Are We There Yet?

The last day of vacation had arrived. Breakfast almost became a buffet at Family Cupboard on Route 340 in Bird-in-Hand. I love the Family Cupboard, a smallish Amish restaurant that offers shoo fly pie on its breakfast buffet. Pie for breakfast is such a good way to start the day. Had they opened at 6:00 am, we would have gone there. We settled for the Sleep Inn. Afterwards, we headed out into the 61 degree morning to see who else was out and about. Amish people were working in the fields and farmyards. We drove by them, and we didn't even try to photograph them. Goodbye until next time.


We stopped in Maxatawny, PA, at a farm stand along Route 222, and loaded up on shoo fly pies for ourselves and for gifts. $3.95 for a whole pie was an amazing price. They went into the trunk where they would be safe. From us.


Near Bethlehem, PA, the GM turned 8,000 vacation miles. On Route 209, another country road, a deer strolled across the road in front of us, then a bird hit the windshield. All kinds of wildlife around.


We reached New York at 10:55, and took 84E. Lunch was at the Cracker Barrel in Fishkill. It was a light lunch, comparatively speaking. By the time we reached Connecticut, at 1:10, it was 87 degrees and a beautiful day. We got to Massachusetts at 2:55, and were headed for supper. The dance card said the Chateau in Norton. Did we all still feel like Italian? Yes we did, so we kept to the plan. Chateau was as good as ever. We were back on the road at 5:11, now headed for Bonnie & Clyde's house.


We unloaded their luggage from the car, all said farewells appropriate for having spent 24 days together, and then Donald and I took the GM for its next to last ride (with us). We checked the mileage for the trip, which officially ended when we reached Bonnie & Clyde's house, and we had traveled 8,340 miles. Donald's guess was closest, therefore Donald won bragging rights.


That was it. 24 amazing days of vacation for Bonnie & Clyde and Donald & Daisy had come to an end. It was our second cross-country trip together. Perhaps there will be a third.

Four States in a Day

Day 23, and today we would drive in the footsteps of history. But first we shared the Sleep Inn breakfast room with groups of road crews. It continued to surprise me, but it shouldn't have, that we would turn in at night and with few cars in the hotel lots, and in the morning the lots would be full. When Bonnie and I checked out, the desk clerk spoke at amazing length about Bela Lugosi and Anna and the King. He and his mother were movie buffs.


We got on 81N, which kept us entertained with pretty homes, cattle, and even a Texas Longhorn. We crossed into West Virginia and headed for Charles Town, and the Charles Town Racing & Slots. What should we find but a buffet. It was close enough to lunch, but we still could get in under the breakfast prices. While we waited in line to pay the cashier, Bonnie and Clyde overheard the cashier's conversation with the customers in front of them.


cashier - "How many in your party?"
customers - "Two"
cashier - "Will you all be sitting together?"

The breakfast and lunch foods were excellent, and the meal was a good time. We spent an enjoyable hour or so, and were on the road again at noon time.


We stopped in Harper's Ferry, and found the town and its buildings as beautiful as they were historic. We parked at the train station, in an area steeped in history, and were brought right back to the present when an Amtrak express train went zipping by. The Potomac and Shenendoah Rivers meet in Harper's Ferry and the Appalachian Trail passes directly through the town.

Our next state of the day was Virginia, and then, five minutes later, Maryland. We stopped to see a golden statue of Mary at Mount Saint Mary's University. We seemed to keep finding golden statues...

We reached Pennsylvania at 2:00, and then we were off for more history at Gettysburg. We

had all toured Gettysburg in the past, and this time we decided to do the self-tour in the GM.

There were many other tourists out and about. Gettysburg was as solemn and beautiful as I remembered.




After Gettysburg, we stopped for gas at a Sheetz station. One of the other customers was a woman on a motorcycle. There was a trailer attached to the bike, and in the trailer was a dog, part shepherd, part wolf, wearing goggles. He looked like he was happy being a biker dog.

We checked in to the Sleep Inn, Ronks PA, then headed out for supper. It would be our last buffet of the vacation, and we wanted to make it count, so we went to the Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant on Route 340. The buffet had everything we could want, starting with fantastic soups and breads, and ending with a large selection of desserts, including Shoo Fly Pie, my favorite. Amish food is unequaled. We made the most of the meal, then Clyde drove us around the back roads of Bird-in-Hand and Ronks so we could really enjoy the farms, cattle, and people. I have been to Amish country four times, and have yet to get a clear photo of Amish people. This is partly because of lack of skill, and partly because I know it's rude to photograph people without their consent. I would try to be subtle and snap from the back seat of the car, thinking it was less rude if I wasn't being obvious. Conscience won out every time, and all I got was blurs. It became a joke between Bonnie and me every time we saw an Amish man, woman, or child, walking, riding in a buggy, or on a scooter, because we would get our cameras ready and then start to laugh because we knew there wasn't any chance that we would get a good shot. After a while we gave up. Getting a good shot of a farm would be enough. Well, maybe next time...

The night was uneventful with the exception of a child in the next room screaming at its full volume. I gave the parents two minutes to restore order, and when that did not happen, I took the advice of the desk clerk in Russellville, AR, and called the front desk. The nice desk clerk who answered could hear the screaming over the phone while we spoke. He thanked me, I thanked him, he got the child to stop screaming, and everyone got to sleep. I won't ever hesitate to call a front desk now.

Let's Go Racing, Boys!

The day started with a NASCAR announcement in the USA Today - Martin Truex would take Mikey Waltrip's place in the 55 Aaron's car next year. Who would that leave driving for DEI? We would have to stay tuned for further developments. We drove through sun, fog, and clouds, and made our way to a restroom area under construction. There was a long, long approach road, and once in the lot, we saw the hill we had to climb to get to the restrooms. There were a couple of handicap spots closer to the building, but we wondered how the elderly or infirm, but not "handicapped", would be able to climb that steep ramp. There was a work crew there putting in a new septic system. Maybe it was with stimulus money.

Traveling on I-40 we saw a drag strip near Crossville that was nearly parallel to the highway. Must have been distracting to drive by it during race time. We would be seeing another race track before supper today, at Bristol, but we still had hours to go. We experienced Smoky Mountain rain around 10:00 am.

When we stopped for gas at a Pilot station, we had pump #11. Donald went inside to pay, Clyde cleaned the windshield, Bonnie checked our route on the Triptiks, and I updated the journal. We all heard over the P.A. system, "Number 11, your shower is ready." That's something we don't hear every day.

Lunch was again a place not on the dance card - Cracker Barrel instead of Arby's. Turned out later to be a good idea. The breakfast for lunch meal was good, but we were too close to a family whose children sorely lacked social skills. No matter, we were going to Bristol, baby!

We got there in time to get tickets for the 2:00 tour, and we had a visit to the gift shop and watched the pre-movie while we waited. There were bargains to be had, and Bonnie and I are the proud owners of Bristol bobble-heads, collectible treasures. We took the hour-long tour, and walked up to see Victory Lane, on top of the garage. Bristol is small, exciting, and the whole track can be viewed from all seats. Our guide brought us up to Bruton Smith's suite, and we saw how the owner and his friends view the races. We saw the pace car that would be used at the August, 2009 race. Some of our fellow tourmates chose to walk up on the steep track, but we stayed in the bus. It was, after all, 88 degrees and sunny.

We learned from the guide that Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman had been there to test only the day before, and Bonnie and I looked at each other in anguish. One day too late! Stewart and Newman are our NASCAR faves, and to have missed them by 24 little hours was nearly devastating. Only the thought of a good supper later consoled us.

After leaving the track, we headed north toward Virginia. Bristol TN and Bristol VA share a border and also a main street. Cracker Barrel had been on the dance card for supper, but as we had had lunch at one, we wanted something different, and we started watching for the blue highway service signs. There was a Country Cookery that looked promising. Bonnie and I got out of the GM to go check it out, and Bonnie mentioned having stopped at a restaurant once that appeared promising, and was a buffet. The smoking section was all around the buffet area. Not so good for non-smokers and she and Clyde left without dining. We both grasped a door handle, pulled, took a step in, smelled cigarette smoke, and did synchronised U-turns to report to Donald and Clyde that we would not be dining at the Country Cookery.

We did not find any other restaurants, and decided to ask the desk clerk at the Sleep Inn, Dublin VA, which we did. The hotel was located in a residential area, and the only commercial building was a Shell gas station. The desk clerk recommended MK's, down the street, saying it was good Italian food. We found MK's, and it was doing a really good business, but there was still a table for four available. MK's looked like a converted home, with many pieces of furniture, such as a hutch and dry sink, still occupying space. It was quaint, but it was a quaint pizza shop. There were many locals there, but also some tourists. Bonnie and I enjoyed our meals, and noted that all pasta was called "spaghetti", whether it was penne or linguine. Clyde and Donald felt that pasta should not be fused together, so they did not enjoy their meals all that much. It was to be their least favorite meal of the trip.

Back to the Sleep Inn we went, and we hung around the lobby for a little, not really wanting to retire at 7:40 pm, but not knowing what else to do. There was nothing around to see or do that we had not already seen or done. It was the 22nd day of a 24 day vacation. We were tired, so we retired.

Little Rock, Memphis, and the Parthenon

Day 21 was another beautiful day, and we set out with anticipation. We'd be traveling into Tennessee, more new territory. We hit Little Rock at rush hour, and there was some brake-tapping, but it did not compare to Boston's traffic. It moved. The highway could have been in Massachusetts, with its similar trees, close to the edge of the road, and plentiful cornfields. There was a sign for Toad Suck State Park. That name is quite different from state parks at home, but had a catchy name.

The wildlife spottings had not ended because we were approaching home. I had to share a restroom stall in Arkansas with an entire family of mosquitoes. We reached Tennessee @ 9:30, and admired the architecture in Memphis, especially the pyramid and the Danny Thomas Research Center. There was no sight of Elvis. There was a turtle walking in the breakdown lane. His future was not looking bright.

The dance card had Cici's for lunch, but we knew supper would be a buffet, and we didn't want to overdo with salad, pizza, and dessert, even if it was only $5. Bonnie had spoken with the desk clerk at the Russellville Comfort Inn, and she recommended The Old Country Store near Casey Jones. It turned out to be a buffet of comfort foods, kind of like Cracker Barrel gone wild, and it was only $8. Once again, the amount consumed was greater than the need. Oh well, we walked around the gift shop for a while to burn some calories. Donald and Clyde had ice creams. Bonnie and I had fudge. We were back on the road just after noon, and it was a lovely 87 degrees.

After lunch we visited the Parthenon in Nashville, built in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. It is a full sized replica in pristine condition in a very pretty recreation area, Centennial Park, in the city. It provided some much-appreciated culture, photo ops, and a nice break from traveling. Inside was an art gallery and a 42 foot tall statue of Athena holding a six foot statue of Victory in her hand. She is gilt with more than eight pounds of gold leaf, and is one shiny goddess.

Next stop was Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. We had been to the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee a few years before, and enjoyed dining there and walking around the four acre lobby. The Opryland location had an even larger lobby, but no alligators. Instead there was an Irish step dance competition, and there were dozens and dozens of girls in curly wigs all over the place, many practicing their steps before their stage appearances.

We had arrived too early for dinner, and weren't all that hungry anyway, so Bonnie and I told Clyde and Donald that we were going to walk around the entire atrium and get some photos. The flora and fauna of Gaylord resorts are spectacular, and we set out to capture it all (in digital form.)

As 5:00, and the opening of the buffet approached, Bonnie and I made our way back to the men, who were still sitting on the bench where we had left them. Walking around to see the sights was not necessary for them at Gaylord, as there was a steady parade of scenery passing by them. We compared stories as we got in line for the buffet, then went down the stairs to the "riverside". We were lucky enough to get a waterside table, and watched the riverboats and Mallard ducks go by.

The dinner was excellent, our server mediocre, and it was an enjoyable meal. We would have spent the night at Gaylord, but the cost was equivalent to three nights at a Choice Hotel. So we headed out to the Sleep Inn in Nashville, where we watched some history in the making; the Michael Jackson memorial service.

Amarillo to Arkansas

We were on the road at 6:13 am, with a long eight hours of travel ahead. Waking up every day at 4:45 was wearing me down, but I kept my game face on. There was still plenty to see in the next five days. It was 66 degrees and overcast, but we would be driving out of the rain-threatened part of Texas. The only part of Texas we have seen is the panhandle, and it is rolling green hills with ranch after ranch. Big ranches. Lots of cattle and horses. Nice welcome centers, except for the really big spider and cricket that were in the ladies' room. One really, really big cross by the roadside. A pretty state.



We decided to place a little wager while in Texas to see who could guess how many miles we would do on this roadtrip. Bonnie > 8,458; Clyde > 8,540; Donald > 8,350; Daisy > 8,750. Winner would get bragging rights only. Who was going to have money left after 24 days of vacation? Also while in Texas, my 4G film card filled to the brim. It held 1,480 photos (too many of them blurry, but I didn't know that yet). I reverently removed it, tucked it into its little plastic jacket, and loaded a 2G. Who knew what great shots I might get with this new film card?


We saw dozens, maybe hundreds, of windmills in Oklahoma near Weatherford. We saw Kodak and we saw Imation, and then we needed cookies, and soon. Weeks ago we had thrown out cookies so the bears wouldn't smell them, and we had been in a cookie drought for too long. My favorite on-the-road-cookies are found at Subway, and the white chocolate macadamia nuts are the best. Subway cookies stay fresh and soft for days, not that they would be around that long. We found a Love's gas station/Subway combination, and while Clyde and Donald fueled the GM, Bonnie and I headed inside for a dozen cookies. Cookies at 9:30 am are especially delicious.

By lunchtime (11:09) we were enjoying the balmy 80 degree weather, as much as we could while riding in an air conditioned car. We saw signs for the hometowns of Garth Brooks, Merle Haggard, and Carrie Underwood. Lunch was Arby's, always a good time, then we were headed for Arkansas. I-40 looked a lot like Massachusetts.


We reached the Comfort Inn & Suites in Russellville AR around 3:00, and it was gorgeous. We had rooms on the third floor, and yes, there was an elevator. There was also a nice pool and a whirlpool, and we all headed for some aquatic recreation to while away the afternoon and work up an appetite for supper. The hotel seemed very quiet, maybe because no one checks in that early in the day, and we enjoyed it.


The dance card had both Cracker Barrel and Ryan's Grill Buffet & Bakery, so we had to decide where we wanted to go. We had never tried Ryan's, so we went for something different. Our server, Brandi, was very nice. I would describe Ryan's Grill as a small version of Golden Corral, but somehow I seemed to eat just as much as I did at all the Golden Corrals...Brandi gave us a scratch ticket, and we won a free beverage for the next time we visited the restaurant. Not bad - so far we had won a wash&dry at the laundromat in Flagstaff and a soda in Russellville.


When we met Bonnie and Clyde for breakfast the next morning, they told us and the desk clerk about the people in the room next door to them. There was a child bouncing off the walls from 12:30 - 3:00. According to the desk clerk, the family was being put up in the hotel by their insurance company because their house had mold. Judging from the activity of the night before, they probably had holes in the walls as well. The desk clerk said the front desk should have been called. Well, next time it would be.

Everything is Bigger in Texas

Day 19, and we're headed for Texas. We had the Cadillac Garden, Texas Road TV, and two fabulous meals to fill our day. At 6:30 am, it was only 57 degrees. Kind of chilly for July 5th, but we figured it would get a little warmer as the day progressed.




We passed more black lava, on both sides of Route 40, left over from the eruption of Mount Malpaiso between 1065 and 1200 AD. There was also some road construction and a tractor trailer rolled off the edge of the new pavement and onto the adjacent dirt road near Tucumcari. There was no ambulance, so we think the driver was not injured.

Lunch was supposed to be at Golden Corral. But when you're planning to have supper at one of the 10 Best Pig-Out Places, according to the Travel Channel, it's important to arrive hungry. So we went to Denny's, and instead of getting fries on the side, I got veggies. It could make all the difference between being in the clean-plate club and.... not being in the clean plate club.

Crossing the state line into Texas, the time changed to Central Time. The Verizon phones changed before the AT&T did. The sky is so gigantic out west that we could see weather on all sides for miles around. Once again, as two years before, we would probably be approaching Amarillo in a T&L storm. But maybe not.

At home we have trash companies named "Waste Management" and "BFI". In Texas they have "Waste Wranglers". And they have lots and lots of cattle, but we did not see even one Texas Longhorn. We did see the Cadillacs, but were not able to stop. Pulling over for photos when the speed limit is 75 mph is not advised.

Our next stop - The Big Texan! Steak as far as the eye can see! We were seated close to the platform where the table for the contestant sits (stands?). If you think you can finish off a baked potato, salad, and 72 ounce steak in one hour, it's yours for free. The webcam remains fixed on that table. There was a family dining at the table next to us, and judging from their conversation, they were on the phone with someone who could actually see them on line. Bonnie and Clyde tried calling the kids back home to try the same thing, but were not successful. No matter. It was a good meal in a big dining hall with tables close together, and servers in western garb. It was a good time. After we ate, we walked around the store for a bit, and Bonnie and I got some fudge. What's better than fudge after a steak dinner? No one attempted the 72 ounce steak, but we did discuss sharing one, giving us each 18 ounces. 18 ounces would be a huge steak, and there are people that eat 72. I don't know how they do it. You can't tell me that they train for a 72 ounce steak by eating lettuce.

The Big Texan has an extra service for its customers. They provide limo service to and from the local hotels in old Cadillacs with longhorn hood ornaments. Nice, but they're no Grand Marquis.

Painted, Petrified, and Howdy Pardner

We left the Sleep Inn Lucky Lane, Flagstaff, and were on our way to the Petrified Forest. Decades ago, my grandparents brought a piece of petrified wood back from their cross-country vacation and gave it to my parents. It was colorful, shiny, and hard as a rock. I never understood how wood could turn to stone. Now that I have visited the National Park in Arizona, I understand a little better. I think. Once upon a time there was a flood, but not the one with the Ark. Lots of trees were uprooted and washed downstream and landed in the Petrified Forest National Park. Over eons, alkali got into the cracks, holes, and weak spots of these underwater trees, and solidified them into priceless works of art. It is tempting, while walking along the marked trails of the park, to bend and pick up a little piece of petrified wood to keep as a souvenir. Resist the temptation or you could soon find yourself in handcuffs having a free ride to the Sheriff's office (not necessarily the one with the Saguaro cactus). The Rangers protect the precious petrified wood, and even put out a green form for visitors to complete if they see anyone taking the wood. Bonnie took one of the forms in case we encountered anyone showing criminal tendencies along the rest of our vacation. We traveled the 28 miles through the park, as well as the 3.5 mile loop at Blue Mesa, and stumbled into a dark theatre at the visitor center while the "Timeless Impressions" video was being shown. We got to see most of it without disturbing too many other visitors. Those that want to bring home a legal piece of petrified wood can buy it at shops or the Visitor Center. When you drive out of the Park, the Ranger stops all cars and asks if anyone has taken anything from it. Donald told the man that they picked up a couple of women in the park, indicating Bonnie and me. The nonstop comedy of it all.

It was 87 delightful degrees, another perfect vacation day, and after seeing our fill of petrification, we decided it was time to have lunch at the little diner at the Visitor Center. The menu was basic American fast food fare, and good.

The Painted Desert was beautiful and loaded with photo ops. There was even something called Newspaper Rock, which had petroglyphs, carved by Native Americans, which acted as solar calendars. Not having the key to this ancient puzzle, we could not unlock its secrets, but it was fascinating anyway. The striped rocks were very cool also. I was never

good at Chemistry, and luckily this did not detract from the beauty of the area.

Enough of the desert for us for the day. We were thirsty and hungry and a little tired. We got to Gallup and checked in to the Sleep Inn. There was a

sign at the hotel, "Welcome Rodeo Riders", and some of us silently wondered if there would be galloping up and down the hallways tonight. We then drove around a bit in Gallup to see what was happening. We found the location of the rodeo, and we saw a pawn shop. Bonnie thought it would be fun to visit it. I don't know about the rest of our party, but this was my first pawn shop. Ten minutes was a long enough visit, and the longhorns wouldn't have looked THAT great on the front of the GM.

Golden Corral, here we come! This was where I saw one of my favorite (missed) photo ops of the trip. The restaurant was filled with rodeo riders, male and female, who were relaxing after a busy day in the saddle. Every one of them was cute, and none of them was over 12. I saw a back view of a pint-sized rodeo hero complete with boots, black hat, and big belt buckle, and he was strutting out of the restaurant toward the family truck. Snapping the Grand Canyon and Painted Desert was one thing, but snapping people we don't know is just plain rude. Rodeo seems to be as big in New Mexico for young kids as soccer is at home.

Once darkness fell and we were at the hotel, we heard some fireworks. Bonnie and Clyde heard a few trains overnight, but nothing like Flagstaff two years ago. We watched a little of the Coke Zero Daytona race, and found out the next morning that Tony Stewart won. Happy Fourth of July!

Fourth of July Eve

Day 17, July 3rd, and up early at the Canyon to see the sun rise. How often will that happen in a lifetime? When planning the vacation, getting up at 5:00 am for such a special moment seemed like a splendid idea, and I was all for it. On the morning of the big day, only Bonnie was willing to make the effort, because the rest of us decided sleep was more important. Bonnie surprised a mule deer near the South Rim, and followed it to the car, getting some great photos. Once I got up, the wildlife had moved on, but I got a few shots of the South Rim.

After a fantastic breakfast, same table, different server, we checked out and headed for some more South Rim sights. The mule deer appeared a couple more times during the morning, and we also saw some pack mules on their way to carry heavy loads of the human variety down, down into the Canyon. We stopped at Mather Point, Grand View Point, Desert View and Watchtower. The sky was blue, the clouds pretty and puffy white, and the tourists were few. It was a perfect day. And the Grand Canyon stays still for every single photograph. There wasn't a single blurry photo the whole visit.

We were sorry to say goodbye to the Grand Canyon, but it was getting ever closer to our next meal. Bonnie had found Cameron Trading Post for lunch. Fantastic gift shop, fantastic restaurant, fantastic service. Bonnie and I split a side order of Navajo Fry Bread, which is identical twins with Fried Dough. Only somehow better. The piece the server brought us, accompanied by sugar, cinnamon, and honey, was as large as a dinner plate. The burger I ordered did not come on a bun. It came sandwiched between two more dinner-plate-sized Fry Breads. I did not eat every last bite, but came very close. The beverages were handled by a separate server, and this system worked very well. No one went thirsty. After that fabulous lunch, I waddled out to the gift shop to burn off some calories walking up and down the aisles, occasionally power lifting attractive items. The whole place was part tourist attraction, part local favorite, and I gave it my highest endorsement. Make the effort to stop if you are in the area.

Once we all had our fill of the Trading Post, we headed for the Wapatki Monument, which we repeatedly had trouble pronouncing. The amount of lava in the area is mind boggling, and I was really fascinated by the black lava, which looked as if asphalt had been spread on the hillsides. Occasionally there would be a tiny sprout of green vegetation poking through it. Sorry, I got no photos of the lava either. Wapatki Monument was on a meandering 38 mile desert road, and included pueblo ruins. The highlight was a 100 room pueblo. Unfortunately, a lightning storm cut our visit short.

We reached Flagstaff, our destination for the evening, and checked into the Sleep Inn. We learned the hard way to be careful where to book a room in Flagstaff. Hearing the trains go through, whistles blowing, every hour on the hour all night wasn't so much fun the first time it happened to us, two years ago, although the desk clerk at that particular Quality Inn said she "loved the trains". The Sleep Inn was far enough away so that we would not be sleep-deprived in the morning. We made a visit to a laundromat, named Just Like Home (not), and there Donald won a free wash & dry the next time he returned by answering the question of the week, "What was the first breakfast cereal to be manufactured in the US?" (Shredded Wheat). I committed a landromat faux-pas when I tossed a used dryer sheet into what I thought was a trash barrel but was actually someone's laundry basket. I took it out as soon as I realized, but still got dirty looks. All the other laundromat clients seemed to be related.

After that enjoyable hour, we brought all our newly washed clothes back to our rooms, then went to Cracker Barrel for supper. Comfort food was what I needed. I don't remember what was on my plate, but I'm sure it's still on my hips. Afterward we took a scenic little ride around Flagstaff, for it was July 3rd and things could really get popping later. Clyde cruised us by the Quality Inn we stayed at two years ago, still near the tracks, and the parking lot was full of college students of the male variety. I could only imagine the hi jinks that would go on all night long. If we had booked here the train whistles would have been the least of our problems.

Thank you, Bonnie, for booking us far from the kegging crowd.

London Bridge, the Sheriff, and a Canyon

Day 16's dance card was looking good, and I was excited to get underway. We passed up breakfast at Fresh Market Square, and chose to have McD's in the food court. It felt like dieting. Today when we passed over the Colorado River, Donald changed the time in the GM. We took 95 toward Needles (named for Needle Mountain), heading for the Grand Canyon. But first we had a stop to make, at London Bridge in Lake Havasu City. The city looks brand new. First Italy, and then London - we were really covering ground on this trip. It was 101 degrees as we strolled around and snapped for a while, then we staggered our way back to the car. No matter what some may think, dry heat is HOT.

We made a brief stop at the Sheriff's Office as we exited LHC for a photo op with a cactus. Donald and Clyde said that the Sheriff opened the front door of the Lockup (the lockup???) to see what we were doing, decided we were harmless tourists, and went back inside. Seeing a saguaro cactus was one of the things I had wanted to see, so I could check it off the list. I still hadn't seen a moose, but we had eight more days of chances.

On the next part of our journey, we encountered some T&L storms, and the temperature dropped to 63 degrees, from 101. Bonnie and I nearly needed our blankets. The sky was ominous - heavy, dark, and low - and we drove through a wall of rain. This was the worst weather we had encountered yet. Once the rain lightened a bit, we decided to do something wild & crazy - have lunch at a restaurant NOT on the dance cards. We stopped at Westside Lilo's on Route 66 in Seligman, AZ. It was a nice find, full of locals, and our server brought us the biggest glasses of soda that I have ever seen. The french fries that came with our sandwiches covered half the plate, and were so good that it was hard to stop eating. Route 66 is the original land for kicks.

Our next stop would be the Grand Canyon. We fueled the GM at the Chevron near the park entrance, then entered through the park gates at no charge, thanks to the National Park Access card. Age has its privilege. We saw signs announcing a controlled burn and requests for no phone calls about it. We could smell smoke and saw some burned areas.

El Tovar, our lodging for the night, was beautiful. It is smaller than Old faithful Inn, has no elevator, but has gorgeous carpeting, furnishings, and windows. It was charming. Our room, #6480, was right at the top of the stairs, and we gathered up the luggage and a very kind staffer carried it all up for us. What a pleasant surprise. Our room view was of the roof and also of the GRAND CANYON. There were no ghosts or even rumors of ghosts. There was just the hush of the Grand Canyon, with the voices of other equally awestruck visitors.

We decided to go out for a little mobile sight-seeing until our dinner reservations, at 6:30. We had been having trouble with the time all day, because parts of Arizona don't keep the same time as other parts. We forgot to ask the desk clerk when we checked in, but as we were driving around checking out the other lodges, we saw a young Ranger ticketing illegally parked cars. We pulled over to speak with him, and Donald, who was supposed to ask the time, instead asked what time the Park closed. The Ranger thought Donald said "path" and we realized the Massachusetts' accent wasn't working. The upshot was that the Park never closes, and the Ranger said we can go out and party all night (especially funny considering his audience) and then return any time. I asked the Ranger if it was 4:20, because that's what my watch said. Funnily enough, it was.

Dinner in the El Tovar dining room, where we had window seats at table #11, was pricey but excellent. Our server hustled with the speed of a tortoise, although he had a pleasant personality.

The gift shops in the hotel and the nearby stone building offered much in the way of souvenirs. The views of the Grand Canyon were spectacular, and changed from minute to minute. It would have been easy to sit for hours and just watch the show. We stayed outside and walked and snapped until we got tired and cold. There was a TV at El Tovar, so we could catch up on the news of the world and the weather for tomorrow. Hot and sunny, probably.

We had trouble deciding which we enjoyed more, the Old Faithful Inn or El Tovar.

Buffet Addicts Anonymous

24 more hours in Vegas, and we would make the most of it, in our own little ways. First stop was the buffet, where we purchased our meal tickets for the day and settled in for our first meal. The food was varied, the selection enormous, the flavors unsurpassed. Donald, not usually a buffet aficionado, said it was the best food of the vacation. After breakfast, we strolled off to the pool area, having left our rooms suitably attired for a swim. We spent a relaxing few hours under the trees but in the sun. Later, at the slots, where I had given myself a gambling allowance, I am ashamed to say that I got gambling fever and just knew that the next one would be the BIG ONE. I went far over my allowance, and was finally able to break myself away, but not until I had lost a whopping $31.

We took a Vegas road trip and visited the Venetian for a taste of Italy. It was lovely, and the closest to Italy I have been since visiting the Italy pavilion at EPCOT. Then the day was a round of eating, resting, shopping, gambling, until it was time to get ready for the 7:00 showing of Ka. Donald and I had previously seen Mystere and La Nouba, and looked forward to this show with anticipation. On line it had looked amazing, and I wondered how a sandstorm was going to be represented on the stage. (With lots and lots of cork, I later learned.) Ka was interesting, but I think it lacked the incredible athleticism of the previous two, and became my third favorite Cirque show.

At 3:30ish am, we, and probably many others on the fourth floor of MGM, were awakened by running bare feet in the corridor - lots of it - and female shouts of, "Run, Lisa, Run!" None of us felt like leaping out of bed to look through the peephole or to call the front desk to report it. There was much speculation between Donald and Clyde for the next few days about what Lisa and friends might have been doing. And wearing. What happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas.

July 1st and Day 15, and Laughlin, here we come. We stopped at Sam's Town Casino for the Buffalo Stampede and Fountain show, shooting eight stories into the air while the waters dance in the lights to a symphonic score recorded by the Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra. We were ready for some CULTURE. Sam's Town also sponsors a NASCAR Nationwide race, the Sam's Town 300. We walked in, eager to see the show, and we asked several staff members about its location. Maybe they were new because they didn't know what we were talking about. That wasn't a good sign. Once we found the woman who knew about the show, she gave us the news that the 10:00 show had been cancelled. Waiting around in the casino with the three other patrons currently there didn't appeal, so we left after photographing some splendidly fake-looking wildlife in their fake-looking habitats.

It was 103 degrees when we got back in the car at 9:30. Nice! We passed through Henderson and Boulder City, and cruised onto 95S to Laughlin. Out in the desert, and there was lots and lots of desert, we saw giant solar panels, sheets of them. Clean alternate energy sources are always interesting, like a science project that somebody else made. Once on 163E, we were watching for the Sacred Mountains, which we knew were on the road approaching Laughlin. We were unsuccessful, but we did see many red cacti on the desert hillsides.

We got to Harrah's early, around 11:00, and our rooms were not ready for us. No matter, we needed gas, so off we went across the Colorado River into Arizona and a different time zone. I guess a river is as good a state line divider as anything. We checked mileage, as usual, with the fill ups, and it was one of our lowest at 18.84 mpg. That's Vegas, baby.

Back at Harrah's we had a nice (buffet) lunch at Fresh Market Square, then we all got Player Cards so we would be eligible for the 5:00 drawing for $100. We spent the afternoon at the slots, walking around the hotel, and just hanging. We did not win the $100 or even the second or third prizes. We consoled ourselves by visiting the pool area, the beach, and the river side. And with supper at the buffet.