Thanks for the kicks route 66

I am writing most of this post on a Greyhound bus as we handed back the keys to the Cruze yesterday.

7 States splattered across a Chevy Cruze

We made it from Florida to California via 5 other states, in the process we covered 3323 miles in 21 days.

Every bend in the road really did bring new scenery and every town that we stopped in someone new wanted to chat, hear our story and tell us their's. As our new friend Jay would say "It was the bomb".

The driving was on the whole easy, only 3 times butt clenching and often spectacular. The American interstates and highways are generally in very good condition and well maintained (there were a lot less pot holes than the UK). The Chevy Cruise that we drove (free upgrade wahoo) was quiet and easy on the gas. Generally the other road users were very polite and made the drive very relaxing.

A bridge for sheep!

There were too many beautiful views and great sites to list them all but a few of my favourites were:

• Winding down that hill in New Mexico through the pine forests, stoping to photograph the wild flowers.
• Driving past the fields of nodding donkeys pumping oil in Texas.
• Our first route 66 sign, again in Texas.
• The look on the guy-in-the-Florida-gas-station's face as he tried to understand my accent.
• The dusty relics of route 66 glory in Arizona.
• Our first Cactus

Everyday somewhere along the road between our destinations we saw something that excited us.

171 miles on 1 road, no junctions!

Not too veggie friendly but it had great pie

Environmentalist Matt hates it: Machine Matt loves it

It was not all plain sailing driving out of Dallas in the rain (their first for months) was like driving through a ford for 20 miles. That was our first butt clencher with the wipers on double speed, trying to avoid the worst standing water, navigate Dallas' version of spaghetti junction (which is currently a building site) and watch out for death-wish Dale (or Dorris). The other Dallas motorists seemed to favour the idea that the faster you got out of the rain the safer it would be.

Entering Las Vegas provided our 2nd brown trousers experience. Nevada (it seemed to us) does not require slower drivers to stay on the right. We frequently found ourselves trying to undertake a slow moving lorry while being undertaken ourselves by a 4x4, only then to become trapped by a string of tailgating SUV's who would seemingly change speed in unison simply because their right foot was bored.

Over that hill we dropped 3000 feet in about 18 miles

The final pair of underpants was ruined whilst crossing LA in rush hour. LA has 3 problems; speeding, near gridlock and undertaking (again). Driving in LA is not relaxing anyway as the average speed is 85 mph (the limit is 70) and you are constantly being undertaken or cut up by people aiming for the very small exits. In rush hour the already packed roads become a weird sort of drag race. At each new junction the joining traffic causes a tailback. After the junction the road clears so everyone races to try and jump forward 1 or 2 spaces before the next jam. If you are not fast enough off the line when the jam clears at best you will miss the chance to cover much ground or at worst have a car lodged in your rear bumper as they expected you to floor it.

With so many new pairs of boxers required you might think that I would think twice before getting in the car again in the US. If we could I would go back to Hertz tomorrow get back the keys to the Cruise and head up the West coast, then maybe over the Rockies, no no back down to Utah to see Monument valley, but then again we did miss a lot of Arizona and New Mexico......

Me enjoying cruse control

For me the main draw of the open road in the USA is getting away from the big name destinations and joining the dots that help fill in the gaps in the map. Who knew that Mobile a sleepy gulf coast town in Alabama would be so full of history, friendly people and great milkshakes? Amarillo not only introduced me to the Texas panhandle but also to Chilli Rellenos and explained why we always seemed to meet Texans (they are generally so friendly they will talk to anyone and love Texas so will tell you where they are from in their first sentence).

Well better be off can't sit around typing all day there has to be some good Mexican (hopefully Chilli Rellenos) in San Diego.

Bring on the open road

It all started with a mouse….

The day had arrived that I was most looking forward to at the end of our road trip- Disneyland Day. And it did not disappoint. We had a fun packed day and it felt great to be back in the happiest place on earth (I really don't buy into the marketing at Disney).

The incredibly tiny Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Matt enjoying a submarine ride, as you do.

A definite highlight was watching Captain EO again. As soon as it started it took me right back to my childhood when I watched it at Disneyland Paris for the first time. I now have ‘We Are Here to Change the World’ stuck on reply in my brain.

There are two parks at Disneyland, the main park and California Adventure. The latter pays tribute to California, walking into the park felt like stepping inside a California postcard. The rides were a lot more adult orientated, but that doesn’t mean they were Aimee orientated!

California Screaming has to be the longest rollercoaster I have ever been on, and don’t get me started on the ‘technical difficulties’ we experienced on the Ferris Wheel. My first clue should have been the sick bags that are provided on entry to the ride, you see this isn’t just any ordinary Ferris wheel, oh no, the gondolas on this ride have interior rails so that they slide inward and outward as the wheel rotates. Add this to technical difficulties, which left us hanging in the air or going around AGAIN, lets just say I was very pleased when my feet were back on solid ground.

The night time show ‘Colour of Magic’ was also amazing, Matt could talk all day about the technicalities of the show, which had more than 1,200 fountains and features not only lights and water but also fire, fog, and lasers. Needless to say Disney always know how to put on a show.

Matt was very excited to see that there was a Tron show and at night a Tron techno disco. It was all a bit surreal with the podium dances and techno whistles, it was easy to forget you were in Disney.

We had a great day at Disney, now all that was left was to fight our way through the downtown LA traffic, scarier than any ride, including the ferris wheel.

Aimee_Prentice's photostream

Aimee_Prentice's photostream on Flickr.

Update on the food situation :)

Viva Las Vegas

Well, we made it to Las Vegas! Even now I'm not quite sure what to make of the original 'Sin City'. I think that John O'Brien summed it up fairly succinctly in his novel Leaving Las Vegas:

'Las Vegas stinks. It is loud and hot.'

I dont think that many people could argue with this. It was also colourful, engaging, vibrant, fun and entertaining, but boy did it stink and it was 114* F. This is not to say that we did not enjoy ourselves. There is no denying that the strip is impressive, who wouldn't be impressed by a 365-foot, 30-story pyramid encased in 11 acres of dark bronze glass?

Our difficulty with Vegas was that no matter how distracting the lure of the casinos and colourful cocktails, we were always aware of the people in the background with their air of desperation. Vegas seems very much a place where people go with the aim of reinventing themselves, a sort of last chance saloon. Unfortunately for too many, the saloon had closed but not before taking everything they had.

But, like I say, we did enjoy ourselves!

View of The Strip from our hotel.

The Venetian was my favourite casino. It was so elaborate and over the top. There were loads of weddings happening the day we wondered through. I noticed afterwards that there was a bride in every shot we took here, kind of like a Where's Wally? (or Walldo if your American) of the bride world.

Spot the bride?

Inside of the Venetian, walking in and out of the shops it was easy to forget that you were actually inside.

The sky is always blue in the Venetian

And the water has the light aroma of gentle Chlorine

Coming in at a close second for most over the top casino has to be Caesars Palace. The spiral escalators blew my mind, I'd heard about them, I'd even seen pictures but then you experience escalators Vegas style.

Just one of Caesars massive lobby areas, we actually got lost here.

New York, New York is very impressive and almost like being back in the Big Apple, although it was a lot more crowded than the real thing.

Only a bit smaller and with less yellow cabs

Other sites of the strip...

The Flamingo. Just because flamingos always rock.

Paris - Las Vegas style.

Some of the thousands of shops we visited - you can buy anything on the Strip.

Harley Davidson - Just for my Dad :)

Elvis spotting.

One of the hundreds of chapels

The Mirage; using animals as money-making entertainment since 1990.

As darkness fell on Las Vegas, the drunk and desperate descended on the strip, but a beautiful neon heaven also emerged....

Our hotel - the Stratosphere.

New York New York - More bulbs than Times Square

It is handy having the Hoover Dam 20 miles away to power this place.

Paris about 2000 ft from Hollywood

The Bellagio's fountain show

I think it is apt that I end this Vegas blog post with the following lyrics courtesy of the king himself.

Viva Las Vegas with you neon flashin'

And your one armbandits crashin'

All those hopes down the drain

Viva Las Vegas turnin' day into nighttime

Turnin' night into daytime

If you see it once You'll never be the same again.