Friday, July 13, 2007
Farewell to Route 66
We reluctantly left the Best Western motel in Kingman, Arizona, this morning about 7:00 am. This was one of the nicest places we have stayed at so far.
We were headed out of town on Route 66 (Interstate 40) towards Needles, California, when I saw the sign for Las Vegas. Because we had already decided to take a side trip to Lake Tahoe before going home, we had to go north from I-40 at some point. The thought of riding back through Needles and Barstow in the scorching heat was not very appealing. So, we said goodbye to Route 66 for the last time on our trip, and headed to Las Vegas, Nevada. (We’ll miss the Mother Road, after traveling all the way eastward and St. Louis to Kingman westward. But all adventures end somewhere….)
Harley is getting to be a real picture hog. He insisted we take pictures of him at Hoover Dam and in front of the Bellagio Hotel. Then he had a great cruise down the Las Vegas “Strip.” Even though Vegas is our favorite town, it was way too hot (112+ degrees), so we decided not to stay, and headed north out of town through the desert towards Beatty, Nevada, where we found an old casino – the Stagecoach Hotel and Casino. We booked a room for the night, and decided to relax for the rest of the day. (Put this one on our “good” list, too. It’s old, but well maintained – and has wireless Internet access!)
Tomorrow we plan to go through Furnace Creek in Death Valley – VERY early in the morning. The valley floor gets to be 125+ degrees by mid-day this time of the year. Tennis shoes will stick to the pavement, and Harley doesn’t want his tires to be stuck to the road!! Once through Death Valley, we will head up Highway 395 towards Lake Tahoe.
