Ride along with me...
Grand Champion
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 5,146
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From: S.W. Indiana
Yes, I well understood their purpose, grouch...
Though I never thought of the buffeting for cars behind the truck. But the streamlining to save fuel, a real positive factor. I wonder what that saving works out at in dollars?
10,000 miles would only be a month, even less on some runs. And then pure profit.
I also noted the windcheating things underneath some of the trailers. I've hunted through my pics looking for one that shows them well, but this is the only one that's clear and I don't think it's a good example:
Do you know how effective these are?
Though I never thought of the buffeting for cars behind the truck. But the streamlining to save fuel, a real positive factor. I wonder what that saving works out at in dollars?
10,000 miles would only be a month, even less on some runs. And then pure profit.
I also noted the windcheating things underneath some of the trailers. I've hunted through my pics looking for one that shows them well, but this is the only one that's clear and I don't think it's a good example:
Do you know how effective these are?
They cut down turbulence under the truck that tries to pull it back. Less drag although cars beside and behind don't notice that very much. Sometimes you'll see fuzzy strips hanging down and those also reduce drag but serve to reduce water spray in the rain. I marvel sometimes at how much trucks look a little like what I drove 40+ years ago, but also how much has changed.
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Captain
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 568
Likes: 8
From: The Summit, Queensland, Australia
I can certainly understand that, too...
There was a time when hitch-hiking you would take a lift in a truck. They might be uncomfortable to ride in and slow, but they got you there.
Then, when you're in a bit of a hurry you would skip the trucks and look to ride in cars, but at night when there was not much about you'd go back to looking for rides in trucks.
Today a ride in a truck, if they're allowed to give you one (another story), is good all round.
There was a time when hitch-hiking you would take a lift in a truck. They might be uncomfortable to ride in and slow, but they got you there.
Then, when you're in a bit of a hurry you would skip the trucks and look to ride in cars, but at night when there was not much about you'd go back to looking for rides in trucks.
Today a ride in a truck, if they're allowed to give you one (another story), is good all round.
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Captain
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 568
Likes: 8
From: The Summit, Queensland, Australia
"Easy!" you say?
About sixty miles down the road, straight run, even though it's at night it's the only road, the main road, all of that. Well, the map says you're right:
But we were driving by the GPS, weren't we?
I thought it knew better, but every time we saw a sign that said 'exit' from the general area of the tourist area the GPS was pointing us in another direction. I had some confidence, however, because it was set to 'shortest distance' and it might have known something the other traffic didn't. Mightn't it?
As darkness set in around us we got onto a dirt road, crossed a railway a couple of times and went around in circles. Twisting through the bush we went, Janet beside herself with fear that we'd get stuck out here...
But the GPS kept promising that we'd come to a road junction not far ahead. In the true manner of the Garmin, the first couple of these were merely bends in the road, but ultimately we saw some sign of human activity and reached the bitumen road that headed where we were going. But first we had to get some fuel, for which we stopped at the bright lights of Tusayan. We had to pay a premium price there, so we didn't get much and we headed straight back to the road south.
When we reached Williams we checked out the Super 8 but it was full. The Budget Motel wasn't, though, so we set aside our concerns that it might be like the one in Pennsylvania and... with an eye on the lateness of the hour... paid our $39.99 + tax and discovered we needed to drive around the block to park close to our room. But wait, there's more!
Perhaps we could have straightened up the pictures?
Small potatoes! And we could probably overlook the balancing act on top of the TV:
Yes, you're right, it does seem to be quite a small room. Behind the TV there was this tangle of wiring and the TV wasn't working until I sorted it out:
Nothing like motelling on a Budget... right?
About sixty miles down the road, straight run, even though it's at night it's the only road, the main road, all of that. Well, the map says you're right:
But we were driving by the GPS, weren't we?
I thought it knew better, but every time we saw a sign that said 'exit' from the general area of the tourist area the GPS was pointing us in another direction. I had some confidence, however, because it was set to 'shortest distance' and it might have known something the other traffic didn't. Mightn't it?
As darkness set in around us we got onto a dirt road, crossed a railway a couple of times and went around in circles. Twisting through the bush we went, Janet beside herself with fear that we'd get stuck out here...
On our way out we followed the directions of the GPS, well we seemed to be going in circles, by this time it was dark and the road was hard to see and we ended up on a gravel road, not a good one, for about ten miles. It seemed forever.
Just before that we’d passed a sign warning of big cats (I don’t know what sort, but they looked big)...
...so I was thinking, “This is great, we’re going to come across one of these in the dark or get a flat tyre and be stranded.”
Just before that we’d passed a sign warning of big cats (I don’t know what sort, but they looked big)...
...so I was thinking, “This is great, we’re going to come across one of these in the dark or get a flat tyre and be stranded.”
Eventually we got on the main road and came to one of the closest towns away from the Canyon – we’re in a motel, not nice. TV doesn’t work, the tap handle came off in my hand, but it was cheap.
When we reached Williams we checked out the Super 8 but it was full. The Budget Motel wasn't, though, so we set aside our concerns that it might be like the one in Pennsylvania and... with an eye on the lateness of the hour... paid our $39.99 + tax and discovered we needed to drive around the block to park close to our room. But wait, there's more!
Perhaps we could have straightened up the pictures?
Small potatoes! And we could probably overlook the balancing act on top of the TV:
Yes, you're right, it does seem to be quite a small room. Behind the TV there was this tangle of wiring and the TV wasn't working until I sorted it out:
Nothing like motelling on a Budget... right?
Last edited by Ray Bell; Feb 3, 2021 at 05:07 AM.
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Captain
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 568
Likes: 8
From: The Summit, Queensland, Australia
Did I mention that we had another 25-hour day coming into Arizona?
No, not a new time zone, it's just that Arizona don't have daylight saving! We realised this when we woke up in Williams and, as we started moving around, discovered that the world was about an hour behind what we expected. I was somewhat removed from the matter of time as my watch had become unreliable anyway, it wasn't worth consulting even if I continued to wear it. It spent more time stopped than going.
We got out of that motel early, anyway, considering it a lesson in where not to stay. We had to get some fuel, which we still found to be selling at 'tourist rates'... so we didn't get much. Breakfast at Dennys, when they got around to opening up, was on the menu and slowly we worked into getting mobile for the day.
Near where we got fuel we spotted the biggest array of mailboxes I've ever seen outside of a post office. See if you can count them, I reckon there's close to sixty!
As we drove away from Williams we were descending to lower country…
Janet took this shot, which I've included mainly because it shows the tinting that was on the windows of the pickup and made for a lot of discomfort while driving:
This was along the road to Kingman, where we would turn north to head for my appointment at Las Vegas. But we were barely fifty miles of driving into the day when I saw a couple of things that grabbed my attention. A fuel price I was looking for and a sign that proclaimed the presence of the 'Roadkill Cafe'. I put some fuel into the tank and we headed into the Route 66 town of Seligman AZ.
They profess there that they are the town which saved the remnants of Route 66 when the I40 took over. I'm told other towns make the same claim, but these people do it with a smile. If not a laugh. One of the first things I saw as I drove into town was another Edsel. The second one I'd seen in my life, this one a 2-door hardtop with a Continental Kit
And on the extended bumper section of the Continental Kit were mannequins in fifties gear, with a plastic chair chained to the car so people can take their friends' photos sitting there:
Note some of the signs in the background here, you can see the humour dripping through this town. Near the car was this mock grave:
Are you getting the idea of what this town is about? As I swung around you can imagine my surprise at seeing yet another Edsel!
The 'Lemon Cab Co' was, I thought, a nice touch. Other old cars decorated other businesses, with a view to revisiting the Route 66 heyday. In one place was this car of which I can't recall the make... maybe someone here will recognise it?
Looking around all this stuff took time. Janet went souvenir hunting and struck up some good conversations while I photographed other sights. As the time was passing we decided to look for something to eat... conveniently there was plenty of opportunity, even though we still hadn't found the 'Roadkill Cafe'... we went to this one:
There was something that appealed about his neon sign flashing in the window:
But... getting inside was harder than I expected...
...as I reached for the doorhandle under the 'Pull' sign. I pulled, but it failed to budge, while all the diners present were smiling at me. Perhaps I should push instead? They started to laugh about the same time as I observed those big brass hinges on the same side of the door. Janet was a wakeup to all of this as can be seen above.
There was more to come. I ordered, the man behind the counter (surely the owner of the place?) grabbed a red squeeze sauce bottle and asked if I wanted it with ketchup. As he asked he squeezed it in my direction and a stream of red headed for me. But it was string, nothing difficult to deal with. And he had a mustard squeezer of the same type as well.
We had to top up the radiator water here, I got a bottle filled by a helpful chap in a house in a back street where I was looking for an accessible tap (and not finding one), then we finally photographed the Roadkill Cafe...
...and headed off for Kingman, about 75 miles down the Interstate. Ahhh, the Interstate…
And the tedium of covering slow miles on a fast road set in. But it was all interesting and new for us...
No, not a new time zone, it's just that Arizona don't have daylight saving! We realised this when we woke up in Williams and, as we started moving around, discovered that the world was about an hour behind what we expected. I was somewhat removed from the matter of time as my watch had become unreliable anyway, it wasn't worth consulting even if I continued to wear it. It spent more time stopped than going.
We got out of that motel early, anyway, considering it a lesson in where not to stay. We had to get some fuel, which we still found to be selling at 'tourist rates'... so we didn't get much. Breakfast at Dennys, when they got around to opening up, was on the menu and slowly we worked into getting mobile for the day.
Had breakfast – bacon and eggs – at Dennys, a chain of restaurants we were told about by Jerry back in Stanthorpe.
As we drove away from Williams we were descending to lower country…
We are now on our way to Las Vegas – 207 miles to go. Ray has stopped up the road to take pictures of the panorama as we are driving down to a lower altitude.
More bushes cover the plain. Changed again, just dry grass, fewer bushes. We seem to be climbing again. A train in the distance breaks the monotony and a sign advertising the Roadkill Cafe shows that being out here hasn’t stopped them having a sense of humour.
This was along the road to Kingman, where we would turn north to head for my appointment at Las Vegas. But we were barely fifty miles of driving into the day when I saw a couple of things that grabbed my attention. A fuel price I was looking for and a sign that proclaimed the presence of the 'Roadkill Cafe'. I put some fuel into the tank and we headed into the Route 66 town of Seligman AZ.
It is getting hot and Ray wants to stop for a while – stop for petrol, fairly expensive. Thinking of Subway for lunch.
And on the extended bumper section of the Continental Kit were mannequins in fifties gear, with a plastic chair chained to the car so people can take their friends' photos sitting there:
Note some of the signs in the background here, you can see the humour dripping through this town. Near the car was this mock grave:
Are you getting the idea of what this town is about? As I swung around you can imagine my surprise at seeing yet another Edsel!
The 'Lemon Cab Co' was, I thought, a nice touch. Other old cars decorated other businesses, with a view to revisiting the Route 66 heyday. In one place was this car of which I can't recall the make... maybe someone here will recognise it?
Looking around all this stuff took time. Janet went souvenir hunting and struck up some good conversations while I photographed other sights. As the time was passing we decided to look for something to eat... conveniently there was plenty of opportunity, even though we still hadn't found the 'Roadkill Cafe'... we went to this one:
There was something that appealed about his neon sign flashing in the window:
But... getting inside was harder than I expected...
...as I reached for the doorhandle under the 'Pull' sign. I pulled, but it failed to budge, while all the diners present were smiling at me. Perhaps I should push instead? They started to laugh about the same time as I observed those big brass hinges on the same side of the door. Janet was a wakeup to all of this as can be seen above.
There was more to come. I ordered, the man behind the counter (surely the owner of the place?) grabbed a red squeeze sauce bottle and asked if I wanted it with ketchup. As he asked he squeezed it in my direction and a stream of red headed for me. But it was string, nothing difficult to deal with. And he had a mustard squeezer of the same type as well.
Had an interesting time at our lunch stop at Seligman. It is an historic town with lots of curiosity-type shops. Its claim to fame is that it organised the registering of Route 66 (heritage listing).
Bought a couple of souvenirs and never did get Subway, instead we went into a shop where they advertised ‘dead chicken’. The owner had a real sense of humour, he brought out a tomato sauce bottle and pretended to spray us with sauce. Instead it was a piece of red string.
He also, on the entry door, had a ‘push’ sign on the side where the hinges were, so when you pushed nothing happened. The fish and chips were nice, bland enough for Ray.
Bought a couple of souvenirs and never did get Subway, instead we went into a shop where they advertised ‘dead chicken’. The owner had a real sense of humour, he brought out a tomato sauce bottle and pretended to spray us with sauce. Instead it was a piece of red string.
He also, on the entry door, had a ‘push’ sign on the side where the hinges were, so when you pushed nothing happened. The fish and chips were nice, bland enough for Ray.
We had to top up the radiator water here, I got a bottle filled by a helpful chap in a house in a back street where I was looking for an accessible tap (and not finding one), then we finally photographed the Roadkill Cafe...
...and headed off for Kingman, about 75 miles down the Interstate. Ahhh, the Interstate…
Leaving there we go past more of the same until we begin to climb. Trucks go barrelling past (everyone can pass us), it is 75mph limit, we only do about 60-65mph. The trucks even going downhill go faster, scary to watch. A coach overtakes.
Real fair dinkum ‘trailer trash’ in the middle of nowhere, and then, around the corner and out of the blue, an enormous watering hole – a huge gas station with restaurants etc.
Real fair dinkum ‘trailer trash’ in the middle of nowhere, and then, around the corner and out of the blue, an enormous watering hole – a huge gas station with restaurants etc.
And the tedium of covering slow miles on a fast road set in. But it was all interesting and new for us...
Last edited by Ray Bell; Aug 13, 2020 at 08:52 AM.
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Captain
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 568
Likes: 8
From: The Summit, Queensland, Australia
We were having a bit of a low-key day, enjoying ourselves immensely, and were under no pressure. But time was getting away and we still didn't want to be travelling after sundown.
This was our route for the day:
The Interstate helped the miles disappear and I noticed a distant airport off to the right as we headed down the inclining landscape into Kingman.
Out there in the distance I recognised the distinctive yellow of DHL seemed to be on many of the planes there. As my stepson works for DHL in Australia I thought it would be nice to get a pic of them for him. We drove into town, refuelled again, then headed out the road that took us closer to the airport. But photographing wasn't so easy with a train in the way!
Worse, there was some opposition on board:
Finally...
We drove back into the centre of Kingman, picked up some local newspapers and went to the tourist office. It was a paltry affair, I thought, and as I headed back to the Dodge to make a coffee for myself and a tea for Janet I was approached by a man who was trying to bum some money with a strange story about a car problem. I watched as he approached others and then disappeared.
As we had our 'afternoon tea' we watched more trains go by...
We looked at the (largely bare) hills all around and then let our thoughts return to the job at hand. We hit the road for Las Vegas, about 100 miles away, but with the prospect of a diversion to see the Hoover Dam.
We both noted the heavy traffic heading out of Las Vegas on the Sunday evening, reckoning that they'd been gambling away their cash all weekend, but they might have been to the Hoover Dam too...
Unfortunately it was dark by the time we got there. Must have been the time zone changing into Nevada or something... we went through the inspections (they are very nervous about the prospect of a terrorist attack on this iconic dam) and crossed the wall to park in a spot where we could see the view. It was reasonably well-lit (the water level was fairly low), but not good enough for a proper photo at this hour... still, I got a shot or two...
But even more staggering to me was the bridge on the Interstate we'd just driven across... how did that get there?
And as the day had passed, and impressed by the Hoover Dam and the huge bridge, we headed back across the wall and on to Las Vegas... its lights sparkling in the desert before us from about twenty miles out:
We sought out the Super 8 in Koval Lane. It was attached to a casino with a great dining room, the price was right, the carpark gave the pickup security and Janet's backside was going to get a 4-day rest from sitting on what she reckoned was an uncomfortable seat.
Oddly enough, and remembering our experience in South Bend with the motel coupons being worthless if there was something special on, the day after our arrival they put their prices up sky high. But they allowed us to remain on the lower price despite everyone arriving that day having to pay more.
This stopover would also, it turned out, give me a chance to fix a few things on the truck...
This was our route for the day:
On our right there are planes, looks like a base. Coming into Kingman, where we turn off to Hoover Dam and Las Vegas. Kingman is a big place, own airport.
We stop for petrol, it is a lot cheaper than we have seen for some time.
We stop for petrol, it is a lot cheaper than we have seen for some time.
Out there in the distance I recognised the distinctive yellow of DHL seemed to be on many of the planes there. As my stepson works for DHL in Australia I thought it would be nice to get a pic of them for him. We drove into town, refuelled again, then headed out the road that took us closer to the airport. But photographing wasn't so easy with a train in the way!
Worse, there was some opposition on board:
Finally...
We drove back into the centre of Kingman, picked up some local newspapers and went to the tourist office. It was a paltry affair, I thought, and as I headed back to the Dodge to make a coffee for myself and a tea for Janet I was approached by a man who was trying to bum some money with a strange story about a car problem. I watched as he approached others and then disappeared.
As we had our 'afternoon tea' we watched more trains go by...
We looked at the (largely bare) hills all around and then let our thoughts return to the job at hand. We hit the road for Las Vegas, about 100 miles away, but with the prospect of a diversion to see the Hoover Dam.
Signs of mining on the mountains just outside Kingman...
Lots of cars going in the opposite direction, maybe travelling home after a weekend in Vegas (‘For richer or poorer.’). Houses dot the barren landscape, a whole lot of mailboxes in a row on the side of the road is evidence many people live out of sight, a long distance away, because you can see for miles – it is so flat before surrounding mountains.
We went past an interesting sight, a house no fewer than three storeys high made out of scraps of wood, motley coloured, even had a balcony for the top storey.
The sun shining on the mountains, the many houses shining like lights with the moon above...
...no camera can do it justice. It is certainly a good time to see this area. 5:30 as the sun goes down. The mountains ahead are a real blue, the ones beside ranging from cream to brown and to orange.
65 miles to Vegas and the headlights of the cars coming from that direction indicate that Vegas is a very busy place.
Lots of cars going in the opposite direction, maybe travelling home after a weekend in Vegas (‘For richer or poorer.’). Houses dot the barren landscape, a whole lot of mailboxes in a row on the side of the road is evidence many people live out of sight, a long distance away, because you can see for miles – it is so flat before surrounding mountains.
We went past an interesting sight, a house no fewer than three storeys high made out of scraps of wood, motley coloured, even had a balcony for the top storey.
The sun shining on the mountains, the many houses shining like lights with the moon above...
...no camera can do it justice. It is certainly a good time to see this area. 5:30 as the sun goes down. The mountains ahead are a real blue, the ones beside ranging from cream to brown and to orange.
65 miles to Vegas and the headlights of the cars coming from that direction indicate that Vegas is a very busy place.
Unfortunately it was dark by the time we got there. Must have been the time zone changing into Nevada or something... we went through the inspections (they are very nervous about the prospect of a terrorist attack on this iconic dam) and crossed the wall to park in a spot where we could see the view. It was reasonably well-lit (the water level was fairly low), but not good enough for a proper photo at this hour... still, I got a shot or two...
But even more staggering to me was the bridge on the Interstate we'd just driven across... how did that get there?
We got to Hoover Dam as it was getting dark, security was tight. The security officers at the gate looked over the car, noticing all our luggage, wanted to know what we were doing.
Drove down to the viewing site, winding down some way, more security on the dam – spectacular place. The water level seemed down.
Drove down to the viewing site, winding down some way, more security on the dam – spectacular place. The water level seemed down.
Got to Vegas, what a place, made more amazing because of it being night, nothing but a sea of lights in this flat country. It must go for at least twenty miles.
We forgot to set the GPS for a motel, must have just set it for Vegas so it took us right into the middle of this mad-house – traffic and people everywhere. So we set it for the Super 8 motel, reasonable offer ($40 a night) in a coupon book, can’t believe it. Quite a nice room and even has laundry facilities.
Went out for tea next door at the restaurant/casino. Casinos everywhere, went for a walk until our number was called, that’s how busy it was. We went away for about an hour.
Tea was a bit of a fiasco for Ray – everything they brought was too spiced. Waiter very patient. We will go back for tea tomorrow night and he ‘promises’ he will get it right.
We forgot to set the GPS for a motel, must have just set it for Vegas so it took us right into the middle of this mad-house – traffic and people everywhere. So we set it for the Super 8 motel, reasonable offer ($40 a night) in a coupon book, can’t believe it. Quite a nice room and even has laundry facilities.
Went out for tea next door at the restaurant/casino. Casinos everywhere, went for a walk until our number was called, that’s how busy it was. We went away for about an hour.
Tea was a bit of a fiasco for Ray – everything they brought was too spiced. Waiter very patient. We will go back for tea tomorrow night and he ‘promises’ he will get it right.
Oddly enough, and remembering our experience in South Bend with the motel coupons being worthless if there was something special on, the day after our arrival they put their prices up sky high. But they allowed us to remain on the lower price despite everyone arriving that day having to pay more.
This stopover would also, it turned out, give me a chance to fix a few things on the truck...
Last edited by Ray Bell; Feb 3, 2021 at 05:10 AM.
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Captain
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 568
Likes: 8
From: The Summit, Queensland, Australia
That first night in Vegas we dined at the Casino restaurant next to the Super 8...
The waiter tried hard to get my meal right, but the chef was keen to thwart his efforts. The queue for a meal was quite long, we went for a walk up to the Strip while we waited, then when the waiter tried so hard we arranged to have him serve us the next night too so he could ensure my meal would be right. Janet, having no problems like mine, enjoyed her meal.
We went back to our room to plan Monday's activities. I didn't have the phone number for the man I was there to help out at the SEMA show, nor did I have a ticket, know where it was on or anything. Some of that was easy, of course, but there was some apprehension about what Monday would bring.
Yes, it was Janet's turn to do the laundry here, there was a laundry in the Super 8 so that was easy. We had breakfast and I started out by going to the bus stop and asking which bus to catch. I met a young local man there who gave me the rundown on everything I needed to know. For $5.00 a day you could go wherever you liked on as many buses as you liked in Vegas. I bought the $5 pass when the bus came and he showed me where to change and told me which bus to catch to get to the centre where the show was being held. I was getting close when I saw this arriving:
The whole thing was enormous!
There were more people running the show, securing the doors, checking tickets, looking after stand holders and all of that sort of thing than you see paying public at a show at home. I found where the stand was supposed to be and he wasn't there! I waited and looked around, I couldn't find him nor anyone who knew where he might be. Monday was the final set-up day.
I headed back to the motel. I didn't seem to be making the connections with the buses so I walked, the beginnings of me really hurting my feet in Vegas. Still, I saw things we don't see in Australia:
We'd walked well over a mile the night before while we killed time waiting for dinner, but this was much further. I got onto the net and e-mailed Sydney to be told that he'd phoned them the night before and told them he had the stand set up. I was confused. I got a phone number and tried that, no answer. I e-mailed them my phone number so he could call me. I'd done all I could.
So then I went down to the carpark and looked at the truck. I'd had a bad experience once before pulling window tinting off, it needed a solvent that time, but the stuff that had been taunting me on this thing just peeled away easily. I got rid of all but the strip across the top of the windscreen and lamented that I hadn't tried that back in Bloomington the day I arrived.
The vent window on the driver's side had been maladjusted and we hadn't been able to open it without risking it falling out. I fixed that. The external mirrors were large and gave good visibility, but over about 45mph they laid back and stayed there. I pulled the covers off them and adjusted the holders so that wouldn't happen again. Just a few little things that needed to be done and really should have been done sooner. I was very satisfied that afternoon with the jobs completed that the knowledge that the truck would be much better to drive with them done.
All the while Janet was out looking around the shopping and casino precincts. She wrote in her diary:
My feet were copping heaps too, but I'd agreed that I wouldn't drive the truck in Vegas, just give it a rest. Tuesday would surely offer some relief from all this walking?
The waiter tried hard to get my meal right, but the chef was keen to thwart his efforts. The queue for a meal was quite long, we went for a walk up to the Strip while we waited, then when the waiter tried so hard we arranged to have him serve us the next night too so he could ensure my meal would be right. Janet, having no problems like mine, enjoyed her meal.
We went back to our room to plan Monday's activities. I didn't have the phone number for the man I was there to help out at the SEMA show, nor did I have a ticket, know where it was on or anything. Some of that was easy, of course, but there was some apprehension about what Monday would bring.
Woke up, had breakfast, did laundry while Ray went to meet up with the fellow he’s going to help out at the car show.
The whole thing was enormous!
There were more people running the show, securing the doors, checking tickets, looking after stand holders and all of that sort of thing than you see paying public at a show at home. I found where the stand was supposed to be and he wasn't there! I waited and looked around, I couldn't find him nor anyone who knew where he might be. Monday was the final set-up day.
I headed back to the motel. I didn't seem to be making the connections with the buses so I walked, the beginnings of me really hurting my feet in Vegas. Still, I saw things we don't see in Australia:
We'd walked well over a mile the night before while we killed time waiting for dinner, but this was much further. I got onto the net and e-mailed Sydney to be told that he'd phoned them the night before and told them he had the stand set up. I was confused. I got a phone number and tried that, no answer. I e-mailed them my phone number so he could call me. I'd done all I could.
So then I went down to the carpark and looked at the truck. I'd had a bad experience once before pulling window tinting off, it needed a solvent that time, but the stuff that had been taunting me on this thing just peeled away easily. I got rid of all but the strip across the top of the windscreen and lamented that I hadn't tried that back in Bloomington the day I arrived.
The vent window on the driver's side had been maladjusted and we hadn't been able to open it without risking it falling out. I fixed that. The external mirrors were large and gave good visibility, but over about 45mph they laid back and stayed there. I pulled the covers off them and adjusted the holders so that wouldn't happen again. Just a few little things that needed to be done and really should have been done sooner. I was very satisfied that afternoon with the jobs completed that the knowledge that the truck would be much better to drive with them done.
All the while Janet was out looking around the shopping and casino precincts. She wrote in her diary:
I walked and walked for hours getting lost, not finding much as everything was so expensive. Finally found my way back to the motel and Ray was already there.....
They have gone to so much trouble with their buildings inside and out. The foyers to the casinos are incredible. A Venetian theme was in one with gondolas, another had an enormous fish tank in it, another had a well-known mural on the ceiling - it had a da Vinci theme and on all the ceilings of the shopping plaza it was made to look like the sky with clouds. Amazing. And designed with not many exits so you have to go all the way through, very tiring!
We went for dinner at the restaurant where we were last night - it was closed. Very unusual. I didn't want to walk too far for dinner but had to. Blisters are really bad! Had tea in Dennys, had a nice talk with a couple there, they are being affected by Hurricane Sandy where they live in New York State. They were very worried about their boat. She had the same allergy to onion and garlic as Ray. She has just retired as a school teacher in the Bronx.
By the time we walked back tot he motel, or even a long time before that, I felt dead on my feet.
They have gone to so much trouble with their buildings inside and out. The foyers to the casinos are incredible. A Venetian theme was in one with gondolas, another had an enormous fish tank in it, another had a well-known mural on the ceiling - it had a da Vinci theme and on all the ceilings of the shopping plaza it was made to look like the sky with clouds. Amazing. And designed with not many exits so you have to go all the way through, very tiring!
We went for dinner at the restaurant where we were last night - it was closed. Very unusual. I didn't want to walk too far for dinner but had to. Blisters are really bad! Had tea in Dennys, had a nice talk with a couple there, they are being affected by Hurricane Sandy where they live in New York State. They were very worried about their boat. She had the same allergy to onion and garlic as Ray. She has just retired as a school teacher in the Bronx.
By the time we walked back tot he motel, or even a long time before that, I felt dead on my feet.
Thread Starter
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Captain
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 568
Likes: 8
From: The Summit, Queensland, Australia
Photos from SEMA and Las Vegas... that first day...
I guess you could call this the 'Highs and the Lows' of it.
More lows, and is there any room left in the top of these fenders?
A lot of work has gone into this Road Runner.
Some people have a lot of time on their hands.
And a promise of more action?
On my second day there I finally got in touch with ------. John Fleming, my import agent for the bits and pieces I import into Australia, was at the show and I had his phone number. He found the stand that wasn't set up the day before and arranged for ------ to have my pass available. So I headed on down there again. It was just in time for me to use the 24-hour bus pass again...
I got there and found the very rudimentary stand was very light-on for display material, but people came up and made enquiries. Then I learned that there was no notepad to take details of those who wanted to know more! This was a joke, I started making notes on the back of a box and took a few details, I was pretty disgusted with ------'s lack of preparation but we made arrangements for he and his lady to come and dine with us that night at the restaurant in the casino and we'd go out and get some notepads and stuff to make things a little more useful.
Janet’s day was more casual...
The dining room was open, the problems from a fire in the kitchen the previous day had been remedied and we sat down to eat. The next table to us was occupied by a bunch of blokes who had the loudest voices I have ever heard! And the waiter we had the first night wasn’t there, so I had to break in another one.
Scarpering among the Walmarts afterwards (going from place to place in the rental car ------ had) was a bit of fun.
I also managed to pick up some little convex mirror stick-ons to help with rearward visibility in the truck... so with the removal of the tinting, securing of the mirrors and the addition of these stick-ons the whole picture rearwards and outwards improved:
We retired for the evening with me hopeful the next day would be more useful at the show...
I guess you could call this the 'Highs and the Lows' of it.
More lows, and is there any room left in the top of these fenders?
A lot of work has gone into this Road Runner.
Some people have a lot of time on their hands.
And a promise of more action?
On my second day there I finally got in touch with ------. John Fleming, my import agent for the bits and pieces I import into Australia, was at the show and I had his phone number. He found the stand that wasn't set up the day before and arranged for ------ to have my pass available. So I headed on down there again. It was just in time for me to use the 24-hour bus pass again...
I got there and found the very rudimentary stand was very light-on for display material, but people came up and made enquiries. Then I learned that there was no notepad to take details of those who wanted to know more! This was a joke, I started making notes on the back of a box and took a few details, I was pretty disgusted with ------'s lack of preparation but we made arrangements for he and his lady to come and dine with us that night at the restaurant in the casino and we'd go out and get some notepads and stuff to make things a little more useful.
Janet’s day was more casual...
Went next door for breakfast, the restaurant was still closed, security told me it would be closed for another few hours, something wrong in the kitchen.
Feet are still killing me, aches and pains all over. Went to a small cafe in some complex I hadn’t noticed before, got a really cheap breakfast bun. I am going to have a quiet one today while Ray goes up to try to meet ----- at the convention centre.
Ray did meet up with ----- while I only went out to get some lunch next door.
Ray got back about 6:30 and informed me we were having dinner with ----- and his partner, Jasmine next door. We had a while to wait to get into the restaurant – took a number, waited 45 minutes.
They seemed quite friendly and after tea we went searching for a few things the guys wanted – tools and the like at Walmart. We went to a couple as well as Target – open until about midnight.
Feet are still killing me, aches and pains all over. Went to a small cafe in some complex I hadn’t noticed before, got a really cheap breakfast bun. I am going to have a quiet one today while Ray goes up to try to meet ----- at the convention centre.
Ray did meet up with ----- while I only went out to get some lunch next door.
Ray got back about 6:30 and informed me we were having dinner with ----- and his partner, Jasmine next door. We had a while to wait to get into the restaurant – took a number, waited 45 minutes.
They seemed quite friendly and after tea we went searching for a few things the guys wanted – tools and the like at Walmart. We went to a couple as well as Target – open until about midnight.
Scarpering among the Walmarts afterwards (going from place to place in the rental car ------ had) was a bit of fun.
I also managed to pick up some little convex mirror stick-ons to help with rearward visibility in the truck... so with the removal of the tinting, securing of the mirrors and the addition of these stick-ons the whole picture rearwards and outwards improved:
We retired for the evening with me hopeful the next day would be more useful at the show...
Last edited by Ray Bell; Mar 23, 2020 at 11:36 AM.
Thread Starter
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Captain
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 568
Likes: 8
From: The Summit, Queensland, Australia
Wednesday... I walked around to the bus stop...
Something funny happened there, a tall well-dressed dark man walked up to the rubbish bin near the bus stop and put something in... and took something out! There was food and a drink in the bag he dropped off, of course I have no idea what he took out, but it looks like he uses the bin as a personal stash of some kind.
The same young man I'd met on Monday came along to catch the bus and we continued our conversation from the other day. The bus came and I was in trouble. They don't give change! I needed to give the driver my $5 for the 24-hour ticket and I only had a $10 note and $4.00 in change... my friend gave me the extra dollar and I gave him an Australian $1 coin as a memento.
After changing buses I was quite taken by the appearance of a girl who got on...
The various things she had hanging off her ears, the headphones and all were not unusual, but the large-ish baubles hanging off her lip surprised me. And at the next corner I got this one that had me amused:
Once at SEMA I was locked in to a tiring day talking to people and making notes of contacts for further sales efforts. ------ seemed only to be interested in selling the rights to one of his products to a US maker and he was very negative around the stand. Once the day was done I went back to the motel. Vegas was wearing on me big time.
More from the SEMA show, however:
A lot of effort's gone into this... but I'm not sure what it achieves
.
F1-like technology to modify a ute?
I'd consider this to be rice.
Back at the motel, or more precisely, outside the casino, I finally got a pic of a Baja... we don't have these at home:
Thursday was to be my last day at the SEMA show...
I was going to stay over for Friday, but I saw little point. We were getting a few minor leads, but ------ was really showing himself to be out of touch with what he needs to do to market his products and was frustrating me severely. On the way in I wondered about this modified Mopar:
What's the religious significance of that?
Janet took to the buses with a $5 pass...
I had taken a little time to look around the show during the day, I met up with Lee from Koni, who is also on The Nostalgia Forum, looked at a kit car which uses Subaru components...
It's the 'Factory Five Racing' Project 818 and it wasn't all that expensive, wrapped in a neat sports car shell it wouldn't be bad at all. I also had a close look at the ATI harmonic damper display...
...because we've been trying to get them to make dampers for us for a while.
For days I'd been hearing the sound of tortured tyres and roaring V8 engines outside the show, this time I walked across that way to have a look...
I really don't know what it was all about, but there was lots of noise and smoke as a few cars were thrown about. As I headed back to the hotel I shot a pic of this stretched Escalade:
I have a severe distaste for stretched Hummers, and while I'd still say this was ridiculous, it wasn't as ridiculous as the Hummers that were around in numbers. Then back to the motel...
The truck was fired up and for the first time we used it to get around Vegas, at the 99c store I bought four LED torches (for 99c each) and a packet of batteries to make them work (99c again) and a few other items, then we were off to Buy Rite to get the Samsung Galaxy tablet she craved. I recall that we had a bit of trouble finding an ATM on the way back to the hotel, but we got that sorted and then filled the fuel tank... we were ready to head north the next morning...
Something funny happened there, a tall well-dressed dark man walked up to the rubbish bin near the bus stop and put something in... and took something out! There was food and a drink in the bag he dropped off, of course I have no idea what he took out, but it looks like he uses the bin as a personal stash of some kind.
The same young man I'd met on Monday came along to catch the bus and we continued our conversation from the other day. The bus came and I was in trouble. They don't give change! I needed to give the driver my $5 for the 24-hour ticket and I only had a $10 note and $4.00 in change... my friend gave me the extra dollar and I gave him an Australian $1 coin as a memento.
After changing buses I was quite taken by the appearance of a girl who got on...
The various things she had hanging off her ears, the headphones and all were not unusual, but the large-ish baubles hanging off her lip surprised me. And at the next corner I got this one that had me amused:
Once at SEMA I was locked in to a tiring day talking to people and making notes of contacts for further sales efforts. ------ seemed only to be interested in selling the rights to one of his products to a US maker and he was very negative around the stand. Once the day was done I went back to the motel. Vegas was wearing on me big time.
More from the SEMA show, however:
A lot of effort's gone into this... but I'm not sure what it achieves
.
F1-like technology to modify a ute?
I'd consider this to be rice.
Back at the motel, or more precisely, outside the casino, I finally got a pic of a Baja... we don't have these at home:
Thursday was to be my last day at the SEMA show...
I was going to stay over for Friday, but I saw little point. We were getting a few minor leads, but ------ was really showing himself to be out of touch with what he needs to do to market his products and was frustrating me severely. On the way in I wondered about this modified Mopar:
What's the religious significance of that?
Janet took to the buses with a $5 pass...
Still in Las Vegas – while Ray is at the SEMA show I will go on the buses today just to look at Vegas away from the casino scene, if there is any such thing.
Went outside the motel and caught a bus.- $5 for 24 hours, not bad. It went for ages, going west to nearly the extremity of the city to yet another casino. It took about one and a half hours to get there, waited for twenty minutes and came back another one and a half hours. Came back to the motel for an hour then went on another bus - it only went a short way.
Then I caught another one from around the corner that took me to the eastern extremity of the city. I got off it to look at a shop where everything is 99c. It's called "The 99c Shop" - amazing what you can buy there, quite a busy shop. I bought some things we needed for the trip, tea bags, coffee whitener, tweezers, biscuits, toothpaste etc.
Went outside the motel and caught a bus.- $5 for 24 hours, not bad. It went for ages, going west to nearly the extremity of the city to yet another casino. It took about one and a half hours to get there, waited for twenty minutes and came back another one and a half hours. Came back to the motel for an hour then went on another bus - it only went a short way.
Then I caught another one from around the corner that took me to the eastern extremity of the city. I got off it to look at a shop where everything is 99c. It's called "The 99c Shop" - amazing what you can buy there, quite a busy shop. I bought some things we needed for the trip, tea bags, coffee whitener, tweezers, biscuits, toothpaste etc.
It's the 'Factory Five Racing' Project 818 and it wasn't all that expensive, wrapped in a neat sports car shell it wouldn't be bad at all. I also had a close look at the ATI harmonic damper display...
...because we've been trying to get them to make dampers for us for a while.
For days I'd been hearing the sound of tortured tyres and roaring V8 engines outside the show, this time I walked across that way to have a look...
I really don't know what it was all about, but there was lots of noise and smoke as a few cars were thrown about. As I headed back to the hotel I shot a pic of this stretched Escalade:
I have a severe distaste for stretched Hummers, and while I'd still say this was ridiculous, it wasn't as ridiculous as the Hummers that were around in numbers. Then back to the motel...
Saw beer being made at the motel’s restaurant next to the motel, apparently they are famous for their brewery.
When Ray got back from SEMA we had tea and then he wanted to go to the 99c shop, so we did and also an electrical store to look for an I-pad for me to use. I bought a Galaxy like Lora, Justin's wife's. We got petrol and some cash out because we're leaving early tomorrow thank goodness, I have packed most of our things into the car.
When Ray got back from SEMA we had tea and then he wanted to go to the 99c shop, so we did and also an electrical store to look for an I-pad for me to use. I bought a Galaxy like Lora, Justin's wife's. We got petrol and some cash out because we're leaving early tomorrow thank goodness, I have packed most of our things into the car.
Last edited by Ray Bell; Mar 23, 2020 at 11:49 AM.
Thread Starter
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Captain
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 568
Likes: 8
From: The Summit, Queensland, Australia
Time to leave Las Vegas...
But before we went we had to see Kenny, who had a mirror for me. Kenny's a member of another forum and has been very friendly to me. We found his place early and exchanged things. He had not long got home from work... he works through the night, he wanted a photo of us alongside the Dodge and we got a pic of him:
We then headed for the I15 heading north, we wanted to get a nice early start to the day as we had some more canyons to look at and that sort of thing. We figured on getting breakfast at the next decent town, which was Mesquite... about 70 miles away.
As we left the desert city we observed some of the sprawl that had come of the boom a few years ago, the boom that saw another forum-friend, Buford, living out here, the boom that was followed by the bust... multitudes of houses spreading out from the city's edge:
I had been unable to contact Buford prior to this point, and then I had the inspiration to send him a PM (though he no longer posts on that forum) and he phoned me the day I left town! At least I now had his number, and we had a few conversations together. As the urban development abated the desert and the Interstate began to dominate the scene, along with the inevitable advertising signs directed at the incoming Vegas traffic...
Does anyone know what this plant is all about?
It wasn't the only one... nor was this Louisville...
The traffic was endless, this car carrier was a typical sight:
...and the Interstate spread out as the space available for it became greater...
Janet continued to write as we drove:
Concrete walls lined this stretch of the Interstate:
Then we came to Mesquite, which seemed to us like a Mini-Vegas, perhaps benefitting from the attention of those Utah residents who didn't want to go the extra 80 miles to the real thing to do their gambling?
The oatmeal breakfast at McDonalds was very welcome at this time, we felt we were off to a good start to the day and sat down briefly to enjoy that before pressing on into the desert. Mesquite, too, seems to have gone through a boom time over the past decade or so:
Again, fuelled by the power of the casinos to draw in the people...
...and with the inevitable signs to tell travellers what there is:
Note here the clutch of vehicles behind us, inevitably catching up to us and they would go by before too long.
We were yet to learn what was to become the balance of our trip that day. From Mesquite we cut across a corner of Arizona and into Utah, as shown on the map above, the day was warming up as we stroked the slant 6 across the flat desert of north-west Arizona.
Dead straight and dead flat, the I15 could be seen rolling our for miles ahead of us. There were, to our right and to our left, the occasional ranges of hills, and dead ahead of us we could see the same. We knew, of course, that the Interstate would be turning either to the right or to the left as we closed in on the hills ahead, but there was no sign of such a turn as we hurried along this part of the Interstate.
Traffic continued to pass us going south, some of the northbound traffic was passing us too, there was plenty of traffic and particularly trucks as the various forms of cargo headed in each direction. Still there was no turning in sight.
We were closing in on this range of hills, we were getting close enough to see for sure that the Interstate didn't climb over them, but we were getting too close to comfortably turn and avoid them... what lay ahead?
Right at the foot of the hills we swept through a big left-hand bend:
A sign now explained the reason for not avoiding these hills, it read, Virgin River Gorge... this river hadn't swerved to avoid the hills either, but buried its way through them to create a spectacular gorge that came through the hills at an angle, hence we couldn't see any gap from back down the highway.
The road-builders had helped the river in its ongoing task of widening the gorge's entry:
Here we had the Virgin River off to the left, the southbound lanes in the middle and our northbound lanes on the right. The traffic sped on through...
But the gorge did what all good gorges do, it got narrower, so the engineers built the southbound lanes out over the river...
...and then as it narrowed further the Northbound lanes joined the southbound over the river:
This remained until there was room for us to once again descend...
We stopped to take stock of all this, it had unfolded around us and thankfully Janet had kept on shooting pics so we could work out what had happened. She wrote:
She hadn't grasped what had happened to the road there at all, merely that it was a spectacular gorge, which it was, but made all the more spectacular by the road designers and engineers as they turned it into a part of the I15.
There was a spot on the exit to pull over...
On the side there was this creek (or river?)...
...and ahead the road moved inevitably toward its distant goals...
Soon we were entering Utah, where the sign told us there was 'Elevated Living' and we mused over whether or not this meant the physical altitude or the approach of the Mormon church that pervades in this state. We drove into St George looking for somewhere to get tourist information and have a coffee...
But before we went we had to see Kenny, who had a mirror for me. Kenny's a member of another forum and has been very friendly to me. We found his place early and exchanged things. He had not long got home from work... he works through the night, he wanted a photo of us alongside the Dodge and we got a pic of him:
Left Vegas early without breakfast and went to pick up something from Kenny, he was there and wanted a photo of us beside the truck.
As we left the desert city we observed some of the sprawl that had come of the boom a few years ago, the boom that saw another forum-friend, Buford, living out here, the boom that was followed by the bust... multitudes of houses spreading out from the city's edge:
I had been unable to contact Buford prior to this point, and then I had the inspiration to send him a PM (though he no longer posts on that forum) and he phoned me the day I left town! At least I now had his number, and we had a few conversations together. As the urban development abated the desert and the Interstate began to dominate the scene, along with the inevitable advertising signs directed at the incoming Vegas traffic...
Now driving North-East along another fantastic road into nothingness – mountains surrounding us but just what looks like saltbush covering the ground. Signs of mining and electricity poles are the only sign of man’s hand.
And, of course, the normal stream of traffic both ways. Now there’s a glimpse of the train line. High tension power lines seem out of place and a large substation.
And, of course, the normal stream of traffic both ways. Now there’s a glimpse of the train line. High tension power lines seem out of place and a large substation.
It wasn't the only one... nor was this Louisville...
The traffic was endless, this car carrier was a typical sight:
...and the Interstate spread out as the space available for it became greater...
Janet continued to write as we drove:
Each sign along the road, advertising something, has its own solar panel to light it up at night, first time we've seen that on the trip. Glendale and Moapa - real mining going on beside the highway and beyond, fifty-plus miles north-east of Vegas. Experiencing a decent climb after such flat country, really slowing us down, we're only able to do 36mph.
The power lines seem to hang so close to the ground and between them and us we get our first look at cactus. On the descent now.
The power lines seem to hang so close to the ground and between them and us we get our first look at cactus. On the descent now.
Then we came to Mesquite, which seemed to us like a Mini-Vegas, perhaps benefitting from the attention of those Utah residents who didn't want to go the extra 80 miles to the real thing to do their gambling?
The oatmeal breakfast at McDonalds was very welcome at this time, we felt we were off to a good start to the day and sat down briefly to enjoy that before pressing on into the desert. Mesquite, too, seems to have gone through a boom time over the past decade or so:
Again, fuelled by the power of the casinos to draw in the people...
...and with the inevitable signs to tell travellers what there is:
Note here the clutch of vehicles behind us, inevitably catching up to us and they would go by before too long.
We had breakfast at Mesquite - an oasis in the desert with two McDonalds - of course more casinos and a golf course about 85 miles from Las Vegas. A steep climb through the mountains created a not-to-be-missed photo opportunity...
Dead straight and dead flat, the I15 could be seen rolling our for miles ahead of us. There were, to our right and to our left, the occasional ranges of hills, and dead ahead of us we could see the same. We knew, of course, that the Interstate would be turning either to the right or to the left as we closed in on the hills ahead, but there was no sign of such a turn as we hurried along this part of the Interstate.
Traffic continued to pass us going south, some of the northbound traffic was passing us too, there was plenty of traffic and particularly trucks as the various forms of cargo headed in each direction. Still there was no turning in sight.
We were closing in on this range of hills, we were getting close enough to see for sure that the Interstate didn't climb over them, but we were getting too close to comfortably turn and avoid them... what lay ahead?
Right at the foot of the hills we swept through a big left-hand bend:
A sign now explained the reason for not avoiding these hills, it read, Virgin River Gorge... this river hadn't swerved to avoid the hills either, but buried its way through them to create a spectacular gorge that came through the hills at an angle, hence we couldn't see any gap from back down the highway.
The road-builders had helped the river in its ongoing task of widening the gorge's entry:
Here we had the Virgin River off to the left, the southbound lanes in the middle and our northbound lanes on the right. The traffic sped on through...
But the gorge did what all good gorges do, it got narrower, so the engineers built the southbound lanes out over the river...
...and then as it narrowed further the Northbound lanes joined the southbound over the river:
This remained until there was room for us to once again descend...
We stopped to take stock of all this, it had unfolded around us and thankfully Janet had kept on shooting pics so we could work out what had happened. She wrote:
...Virgin River Canyon (sic) it was spectacular driving through it.
There was a spot on the exit to pull over...
On the side there was this creek (or river?)...
...and ahead the road moved inevitably toward its distant goals...
Soon we were entering Utah, where the sign told us there was 'Elevated Living' and we mused over whether or not this meant the physical altitude or the approach of the Mormon church that pervades in this state. We drove into St George looking for somewhere to get tourist information and have a coffee...
Last edited by Ray Bell; Feb 3, 2021 at 05:28 AM.