Road Trip Day 28 - Home! Sweet Home!

I woke up about 8am feeling like maybe I had one Strawberry Daiquiri too many, but hey, they were free! I slowly got ready to leave. I checked out, took my things to the car.

Then at the 11am opening time, I made one last trip to the Lucky Noodle Bar. This time, I got an order of Beef Stew Noodle (五香牛腩湯河粉) to eat there, and an order of Beef Chow Fun (干炒牛河) as take-away. They charge $1 per dish for take-away orders, but they package them very well and they don't leak.

I leave Harrah's Reno about noon. I had a great time, ate well, and won money! It only takes about 20 minutes to hit the Nevada-California border.

I decided to stop and visit some friends at a small town in Nevada County , California, before heading home.

This concludes my Road Trip. I stuck fairly close to my initial planned route and schedule. I had some good times, and some not so good times. I will need to give it some thought, and write up what I might have learned from the experience.

Road Trip Day 27 - Harrah's Reno, Buffet and Noodles

Warning: I got carried away in this posting talking about the food at Harrah's, Reno. If you don't care about food, you might want to skip over this post.

Last night, I ate my Chinese Beef Stew Rice Noodle Soup (五香牛腩湯河粉) at the Joy Luck Noodle Bar at Harrah's Reno. It is a simple dish, but I really like it. The Noodle Bar has other interesting things like Pad Thai (泰式雞蝦炒粉), Beef Chow Fun with Black Bean Sauce (豉椒炒牛河), Lemon Grass Marinated Pork Chops (香茅豬扒燴米粉), Stir Fried Curry Rice Vermicelli with Shrimp & BBQ Pork (星洲炒米粉), and Wor Won Ton Egg Noodle Soup (鍋雲吞湯麵). Then I played the slot machines until a little past midnight and did quite well (I have put some money 'in my pocket' and am certain to go home a net winner).

This morning, after a relaxing shower in my large clean bathroom, I went downstairs to brunch. On Saturday and Sunday, Harrahs Reno's Carvings Buffet has a Champagne Brunch from 8am to 2pm. While it might not be quite as fancy as some of the much more expensive Champagne Brunches in Las Vegas, it is very good and is only $12.99. I paid with Total Rewards points so it was free. The buffet has a:

• Italian Station - Brick oven pizza, grilled vegetables, pastas
• Salad Bar - Build your own (or they will build special ones for you), peel and eat shrimp, mussels, Jack Daniel's Chili, and soup
• Carving Station - Prime Rib, Turkey, Ham, Keilbasa
• Mexican Station - Fish, thin New York Steaks with Chipotle Butter, Enchiladas, Rice, Beans, warm Tortillas, Guacamole, and Salsas
• Asian Station - Pan Fried Noodles, Pot Stickers, BBQ Pork, and Noodles-To-Order (Beef Stew Rice Noodle Soup again, for me!)
• The American Station - Eggs Benedict, Mashed Potatoes, Bacon, Sausage, Scrambled Eggs, Hash Browns, Chicken Fried Steak, Baked Beans, Chicken, Gravy, Corn
• Dessert Corner - Pie, Cake, soft Ice Cream, Fresh Fruit Crêpes, Cookies, Cheesecake (they virtually always have it in some form, ask if you don't see it)

< Eggy at Carving's Buffet Missing, courtesy of Photobucket scam>

I am not a big champagne drinker, but I had a couple of weak Mimosas (to which I added Grenadine Syrup that I carry in a small bottle for just such occasions).

I ran into my 'Casino Friend', Sally, who likes playing the same bank of slot machines that I do. It was really a coincidence that she was here at the same time, because we both only go to Reno, NV about 3 or 4 times a year. Sorry, I can't tell what our favorite games are!

I ate at the Joy Luck Noodle Bar again about 7:30pm, this time having Seafood Fried Fun Hor (干炒河) just to be flexible. The Noodle Bar is fast, cheap, and they are very accommodating about adjusting ingredients to your personal taste.

I gambled until about 2am, and had a good time.

Road Trip Day 26 - Nevada - US Highway 50 - The Loneliest Road in America

I had breakfast in Ely's Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall 24 hour restaurant. The food (at breakfast and dinner last night) was good , reasonably priced, and service was very friendly and attentive.

Two unique things worth mentioning about Ely, Nevada:

• There is an operating steam train and railway museum - The Nevada Northern Railway Museum (these are a real hit with train buffs and kids),
• There are numerous interesting murals around town.

I had seen posters for "Highway 50 Survival Guides" in some of the local businesses. I picked up one of the passport sized Survival Guides near the hotel registration desk.

The Survival Guides are part of a "Loneliest Road in America" promotion. The Loneliest Road moniker was coined by Life Magazine in a (not completely complimentary) article written about Highway 50 and rural Nevada in July 1986. The State of Nevada subsequently adopted "The Loneliest Road in America" as an official designation for part of US-50.

The Highway 50 Survival Kit promotion involves taking your passport for validation at any of various locations in five different towns along "The Loneliest Road":

• Fernley
• Fallon
• Austin
• Eureka
• Ely

If you get all five validation stamps, you can send in a postage-paid card and receive a "I Survived Hwy 50" certificate and a commemorative souvenir.

You can pick up your Survival Guide at certain locations on the Loneliest Road:

• At the east end at the Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall, Convention Center, Chamber of Commerce, and other places.
• At the west end at the Fernley Chamber of Commerce (if it is open), and sometimes at the Wigwam Restaurant and Museum where the original Moe is Back.
• If you are planning a trip in advance, it would probably be safest to request a Survival Guide online.
• If you going spur of the moment, you can download a PDF of the Survival Guide (without Validation page, but you could probably have any piece of paper stamped and send it in for your certificate).

I had traveled the Loneliest Road before, but getting the passport stamped added a fun scavenger hunt dynamic to the trip. It also made me have more contact with local people and places. The Survival Guide has useful and interesting information about each town and is like a mini tour book.

Depending on their interests people will have different favorite sights along the Loneliest Road. I think that almost everybody will find Sand Mountain impressive and the old Shoe Tree very interesting (you might regret if you don't bring a pair of shoes to contribute). I like this Shoe Tree, 48 miles east of Fallon even more than the Shoe Tree near Milltown, Indiana.

Trip Advice for Northern Californians: It is about 280 miles from Fernley, NV to Ely, NV. A good 3 night trip from the San Francisco Bay Area is to spend a night in Lake Tahoe or Reno, then go to Ely (and spend the night at The Hotel Nevada), then return spending the night in either Reno or Tahoe.

By the time that I reach Reno, I am within 4 hours of home, but I am going to spend two nights at Harrah's because I am craving my favorite noodles at the relatively new Joy Luck Noodle Bar (which replaced the Lucky Noodle Bar and is even better). I am also looking forward to sleeping in a spotless room with comfortable bed and lots of pillows (and I will gamble a bit, too).

It is Saturday night and they only had standard rooms available when I called my Casino Host two days ago. However, this room is definitely the Ritz compared to some places I have stayed in the past month!

Road Trip Day 25 - Desert Solitude, sort of

The breakfast at the Ramada Limited in Green River, Utah was lousy. I arrived for breakfast at 8:25am and there were 3 waffles, some bread, no fruit, no yogurt, 3 cold eggs without shells sitting uncovered, some rock hard bulk donuts, and cheap flimsy paper plates. Wow, my most expensive room in 3 weeks and such a lousy breakfast! I do have to admit, the hotel did have good pillows.

I left Green River about 10am heading west on I-70. Stopped several places to enjoy the beautiful view and geological features of San Rafael Swell.

After a couple of hours, I reached Salina, Utah, and found its best known attraction, an old statue of Ute Chief Blackhawk which is sometimes misidentified as Milkshake Man. Other than the statue, Salina is known for a 1945 massacre of German POWs.

I am heading to Ely, Nevada, and my GPS unit seems like it wants to route me west on Utah SR-161 (to Utah SR-257 to US-50). Fortunately, an employee at a Chevron Station in Cove Fort, Utah convinces me not to go that way since "It is a dirt road, and not good at all". I subsequently confirmed this with satellite images. Unfortunately, I was unaware of the fort in Cove Fort, which offers daily free tours.

I headed north on I-15. It is interesting to see speed limit 80 MPH signs. It was raining and there was road work going on, so the actual 80 mile an hour drive was rather short lived.

I left I-15 heading west on a boring Utah portion of US-50 for about 2 hours until I hit the Nevada border.

It takes about an hour to reach Ely, Nevada from the Utah-Nevada border on US-50 (which becomes less flat and more interesting). I drove by the Bristlecone Motel (which was the #1 rated motel in Ely according to Tripadvisor.com) but there was No Vacancy. Actually, I should mention that I found Tripadvisor.com very useful during my road trip for its ordinal ranking of hotels (and motels) within a city. The number two rated hotel in Ely, The Hotel Nevada (and Gambling Hall), did have rooms available (and was less than $45 including tax, breakfast not included).

The Nevada Hotel and Gambling Hall is a very unique place. The 6 story building was built in 1929 and is full of memorabilia, curios, and old photos. My room on the fourth floor was large and the WiFi reception was great. The bed was a little soft for my taste. The bathroom was very small and had several signs warning about water pressure (but it worked great for me). The employees in the hotel, from desk clerk to waitress to bartender, were all very friendly and customer focused. The casino is comprised of slot machines on the ground floor, and a fairly small card room in the basement. At registration, I was given a coupon for a free Margarita at the casino bar, and a beer across the street at The Liberty Club. There was a 24 hour Happy Hour with 99 cent Margaritas and $1 beers.

The Hotel Nevada would be a great place for motorcycle riders or car clubs to visit. Actually, there were some guys there from some type of Corvette Club. The hotel and casino are fun and Highway 50 west of Ely is a great uncrowded road.

Road Trip Day 2 - To Gallup, NM

Had a good free (Courtesy of Total Rewards) leisurely (a bit slow) breakfast at The Beach Cafe in Harrah's. Checked out of hotel a little later than I hope to at about 9 am.

Crossed the Colorado River From Laughlin, Nevada to Bullhead City, Arizona. Arizona is in the Mountain Time Zone. My GPS unit deals with time zones seamlessly, it shows you the arrival time in local time zone of the destination.

Went about 30 miles to the Powerhouse Visitor Center and Route 66 Museum in Kingman, Arizona. Kingman is very proud of Andy Devine who spent his youth there. They are less happy being associated with more recent resident Timothy McVeigh. I picked up some brochures, and bought some Route 66 earrings.

Drove through Flagstaff without stopping, and on to Holbrook, Arizona. Holbrook has one of the somewhat mandatory Route 66 stops: Wigwam Village #6. This is one of three remaining Wigwam Motels built in 1930's through 50's. The Holbrook Wigwam is on the National Register of Historic Places. Possibly more impressive to some people is that Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King stayed there during Oprah and Gayle's Big Adventure. An obliging pedestrian took my photo, and then it was back on the road.

Since I was running a bit late on my schedule, I decided not to stop at Stewart's Petrified Wood.

Gallup, New Mexico is about 23 miles past the Arizona Border.

I arrived at The El Rancho Hotel, in Gallup, about 4:30 pm. The El Rancho is historical and very unique. There is a lot of movie memorabilia throughout the hotel and each of the rooms is named after actual guests (such as John Wayne, Errol Flynn, Jane Fonda, etc.). Of course, Ronald Reagan's name was on the Presidential Suite. My room was Joel McCrea (who???). The El Rancho is the type of place where everybody is friendly with each other. There was an interesting assortment of Europeans, retired couples, a couple on motorcycles with their pocket dog, and a group of women doing an escorted Route 66 tour in a passenger van.

I ate at the Olympic Kitchen with some friends who moved to Gallup about a year ago. We share several plates of Native American food, which included Navajo Tacos, Mutton Stew, Lamb Stew, and Frybread. The restaurant staff was friendly and accommodating and the food was very good.

I used the wireless internet in the hotel lobby, and chatted with some other guests until about midnight.

Road Trip Day 1 - To Laughlin, NV

Got an early start at about 7 am.

Interstate 5 down the Central Valley of California is a bit boring, and you need to pay attention or you find yourself going way above the speed limit. There are a variety of decent gas stations and rest stops, usually with plenty of travelers around, along I-5. I stopped to stretch in one rest stop and for gas in Kettleman City.

Needed to put a 'Via Point' for Wasco to force my GPS system to route me via Highway 46 to traverse to Highway 99 north of Bakersfield. From 99, the route is Highway 58 to I-40 to US-95 to NV-63 and finally a few miles on the Needles Highway.
I know the route to Laughlin fairly well, but using the GPS:

• shows me my distance to next turn,
• displays the estimated time of arrival at final destination,
• shows an accurate digitally displayed MPH,
• ensures that I will zone out and miss a turn or off ramp.

Once I started to lose reception with the radio stations in the Bay Area, I realized to my horror, that the correct disks were not in my CD changer. What I did have:

• Chronicle, a Greatest Hits Album of Creedence Clearwater Revival. I am not sure whose CD this is, but I now know the words to Susie Q and Proud Mary.
• Ta Ra Rum Pum, The soundtrack album from an Indian movie. I think there are two words I understand on the album Hey and Shona.
• The Immaculate Collection, A Madonna biggest hits album.

Fortunately, I do have three fairly long audiobooks which I am planning to listen to on the trip. However, I really only like to listen to audiobooks when I know there is a long uninterrupted stretch of road. Had a lunch of whole grain Rotini pasta salad from my ice chest in a very windy Mojave East Park at about 1:30 pm.

Arrived at Harrah's Laughlin Hotel and Casino at about 6:30 pm. Great room with a view of the pool and the Colorado River. Took a shower. Played slot machines for about 15 minutes before dinner. Immediately won $270. My room and buffet dinner were free, courtesy of the Total Rewards Program. Gambled some more until a little after midnight, net winning for the evening was $364. If I did not need to leave early the next day, I would have kept playing.