Day 2 - Driving to Las Vegas

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Today we would be driving from Anaheim to Las Vegas about 457km or 4.5 hours. Had breakfast at the Residence Inn as complimentary and had scrambled eggs on toast and Kerry had Muesli. I went for the short wall to pick up the hire car from Hertz and they gave me a Nissan xTerra which is a mid sized SUV and exactly the right size to fit in our luggage. Headed off on the long drive and we used Google Maps to write down some basic instructions to get on the right freeways which did not seem too difficult and we also used Mr Tom Tom as a back up. Traffic was OK until we reached around Pasadena where it stopped. Mr Tom Tom wanted us to take the next exit whereas Google Maps wanted us to take the next (guess who won ?). We basically skipped 5km of grid locked traffic and headed off. Weather was cool but fine and good for driving probably around 18 degrees. On the drive there were trucks everywhere with shiny silver reflective rear doors.

We stopped at Barstow after about 2 hours and went to the world famous In-N-Out burger stop. Burgers just as good as ever (I need to buy the Australian franchise). We had 2 x 2‘s and 2 x 3‘s. I was the only one who finished the fries (my first fries for 11 weeks). At the toilets I experienced my first sensor controlled hand towel dispenser of the trip and I don't know why these have not arrived yet in Australia (so clean and practical). Unfortunately nearly all of the shops were closed (US recession). Managed to buy some cheap Nike socks (12 pairs for only $18-). Tom Tom needs some help as it pronounced Las Vegas as Las Vegarse !

Continued the drive and the scenery is simply spectacular as you reach the desert. We came across some weird street names along the way (see photos) and as we arrived in Nevada at Primm we were surprised to see so much flooding of the desert floor (very unusual but the whole West Coast had been raining for over a week just before we arrived). We arrived on the Strip around 4.30PM just as sun was setting and drove one lap of the strip to see he big lights before checking in. We were supposed to drop the car off by 9AM the next morning but I was thinking about keeping it as Luke was still not well and Vegas involved lots of walking.

We were staying at the Marriott Grand Chateau right next to Planet Hollywood and right in he middle of the strip. It's a beautiful Hotel with no casino (actually timeshare) and very nice inside with lots of space to bunker down for 5 nights. Had dinner at Blondies inside Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood as it was playing a Miami Heat Basketball game on the big TV screens Had my first Quasedillas and a Corona too. Full of Blonde waitresses trying to look cool in cheerleader outfits.

Tomorrow it's XMAS Eve and we are planning to do some shopping and our first Vegas Show.

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