Home at last

Finally home..

An enjoyable road trip was had in the USA and definetely got our "kicks on Route 66"...

Hope you all enjoyed the road trip , the photos of the exquisite cuisine and size of the food portions the US is famous for, classic cars plus all the posts we made whilst on the famous Route 66 from the comfort of home !

Home Time

We're back! And we even managed to depart LA on the planned day (but not planned flight)....very full flights are the norm at LAX. After the last trip, we expected to be a day or three late.
We covered over 3000kms in our trusty Dodge, doing nothing but adding fuel and cleaning windows. The lack of tourists on most of the (original, old) route was surprising, but there were plenty of cross-country travellers in motels at the end of each day. Obviously the interstate freeways have more appeal with their 75 mph speed limits than the older, slower "Mother Road".
I just have to come to terms with no longer making Route 66 jokes : "there's a girl my Lord in a flat bed Ford" or "is this the way to Amarillo".... 
Thank you for reading. 

Flying to LAX #2...

Inflight catering Southwest Airlines style... Actually they are efficient and excellent to fly with!

Flying to Los Angeles

Somewhere flying over Nevada or California....

Leaving Las Vegas

At McCarran airport Las Vegas.. Flying Southwest Airlines to Los Angeles....

5 o'clock Again

Margaritaville

The Margaritaville Casino and bar are quite big...not to mention the obligatory gift shop attached!

Somewhere it's 5 o'clock

Margaritaville Casino in Las Vegas..
As the line in the song states... 5 o'clock somewhere...
A bar dedicated to this song line!

Good taste in Las Vegas

Only in America...or for that matter : only in Las Vegas.....
A tasteful decorative ?(tasteless) statue of two visitors winning big in Vegas. Located in the Harrahs Casino on "The Strip" (Las Vegas Boulevard), as its known.
Harrahs Casino has been on the strip in Vegas for decades and is an institution.
Apologies for the picture quality as hard to get decent pics in a casino with no natural light.

NASCAR #4

Just one of the grand stands at Las Vegas Motor Speedway...
It's a massive complex with many smaller tracks ,4wd desert buggy course, drifting track, police training area etc...
A few Aussies did the tour/ ride day and any Marcos Ambrose. ( successful Aussie NASCAR driver now based in the USA) related items like car models are all snapped up by Aussie tourists! Good to see... Interesting though educating the locals about Bathurst track and the V8 super cars....

NASCAR #3

All decked out ready for my ride around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway - 6 laps in total at about 160 mp/h !
The angled banks and the close proximity to the concrete barrier going at that speed....hmmmmm

NASCAR #2

....now we know what sustains the NASCAR mechanics!!!!!

NASCAR

An interesting fact about NASCAR: all run Chevrolet engines and are all built in North Carolina as this where NASCAR is headquartered. Ford, Chevy, Dodge and Toyota all run in the NASCAR races.
Basically just a body with logo , eg: Chevy and then the same Chevy engine with a 4 speed manual gearbox...
Like the clean work shop floor!!

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Today I did a few laps in a NASCAR around the Las Vegas Speedway. First a tour of the workshops for the NASCARs. This the Richard Petty Driving Experience tour. Richard Petty is a seven times NASCAR champion.

Venetian #3

No it's not the canals of Venice but still the shopping centre in the Venetian Casino ... complete with Gondolas and singing Gondoleers... Did I mention tackiness ?? Never could happen in Las Vegas!

Venetian #2

The Grand Canal Shoppes of the Venetian Casino...
This pic was taken around 11pm and people everywhere...
You forget time and space once you enter any Las Vegas casino!!

Venetian

Of course it isn't Italy! It's the Venetian Casino in Las Vegas ....

Where are we?

As the photo shows: a beautifully painted ceiling, Venetian perhaps, and Italy comes to mind. Alas, no, it's just part of the incredible Las Vegas facade.

Number plates #2

In the Hackberry General Store again...
Spot the Aussie plate on the ceiling...

Number Plates at Hackberry Store

It seems to be the done thing in the gift stores in AZ on route 66. Many number plates from over the US and around the world are attached to the ceilings of these gift stores.
Many plates were from Germany!
Spot the Aussie number plate...

Hackberry General Store

Day 9 and stopped by the Hackberry General Store in the now deserted town of Hackberry, AZ.
What an amazing find! Old cars, route 66 memorabilia, Ferguson tractor, old road signs.

Gluttony on 66

If they can find any more space on the plate to put cream on , they will!
A banana cream chocolate pie and with all jokes aside, it tastes great!

Ahhhh gluttony......

More food..

Again at dinner... no, this piece of cake is for one, NOT 10 people! 
A raspberry pie with cream and more cream and just in case more cream......

Sauce choice

Day 8 : at dinner and what else do you put on your fries, burger, Philly Cheese steak, waffle or anything else.

Grand Canyon, AZ

Today, day 7, saw us take the Grand Canyon Railway to the south rim of the Grand Canyon.
It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
Photos do not do it justice. Its statistics are amazing, eg it would take four Empire State Buildings stacked on top of each other from the bottom of the Canyon to the top and there will be still space left to fill the void to make it to the top of the Canyon.

Jack Rabbit

Here it is!
As mentioned earlier here is a picture of the Jack Rabbit that you be photographed with...

Here it is!

The Jack Rabbit Trading Post - just outside of Joseph City, AZ.
As you drive the I40 interstate highway you see billboards along the highway until you reach it and once you have, the sign tells you : Here It Is .
There is a good gift shop at the Jack Rabbit Trading Post.
Also there is a large jack rabbit outside that you can sit on for those touristy photos.

Wigwam Hotel

Day 6 and are at the Wigwam Hotel in Holbrook, AZ.
What a cute hotel with the owners old cars parked outside each Wigwam. They are constructed of concrete and are surprisingly roomy with a bathroom at the back and it is contained on the circular shape of a Wigwam.
Also, they are very warm inside despite the zero degree overnight temps.
Well worth the stay.

Big Ford truck!

Came upon this oversize Ford SUV, Pick Up , environmentally friendly thing..
What a perfect shopping car for the local shopping centre !
This dwarfed our medium sized car.
These things are everywhere over here!!!

Somewhere in Arizona

Today - day 5.. Came across this relic that is parked near the original Route 66. Note the old disused telegraph poles showing the line of old '66. This pic was taken inside the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona.

More breakfast choices

The " Country Boy Breakfast"...

....just keep piling it on that plate!!!!

Breakfast suggestion

Day 4 and found a restaurant to eat at and noticed their breakfast menu...
" Uncle Herschel's favorite"

This is for one only!!!! Need I say anymore about everything is bigger in America....

Classic car for sale

Day 3 : Found a car yard in Tucumcari NM that has old cars for sale in varying condition...
Unable to tell make and model but we were advised that the proprietor of the yard is very approachable and loves to talk about his cars that are for sale.
Car yard name is "Memory Iron".
Many other classic American cars for sale there... with the Aussie $ so strong against the USD...hmmmm

Dodge Avenger

Our rental car: 2012 Dodge Avenger SE. A nice car to drive and is very comfortable on the highway.
This photo was taken outside the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma on day two of our drive along the Mother Road...a very interesting museum and well worth visiting.

Route 66 Auto Museum

Found this contender for a trophy at the 2013 Show. Shame it can't travel from Santa Rosa, New Mexico to Moonbi!

Route 66 Begins

Day 1 is drawing to a close. We have arrived in Dallas, via LA, and it is onward to Oklahoma City tomorrow to join the Mother Road from there. Stay tuned for the tales!