Introduction
Borrowing an idea from my buddy Darryl, I’ve decided to keep a journal of our journey. Sue and I will be leaving Barre, MA on Friday, July 8th. Destination: Huntington Beach, CA for delivery of a Nissan Xterra (belonging to the previously mentioned Darryl). Our only booked motel is for the 1st night in Niagara Falls. After that, we’re winging it. We must reach California for our return flight at 9:30pm on Saturday the 16th.
DAY 1
Start of day: 7:00am
1st stop: Sue’s parents in Greenfield to leave the rat.
Breakfast: McDonald’s in Greenfield.
Rick – Bacon, egg, cheese biscuit (aka “a little piece of heaven”), and ˝ hash brown.
Sue – Fruit and walnut salad and ˝ hash brown.
Lunch: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and chips, at NY rest stop.
Dinner: Timberlodge Steakhouse
Rick – BBQ Chicken topped with cheese and bacon (2nd meal today to include this great combo), with french fries.
Sue – Steak and mashed potatoes.
States: Massachusetts, New York
Lodging: Super 8 Motel (Niagara Falls, NY)
Major routes traveled: Rt 2 West, I-87 South, I-90 West, I-290 West, I-190 North
Miles traveled: 420
Recap of Day 1.
The ride to Niagara was uneventful with some very heavy rains at times. However, when we arrived in Niagara, the sky cleared up and it was a perfect weather day. We saw the Falls from the American side. Dinner at the Timberlodge Steakhouse was decent, very comparable to Bugaboo Creek. The Super 8 Motel was pretty good. The room was clean. The king-size bed was nice, as well as the internet access. The continental breakfast was just okay, with muffins, bagels, toast, and juice… however Sue was craving some cold cereal with milk. My only big complaint was I could hear outside noises (upstairs’ guests walking in their room, nearby ice machine, etc), but of course, Sue slept through it all.
DAY 2
Start of day: 8:40am
Breakfast: Muffins from Super 8’s continental breakfast
Lunch: PBJs while driving
Dinner: Long John Silvers
Miles traveled: 290.
States: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio
Major routes traveled: I-190 South, I-90 West, I-77 South.
Lodging: Holiday Inn (New Philadelphia, OH)
Recap of Day 2
We drove through Buffalo and the rest of New York, and then through Pennsylvania and into Ohio. We parked in downtown Cleveland and then went to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame for a few hours. It was fun, but it a little over-priced at $20 each. We also checked out the Cleveland Browns football stadium which was next door. Then we hit the road and headed south for Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which I enjoyed a lot more. After that, we kept heading south until it seemed like a good stop to stop for the night. We checked in at a Holiday Inn and then ate some fast food at Long John Silvers.
The Holiday Inn was very good. Clean and quiet room, and the continental breakfast had a large selection: donuts, muffins, danish, cereals, fruit, etc… and of course, high speed internet access.
DAY 3
Start of day: 8:15am
Breakfast: Continental breakfast at Holiday Inn
Lunch: PBJs and chips
Dinner: IMO’s pizza in Warrenton, MO
Miles traveled: 584
States: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri
Major routes traveled: I-77 South, I-70 West
Lodging: AmeriHost Inn and Suites in Warrenton, MO
Recap of Day 3
A little bit of a boring day after the previous two days, but we had to get some traveling in eventually. We started early and just kept driving. A short stop to make our lunch sandwiches at a rest area in Indiana, and then back on the road. We then stopped in St. Louis at the Arch, and for Sue to step into the mighty Mississippi River. We then drove on until we were outside of St. Louis and looked for our night’s lodging. No high speed internet at AmeriHost, but the front desk clerk said that nobody in town had it, and we weren’t in the mood to drive further.
DAY 4
Start of day: 8am
Breakfast: Continental breakfast at Amerihost Inn.
Lunch: PBJs and chips at a Kansas rest stop.
Dinner: Gutierrez Mexican Restaurant
Miles traveled: 457
States: Missouri, Kansas
Major routes traveled: I-70 West to I-70 West into I-70 West
Lodging: Holiday Inn in Hayes, KS
Recap of Day 4
We drove most of the morning, with Kansas City being the biggest city we drove through. We stopped around 2pm at the Rolling Hills Zoo in Salina, KS. It was good to get some exercise by walking around. The zoo had a lot of animals and it was very quiet with not many other visitors. The feeding area was my favorite part, and also when the monkeys starting attacking each other. We drove on another hour and had a fantastic dinner at a Mexican restaurant. We also stopped by a local grocery store to restock our Xterra inventory. Tonight, we’re staying at another Holiday Inn (Hays, KS).
DAY 5
Start of day: 9:15am
Breakfast: The Holiday Inn restaurant
Lunch: PBJs and chips
Dinner: Wendy’s (Sue was sleeping soundly, so I snuck out to get some food for us)
Miles traveled: 413
States: Kansas, Colorado
Major routes traveled: I-70 West, Rt 86 West, I-25 North, I-470 North, I-70 West
Lodging: Days Inn in Dillon, CO (Presidential Suite)
Recap of Day 5
This was a rare day when we had no plan. We saw a sign for the world’s largest prairie dog, so we went there and had a great time. The prairie dogs were running all around us. The goats were very lovable too. We took a diversion off I-70 when we saw a sign for a scenic route to the same location. We drove past Denver into the Rockies and settled into a great vacation spot in Dillon, Colorado. Lots of hotels and restaurants and stores in this small town. They even have a Target, Cold Stone Creamery, and a movie theater. We checked in at the Days Inn because they have internet access and then took the clerk’s offer of the Presidential suite for only $75 for the night. The room has a balcony w/ a view, a kitchen, and a fireplace. Good deal!
DAY 6
Start of day: 9am
Breakfast: Waffles from the hotel’s free breakfast
Lunch: PBJs and chips
Dinner: Fish sandwiches and fries from Burger King
Miles traveled: 380
States: Colorado, Utah
Major routes traveled: I-70 West
Lodging: Super 8 Motel in Salina, UT
Recap of Day 6
A rather boring day, as we basically just traveled all day. But it was probably the most scenic drive we’ve ever had. The Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and then the landscape in Utah were fantastic. We stopped at every “View Area” off I-70 and took many photos. We checked in at 4pm and had a quiet evening, planning our next day and our 1st trip to Vegas.
Day 7
Start of day: 8:30am
Breakfast: Denny’s
Lunch: none… just Blizzards from DQ
Dinner: Magaritaville at The Flamingo Hotel (Las Vegas)
Miles traveled: 360
States: Utah, Arizona, Nevada
Major routes traveled: I-70 west, I-15 South.
Lodging: The Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas
Recap of Day 7
Vegas, Baby!!!
We had breakfast at Denny’s, and left hit the road. We drove past Vegas for a side trip to the Hoover Dam… not worth the trouble. It was an okay site, but the drive and parking took forever, and it was damn hot. The temperature was hovering around 117 degrees. We headed to Vegas and checked in at the Flamingo. We’re on the 16th floor with a partial view of the strip… really cool. We went to dinner at Jimmy Buffet’s Magaritaville restaurant which is in the hotel. It was a pretty decent meal and very good service. Afterwards, we walked, and walked, and walked around the strip…. Checking out other hotels and casinos… and taking many photos. Tomorrow, we head for our final destination.
DAY 8
Start of day: 10:30am
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet at Flamingo
Lunch: None
Dinner: BBQ steak (cooked by Darryl)
Miles traveled: 277
States: Nevada, California
Lodging: Darryl and Ericka’s Apartment
Recap of Day 8
We took our sweet time leaving Las Vegas. We hit the breakfast buffet, and then went to the pool. As for the rest of the day… the ride from Vegas to Huntington Beach sucked!! We left at 10:30am and didn’t make it to their apartment til around 3:45pm. We were constantly stuck in traffic jams, and even when we were moving, the traffic was extremely heavy and stressful. I’m very happy that I don’t have to drive again the rest of today and tomorrow. Darryl cooked up some steaks for dinner, and Ericka made some salad…. Good to have a home-cooked meal. At night, Darryl and Ericka took us down to Huntington Beach. We walked along the pier, and stepped into the Pacific Ocean.
TOTAL TRIP MILES: 3189