SIN CITY

THE 'RESTROOM' IN SELIGMAN

DUST DEVILS

HOOVER DAM

EXCALIBUR HOTEL/CASINO

NEW YORK NEW YORK

PARIS - LAS VEGAS

We departed Tusayan and said farewell to Grand Canyon. Our continued pursuit of Route 66 took us to Williams, a town which sued the government several times in an attempt to prevent its stretch of 66 being by-passed by the interstate, but finally lost. It seems to have made the best of it though, with an economy now based on tourism and Route 66 memorabilia. The same focus on memorabilia also applies to Seligman where we also stopped......a fascinatingly quirky place, though its shabbiness suggested it was struggling somewhat.

As we drove through the remaining part of Arizona we could see dust-devils dancing in the desert around us. The next stop was to see the Hoover Dam which holds back the waters of Lake Mead which, in turn, is fed by the waters of the Colorado River. Although primarily built for water storage and flood control, this huge engineering project on the Arizona/Nevada border also produces 4.2 billion kWh of electricity per annum, enough to power 400,000 homes.

The main road used to pass over the Dam, but with only two lanes it soon became a bottleneck. Security concerns were also raised following 9/11. As a consequence, a four lane road now passes over the newly constructed Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge just downstream from the Dam. It was from here that we were able to view the Dam. Cars are not allowed to stop on this bridge but pedestrians can walk across once they have passed through security checks.

Now firmly in Nevada, it didn't take us long to reach the Alexis Park Resort in Las Vegas where we would stay for two nights. We were nearing the end of our Route 66 journey, so we had what would probably be our last evening meal as a group in an Italian Restaurant. Afterwards some of us did a reconnaissance of the famous Las Vegas 'Strip'. No, nothing to do with nudity! This is what might be called the Main Street in other cities. It was a Wednesday night and after 11.00pm, but the streets were full of people and brightly illuminated by the light from the huge displays that constantly advertised products. The place just throbbed with activity.

Next morning I set off on my own to walk the length of The Strip on one side of the road, then back on the other, a task that would take me all day. The hotels are much more than just places to sleep. They are also casinos, shopping malls, restaurants and theatres. Each casino/hotel links to the next by monorail or covered walkway, often bridging roads. I visited the Mandalay Bay, the Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York, then on to the Bellagio and Caesars Palace until I eventually reached the Stratosphere. I then crossed to the other side and walked back, visiting the Palazzo, the Venetian, Paris - Las Vegas and Planet Hollywood, to name just a few. The exteriors of these casino/hotels are impressive enough, showing off enormous scale-models of the Sphinx, the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, the Empire State Building, etc. Inside they are no less so. I was particularly awe-struck by the interior of the Luxor and Caesars Palace. In the evening I watched the fountain display in front of the Bellagio, the Volcano display at the Mirage and the Sirens of Treasure Island at the Treasure Island Casino and Hotel.

I was left with the impression that however tacky you might consider Las Vegas to be, this City certainly knows how to impress. The hotels are as elaborately and exquisitely decorated as any I have seen, and the free entertainment is better than some I have paid good money for.

As for the 'Sin' in 'Sin City', well there were a lot of scantily-clad girls around, but I didn't look - much. I didn't gamble either - promise - but I am coming back on the 7th of August so there is still time to remedy that.

GRAND CANYON

DESIREABLE RESIDENCE IN SKY CITY - OUTSIDE LOO THOUGH

EL RANCHO HOTEL, GALLUP

WIGWAM MOTEL, HOLBROOK

GRAND CANYON

OOH AAH POINT ON SOUTH KIABAB TRAIL

ON SOUTH KIABAB TRAIL

We left Santa Fe to drive across am increasingly desert-like landscape to Albuquerque, a much larger city than Santa Fe which is bracketed between the Sandia Crest Mountains and the Rio Grande River. After a quick look around the rather touristy Old Town and an ice cream in a classically-styled Route 66 diner, we continued on to Acoma Sky City.

Acoma is a pueblo (town) built on a mesa 367 ft above sea level, hence its other name Sky City. It has no mains water or electricity supplies, yet it has been continuously inhabited by the Pueblo Indians since 1150AD.

We paid for a guided tour of the pueblo, but I found myself disappointed because the Indian residents didn't seem to make much effort to preserve the authenticity of the houses, having modified them using modern materials. Whilst we were being told how unique and historic the place was, cars and portaloos were evident all around us (Acoma has no sewers). A much better impression would have been gained if these things had been moved out of sight. For me, the best things were the views from the town and the steep walk down.

Our final destination for the day was the El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico. Other than being on Route 66, there was little of interest in Gallup itself. However, the hotel was quirky, with a large open lobby with two spiral staircases leading to an overlooking balcony. The decor was a little dated, with pictures of yesteryear's film stars adorning the walls, but the place was comfortable enough. Apparently, the Hotel had been used as the base for several film productions, mostly westerns, made between 1940 and 1964. The rooms are named after famous actors who had stayed in them - Winston and I shared the Errol Flynn room.

Leaving the El Rancho Hotel next morning, we continued our westerly heading and crossed the state border into Arizona. We stopped briefly at Holbrook to see the Wigwam Motel with its accommodation comprising individual concrete wigwams each with a classic car parked outside. After further refreshment stops at Jackrabbit and Flagstaff, we turned north off Route 66 to visit Grand Canyon.

This 277 mile long, one mile deep geological feature with its origins dating back nearly two billion years ago was a 'must  see' on the trip. We parked near to the Desert View observation point. Damien decided that the best way to illicit a group 'wow' response from us was to put paper bags over our heads, lead us blind to the edge, then get us all to remove the bags simultaneously. What trust we must have in him! Anyway, it worked as we were all immediately struck by the sheer scale of the landscape, the vivid yellows, reds and greens of the rock strata, and the sight of the Colorado River winding its way far below.

We would be staying for two nights at the Red Feather Lodge in Tusayan, about 10 minutes drive from the National Park, so we had a full day to explore the Canyon further.

Next morning Damien dropped us off at the Park visitor center, the starting point for hikes in and around the Canyon. I opted to walk a section of the South Kiabab Trail which involved hiking down into the Canyon. I descended about 2,000 feet to a place just beyond Skeleton Point where I could see the Colorado River below. It was very hot, but not as hot as I am told it can be in the Canyon in summer. I had taken plenty of fluid and salty snacks as I didn't want to give new meaning to Skeleton Point.

Unlike a mountain where you ascend before descending, here the hard work is on the way out. It takes twice as long to climb out of the Canyon as it does to climb in. During my upward slog I met some other walkers who had underestimated their fluid requirements, so I gave them some of my water.

The round-trip hike took about 5 hours, which was enough in the heat, although it did rain on the way back to the Lodge.

IS THIS THE WAY TO SANTA FE

CADILLAC RANCH

I LEFT MY MARK

MIRACLE STAIRCASE?

NICE CAR - OR IS IT A ROCKETSHIP?

PUEBLO POW-WOW

NICE TOGS

We continued our journey through Texas by first paying a visit to Cadillac Ranch just west of Amarillo. This shrine to America's open road was produced by San Francisco artists in 1974 and comprises 10 upended Chevrolets spray-painted with graffiti. Anyone is allowed to spray more graffiti on the cars, so I did.

We saw large herds of cattle, the source of the famous beefsteaks we enjoyed the previous night, and the biggest array of windmills for generating power that I have ever seen. This part of Texas is referred to as the panhandle because of the thin strip of Oklahoma State above which makes the latter look like a cooking pan.

As we continued our way west towards Santa Fe, the cornfields and the plains populated with nodding donkeys (oil pumps) gave way to hills and rocky outcrops of golden sandstone. The road ran parallel to the Amtrak line for a considerable part of its length and we saw goods trains comprising a string of 3 locomotives pulling over 100 carriages. Just before leaving Texas for New Mexico we stopped at Adrian, regarded as the half-way point in Route 66. The place looked very run down.

We had a picnic lunch by the Blue Hole artesian well near Santa Rosa, New Mexico. It is 81 ft deep and 60 ft wide - big enough to swim in, as many people were. Indeed, it is a popular place to come scuba diving.

Santa Fe is not a city that you can see from a distance as the buildings are low, of adobe construction and painted brown to blend in with the environment. Our arrival here was like landing in another country. The Pueblo Indian residents are distinctive with their short stocky statures and black hair and dark skins. The city had a clean, comfortable, safe feel about it, perhaps helped by having a population of only 69,000. We were left to our own devices for a few hours and I visited the Loretto Chapel to see the 'miracle' spiral staircase which apparently remains in place even though there are no nails holding it up.

There also happened to be a car show in the City so I was able to watch the entrants drive around the central plaza in classic Chevrolets, Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles as well as more modern Audis, Maseratis and Ferraris.

We were staying in Santa Fe for a second night, so our tour leader, Damien, drove us to Taos for the day to see a Pueblo Indian pow-wow being held on reservation land. The Indian costumes were wonderfully elaborate and colourful, and I really enjoyed watching their tribal dances to the accompaniment of warbling and screeching and the loud beating of drums. They made a big thing of honouring their warriors, most of them these days having served with the US military. When I wanted to take photographs of them I was advised that my camera might steal their spirits, but if I gave them $10 it would be OK.

When it began to rain in the afternoon, I began to wonder what sort of dance they were doing!

GETTIN' MA KICKS

CRYSTAL BRIDGE AT MYRIAD GARDENS, OKLAHOMA CITY

MEMORIAL TO OKLAHOMA LAND RUSH

HERE PUSSY, PUSSY

COUNT DOWN TO CROSSING THE ROAD

TORNADO DEVASTATED AREA OF MOORE

DIARAMA AT THE ROUTE 66 MUSEUM

It's Tuesday 9th and we left Branson promptly at 9.00am for our 328 mile drive to Oklahoma City. Our group are getting on well, which is just as well given that we have a total of 14 days together.

The terrain becomes flatter as we drive through what remains of Missouri, cross a tiny corner of Kansas and finally enter into Oklahoma State. Our stops along the way include lunch at the Totem Pole Park near Foyil where they boast of having the tallest totem pole in the world, another at Catoosa to see the giant whale model and finally  'Pops' in Arcadia where they sell over 650 different varieties of soda. With an enormous pop bottle outside it's hard to miss. Everything in America seems to be characterised by huge size.

Corn and wheat production appear to give way cattle as we travel west, and the grass seems surprisingly green given that temperatures have now risen to a sweltering 105 degrees F.

We arrive at the Sheraton Hotel in Oklahoma City then go out for supper at the nearby Tapwerks restaurant in Bricktown with its 100 varieties of beer on tap.

Next morning is a free day, so I head off alone to explore the city. I soon arrive at the beautiful Myriad Botanical Gardens, with its impressive Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory over a large pond. I noted that the carp in the pond seemed to follow the ducks around.

Later I visited the Oklahoma National Memorial on the site of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building which was destroyed in the 1995 bombing. This remains the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil perpetrated by an American citizen. The area where the building stood is now populated by 168 empty chairs, each inscribed with the name of a victim.

After the above, I found it slightly unnerving when crossing roads. Most US cities seem to have pedestrian crossing signs with computerised voices which count down the remaining time to cross ...6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... I kept imagining that 'BOOM' would come next.

After that I wondered around the Bricktown Canal, with the substantial monument to the 1889 'land rush' which led to the foundation of Oklahoma City and State. I also stopped by the Bass Pro Drive sports shop where I could make faces at the large catfish in the aquarium and review the range of guns for sale.

I was able to survey where I had walked later that evening from the 49th floor of the Devon Tower, tallest building in the City.

After our second night in Oklahoma City we took a detour south from Route 66 to visit Moore, the district of Oklahoma City that was hit by a tornado on May 20 this year. The Moore community are right in tornado alley and this is the 5th tornado to have hit them in 15 years, and not the worst. We saw homes that had lost roofs and many were completely destroyed. The track taken by the tornado was evident, with houses just a few hundred yards either side apparently untouched.

Our intended destination for the day was Amarillo, Texas, but along the way we visited the 'official' Route 66 Museum in Clinton (not named after the former US President), and also Texola, a town which once thrived when Route 66 was the main highway through it, but became a ghost town when the interstate roads were built and Route 66 was finally decommissioned in 1985.

Route 66 was realigned (i.e. re-routed) many times, but from the mid-1950's it went into decline as it was gradually replaced the new interstate highways. Many parts of the original Route 66 are now impassable so we frequently had to use these interstate roads instead.

Shortly after entering Texas we visited the Devil's Rope Museum in McLean, which explained the history of barbed wire. It also had an excellent display about the ecological disaster that occurred in this central region of America in the 1930's known as the dust bowl. The ploughing of fields removed the grass that held the soil together. This, combined with drought conditions led to choking dust storms and the complete collapse in farming. The huge migration of people to the West Coast along Route 66 is described in Steinbeck's 'The Grapes of Wrath'.

After checking into our Amarillo hotel for the evening, we were all chauffeured to The Big Texan Steak Ranch to enjoy what was, in my view, one of the best steak meals I have ever eaten.

For those with a huge appetite, they offer a massive 72 oz steak meal which, if you can eat it all in 1 hour, you get it for free. We watched 3 people try and fail.

THE MOTHER ROAD

START POINT IN CHICAGO

THE GEMINI GIANT

LINCOLN'S TOMB

PASS THE KETCHUP, JOY

THE GATEWAY ARCH

WE HAPPY BAND OF TRAVELLERS

I was in the hotel lobby at 7.30am to meet Damien, our group leader and driver, and my travel companions, of whom there were just 3; couple Colin and Annmaree, and Winston. Another couple, Keith and Joy would be joining us that evening in Springfield. Other than Damien and me, everyone was Australian. I hoped they wouldn't be whingers like those poms I keep hearing about.

After an introductory briefing we initially drove to the start point of our 2,200 mile Route 66 trip. Our transport is a white Ford van with a large trailer for our luggage. With 13 passenger seats, the 6 of us would be very comfortable.

We then headed towards Springfield, Illinois where we would spend the night. Along the way we stopped for pictures at the Launching Pad cafe which is publicised by the huge figure of the Gemini Giant in Wilmington. Since the cafe was closed, perhaps the publicity didn't work?

After another stop at Funk's Grove to taste their Maple Sirup (yes, the real stuff is apparently spelt this way), we had lunch at Palms Grill Cafe in Atlanta. Opposite the cafe was 'Tall Paul' another giant at the side of the road.

After our night in Springfield, we visited the pre-presidency home of its most famous son, Abraham Lincoln, and then his Tomb. The latter was impressive and larger than many churches.

We also saw some of the dafter landmarks along the way such as the world's largest ketchup (alternatively spelt Catsup) bottle in Collinsville. Particularly fun was the tour of the massive Budweiser factory in St. Louis, Missouri, especially the beer sampling session at the end.

After a comfortable night in the Drury Plaza Hotel in St. Louis, which unusually provides free food and drink, Winston and I walked to the famous 'Gateway Arch' and associated Museum commemorating the westward expansion of the US. Getting to the top of the 630 foot arch involved squeezing 5 people into a tiny cylindrical elevator capsule. It was only when we got to the top that Winston mentioned that he suffered from claustrophobia.

The group were then driven to Meramec Caverns in Stanton which Jesse James used as a hideout. Since I have explored several cave systems before, I chose to wander around the park while everyone else went down. I ended up chatting to a group of chefs enjoying their day off. Gordon Ramsey hosts a cooking program called Hell's Kitchen in the States. We both agreed how awful he is.

At Lebanon we stopped for a quick look around the Route 66 Museum, but our final destination for the day was Branson, Missouri.

Although Branson has a population of just 10,000, it seemed much larger. It was a bit like a mini Las Vegas with shows and entertainment everywhere. Large signs inviting visitors to go to this show or that show appeared alongside the road well before we arrived in town. Damien had booked us in for an evening performance of Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede, which mainly comprised a display of horsemanship performed by riders in Yankee and Confederate uniforms. The audience had to choose which side they supported - we cheered the Yankees and booed the Confederates - but, unlike reality, it was a draw in the end and everyone was happy. The evening finished with a recorded projection of Dolly singing Star Spangled Banner. We didn't see the real Dolly though.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

REFLECTING AT THE CLOUD GATE SCULPTURE

BASE OF THE WILLIS TOWER

FIREWORKS CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE DAY

VIEW OF CHICAGO FROM LAKEFRONT TRAIL

VIEW FROM HANCOCK TOWER

DAVE, ME AND KEVIN AT HANCOCK TOWER

Chicago has a nice vibe to it.

After checking into the hostel, I headed directly for Lake Michigan, then walked north along the waterfront to Navy Pier. The Windy City was living up to its name as there was a nice cool breeze coming off the Lake, which made walking pleasant in spite of the heat (although there is another more amusing suggestion that the name Windy City refers to the verbose rhetoric of the local politicians). The Pier was busy with people and street performers, and there were lots of boats out too.

I walked to Millennium Park to see the fantastic Pritzker Outdoor Music Pavilion and the Cloud Gate sculpture (the huge shiny stainless steel bean) which has become an iconic feature of modern Chicago.

In the evening I went to the top of the 103-floor Willis Tower (previously the Sears Tower) where I met Karen from Taiwan who was also travelling alone. Her real name is Hsu Sz Yu, but that is unpronounceable unless you are Taiwanese. After taking photographs of each other on the glass-floored viewing platform known as the Skyledge, we teamed up for the rest of the evening to share food and watch the 4th of July firework display. Because of the huge crowds, the Police stopped us from getting onto the Navy Pier where it was being held, but we still got a good view from further away.

Next morning I took the train to the DuSable Museum of African American History. The lady at the hostel warned me to "take care" as I was going into a black area, but "...I should be alright because the gangs don't usually come out during the day". Oh, comforting! I checked the statistics and found that the number of murders in Chicago last year was 532, compared to less than 100 in London. Most of Chicago's victims are young blacks who get murdered by other young blacks. There was even a gallery devoted to the gang problem in the DuSable.

I walked the 8 mile distance along the Michigan Lakefront Trail back to the hostel, collected my luggage and carried it to the Red Roof Hotel on the other side of the Chicago River. This is where my Route 66 trip would be leaving from next morning.

An evening stroll took me to the Hancock Tower, which has a bar on its 96th floor which offers spectacular views of Chicago. I met Kevin and Dave whilst we were waiting for the elevator and we ended up sharing a table in the bar. Chatting with them, I learned all sorts of new stuff about the USA as we covered subjects such as racial issues, the gun laws, labour practices, wages, social support systems and cost of living differences between the USA and the UK. It was past 1.00am by the time I got back to the Hotel and I had an early start in the morning.

GRACELAND

ELVIS'S WARDROBE

OTHER RESIDENTS OF MEMPHIS

DAVE, ME, CLAIRE, SKIP AND CHOOCH

RAIL COMPANION TARA

I doubt if it's possible to come to Memphis without feeling compelled to visit Graceland, where Elvis Presley lived, died and is now buried. The mansion is a 15 minute bus ride from Downtown Memphis, and is just what you might expect for a rock star - big, flashy and perhaps a little excessive. The lounge had 3 TV's in it, all next to each other.

On the other side of the road is a theme park with even more Elvis memorabilia, including a car collection and his two private planes - well, airliners really.

Naturally there are lots of opportunities to spend money. Elvis is apparently generating more of it now than he ever did in his lifetime.

For the rest of the day I chilled out in Downtown Memphis. While I sat eating in Court Square, I was surrounded by so many squirrels I thought I was about to be mugged. Urban grey squirrels desensitised to humans seem to be commonplace in the USA.

To continue my journey to Chicago, I needed to catch the 'City of New Orleans' train at 10.40pm. Grawemeyer's Bar was just near the Amtrak terminal so I had a cold beer whilst waiting and was befriended by Dave, Claire, Skip and Chooch, who regularly socialise here.

The train was cold again. I have come to the conclusion that because the railways mostly transport goods, they don't have a 'human' category. The nearest they have is 'meat' so they refrigerate us. The seats are fine for sitting in but uncomfortable for sleeping in so I didn't have a very good night.

At sunrise I went to the observation car with its outward-facing seats and windows in the roof. It was a hive of social activity, which helped pass the time more quickly until we finally arrived in Chicago at 9.00am on July 4th - Independence Day. I am expecting to have a good time.