On the Road: Laughlin, NV, to Alamogorgo, NM

Thursday, October 16, 2014

We checked out of the Aquarius early this morning and began the long journey home. Keeping with our plan of seeing new country, we intended to cover new territory in eastern Arizona. But first we had to get through Phoenix, that sprawling monster.

Our route today is 664 long miles.

The first part of the trip took us to Kingman, Arizona, where we always connect with I-40. We stopped there for coffee and breakfast. We jumped back on the interstate as the sun was beginning to rise in the east. We soon left Kingman behind and found our exit about 20 miles east of town. We began our long journey by retracing the route we took the first time we drove to Laughlin: US 93 southeast towards Phoenix.

I was delighted by the highway for the most part. Most of it is now 4-lane. Stretches are still under construction being converted to 4-lane, but the vast majority of the drive is good. Near Wickenburg, we finally trickled down to 2 lanes. From Kingman to Phoenix, there are only 2 towns, Wikieup and Wickenburg. The highway between these two towns is known as the Joshua Forest Scenic Road for good reason. There are also good stands of saguaro cactus along stretches of the roadway, and some impressive mountain and desert expanses. It's an interesting, though long, drive. Of the two towns, Wickenburg has the most amenities for travelers.

Saguaros cover a slope between Wikieup and Wickenburg

Closer view of several saguaros

This is a beautiful example of a saguaro

Just south of Wickenburg, we turned east on Highway 74 to cut over and hit I-17 on the north side of Phoenix. Prior to today, I was not aware of anything of note on this road, but we were surprised to discover Lake Pleasant on the north side of the highway. The lake is good size and contains Lake Pleasant Regional Park. Always on the lookout for places to stay should we get another RV, I made a mental note of this place with plans to research it upon returning home.

We picked up I-17 and turned south to head into Phoenix. By taking this route, I was hoping to miss some of the large city, but I guess I didn't. Just inside the city limits, we hit 101, the loop around Phoenix, and headed east for what seemed like hours and hours of fairly heavy urban traffic. We finally came to US 60, known locally as the Superstition Freeway, and headed east. At the outskirts of town, we stopped for gas and a break, and switched drivers.

This next section was the new part of the trip for us. We dipped through a southern part of the Tonto National Forest, then came to the little town of Superior, where things got a bit more interesting. I was not aware of the section of the highway from Superior to Globe, but it is indeed quite scenic. It's pretty mountainous terrain with some tricky highway sections, including a small pass through a tunnel. But it's a scenic drive, and I'm glad we took it. It's not a route I would want to pull a trailer through, though.

US 60 just east of Superior, where the road is just getting interesting. Note the bridge in center-left of picture.

Tunnel through a hillside not far beyond the bridge in the picture above. If you look carefully, you'll see numerous saguaros on the slope above the tunnel.

The highway weaves through the mountains.

I'm glad Donna was driving so I could enjoy all this scenery and snap a few pictures.

Approaching the small community of Miami, Arizona. I included this picture because it is typical of the scenery throughout the southwest. There seem to always be expanses such as this. Notice not only the mountain in the direct center of the picture, but also those dim outlines behind them.

One thing I learned about Arizona towns this trip is that they often come in groups. We were expecting to pass through Globe, but instead we passed through first Miami, then Claypool, and then Globe. The towns run together, giving the impression of one continuous town, and it causes for slow travel. Globe is an interesting town and would probably reward the traveler who stopped to visit its museum and other points of interest. But we had a lot of miles to cover, so we continued on.

At Globe, we picked up US 70, an old friend of ours. I was teaching in Olton a lifetime ago when our daughter Courtney was born to us. Olton is on US 70 in the lower Texas Panhandle. We would stay on this old friend for the rest of today and much of tomorrow.

We entered the San Carlos Reservation. If you enjoy the history of the American Southwest, then this is a familiar name and recalls some very famous Apaches of the past, such as Eskiminzin, Victorio, and Geronimo.

After leaving the reservation, we passed through another of those Arizona town groups: Pima, Thatcher,  Safford, and Solomon. It was in this area, I believe, where I was surprised to see a great deal of farming, including cotton. The highway basically follows the Gila River through this area, so perhaps the area is irrigated from this water source.

After leaving this group of towns, we set our sites on Lordsburg, New Mexico. Whenever I hear the name of this town, I think of the 1939 movie Stagecoach, which was John Wayne's breakout role. In the movie, which ironically was shot farther north in Monument Valley, the passengers on a stage are headed from Tonto, AZ, (a fictitious town?) to Lordsburg, NM. The movie began the long collaboration between Wayne and director John Ford.

But back to our journey. We crossed the state line into New Mexico, and soon arrived in Lordsburg where we took a break at the local McDonald's. Our plans had originally called to stop in Deming for the day, about 60 miles farther east. But I was afraid that would leave us another really long day tomorrow, so we journeyed on with plans to make it to Alamogordo. Along the interstate, we made good time.

But then we exited in Las Cruces. I should have taken the interstate around town, even though it added several miles. There was a great deal of construction in town, and it was all poorly planned and managed, and we got held up in traffic for a while. The side of Las Cruces we saw was not at all attractive, either. Of course, it was near the end of the day, so we were essentially there at rush hour, and people were indeed rushing to get home. We finally made it to US 70 east of I-25, heading towards the Organ Mountains. This is another place rich in history. So much to see and do and so little time to do it.

Highway 70 works its way up to and through San Augustin Pass, and the views are impressive in almost all directions. To the east is the White Sands Missile Range. It dominates the land for the final leg of our trip today.

We descended from the pass and the 4 lane highway slowly straightened out, and we made good time as the sun set lower and lower behind the mountains now behind us. As we neared Alamogordo, the White Sands National Monument appeared on our left. They were locking the gate as we passed, so we'll have to wait until another day to visit.

Somewhere around here, all east-bound traffic was routed through a border patrol inspection area. They looked Donna over carefully. Her beady eyes and swarthy appearance aroused their suspicions, but in the end I think they were overwhelmed by their fear of her and they let us pass through. We found our way to the Holiday Inn, secured a room, then had a late meal before getting a good night's rest.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Well, I was impressed by the Valley of Fire State Park to the east of Las Vegas. But Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area on the west side of Vegas left me speechless. Now, I hate to say this after visiting such a beautiful place, but I left my camera in the hotel room, so I did not get any pictures. But follow the links provided at the bottom of this entry and you'll be able to see pictures others have taken, and all of them will be much better than anything I can take.

First of all, getting to Red Rock Canyon was a bit troublesome for me. I consulted Google Maps for the location and found the park to be located on Red Rock Parkway, sometimes called Blue Diamond Parkway. So, with this information in hand, Donna and I left Sam’s Town on the Boulder Highway, took Flamingo west across the Strip to the west side of town, where we hopped on the 215 and headed north for a short distance. There was never any sign with the above roads named. I did, however, notice a smaller brown park sign indicating I needed to take exit 26 to get to Red Rock Canyon. So, I took the exit, but there was no sign at the intersection there. But we felt sure this was the road (Charleston Avenue). So, we headed west out of town on Charleston through attractive new residential sections. The multilane road soon gave way to a two-lane highway, and the entrance to the park is just a few miles farther down the road.

Caution: bicycle riders were out in force on the day we visited the park, even though it was only Thursday. Please watch for them.

As you approach the park, you know you are in for a treat for the colors of the hills ahead of you come to life.

As with the Valley of Fire, this park is well-maintained and well-planned. The park is huge, almost 200,000 acres. After you enter the park, pass through the multi-booth pay station. We were able to use our senior National Parks Pass (which only cost us $10 at the time we bought it and is good for life) to gain free admittance to the park. Without a pass, the daily fee is $7. 

Just inside the pay station is a Visitor Center. From this point on, this is a one-way road moving in a counter-clockwise direction. This scenic loop road of about 13 miles loops up the east side of the canyon then curves to come back along the west side of the canyon. It only covers a fraction of the park.

There are numerous points of interest along the loop, many with restrooms and picnic facilities. Hiking trails are abundant. Speed limit tops out at 35 mph although many stretches are greatly reduced. Watch for bike riders throughout the loop.

We hope to return some day and do a bit of hiking. According to the literature we picked up at the gate, there are 19 trails in the park, ranging from .75 miles to 6 miles. Hike ratings vary from easy to strenuous. There are also more than 2,000 rock climbing routes available. In fact, it is one of the top 5 rock climbing destinations in the country.

Some links of interest that contain photos:

• Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association
• Desert USA: Red Rock Canyon
• Red Rock Canyon Photos by Ron Niebrugge 
• Images of Red Rock Canyon

Las Vegas, Nevada

Wednesday, October 8 - Sunday, October 12, 2014

We spent 4 nights in Las Vegas this time. As usual, we made Sam's Town our base. Not only does Sam's Town have good video poker for people at our financial level (low), but it has other entertainment: good eateries (TGIF, Willie and Jose's, Billy Bob's Steak House, numerous fast food places, and two in-house delis), a multi-theater movie-plex, and bowling alley.

I'm an early riser, so when I'm in a casino like Sam's Town, I get up early and head down for breakfast. At Sam's Town, I can get a reasonably priced and good breakfast at McDonald's (usually a meatless breakfast like plain biscuits or pancakes), as well as a good, large cup of coffee. By showing my receipt, I can get another cup of coffee later that same day. That's a good deal.

I then mosey into the casino and sit down at my favorite full-pay deuces wild machine (return of 100.76%) and play for 3 or 4 hours. It's nice to play early when hardly anyone else is there. At some point during this time, Donna makes an appearance and plays along beside me.

After we tire of playing, we then break to do other things. It may be taking a walk around the RV park next door to see what people are traveling in. We may catch one of the Sam's Town buses that shuttle visitors to 3 locations downtown or to Harrah's on the Strip. We may watch a movie, especially when we have special offers from Sam's Town for free or reduced-price movies. Or we may take a day trip, as we did this time to Red Rock Canyon (see upcoming entry).

We usually return to Sam's Town later in the day and have a nice meal. We always make it a point to eat at Willie and Jose's at least once for their fajita special. And true casino junkies that we are, we always have to get a chili dog at one of the delis at some point during our stay. Sometimes there are tournaments or drawings we participate in. Donna won a nice pot of money about a year ago or so at one such drawing at Sam's Town.

This year, we took a day trip to the Strip aboard one of the shuttles. We didn't stay long. The bus let us off at Harrah's. We took off and headed south past the Imperial Palace, the Flamingo, Caesar's Palace, the Cromwell, Bally's, the Bellagio, Paris, and the Cosmopolitan. We turned around at Planet Hollywood and headed back to the bus as quickly as possible.

Donna in front of Caesar's Palace

Bally's and Paris on the Strip

Numerous casinos on the Strip, with the fountains of Bellagio along the bottom.

The fountains in action

More fountains

After the fountains cease

I guess I'm getting old, but the things I saw on that strip just aren't my idea of fun. We were there mid-morning, and the sidewalks were already crowded. People of all ages, but especially young college age folks, were carrying around their drinks, especially those arm-length glasses with reddish concoctions. The language is awful and the manners are worse. Vendors handing out cards and leaflets and soliciting you for various schemes approach from every direction. Vagrants link walkways with signs saying, "Please help: need money for plastic surgery" or "Give money: I don't want to work." Begging is just a joke, I guess. We were in the midst of Sodom and Gomorrah and I didn't like it. Now, I'm not a saint -- anyone who knows me can tell you that -- but there's a line that I won't cross and these folks were way, way beyond that line. I don't care to go back. If this is what passes for civilization, then I want no part of it. Everything I saw was decadent and shameful. There, that's my rant for the day.

So we hustled back to the bus, secured a seat, and were delighted to leave this part of Sin City behind us. Sam's Town, by contrast, seemed so tame. After all, Sam's Town traditionally caters to older people with its RV park and various "Young at Heart" promotions for guests age 50 or over. True, you'll get an occasional drunk or rowdy, but security takes care of such folks rather quickly. Sam's Town is, after all, a "locals' casino," so it's more about business than rowdiness and ostentation.

We were disappointed, however, that Mystic Falls was undergoing some repairs and was not operational. I enjoy that part of Sam's Town and always look forward to the light and water shows there. I also like hearing the screech of the eagle and the howl of the wolf, which I can hear from my favorite video poker machines in the casino.

All in all, our stays at Sam's Town are peaceful and relaxing, at least by Sin City standards.

Laughlin, Nevada, 2014

Sunday, October 12 - Thursday, October 16, 2014

What can I saw about Laughlin, Nevada, that I haven't already said in previous posts?

Donna and I like Laughlin. Since retiring, we've been here perhaps a half dozen times or more, and we like it better each time. We realize that Laughlin isn't for everyone. After all, it sits smack dab in the desert, and summer temps soar well over 100 degrees every day for 4 or 5 months. But we're desert rats. We've lived in West Texas off and on since 1979, and we also spent 4 years living in Saudi Arabia. Yep, we like and appreciate the desert.

Laughlin is named for Don Laughlin, who bought the land currently containing the town of Laughlin back in 1964. Don Laughlin's story is one of those American success stories and is quite interesting. He established what is today the Riverside Casino, the northernmost of Laughlin's casinos, and he is still alive and running the business.

Today, 7,000 or more people make Laughlin their home. There are actually 2 Laughlins, "Upper Laughlin" and "Lower Laughlin." Upper Laughlin is the residential section of town. It is located farther up the slope of the Newberry Mountains to the west of Laughlin. It consists of private homes, condos, and apartments as well as the few businesses that comprise the town. The schools are also located in Upper Laughlin as well as the library. Lower Laughlin is the area lining the river, mostly casinos, but also Laughlin Outlet Center, convenience stores, and a few other scattered businesses. Residents of Laughlin do most of their shopping across the river in Bullhead City.

Laughlin Outlet Center, across Casino Drive from the Aquarius

The two parts of Laughlin are actually about 3 or 4 miles apart and offer contrasting environments. But Laughlin is not Vegas, and I don't think anyone wants it to be. Laughlin is much more relaxed and laid back. Many folks might describe it as "old Vegas." Although the casinos attract all sorts of visitors, it is clear that older people are a major target.

And the river . . . . Donna and I love the Colorado River that runs through this country. We love to get out and walk along the river. The River Walk stretches from Riverside Casino on the north all the way to the River Palms on the south (note: the River Palms has recently been sold. When we were there, the hotel and 1 or 2 of the restaurants were open, but not the casino. Dotty's is taking over the operation and everything will soon be open for business as The River Lodge, I believe.) If you don't like walking, hop on one of the many river taxis to travel up and down the river. And there are various river cruises, as well. Some are tours of local sites (Davis Dam, for example) while some venture as far as Lake Havasu City, which is over 70 highway miles to the south on the Arizona side of the river.

Water taxi heading north on the Colorado. Arizona on the other side. The area on the opposite bank (right-center) is the Riverside dock. Visitors in Arizona can park there and cross the river on a Riverside water taxi to get to the casino. They run almost constantly.

One of the cruise boats on the river.

The party girl herself with the river and Arizona mountains in the background. Notice the play of light on the distant mountains in the center of the picture as opposed to those nearer the river.

Part of the Riverwalk just outside the Aquarius.

Many of the casino restaurants and bars look out on the river. As the sun sets, the colors of the mountains in Arizona play in the fading light. We love to sit at The Cove, a bar in the Aquarius Casino overlooking the river. We play video poker there and enjoy good draft beer as we watch the river roll on by, carrying jet skis, tour boats, and individuals in their boats who might be fishing or just enjoying a leisurely boat ride on the river.

Because of the numerous casinos, Laughlin gets its share of entertainment. Some of it is big name while some of it is not. But if you stick around long enough, certainly you'll find something that interests you. One of the best sources of information about Laughlin is the Laughlin Entertainer. Be sure to click on the link to bring up the online magazine ("Click here to read this week's edition").

The Tropicana Express is the only large casino on the west side of Casino Drive.

A few of the casinos along Casino Drive. From left, the Riverside, then Aquarius, and the little Regency, home of Daniel's on the River, one of our favorite eateries in Laughlin.

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Valley of Fire State Park, one of the parks in the Nevada state park system, is a real treasure. You can easily spend a day -- or more -- exploring this natural wonder. We made a quick run through the park, checking all the areas, but we have certainly put it down on our "to do" list, and we hope to return for some camping one day and some intensive exploring. Be forewarned, though, that temperatures here can be formidable during warm weather months. When we return, I plan to do so sometime from November 1 to March 1.

A map and other information is provided in the park brochure.

The park is the oldest and largest in the Nevada state park system. It is full of interesting rock formations, and if you are alert, you might even catch sight of some interesting wildlife.

There are two entrances to the park, one on the east off Hwy 169 (which is the one we used), and the other from the west from Interstate 15. We entered from the east. After stopping at the self pay station and paying our $10 entrance fee, we primed the camera. We could tell there would be a lot of photo opportunities here.

The Cabins, as they are known, were built by the CCC when the park was formed. Originally, they provided housing for tourists. They really blend in to the landscape.

The main park road is the east-west road we entered on. About 4 or 5 miles inside the park, the Visitor Center is located next to a paved road that goes about 6 miles north into the park. These are the only paved roads.

Stop at the Visitor Center. In addition to numerous exhibits, it also contains the only residential style restrooms that I saw in the park. They are located inside the Visitor Center. There are additional restrooms located just behind the Center, but I do not know anything about them.

The Visitor Center is located near the center of the park, and is situated against a backdrop. There are numerous displays inside as well as flush toilets.

The road north contains probably the most dramatic scenery in the park. The terminus of this road is at the White Domes. There are numerous places to pull off and take photographs, and many of these also have pit toilets available. Some places have short hikes that take you to places of interest, such as Mouse’s Tank.

This is the road that stretches into the north section of the park.

Donna found a rock to stand on. Donna likes rocks. Notice the coloring in the large rocks behind her.

This is Silica Dome. The colors are much more striking in person.

This is Fire Canyon. Like Silica Dome, its colors are much more impressive in person. This picture and the one above look quite similar, don't they.

These are the White Domes, located at the northern terminus of the road.

Near the north end of this road, Donna and I were surprised when a pair of desert mountain sheep crossed the road directly in front of us. As I was readying the camera, Donna watched the pair and was amused when the larger ram in the back ran up to the smaller one in front and butted its rear end, as if to say, “Hurry up and cross the road before these idiots run over us.” It’s always exciting to see wildlife in places like this, especially wildlife unfamiliar to us.

Donna snapped this picture of the two mountain sheep after we had turned around at the White Domes. We had originally seen them before reaching the Domes but were fortunate to see them again.

This was the picture I snapped when we first saw the bighorn sheep. We were surprised when they wandered onto the road in front of us, and by the time I stopped the car and got the camera, the smaller of the pair had strayed out of sight.

After returning to the intersection with the main road near the Visitor Center, we turned right (west) and wound to the west end of the park to check out the two campgrounds located there. You never know when we might want to return and do some camping and hiking. We also checked out some petrified logs that are found in that area.

Atlatl Rock. Unfortunately, I did not know the significance of the rock during our trip, so we did not venture up. The rock contains Indian rock art, including a depiction of the atlatl, thus the name of the rock.

Petrified log. There were several examples at this location in the western end of the park, near Atlatl Rock. All are contained within chain link fences for their protection. Other examples lie in the eastern part of the park.

I will not attempt to describe the landscape; I do not have the words. If you’ve never been in this part of the country, you would be impressed. The park itself is well run. The roads have good surface, restrooms are plentiful throughout the park, and places of interest are well-marked. When in Las Vegas, take time from your activities and venture out to this beautiful state park.

Side note about camera. I was happily snapping photo after photo when suddenly a message popped up on the viewing screen indicating that the memory was full. I had only taken about 30 photos. We stopped the car and downloaded to the computer. I then changed the setting on the camera regarding picture resolution. I went to far to the other extreme, and several of the next pictures in the Lake Mead area were not as good as the ones taken with the higher resolution. after some trail and error, I was finally able to find a setting that allowed good resolution but also a high number of pictures. I will also need to pick up more memory cards for future trips.

On the Road: Mesquite, NV, to Las Vegas, NV

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Las Vegas is just over an hour from Mesquite via Interstate 15. But I had a different route in mind. We've been on that road before, so we wanted something different.

Our trip today is short, about 125 miles. It takes a short detour through Valley of the Fire State Park, then continues on to Vegas through a large portion of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

We started towards Las Vegas on I-15. This entire area had been blanketed by heavy rains prior to our visit. As a result, part of I-15 had suffered erosion and some pretty extensive repairs were underway. We passed that area on our way south, continuing on until the Highway 169 exit south to the communities of Logandale and Overton in the Moapa Valley.

This two-lane highway wove through the desert hills. I was surprised by the amount of greenery we saw. There are numerous trees, alfalfa fields, and other plant life, all of it appearing out of place in this arid corner of the world. The Muddy River runs through the area, and I suppose that waterway helps with irrigation.

A short distance south of Overton, we turned west for a short tour of Valley of Fire State Park; I’ll describe that trip in detail in a separate entry.

After our tour of the park, we came back to Highway 169, which immediately entered the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. For the next 40 or 50 miles, we had an excellent roadway. Although only two lanes with a sliver of a shoulder, the surface was smooth. The speed limit was set at 50 mph, but I didn’t mind at all since there was so much to see. Frequent pull outs are available so that you can stop and take in the view as well as allow faster cars to pass.

We caught several glimpses of Lake Mead along the route. There were also two springs, and we stopped at one for pictures (see below). Several turn offs to the east go to lake access points for camping and boating access, but we did not check any of them out.

Palms at Blue Point Springs. The actual spring is probably at least 100 yards upstream from these trees.

 

The actual source of the spring is somewhere in here, but I could not see it.

About 15 yards or so downstream from the spring, water is flowing rather well. We could hear it as we walked along the bed.

View of Lake Mead

The route ends in Henderson, just south of Las Vegas. We came to the Boulder Highway, turned right, then made our way to Sam’s Town, our home for the next 4 days.