We made an early start as the anticipation of arriving at our first major destination grew. Alexandre had those corner jacks cranked up so fast we were not sure what was happening!
Today's drive was another round of the Never-ending Valley; however, as the miles slipped by we noticed subtle changes in the topography.
At our half-way gas stop in Alamo we meet a very friendly little dog who had the run of the gas station. In this, now typical, dead end town we were amazed to find behind the very bland exterior a well-stocked and lively grocery store with a cafe that offered every fried and cheese-slathered food imaginable.
After gassing up, I told the boys that they should go inside and check it out. They were somewhat hesitant so I said they could play, "weirdest purchase under $5.00' and I was paying. Well, in they went!
We found more sprayable cheese, tie-died T-shirts, a S'More maker but ended up just getting some chips for the road. We need to get a grip on those chips!
After lunch we spotted our very first cactus and saw a number of large power plants (coal fired?).
Finally, we crested the hill to gaze down upon skyscrapers and urban sprawl. . . in the middle of nowhere. We have arrived! The boys were delighted to see some 'fast air' Nellis Air Force Base is located north of town.
Sam's Town KOA will be our home for the next four nights. This is a very large, glorified parking lot with palm trees. The door on Micha's trailer is about 4 feet from the slide-out of my trailer. Oh well, at $18.00/night we are not complaining.
Getting into the pool was top priority as we were greeted with 29 degree Celsius weather. After that we made a quick trip to Walmart across the street before dinner. Steaks and garlic bread - yum. Going to Walmart in the US is an experience all on its own. In Kelowna we have a very homogenous population.
This KOA is adjacent to a large hotel/casino complex. This is where the boys got their first look at a casino: 18 screen theatre, 24 hour bowling, restaurants the list goes on. They really enjoyed going back at night to watch a laser light show in the atrium of the hotel that is complete with animatronics, a fountain and pulsing, "I'm Proud To Be an American", music.
You haven't seen anything yet, boys.
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| The sleepy heads missed this beautiful sunrise. |
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| We named him 'Alamo Dog'. Note the plain exterior of this gas station. Inside was a big grocery store. |
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| A 10 second S'More from the microwave. No thanks. |
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| More concrete! |
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| Thank goodness for the GPS - it has not let us down yet. |
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| 1.5 L bottles, oh my! |
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| Dishes, I just can't seem to escape them. |
How much of this region is moonscape-like. It must take much getting used to before I could love a desert. The pool looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWatch for money sharks!
Drive Careful!