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USA Road Trip 2019

April - July 2019
Simon & Jackie’s 3 month Road Trip across the USA Read more
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  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsUSA Road Trip 2019
    Day 32

    Day 31- The Minute You Walk In The Joint

    May 23, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Not the best start to the morning! I sat on the toilet & shut the door only to be blinded by the shocking pink mural.

    We went down to get our free $18 worth of breakfast. 2 coffees & a quiche & a Flamingo croissant cost $25. We had to pay the difference for very greasy food. During breakfast, Jackie tried to upload more funds on to our Caxton prepaid card, but it was blocked. This meant returning to the room & having a long wait contacting the Bank & then explaining to them what we were doing & our problem.

    Eventually we got out & went to the free monorail, but it wasn’t. Change of plan then, we proceeded along The Strip in a southerly direction. We passed the shops in the parade in front of Bally Hotel & used the ATM. We looked to withdraw $200, got to the end of the transaction & suddenly it announced it was going to charge us $5.95. No way.

    We continued & enquired about tickets for David Copperfield at a Tix4Tonight stall. Apparently David had had some time off & he was literally just returning to continue his run of shows. We were quoted $81. Thanks we will bear that in mind.

    We then found another ATM recommended by the receptionist in a Travelodge Hotel. Jackie took out our $200 & was charged with a $3.95 fee. Whilst Jackie was doing we banking stuff, I was accosted by 4 showgirls wearing just nipple tassels & feathers. They asked me to take a photograph, but I came over all embarrassed, fluffed my lines & meekly said, “Maybe later”.

    Now $200 better off, we zigzagged through Planet Hollywood Hotel, then out & toward the MGM Hotel. We found a Tickets On Demand booth & enquired about D.C. tickets. We were quoted $71, getting better. In to MGM we went & found the official ticket office for all MGM shows. The guy I spoke to offered us tickets starting at $90 for the very back row going up to $250 for meet & greet seats at the front. Thanks for your help.

    We had a wander around MGM then headed out of one door & saw Hooters Hotel & Casino on the other side of a 12 carriageway road. I somehow managed to persuade Jackie we needed to check it out. Half an hour later we had crossed the road & walked into Hooters. It was quite tame But we decided to play a fruity & try & blag a free drink.

    We got out the princely sum of $5 & sat a machine requiring a minimum bet of 20 cent. Before we knew it we were on a winning streak & got up to about $23, the only problem was the waitress was like the scarlet pimpernel. Eventually we caught the attention of one & a second immediately followed. We ordered a free beer & even tipped the waitress a dollar each. After 45 minutes of good fun we walked out over $5 up.

    We made our way to back to the Tickets On Demand booth to buy our $71 David Copperfield tickets. Unfortunately the only tickets they had left for the 7.00pm performance were at $132. We enquired & picked up some apparently prime location seats for $71 got his show the following night. Today was going well financially!!

    We popped into New York, New York Hotel primarily to see the scariest roller coaster we had ever been on, that used to actually go in & out of the hotel. We couldn’t see it, so I enquired & apparently it doesn’t anymore. Sharp-eyed Jackie noticed that it was now happy hour & drinks were half price & they had deals on food. We took advantage with a plate of wings & 2 large beers.

    After what felt like the perfect lunch, we put $5 into a slot machine. Again we did well & I left $5 up. We headed on to The Strip & bought some cheap booze & a tacky drinks holder. We continued & then we were accosted by 2 more feather adorned dolly birds. They asked if I wanted a photo & I took photos of them with Jackie. They then demanded a tip of $10 each for the privilege. I handed over $5 for them to share & we hurried on with them calling me back or names or something!! My photos had better be worth it!

    With my $5 fleeced, we headed back to the Flamingo for a quick nap before hitting Downtown later. Jackie insisted on spending her $5 winnings in the fruit machine which she did in 10 seconds flat.

    Back in our room, we played Instagram tennis with Sue Drackett, our friend from up north, who was literally over the road lording it up in The Bellagio. Sue was off to a show, we were heading Downtown to the Fremont Street Experience.

    Around 6.00pm we caught a bus to Downtown Vegas & entered Fremont Street. It was still too light for the ceiling light show, so yet again we popped into a Casino. We found a 25 cent fruit machine & Jackie was quickly stuffing her $5 into it. I popped to the loo & returned to find she was in credit by over $15. We’re in the money 💰

    I went in search of a cocktail waitress & found the same fruit machine we had had success on in Hooters. It is all lights & noise & requires more player interaction. Jackie cashed out of her machine & inserted her $15 slip into Crazy Money II. We were playing 20 cents a spin & were still continuing to make a small profit. I had now gotten the attention of a waitress & the free beers were flowing.

    At one point, I noticed that Jackie had accidentally hit the 160 cents a spin, but before I could stop she had hit the button & the machine went crazy. Phyllis from Philadelphia, who was sat next to us, assisted us to maximise our winnings by playing the money catch (You have to tap the dollar notes as they fly around the screen) for us. WELL, she won us about $140 & it was high fives all round with total strangers. We’re really in the money 💰 💰

    We continued playing (Note: Quit when you’re winning) & actually got up to $168 in credit. We eventually walked away, several free beers later & with a payout ticket of $135.11.

    By now it was getting late for us, so we walked up & down Fremont Street. It was all action, a light show was playing on the arched ceiling, people in zip wire sleeping bags whizzed over our heads & a band was playing on stage. There were all sorts of freaks & hustlers & beggars. One muscular bloke was stopped beside a sign saying ‘Kick Me in the Nuts. Bet you Kick Like a Bitch’ & needless to say, there were scantily clad women trying to extort money for photos.

    We then caught the bus back to The Strip & our hotel. We were starving, but had a disagreement over which stop to get off at, so we called it a night. It was late for us - about 11.30pm.

    FITBIT = 19,078 steps / 8.86 miles.

    Song of the Day = Big Spender by Shirley Bassey.    Read more

  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsUSA Road Trip 2019
    Day 33

    Day 32 - Chased down the Street by Elvis

    May 24, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    A smoother start to the morning than yesterday. We got our nearly free breakfast & headed out north on The Strip.

    Our 1st stop of the day was The Venetian & it’s classy shops. We strolled through the piazza & came upon a gallery of the most amazing framed photographs by photographer, Peter Lik. The sales assistant / curator chap must have recognised a couple of high rollers had walked in because he latched on to us & gave us all the spiel as if we were buy one. He also took us into a ‘secret’ private room to look at the latest photo not yet for sale. It was of a chrome American bomber in an aircraft hangar. It was stunning. The guy then slowly dimmed the lights & certain parts of the photo sort of glowed. I was dying to ask how much it was. The Venetian is definitely one of my favourite hotels in Vegas. I liked it’s Love themed lobby.

    We continued on to the ‘new kid on the block’, the Wynn Hotel. It looked & felt expensive, but there wasn’t a huge amount to see. Jackie was now suffering from withdrawal symptoms & needed a fix of slot machines. We hunted high & low for our favourite Crazy Money II machine. We eventually located a Crazy Money Deluxe, but the minimum bet was 60 cents. This is the trouble with the high-end hotels.

    We left, crossed the road, scurried past the Fashion Show & entered Treasure Island Hotel. The moment we opened the door it smelt cheap & nasty. This was what we were looking for & it had our Crazy Money II. We sat down & almost instantly we were both up. Did we walk? “No”. We had 2 free beers each & ended up between us down less than $5 for about an hours entertainment.

    We continued down the strip & saw Elvis in a mobility scooter. I took a photo when he had his back to us, but after we had passed him, I turned & hid in a bush to take a front shot. Unfortunately he caught me (before I could take one) & then all hell broke loose. He screamed, “You asshole, you f**king asshole” over & over again. He also was screaming that he hoped I’d die & would be buried in a white casket. Not only this but he has chasing after me in his mobility scooter. Luckily for me there were a lot of people about & he struggled to get through the crowds quick enough as we hurried away. Eventually I think he gave up, because we could no longer see him, but could still hear him hollering that I was an asshole. You couldn’t make it up!

    To be on the safe side we went up a flight of steps & ducked into the Mirage Hotel. Jackie was not impressed & urged me not to take photos of weirdos again. All this fun had made us hungry, so we went to Panda Express. We shared a plate of food consisting of orange chicken, teriyaki chicken, Beijing beef & chow mien. It was gorgeous.

    After, we went back to our Flamingo Hotel, where Jackie had her 2nd fix of Crazy Money II. We again had a free drink & lost just under $5 between us. This was working out to be a cheap way of drinking if you are frugal like me or a ‘tight bastard’ as Jackie calls me.

    It was 2.50pm & I suggested we catch The Atlantis Show In Caesar’s Palace which was starting in 10 minutes. It was slightly further than I calculated & it was the fastest 10 minute walk of our lives. It had literally just started, but sadly it hadn’t changed since we were last here around 20 years ago.

    We then went back to our hotel room for a quick rest before the nights entertainment. At 6.00pm, we took the monorail from the back of our hotel to the MGM Hotel. $5 each for a journey lasting only a couple of minutes!

    At MGM we made our way to the auditorium & found our seats for the David Copperfield show. We were in a table of 6, but close to the stage. Frank & Leila from Florida were already seated at our table & we were at the last minute joined by 2 Chinese lads.

    Prior to the show actually starting there were a lot of warnings about taking photos or using phones during the show. It seemed a bit over the top. We were then all told to put on a wristband & to take out our phones & send an email to David Copperfield & he would send one back later.

    At 7.10pm David arrived on a motorcycle out of thin air. He opened his routine with a few gags, then he produced a large sheet of paper with his ‘wish list’, that was photographed with him holding, then folded up & given to some poor bloke in the front row to guard with his life. At 7.20pm we all received an email, except Jackie who hard a ‘Failure To Send’ notice!! We were all told to not open the email & to put our phones in a black box on the table.

    David Copperfield looked old, despite all the cosmetic enhancements, but he was funny & engaged with the audience much more than I expected. His first main trick was to make one of his helpers disappear, not on stage but in the audience, just yards from us. His catch phrase was “How about that”.

    To randomly select people from the audience, frisbees & balls were thrown about several times & he would then interact with them. Unfortunately for him, nearly all the random people turned out to be foreign & spoke only poor English. It was hilarious him trying to get a conversation or answers out of them & you could sense he was getting annoyed. Just one example was when he asked a Japanese woman for a number between 1 & 50, to which she replied 55.

    One blindfolded woman had to select just one of a 100 ribbons connected to card each with a different word on it that we could see. Once she had selected her ribbon the card attach read TRUTH. We all raised our wristbands, the lights were dimmed & the word TRUTH was appeared on our wristbands under UV lights.

    Anyway during the show he collected various facts & numbers from random people. He also made a car appear on columns that several members of the audience were holding on to. The showstopper was a 20 ton spaceship that appeared out of nowhere & hovered just feet over our heads before moving around above without any apparent means of propulsion or suspension, then landed at the back of the stage.

    The finale was for him to get the bloke in the front row to pass back the large sheet of paper which was opened to reveal that his wish list corresponded with all the random facts collected during the show. David then disappeared in a puff of smoke & reappeared in the audience, but came back to remind us to open the email he sent to us (well most of us) at 7.20pm. It was a photo of him & the wish list showing all the facts & answers that were collected during the show from the audience. That’s magic.

    He did a lot more things, too many to mention but it was a great show even if it was a bit cheesy. He was definitely funnier than we expected. We are so glad we saw him, for us he sums up Vegas.

    Afterwards we walked back along The Strip taking in all the lights, sights & sounds. At 9.30pm we stopped for another Panda Express to share, then got to The Mirage for the 10pm Volcano show.

    We were now done, we stopped in our hotel to play our favourite slot machine & pretty quickly lost $30. We only had time for one drink, but you need to know when to quit!!

    FITBIT = 22,014 steps / 10.23 miles.

    Song of the Day - A Kind of Magic by Queen.

    Bonus Song of the Day :-

    Elvis Ain’t Dead by Scouting for Girls
    Just An Illusion by Imagination    Read more

  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsUSA Road Trip 2019
    1
    Day 34

    Day 33 - Damn Good Day

    May 25, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Woke up & spent @n hour or so contemplating where we would be sleeping for the next 3 nights. It was Memorial Day weekend & all the Americans were celebrating by staying anywhere other than their home. As a result hotel/motel prices were pushed through the roof. We were done with Vegas. It needs to be experienced, but it feels good to leave.

    I bagged two nights at a motel in St George, Utah for Saturday & Sunday night for less than £100, it got good reviews but we will make up our own mind. In the meantime we couldn’t decide where to stay tonight.

    Our friend, Gav Farley, suggested we visit a ghost town called Nelson. It was about 46 miles south of Vegas, but by god it was worth a visit. In the absolute middle of nowhere you arrive at this town in a time warp. A Signpost directed you to park, then visit reception. We did & the owner informed us of the dangers of touching the cacti 🌵. The spikes had barbed spikes, which could only be removed at hospital. We were also told to report any sightings of rattlesnakes.

    After our briefing, we wandered around the estate, that included 70 rusty old fashioned motor vehicles that were rusty to the point of being Art!! It had old buildings to wander in & out of which were full of junk / antiques / Americana, crashed WW2 aircraft & an old mine. It was a fantastic place very photogenic that had been used for various film & photo shoots.

    We continued to the dead end, that overlooked the Colorado River after it had negotiated the Hoover Dam. A quick photo & we followed the deserted desert road back the way we had come to the Historic Boulder City, the home of The Hoover Dam. What a lovely little town it turned out to be.

    We drove along the main drag lined with motels towards the historic centre. We played Booking.com ‘I-spy’ & took a fancy to El Rancho Boulder Motel. I noted the cheapest price of $92 on Booking.com then went in to haggle. I enquired with the owner & he told me he had just one non-smoking room left for $122. I told him it was cheaper on Booking.com & he told me it wasn’t.

    I told him I’d just enquire with the wife, then we both went in, me armed with my iPad open on the Booking.com app. I pointed out to him his mistake & he pointed out mine. The cheaper room was the smoking double bed only. He wasn’t very good at hiding his annoyance, so we checked in without further disagreement before he refused to let us stay.

    Having checked in, we headed out to Hoover Dam, which we had previously visited over 20 years ago. We were subject of a security check for guns, then we parked up & walked up to the Memorial Bridge Walkway which was new to us. I got a funny bottom looking down at the Dam from a great height, but I managed to take & pose for the odd photo. We then drove over the Hoover Dam into Arizona did a U turn & then back again.

    Back in Boulder City we stopped at the local supermarket for a few provisions, mainly fruit & wine, then dumped our bags in the motel room. It was a lovely sunny day so we took a stroll into the ‘Historic’ part of Boulder City. It was very nice, bars, restaurants & my favourite, random statues everywhere. We got to the top of town & saw an outdoor event in full swing.

    It was the ‘15th Best Dam Barbecue Challenge’ which had vendors from all over the region selling their bbq wares, as well as other foods including massive funnel cakes & frozen chocolate covered bananas. There was also live music initially from local ‘talent’ Mario, then a rock n roll band. We felt obliged to eat here, it would have been rude not to, so we ‘shared’ a plate of ribs with a side of beans & ‘slaw from the Great Basin Cooking Co. Needless to say it was delicious, but we still had room for something else. I wanted a funnel cake, but they were just too big, so we opted for a foot long Cajun sausage hotdog. Lovely.

    Seriously in need of lubrication, we walked back into town & found an outdoor bar, 2Wheels Garage Grill with karaoke. The bar is in an old converted fuel station. The drinks were cheap, Jackie had margaritas & I stuck to beer, that went down well in the sun. It was a great atmosphere, even when the music was deafened out by the roar of a motorcycle gang that parked up outside. The ‘gang’ were actually ‘Brother’s Keeper MC’, which is a world wide motorcycle club for Firefighters.

    It was such a great evening we stayed there pretty much all night, then staggered back to our motel.

    FITBIT = 10,594 steps / 4.92 miles.

    Song of the Day - Ghost Town by The Specials.

    Bonus Song of the Day :-

    Ghost Town by Angelic Upstarts    Read more

  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsUSA Road Trip 2019
    Day 34

    Day 34 - Into The Valley (of Fire)

    May 25, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Woke up late, to have Jackie moaning that she hadn’t slept. Apparently there was a party in the room next door, then when that finished my snoring kept her awake. There was now lots of noise in the car park outside & when I looked through the curtains there were loads of speedboats on trailers in our car park, presumably going for a day on Lake Mead.

    We were going to get a coffee in town, but the high street had become a car park with boats & trailers. Instead we headed off towards St George in Utah. We picked up Highway 515 northbound into the outskirts of Las Vegas, where we hit heavy traffic. I made a snap decision that we would visit the Valley of Fire State Park that I knew was on the way.

    Our phone SatNav told us to take the next exit, then a few left & right turns. It was getting rougher & rougher, then suddenly we were in what can only be described as ‘crack alley’. It was horrendous, in one very short stretch there was in excess of 100 people in nothing more than dirty rags literally crashed out on the side of the road amongst piles of rubbish. Luckily for Jackie, she was so busy googling she didn’t look up. I was so shocked / needing to concentrate that I didn’t hit one that I failed to take a photo. I had never seen anything like it in all my years................. blah, blah, blah.

    I was happy when we joined up with Interstate 15 which took us.past the Muddy Mountains & to the turning for the Valley of Fire State Park. At the entrance to the Valley of Fire, we paid the $10 fee, got our map, then headed in on the Scenic Route. I say it every time, but again it was magnificent.

    As you are expected to do we followed the Scenic Route through the park, stopping at all the trails & views. We stopped at the Beehives (rocks that nature had sand blasted like beehives), Arch Rock (self explanatory) & Atlati Rock with it’s petroglyphs.

    We then followed White Domes Road & stopped to walk the Rainbow Vista Trail. It was a nice easy trail, then went vertically up a smooth rock. We scaled up it & had wonderful 360 degree panoramic views. We took a side road to Fire Canyon / Silica Dome, but it was nothing to shout about. We continued on the spectacular drive to the White Domes Loop took a photo the headed back.

    Our next stop was Mouse’s Tank Trail. It was a half mile walk in sand & the sun beating down on us. Along the route were more petroglyphs on the rocks, but the end of the trail was an anticlimax, a puddle in the rocks. Jackie summed it up by observing that the longer the trail, the less impressive the outcome. It didn’t help that she was wearing flip-flops & most people were In hiking boots 🥾.

    We continued & stopped at a ‘Petrified Log’ which conjures up all sorts of visions. Jackie was going nowhere, but I scaled the mountain to look at the Log & admire the views from the top. That was it, we were now on our way on the Valley of Fire Highway, then turned north to St. George & the Dixie Palm Motel.

    We passed through Overton & Moapa Valley on the 169, before rejoining Interstate 15. We passed Bunkerville, Mesquite, then crossed the State Border into Nevada. We continued past Beaver Dam & through Virgin River Gorge until we were suddenly in Utah. Somewhere along the line were now an hour ahead.

    We drove into St. George & located our Dixie Palm Hotel. It is on a busy road, but has everything that Jackie requires. After a shower to get all the red sand & dust off us we had a quick beer & walked up the road for a Taco Bell. I was a virgin. We both ordered a taco & quesadilla steak combo. The taco was tasty but underwhelming, but the quesadilla was lovely.

    We planned to stop for a frozen custard from Nielsen's Frozen Custard just up the road, but the queue was ridiculous. I am desperate to try one but the queue looked like we could be waiting all night. We continued back to the motel & I saw a couple eating a frozen custard. I asked them if it was worth the wait & he said yes, but it won’t change your life. We chatted to them for about 5 minutes, they were from Texas, but he was originally from Carmel. They gave us a couple of tips of places to visit in Texas. We will try to sample the frozen custard before we move on.

    We sat out at our Motel & imbibed in a few drinks whilst watching the world go by & catching up on our social media. There are parties going on everywhere, but we are hoping to get an early night.

    FITBIT = 12,529 steps / 5.82 miles.

    Song of the Day - Valley of Fires by Moore S.

    More facts- we downloaded a Thermometer App which showed it to be 86 degrees in the Valley of Fire State Park.    Read more

  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsUSA Road Trip 2019
    Day 35

    Day 35 - Memorial Day Weekend Chaos

    May 26, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Woke up late & had a Big Breakfast each at McDonalds. Full we hit Interstate 15 northbound, then turned off on to Highway 9 to Hurricane, then on through La Verkin, Virgin & Rockville.

    Today was the Sunday of the Memorial Day Weekend & the roads were remarkably quiet & it was a very enjoyable drive. I was praying that the Americans were not stupid enough to go to a National Park this weekend. Our intention was to visit Zion National Park.

    We arrived in Springdale & it got noticeably busier & busier. People were parking on both sides of the road & any other spare piece of land. I saw car parks charging $30. We established that they walking to a series of free bus shuttle stops into Zion. I hadn’t done my research properly, otherwise I would have known that it was mandatory to take a shuttle bus on the 6 mile scenic drive!

    We decided to continue & take our chances, despite signs warning us that all car parks in Zion were full. We arrived at the park entrance & went straight to the front of the queue as a National Parks Annual Pass holder. We spoke to the Ranger who said we could drive through to the East Entrance or turn around, find somewhere to park & get the Shuttle Bus.

    We chose the former & drove through Zion NP for several miles. We were surrounded on all sides by massive rock faces & our road took us up Zion - Mount Carmel Highway too a long traffic jam. We were now stuck, but luckily it was just a 20 minute wait to pass through the Zion - Mount Carmel Tunnel. On the other side, there were hundreds of vehicles queuing to enter the park & because the road was so narrow they couldn’t turn round.

    We continued along this scenic highway & stopped for photos at Checkerboard Mesa, a massive rock with square grooves in it. A radical change of plan was required & we decided to visit Bryce Canyon National Park instead. To be honest the scenery was so nice, it was a pleasure just to be driving through it.

    At Mt Carmel Junction, we turned left, north on Highway 89, through Orderville, Glendale & Hatch. Next we turned on to Highway 12 to Red Canyon, where we stopped for a leg stretch. It will come as no surprise that Red Canyon involves red rocks.

    Unfortunately I saw quite a few people clambering up the rock, so I suggested to Jackie that we do the same. At the foot of the rock (mountain) was a sign saying photo trail. It sounded good to me. We commenced our ascent up a steep narrow track of red rubble. We got to a point for a breather & I couldn’t help going just that little bit further.

    I got to where I wanted to get to with legs now like jelly, but realised it was twice as scary going back down. My journey back down, mainly on all fours, was made all the worse by a little kid about 4 years old, right behind me making lots of stupid noises. When we finally got down our hearts were racing. We won’t be doing that again in a hurry!

    On we drove to the less popular Bryce Canyon National Park 🏞 & was pleased to see that we were allowed in without any warnings. Obviously we didn’t have to pay the $35 entry fee & proceeded into the park. There was a big car park for people to park up & use the shuttle bus, but we don’t ‘share’ transport, even if that is what the Rangers want you to do.

    We drove along the spine to the far end of the park, now at an elevation of 9115 feet & visited the lookouts of Yovimpa Point & Rainbow Point for some lovely views. It was sunny, but very cold. I looked a bit stupid in my T-shirt, shorts & adventure sandals. There was even snow still on the ground. We then headed back stopping at Black Birch Canyon, Ponderosa Canyon, Agua Canyon & the visually stunning Natural Bridge.

    We stopped at Fairview Point & took a little hike to Piracy Point. Next we turned off for Bryce Point, but joined a queue into the busy car park. We were waved in & told to go all the way round. There was no free parking space, so I abandoned the car & run over to get some snaps.

    As I returned to the car, an officious Ranger spotted me & said “Why have you stopped your car?” I replied “Because there weren’t any spaces”. He replied, “That’s because its Holiday weekend”. Jackie piped up, “Yeah, we know that”.

    I could see this was going to end badly, so I jumped back in the car & said “We’re just leaving”. I could hear him shouting after us “When there are no spaces you have to just drive on”. As we were driving away they closed the road to this car park. We were not happy, but could see the logic behind it. They needed to get the shuttle buses in & out.

    We drove on to Inspiration Point, where again we waved around the car park without a space being available. I was not letting this happen again, so we did a U turn down the road & went back in again & got a space. We walked to Inspiration Point & like a couple of others, went to the edge for a better photo. I also took a short burst of video footage of Jackie.

    We had just finished when a Ranger came running over & told us & others to come away from the edge because it wasn’t safe. She said the rocks were prone to crumbling & spoke of recent deaths in other parks.

    We stopped finally at Sunrise Point, where a Chinese woman climbed through the fencing on to a tiny ledge just so her friend could take a photo. Utter madness.

    With Bryce Canyon now done (or we were) we had a 2 & a half hour drive back to St George. The rain was also on its way.

    We finally arrived back in St George at 7.30pm, stopped at a heaving Chilis for dinner. We had fajitas & ribs, which were just so-so. The back to our Motel for a wine & bed.

    FITBIT = 8,799 steps / 4.08 miles.

    Song of the Day - In The Crowd by The Jam.    Read more

  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsUSA Road Trip 2019
    Day 36

    Day 36 - What a Washout!

    May 27, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Woke up to a very wet and cold Memorial Day as the weather forecast had predicted. It was our intention today to again try and properly visit Zion National Park, hoping that the crowds had disappeared due to the inclement weather.

    After checking out of the motel we drove down to Bear Paw Cafe which was allegedly renowned for its waffles and for which we had a 10% discount voucher. Unfortunately there was a massive queue outside so we didn’t bother to stop.

    Instead we drove on to the Mormon Temple in St George, where Jackie declared she wasn’t going into the visitor centre. I went in alone, whilst Jackie wandered around the grounds. After a quick couple of photos we were done and on our way to Zion National Park.

    We turned off to Hurricane and we noticed that the roads were visibly more busy than yesterday. We pulled over & contemplated our options.

    1. We could drive back to Zion and see what the crowds were like and if it was too busy just drive through like we did yesterday.

    2. We could take the ring road to the South of Zion straight to Kanab.

    We didn’t fancy getting wet, squashed into a shuttle bus & possibly not seeing much of Zion anyway due to the low lying snow clouds. So we agreed on option 2. Well Jackie told me that was the option we were taking.

    We took Highway 59 eastbound & soon we were in Arizona on Highway 389 & putting our clocks back an hour. We drove through driving rain & made our 1st stop at Apple Dumpling UFO Docking & Teleportation Center. Basically it is some UFO paraphernalia in a field! We took a photo & continued.

    Next stop was Pipe Springs National Monument. Apparently, American Indians, Mormon Pioneers & others have all relied on the water from this spring. We went in a side entrance, saw that it was a $10 entry fee & walked straight back out again. As Jackie pointed out, it was probably just a load more Indians trying to sell us stuff.

    Before we knew it, we were back in Utah & changing our clocks again. Still raining, we parked up & walked into the local Visitors Centre to enquire what we could do on a rainy day like today.

    We were given details of a Heritage Museum, also the Little Hollywood Movie Set Museum (which is better on a dry day) & details of a scenic drive through Johnson Canyon. The young assistant raved about this & said it was better in the wet because it made the rocks glisten. She helpfully gave us a glossy leaflet with things to look out for.

    We would check out Johnson Canyon after we’d had something to eat. We walked up & down the historic high street, but nothing took our fancy for brunch, so we drove to a supermarket for rolls & cheese. We then travelled to Johnson Canyon for our driving tour. At 2.6 miles we looked for, but failed to see the “Lion’s Head”. Half a mile later we failed to find “Eagle Gate Arch”, then Pioneer Grave.

    Out 1st positive sighting was the “Old Gunsmoke Movie Set”, then some old Pioneer farm equipment & then graffiti on a rock described as a “Pioneer Billboard & Indian Writings”. We continued to the end of the road & into the canyon, but the visibility was poor due to the weather. The canyon would probably have been impressive to us if we hadn’t seen so many fantastic ones before.

    On the way back we spotted “Lion’s Head” & “Eagle Gate Arch”. Heading back into Kanab we stopped at a Laundromat & took the opportunity to get our dirty washing done. With that done, we checked into our motel, Aiken’s Lodge.

    Later that evening we had dinner at The Rocking V Cafe. I had mac ‘n’ cheese & Jackie had a grilled shrimp salad. It was nice, but took a little long to get our dinner. We were both shattered & needed an early night.

    FITBIT = 5,151 steps / 2.39 miles.

    Song of the Day - Iron Lion Zion by Bob Marley & The Wailers.    Read more

  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsUSA Road Trip 2019
    Day 37

    Day 37 - A Blot on the Landscape

    May 28, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Still raining when we woke up. Popped into reception for our continental breakfast of coffee & cake!

    At 10am, we drove into the car park of Little Hollywood Movie Set Museum 🎥 in Kanab. It was free entry, but we put a couple of dollars in the donations box. Kanab was the location for numerous western movies & TV programmes. We started off watching 2 short videos that explained the history of movie making in the area & what was at the museum.

    The Museum had movie sets from The Outlaw Josey Wales & The Lone Ranger filmed locally. We had an enjoyable 45 minutes wandering around the the movie sets with Jackie happily (under duress) posing for lots of silly photos. Before leaving we tried on some genuine cowboy hats🤠, but as always hats don’t suit me, not at over $100 they don’t.

    We stopped outside Parry’s Lodge for a photo. This is where all the movie stars, including Ronald Reagan & Frank Sinatra & the rest of the Rat Pack stayed when they were filming Sergeants 3, the remake of Gunga Din.

    We then left Kanab & took Highway 89 eastbound, turning off to Lone Rock just before entering back into Arizona. As we drove down the road we were warned that Lone Rock was in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area & it was a fee paying area. When we got to the entrance hut we saw the entrance fee was $30. We weren’t paying that, but suddenly it occurred to me that my National Park Pass might just allow us entry.

    It did & I’m so glad it did. Lone Rock which sat in Lake Powell was lovely. We parked up & we walked the 400 metres or so down to the beach. The sun was out but it was pretty windy. People had parked up their RVs & the hardy had set up tents, where they were presumably staying the night.

    After a spot of lunch, cheese roll & crisps, we returned to Highway 89 & crossed into Arizona, where yet again we had to change our clocks. We didn’t know if we were coming or going! We then turned off again into Wahweap Boulevard & down to Lake Powell Resort & Marina. Basically it was the place where the ‘sailors’ set sail from & not a lot else to see.

    We followed Lake Shore Drive along Lake Powell enjoying the vista when suddenly to my horror there were large chimneys belting out smoke in the distance in the middle of nowhere. It was a hideous blot on the landscape. We probably weren’t the first to think this because at the next next Scenic Viewpoint there was a sign explaining why the Navajo Generating Station,that we could see, was where it was.

    We continued until we reached Glen Canyon Dam. There were Dam viewpoints all over the place & from the information available we established it is the 2nd largest concrete Arch Dam in the USA. We took numerous photos, but Jackie didn’t fancy the 45 minute tour, despite only being $5 fee.

    On we went to another scenic point of the Colorado River in Page, Arizona.This was a real little cracker. We parked up & walked down to the cliff edge overlooking the Colorado River & looking back at the Glen Canyon Dam. The views were impressive, but what made this so special was the rock formations that were layer upon layer in waves. Millions of years of geology forming the most incredible patterns.

    Next stop was Horseshoe Bend which required a $10 fee to park. I did enquire if my National Parks Pass counted, but it didn’t. We parked up & with the 100s of others trudged for 15 minutes along the trail over a sand dune to the spectacular Horseshoe Bend. It was an amazing view, despite all the idiots (mainly Chinese) getting in the way. Unfortunately the sun had gone in, but with the rainclouds in the distance made for a dramatic scene.

    Our last planned stop of the day was Waterholes Canyon just up the road, but when we saw payment was required we decided to call it a day. We then stopped at Walmart for provisions for tonight’s tea & ended up also coming out with 2 chairs & 2 towels!

    We then drove to our Red Rock Motel & checked in. Jackie thinks is the best accommodation we have stayed in yet. We have a full kitchen & patio & chairs outside. She might have changed her mind in the morning as we are sharing a normal sized double bed!!

    After a couple of beers we had a microwave lasagne with individually selected salads & coleslaw out on our patio. We both agree this has been the best meal we have yet had on our travels.

    As I type, we plan to have an early night, ready for a big driving day tomorrow .

    FITBIT = Has broken. I need a new strap!

    Song of the Day - Waves by Blancmange.    Read more

  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsUSA Road Trip 2019
    Day 38

    Day 38 - 2nd Time Had Better Be Lucky

    May 29, 2019 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Predictably had a dreadful night sleep. Last thing I did before going to bed was visit the website for The Boneyard in Tucson. To my horror, the website declared that applications to visit had to be made at least 2 weeks in advance. Oh hell, I had planned to be in Tucson in less than 5 days time & we had to visit The Boneyard as it was Jackie’s perceived highlight of the whole trip.

    Needless to say my mind was whirring, I couldn’t sleep & I commenced replanning the next fortnight of our trip. It was between 2 & 3am when I finally got to sleep, but at least I had a new plan. Luckily I had a lie in until 6.30am when Jackie’s phone started ringing.

    Over breakfast I booked The Boneyard Tour for Friday 14th June & sent our request to be allowed on it. Let’s wait & see. After packing up, we were back on the road by 10am. We took Highway 98 south east for about 70 miles across open plains. At the end of the road we turned north on to Highway 160 for 34 miles & then at Kayenta, north again on Highway 163 for another 25 miles.

    Gone midday we arrived at Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park & then our clocks jumped forward an hour because the entrance is on the border back into Utah. We are getting very confused.

    This time we paid our $20 fee & were given a map & told that we could take our car on the 17 mile Valley Drive which was on dirt roads. Thank goodness, it would have been a long way to come to be told we couldn’t do the drive. Jackie wasn’t that fussed about returning anyway, so I dread to think how that conversation went if we didn’t get in.

    Relieved, we parked up at the Visitors Centre, took a few photos of the valley below, then had a look round the Visitors Centre & ended up coming out with a Route 66 T-shirt each! We returned to the car & commenced the Valley Drive.

    I now know why we weren’t allowed to take the RV on the drive. It was a nightmare in places, massive ruts & humps, as well as a road made up of either rock, sand, stones & gravel. It was a real challenge to avoid grounding the car or hitting big chunks of rock littered across the road. Luckily, I had Jackie to advise me of the best route & tell me when she thought I was going to hit something. To make matters worse large 4x4s & tour trucks were hammering along the road throwing up stones & dust despite the speed limit being just 15mph. We prayed we didn’t finish up with loads of damage to the hire car.

    There were 11 official stopping spots along the route. The 1st was for West & East Mitten Butte, which resembled a pair of hands complete with thumbs. The 2nd Elephant Butte took a lot of imagination, in fact it took us a while to work out which ‘Butte’ it was supposed to be!

    Next was Three Sisters, a Catholic Nun facing 2 pupils, then John Ford’s Point, named after the Hollywood Movie Director who made John Wayne famous. As we pulled into the car park, an old ‘duffer’ with a tripod was dithering in my chosen parking space. I got bored waiting for him, so prised the car in beside him. I could see he wasn’t happy. We went off to admire the view & snap a photo or two. We returned & the duffer was just leaving. I started to reverse back, which apparently caused duffer to beep his horn & gesticulate unnecessarily. I was oblivious, but it riled Jackie who mouthed at them to “F-off”, which in turn prompted Duffer’s wife to start shouting at us to “F-off”. This could be an interesting drive!

    There were several other Rock formations to see before we arrived at Totem Pole, a tall stick of rock that looks like it could fall over at any moment. It was there that we saw duffer & his wife again for the first time. He had his tripod out & was photographing plants. We walked past them but they looked the other way.

    The highlight for me was Artist’s Point, which gave a grandstand view of the most spectacular Buttes. Our final stop was at The Thumb, which at a certain angle actually looks like a cowboy boot, before we made the fraught drive back out of the Valley. We think we got out without causing any damage to the car, other than it & us were covered in red dust. Some idiots were driving round in convertibles with the top down & those on tours on open backed trucks were visibly choking from the dust.

    The Valley Drive took over 2 hours & was another unforgettable experience. I am so glad we made the effort to go back. I think I would have so regretted it if we hadn’t. It is truly one of the most iconic American natural wonders. Jackie also really enjoyed it & is glad we came!

    We then hit the road for the 176 mile trek south to Flagstaff, annoyingly passing the Grand Canyon which we plan to visit tomorrow. Arriving at our ‘America’s Best Value Inn’ motel in Flagstaff, just after 6pm Arizona time again. We booked in, then popped out for a cheeky Panda Express. We had one each this time, because we were starving, but won’t be doing that again. We both struggled to eat it, well Jackie did!!

    FITBIT knackered.

    Song of the Day - Hello Hello I’m Back Again by Gary Glitter.

    Bonus Song of the Day :-

    Tower of Strength by The Mission
    Monument by The Sound    Read more

  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsUSA Road Trip 2019
    Day 39

    Day 39 - A Rim Evacuation!

    May 30, 2019 in the United States ⋅ 🌫 4 °C

    7.30am alarm woke me up, only for Jackie to tell me she hadn’t slept & would probably be grumpy. At 8.30am we got down to breakfast, which turned out to be much than better & less busy than we had anticipated. The owner/receptionist who had been surly last night & not welcoming enough was this morning cheerful & chatty.

    Over breakfast she asked if we were going to the Grand Canyon National Park. When we said to her we were, she said be careful. She then related a story that 3 days ago, she had a family from Oklahoma staying, they went to the Grand Canyon & the son fell over the edge whilst taking a selfie. He couldn’t be found until the vultures had swarmed all over him & picked the carcass apart. Nice story at breakfast, but a good one.

    We looked it up on google & although we couldn’t find it, there were 3 selfie death falls in the Canyon in just 8 days in April. With this cheery thought, we set off for the Canyon just after 9.00am. We picked up Highway 40 westbound, also considered to be Route 66, to the town of Williams, then turned north on Arizona 64 towards the Grand Canyon.

    We had gone through rain, but we arrived at the South Rim entrance of Grand Canyon National Park 🏞 in sunshine. Instead of the $35 fee we flashed the National Park Pass & headed in. We parked up in the Visitors Centre’s car park & went in to the centre, where there were exhibits celebrating the park’s 100th anniversary. After, we took our 1st proper look at the Canyon at Mather Point. It was possibly more impressive than I remembered it.

    After the usual photos, we took the unusual step of taking advantage of the free shuttle buses, mainly because they weren’t busy. We got in the short bus queue & I spoke to the park ranger who gave us some advice to make the most of our visit. As a result, we got on & got off at the Train Depot. Here was the station for the classic Grand Canyon Trains.

    After admiring them, we walked up to the El Tovar Hotel, then followed the south rim westwards to the start of the Bright Angel Trail. The Bright Angel Trail is a narrow path that clings to the side of the Canyon & goes all the way down to the bottom. Surely we couldn’t come all this way & not trek the Bright Angel Trail. We couldn’t, so commenced our descent down into the Canyon. Well actually we walked 10 minutes down to the ‘Upper Tunnel’, then turned round & went back up.

    We walked a short distance to catch the Hermit’s Rest Route (Red) Shuttle Bus. We got off at the 1st stop, Trailview Overlook. Whilst at the Overlook, we became aware that the sky was turning black & there was thunder & lightning in the distance. We caught the next bus to the next stop, Maricopa Point, where I got up to get out, but Jackie dithered, saying she didn’t like the look of the weather.

    Annoyed I sat back down, but then the driver spoke over the intercom, warning people of what to do in the event of lightning. No sooner than he said this, we were suddenly pelted with large hailstones that were blowing in all directions. Jackie didn’t mention that if I had had my way we would be stuck in the middle of this. Then the lightning started & the driver announced the South Rim was now being evacuated.

    Our bus was filled to brimming, then we moved off through the now hailstone covered roads. What was strange we left about a dozen people at the stop, who took refuge under a tree, totally contrary to his lightning advice!

    After 2 different bus rides, we returned to our hailstone covered car & had some crisps & cake. During our lunch the sun came out, so we decided to give the Hermit’s Rest Route another go. This time we drove nearer to the bus stop & incredibly for us, found a parking space nearby. We then re-continued a bus route, stopping for photos at Maricopa Point, Powell Point, Hopi Point, Mohave Point, The Abyss, Monument Creek Vista, Pima Point & Hermits Rest.

    As we were nearing the final leg to Hermit’s Rest, the bus driver implored us that we walk along a tarmac Rim path back to Pima Point, which was only 1 mile long. I tried to bribe Jackie to do so by offering to buy her a silver ring. She didn’t want one, but she under sufferance agreed to the 1 mile trek. At the end we just missed a bus which didn’t help Jackie’s mood.

    We returned to our car & drove out on Arizona 64 to Desert View & the Historic Watchtower. We did stop at other Overlooks, but I just jumped of the car took a quick photo & jumped back in. We left the Canyon via the East entrance, drove to Cameron, then South back on Highway 89 to Flagstaff.

    It was gone 8.00pm, when we arrived back at the motel & didn’t feel like going out for a meal. We made do with cheese, crisps & cereal. As well as beer & wine.

    Jackie is now Canyon’d out, but I loved the Grand Canyon. I might have to admit that it is the best park. The sheer enormity & splendour are breathtaking, but what really does it for me is because of it’s size, it didn’t feel at all crowded. Also there was a lot of fencing that allowed you to get right up to the edge & it has proper wildlife, Elk.

    FITBIT still knackered.

    Song of the Day - Hail Rain or Sunshine by The Script.    Read more

  • Simon and Jackie AnnalsUSA Road Trip 2019
    Day 40

    Day 40 - Standin' on the Corner

    May 31, 2019 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 4 °C

    Jackie has never been a fan of petrification, so this afternoons adventures were going to be a hard sell. Luckily we both had a good nights sleep, despite trains running all night on the Santa Fe railroad just the outside our motel.

    At breakfast, a man was in reception & he confirmed that they had had guests stay, now 4 days ago, who lost their son over the edge at the Grand Canyon. I told him I couldn’t find it on the internet & he told us that apparently the fall wasn’t witnessed so it is not reported. Sounds like a good place to me to push someone the edge!

    We needed to spend a further night in Flagstaff, so after breakfast we spent some time on Booking.com (& other hotel websites) & booked a night in a Super 8 motel on the outskirts of town. We then headed out east on Highway 40 for 30 odd miles, passing the towns of Two Arrows & the Ghost Town Two Guns, before turning off towards Meteor Crater Natural Landmark.

    We went to the Visitors Centre & gulped at the admission charge of $18, but swallowed it & in fact paid an extra $4 for the 4D immersion ride Collision Experience. Our first port of call was the 4D Collision Experience which was a bit tame & aimed more for kids, but it was good fun. Bizarrely, the pilot, who crashed, was a cartoon rabbit called Jackie!

    We then watched a 10 minute movie on the history of the Meteor Crater. We then joined Shawn who was our tour guide & took us out on the Crater Rim. The tour was extremely informative, amusing & well presented. It was definitely worth the admission fee. At the conclusion of the tour, we visited the Museum & went to several viewing points. Our visit lasted over 2 hours.

    We learnt lots of facts, way too many to list, but the absolute basics are:-

    50,000 years ago, a Meteorite measuring just 150 feet across hit earth at 26,000 miles per hour. The iron-nickel Meteorite weighed several hundred thousand tons & struck the rocky Arizona plain with a force greater than 20 million tons of TNT. The impact within seconds created the Crater which measures 700 feet deep & over 4000 feet across. It is the best preserved Meteor impact site on earth.

    In the museum, they have The Holsinger Meteorite, which is the largest found chunk of the Meteorite that created the Crater. It is just a couple of feet in diameter, but weighs an incredible 1440 pounds. It sits on a plinth without any securing, despite it being worth a fortune. Shawn told us it’s current value, although we have forgotten. It was either $8 million, $80 million or $800 million.

    During the visit to Meteor Crater, we heard a woman saying how fantastic Petrified Forest was. Oh, Jackie may enjoy it after all!!

    Next, we drove to Winslow to look & photo the statues & mural at Standin’ on the Corner Park. It commemorates the song lyric “Well, I'm a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona and such a fine sight to see. It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me."

    I forgot to mention - after starting to leave, I suddenly realised I needed a photo from a different angle. I jumped out of the car, then realised the car was driving down the road. I jumped back in to discover I had left the car in ‘Drive’ & the handbrake off. The scariest thing about it was, Jackie was looking at something on her phone & didn’t even notice.

    We then stopped at a petrol station in Winslow. Jackie left me to fill up with fuel, whilst she inexplicably bought a hotdog. Whilst filling up, I cleaned the car windows, but managed to make them dirtier. After eating the hotdog, we hit the road again only for me to realise I somehow had managed to fail to put any fuel in it. Clever trick.

    We then drove the 50 odd miles to the Petrified Forest National Perk, passing through Holbrook, with several iconic Route 66 locations, including Wigwam Motel, which has a classic car outside each wigwam.

    Finally we arrived at Jackie’s highlight of the day, Petrified Forest NP. It was $20 entry fee, but not for us. We stopped at the Visitors Centre (for a wee), then took a (very) short walk through the Giant Logs in Rainbow Forest. If I haven’t made it clear, a Petrified Forest is where the trees have over time turned to rocks. For Jackie, it is just a load of rocks that look like logs or logs that look like rocks.

    The Petrified Forest NP is a 28 mile scenic drive from one end to the other. To be fair, Scenic is pushing it. We stopped at Crystal Forest, but declined to take the .75 mile trail. We continued to Jasper Forest & Agate Bridge, more trees turned to rock.

    Next was Blue Mesa, which we both walked half a mile to view. It was at this point that Jackie declared that the landscape looked like a slag heap at a quarry or a landfill site. I couldn’t disagree, it was lots of grey mounds. We stopped at Newspaper Rock, some writing on a rock.

    We stopped for several more views, before ending with a rusty old car to commemorate Route 66, then the Painted Desert. Pinky coloured sand. Allegedly the Petrified Forest National Park is one of the best places in the world to see the fossil record from the Late Triassic Period!

    So Jackie’s verdict - “It was sh*t & a waste of petrol“.

    For me, “I’m just glad we didn’t have to pay to get in”, but at least we’ve been & I can tell people “It’s sh*t”.

    We then commenced the 90 plus minute drive back to Flagstaff. We arrived at our new motel, Super 8, which was a pleasant surprise. We have a nice big room with all mod cons. Jackie who was worried about the accommodation is now happy to stay somewhere if it is ‘Super’.

    After checking in we got some booze & fruit from Safeway & returned to our room. We decided we fancied a steak at Sizzlers about 200 metres away, then as a bonus discovered that we had a 15% discount for their. Result!

    We went to Sizzlers, where you order what you want at the till, then sit down & wait for it. We both ordered steak with unlimited salad. We both had a huge pile of salad that was to die for, before our dinner & had a second plate ready for our steaks. It was a great meal, albeit we both ate too much.

    What FITBIT?

    Song of the Day - Take It Easy by The Eagles.    Read more

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