April 7th: Today is the Day!
I'm finally going to be riding down the Extraterrestrial Highway :-)
The drive would be hours in the making … but Holland had made plans for us to spend at least one night, there.
He's the best husband.
We had Independence hooked to Betsy pretty quickly, so we would be in Rachel-NV before sunset.
A drive-in theatre in Barstow-CA!
Skyline Drive-In Theatre; Barstow-CA
Skyline Drive-in Theater; #31175 Old Hwy 58, Barstow, CA:
(https://twitter.com/skyline_barstow?lang=en)
Skyline RV Park-CA is becoming our 'homing pad' ;-)
Skyline RV Park, Barstow-CA; #30384 Old Hwy 58, Barstow, CA
Elohim provided a need for my want ;-)
Tracy Byrd - 'The Keepers Of The Stars' song:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kskZaiwvYhg)
Joshua Tree for miles into the horizon along the road route.
Joshua Tree National Park Post: https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2024/04/joshua-tree-national-park-ca.html
We're on the backside of our Death Valley National Park excursion, the other day.
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK-CA; Pt. #1 Post: https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2024/04/death-valley-national-park-ca-pt.html
GPS and cell service took a dive, and the radio was cutting in and out; so we listened to a few CD's for a while while watching the scenery flash by.
Driving the Mojave Freeway, we saw lots of mine shaft openings in the desert hills.
Mojave Desert
Majave Freeway
~aka., Barstow Freeway, or Interstate 15 in CA:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_15_in_California)
GPS kicked in again at Valley Wells-CA - so, as Betsy pushed forward into 4,000 ft. in elevation: and I directed GPS to the Little A'Le'Inn in Rachel-NV ;-)
There was a 6% downhill grade as we entered the Mojave National Preserve area … where acres of solar panels have been set up.
On our way to the Extraterrestrial Highway …
Solar Panels in the Mojave National Preserve-CA area.
Mojave National Preserve-CA:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mojave_National_Preserve & Solar Power Panels In The Mojave Desert: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_plants_in_the_Mojave_Desert)
Solar Panel Tower Reflectors.
Solar Panel Towers:
(https://sabp.com/2016/01/07/what-are-those-bright-towers-in-the-mohave-desert-on-the-way-to-las-vegas/)
Practically a hop-skip-&-a-jump past the solar farms, we crossed from CA to NV and passed through what I assumed was a little town … it was a Casino Mall, spread across both sides of the freeway!
Not a town after all - just a huge Casino Complex; 'Whiskey Pete's.
'Whiskey Pete's; #100 W Primm Blvd, Primm, NV:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_Pete%27s)
Timeline from Whiskey Pete's, to Los Vegas-NV
I don't know … painted rocks, stuffed garbage bags; desert mirage?
Massive open-pit mine; Vegas-NV
Massive Open-Pit Mine; Vegas-NV:
(https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/mine-near-las-vegas-produces-much-of-worlds-rare-earth-materials-2366832/)
We entered Los Vegas from a road route that Holland has never brought me, before: Holland said the last time he was through here was about 30 years ago … and it was a 2-lane highway, then; now, it's 8 lanes across, with on-ramps, and off-ramps on both sides.
I hate city traffic; but it's a necessary evil when using the freeway - and Holland prefers using the freeway.
Road work is a continual headache, and people are just plain stupid when it comes to driving in city traffic. A DOT truck pulled onto an on-ramp … and deliberately drove the merge lane until it ran out … then, jerked in front of Betsy, laying on his horn like it was our fault he had been stupid.
By Law, we can only drive the 55 mph towing speed - he could drive 70 mph: and refused to do it.
Was that moron seriously blaming us because he refused to get up to speed to pass us - where did he expect us to go with all lanes filled to the max due to road work detours?
Was he really so stupid as to think that 20 feet of 1-ton truck and 45 feet of RV could stop on a dime, to satisfy his lack of comprehension?
My temper flared.
I was seriously tempted to call the Department of Transportation and report his arrogantly dangerous ass.
Road route we took from the open-pit mine.
Coming into Vegas …
Not a bit of the desert is wasted with the Vegas sprawl.
Overpass Art.
Gila Monster; 'Blue Diamond' Overpass-Vegas.
Gila Monster Lizard:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gila_monster)
Desert Tortoise; 'Blue Diamond' Overpass-Vegas.
Desert Tortoise:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_tortoise)
Agave; 'Blue Diamond' Overpass-Vegas.
Agave:
(https://www.webmd.com/diet/agave-health-benefits)
Wild Horses; 'Blue Diamond' Overpass-Vegas.
Nevada's Wild Horses:
(https://streamhorse.tv/stories/f/wild-horses-stroll-through-nevada-neighborhood)
Lots of road work going on … STILL.
Howling coyotes.
Coyotes; Los Vegas-NV:
(https://www.ktnv.com/news/why-coyotes-roam-las-vegas)
Driving through Old Los Vegas - where the Hollywood crowd hob-knobbed, in their heyday.
The Strat tower = tallest structure in Los Vegas.
The Strat Tower:
(https://enclos.com/project/stratosphere-tower/)
What the heck IS that on top of that building? It looked like a space ship.
The Martian’s assault on Las Vegas~'Mars attacks (1996) movie': (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P-VzIi93CI)
The Strat Tower Observation Deck:
(https://thestrat.com/attractions/tower)
I was glad to get the heck out of Vegas.
Driving past the black-ribboned mountains range, the wind was so strong, we could feel Independence shifting when hit straight-on by a side-wind. That was kinda scary … but Holland man-handled Independence's bulk back on track, and kept it in our lane.
A black banded mountain range …
Sheep Range Mountains:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep_Range)
A stand of green, leafy trees along the road route; kind of a shock after so much desert~Holland; Pahranagat Lake-NV
Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge-NV:
(https://travelnevada.com/parks-recreational-areas/pahranagat-national-wildlife-refuge/)
Desert scrub gain, after leaving the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge-NV
Sinclair Mascots dressed in Easter wreaths; Alamo-NV, 3,450 elev.
Conestoga Wagons, along Hwy. #93-NV
Conestoga Wagon:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conestoga_wagon)
Holland has driven Hwy #93 many times, racing back and forth from job to job; but he's never been on the side roads: there was no reason for him to take the long way around … but, now he's game to drive them with me, and the are new roads to both of us :-)
He did some National Parks - but the Joshua Tree National Park, the Death Valley National Park, and now the Extraterrestrial Highway & Rachel; are all new experiences for both of us. And in all honesty, he wouldn't have done any of these things if he was still a bachelor - guys think about work and fishing or hunting; guys don't think about the fun things/girls think fun is just as important as work; girls think about these things ;-)
Guys just want to get from point A to point B without unnecessary distractions.
But, Holland is making a special effort to enjoy retirement, and explore some of the things, and places that interest me: and I appreciate that ;-)
.JPG)
Rachel-NV; Drive #93, then veer off onto #375 ;-)
ET Fresh Jerky; 12600 US-93, Hiko, NV
A grounded saucer; LOL
ET Wall Mural.
Deep Purple - 'Space Truckin' song:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hqG-29NTSU)
ET Store.
.JPG)
Today's choice; because Holland has been talking about wild boar meat … and I was curious: it was tasty ;-)
ET Fresh Jerky; 12600 US-93, Hiko, NV
FINALLY!
The Area 51 Highway that has fascinated people for decades.
The Extraterrestial Highway-NV:
(https://www.roadtripusa.com/border-to-border/nevada/the-extraterrestrial-highway/ & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_State_Route_375)
Earth Station Area 51-NV
Radiohead - 'Subterranean Homesick Alien' song:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-Eu5ZvcLb0&t=11s)
.JPG)
And not a mutilated cow in sight - they all looked healthy and standing on 4 hooves ;-)
Cattle mutilation:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_mutilation & https://www.history.com/news/cattle-mutilation-1970s-skinwalker-ranch-ufos)
Snow-dusted Hancock Summit-NV; 5,613ft elevation, along the Extraterrestrial Hwy.
Coyote Summit-NV; 5,610ft elevation.
.JPG)
Getting closer ;-)
Coming into *Rachel-NV; a 2024 population of 40 ct.
Rachel-NV:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel,_Nevada & https://www.rachel-nevada.com/)
Little A'LE'INN; #9631 Old Mill St, Rachel-NV:
(https://littlealeinn.com/)
Brownsville Station - 'The Martian Boogie' song:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CXzPrEHFHQ&t=7s)
Checking in …
Parking was 'around back …'
$25-night; 15 amp. hookup, water; no sewer drain.
And the clouds started rolling in … so did the rain.
Foreigner - 'Starrider' song:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ey2HyYi4qY)
I'm glad we are enjoying the Life Elohim gave us, and making interesting memories together.
Today was a Fun Day :-)
*Rachel is a Jewish name and an Israeli name that's a feminine female name popular for girls and women (sometimes spelled Rachael, Rachyl, Rahel, Rakel, Rakhel, Rachele, Raquel, Raakel, Ráhel, Rachelle).
If you want to listen to how to pronounce Rachel in Hebrew, listen to this audio tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQDrVuSFFMk
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