An ongoing adventure of travel and living while using a wheelchair. Tim has been disabled from birth. Darryl is his father and caregiver who travels with him.
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All content, images, and video copyright 2009,2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 - Darryl, Letty, and Tim Musick
Note - This is now the oldest trip on the site, dating back to1995. Remember that when dealing with prices and such. I have no updated information at this time.
Our son, Tim, had always wanted to see Hawaii. This year he got his wish as we found a good deal for a week's stay in Maui. For $569 we got a week's stay at an oceanfront room in Kahana, a rental car, and airfare on ATA. This was all booked through Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays.
The flight over was fine. Nothing special but nothing really bad about it either. The only complaints is that it is on a very crowded L-1011 and ATA's idea of what a bulkhead seat is is very different from mine. On the plus side, the flight over was direct to Maui, without having to stop in Honolulu, and the flight attendants were courteous.
On arrival in Maui I headed over to pick up our rental car at Alamo. The line was about 15 people long when I got there and grew quite a bit after me. 30 minutes later, I picked up my wife and son from the terminal.
Our hotel room was in Kahana on the other side of the island past Lahaina and Kaanapaali. It is listed as a condo, but that would be too generous of a description. Basically, our room at the Kahana sands was just that...a room with a king size bed, a murphy bed, and a tiny kitchenette crammed into the corner.
The room was a bit of a disappointment. It was kind of dingy with cigarette burns in the drapes. The building itself has very limited access for chairs. 2 parking spots, a ramp, and an elevator (with one step to negotiate). The room itself had no special accomodations. On the plus side it was on the beach but overall, we were disappointed that a company as well known as Pleasant Hawaiian would book such a dingy place in its packages...even if it was very low priced.
Being optimistic, we try to spend as little time as we can in the room...we are in Hawaii afterall...and get out to do things. Nearby is a dive shop, Snorkel Bob's I believe...that rented snorkeling equipment. The equipment was top notch, the price a bargain, and they throw in a map of local dive spots.
I had been to Maui when I was a teenager and remembered a superb dive spot near the Bhuddist temple on the outskirts of Lahaina. When I asked at the dive shop about this spot, they said it had been ruined by pollution. But more on this later...
Saddened, we went to the nearest spot on the map, Kapalua Bay. The last time I'd been here, Kapalua Bay was out in the boonies. Only a small wooden church marked the spot. I remembered a supremely delightful day spent bodysurfing here as a teen.
Now the entire area is a plush resort with many condos and a championship golf course winding around. The small wooden church is still here, but the rest of the area is completely unrecognizable to me. Coming from Los Angeles, I know how this can happen.
There is a very small dirt parking lot where the public slobs like us can park...public access is still guaranteed to the beach if grudgingly...and we luck out with a spot before it's full. Negotiating the wheelchair from here down to the beach is very tricky and just barely doable. We finally make it to Kapalua's crescent shaped stretch of sand.
Tim and Darryl Snorkeling
Tim and I don our masks and fins and head out into the water. It is pretty. There are loads of fish and we see a basketball-sized octopus having lunch on some small, unfortunate fish. I think maybe time is blurring it, but the water...as beautiful as it is...isn't quite as clear as it was years ago.
Still, we have fun and continue this pattern all week as we head up and down the coast to the dive spots highlighted on our map.
Mid-week, we take in a luau at the Royal Lahaina resort in Kaanapaali. This was a lot of fun. Although I suppose it was not as "authentic" as the luau advertised in Lahaina, it was still a blast. Not cheap (nothing here is, see Random Notes below for more), the price still included dinner and unlimited drinks...always a plus on vacation! Since we went on a Wednesday, Tim got in for free.
The food was good, the drinks cool and refreshing...and when the bartender saw me drop a dollar bill in his tip jar, he made sure I didn't go back to my table before fortifying our drinks heavily with extra rum.
Tim and the Luau Crew
The show was amazing with all the different kinds of Polynesian dances (the Tongan fire dance is pretty spectacular) and the audience participation was very inclusive including wheelchairs (see picture, there's a ramp at stage left). This was probably the best night time fun we had here.
Dining here can be problamatic. It's not that there aren't any good restaurants...there are plenty...but that they're all so expensive, even the bad ones, and without knowing where to go you can blow a lot of money on a bad experience easily.
Cooking in is also not a pleasant option. Groceries here are ungodly expensive.
We did find some places that we can pass on to you.
Our top pick for good food and value is BJ's on Front Street in Lahaina. Good food, coupled with great live music and reasonable prices. The catch? It's upstairs with no elevator. A couple of beefy looking Hawaiian waiters are more that happy to get anybody upstairs though.
Kimo's is also good and last but not least, check out Lahaina Coolers for a very different menu at somewhat decent prices..
We took the drive to Hana...wasn't quite as fun as we thought it would be...and took in an Omnimax movie in Lahaina that could have also been better.
Our last day on the island, we decide to take a submersible tour. After 45 minutes of breathtaking underwater scenery, our ship stops and everyone is invited up on deck to jump in for some snorkeling. The snorkeling is beautiful, in fact the best on the trip. Just as good as that day many moons ago when my dad took us off of the WWII wharf next to the Bhuddist temple that the dive shop said was now gone due to pollution.
And why shouldn't it be beautiful? When we get on up on deck from the underwater area, we see where we are...just off of that WWII wharf next to the Bhuddist temple that we had dived on that day long ago...
Here are some L.A. landmarks you'll probably not want to seek out next time you're in town. Trust me, you'll get all the experience you need from this report.
Jail, as opposed to prison, is where you'll be incarcerated while waiting for trial if you can't make or are not granted bail. Convicted prisoners who are given short sentences also do time there. Downtown L.A. has four jail facilities.
As Baretta used to say, "don't do the crime if you can't do the time." But if for some reason you do find yourself on the wrong side of a set of handcuffs, here are your probable lodging options while you're in the City of Angels.
THE MEN'S CENTRAL JAIL, run by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department might be your home if you're arrested in L.A. County but not by the LAPD. An outdated and truly scary place, it's jailer staff is currently being investigated for abuse. Just the possibility that you might end up in this dank, depressing, and dangerous place should be all the deterent you need to not misbehave while you're here.
TWIN TOWERS is across the street from the Men's Central Jail. I don't know that it'd be any better to be incarcerated here but it is a newer facility than it's neighbor.
Here is the entrance you'll be taken through if you're booked there.
THE LOS ANGELES METROPOLITAN DETENTION CENTER is the newest facility and is run by the Los Angeles Police Department. You would probably end up here if arrested by the LAPD in the central city area.
It replaces this facility (located directly behind the new jail), which...according to inmates and jailers alike...was truly a dungeon with faulty plumbing and no air conditioning.
THE METROPOLITAN DETENTION CENTER (not to be confused with the similarly named LAPD facility nearby) is where you'll end up if your crime is a federal offense.
Run by the U.S. Marshal's Service and the Bureau of Prisons, it is located at the Federal Complex at Alameda and Aliso Streets.
There you have it, a selection of the city's worst lodging options. Be sure to avoid them when you're visiting Los Angeles.
One last bit, you'll find this contraption at the entrance of the Federal Jail. It's called a barrel cleaner. Cops, agents, and guards are not to enter with loaded weapons. After they unload, they have to stick their gun in this and pull the trigger. If a bullet happened to still be in the chamber, it would fire and this barrel cleaner would capture it safely.
NOTE: While taking pictures for this post, I was briefly detained by a security officer at one of the facilities above. He said I wasn't allowed to take pictures. I very politely asked him why and what law I was breaking (I was on the public sidewalk). He then admitted there was actually no law but that they were instructed to "request" that people not take pictures. I told him that if I was breaking no law, I'd be on my way...I'd already taken my photos...and left. Bloggers that take pictures frequently find themselves in this position, please take a look at the Photographers Bill of Rights so you will know what you can...and cannot do...when taking pictures. It came in very handy for me in preparing this post.
-Darryl Copyright2011 - Darryl Musick All Rights Reserved
For those of you who are tired of all the "Napa Valley" theatrics of the wineries...i.e. overcharging for tasting, castles, gondolas, etc...California offers many other wine countries. From the almost completely unknown Cucamonga Valley by L.A., Temecula even farther south, Monterey, Mendocino, Lodi and more. My favorite of them all is little Amador County, about halfway between Lake Tahoe and Sacramento. Still mainly undiscovered, this is California's oldest continuing wine producing area. It's unpretentious, has great wine (especially reds like Zinfandel), and you can still find free and cheap tastes there. We go there as often as we can...we were there last in June of '09.
Here's part 2 of our Amador Country trip from 1998 where we go from possibly the most historic site in California (part 1) and delve deeper into the wineries and tasting rooms of the region...
After a few hours in Coloma, we start to head south on highway 49 towards our lodging in Ione. Along the way, we decide to have lunch in Plymouth-one of the many Gold Rush era towns dotting the hills here. Driving down Plymouth’s small main street we do not see a single restaurant though we do see many saloons. Back out on the edge of town is Marlene & Greg’s Diner which serves a very nice and reasonable lunch.
Still with a couple of hours to kill before check-in time at the Heirloom, we head over to our main weekend destination, the Shanandoah Valley just outside of Plymouth. This is California’s oldest wine region. There are still vines growing-and producing-in this area that date back over 125 years.
There are over a dozen wineries here so we just hit a few today with plans to return tomorrow. First is the Montevina Winery, recommended by our local wine merchant. In the modern mission-style tasting room we try several good wines. Our favorites are the superb refosco (which is my number one pick of the entire weekend) and the sangiovese.
Next, we head over the Shanandoah Vineyards. Shanandoah is owned by the oldest winery in the state, the nearby Sobon Estate. The wines here are okay, but I guess being the oldest is not necessarily the best. Nothing to knock your socks off here.
We finish off this afternoon’s tasting at Renwood Winery. Several wines here really, really blew us away. The barbera was like drinking velvet, but at $35 was a bit out of reach today. Their old-growth zinfandel was superb and a drink of living history made from vines that were alive with the 49'ers. The sangiovese bested even Atlas Peak’s stunning entry. We take a couple of bottles of the sangiovese and some delicious muscat for later and head over to Ione to check-in to our room.
Driving into Ione is much like any of the other Gold Rush era towns here except Ione is not a gold town...it’s a brick town. Ione, while contemporary with the other mining towns here such as Sutter Creek, Jackson, and Amador City, was not a gold-harboring site. Rather, it made it’s living making bricks from its abundant clay that the other more famous nearby towns were built out of.
Coming in the first thing you notice is an imposing, castle-like building on the north end of town that dominates the landscape. It turns out that the “castle” is the main administration building of the local juvenile hall.
Today, Ione’s main industries are inmates (the facility has since been closed-ed) and fireworks. The local pyrotechnics factory supplies Disney with it’s spectacular shells that light up the magic kingdom. Due to this, Ione proudly puts on the Sierra’s biggest and brightest fireworks show...for free! Only, the skip the fourth (the company’s biggest business day) and celebrate on the fifth when more of the employees can put on and enjoy the show.
The Heirloom is located at the end of a 1/4 mile drive just off of the main highway through town. Separated from a nearby strip mall and the rest of the town by a barrier of big old trees, it retains a seclusion and tranquility that really help recharge your batteries.
The owners, Millicent and Pat, go out of their way to make you comfortable at the 6 room inn. 4 rooms, including ours, are located on the second floor of the circa 1863 main building and 2 more are located in an adobe walled cottage nearby.
Our room included a fireplace, private bathroom, queen size bed and balcony. After a day of touring & wine tasting we quickly settle for a nap after checking in.
Dinner that evening was at the Palace Hotel and Saloon in nearby Sutter Creek. While looking a little tacky from the outside, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality and value of the food. The service and atmosphere were also top notch. The owners of the inn and other guests were surprised at this because the Palace is kind of considered the “low rent” dining establishment of the area.
Breakfast the next morning, July 4th, was served out in the garden with a quiche, fruit, and a special patriotic shortcake with an America flag sticking out of it. Despite Millicent and Pat’s efforts to include at least two parties at each table, most guests stuck to themselves on this first day, which is too bad because a big part of the B & B experience is to meet new people. The next day would be different though.
Now we had a full day to tour the local wine country. First stop: California’s oldest continuously operating winery...the Sobon Estate.
If you’re a wine lover, you know that California is one of the top wine producers in the world. What most don’t know is that Napa Valley is not where the state’s wine industry started. That honor goes to Amador County and the Sierra Foothill area known as the Shanandoah Valley.
To see where it all started, I recommend that all wine lovers make the pilgrimage to the humble little cellar...dating back to before the Civil War...here at the Sobon Estate. The estate has a historical museum...admission free...with artifacts of 19th century life and wine making. The museums goes through 5 areas, each one a little older, until you end up in the original wine cellar dug into the hill those many years ago.
It’s a small room actually, no larger that many living rooms, that is still used by the winery to age the wine in oak barrels. Nothing has changed, except the addition of electric light, in all those years. It’s an awesome sight.
For all that, however, the wines produced by Sobon are rather pedestrian but it is worth it to buy a bottle as a souvenir of California wine history.
Next, we head over to the Deaver Vineyards. The Deavers not only run a winery, but also run the Amador Harvest Bed & Breakfast (on the grounds of the winery) and the Amador Flower Nursery nearby, which is world-renowned for its day lillies.
Being July 4th, there are numerous red, white and blue banners and baloons. Tables and a big barbecue are set up on the grounds. A 2 man band is preparing to play. Is it a private party? We don’t know but a sign out front says the tasting room is open so we head on in.
Mike Deaver, his family, and employees are busy manning the tasting counter. We quickly line up for some samples and taste some fine wine. The Deavers best, however, are their port wines which just tickles the palate and goes down ever so smoothly. Mike then asks us “are you staying for the barbecue?”.
We don’t know, we reply. “It’s free”, he says. Well, in that case...
We feasted on barbecued bratwurst and burgers. Washed down with free sodas and water. To ease our guilty conscience, we buy a bottle of Deaver’s sauvignon blanc to drink with our meal. This was all while we sat on the beautiful green lawn on the banks of their little lake and listening to the surprisingly good music put out by the band...easily the biggest bargain of the weekend.
After lunch, we took a walk around the lake, watching the local birds and getting a close-up look at the vineyards.
After the great lunch break at the Deaver place, we continued over to Story Winery with its tasting room in the ancient miner’s cabin. The wine at Story is good, very good, especially the whites. What really sets them apart from the rest is the view over the Consumnes River canyon from their tasting area. We saw several eagles while relaxing here. Story also has an old growth zinfandel (like many here do) on ancient vines...but with a difference. These vines recieve only rain water, no irrigation. The result is an intensely flavored fruit that passes that excellent quality on to the wine.
That was it for the wine tasting, although there are many other wineries in the area we’ll have to get to next time. For now, it was back to the inn with our trunk load of wine to wind down, relax, and get ready for dinner.
After a nap and a very pleasant stroll along the banks of Sutter creek, we head over for dinner at the nearby, historic Ione Hotel.
Here you can have some very good food served by candle light right off of the old western-style saloon. Service is also excellent here and prices, while not cheap, were still reasonable. We walked around the small downtown area of Ione and then headed back to the inn.
Another restful night, another great breakfast (this time with some other guests to share our table) and then it was time to head back home. That evening they tell us Ione had a great fireworks show, oh well, maybe next time we’ll get to see it.
Ah, the ever popular Rubio. What? You've never heard of it?
Don't feel bad...I just made it up. Actually, Tim and I made it up, as you can see in this week's Cocktail Hour video.
Watch the Video!
The history is we made some wine from the juice of our grape vine in the backyard. Not a great wine, in fact just barely drinkable. What to do?
At my wife's suggestion, we poured a healthy slug of amaretto into it and...voila...something much better emerged.
If you don't have your own barely drinkable, homemade wine, don't sweat it. Just get a really cheap bottle of rose, put a shot and a half of amaretto in it and you can have your own Rubio.
Where'd the name come from? Well, watch the video (it's short, only 4 minutes) for the answer...
Please indulge us for another classic trip, a new trip will be up next week. For now, it's time for another trip in the WayBack Machine. This time, way back to 1998. One caveat is that our lodging in this report no longer appears to operate as a bed and breakfast. It is now just a place to hold weddings and receptions, which is too bad because it was a very nice place to stay. Kind of like a Tom Sawyer house along the banks of a nice little creek. Oh well, time marches on...
After driving 300 miles and getting lost on some country back roads, it was amazing looking at this humble little stretch of sand that is the epicenter of California history. For it was here, on a January day 150 years ago that a sawmill manager bent over to pick up a shiny fleck in the outflow of the mill. From that moment on, things were never to be the same in California again.
Our latest getaway was taken over the July 4th weekend. Again, we find ourselves drawn to the Gold Country, this time to the area south of Placerville and east of Sacramento.
In planning this trip, we originally were thinking of seeing the star wine country of the state, Napa Valley. We were soon discouraged over the high lodging prices and the long drive. Looking over the appellations of the wine bottles at our local shop, the name Amador County popped up again and again. A little research into this area showed that it is a great area for wine and travel value so Amador County is was.
We settled on the great little Heirloom Inn in Ione, CA for our lodging. This antebellum style inn, built 135 years ago, sits on the banks of Sutter Creek and provides a secluded, private base to explore all this area has to offer.
As stated above, our first day in the area started with us taking a wrong turn near Placerville and getting lost trying to find Coloma. Unfortunately, our AAA map of California was missing some key roads in the area and was of no use. Knowing that Coloma should be somewhere northwest of Placerville, we stumbled along until we found a sign pointing in the proper direction.
The town of Coloma...really more of a village these days...is a state historic park. Coloma is the spot where James Sutter built his sawmill to process the logs from the nearby mountains. John Marshall was Sutter’s manager at the mill.
On that fateful day in January of 1848, the tailrace of the mill (where the water that powered it flowed through) was clogged with debris. The waterwheel that powered the mill would not turn. Marshall supervised the dynamiting of the tailrace. The blasting was successful and the water again flowed freely.
Marshall then went to inspect the exit of the tailrace to make sure there was no more clogging debris when he noticed something shiny in the water. There, at the spot pictured above, he bent over and picked up the gold nugget that started the California Gold Rush.
150 years later, we find ourselves looking for another kind of gold. We are frantically looking through our car for loose change because of the $5 park admission fee. We have a $20 bill, but the toll booth is unmanned and no one is available to make change. Finally, we find our $5 worth of change and somehow manage to cram it through the narrow slot of the toll booth and park our car.
From the lot it is about 100 yards to the replica of Sutter’s Mill. It’s about another 200 yards from that spot to where the mill was originally located, marked by a monument (the American River has changed course since 1848 and inundated the original site). Next to the replica is a shed containing some original wood from the real mill.
It’s what lies down river that intrigues me even more. First is that spot where the mill was actually located. As you stand on the banks of the river watching the rafters go by, all it takes is the thought that 2 of the most important men in the state’s history stood on this spot. Indeed, they worked and lived here.
Further downstream as you come upon that humble little beach (see the picture up above), again the thought comes into your mind...this is where John Marshall actually bent over and picked up that nugget. My son kids me sometimes about my getting thrilled over history, but it’s the same feeling I get when I’m in Washington, D.C. and standing behind the balcony in Ford’s theater thinking about the assassination that took place right in front of the spot I’m standing in.
Later on we visited the park’s museum and wandered around what’s left of the town...many of the old buildings were torn down as prospectors looked through the ground underneath them for gold. Of interest here is the old jail and the many pits left from those early diggings.
Up the hill is John Marshall’s grave which is marked with a prominent monument pointing down to the discovery site. It’s sad when you learn that he died broke and dejected...only after his death was his place in history noted with this monument.
Just below his grave is his old cabin. Still standing, complete with the outhouse. Adjacent is the old cemetery and an old canal, still carrying water, left over from those gold rush days.
Stay tuned for Part 2...
-Darryl Copyright 1998 - Darryl Musick All Rights Reserved
Our recent tour of the American Southwest ended over a fall weekend in Laughlin, Nevada. Coming home, we didn't want to deal with the Las Vegas traffic so we detoured along Route 66 through the desert and the community of Amboy, home of the Amboy Crater.
Here are some pictures of that journey (be sure to check out the video too, at the top of this post)...
Coming into Needles, California with the Colorado River in the distance.
Another view of the river with jet skiers having some fun.
You don't need anything fancy to have fun at the river. Just pull over and jump in.
Along the Route in Needles, I'm guessing an old hotel or boarding house.
The Amboy Crater, a near perfect cinder cone from an ancient volcano.
A close up of some of the lava field surrounding the crater.
Another view of the crater.
...and one more view of the lava spreading across the desert.
We've been spending a couple of days in Laughlin, Nevada on the Colorado River next to Bullhead City, Arizona. See Part 1 of this report here.
The morning dawns bright here in Laughlin. Our room faces west, so we don’t get the sunrise there plus the heavy duty black out curtains make is seem like midnight until I crack them open a bit to see the sunshine.
The USS Riverside offers narrated 90 minute cruises several times a day. We’re catching the 10:30 cruise, the first one offered. It’s ramped and wheelchair accessible, though only the interior cabin can be reached with a chair. Large windows there offer good views and the restrooms on board are not accessible…go before you go.
The cruise itself is a relaxing voyage about a mile north of the hotel to Davis Dam, which holds back Lake Mojave on the other side. Near the dam, we see a wheelchair accessible fishing platform jutting into the river on the Arizona side.
After the dam, the cruise goes south of Laughlin to the end of casino row before doubling back to the Riverside Hotel.
We take a drive over the bridge to Bullhead City to do a little shopping and to get some cheap gas. Today, it’s about 50 cents a gallon cheaper on the Arizona side than in Nevada and even more than that compared to California stations down in Needles.
Upon return, we’re up in our room, changing into our swim suits. Our big event this weekend is the Vince Gill concert that will be taking place in the resort’s temporary amphitheater.
The venue is actually some bleachers and folding chairs set up around a stage on the top level of the parking structure across the street. We called ahead and got seats stage right in the third row.
Looking out our windows, we can see the theater across the street. Viewing through binoculars, I see a tall man in a red polo shirt walking in. It’s the headliner, Vince Gill.
Taking a few minutes to see what’s going on, the band takes the stage and goes into their sound check for the evening concert. Opening the window, we can hear as well as see it and are treated to a little mini concert of about 5 songs.
After that, we head to the pool for a little relaxing. It’s not too relaxing as the water is freezing.
I grab a pizza from the Pizza Hut in the lobby. We eat a little lunch and then Tim and I lose a few dollars at the roulette table while Letty shops.
After dinner, we walk over the bridge to the show. Wheelchair users get priority for the elevator. We have to wait about three loads before we can go up and get to our seats.
Our seats are very close to the stage, although some scaffolding provides minor blocking issues for Tim and me. Letty has an unobstructed view from her seat. We’re even closer to backstage…just an area cordoned off with a small barrier…where we see Mr. Gill getting ready to take the stage.
The show starts and off we go. It’s a very good concert, suffice it to say we’re big fans of Vince, and he plays his heart out for the crowd.
Security here isn’t so strict that they won’t let you take a picture so we get a few…
After the show, we’re able to meet some of the band and then Vince Gill himself.
All-in-all, completely worth it to come out here in the middle of the desert just to see a concert.
The next morning, we have one more breakfast at the Riverview and set out across the desert for the long trip home. Not wanting to hit all the tourists returning from Las Vegas on a Sunday afternoon in Barstow, we detour down Route 66, Amboy, and 29 Palms before joining Interstate 10 near Palm Springs and going home.
Stay tuned for our Route 66 photo essay as we wrap up our journey.
While you wait for Part 2 of our new Laughlin trip, let's take a trip back in the Wayback Machine to see this trip we took back in Y2K...
Down in the southern tip of Nevada is a surreal strip of landscape called Laughlin. Coming over the desert from nearby Needles where your scenery consists of sand and sun-baked scrub bushes, suddenly the Colorado River emerges and soon after that the neon-lighted row of casinos can easily think you are suffering from a heat-induced hallucination.
Although the summer temps here can easily climb into the high 120's, this is no sweat dream. Nevada's newest boom town exists to siphon of travelers of interstate 40 and those who are tired of Las Vegas' assault on the senses.
First a very brief history lesson. For years a basic bait shack & small village across the way from Bullhead City, AZ, Laughlin took hold when it's namesake, Don Laughlin, built the Riverside resort complete with free ferry rides over the river to his new casino. Soon others followed and now it's a very busy little stretch of activity.
What sets Laughlin apart from its larger sister to the north is that there is a lot more to do here than gamble and watch Disney-esque pirate battles or man-made volcanoes. Here you can actually get out and enjoy that which nature has willingly provided, mostly on the west's lifeblood, the Colorado River.
Most people arrive in Laughlin after a long drive from California or Arizona on Interstate 40 (just drive to Needles and head north from there or cut up highway 95 on the Arizona side of the river), but there is actually an international airport over on the Arizona side of the river offering scheduled service. Okay, it is a dinky airport, but it's long runway was actually used by a 747 to get that international certification.
In Laughlin, there is a plethora of accomodations to choose from. Here's our quick observations of the hotels:
The Good
Harrah's is the best we've tried, but unusually hard to get reservations at on a weekend. One of only two in Laughlin that actually have a sandy beach on the river. Also has a no-smoking casino. Unfortunately, their web page is very lacking.
Harrah's is one of only two local hotels that actually have a beach.
The Tropicana Express is also top-notch. Not actually on the river, it's across the street. Railroad themed with free train rides around the parking lot. Laughlin's best buffet and best Italian restaurant are also here. Highly recommended.
The Avi Resort is the other hotel that actually has a sandy beach. Actually located a few miles south of Laughlin and owned by the local Indian tribe. A more low key atmosphere with a friendly staff, good casino, and lots of ancillary activities.
All the above have accessible accomodations. The Avi also has very affordable suites with in-room spas.
The Bad
We cannot recommend the Riverside or the Edgewater. There was nothing to enjoy at either one. All the above have accessible accomodations.
The Unknown
Other hotels here include the Flamingo, the Golden Nugget, and the Colorado Belle. We have not stayed at any of these and have no opinion either way.
Our trip to Laughlin...actually this is a mosaic of many trips...begins with our drive to the desert spot. The quickest way for us is via Interstates 15 and 40 from L.A. If we have time, sometimes we'll dip off of the freeway for the interesting detour route 66 takes through Amboy. If you like desert scenery, you'll love this detour with it's remnants of highway life, old vacation cabin ruins, and the Amboy Crater. If not, stick with the freeway.
At Needles, we take the Laughlin turnoff and head north another 20 miles to our destination.
Tired after a long drive, we have a little snack...maybe a drink...and retire. The next morning, we'll get down to the buffet and gorge on the second thing casinos are known for...lots of cheap food! This will fortify us for most of the day.
Next, we drive back to Needles and head to the east side of town to the very lovely Park Moabi Regional Park where we meet with Vaughan at the Park Moabi Marina. Here we pick up a patio boat for the day...you can also rent ski boats or fishing skiffs...and head south on the river.
Tim takes a turn at the helm.
We head that direction because of the beautiful and unspoiled scenery of the Topock Gorge, a 17 mile stretch of wilderness that is accessible only via boat. We ready for this trip...we have an ice chest full of beer and soda and enough sandwiches to rescue the Donner Party.
I might also say that this trip was in August and the days temperature reached 128 degrees - no that is not a typo.
The heat posed no problem...except for getting back in the car later...because we're on the river. Get hot? Pull over and jump in the water! We followed these tried and true steps all the way through our 2 hour navigation of the Gorge.
At the other end is Lake Havasu and a quick journey takes you over to the crowded little channel that winds under the London Bridge. Here, if you can find a spot, you can beach your craft, jump into the water, and have a drink at the bar overlooking the whole scene.
As the sun drops towards the horizon, we head back through the gorge marveling at the show the lengthening shadows create on the surrounding cliffs. This is the time of the day that many of the local animals come out to feed. We see eagles, herons, rabbits, and coyotes chasing rabbits as we slowly head north.
The graceful arch of the Interstate 40 bridge that connects California to Arizona signals that we have arrived back in civilization and we turn in our boat. The cost was $110 for half a day of cruising ($180 for a full day), plus $40 more for fuel and oil.
We head back to our digs at the Ramada Express and have a wonderful Italian dinner followed by a train ride around their huge parking lot (the train is accessible via a ramp and has three accessible station stops around the property).
That night, classic movies are being shown in the hotels auditorium and we end it by relaxing in the pool & spa that are shaped like a locomotive...everything here has a railroad motif from the "berths" (rooms) to the "station" (checkin) and especially the wonderful model trains sprinkled throughout the casino. Also here is a top-notch model train shop.
The next day we take to driving around the surrounding area. We stop at Oatman, an old mining town on an old, narrow stretch of route 66 that has gone from mining town to ghost town to hippie town to tourist mecca today. Wild burros, decendants of those abandonded by miners, roam the town freely. Mine shafts surround it and some can even be explored by the adventurous. About half of the towns shops and boardwalks can be negotiated by wheelers.
There are many mine shafts to explore in Oatman but you'll never know what you'll find inside.
Oatman's fun, if a bit touristy, but Tim is bothered by the noise generated from the mock gunfight put on. It's also a rather small place and can be thoroughly covered in a couple of hours. We head over to Kingman, a pretty little railroad town about 40 miles east, and have a nice steak dinner at the local Golden Corral.
Then, it's back to Laughlin where we take a quick look at the outlet mall next door to our hotel and decide there's not much there and head back to watch another movie and relax in the pool. Our last morning there, we have breakfast and slowly get ready to head home. Have we forgot anything? Oh, yeah...they have a casino here!
The wife and I take turns dropping some money into machines and onto tables (someone has to stay with Tim, kids alone in casino arcades are not a good idea after what Strohmeyer did) and even come out $40 ahead before we check out and drive home.
