Trippin': Wild Wild West
- netrom88
- May 3, 2016
- 13 min read
I love traveling. I love everything traveling gives you, everything it takes, and everything it teaches. I love how chasing horizons also broadens them. I love how traveling allows you to share and gain knowledge at the same time.
Because of my love for traveling I decided to start a series of posts, called Trippin'. I want to share journeys. Hopefully it can inspire others to go on their own journeys, which they then can share with others again.
"Adventure is worthwhile." - Aesop
Day 1
"Alright, let's go. We're wasting time!"
"OK, OK. Jeez. Calm down. Do you even know where we'll sleep tonight?"
"I was thinking Denver."
"Denver?!? That's in Colorado. You want to drive all the way from Grand Forks, North Dakota to Denver, Colorado in one go?"
"Absolutely. It's only a 15 hour drive. And don't worry. I'll drive, so you can sleep. There's nothing to see anyway, so you're not missing out on anything."
"If you say so. Wake me up when we're in Denver."
Day 2
"Too bad we had to leave Denver so early. Why wouldn't you let me enjoy my breakfast? What's the rush?"
"I'm sorry, but we have a long way to go, and many things to see."
"If you say so."
"I do. Just look outside. Isn't it nice? Look at those mountains. You don't see anything like that in Grand Forks."
"That's true. These mountains are spectacular. Where's my phone? I need to take some pictures of this."
"Yeah. These are the Rocky Mountains. They look great, but they can also be tricky to get through in rough weather. Luckily, it's a beautiful day. The sun is shining. It's almost as if they're posing for your pictures."
"Yeah. I bet they're going to get more than a few likes on social media."
"Probably. But you better be quick. We're almost through. The landscape will change drastically when we get closer to Utah."
"What exactly are we doing in Utah?"
"According to the website, we're about to see some of the most spectacular nature the world has to offer. Have you ever heard of Arches National Park?"
"No. What is that?"
"It's a national park."
"Wow. Thanks for all the useful information you provide. No, seriously. What is it?"
"I swear. It's an area protected by the federal government. A national park."
"Come on."
"Alright, alright. It's a park where the elements have shaped the mountains. There are natural arches made out of stone just standing around. It's one of the main symbols of Utah."
"Oh, wow. That sounds amazing."
"Yeah. Make sure you leave some battery on that phone. You're going to need it."
"It's charged and ready to go."
"Good, because we're already here. I'll just run in and pay the entrance fee. We'll just drive through the park and stop whenever we feel like it."
"Alright, sounds good."
"OK, I got it. Let's head in."
"Oh, man! It's even better looking than I imagined."
"Absolutely. Check out those rock formations."
"I can't believe that this is all natural. It just seems too spectacular for Mother Nature to set up just by herself. The arches. The red rocks. The holes in the mountains. It looks like something you would find in Disney World."
"I know. Oh, look. Do you see the arch over there?"
"Where?"
"Over there. On the other side of the valley."
"Oh man. That looks so good. Let's stay here and watch the sun go down."
"OK, we'll do that. I bet it will look unreal with all this red rock around us."
"And the shadows playing along the cliff edges. I'm so glad we got to see this."
"Me too. And this is only our second day."
"That's true, but I can't focus on that right now. The sunset is just too glorious."
."Yeah. But we have to get moving pretty soon. We still have a lot of driving to do."
"And I'm getting hungry. Let's go find a place to eat."
"There's a little town call Moab not too far from here. Let's eat there."
"OK. We'll eat there and then drive until we're too tired to drive."
"Sounds like a plan."
Day 3
"So, where to next?"
"Sin City, baby."
"Which city?
"Sin. It's Las Vegas. We're going to Vegas!"
"Cool. I've always wanted to go."
"Let's try to not lose too much money while we're there."
"Agreed. Oh, look. There it is!"
"Looks like a huge oasis in the middle of the desert."
"Yeah. And look at all those buildings. All those colors. All those lights."
"It's like the whole town is one major theme park."
"I guess we'll have to figure out where to stay while we're here."
"For sure. Vegas is all about hotels and casinos. I suggest we don't worry about budget this one time, and stay at one of the finer ones."
"I won't argue with that. Which ones are you thinking about."
"I think the best thing to do is to stay at a hotel that's close to all the other big hotels. Something like Aria, Bellagio, or Caesar's Palace."
"That sounds amazing. Why don't we just roll down the strip and look at the different hotels? We'll just put on that Elvis song and soak it all in."
"Viva Las Vegas, indeed."
"Is it always this warm in Vegas?"
"You have to remember that Vegas is in the middle of the desert. It's going to be warm no matter what."
"Oh, look. There's Caesar's Palace. And there's Bellagio and Aria. They're all next to each other. Which one do you think looks better?"
"Well, I'm always going to like Caesar's Palace, since he's one of my favorite historical figures. But I've actually stayed there before, so how about we pick one of the others?"
"Alright. I think Bellagio looks nice, but Aria just seems more modern to me. I think we should stay there."
"Perfect. Let's go in there and see if they have a room for us."
"I hope we can get a room with a good view."
"Me too. Would be cool if we could see The Strip from up there."
"All those lights at night must be magical."
"We're about to find out. We got a room on the 27th floor. They said the view should be spectacular."
"Sweet. I'll let you open the door for me."
"As always."
"Check it out! We can see everything from here! Over there is The Strip. And over there is the airport."
"Yeah. Nobody will enter Las Vegas through the air unnoticed."
"Let's go and do stuff. I want to see it all."
"I don't know if we have time to see everything tonight. It's already pretty late. What do you want to do first?"
"Let's just walk around and look at stuff."
"Sounds good. Let's do one side of The Strip first, and then the other side on the way back."
"OK, but let's make sure we end up at the big fountain outside Bellagio on our way back. I want to see that in the dark."
"That's a good plan. And we'll try to do the rest tomorrow."
Day 4
"Oh my god. This is the best cheesecake I've ever had. Good idea to do breakfast at the Bellagio. This is so nice."
"I know. The buffet here is amazing. So many things to choose from."
"So what are we doing today?"
"I was thinking that we should just keep exploring Vegas. What do you think?"
"Sounds good to me."
"Alright, good. Let's walk over to Luxor. I hear they have a cool exhibition there."
"That's the hotel that looks like a pyramid, right?"
"That's right."
"It feels so nice so walk outside when it's this temperature. I bet it would almost be too warm if we were here in the middle of summer."
"Yeah. I think spring and fall are the best times to be here. It's not too warm then."
"Oh, we're going to the Titanic Exhibition?"
"That's the plan. I hear it's really good."
"Oh wow. There's so much to see here. It almost makes it more real."
"Yeah. This isn't a movie. This is the real deal. They have a lot of things from the actual ship."
"It's cool to see all this, but it's also sad when you think of all those people."
"Especially when you think of the people who survived. They probably lost people they cared about."
"Yeah. Even Leo didn't make it."
"Ha. Ha. Very funny."
"Just trying to lighten things up here a little bit."
"Good. Because the next thing on the menu is mini golf."
"Really? That doesn't sound too exciting."
"No worries. This is a special mini golf. It's a KISS mini golf."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know the band KISS?"
"Yeah."
"They have their own mini golf here."
"No way."
"Yeah way. You play in the dark with neon colors all around you, as well as a lot of KISS-related stuff, of course."
"That's so cool. Even the golf balls light up in the dark."
"And you can even get married in here. They have their own wedding chapel. I guess you would have to be a real hardcore fan to do that."
"I guess so. There's so many weird things in Vegas."
"And we still have a full day to see more of it tomorrow."
Day 5
"Hey, let's finally check out some casinos."
"OK. I'm not much of a gambler, though. But you can't go to Vegas without going to the casinos, right?"
"Right. But I was thinking that we could go to Old Vegas. To soak in some of the history of this place."
"Old Vegas? what's that?"
"It's an older part of town where the casinos and hotels are like they used to be. The Golden Nugget for example is a very famous old casino. I think Frank Sinatra used to hang around here."
"Oh, that's cool. But we'll still do some gambling, right?"
"If you want to."
"Putting a few bucks on red never hurt anyone."
"I think I'll stick to blackjack. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I guess it'll be fun."
"Don't be too risky."
"I won't. The dealers here usually help you if they can tell that you're inexperienced."
"That's good. That way you're not completely lost when you gamble your money away."
"Exactly. OK. Let's try this."
"I'll do 20 dollars on red."
"I'll limit myself to 20 dollars at the blackjack table."
"It's probably a good idea to know how much money you want to spend before you walk into the casinos."
"Absolutely."
"Hey!. I won. The ball stopped on red!"
"Nice! I lost everything. But it's OK. I had fun."
"I guess that's what really matters."
"I guess. But the timing was good. We have to go back now if we want to make it there before showtime."
"Showtime? We're going to a show?
"Yeah. You have to go to a show when you're in Vegas. I figured we should go to a Cirque du Soliel show."
"Oh wow! I've always wanted to see one of their shows. What a nice surprise."
"It is our last night in Vegas, after all."
Day 6
"That show last night was amazing. I thought some of those acrobats were going to fall, but they always made the stunts."
"I think they have a lot of practice. It might seem unsafe for us, but it's probably business as usual for them."
"I suppose. So where are we going today?"
"Next stop is Tinseltown."
"Hollywood?!? Los Angeles?!?"
"That's right. You want to see where the magic happens?"
"Of course!"
"Good. But keep in mind, in order to get to LA, we have to pass Death Valley."
"That doesn't scare me. It's just warm and dry there. Nothing else."
"Yeah, you're right."
"So what are we doing in LA?"
"I was hoping to get a room in a hotel on the Sunset Strip." You can pretty much walk up to Hollywood from there."
"Nice. Let's just try to get through this LA traffic."
"That can be tricky, but it seems all right today."
"There are so many famous places I want to see. Let's start with the Hollywood Walk of Fame."
"That's a good place to start. That's also where the TCL Chinese Theatre is. I think that's where a lot of movies premiere."
"And where the actors walk on the red carpet?"
"I think so."
"Look at all those stars on the sidewalk. All those famous people. I know almost all of the names."
"I think you have to do something extraordinary within entertainment in order to get your own star on the Walk of Fame. But that's usually tied with fame, so no wonder you recognize the names."
"There are so many stars. There's no way of knowing where certain stars are without buying a map. I guess it's cool to have seen it, but what are we doing for the rest of the night?"
"I want to drive down Sunset Boulevard as the sun sets."
"And where will that take us?"
"Santa Monica. It's a smaller town on the beach. It's really nice there, and the pier is the end of Route 66."
"I guess there are things to see everywhere in this area."
"Absolutely. We'll go there, eat dinner, and just walk around."
"Sounds perfect."
Day 7
"I want a picture of the Hollywood sign."
"Done. I have a perfect spot where we'll have a great view of it."
"And where's that?"
"I'll show you."
"Oh, we're actually going up into the hills."
"Yeah. If you stay on Hollyridge Drive almost all the way to the end you'll get to a place where you can park your car. From there you just walk for a few minutes and you'll have the greatest view of the sign you can imagine."
"That's perfect."
"Just watch out for mountain lions and rattlesnakes."
"Oh my. You weren't kidding. There are signs telling me to do just that. Is it really dangerous up here?"
"I've been here a few times, and I haven't seen anything dangerous. We'll be fine."
"The view from up here is so nice. It feels like we're really close to the sign. It's perfect for a picture."
"I told you. But we shouldn't stay here too long. It gets so warm up here. It's like being baked alive."
"Yeah. It's really warm up here. How about we go downtown? We haven't been there yet."
"True. There's not that much to do downtown, though."
"Let's just get some dinner there, and then I've got two tickets to the Clippers game."
"Really? At the Staples Center? That's so cool. Dinner and basketball. What a combo."
"Since you got the tickets in Vegas I decided to get tickets in LA."
"Sweet. Let's get some jerseys when we're there. let's be real fans."
"Let's make our last night in LA special."
Day 8
"The last few days have been pretty hectic."
"Yeah. We've been busy. Let's just chill for a day in San Francisco."
"That sounds ideal. Just remember to wear some flowers in your hair."
"Of course. And we'll take the scenic route up there."
"What's the scenic route?"
"Highway 1. The best way to get from LA to San Fran. It's not the fastest, but the drive is much prettier."
"How so?"
"We'll be driving along the coastline, so the landscape will be pretty amazing."
"You weren't lying. It's beautiful here."
"I know. I just hope we can get a nice hotel in central San Fran, so that we can chill for a little bit."
"Let's chill for a while and then just walk around town for a little bit."
"OK. Let's just put our stuff in the room. There are a few things we have to see while we're here."
"I definitely want to see the Golden Gate."
"For sure. There is a place on the other side of the bridge where you get a great view of it."
"OK, we'll do that. What else?"
"I'm thinking we'll check out the area around Union Square, as well as the area closest to Alcatraz."
"Oh. The Rock."
"That's right. You've seen the movie?"
"Of course. It's a classic."
"Damn right. There are some piers around here as well. Pier 39 is usually filled with sea lions."
"Really? We have to see that."
"We will."
Day 9
"San Francisco might have been my favorite city so far. The atmosphere there was so relaxed and so nice."
"I agree. I love it there."
"Northern California and Oregon is just so nice. the nature up here is amazing."
"Yeah. If we had more time we would have gone to Yosemite and other parks up here. I haven't been there, but I really want to go. I've seen some pictures, and it seems like the whole area is just one big postcard."
"I heard that the Twilight-movies were filmed here in Oregon because of the beautiful nature."
"Wouldn't surprise me one bit."
"Too bad today will be spent mostly in the car."
"I know, but we have to make it to Seattle by tomorrow, and it's a long way."
"I understand."
"I figured we should make the best of it, so I booked us a hotel in Springfield, Oregon. That's the Springfield that the Simpson's Springfield was based on."
"That's funny."
Day 10
"Alright. We're rolling into Seattle. What do you think?"
"Looks pretty nice. That tall thing really stands out."
"Yeah. That's the Space Needle. They have a restaurant up there, so I figured we could eat there tonight."
"Sounds like a great idea."
"But while we walk around downtown you should look out for all the homeless people. They can be a little intrusive some times."
"One of them just asked me for some cash when I was standing at the ATM."
"That's kind of annoying."
"Let's check out what downtown Seattle has to offer."
"OK. I think we can focus on shopping today, and then tomorrow we'll go to the Farmer's Market. The one they have here is famous."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll get some shopping done, and be excited until we go to the Space Needle."
"The view up there is spectacular, and the food is also really good."
"What should I get when we're there?"
"That's up to you, but I think we should do the special ice-cream dessert they have here."
"What's so special about it?"
"They put it in a special bowl with dry ice underneath so that the whole thing is smoking when they bring it to the table."
"Yes. I want that."
"Yes. You will have that."
Day 11
"So this is the famous Seattle Farmer's Market, huh?"
"Yup. What do you think."
"Pretty cool. It's big and busy."
"My favorite is the little doughnut shop over there. They have a machine that just spits them out. It's called the doughnut pooper."
"That's fitting."
"I know. Now, however, I have some good news and some bad news."
"Let's do the bad news first."
"OK. Sadly, we have to leave. It's a long way from here to Grand Forks, and we have to be back the day after tomorrow."
"Damn. And what's the good news?"
"The good news is that it's pretty much straight forward. As soon as we get on Route 2 we won't leave it until we're in Grand Forks."
"That's one long and winding road."
"Yeah. It might sound a little boring, but it also makes it easier for us."
"I guess that's good."
"Yeah. I'm sorry, but we have to jump in the car and go."
"I'm looking at the map right now. Are you sure it's not better to go on the interstate?"
"I think you might be right. OK. I changed my mind. let's go on the interstate. We'll sleep in Billings, Montana, and then get back to Grand Forks tomorrow."
"Sounds lame."
"I agree, but there will be things to see on the way as well. We'll be passing the Rockies and the Badlands. Both places are known for amazing nature and landscapes, so it won't be that boring."
"Oh man. Even more things to look out for on the way back."
"You bet."
"It feels like we've seen so much of american nature and culture. And we've been gone less than two weeks."
"That's how it is around here. You only need to drive for a few hours and the surroundings change completely. That's why I love traveling around this country."
"This is a trip I will never forget."
"Me neither. 5000 miles of pure adventure. Doesn't get much better than that."
This is an experiment where I am trying to provide some information through dialogue. I don't know how successful I've been, and this might be too weird or strange, but it was something I wanted to try. If anyone makes it to the bottom of this, please let me know what you think. Honesty is appreciated, especially if it's harsh and critical.
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