Running From Katrina - We Went West

We originally were planning to spend our Labor Day holiday in Gulf Shores, Alabama, but with Katrina headed in we decided to head west. Actually, our little home down there is in the tiny town of Lillian. It's like stepping back in time.

So, on with the story - we just returned home yesterday after a nice week of vacation out to Las Vegas, Nevada. Of course, we drove the trip - no flying for Mark, if he can possibly avoid it. I think we logged about 4400 miles and saw several places I had never been. Here are a few of our adventures.

Going out we stopped at the Cadilac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. I had never had the opportunity to stop and walk up close to this retro art. Someone with pink paint has been there. Looks like a collection of Mary Kay cars now. Of course, the artwork on the cars changes frequently, just depends on what artists have come by.

Amarillo is also home of the Big Texan restaurant where your dinner is free if you can clean your plate and eat every bite of the 72 oz. steak they put before you. I didn't try it but got a smaller version instead. I was disappointed; the steak was nothing special. I was hoping for a great treat.

When in the vacinity of Seligman, Arizona, be sure to stop by and see Angel Delgadillo, the town barber. Angel is one of the people primarily responsible for the preservation of Route 66. If you ever watch a documentary on America's Mother Road, Angel probably had something to do with it. We always stop and say hello to Angel. He wasn't there when we dropped by on this trip, but we got to meet one of this brothers. Another brother, Juan owns the Snow Cap Drive-In down the street. Juan is about the craziest guy I've ever met. His tricks and jokes are so corney you can't help but laugh.

We pulled into Las Vegas early Tuesday morning, so the first thing we did was head for the Golden Gate Hotel for a wonderful breakfast at the Bay City Diner. Las Vegas is all about food for me. The shrimp cocktail and piano bar are a great evening of entertainment in the San Francisco Shrimp Bar and Deli. After pigging out on breakfast we checked into our hotel, the Casino Royale. This hotel is small and homey and supposed to have the best slots in Vegas. I'm not a gambler, so I don't really know.

During the day while in Las Vegas, the best thing to do is rent a car (if you didn't drive out) and visit the countryside. We visited Red Rock Canyon on this trip. It is breathtaking. Don't forget your camera. We saw burros along the side of the road and hopefully got some good pictures.

Shows are everywhere in Las Vegas and many are free. Let me tell you what we saw.

The Magic of Rick Thomas at the Stardust Hotel - probably the best one we saw on this trip. He is excellent and his animals are spellbounding. I got a stuffed tiger for helping with the show.

Mac King Comedy Magic Show at Harrah's - we saw the afternoon practically free show, bought his book and Mark got a t-shirt.

Michael Kennedy's Tribute to Elvis at the Westward Ho Hotel - it is a free afternoon show and you get what you pay for. He tries hard, but he's probably the worst Elvis in Vegas.

On the way home we stopped at Cove Fort in Utah. We're good at finding the little known places when traveling. AAA books help too. We had a private tour of the fort with Elder Anderson and learned that the pioneers never needed to defend themselves against the Indians. The only shots fired were when two of the little boys living in the fort accidently found a gun and were playing with it. One of the boys shot the other in the knee.

Capulin Volcano National Monument in Capulin, New Mexico is a great treat if you have never looked down inside a volcano. You can hike around the rim and down to the inner circle. Fortunately, it is dormant and not smoltering now.

We drove the Phantom Canyon Road in Colorado. The Gold Belt Tour is a beautiful drive. We stopped and checked out the scenery along the way. There's not much traffic on the road and it is pretty narrow. Don't try it in a RV or towing a long camper. If you are ever in the area, do not pass up Victor, Colorado. These old towns are all gold mines and fun to see.

In Canon City, Colorado, we visited the Royal Gorge Bridge. This is the origin of the Arkansas River and the rafting looks great there. We drove over the bridge to the other side, walked back, took the tram over, drove the car back and then rode the incline. It was a thrill. This is a great place to take the kids and spend the day. I was impressed with the petting zoo and picnic areas. The only attraction at the park we didn't try was the big sling shot bungee thing. I would have had a heart attack.

Cripple Creek, Colorado is home to more gold mines than I have ever seen. They are on both sides of the road and every where you look. We didn't spend much time in the little town, just mainly drove through. We were running short on time. I want to go back and explore the town and see the museum. They have a trolley that will take you around to different parts, so the walking is not bad.

We're back home; the laundry is done and I think we're headed to Lillian tomorrow!