"Tristan" (casselts)
01/24/2018 at 01:38 • Filed to: None
3
5|
"Tristan" (casselts)
01/24/2018 at 01:38 • Filed to: None | 3
| 5 |
I’m embarking on a 3-week trip to Las Vegas. It’ll be nice to ditch the rain and gloom for a bit, but I’m going to miss the hell out of the Mrs. and kiddo. On the plus side, I’m no longer active duty Air Force, so no more 6 month trips to Satan’s ass crack.
Work gave me the option of flying coach (ew!) or driving my personal vehicle (yay!). I’m not one to pass up a road trip, plus being without freedom of transportation for 3 weeks always sucks.
I considered driving my XJ. I just dumped $930 into it... it’s still nowhere near ready for a trip like this. Studebaker? That would be fun, but, lol...
Yeah, that leaves the 6,500 pound, 4.10 geared land-Titanic. I’m praying to break 16 mpg on the highway, but honestly I wouldn’t have seen much over 17 with the Joop.
I’m wanting to go do a bit of back country exploring while I’m there. Does anyone know of some good spots? Ghost towns? Alien encounters? Last time I went south to check out the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam and Route 66. This time I’d like to see Joshua Tree and maybe some off-the-beaten-path stuff, but nothing too crazy (I have 4 wheel drive and all terrains, but excessive girth and I care about my sheetmetal/paint). No, I’m not much of a drinker and I don’t gamble...
|
Tristan
> Tristan
01/24/2018 at 01:57 |
|
Also note: I won’t be back on a computer until Thursday, so don’t be offended if I’m not too chatty ‘til then.
Svend
> Tristan
01/24/2018 at 02:09 |
|
Take care mate.
Drive safely and have a good trip.
Dusty Ventures
> Tristan
01/24/2018 at 02:35 |
|
Stop in Goldfield to check out the
International Car Forest.
It’s like Cadillac Ranch on steroids, chased with
Powerthirst
. Rhyolite Ghost Town is pretty cool too, in addition to the empty skeletal buildings there’s a bunch of art sculptures, most of which just sorta appeared. There’s also a crashed plane near Beatty which is pretty cool.
Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street.
> Tristan
01/24/2018 at 07:39 |
|
Rather than staying on US95, you can take 395 for better scenery even though it’ll add hours to your trip. Gardnerville is quite lush and if you stop by Smith Valley it’s like an oasis. The route through Bridgeport is like just going through small towns that you see on old TV shows. Mojave though? A whole lot of sage brush.
Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> Tristan
01/24/2018 at 09:11 |
|
I hope you don’t do the longest of these options, as that route is a total snooze fest after you depart the Columbia River Valley.
As for things to do/see:
- Mount Charleston near Las Vegas is nice.
- I’ve always wanted to drive the trails through the Mohave National Preserve, but I never had a suitable vehicle when I lived near it (still don’t). Nothing too crazy, but potentially hundreds of miles of off road trails that cross paved roads periodically, so it’s not super risky.
- Joshua Tree NP is cool. If you go down there, you should check out the Palm Springs area and try to take a tram ride.
- The Grand Canyon NP is to the east.
- Zion NP is to the north on I-15. Pretty easy drive and the Virgin River canyon is a highlight.
- Death Valley NP is not too far to the west.
- In Vegas you’ll find the National Atomic Testing Museum and Carroll Shelby Museum, among others.