Movie Review: The Judge

Donna and I have watched a couple of movies lately. The first one we watched was The Judge, starring Robert Duvall and Robert Downey, Jr.

The plot itself is a bit complex. It basically focuses on the character development of Hank Palmer (Downey), a highly successful -- and arguably unethical -- defense attorney in Chicago. He is in the midst of a troubled marriage, probably heading for divorce. The crux of the movie begins when he returns to his home in Indiana to attend his mother's funeral. Obviously, he and his father (Judge Joseph Palmer, played by Duvall) do not see eye to eye. The movie could end there, with Hank returning to Chicago following the funeral, except that in a rather bizarre twist, his father is involved in a hit-and-run incident. Hank stays on to defend his father and, in doing so, must confront his relationship with the elder Palmer. The final courtroom scene is the pivotal point of the movie, and it is rather unique.

Both Downey and Duvall bring their characters to life. I'm a big Robert Duvall fan, and can remember watching his brief appearance years ago as Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird. Over the years, I've followed his career, and have especially enjoyed him in Tender Mercies, Joe Kidd, Open Range, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Secondhand Lions. His portrayal of Augustus McCrae in Lonesome Dove is probably my personal favorite.

In addition to watching the characters portrayed by Downey and Duvall spar with each other throughout the movie, I also was touched by those moments when Hank Palmer (Downey) became the caregiver to his father. I saw a little of the relationship I had with my own dad in his final year of life.

I think about this movie a great deal. I think about the need for some people to put their past behind them and to move along and away. But we should never entirely shut the door to our past. After all, we never can be entirely sure why people are motivated to do the things they do until the truth finally emerges. Sometimes we need to stop running and try returning home.

Nevad Trip, 2014: Where We Ate

We enjoyed some good food on our Nevada trip. I'll give a very brief accounting of some of them.

I was delighted with the breakfast spreads at the hotels where we stayed coming from and going to Nevada (Comfort Inn in Farmington, NM, and Holiday Inn in Alamogordo, NM). Both were generous with their items, which included biscuits, scrambled eggs, waffles, sausage, and other items.

We ate at our first Del Taco in Mesquite, and I liked it. This California-based fast food restaurant has a good menu. We both had their reasonably-priced fire roasted veggie Fresca bowl, and I enjoyed the flavors.

We only ate 1 buffet this time. Normally, I don't enjoy buffets as they are overpriced for what we eat and the food is generally poorly prepared. That proved to be true this time. We had a comped buffet at Sam's Town, and it was a disappointment for the most part, though Donna did seem to enjoy her prime rib. Nothing I had was good. I also find that buffets are simply an excuse to overeat, so I avoid them most of the time.

The fajita dinners we had at Willie and Jose's at Sam's Town were quite good, as were the burgers at TGIF at the same casino. We always make it a point to eat the fajitas at Willie and Jose's. We find the meat to be good quality, though the dishes do lack in fajita flavoring as far as I am concerned.

I had some very tasty tacos at Daniel's on the River at the Regency Casino in Laughlin. Tuesday is taco day there, so it is a chance to try various tacos at a reasonable price. I especially enjoyed the shrimp taco I had. Donna had a good Reuben sandwich.

We also had a good meal at the Outback in the Aquarius. We were able to use our points for that meal, so that made it even better.We each had one of their special lunch combos. Donna had a salad and tortilla soup while I had a Caesar salad and chicken quesadillas.

Most of our other meals in the casinos were at the delis, where we always enjoy deli food such as chile dogs, nachos, and shrimp cocktails. I always enjoy a deli meal at the snack bar in Sam's Town next to the sports book. We enjoy watching the goings on in the sports book while we eat. Sometimes we eat at the deli in the bowling alley. That way, we can watch the bowlers in action. While some of the bowlers are obviously beginners, you do find some very good bowlers at times.

As long as we've been going to Laughlin, we had yet to eat at the In-N-Out on Casino Drive, but we were determined to try it this trip. We loved it, so much so that we ate there twice. It will be a regular stop for us. There is so much I like about this place. First, the food is presented neatly. The burgers are made to order, and they are carefully built. You don't get three 3 dill pickle slices piled on top of one another like you do at some fast food places, for example (Sonic comes to mind); they are spread out. The burgers are also neatly wrapped. Second, the buns are freshly baked, using old-fashioned slow rising sponge dough. Third, I love the grilled onions on the burgers. And finally, the service is outstanding. We were greeted nicely both times we went and our orders were carefully taken. The young folks working there were extremely polite and neat in appearance. While there, we watched as they constantly cleaned tables, swept the floor, and kept the counter clean. And on top of it all, the prices are very reasonable. I'm ready to go back.

At Alamogorodo, I decided I wanted some Mexican food. I knew I should have waited until I got back home, but I really wanted some chips and salsa. We went to a local restaurant called Margo's. A lot of people like the New Mexican red chile sauce, but I've never cared for it. It tastes bitter to me, but that is a personal thing. But every restaurant in the state seems to slather that stuff on everything they prepare, and I just don't care for it. So, I thought I'd try the chile rellenos. After all, New Mexico grows the best chiles around. But, they came slathered with that red sauce, and that kind of ruined things for me. The rellenos themselves were rather tasty -- I just didn't need the sauce. But, when in Rome . . . .

So, we had a good variety of food, from full-serve restaurants to fast food places, and for the most part we enjoyed what we had. 

On the road: Alamogordo, NM, to San Angelo, TX

Friday, October 17, 2014

Today is the last day of our trip. We rose early, had a good breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express in  Alamogordo where we were staying, and hit the road.

There are more direct ways to get from Alamogordo to San Angelo than the route we selected, but we were scouting around for a good way to pull a trailer, a route with good overnight stops.

Alamogordo, NM, to San Angelo, TX. 421 miles via Roswell, NM

We headed north for about 10 or so miles along US 54/70 to Tularosa, a quaint little village of cottonwoods and adobe architecture. US 70 then veers east, and we followed it into the Sacremento Mountains onto the Mescalero Reservation. This was a beautiful stretch of highway, all 4-lane. It wound up into the cool, pine covered mountains before arriving in the resort town of Ruidoso. This area is home to at least two of the southern most ski resorts in the country: Ski Apache and Ski Cloudcroft. As we passed through, I couldn't help thinking that it wouldn't be long before these mountains would be covered in snow.

At Ruidoso, we picked up the Rio Ruidoso, and the highway followed it down the valley as we were now descending. Little farms dotted the valley along the river. In the old days, such farms provided hay and produce much needed in this area by the army located at nearby Fort Stanton as well as by other citizens.

As we headed east, the mountains became hills and the hills eventually smoothed off, and we found ourselves once again on the level plains, returning to Roswell, where we had been almost 2 weeks before. We quickly passed through Roswell, continuing east. At the rest area about 20 miles east of town, we stopped for a break and to switch drivers, then hit the road again.

We began calling our daughter, making plans to meet her and the boys for a mid-afternoon lunch (for us) when we passed through Big Spring. It was about 2:15 or so when we pulled into our meeting place. Courtney came along soon after with two of her little monsters in tow, Camden and Jensen. The oldest monster, Xander, was in school terrorizing his teachers, so we missed him. But we had a nice visit with his siblings and mother.

Courtney soon had to leave to pick up Xander from school, so we said our goodbyes and Donna and I hit the road for the final 80 miles.

We had a good trip, but we were, of course, glad to get him.

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.