Vegas --> Bay Area

Day 13, Saturday (July 21) Las Vegas to Pleasanton (Home!)

Well, of course, the baggage did not all fit in the trunk (do they really need all those shoes?). So we had to put 2 bags stacked on one side of the back seat on top of a towel. But it ended up working out fine.

It was quite hot for most of the trip; starting at 100*F in Vegas, and eventually cooling down to 85*F driving by Tracy on I-5.


Grapevines for the California wine. (I-5, south of Santa Nella, not in Napa.)



Windmills of my mind, cruising over the Altamont into Livermore.



California sunset.



Last Fwy/Hwy offramp to complete the trip.


When we pulled into the driveway at home in Pleasanton, it was 72*, and the fog was rolling in. And we are home.





Wow. That was a loooooooong drive.


The cats are good, and the house is fine. Now it's time to make room in the garage for the new 335i. Perhaps after a day of rest.


Just for fun.


It was an awesome trip. And worth every minute (and penny). I can't wait to do it again in a few years. Here are the final statistics:


We left the BMW Performance Center in South Carolina at 2:46 pm EST.


Thanks for those who followed the blog and to those who left comments. This was alot of fun (although a bit more "work" than anticipated because uploading the pic's can be painfully slow with a weak wireless connection.

Cheers! Jeff
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******* FINAL BLOG POST *******


* * * * * * * E N D O F B L O G * * * * * * *

Last day in Vegas...

Day 11, Thursday - Mostly resting/lounging/recuperating day. Not much to report.


Molly and Carly with Carly's new car!

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Day 12, Friday -
My last day in Vegas before heading home.

So of course, we had to go check out the:


in Henderson, NV - about 15 miles from Summerlin.



Molly pointing out the sprinklicious Donut sale.















Dad trying to steal some donut action.









mmm... donuts with sprinkles...


















The only KWIK-E-MART with real slot machines?

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A quick run up the mountain...


Red Rock Canyon in the mountains west of Las Vegas.
I meant to put the top down for this pic, but it was so hot (~107*F) I completely forgot.


So, tomorrow we head back to CA (me, Carly and Molly). Ironically, the last day of this entire roadtrip will be the longest travel day: 550 miles / 8 hours. I hope the baggage al fits.

I hope it is cooler in CA, the entire trip has been quite hot; mostly between 85 and 95*.

Cheers,
Jeff
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Cedar City, UT --> Las Vegas, NV

Day 10, Wednesday - Cedar City to Las Vegas Wednesday morning and we are off to Las Vegas to drop Dad off and hang with the fam for a couple of days before heading back to the Bay Area. Cruising to the Utah/Nevada border...











A short stint through a piece of AZ...











Within 3 car lengths of the Nevada border, the first casino...



Extra heavy smog today makes it difficult to make out the Strip.







And back to Mom & Dad's place.



Total miles of main roadtrip: 3,320

Well, now I get to hang with the fam for a couple of days in Vegas. Or maybe sleep. Mmmm... sleeeeep.

Ciao for now,
Jeff
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Grand Junction to CO Monument to Cedar City, UT

Again, ignore the posting dates. It is Tuesday - I promise! ;-)
Day 9, Tuesday
Grand Junction, CO --> Colorado Monument --> Cedar City, UT
Warning: This is a long post; 335 miles and we stopped twice for sight-seeing.


Colorado National Monument is a smaller colorful canyon compared to canyons in the Rockies. But it is more accessible for viewing up-close. This place is very well maintained. Good roads (except where half the road eroded away and left only one lane). Nice Visitor Center.

















Nice road.



Balancing rock?


Heading for the CO/UT border...


75. Colorado too. Yes!



But I... can't... drive... seventy-fiiive...


And now we are in Utah!













Major thunder storm. We only caught about 5 minutes of it. There was some very cool lightning too, but my finger wasn't quite quick enough on the camera button.



OMG! Three Thousand miles already?



Cedar City, UT - Shakespeare Festival country.


We decided to check out Cedar Breaks National Monument, another cool canyon, just outside the city. My dad has been here before with Carly and Molly.


Nice windy road. Although, most of the turns were very tight, so mostly lower speeds. One turn was probably more than 300 degrees, slightly banked toward the inside. But there was a cliff on the outside - we were climbing to over 10,000 feet.



There were a few straight aways at lower elevation.















That's 10,350 feet above sea level. I didn't really notice the thin air, but then, we didn't do any hiking up here.



Seriously deep.












Our overnight stop in Cedar City landed us at 6000 feet.



3,110 miles to Cedar City.



We had dinner at this cool house converted into a restaurant called Garden House. Or, was it Housegarden?...


Tomorrow, we head back to Vegas to drop off Dad at home.

Ciao!
Jeff
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