Vegas/Cali Trip, 2003!
All photos taken by me in January, 2003.
(Just thought I 'd throw that in) : )
Me and my pal Neil went on a road trip to Vegas and then up the West Coast!
WOOHOO!
We left January 7 (at 3am...ack!) and stayed in Reno, Las Vegas, San Diego,
Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Depoe Bay, Oregon.
I tried to update this page with pictures every day, but with all the mental stimulation
(aka "beer") I missed a day or two. :-)
Here's the itinerary:
Tue, January 7: On the road, overnight in Reno
Wed, January 8: Drive to Las Vegas
Thu, January 9: Las Vegas/Consumer Electronic Show
Fri, January 10: Las Vegas
Sat, January 11: Head for San Diego
Sun, January 12: San Diego/Disneyland for the day
Mon, January 13: San Diego
Tue, January 14: Head for Santa Barbara
Wed, January 15: Head for San Francisco
Thu, January 16: San Francisco
Fri, January 17: Head for Depoe Bay, Oregon
Sat, January 18: Depoe Bay
Sun, January 19: Head for home
Final mileage detail
| Highway | Destination |
|---|---|
| I-405 (Bothell) N to I-5 | Lynnwood, WA |
| I-5 S to I-80 | Sacramento, CA |
| I-80 E to Reno | Reno, NV |
Miles traveled today = 922.2
Total Miles Traveled = 922.2
Woke up at 2am and was on the road to pick up Neil at 2:40am. The sky was clear
and the stars were vibrant. (oooooo, Dave sounds so poetic!)
The trip was LOOOONNGGG, but nothing bad took place, save for a nervous drive through
Donner Pass coming into Reno. We arrived at our accomodations at 7:50pm.
Weather:
Washington: Clear and cool
Oregon: foggy and cool
California: Sunny
Reno: My teeth are chattering
Mount Shasta in Northern California, as seen from I-5.
17 hours and 10 minutes of driving, 4 states, 922.2 miles total, all making for
ONE TIRED DAVEY.
We're here at the Worldmark. No picture of exterior, but here's the interior.
Poor Neil is sitting there -- obviously distraught that he doesn't get to go
to work for the next 13 days. :-)
Gambling results, Jan 7:
-$10.00
Cumulative:
-$10.00
| Highway | Destination |
|---|---|
| I-80 E to Alt-US-50 | Fernley, NV |
| Alt-US-50 E to US-95 | Fallon, NV |
| US-95 S to Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
Miles traveled today = 455.2
Total Miles Traveled = 1377.4
Woke up at 7:30am and was on the road to Vegas at 5:00pm. The sky was clear
until we neared Vegas. Rain clouds passed over the city just before we arrived, so
we didn't get wet.
We got checked into our room on the 12th floor of the Excalibur, but we were too late to
catch the Bill Gates keynote speech. I hope he's not upset...
The view out our window is of the New York, New York, Monte Carlo and MGM.
As we were driving through the desert, minding our business on the way to Vegas,
I'm looking off to the left. Neil says, "Holy shit!" I look forward and see an A-10
Warthog "Tank Killer" heading straight for us at about 100 feet of altitude!
He banked a bit and flew over us with a whoosh! Cool, man! Now I know what
Taliban tank gunners must have felt like just before they got pummelled.
Fortunately this guy was a little more friendly to us.
I managed to catch this picture of his partner who followed shortly behind.
We also got to see one of those pilot-less "drone" aircraft on a test flight. Neato!
Gambling results, Jan 8:
+$13.15
Cumulative:
+$ 3.15
No pictures today. Sorry...
Went to the Consumer Electronic Show. Did lots of walking and saw lots of Plasma HDTV monitors.
I think having a plasma monitor in your exhibit was a conference requirement.
The rest of the day was spent touring the Strip and gamblin'! Woohoo!
Three times, I've gone up to a machine and entered the "bonus round" within five plays! One time
I did it on the second play. Each time that happened, I took my winnings (however small) and cashed-in.
Gambling results, Jan 9:
-$30.30
Cumulative:
-$27.15
Went to Sam's Town Casino. Interesting place...It's theme is turn of the 20th century (old west)
and has a central court with a waterfall and creeks. The waterfall erupts every day after 6pm (we
didn't get to see it cuz we had other plans).
We also went to "Star Trek: The Experience" at the Hilton. Thoroughly enjoyed this for the second
time. And, for the second time, I almost broke my neck. :-)
Just before bed, I decided to see if I couldn't get even with Gamblor (the name for the evil gambling
bug, as coined by one Homer Simpson). I was at my favorite game machine for about 7 minutes
before entering the bonus round. I turned $30 into $62, thus bringing my net winnings for the trip
to about $5.00! Woohoo! Maybe gambling could be my new career???
By the way, during this trip, Neil and I ate at all three buffets at Excalibur. All of the meals were
terrific!
Tomorrow morning, off to San Diego!
Underside of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701, from "Star Trek: The Experience" at the Hilton.
Sam's Town, with it's large, covered, woodsy-style central courtyard. Has a waterfall/volcano,
creeks, foot bridges, and animatronic forest creatures.
One of the creeks in the Sam's Town courtyard.
The waterfall in the Sam's Town courtyard. It doubles as an erupting volcano, though we didn't
have time to see this event. The growling bear caused a little girl (bearly visible at lower right)
caused a little girl to cry. Poor little girl...
Gambling results, Jan 10:
+$32.00
Cumulative:
+$ 4.85
| Highway | Destination |
|---|---|
| I-15 S to I-215 | near San Bernadino, CA |
| I-215 S to I-15 | near Temecula, CA |
| I-15 S to Hwy 163 | San Diego |
| Hwy 163 to I-8 | San Diego |
Miles traveled today = 336.1
Total Miles Traveled = 1782.2
We left Las Vegas at 10:20am, leaving behind what a local radio host described as
"Chamber of Commerce weather": Bright sunshine and warm temperature, with a cool,
light breeze. We stopped off in Primm (NV/CA border) for a look-see at Buffalo Bill's
and to get a splash of gas. We arrived in San Diego at 4:20 and checked into the motel
and then went to dinner at "On the Border" with my San Diego pal, Dennis.
Tomorrow: Off to Disneyland! Wheee !
Disneyland! Wheee !
Neil decided to take the day off for some much needed (and well deserved) rest, so
only Denny and I went to Disneyland. We arrived at around 10am and paid our $47 extortion fee
and were off on our day! We went on Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad Coaster, Star
Tours, Autopia and several other rides, and did lots of window shopping. We picked a great
weekend for this: the lines for the rides were relatively short. On those rides where the
lines were long, we did the FastPass and avoided the lines. The Matterhorn and Haunted
House were closed, as was the entirety of Tom Sawyer's Island. They had the "river"
around the island gated off and drained the water for maintenance. Also, the Rocket Pods
are gone! Dennis said they had only been at Disneyland for a few years.
They were cool...I don't know why they took them out! Hopefully they'll come back.
The Haunted House is closed for renovation because they transformed it into a
"The Nightmare Before Christmas" theme since October. Disney is set to release a
"Haunted House" movie next year, and is constructing a new themed
exhibit/ride for that. (At least that's what the guys behind us in the tram said). So, I wonder if
the original Haunted House will remain?
During all of this, I was getting sick. I think either the flu or a bad meal the night before...
Ack! But we had a great time and I can't wait 'til I get to go again.
Main Street in Disneyland.
One of the boats for the Jungle Cruise.
The big splash part of Splash Mountain. The guy in front of me got soaked. Dennis was right
behind me and got soaked, too. I guess I got off lucky cuz I was only a little wet. haw haw!
Denny really likes pickles...
Dorky Dave the ConeHead, seen shortly after a ride through Autopia.
Tom Sawyer's Island was closed off, unfortunately. But it did confirm one of my suspicions:
The riverboat and the tall ship run on tracks.
Thunder Mountain Railroad coaster...This one is really neato. The front car is a locomotive
(no riders). It's neat to ride or even just to look at.
Part of the roadway system for the new Autopia. This is the first time I've riden Autopia since
I was 9 years old. My driving skills haven't improved much. :-)
Also visible is what I think is part of the track for the Rocket Pods.
Holiday decor is still the name of the game, but only in parts of the resort.
Sleeping Beauty's castle at sunset. Actually it's past sunset, but I'm not going to admit to that...
No pics today...
I wasn't wasn't feeling well this morning, so I almost cancelled out lunch with friends where
I used to work. But by 11am I was feeling a little better. I had lunch with Mary, Linda
and Mike at Caparell's. They have the best pizza in San Diego. Nummy!
I got to see some of the new offices at SDWP. Their lobby is really nice, with marble tiles and a
larger, brighter and more open reception area.
After that, I went to Denny's house and we watched part of a movie and played catch with a
stuffed Furby. Then we grabbed Neil and went to Fry's and perused the aisles of electronic goodies.
We went there the other day and I bought a mini-mouse for my laptop. This darn touch pad was
driving me CRAZEEE!
Neil and I spent a spectacular evening in Motel 6's laundry room!
Tomorrow: Off to Santa Barbara!
| Highway | Destination |
|---|---|
| I-8 W to I-5 | San Diego, CA |
| I-5 N to I-405 | near Irvine, CA |
| I-405 N to US-101 | near Glendale, CA |
| US-101 W to Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA |
Miles traveled today = 224.0
Total Miles Traveled = 2081.9
Left San Diego at 9:33am and arrived at our Bed and Breakfast in Santa Barbara at 1:24pm.
Those of you who know me probably wouldn't think I'd like this type of B and B: known for its
romantic atmosphere. But it's a GREAT place to soak your cares away in the
jacuzzi tub with a bottle of Merlot. Aaahhhhhhhhh....
Actually, this room we're in is a wee bit too cozy for two non-romantically-involved
gents. Maybe I'd better book a bigger room next time. :-)
The guest journals speak of several lore for this particular room: a bluejay, the gardener,
a "purple bear cozy" and...a 7am garbage truck run.
So far I can only confirm two of these. When we entered the room, there was a purple
teddy bear on the bed (this IS a Bed and Breakfast, after all). The bluejay I have yet
to see, but I can confirm -- in a nearby tree -- the sighting of one pidgeon.
We've already been on a little shopping gambit to the touristy State Street here in SB. I
bought a little incense burner. Yes...I've been in Santa Barbara for three hours and have
Tomorrow: Off to San Francisco!
| Highway | Destination |
|---|---|
| US-101 N to San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
Miles traveled today = 343.1
Total Miles Traveled = 2425.0
Left Santa Barbara at 9:50am and arrived in San Francisco at about 4:45pm. Sunny the whole way!
The radio reports are that it's been raining in SF for the past week, but the sun came out
just today. I guess it saw us coming? It's supposed to be sunny and in the 60s-70s
tomorrow. Cooler weather returns Friday, but we'll be heading out of town then, so...whatever!
The trip up from SB was very scenic. Lots of bright green-covered rolling hills, vineyards,
ocean views...Garsh...kinda makes Davey want to move again. (I bet my mom just fainted).
We took highway 101 all the way. We were going to take 280 but I was confused by a sign and
ended up missing it. Oh well.
Driving between these cities can get kinda tedious, but what I got to watch today made of
up for it. I really enjoyed watching such peaceful, beautiful parts of America pass by my
windows. All I need now is a farm and a few cows and I'm set for life! (I'll also need
someone to tend to the cows, cuz I don't know nuthin 'bout carin for no cows...)
We got our Muni Passports ($10), so we get to ride the buses, light rail, subways and cable cars
all we want for the next 2 days. We went to dinner at "The Sausage Factory". Neither of us had
sausage, though. :-)
Tomorrow we'll head to Lombard Street, Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 to do all the touristy stuff.
This photogenic tree was at a rest stop NE of Santa Barbara.
We saw a lot of vineyards along the way. If we'd had more time, I would have stopped off at
one of these and whined...er, I mean tasted some wine.
This is where I want to live next. This is fairly close to Salinas, CA.
Mom: start packing my stuff, would ya?
I'm not religious, but I thought Neil would like to stop off at one of these missions, and I'm
really into the historical aspect, so...Mission San Miguel. We stopped off for a few minutes
and snapped some pictures. Neil bought a t-shirt and some other stuff and stepped in for a quick
prayer. This mission was founded in 1797. Wow...that's almost as old as Ronald Reagan!
Tomorrow I hope to have a ton or more pictures from around SF, so be prepared for a
REALLY LONG download!
Today, Neil and I hopped the subway to Powell Street, then we got on a cable car to
Fisherman's Wharf. While there, we decided to go on a one-hour boat trip to underneath the
Golden Gate Bridge and then around Alcatraz Island. It was really neato, man! I got some
great pictures of the bridge, and I've never even seen the back side of Alcatraz, so that was
really fun! It was sunny and warm again, too. Perfect weather! The weather gods have really
been on our side this trip...I hope it holds on!
After Fisherman's Wharf, we walked down to window shop at Pier 39. That's always a lot of fun,
but I swear every shop sells exactly the same souvenirs! It's like there's only one souvenir
distributor in the area and all the resellers buy from him! Blah! Where's the originality??
On the return trip, the cable car driver was really having fun. He was playing little riffs on the
cable car's bell and joking with the riders. There was a group of four tourists from Japan. They
were trying to get great poses for pictures of themselves riding on the cable car. One of them
briefly exchanged seats with another rider so he could get a better angle. When he switched back,
the driver yelled at him and said he'd have to pay another $2 since he had only paid for his original
seat! The tourist thought he was serious until everyone started laughing. The driver commented on
how he "almost had him" and then started jamming on the bell again.
After we got back, we went to dinner at a pizza joint and then came back to the B and B.
Tomorrow: Off to our final stop, Depoe Bay, and some serious RELAXING!
About two blocks west of Fisherman's Wharf is this little marina. All the boats have a
different color stripe, making for a nice photo. This must be off-season, cuz a lot of
them are chartering their boats for excursions.
Alcatraz as seen from SF...
...and Alcatraz as seen from the other side.
Here's a picture I never thought I'd have the opportunity to take:
Alcatraz with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background!
Fisherman's Wharf. Yeah, like you can't read that on the sign in the picture. Duh.
Pier 39, with a ton of shops and restaurants. Neil bought a "foot long" hot dog that was,
strangely enough, about a foot long. And it was thick, too!
(Okay, get your mind out of the gutter)
Another marina as seen from an officially sponsored "Kodak Photo Spot" at Pier 39.
...Speaking of sponsorship...the school district in Belmont, CA, is considering selling
the naming rights to its public schools. A local yokel on TV was speculating his kids'
school will soon be known as "3Com Elementary School, presented by Oracle". HAHA!
Pier 39 is famous for this scene: it's where seals come to view a gathering of humans.
Nobody knows why the humans appear here, but scientists speculate they're just sunbathing.
| Highway | Destination |
|---|---|
| US-101 N to SR-20 | Willits, CA |
| SR-20 W to SR-1 | Fort Bragg, CA |
| SR-1 N to US-101 | Leggett, CA |
| US-101 N to Depoe Bay, OR | Depoe Bay, OR |
Miles traveled today = 647.1
Total Miles Traveled = 3072.1
Left San Francisco at 9:13am, with the intention of driving Hwy 101 all the way to
Depoe Bay. The trip through Sonoma and Mendocino Counties was wonderful, with all
of the rolling hills and vineyards (I was calling them "graperies"). What a beautiful
part of the country. I think I'll buy a home on the water north of Santa Barbara and
have my chauffeur drive me to my winery in Sonoma every week (just to make sure the
workers haven't eaten the produce...)
We got to Willetts, CA and heard there had been a slide on Hwy 101 ~50 miles north of town.
They suggested taking Hwy 20 as a detour. My Rand McNally map showed that Hwy 20
connected to Hwy 1, and then rejoined Hwy 101 68 miles north of Willits, in a town called
Leggett, which would have us past the detour. So we took the detour, rather than going all the
way over to I-5. Wow, what sights we saw! The coast was spectacular and the sun was out,
and we got some great pictures.
After 2-1/2 hours, we FINALLY rejoined Hwy 101. After about 10 minutes of driving, we stopped:
slide delay. I reconsulted my Rand McNally map, the cross-referenced it with a different brand
map. The other map showed the distance from Willits to Leggett as 46 miles. Once again, Rand
McNally brand maps have screwed me up. It quickly found its way into the trash.
DON'T BUY RAND McNALLY MAPS!!! THEY SUCK!
Fortunately, ODOT had already furnished outhouses along the stretch, and there was one about
50 feet from where we got stopped. So anyway, after a 50-minute wait we finally got going again.
When I decided to take 101, I assumed that it was a 65mph freeway all the way. How wrong I was!
It's a part-time freeway and part-time curvy, loopy mountain roadway with 25mph speed limits
at every little city, town, burg, or even mailbox at the side of the road. Blah! So most of the
coastal drive was done in the dark. It was a full moon, so we did get to see some of the beauty,
just dimly lit. I guess I'll just have to take the trip again and plan ahead for more time!
We arrived in Depoe Bay at...1:40 in the morning. I had so much caffeine coursing through my
system, I thought I'd never fall asleep again! We walked into our room and, WOW! I took a picture
but it didn't turn out. You'll have to wait until tomorrow!
Dave hasn't been at WSDOT for two weeks and has already forgotten his safety lessons!
Here's a picture taken while driving on the Golden Gate Bridge (duh). Is this what they
call distracted driving?
This was taken out the window of the truck (more distracted driving...tsk, tsk, tsk) a little
bit south of Cloverdale, CA, along Hwy 101. Love them vineyards. They're making wine for Davey!
When we detoured (for the slide) this is some of what we saw on Hwy 1, just north
of Fort Bragg, CA.
When we detoured (for the slide) this is some of what we saw on Hwy 1, just north
of Fort Bragg, CA.
When we detoured (for the slide) this is some of what we saw on Hwy 1, just north
of Fort Bragg, CA.
As I left off yesterday...WOW! I walked into our room and the windows out the
back were open, showing the ocean! The water is about 40 feet from the deck, and the
waves come rolling in and crash against the rocks. It's really pretty, and peaceful.
I could sit and watch the waves all day. In fact, I might just do that!
(Update, 6:00pm: I did go for a walk into Depoe Bay, and did some window shopping.
I just might have to spend some money before I leave for home tomorrow!)
We're on the second floor, and this is what it looks like from our deck at the Worldmark.
This is looking a little to the left.
...and this is looking a little to the right.
I took this picture for Dennis, cuz he likes crows. I think these are his cousins.
(heehee!)
At the end of the Worldmark property is a cove as seen in these two pics.
| Highway | Destination |
|---|---|
| US-101 N to SR-6 | Tillamook, OR |
| SR-6 E to SR-26 | ??, OR |
| SR-26 E to I-405 | Portland, OR |
| I-405 N to I-5 | Vancouver, WA |
| I-5 N to I-405 | Lynnwood, WA |
| I-405 S to Bothell | Bothell, WA |
Miles traveled today = 334.1
Total Miles Traveled = 3425.1
Did a little walking around and took some pictures at Depoe Bay, and then we left around
9:37am. We took Hwy 101 to Tillamook, OR and did the self-guided tour at the Tillamook
Cheese facility. Watching them cut up big blocks of cheese into smaller blocks and then
package it was interesting. The machines work pretty fast and the employees do a great
job of keeping up so the machines don't get screwed up.
We got to Portland and missed a turn-off, so we had to drive around downtown a bit before
we finally got back onto the freeway. I arrived back home at 5:08pm. Vacation's all over
D'oh!
(During this trip, I managed to lose 2.5 pounds! Cool, man...)
This is the exterior view of part of Worldmark at Depoe Bay. We were right about in the
center of this picure.
A walk up the waterline provided many a nice picture, including this one.
The Tillamook Cheese factory in Tillamook, OR. In keeping with the re-naming of "vineyard"
to "grapery", I'm calling this the "cheesery". :-)
During this trip, my truck passed the 10,000, 11,000 and 12,000 mile marks on the odometer,
and is now so dirty I'm not sure what the real color is.
Here's a detailed breakdown of the landmarks we visited during the trip, including arrival
times (major landmarks are in bold):
| Time | Location | Odometer mileage | Daily mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ** January 7 ** | ||||
| 2:46am | Start/Bothell | 0.0 | ||
| 3:24am | Neil's house | 15.7 | ||
| 3:36am | Leave Neil's | 15.7 | ||
| 6:23am | WA/OR Border | 198.0 | ||
| 6:32am | Portland | 205.5 | ||
| 7:03am | Gas Stop exit 271 | 235.2 | ||
| 11:00am | Grant's Pass, OR | 452.0 | ||
| 11:35am | Phoenix, OR-gas/food | 486.2 | ||
| 12:18pm | CA/OR Border | 511.5 | ||
| 2:14pm | Redding, CA | 626.2 | ||
| 5:25pm | Gas Stop | 817.9 | ||
| 7:50pm | Reno, NV | 922.2 | 922.2 | |
| ** January 8 ** | ||||
| 9:08am | Leave Reno | 922.2 | ||
| 10:33am | Fallon, NV | 990.2 | ||
| 11:36am | Walker Lake, NV | 1051.5 | ||
| 1:34pm | Tonopah, NV | 1168.5 | ||
| 3:03pm | Beatty, NV | 1262.4 | ||
| 5:00pm | Las Vegas, NV | ~1377.4 | ~455.2 | |
| ** January 11 ** | ||||
| 10:20am | Leave Las Vegas | 1446.1 | ||
| 11:00am | Primm | 1484.6 | ||
| 11:38am | Leave Primm | 1485.6 | ||
| 1:26pm | Barstow | 1600.0 | ||
| 2:23pm | Split from I-15 to I-215 | 1658.5 | ||
| 4:20pm | San Diego, Motel 6 | 1782.2 | 336.1 | |
| ** January 14 ** | ||||
| 9:33am | Leave San Diego | 1857.9 | ||
| 11:19am | LA/I-405 at LAX approach | 1979.6 | ||
| 11:57am | Thousand Oaks McD's | 2015.3 | ||
| 1:24pm | Santa Barbara city limit | 2073.6 | ||
| ~1:40pm | Arrive SB B and B | 2081.9 | 224.0 | |
| ** January 15 ** | ||||
| 9:49am | Leave Santa Barbara | 2081.9 | ||
| 10:42am | Gas/Buellton, CA | 2125.0 | ||
| 12:25pm | Mission San Miguel | 2225.0 | ||
| 1:55pm | Soledad/McD's | 2289.4 | ||
| 4:09pm | SF city limits via 101 | 2417.5 | ||
| ~4:45pm | Arrive Willows Inn | 2425.0 | 343.1 | |
| ** January 17 ** | ||||
| 9:13am | Leave Willows Inn | 2425.0 | ||
| 10:05am | Mill Valley/Gas | 2443.3 | ||
| 11:37am | Cloverdale | 2517.8 | ||
| 12:58pm | Willits/Turnoff to Hwy 20 | 2570.4 | ||
| 3:16pm | Leggett/Rejoin Hwy 101 | 2649.1 | ||
| 3:27pm | Slide Delay | 2655.7 | ||
| 4:17pm | End Slide Delay | 2655.7 | ||
| 5:40pm | Eureka, CA | 2737.8 | ||
| 7:55pm | Crescent, CA | 2824.5 | ||
| 8:28pm | CA/OR Border | 2845.3 | ||
| 11:57pm | Florence, OR/Gas | 3007.9 | ||
| 1:35am | Arrive Worldmark, Depoe Bay | 3072.1 | 647.1 | |
| ** January 19 ** | ||||
| 9:37am | Leave Worldmark, Depoe Bay | 3091.0 | ||
| 11:15am | Tillamook, OR | 3148.5 | ||
| 12:10pm | Leave Tillamook, OR | 3148.5 | ||
| 1:35pm | Portland | 3220.0 | ||
| 3:31pm | Gas/near Lacey, WA | 3344.4 | ||
| 4:44pm | Neil's house | 3410.0 | ||
| 5:08pm | Home! | 3425.1 | 334.1 | |
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Images: © 2003 David M Martin
XHTML: © 2003 David M Martin
