Day 5 - Tonopah to Carson City, Nevada

227 Miles, 4 hours driving time.

We woke up fairly early because we had a full day ahead driving to Carson City. Our Best Western Hotel, Tonopah, had a great breakfast which we enjoyed. After checking out we headed north on Route 95. The drive was beautiful.   There were massive ranges of mountains in every direction. The scenery adjoining the road around us was distinctly categorised as being 'green desert'. The month was May and to us is was surprising that everywhere looked so green.

By the time we were approaching Hawthorne, Nevada, we were thinking a cup of coffee would be nice. Now our experience is that one never knows (looking at a dot on the map) how big or what businesses are to be found. Well as we headed down hill towards Hawthorne, our attention was quickly diverted to a very rugged terrain and it didn't take Ace long to figure out that what we were looking at, for as far as you could see, were ammunition bunkers...thousands of them. We found a McDonald's and stopped there for coffee after driving through a delightful town adjoining Hawthorne Army Depot. We soon learned that around us was an ammunition storage site. Construction began on the facility in 1928 and it served as an ammunition staging area for World War II. It is said to be the largest facility of its kind in the world, covering more than 147,000 acres.  About Hawthorne, Nevada

After coffee I had my picture taken with a huge American flag in the background and off we headed north continuing up Route 95. We soon approached beautiful Walker Lake and then onto Alternate Route 95 through Yerington and then at Silver Springs we turned left onto Route 50 (The Loneliest Road in American). More about that later.

It was time for something to eat again so we stopped outside Dayton at a little shopping center, had a burger, went to the grocery store and stretched our legs. We were nearly there.

The last bit of our drive, about 30 minutes, took us in to Carson City via Route 50 and onto South Carson Street. We found our hotel, Best Western Carson Station and Casino located in South Carson Street.  I must say we loved our hotel.  It has a small casino and it close to many local historical sights, all within walking distance.  After we checked in we went out for a walk and found a great 'blue line' walking tour, fantastic historical homes, a museum or two, State capitol buildings, and more.  We had a drink at a local bar before dinner and then ate at our hotel.

Tomorrow - Virginia City and Lake Tahoe and Genoa.

Day 4 - Downtown Vegas and then to Tonopah, NV

We got up early and finished packing, had breakfast and a last little gamble in Casino Royale then headed down town. Fremont Street is a canopied-street that has a light show worth seeing at night. Fremont Street has been successfully regenerated to compete with The Las Vegas Strip. The casinos are old fashioned and many will be recognised from the motion pictures. If you are visiting Las Vegas, you should definitely visit Fremont Street.

Las Vegas to Tonopah

Heading to Tonopah, Nevada
The drive north to Reno or Carson City calls for an over-night stop at Tonopah, Nevada. We left Las Vegas about 11am and drove for some time before we actually got into the desert. The development around Vegas is staggering. Once in the desert we simply followed Route 95. We noticed that we were gradually climbing to higher altitude. Pretty scenery in every direction. We stopped for lunch at a service station outside Beatty to the north of town. They had toilets, Subway takeaway and a large shop selling sweets, etc. We had lunch there in the garden. Next point of interest was the ghost town, Goldfield.  About Goldfield Looking at the attached website, I am sorry that we didn't stop and have a closer look at the buildings. We arrived in Tonopah about 2ish. We had booked at the Best Western. Across the street was a laundromat so you can guess what we did next.

Tonopah for the most part is a mining town. My guess is that most of the people staying at our motel were miners. Tonopah is an interesting little town with plenty to do. One rather humorous site is the Clown Motel which is located next to a cemetery. Interesting! If you are into astronomy, this is the place for you at night. You are miles from anywhere, hence, Tonopah has been voted No.1 Stargazing Destination in America by national newspaper - USA Today.

Laundry done, it was time to find somewhere to have dinner. You have probably guessed that we like to drop a few coins in gambling machines. Well, after dinner we had that opportunity at a nice little casino which is part of the Ramada Hotel. We had dinner there and the food was excellent. There is a grocery store next to the Ramada, if you need one.

Tomorrow - To Carson City
Tips -

1. Enjoy the scenery.

2. Remember that there aren't many places to stop and if you have time Goldfield looks interesting.

Day 2 and 3 - Las Vegas

Las Vegas is a must-see City. You could easily spend a couple of days going in and out of all the hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. In fact, you can tour the world as each hotel has its own unique theme. Fabulous fun. However, be prepared to be crowded out as the day goes on. Las Vegas has no low season in respect of numbers of people. Convention traffic, hen/stag parties, wedding celebrations equal lots of people about in addition to holiday visitors.

We have been to Las Vegas a number of times so our main objective for the day was to do a little shopping and see any new hotels that had been built since our last visit. We did not use the car at all today. We did a lot a walking to the newish Palazzo Hotel and along the canal in The Venetian. Trying to economise, we ate at Denny's for breakfast, McDonald's for lunch and then had a very light dinner back at Denny's. We met an interesting man who had call from his son whilst eating to which he reported, 'Don't worried about your inheritance, I have just spent it'. Our favourite gambling spot seemed to be at Casino Royale (next door to Denny's). The only reason is probably because we won on the machines and our hotel (Harrah's) was nearby.

On Day 3 we drove out to Henderson to the Green Valley Ranch Hotel to have breakfast at their Pancake House. Did a little shopping and more sight-seeing and then to Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon for dinner.

If you haven't been before make use of the monorail which goes between MGM Grand and The Hilton. You can get a day pass.

Tomorrow - Time to 'leave Las Vegas'

Tips

1. The Las Vegas Strip becomes more crowded as the day goes on. If you are travelling from Europe, you will likely wake early. Hooray! Everything is open - stores, restaurants, hotels and casinos. Even a Wal-Mart.

2. Trip Advisor offers great suggestions for hotels and what to do - Trip Advisor - Las Vegas

Day One - Los Angeles, California to Las Vegas, Nevada

A rainy day in Los Angeles was our signal that 'it was time to leave town'. We had hired a car in Los Angeles and drove over the mountains on Interstate 15 through Victorville, Barstow, and Baker. The weather soon cleared on the way. It was mid May and unbelievably there had been snow on the mountains which was beautiful. (Note: There is an opportunity to drive along a little of Route 66 which runs along side the freeway. We have done it in the past when the freeway was jammed.)

Los Angeles to Las Vegas

The drive is about 5 hours, including a quick lunch break, and the plan is to arrive in Las Vegas after 3pm, check-in time.

We stayed at centrally located Harrah's this trip. After checking in it was time to go to the casino bar and have our traditional 'Shirley Temple' and then look for a 5 cent video poker machine.

Tomorrow - In and around Las Vegas

Tip:

1. Stop for lunch at Barstow. There is a factory outlet on the west side of town. There are a number of restaurants or fast food places. We ate at Bob's Big Boy.

2. You will need a comfortable car.

3. When you get to Las Vegas and if you are staying at a hotel, use the valet services on your first night. Cost a few dollars and there is less hassle.

Websites: Route 66 - Barstow website for things to do, places to see and restaurants on Historic Route 66 - Click the link -  About Barstow & Route 66