Vegas Road Trip, Days 1 and 2
Here's what I jotted down in the journal, with some pics that we snapped when it was light out:
Day 1:
Sunday, 1:35 PM Central Standard Time, Departed St. Paul.
3:23 PM CST, Entering Iowa.
Above: Stacy missed the "Leaving Minnesota" sign - LOL
5:15 PM CST, Stopped to eat at Sonic in Des Moines, IA.5:45 PM CST, Back on I-35.
6:52 PM CST, Entering Missouri.
7:10 PM CST, Stopped for Gas in Bethany, MO. Switched drivers.
7:28 PM CST, Back on I-35.
8:34 PM CST, Passing through Kansas City, MO. It's raining like a mofo.
8:42 PM CST, Crossing into Kansas (Kansas City, KS.)
9:02 PM CST, I-70 Entering Kansas Turnpike.
9:46 PM CST, Hit a small critter south of Topeka. Appeared to be a fox.
10:13 PM CST, Stopped at a Turnpike "Service Center" in Emporia, KS to assess damage to car. Lower part of front bumper on the passenger side is dented in. No structural or mechanical damage whatsoever.
10:50 PM CST, The Impala hits 45,000 miles on the odometer. 627.8 miles on trip so far.
11:49 PM CST, Belle Plaine, KS Service Center. Stop to top off the tank and switch drivers.
Day 2:
Monday, 12:02 AM CST, Depart Service Center and approaching Oklahoma.
12:13 AM CST, Stopped at the Toll Plaza at end of the Kansas Turnpike.
12:27 AM CST, Entering Oklahoma. Still raining. Roads are rutted like crazy from the semis.
1:51 AM CST, Entering the 'burbs of "The OKC" (Oklahoma City.) Rain stops for a bit.
3:30 AM CST, Switched drivers in Clinton, OK. I try to take a nap, but it started raining like a mofo again.
6:00 AM CST, I finally wake up as we stop for gas in Amarillo, TX. It's no lie, all the men in Texas wear cowboy hats and everyone has the "Texas" drawl. Everyone is real friendly as well.
6:14 AM CST, Depart gas station in Amarillo. Switched drivers.
7:25 AM CST, Entering New Mexico and Mountain Time Zone so it's officially 6:25 AM MST.
8:00 AM MST, Stopped for food and beverages in Santa Rosa, NM. Snapped a couple of pics.
8:22 AM MST, Depart Santa Rosa, NM.
9:12 AM MST, Switch drivers in Clines Corners, NM. I proceed to pass out again.
10:08 AM MST, Traffic jam in Alberquerque due to road construction.
10:12 AM MST, Traffic back to normal.
10:45 AM MST, Stopped for gas in Laguna, NM. Back on I-40.
11:55 AM MST, Crossed the Continental Divide near Gonzales, NM.
12:01 PM MST, Stopped to switch drivers in Refinery, NM. Stacy proceeds to pass the "F" out.
12:44 PM MST, Entering Arizona.
1:49 PM MST, Stopped at a scurvy "Petrefied Wood" tourist trap to piss (off of Sun Valley Road and I-40.) It's an authentically rustic, "Old Route 66" type of joint.
2:58 PM MST, Entering Flagstaff city limits. There's almost more snow here than there is back in Minnesota!
3:46 PM MST, Stopped for gas in Williams, AZ. Elevation is 7200 feet! It's snowing to boot.
The above 4 pics were snapped when we were on I-40 somewhere between Williams and Kingman, AZ
5:37 PM MST, Departing gas station in Kingman, AZ. We're on the road that leads to Hoover Dam and ultimately, Vegas (US 93.)
5:56 PM Pacific Time, Crossing Hoover Dam and entering Nevada.
Click here for a ton of pics we snapped around the Hoover Dam area
6:45 PM PST, Arrived at our Hotel (Texas Station Hotel and Casino) in VEGAS, BABY!!!
Checked into the hotel, showered, went to eat at one of the many restaurants in the Hotel/Casino, came back to the room and passed out. It felt great to sleep in a real bed!!! We went to bed around 10 PM and woke up around 8 AM. I decided to get the website updated and check my e-mail, so we haven't decided what we're doing on "Day 3" yet. I can guarantee you the first thing we'll be doing is stopping at the 7-Eleven that's 2 blocks away...
More updates to follow!
Hoover Dam Pics Days 3, 4, and 5 Main
