thom in Dallas for tex-mex, and my parents took me out for barbecue. It's good to be eating in Texas again.

Tomorrow: mudbugs

Pianos & Blues in Tennessee

Today was all Tennessee. The drive on I-40 from Nashville is quick and uninteresting so I did the tourist stuff in the morning before driving to Memphis.

Across from the hotel was the country music hall of fame. The museum was actually pretty cool, and also resembles a piano. See it?

Inside, I learned that Elvis had a gold-plated piano. I didn't even know that Elvis played the piano. I wonder if he thought this would get him more chicks. I guess I'll learn that and more tomorrow at Graceland.


Three things I wanted to see in Memphis: ribs, blues, Elvis. I got here in reasonably good time so I liked my chances. First: ribs at Blues City Cafe. Success!

Beale Street reminds me of Broadway Ave in Nashville or 6th Street in Austin. The street's blocked off and there are nothing but bar/restaurants and souvenir shops. The difference is that Memphis music is much better than in Nashville, and more country/bluegrassy than Austin. All three cities offer Shiner Bock if you need it.

This band (also at Blue City Cafe) was great - and the the bassist has a very strong neck.

Tomorrow: Elvis

Road to Nashville

Today ended up being one long, winding, awesome drive to Nashville. There are a couple of roads that shouldn't be missed if you're in a car - the Blue Ridge Parkway (official name) and the Tail of the Dragon (made-up name). BRP is well-known while the Dragon is an 11-mile stretch of an existing highway that supposedly makes 318 turns.

Blue Ridge Parkway runs through the Appalachian mountains and is spectacular. Dozens of scenic turnouts give drivers a place to rest and take mostly the same photos. Here's one:


After a couple hours of views like these and a minor sunburn on my arms, I got in line for a self-portait with the sign at the top of the ridge to prove I was there.

Next up was the Tail of the Dragon, a stretch of road that bikers and sports-car drivers all seem to know about and fear. It was a lot of fun to drive, if a little nerve-wracking - lots of motorcycles coming the other way and the shoulder was only inches wide. People set up lawnchairs along the road to cheer and take pictures.

My car and I made it just fine and bought the 'I survived the Dragon' t-shirt. Of course.

Asheville: Edgy, Artsy and Inviting

Today's drive finished in Asheville NC instead of Charlotte as I originally planned. This was due to some last minute advice (thanks, Tripp!). Ashville is situated between the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains and the approach is seriously cool especially with the top down. It helped that driving conditions were dry, sunny and fast.

I had dinner at a place downtown called Table and it was great - the owners are from Brooklyn and moved back to Asheville to open the restaurant.

Besides being lush and green, the town is edgy, artsy and inviting. Even the tourism board agrees!

Tomorrow: Nashville via Tail of the Dragon and Blue Ridge Parkway

Richmond: Free car wash

This morning began with an important revelation: if you want to eat breakfast in a casino town, do not leave the casino. Steve and I drove around Atlantic City for 45 minutes trying to find a suitable pancake restaurant and ended up settling for a very sketchy Dunkin Donuts (the bathroom cost $.25).

Next up: Richmond, Virginia. Because the states in the Northeast are pretty small and huddled closely together, I had to drive through Delaware and Maryland to get to Virginia. But first I had to get out of the Garden State ...

I didn't have time today for any Jersey Devil tattoos, piercings, or even gift cards.

There wasn't much else to see along Interstate 95 besides a bunch of trees and a quick glimpse of Baltimore. Good news is there are plenty of country music stations on the FM dial in these parts!

Thanks to the deluge of rain this afternoon, today's drive took a lot more time and concentration than I would have liked. At least the car got a good 3-hour washing.

Tomorrow: Asheville NC

Atlantic City: Not quite Vegas

Atlantic City is like a New Jersey-flavored version of Las Vegas. Bowls of granola crumbs offered as bar snacks ..



.. and a pregnant Hooters waitress still wearing that little outfit during her third trimester!

Despite (maybe because of) the Jersey quirks it was a great time - Steve and Nick were there to join me for a night of mostly successful blackjack and craps playing. One thing's for sure: my internal sleep clock will be a few hours off for the next day or two.

Next stop: Richmond VA

Bon Voyage to me

The big trip got underway today, right on schedule. After weeks of planning I spent 15 minutes packing everything I could think of in a few duffel bags and squeezed them into my tiny trunk. Accompanied by baked goods (thanks Anne!), a bunch of CDs and assorted auto gadgetry I was ready to kick it off with a quick junket from sunny Brooklyn Heights to Atlantic City accompanied by my Jeep escort (thanks Steve!). In the photo Anne is deciding whether to stow away.

Prologue

I'm not sure how this is going to go.

I've always been intrigued by the idea of hitting the road and seeing the country, documenting the trip in a blog and through my photos. And it's a little ridiculous that I haven't seen places like Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, or Moab.

This roadtrip idea came to me soon after I decided that eight years at the same job was enough. So .. I waited until gas hit $4/gallon and started making plans. I quit the job and bought a car, a road atlas, and a radar detector. I still don't know if I'm going to enjoy driving hundreds of miles a day. Guess there's only one way to find out..

My journey will begin May 10. I'll probably write the next great American road novel when I get back in June, but this blog will hit the daily highlights.

Wish me luck, and no speeding tickets.