Treasure Island

A lot has happened since last time. First off, the world did not end. So that's a good thing. I spent what should have been the apocalypse at the Grand Canyon. It was stunningly beautiful to wake up to a sunrise over the Grand Canyon. I got about 2 and a half hours of sleep in my car the whole night. It was absolutely worth it though to get some stunning photos and video and see things I've never seen before. We actually took a detour off Route 66 to go up to monument valley and valley of the gods. We spent a few hours sitting under the stars and cooked beans and hot dogs over a tiny fire. It was delicious. At one point it got down to 5 degrees.

We left the Grand Canyon after getting a sunrise time lapse that should be quite lovely. We had breakfast in Williams, AZ and then drove up to the Hoover Dam. I had never been before and it was an incredibly impressive display of what humans are capable of. We then drove up to Vegas, which was an impressive display of what money is capable of. It was the first time I've ever been to Vegas and it was a sight to see. For someone who loves neon and bright lights, it was pretty fantastic to see. We are staying at the Treasure Island Casino/Hotel which is quite nice and comfortable. We actually decided to take a nap when we arrived and accidentally slept through both our alarms and the nap ended up being 5 hours long. We apparently needed it though after the short sleep in the car the night before. When we woke up we went and wandered the strip. Now I'm off to sleep even more and tomorrow I will finally arrive in LA. The journey will finally end.

A night at the blue swallow

So I am currently in the car on the road through New Mexico. Yesterday was a hell of a day. We left Oklahoma fairly late in the day after having a delightful breakfast and saying goodbye to my stunt buddy, Rachel. We then headed to Amarillo, TX. Texas was flat and windy. We had a late lunch at the Big Texan. At the Big Texan if you eat a 72oz steak in under an hour it's free. Neither of us felt up for the challenge though so we just had normal sized steak. The Big Texan is a crazy place to go though. Animatronic singing cowboy. Giant cow out front. Limousines with longhorns on front that give you rides to the restaurant. We also had a chat with David Waddle who sings and plays guitar for tables at the Big Texan. He's been a part of Route 66 pretty much all his life.

We then went to the Cadillac ranch just west of Amarillo. It was incredibly cold and windy when we got there. Cadillac ranch is a place where a row of 10 Cadillacs have been half buried in the ground and are sticking up. There are cans of spray painting lying everywhere that people pick up and use on the cars. They are covered in layers upon layers of spray paint. We wanted to do a sunset time lapse, but with the wind I had to hold onto the tripod the whole time. My legs were numb by the end. After 20 minutes of time lapse we started packing up and while we were packing it started to snow. We were pelted with wind and snow as we ran back to the car.

We then stayed the night at the blue swallow motel in Tucumcari, NM. We chatted with the owners who actually bought the place after moving from Michigan. They also recommended we go to the Pow Wow restaurant and lizard lounge for dinner and drinks which we did. We met a bunch of the locals there who were quite a hoot. We talked a lot with them about Route 66, New Mexico, and the apocalypse. It was a great night.

Now, after having some huevos rancheros for breakfast, we're heading toward Arizona. We'll see what awaits us.

Waking up in Oklahoma

I am currently in a bed in Oklahoma. Last night was a late night after an exciting day. We found an abandoned overpass on the side of the road. No idea how long it had been there or why it was given up on. I climbed it and looked out from the top. I'd never seen such a thing before. What was once a thriving road that countless cars crossed, carrying families on vacation, young people looking to find their dreams, and people running away from something was now just a thing on the side of the road that nobody even noticed.

We also saw one of my favorite roadside attractions, the blue whale in Catoosa, Ok. It looked actually like it had been taken care of recently. It looked cleaner and ready for guests than I remember. I actually got on top of it's fin. I didn't jump off though. The water still didn't look too great for that.

At night we got into Oklahoma City, had dinner, and then went and tricked with some Oklahoma folks. It had been so long since I'd done something like that. I forgot how fun and easy side flips are. We then went and got drinks at two different bars. It ended up being a late night, but I now feel well rested and ready for some breakfast. And coffee. Yeah. Coffee.

Morning in Cuba, MO

It's 7am on the second morning and it's just getting light out. The sun isn't up yet, but it looks like it could break out over the horizon at any moment. There's a problem already this morning though, there'a no coffee readily available because the office isn't open. We stayed at the Wagon Wheel Motel last night, which was quite pleasant. We also went to the East Office Bar and Grill for dinner and beers. We talked to the locals there about the apocalypse, Route 66, and reality television. Today we go as far as Oklahoma City to stay with Rachel Flesher, who lit me on fire the last time I saw her. Oh and David, my traveling buddy, is awful. Time to get back to motoring west.

It's dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.