I'm Driving Cross-country Right Now

LurchAddams

LurchAddams

There Can be Only One!
Tuesday I "pussed out" and only made it from north of Seattle to Portland.

But yesterday I made it all the way from Portland to Reno. My vehicle has a 5.2 liter engine, seat coolers/heaters, cold AC and instant heat and drives like a dream.

It was raining yesterday in Portland, but when I got to Ashland (southern OR) it stopped and my navi took me east over the Sierras, through the Lassen NF in Northern CA and dumped me out in a town called "Susanville, CA". From Susanville it was a straight, 90-mile shot south to Reno. I made it in time to have all you can eat Sushi :)

Note: I'm at the Circus Circus in Reno this morning. DO NOT STAY HERE. I've been coming here since the 80's and it's been great, but they've let it devolve into a dump. Holes in the lampshades, lights flickering in room, no toiletries in the bathroom.

Also, a quick note about traveling alone: Getting back into my vehicle after a pee stop yesterday I heard a couple arguing about the guy's driving - "You drive like a maniac", she screamed at him. <-- I do not mind traveling alone one bit. I have satellite radio - that's all I need :)
 
LurchAddams said:
Tuesday I "pussed out" and only made it from north of Seattle to Portland.

But yesterday I made it all the way from Portland to Reno. My vehicle has a 5.2 liter engine, seat coolers/heaters, cold AC and instant heat and drives like a dream.

It was raining yesterday in Portland, but when I got to Ashland (southern OR) it stopped and my navi took me east over the Sierras, through the Lassen NF in Northern CA and dumped me out in a town called "Susanville, CA". From Susanville it was a straight, 90-mile shot south to Reno. I made it in time to have all you can eat Sushi :)

Note: I'm at the Circus Circus in Reno this morning. DO NOT STAY HERE. I've been coming here since the 80's and it's been great, but they've let it devolve into a dump. Holes in the lampshades, lights flickering in room, no toiletries in the bathroom.

Also, a quick note about traveling alone: Getting back into my vehicle after a pee stop yesterday I heard a couple arguing about the guy's driving - "You drive like a maniac", she screamed at him. <-- I do not mind traveling alone one bit. I have satellite radio - that's all I need :)
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What's your destination, or is it just a fun road trip? Enjoy!
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
What's your destination, or is it just a fun road trip? Enjoy!
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Ooo! At this point, we don't know :) I made it to Las Vegas in under 7 hours last night. It's only 5 hours to Phoenix, which is the next big town on my way. I might take a "short driving day" today and spend the night there.

It's still really hot. Yesterday, it was in the 90's the entire day in the Nevada desert I was driving across. It must be the effect of Covid, but I have not hit any significant traffic since I left Washington/Oregon. It's really sad to see towns with shops and restaurants all shut down on the way :( But where restaurants have failed, Recreational marijuana shops are thriving. It's almost like there's one ever few miles in the Nevada desert and there are tons of them here on the LV strip. I'm all stocked up though. Refreshed my "inventory" before I left Seattle :)

I love driving and am having a blast.
 
So, I'm staying at this little "Boutique Hotel" on the south part of the Las Vegas strip. This type of hotel is a new "thing". What they do, is they take a dilapidated property and give it a makeover, upgrade the rooms, etc.

My room is huge, I'd say almost 1000 sq ft. It's got real wood outdoor furniture, inside, the dresser, the nightstand, bedside tables, everything. The desk that I'm sitting at right now, is like an outdoor picnic table. It's really cool, IMO.

I'm not going to stay at a casino hotel again. That Circus Circus really left a bad taste in my mouth.

I'm looking forward to eating at my favorite Tex-Mex bar in Scottsdale, AZ tonight :)
 
LurchAddams said:
So, I'm staying at this little "Boutique Hotel" on the south part of the Las Vegas strip. This type of hotel is a new "thing". What they do, is they take a dilapidated property and give it a makeover, upgrade the rooms, etc.

My room is huge, I'd say almost 1000 sq ft. It's got real wood outdoor furniture, inside, the dresser, the nightstand, bedside tables, everything. The desk that I'm sitting at right now, is like an outdoor picnic table. It's really cool, IMO.

I'm not going to stay at a casino hotel again. That Circus Circus really left a bad taste in my mouth.

I'm looking forward to eating at my favorite Tex-Mex bar in Scottsdale, AZ tonight :)
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Drive safe and don't get bed bugs. lol
 
Try to make time to spend the day at Carlsbad Caverns, it's not that far from Scottsdale. Bring a sweater it's about 70 degrees.

de1979027dc37501fd2d0a1c116e2ae5.jpg
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
Drive safe and don't get bed bugs. lol
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The way to avoid bed bugs is to travel with tiny little beds. You spread them all over the hotel room floor. They're called "bug beds for bed bugs". That way they stay out of YOUR bed :)

Driving is getting more and more effortless. I left Las Vegas at about 10:30am yesterday, drove straight through to Kingman, AZ just across the NV border. It's still really hot, driving across the NV/AZ desert my car thermometer was toping out at over 100.

The price of gas dropped an entire dollar/gallon when I left NV!

I'm seeing a lot of fellow WA license plates during my drive - many of my "homies" must have my same idea.

The drive into the valley where Lake Mead was was gorgeous yesterday. I'm told the lake level's down quite a bit and they're finding "mob hit" bodies as the lake recedes. I drove by Hoover dam as well - I should have stopped for photos, but I prefer to keep driving.

Got into Phoenix just before 6pm, had a great Thai din din and hit the hay. I slept like a rock last night, I was worried my back was going out, but it's feeling much better today.

After driving for a few hours, when I got out of my car yesterday I'd walk, bent over like an old man (I guess I AM an old man) for about 10 min before I could straighten out.

I should make El Paso before 6 tonight. I'll stay an extra day and see what trouble I can cause in Nogales, Mex. The beer will be cheap, the weather will be cooler and I can practice my "Espanol". :)

Hope everyone had as great of a day as I did yesterday :)
 
guno said:
Drive safe!!!! My days of doing that are long gone, but enjoy, memories are forever
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For some reason driving is one of the things that relaxes me the most and makes me happy. I love when the forest changes to desert and back. I'm NOT liking all the closed shops and restaurants I'm seeing :(

I'm actually going to be in a different country tomorrow :)
 
goat said:
Try to make time to spend the day at Carlsbad Caverns, it's not that far from Scottsdale. Bring a sweater it's about 70 degrees.

de1979027dc37501fd2d0a1c116e2ae5.jpg
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Oh, I've been there, thanks. I've also been to the Kartcher Caverns near Tucson. I took the "guided tour" and everything. Check them out if you get the chance. The AZ state park system runs it - they have a shuttle system that takes you all over the park. They do a good job!

https://www.visitarizona.com/places...gest stalactite,the mysterious world of caves.
 
LurchAddams said:
The way to avoid bed bugs is to travel with tiny little beds. You spread them all over the hotel room floor. They're called "bug beds for bed bugs". That way they stay out of YOUR bed :)

Driving is getting more and more effortless. I left Las Vegas at about 10:30am yesterday, drove straight through to Kingman, AZ just across the NV border. It's still really hot, driving across the NV/AZ desert my car thermometer was toping out at over 100.

The price of gas dropped an entire dollar/gallon when I left NV!

I'm seeing a lot of fellow WA license plates during my drive - many of my "homies" must have my same idea.

The drive into the valley where Lake Mead was was gorgeous yesterday. I'm told the lake level's down quite a bit and they're finding "mob hit" bodies as the lake recedes. I drove by Hoover dam as well - I should have stopped for photos, but I prefer to keep driving.

Got into Phoenix just before 6pm, had a great Thai din din and hit the hay. I slept like a rock last night, I was worried my back was going out, but it's feeling much better today.

After driving for a few hours, when I got out of my car yesterday I'd walk, bent over like an old man (I guess I AM an old man) for about 10 min before I could straighten out.

I should make El Paso before 6 tonight. I'll stay an extra day and see what trouble I can cause in Nogales, Mex. The beer will be cheap, the weather will be cooler and I can practice my "Espanol". :)

Hope everyone had as great of a day as I did yesterday :)
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Do you need a passport to get into Mexico or do you have one of those enhanced drivers licenses since you live in a border state?
 
goat said:
Lurch has to turn east or cross into Mexico. Carlsbad Caverns is worth seeing.
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My destination today is El Paso, TX. Hotels are much cheaper there, I'm going to stay there for 2 days, take a day and see what trouble I can cause across the border tomorrow across the border in Juarez.
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
Do you need a passport to get into Mexico or do you have one of those enhanced drivers licenses since you live in a border state?
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I believe you can get into MX with either.. but I do have my passport. I need to stock up on one of my meds I'm running low on - not going to be back home for awhile.

The weather is really hot for this time of year, but El Paso/Juarez, MX must be at a higher altitude. It's about 15 degrees cooler there than here in Phoenix!
 
LurchAddams said:
I believe you can get into MX with either.. but I do have my passport. I need to stock up on one of my meds I'm running low on - not going to be back home for awhile.

The weather is really hot for this time of year, but El Paso/Juarez, MX must be at a higher altitude. It's about 15 degrees cooler there than here in Phoenix!
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How weird. You would have expected it to be hotter there. How long are you staying in MX?
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
How weird. You would have expected it to be hotter there. How long are you staying in MX?
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Oh, I'm not staying in MX. What you do is you park on the US side in El Paso and walk in for the day. I don't want to be in Juarez after dark. So I've booked my hotel tonight in El Paso for 2 days, I'll head into Juarez around noon, get my meds, look at the sights, drink the beer, take in the sun and head get ready for the next leg of my trip Mon morn!

Having dinner right now at Twin Peaks in East El Paso. The view is pretty good here as well ;)
 
LurchAddams said:
Oh, I'm not staying in MX. What you do is you park on the US side in El Paso and walk in for the day. I don't want to be in Juarez after dark. So I've booked my hotel tonight in El Paso for 2 days, I'll head into Juarez around noon, get my meds, look at the sights, drink the beer, take in the sun and head get ready for the next leg of my trip Mon morn!

Having dinner right now at Twin Peaks in East El Paso. The view is pretty good here as well ;)
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Be careful. In Twin Peaks the owls are not what they seem. :laugh:
 
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