Hello again friends. It has been some time since we last spoke, so this may be lengthy. There are still some interesting stops near the end however, so if you can make it that far, enjoy.
As Natalie and I drove the blustery rolling plains of the desert, I determined that there are noticeable similarities between driving a truck and trailer from the boxy auto era and sailing. Up hill and down dale, for one, is akin to the massive rolling swells of where a straight meets a river mouth or pass. Also, an even more obvious similarity is how the direction of the vehicle vs. the wind is comparable with the art of adjusting sails and bearings to fill your sails. Only in my situation, my sails do not adjust and the wind is always headstrong. Very headstrong. Thus limiting our progress to a slow crawl. Good thing we have the engine to help us putter along.
Back to the timeline, however.
After we left N’yorlians we swung by the Oak Alley plantation in Baton Rouge. As the Golden Gate is to bridges, Oak Alley is to plantations. There are many massive old oaks on the property. In one area, two long rows of oaks reach their thick limbs out to meet each overhead, making a picturesque ally of oaks. Hence the name. This is one of the few plantations on the great Miss. that made it unscathed through the civil war and the great Mississippi floods. Being as impressed as I was with the outside, I didn’t feel the need to go in. So Natalie went on the tour, while I relaxed. I had a great time. Ooh yes, I also tried my first strip of legit gator jerky. It’s like beef but more tough.
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| Gator Jerky! |
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| Oak Alley |
We left the plantation around 3, and while the rains poured down, Natalie and I drove on. Out of Louisiana, straight through the southern points of Alabama and Mississippi, into Texas, through the impressive tangle of freeways in Houston and finally seeking rest at a Walmart in the town of Sealy. Very tired. This length of driving however, was very enjoyable for me because we listened to Treasure Island the whole way. Thanks Librivox.
The next morning we made our way into Austin and walked around. Natalie and I both enjoyed this city quite a lot, but we found ourselves surprisingly eager to get back on the road. So we grabbed some legit Tex-Mex, where they also happened to be playing Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion (odd choice for Tex-Mex) and hit the road again.
This eagerness for the road lasted for about 10 minutes, where we happened upon an Ikea. They have their Christmas business going, so this resulted in Natalie and I spending just a little too much time in there. We eventually found our way back to the road and head out.
Around this time is where we really started battling the wicked winds from the west. The predicament I spoke of earlier. Plus, because of the wind and the trailer weight, we're making around 200km to a 50L tank so we need to stop and fill up a lot. This caused us to gradually make our way through the dusk until we reached a state park in Jacksboro. The wind, however, did not rest for the night, and continued to batter us until it became more like the subtle rocking of a crib, and we fell asleep. The morning sunlight revealed the park to be quite an appealing place. For the desert, that is. And once more, we hit the road.
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| Making the trailer feel warmer for the night. |
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| You can't really tell, but this a mirage of Mickey in the distance |
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| When I finally caught up with him, he didn't look quite as cartoony |
That night we found “Texas.” This, of course, is said with the most stereotypical intent. The Texas that a couple Canadians were searching for was found at The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo. For those of you who have seen The Great Outdoors, this is the home of the Free 72 oz Steak Dinner*. This place satisfied everything I expected, nay, required of Texas. We’re talking a folk band composed of three old-timer cowboys, innumerous stuffed heads on the wall, a gift shop with live rattlesnakes, a fake shooting gallery, a giant boot, and trust me, the list goes on. I ate a meek 12 oz steak, while Natalie got the Six Flags of Texas platter consisting of fried chicken, fried shrimp, rack of ribs and fried catfish. This, of course, was after we had eaten the massive soup, salad and fries that came with it. Needless to say, we had leftovers. I guess you can’t go to a place like that, in Texas, and anticipate modest portions. I almost forgot. Outside there was a motel made up like an old town, but in pastel colors, a pool shaped like Texas and of course a statue of a big Texan.
* If you finish it in an hour with a salad and baked potato.
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| Every request they got was either Cash, Willie Nelson or Happy Birthday |
On our way out of Texas we stopped by the infamous Cadillac Ranch. To sum it up, a rich artist bought 10 Cadillac’s and buried them in the ground. The cars ascend in years, starting from some time in the 60’s, showing the evolution of the taillight "wings." There are spray paints cans everywhere from years and years of kids “tagging” the cars. So I couldn’t help but leave a lasting mark of our journey.
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| Making Chris and Nick proud |
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Next we entered New Mexico. There isn’t a whole lot to say about this length of trip. We passed Native gift shops, saw legit tumbleweeds roll across the freeway, mastered the art of “semi-truck wind blocking,” and saw some rocks. Also, because there is literately nothing for miles, truck stops become tourist attractions. No joke.
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| A truck stop tourist trap in the desert. Actually kind of cool |
This also happened to be the length of the trip where things finally started going wrong with our caravanning duo. We got our first flat, which I was oddly enthusiastic about. Then Patches decided not to start one morning. That was sorted after a few hours of fiddling. Then the lights to the trailer went out on a dark freeway and after being honked at a couple times, we got the message and pulled over. That just happened to be a faulty ground. We finally sorted out the system needed to plug in at campsites too. This means we can turn our fridge now. But on the down side to that, it doesn’t want to stay on using propane anymore. Also, the furnace works only went it chooses to. And lastly our faucet in the sink broke off. All in all, I’m actually quite pleased with how everything has gone and how far we made it without a hitch.
Finally out of New Mexico and into Arizona, Natalie and I figured that we were pretty close to the Grand Canyon, so we might as well go. It was strange because people had traveled from miles and miles around solely to visit this exact spot, where as we went on a whim. But then again, this whole trip has been one big series of whims. We camped at their “thrifty” campsite and went hiking in the morning. We were pretty lucky I suppose, because in the morning we had enough sun to enjoy a couple hours of tromping down into the canyon to Ooh-Aah point. However, by the end of the day, it began to snow. Not light and fluffy either, more sharp and icy. I thought the site of the GC was definitely something to see, but call me snobby, I couldn’t get over the way it was catered to every tourist with a pair of shoes on. It took away a sort of raw nature charm. They don't even have a low season, it's "busy and busier." However, I hear if you want to go all out, you can sign up to stay at Phantom Ranch. It’s an all day hike in, and another out (or on donkeys) and you sleep in an old ranch that is right by the river in one of the deepest parts of the canyon. Natalie have decided we should come back, and do it right. Also, we were speaking of heading out to Zion national park, because I've been told that is where the real beauty truly lies. But upon reports of snow there, we decided we’d have to come back for that too.
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| For some reason all these photos look like we're in front of a fake backdrop |
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| Easy down, tough up. |
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| It was sooo windy. We dressed accordingly. |
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| This little buddy started eating Natalie's hoody |
Now, the Grand Canyon is pretty close to Las Vegas, but we weren’t planning on anything more than merely driving through. However, our bus driver at the GC told us that since “Vegas has more hotel rooms than all of Canada,” you can stay in the nicest hotels for dirt-cheap in the low season. This got us thinking and by the time we found some wi-fi, we had booked a room at the Rio for $50. Unfortunately, this meant I had to drive through Vegas with the trailer in tow and even worse, find parking. We arrived in Vegas and slept at a Walmart again, then had to kill some time till the room was ready. After some shopping and what not, we drove back to the Rio and Natalie checked in while I found parking. Sounds easy right. First off the RV and bus parking was taken up by a temporary all week go-cart competition, go figure. So I thought the parking garage will do. No such luck, the max height was 7’6” where as Hobby reaches 7’9” with the air vent. I was told not to push my luck. So, I was finally directed to the buffet parking lot to find two spots that I could pull through. It was Sunday however, and that's peak time for buffeters. Plus, they were hungry and eager to gorge. Little old ladies turn into vicious predators in Vegas parking lots. I sat there waiting, feeling like a guppy while the sharks swam around snapping into stalls without the slightest remorse for my sorry looking kit. If you have ever seen Vegas vacation, I felt like Eddy, the red-neck cousin, because I was at this swanky hotel with my beat down truck and trailer, both filthy from nearly two months of travel. Eventually, I gave up and drove across the street to a different hotel. Later I was told that that may not bode well for me, but I had stopped caring at that point.
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| Shaq's paws! |
With the prettiest gal in Vegas on my arm, we hit the town and boy did we paint it red. We ate at the glamorous Rainforest café, ordering the finest appys and soup with their finest waters. Then we went nuts and gambled away a whole $1. Later we talked about getting a drink, then didn’t and were back at the hotel by a staggering 11pm. It was cool to see the place, mainly because Ocean’s 11 made me want to follow a life of ripping off casinos. They made it look so simple and stylish. I’m not going to lie though, I may or may not have pretended I was Brad Pitt leaning on the railing at the Bellagio water fountain. Natalie was George Clooney. I was glad to get out of there.
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| Once again, looks like a fake back drop. |
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| Typical Vegas photo op |
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| Prettiest gal in Vegas |
We’re almost at the West Coast now! And we’ll probably be just past San Fran by tonight. So wish us luck and God’s speed getting home. We’re almost there, just less than a week I’d say.
Love
Lukas and Natalie
