Day 22

Even lying and listening to the wildlife last night, it was still early to sleep, so when the sun hit the tent at 7am I woke up ready to get going. We had a big day planned, and the earlier we got started the more pay time we'd have later. Clare was a little more difficult to get going, but soon we were sitting at a picnic take eating scrambled egg sandwiches looking over the park we'd stumbled on last night. It was a shame we'd arrived so late, the surroundings were beautiful and it would have been great to walk around a bit, but we had places to be.

Back on the road, the scenery got better and better. The road was winding around the sides of hills - even stuck behind slow mixing vehicles just have us more chance to look around. It was an hour or so into the drive that we spotted the first altitude sign. Somehow, since being at sea level yesterday afternoon, we'd managed to climb over 7000ft. We didn't believe it when we saw the first sign, but couldn't check because there was no GPS signal, but soon the views opened up and the mountains in the distance behind us confirmed what the sign was saying. No wonder the sky view had been so spectacular last night, and no wonder it got so chilly during the night!

Soon, we were entering the Yosemite national park. After paying the steep entrance fee, we stopped to look at the information they had given us, including a more detailed map of the park. It was looking at the map that gave us a scare, the road we were taking through the park wasn't just about seeing Yosemite... it was also taking us out the other side in the most direct fashion. The map showed the road was closed from November to March - we were stuck!

Clare went to ask the park wardens about it. Walking back over with the answer, dressed it shorts, tshirt and flip flops it seemed silly that the road closure was due to weather conditions. The road was open currently, but they were expecting snow over night! As little as we believed them, the evidence was soon visible, as we passed snow piles to the sides of the road. These tiny piles of snow (small enough Heathrow airport might have been able to deal with them) gave an indication to just how high we were. The amazing vistas that opened up soon after were another clue, as we climbed higher than the Mt Norquay summit - just driving on a regular road.

We stopped every now and again to take it all in, but ever mindful of the distance we still had to cover we kept pushing on and soon started descending again. By now it was lunch time and we tried to find a picturesque spot to take a break and eat. Having descended from the mountains, there were still done lakes along the road, even after having joined a main interstate. Finally, we turned of the interstate to a beautiful parkland area. Picnic tables, some shaded from the pounding sun, a toilet block and a very natural looking pond to swim in all added to the convenience of this place and as we set up to cook our soup, the serenity of the place was put on hold as cars arrived. Clearly a large local family, mothers had brought children, and dressed up smart to a professional photographer set up not far away from us. As car load after car load arrived, the kids waiting for pictures and their cousins who's photos had already been taken did as kids so - they ran around and played with sticks, getting leaves in their hair and muddy marks on their clothes. The lone girl of the bunch took charge of the unruly boys whenever the opportunity arose, while the sun sunk in the sky and the autumn leaves glowed with colour.

It was hard to drag ourselves away, but with tine ticking on we had to be off. A quick stop at MacDonalds to Skype a happy birthday to my dad and soon we were turning of the main road again. We'd thought last night the road was deserted and fairly minor, todays contender showed it up right away. The road wound its way round rocks and shrubs. Hidden dips and sudden humps threatened to destroy any car taking them too fast. Steep climbs came next, followed by the road narrowing to a single lane round a corner between 2 rock outcrops. At every turn I expected to see road runner dashing past saying "Meep meep". After the twisty climb, we had the descent. As we descended we were able top see the road ahead for miles and its stretched straight out over the flats, not a bend in sight. This process repeated numerous times, climbing hills, viewing the flats as you descend, racing along the flat straight roads then windy up again.

By now, we were at the Californian border. With the Sierra Nevada mountains behind is, this must be the Nevada desert starting. The cross over between states was glaringly obvious. The tarmac in Nevada was in much better condition, and much darker, the lines more clearly painted and suddenly there were cactuses growing beside the road. Quite how these plants know not to grow past the border confuses me.

For me, it was comparable to driving the red centre of Australia. Here though, it seemed more remote, with fewer people and better quality roads! As we completed our crossing and approached the main interstate south, the fuel light came on. By our calculations, it was 70 miles to the next town and normally we guess there's 40 miles with of fuel left when the light comes on. The main interstate was a lane in each direction, the hard shoulder was a steep slope into the desert, and car headlights were visible for about 10 miles before you reached the car. It would not be a great place to run out of petrol. With everything crossed we pushed on, trying every trick in the book to eek out our remaining fuel till the next town. Every time we saw
streetlights on the horizon we got hopeful, we knew there would be a petrol station here soon. We were coasting the engine wherever possible - and
then like an oasis in the desert it appeared. A petrol station. We
needn't have worried, once we filled up the tank we were brave enough to
check out the handbook. While it didn't specify how far you could go,
or even how big the reserve was - it did mention that when it got really
low another light would come on and that's when you should refill
immediately to avoid engine damage. With the tank refilled, we could
carry on into the night. It was only about 6pm, and we still had a
little further to go. The single lane road stretched and stretched.
Headlights appeared and yet the cars didn't show up for minutes they
were so far away, but with how unwaveringly straight the car was you
couldn't tell how far away they actually were.

An hour later, we arrived at the intense light we'd seen since darkness fell (over 100 miles) - Las Vegas!

Bright lights, massive signs and heaps of people in the streets - Vegas was everything I'd expected it to be. We'd searched the internet a few days before, and had found that some of the major hotels on the strip had
ridiculously cheap priced rooms. We had 2 options, the first was Stratosphere. This tall tower was visable for some distance away, and have fairground rides taking you over the edge if the building. Its been featured in all sorts of photo steps of insane places and would be great to stay at. This is actually the building we used to navigate to the strip, having not seen any signs rich writhe hero we just sunned for the big tower. While it was technically in the strip, it was do far removed from anything else we decided to check out option 2. The Luxor is a Egyptian themed pyramid with a huge beam of light emitted from the top. It has lifts which go diagonally up the corners and plenty of Egyptian art dotted around. The Luxor is the opposite end of the strip to Stratosphere, so we have to drive along slowly taking in as many of the sights as possible. By the time we've made it up to the Luxor its after 8pm, and we ready to stop and get out the car - we've travelled 500 miles in the last day so we're very ready for a break. Clare jumps out the car to go and get a room, while I circle the block. Eventually, the attendant takes pity on me - we've come to the tour bus drop off, reception is a fair distance away and will take a while to get to. He directs me to park on the fire lane and wait. Clare eventually comes out, and we go to park round the back. Since checking online 2 days ago, the deals have ended and the rooms are normal price. Add in the multitude of taxes they get to add on and the room price is suddenly quite a lot more expensive than anticipated - but this is Vegas and unlikely to happen again. Once we've checked in we freshen up and head off to explore. Dinner is a hit dog on the go and we get outside to see the sights and sounds as it was designed. Evening here is focused on bringing you indoors. All the bright lights attracts you  and there Ste people on the street handing out flyers. Free alcohol is offered pretty much everywhere as an enticement but we are more interested I'm seeing the outsides for a bit. The famous sights, like the fountain at the Bellagio impress us and Oceans 11 has taught us much about the different casinos. We focally get down to Treasure Island, which had the best free live show outdoors, only to find the last show was at 10pm and its now 11.30. With blisters starting to form, we hoop in a taco for the ride back to our hotel - and to start the betting for the night.

We'd managed to save some money from the last weeks budget, and combined with the leftovers from our Canadian savings we had a small pile of money to spend. Drinks are free while your gambling  you just have to wait for the waitress to cone round and serve you - this takes a while! We alternate between the slots and roulette, winning some money here and losing it there. The while time it feels like we've travelled back in time. Smoking indoors is still legal here, which pleases the smokers immensely but only serves to remind the rest of us how much better it is to have fresh air to breathe. The smoke filled room is disgusting, the smell lingers on everything nearby. As the night turns to morning, were ready to call it quits, and all winnings are now put aside for next week. We haven't broken even for the night, but it was with every penny for the experience.

Its been a long day, starting early in the morning after camping, travelling so far, the stresses of running low on petrol and the free drinks - bed is a welcome relief as the sun starts to think about popping over the horizon.