
Southwest USA
Retirement Trip
September 2019
29 Days – 6,500 Miles – 19 States
7 National Parks
Several State Parks – 6,000+ Photos
1 Trillion Insects Squished by Car Windshield
From 108 Degrees to Snow
From 282 Feet Below Sea Level to 12,000+ Feet
Bison, Elk, Prairie Dogs, Lizards, Wild Horses
Elvis, Aliens, John Wayne Westerns
Walking In The Footsteps of Forrest Gump
And More!

Williams, Arizona to Pahrump, Nevada via Rt 66 and Hoover Dam

Then, we crossed into Nevada and stopped by Hoover Dam before circling past Las Vegas (best seen from a distance)
and heading to Pahrump, near the gate to Death Valley.

The interstate covered up this section of the old Rt 66.




Too bad people have put stickers all over the sign. Oh well.





Notice the train tracks parallel Rt 66 quite a bit.



Angel Delgadillo, a barber and owner of this shop, organized a “rebirth” of the town many years after I-40 had just about turned it into a ghost town.
Read more about his story on the next photo.






(Actually, just a cardboard cutout of Angel)

Can you take the quiz on the right-hand page?
For More Information on Angel’s Gift Shop: https://www.route66giftshop.com/the-angel-of-route-66/
Shortly after we arrived, a tourist bus pulled up out front and dozens of people came in the store. Time to go!

Remember those?
Look closely at the row of red signs ahead on the right.
As you drive by, each sign has one line of a 4-line poem.





Back in the 50s and 60s, there were hundreds of these signs along highways in the US.
Very creative advertising!

Every 10-15 minutes, we would pass another train – some over 2 miles long!

but there were still many interesting ones along the way.





(The name sounds more like a place in Hawaii than Arizona, eh?)
We arrived in Kingman, Arizona just before noon.

It’s the last one, as we head northwest from here on a different road.


(and that was 635 miles from Morgantown!)
And we still have to go back to Chicago (1,806 miles) before going home.



and decided to split a burger, fries, and root beer float.
Aren’t we boring!



I just saw you in Williams AZ.


Kingman, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada.

the landscape becomes more mountainous.

Time to clean the bugs off the windshield again.

the Colorado River just below Hoover Dam.
On the far end of the bridge is the border with Nevada.

Just around the corner is the exit for the Hoover Dam, which is off to our right about a mile.
We’re going to circle around and take a look.



Hoover Dam was built during the Great Depression, with work starting in 1931 and completing in 1936 for the purpose of flood prevention, irrigation, and electric power. It impounds Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the US when full. The dam’s generators provide electricity for parts of California, Nevada, and Arizona.
For more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam

The 4-lane bypass opened in 2010 and created a much safer situation.


The dam was designed to maintain the reservoir at 1,219 feet. The day we visited, the level was 1,080 feet.
At 1,050 feet, there is not enough water for irrigation and the hydro-electric plant must shut down.

Nevada (to the left) and Arizona (to the right).





When he was accidentally killed by a truck, the workers buried him along the walkway at the dam.




You can see the “Vegas Strip” up ahead.

Beth and I decided before the trip that neither of us cared to stop.


and it looks like both of us imagined.

Our home for the next 2 days.

It pays to do research (Trivago) and read reviews.
Overall, we have been very pleased with the hotels.

a small and simple Italian restaurant.
Their special tonight was spaghetti. We each had a small bowl, which was plenty.
One thing we noticed on our walk is that Pahrump seems to be a popular destination for “snowbirds” to bring their RVs and camp the entire winter. There were RV parks filled with campers that already looked “semi-permanent”. The town really is nice, with lots of restaurants, shopping, and even a Wal-Mart! If we ever retired to the Southwest, Pahrump would be at the top of the list.

Tomorrow, we will get an early start to go explore Death Valley.
The car is full of gas (and drinking water and sunscreen) so we’re ready to go.
Thanks for joining us today. See you in the morning!
Mileage Today: 297 Miles
Trip Total: 2,934 Miles