Thanks for coming back, this page will cover my time in Las Vegas after the Star Trek convention all the way through the drive back to Chicago. Let's start with the reason I'm staying in Las Vegas for the next three weeks and I'll talk about some of the highlights.

I am staying in the Vegas area for the next three weeks to see if I might want to move out here in a couple of years. I've been able to pivot most of my job so I can do it remotely and in a couple years, I'll be totally remote. The heat really isn't that bad, once you get used to it and when you are working, you do not go out during the day, only at night when it is cooler.

I caught up on work the first week and drove around on the weekend. I worked Labor Day so I could take Friday the 9th off and drive to LA. It was so cool to say, "I'm driving to LA for the weekend." The drive is about 4 and a half hours, depending on traffic. As I was talking with people about the areas that they lived in and what they felt would be a good fit for me, people were very candid about what they thought, and I even got the contact information about a local realtor that one of the couples know. People especially like to tell you about their favorite places to eat, so always listen for their recommendations.

On Wednesday the 7th, I met for dinner two of the best people in Las Vegas, Dale and Paula McKenzie. I may have mentioned them a time or two. Please check out their YouTube Channel, it is just wonderful and they put in a lot of hard work and long hours to bring it to us. They met me for dinner and I was able to ask them some questions about Las Vegas and get answer that I couldn't get else where and I knew that they are very trust worthy people. I also wanted to thank them for keeping me company and entertained during the past couple of years. I have never missed one of the videos. During December, they are doing "Scotchmas"; you have to check them out. The photo is courtesy of Dale and Paula.

Here is a link to their YouTube page Las Vegas Inside and Out



On Friday September 9th, I loaded the car and pointed myself to LA. You are still in the "desert" most of the drive, but there is always something to see. I especially love the solar panels and collectors near the NV/CA state line. In California, the one rest area had some cool light fixtures. There were a couple of times where I said, "Put the camera down and drive or you may be going down the mountain side." Oh, by the way, you are going to start seeing spots and lint on some of the photos. I did not know that the lens and the mirror behind the shutter had the lint on it, till I was done with the entire trip. I have since cleaned the camera and both mirrors, but some of the pictures are still post worthy.






I am staying at the Thompson Hollywood Hotel; it is a high end Hyatt property. It is definitely geared toward those in there 20's and 30's. I thought I would treat myself and get a room with a terrace. So, not worth it. The terrace rooms are mostly on the third floor. My view was of the building next door. I am staying at this hotel because it is a block away from The Hotel Cafe (which is not a hotel, it is a club); where Steve Carlson will be performing that night with a 10:30 pm start time. Yes folks, that is past my bed time, but he is really worth seeing.

I did make dinner plans with my friend Stephanie; it's the first time that it has worked out that we could sit down, talk and not have something else going on at the same time. We met at the Smoke House in Burbank; very old Hollywood vibe, great food and better company. My drive back took me past the Hollywood Bowl where Duran Duran was performing that night; let's just say "terrific traffic". I get back to the hotel with plenty of time to spare, so I chill in the room by having some wine and reading a book.

It is drizzling outside, so I use my umbrella as I walk to the club and of course there are several young ladies rushing in their high heels trying to find cover. Oh, how I remember those younger years; middle of winter; you wait for the club to just open the doors and then you leave the coat in the car and rush over to the line to get inside. We were too cool for coats. Now older, wearing tennis shoes and carrying an umbrella is how I roll.

I get to the club, give them my name, I'm on the list and I go in. For those that have not been to The Hotel Cafe, it is small and dark inside. It is great for artists that are starting out or even more established artists who want to do something low key. I just wish they had more sitting. I got a drink and then propped myself along the wall and waited for Chris Stills to finish and then watched as Steve setup his equipment and then he performed his set. I've known and have followed Steve's career from more than a decade now and I have met him numerous times. After he got done, I caught up with him and he remembered that I was a longtime fan, but not my name. We talked briefly and then there were other people wanting to talk to him.

As I was leaving, he was outside with some fans, so I waited and then got a picture with him and then said good night. It was going on 1 am and I was getting tired. There are several clubs in that area and they were all still busy with a lot of people walking in the streets. I walked back to my hotel and the club in the hotel was still going as well, and it is two floors below my room; let's just say, earplugs were worn.






The next morning, I had hoped to catch up with another friend, but he had to work that day, so I decided to walk to Mel's Diner for breakfast and then drive out to Palms Springs and see where Brain Christopher's office was and then play some slots at the Agua Caliente Casino. The drive to Palms Springs is not exciting; the best things are the windmills. I walked a little bit of the downtown Palm Springs area, as that is where Brian's office is. I then headed the five minute drive over to the casino. Agua Caliente is a very nice casino. I did not leave a winner that day. After the casino, I was getting hungry. I found a Denny's and had a surprisingly good burger.

I then headed back to LA, but not before stopping at a Target and picking up a few things. The traffic into the city was really bad, even for LA. I found out that there were three major concerts going on that night; Duran Duran (Hollywood Bowl), Keith Urban (The Forum) and Lady Gaga (Dodger Stadium), no wonder traffic was bad.







On Sunday, I had breakfast at the hotel's rooftop terrace. The food was okay, I would have been better off going back to Mel's, but the view was nice. I finished packing and then checked out. When the valet brought my car around, he commented that he like my keychain. It was a keychain that I picked up at the UFO Museum in Roswell. I told him that he should check it out one weekend.

On the way back to Las Vegas, I stopped at one of the rest areas and photographed Clark Mountain. I was glad that I was driving back to Las Vegas and not to LA. There was a five mile backup at the state line for all those going to California. There is an agricultural check point that all cars must slow down and possible stop at before you can continue on the highway into California. I decided to stop at the Seven Magic Mountains; this is an art installation in the desert. The boulders are just south of Las Vegas on South Las Vegas Blvd. While I was there, there was either a dust storm or little dust tornados off in the distance, very cool.








I got back at a decent hour and realized that I only had one more week there in Las Vegas. I decided to put my platinum Caesar's card to good use; I made a reservation for dinner that night at the Eiffel Tower. I utilized the valet service since I was platinum. I had a great waiter who lived in Summerlin (the area of Las Vegas that I really like), so we talked real estate and the best areas for moving to. I could see the Bellagio fountain from my corner table.






I did make it downtown to the Plaza Casino to have dinner at Oscar's and then I played in the Brian Christopher (BC) slot area. Yes, folks, BC has his own area at the Plaza and they are currently building him a new, bigger and smoke free area, that will open next year. I played about five machines. I came in with $100 and left with over $300; I did good. I also played at the M Resort, the prior week and came out a winner there as well. My entertainment budget was $300 and I left Las Vegas with $400, so that my friends is a great thing. Here is a link to BC's YouTube page Brian Christopher Slots

Well, it is now the 16th, my last night in Las Vegas. I had dinner at Lindo Michoacan in Henderson. I asked for a table by the window for my 7pm reservation. They have decent Mexican food, but the view of Las Vegas is incredible!! I wish that I had better photos to show you. After I got back to the hotel, I did finish most of the packing.






The most bitter, sweet day of the adventure, September 17th, the day I leave Las Vegas. I packed up the car, it took about 45 minutes to get everything situated so that I could see out the back window and have access to everything that needed to go into the hotels each night. The handcart I bought from Uline really saved my back when it came to loading and unloading the car. As I said goodbye to the ladies at the front desk, I had envelopes (with tip money) for each of the girls that helped me out during my stay. Travel tip: always leave a daily tip for housekeeping and if someone at the front desk goes out of their way to help you, please tip them also.

I filled my tank with gas and was on the road by 9:45 am and the first stop is Bryce Canyon. Bryce was recommended to me by my friend Wendy Nelson. Thank you Wendy!! Again, beautiful mountain ranges, landscapes and long roads. I get to Bryce at 3:30, mind you, I am now in Mountain Time, so I lost an hour (darn time change). There are over 125 photos, so Bryce has its own web page. Click here on Bryce Canyon. After leaving Bryce, I head to Bountiful, UT, where I am spending the night.






I get up on this Sunday morning and head over to the Ramblin Roads to meet up with my friend Teresa and her husband Alan. We have a great visit and then I hit the road for Bozeman, MT. Some of you are going "What??" or "Why Bozeman?". Well, let me tell you. In the realm of Star Trek, the first contact that humans had with Vulcans was on April 5, 2063 and it took place in Bozeman, MT.

I drove through Idaho and I could tell that I was headed north, all of the sudden, there were trees; oh, and flying bugs. My car never needed a bath the whole trip out, but as soon as I hit the northern states, there be flying bugs.

I asked the front desk person, about a good place to get pizza. She directed me to MacKenzie River Pizza Co. I will say, it was the best pizza I have ever had. The combination of the flaky crust, sweet sauce, ground beef, pepperoni, smoky bacon, tomatoes, red onions, green peppers and mozzarella was just the right proportions to make the best pizza.






It is Monday and I have quite the drive ahead of me to Keystone, SD, via Devil's Tower in Wyoming, but FIRST, the car needs a bath. There is a car wash across the street from the hotel. Now, I and the car feel better; I can hit the road. Once you head out of Montana towards Wyoming, the landscape gets very flat; you are entering the Prairie zone. I make it to Devil's tower in the late afternoon. I do not go into the park area as I was hoping to make it to Keystone before dark, so I took these picks from just down the road. If Devil's Tower looks familiar to you, it was featured in the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".

I will say, I like the rest areas in South Dakota. They give you plenty of selfie spots and you can read up on the state's history, while you are there. I did get to the K Bar S Lodge in Keystone, SD later then I had hoped. When I checked in, I jokingly asked if the room was a "good room". The front desk guy said that it was a "great room"; I thought okay. I got some food from the pub before they closed at 8 pm and then unpacked in my room. I am going to be here for two nights.






The next morning, I went over to the gazebo for breakfast. Their breakfast was full of homemade items. The lodge has a full kitchen, so they make everything fresh. I sat outside and enjoyed the fresh morning air. After getting back to my room, it was too early to leave for Mount Rushmore, so I sat outside on my terrace. The scenery around the lodge is full of mountains, forest and rocks. I was taking pictures and as I was looking through the camera's lens, I saw George Washington and then Thomas Jefferson. Holy crap, I can see Mount Rushmore from my terrace (room 3104); this is way cool. Here are a few photos that I took during my stay. There is also a fire pit that they light every night. That night, I got a drink at the pub and went and sat by the fire pit and met people from Texas, Ohio and Florida. We got to hear each other's stories. They were impressed that I was first of all, on this road trip, but then that I was doing it by myself.






During the day, I got to Mount Rushmore around 10 AM. The entry fee is just your $10.00 parking fee. The parking ticket is good for a whole year, so pass it along to friends. I got the audio wand, so that I could really get the full experience. I went and sat on a bench in the Grand View Terrace and listened to all 29 segments. It took about 90 minutes to listen to all of them, plus some of them had bonus segments that you could also listen to. Once I listened to everything, I started to walk the trail. The trail went around to the front of the mountain and then you went down the stairs to the wench house and sculptors studio, but then it happened...the stairs back up. No matter which way you go on the trail, you will have stairs down and stairs up. So, I took it at a slow pace and rested on a few of the landings; even people younger than me, were having issues with the stairs. But..I did them. I visited the gift shop and the information building before leaving. I was there a total of about four hours, well worth it. I cannot wait to go back. And yes folks, the sky was that blue. Perfection!!






I left and headed toward Crazy Horse. I was on the back side of Mount Rushmore, where I spotted George's profile. There were no cars on the road, so I stopped in the middle of the road and took a profile pic of George. There is a lot of pretty scenery, but the roads are rather curvy, so I had to pay attention to the roads. Once I got close to Crazy Horse, I looked at the time and decided to bypass Crazy Horse and go to the Custer State Park and drive the wildlife loop.

The loop has lots of buffalo and prairie dogs. I drove around and then turned around and drove it back; I wanted to get more shots of the buffalo. After I finished the loop, I hit the hotel address for Maps to take me back. Just a little ways down the road, outside of the park; there was a buffalo standing in the highway (it's a two lane road, so not very wide). He was posing for pictures. I saw the police coming up behind me and thought, oh, they are going to "move him along". Nope, they just drove right past him, like it was no big deal. I was following my GPS and he was taking me on every back road he could find. I thought, I'm going to get lost, I hope he knows where he's going. Well, yes he did. He got me back to Keystone. I walked around the tiny main street area and had dinner at Ruby's; the food at the pub was better. Like I said above. I went to the fire pit after I got back to the hotel and met all those super people. I did not take and pictures of the fire pit; I was busy being in the moment with the people around me.







The next morning is Wednesday the 21st. I again have breakfast at the gazebo. I packed up the car and headed out about 9:30 am. I'm headed to Fargo, ND, this is another one of those long drive days. I skipped going through the badlands. I have to save something for next year when I drive back out. There was a nice bright spot along the way in Chamberlain, SD. It was Dignity. She is beautiful and a gift to SD for the 125th anniversary of their statehood. I also did stop at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. I am glad that I did, but I do not need to go back. The drive through South Dakota is truly the prairie, nothing to see but the highway and flat lands. By the time I got to Fargo, it was dark and late. I checked in and then crashed.






The next morning, I head to St Cloud, MN to meet up with my friends Audrey and Brittany at Jules Bistro for lunch. I know Audrey and Brittany from the Supernatural convention in Minneapolis back in 2015. We had a great visit, just too short. After leaving them, I head to Rice Lake, WI, which again is back road driving. I am staying at Curriers Lakeview Lodge. I reserved the "Decoy Room" which is room #8. The views from the room and upper deck are breath taking. I unloaded the car as I will be here two nights. The last two night of my trip. I went to Lehman's Supper Club for dinner and then back to my room, so I could be on my Thursday night Zoom call with "The Girls".

Rice Lake and Long Lake are very close and dear to my heart. I have family there. My grandparents (mom's mother & father) owned a resort on Long Lake back in the 60s and 70s. They had like seven cabins, a store and their house. The Schuller Resort was our vacation spot every year. We would get whatever cabin was not rented out for that week. I loved running the old fashion cash register more than the fishing.


On Friday, I had leftovers for breakfast and then headed to the cemetery to see my grandparents. Now, mind you, I haven't been to the cemetery in years. I thought I knew right where they were. It took me walking up and down the rows for almost 45 minutes to find the head stone. They were about 50 feet from where I park the car. I'm sure they were laughing at me. I now have the location in my contact list. I then took the drive up to the resort area. There are more houses down by the dam area. I drove around to the resort, which is now Sunset Resort. The resort has changed a lot over the years and has expanded. I did not stop and walk down to the lake; it just did not feel right this time.



I then just started driving, with no destination in mind, just drove. I did see blue heron in a field, which is unusual; usually they are in the water, not on land. The Fall colors were starting to come out. After a while, I headed back to Rice Lake for a light lunch and then stopped at the Milk Pail for some ice cream. Yes, this is the eating tour of Rice Lake; all the places we went to when I was a child.



It was late afternoon; I drove back to the lodge and started going through all my trip photos; this is when I noticed that the photos had the lint on them. I was heartbroken on some of them, but it is what it is. I'll deal with the camera when I get home. I retook some of the room view and deck view photos with my phone camera. I repacked the luggage and loaded a few things in the car that night, so I wouldn't have some much stuff in the morning.

Morning comes and it is bittersweet, meeting family for breakfast and then driving home to Chicago. I am meeting Don, his daughter Courtney and her son Devon for breakfast at Maxine's. Don and his late wife Kay have been my adopted Uncle and Aunt for as long as I can remember, so they are all family. We had some great laughs, told stories and shared memories. Around 10 am, we take a picture and said our goodbyes. I pulled into my parking spot at home around 4 pm, and it dawned on me...Where are my house keys? I haven't needed them for six weeks. It took about 15 minutes of tearing through suitcases and briefcases to find them.






A friend asked me; What did you learn while on this trip? I learned that I am stronger than I thought I was. I saw what an amazing country that we live in. I saw the beauty that God created and that we take for granted.

I am so glad that I did this road trip. I got to connect with friends that I hadn't seen for years. I increased my Hilton status to almost Diamond. I will be Diamond before the end of the month. I made some new friends along the way. I have new places that I want to go back to and spend more time at. I've already started planning next year's trip.

The stats of this trip are, I spent at least one night in 12 cities, drove through 17 states, was away for 44 days, visited 3 car dealerships, visited with 14 friends/family, drove a total of 6717 miles and had 1 great adventure.

I would suggest to anyone and everyone, whether you go by yourself or with someone else, get in your car and drive this great country of ours; you will not be disappointed.

I hope you made it to the end of this "little" adventure. I thank you for indulging me and reading my story.