From Australia to Disneyland, Las Vegas and on to NYC!

[maryr1oz]

We arrived into LAX on September 10, 2007. From there we caught a bus to Anaheim and spent 9 nights exploring Disneyland, Universal Studios, Tijuana, Hollywood, LA city and relaxing.

We were staying at the Anaheim Plaza Hotel on Harbor. We had organised to catch the LUX bus from our hotel straight to Vegas. I can't remember how much it cost us, but it was cheaper than flights on that day, and since we were travelling we were happy to sit back and watch everything pass by. The bus was comfortable and we were provided with snacks and drinks, and they played the original version of Ocean's 11 to watch. We made 2 stops - 1 in Barstow at the Bus Depot where we got 20 minutes for a bathroom and lunch break, then at Primm to drop several people off at a hotel.

We arrived in Vegas and were dropped off at the Riviera Hotel on the North end of the Strip. From there we caught a taxi up to the Flamingo Hotel which is where we were booked. We checked in in 5 minutes and were given a room on the 26th floor overlooking the pool area. The room was a renovated 'GO' room and was quite luxurious. We spent some time unpacking and showering and then headed outside. We went over to Caesar's and explored the hotel and casino, then walked the block down and back over the road to the Flamingo to clean up and get ready for Dinner.

We were given vouchers before we left home for dinner at the Paris buffet, Le Village. We were super impressed and sat down feeling a bit excited. The dining room had a great atmosphere and the food was fantastic. We ate vegetables like there was no tomorrow as they seemed to be hard to come across so far this trip. We sat there after eating way too much and enjoyed the surroundings. The grilled vegetables and grilled chicken were the best thing we ate by far.

I had gotten a bit of a stomach bug the week before when we went to Mexico for the day, and the bug did not like the food i had eaten. I had to return straight to the hotel and ended up in bed by 9pm on Friday night in Vegas. The boy came to bed but after some gently coaxing from me got up again and headed downstairs to enjoy the atmosphere. He returned at about 4am with a packet of cigarettes (doesn't smoke) and red rose for me. He spent the next day feeling sick due to the cigarettes, i had a good laugh.

The next day was Saturday and we had tickets to see the LA Kings play the Colorado Avalanche at the Garden Arena in MGM Grand that night. We spent some time by the hotel pool sipping cocktails and wandered the strip to NYNY where the Boy rode the rollarcoaster. From there we returned to the hotel to put on warmer clothes for the hockey. We bought a 24 hour monorail pass and caught it up to the MGM for the game. It was a fantastic atmosphere and our first live game of ice hockey. The game was a tie, then went into a penalty shoot out which was very close and entertaining.
From the MGM we walked back to the hotel, stopping to watch the fountains at Bellagio which i hadn't seen at night before. We loved them.

Sunday morning we had to check out of our fancy room and had a reality check by moving into the Imperial Palace Hotel 2 doors down. It was much much cheaper per night, and i had stayed there once before so knew it was bearable for the location it was in. We checked in there and then caught the monorail back up to MGM station, then began at the Luxor and walked back down the strip. We ended up having a champage buffet lunch at the Monte Carlo which was nice, although my tummy still wasn't that great. After lunch we finished walking through the hotels and ended up back at the Imperial Palace, we stuck with the theme of our room and got a very cheap dinner from McDonald's and went to bed.

Monday was spent exploring Harrah's, Wynn, The Fashion Show Mall, Treasure Island and also the Mirage. We visited the Wildlife Habitat which was pretty fun - although not sure whether the price is quite justified, but hey this is Vegas. Monday evening we packed our suitcases, set our wake up call and then went for one last stroll up the strip to Paris for a drink... the weather was perfect and we would be sad to say goodbye the next morning.

Tuesday morning we awoke early and caught a cab to the airport, and then the shuttle bus to the Car Hire facility. We were using National Car and they were great. Quick to process us, they even found us a better rate then we were ushered into the car park and told to pick a car from a whole aisle. We had fun sitting in and testing out cars then decided on a PT Cruiser. This car was going to drive us from Vegas to Chicago in the next two weeks.

More soon!

 

[Czardas]

Hi can't wait to read the next installment. Keep it coming

 

[maryr1oz]

We got settled in to the car and pulled out the GPS we had hired as well. Driving on the other side of the road was a bit confusing, but i am so glad we had the GPS as well - it would have been a nightmare having to concentrate on the map as well as the road.

We plugged in Hoover Dam as our destination and off we went. The driving was fine, it only takes a day or two to get used to the driving, plus when everyone else is doing it you just get swept away with the flow and hardly notice it.

Hoover Dam was busy although we arrived at about 9am. We parked and walked across the dam, back over again and then back up to the visitor's centre. We explored the gift shop and got a drink, but it was already getting very warm and our next destination was the Grand Canyon. We stopped in Kingman for lunch at In'N'Out burger - the best burger of the trip - and then on towards the GC. When we got to the South Rim the place was extremely busy and we couldn't get a parking spot for a long time. We ended up parking a fair way away from any of the facilities. We walked the rim for about 30 mins but were so hot and exhausted we retreated to the air conditioning and drove the rim road in a loop.

From there it was off to the hotel stop of the night in Cameron. It took about 45 mins to get there but was an easy drive and the Trading Post was a good place to spend the night. The gift shop was amazing, the restaurant had great food and the rooms had amazing views. There wasn't anything else in Cameron, but the hotel was fine. We even managed to get some laundry done at the laundromat in town.

After a good night's sleep we awoke early the next morning and thought we would get an early start. We were heading to Denver via Grand Junction and were not too sure where our next nights stop would be. That day however we managed to get all the way to Grand Junction. We stopped to eat in Moab and had a look around - beautiful place - we stopped all day to take lot's of photos and enjoy the scenery. Grand Junction was a nice place as well, the hotel we stayed in was cheap, clean and right by the freeway. We spent an hour exploring a huge Safeway and stocking up on car snacks and bottled water for the next two weeks.

We really liked the feel of Grand Junction and were sad to say goodbye as we left the next morning bound for Denver. This day of driving was what i had looked forward to the most for the trip - driving through the Rockies. The road was fantastic and although Roadworks slowed the traffic for a long time, i appreciated being able to spend as much time as we could in this part of the world. We stopped so many times for photos and to look at things more closely. We spent an hour in Vail Village admiring the fall foliage and the pretty architecture, then stopped for a picnic lunch by a creek at Copper Mountain. Later in the day we pulled into Denver via Littleton. We got a great stay at the Drury East Denver hotel near the airport. We paid $60 a night, the room was fantastic, there was a free soda machine, free popcorn and also between 5 and 8pm each night there was free pizza, chips, salad and bar drinks. Also had secured parking which was a bonus. The area was fine since we had the car, but too far away from the CBD if you didn't.

Next up - Denver to Minneapolis

Is it ok for me to be putting this part of the trip report on these pages? I know it is specifically for California and Western States??

 

[Czardas]

Keep the TR going even if it is in the wrong spot. Crikey who cares, just do it mate

 

[maryr1oz]

We spent two nights in Denver, but really only 1 full day. We drove downtown and parked the car in a garage right off the main street. We walked the 10 or so blocks of car-less mall and shopped and browsed for hours. We then took a walk around the beautiful old government buildings including the Mint. We walked out to the Pepsi Center and bought tickets for a guided tour the next day. Then headed back to the main street and caught a movie in the cinemas. We had tickets to see the Arizona Diamondbacks play the Rockies, so at about 5pm we walked to the ball field. It was an amazing atmosphere and a very pleasant night weather wise. We ate hot dogs and nachos and saw the Rockies lose their only game in a 12 game winning streak...

Next morning we checked out of the hotel and drove back downtown to go to the Pepsi Center. We attended the guided tour and had an absolute blast. The guide was helpful, funny and very patient with a couple of kids that were on the tour also. He gave us souvenir goody bags on the way out.

We began the drive towards South Dakota from here. North to Cheyenne, then north-east towards Custer. We weren't sure how far we would get that night, but ended up spending a long day on the road and making it into Custer at dinnertime. We got a room in a cheap but nice hotel, and split a pizza at a nearby Pizza Hut for dinner.

Early the next morning we were packed and on the road again. First to the Crazy Horse memorial - $20 a car and you can't get very close to the actualy monument without paying alot more than that. I understand they get by on donations, but i think the price is just too high to attract the general public. The museum there however was really interesting and we spent an hour there.

Next up we drove to Mt Rushmore. We paid $7 for parking there, and got alot closer than i thought we could. There was a viewing area but also a trail that got you to the foot of the mountain. There was alot of people there by the time we got there about 9:30am, and there was a chilly wind blowing, but after grabbing a coffee and marvelling the faces, a quick trip to the gift shop and we were back on the road again.

That day we stopped in Wall at the drugstore, and also drove through the scenic route of the Badlands. The boy fell asleep in the car that afternoon, so i took us back out onto the highway and headed on the long straight road for Mitchell. It was a very long day, but we did make it to Mitchell. We got a room and then ordered Ruby Tuesday to the room. Went to bed very sleepy and with full tummies.

The next day we headed north east towards Minneapolis. We had gotten a super rate on a 4 star hotel in Bloomington near the Mall of America via Priceline.com for $60 a night. We booked 3 nights there and were ready to relax and unpack for more than a night. The drive was scenic and didn't take all that long. We found the hotel easily with the GPS and were fantastically surprised by the hotel room.

Next up - Minneapolis to Chicago

 

[maryr1oz]

We spent two nights in Denver, but really only 1 full day. We drove downtown and parked the car in a garage right off the main street. We walked the 10 or so blocks of car-less mall and shopped and browsed for hours. We then took a walk around the beautiful old government buildings including the Mint. We walked out to the Pepsi Center and bought tickets for a guided tour the next day. Then headed back to the main street and caught a movie in the cinemas. We had tickets to see the Arizona Diamondbacks play the Rockies, so at about 5pm we walked to the ball field. It was an amazing atmosphere and a very pleasant night weather wise. We ate hot dogs and nachos and saw the Rockies lose their only game in a 12 game winning streak...

Next morning we checked out of the hotel and drove back downtown to go to the Pepsi Center. We attended the guided tour and had an absolute blast. The guide was helpful, funny and very patient with a couple of kids that were on the tour also. He gave us souvenir goody bags on the way out.

We began the drive towards South Dakota from here. North to Cheyenne, then north-east towards Custer. We weren't sure how far we would get that night, but ended up spending a long day on the road and making it into Custer at dinnertime. We got a room in a cheap but nice hotel, and split a pizza at a nearby Pizza Hut for dinner.

Early the next morning we were packed and on the road again. First to the Crazy Horse memorial - $20 a car and you can't get very close to the actualy monument without paying alot more than that. I understand they get by on donations, but i think the price is just too high to attract the general public. The museum there however was really interesting and we spent an hour there.

Next up we drove to Mt Rushmore. We paid $7 for parking there, and got alot closer than i thought we could. There was a viewing area but also a trail that got you to the foot of the mountain. There was alot of people there by the time we got there about 9:30am, and there was a chilly wind blowing, but after grabbing a coffee and marvelling the faces, a quick trip to the gift shop and we were back on the road again.

That day we stopped in Wall at the drugstore, and also drove through the scenic route of the Badlands. The boy fell asleep in the car that afternoon, so i took us back out onto the highway and headed on the long straight road for Mitchell. It was a very long day, but we did make it to Mitchell. We got a room and then ordered Ruby Tuesday to the room. Went to bed very sleepy and with full tummies.

The next day we headed north east towards Minneapolis. We had gotten a super rate on a 4 star hotel in Bloomington near the Mall of America via Priceline.com for $60 a night. We booked 3 nights there and were ready to relax and unpack for more than a night. The drive was scenic and didn't take all that long. We found the hotel easily with the GPS and were fantastically surprised by the hotel room.

Next up - Minneapolis to Chicago