The Road Trip Across America Part Three: The Interior

The Road Trip Across America Part Three: The Interior

40 days, 21 states, 11 major cities, 10 national parks

  • 100
  • 79:47
  • 6,214 km
  • C$366

by everettwrites
July 26th 2016

The Interior of the United States takes you across the vast deserts of Monument Valley, through the imposing Colorado Rockies, and into the golden fields of the Great Plains. Along this route are Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, the Great Sand Dunes, Rocky Mountain National Park, Denver, Kansas City, and St. Louis, ending in Columbus, Ohio. Even after exploring the northern national parks and the coastal cities of the west, we were still astounded by the assortment of things to do, see, and discover within the country's soft caramel center.

The previous two installments of this guide can be found here: Part One, The Northern Expanse: http://tinyurl.com/j2gkpq7 Part Two, The West Coast: http://tinyurl.com/z4484lo

BONUS, our trip around the coast of Florida: http://tinyurl.com/j3an9te

This was our itinerary for Part Three of The Road Trip Across America, days 26 through 40:

Day 26: Las Vegas Day 27: Las Vegas Day 28: Las Vegas Day 29: Grand Canyon Day 30: Monument Valley Day 31: Mesa Verde Day 32: Great Sand Dunes Day 33: Colorado Rockies Day 34: Denver Day 35: Denver Day 36: Denver Day 37: Kansas Day 38: Kansas City Day 39: St. Louis Day 40: Indiana and Ohio (home)

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The Road Trip Across America Part Three: The Interior Map

Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch is a quirky roadside attraction along Route 66 on the way from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Part art exhibit, part antique junkyard, and part extensive recycling project, Elmer's Ranch is a feast for the eyes. Glass bottles hang from poles like branches on trees, and old rusted signs and cars and machines fill the spaces in-between. You might even get to meet Elmer himself while you're there.

Close your eyes and listen to the wind softly play with the glass garden around you. You will truly feel that you're in the middle of nowhere.

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Elmer's Bottletree Ranch on Route 66 is an oasis in the desert.
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Not far from Las Vegas is the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Even after seeing the Badlands and the Grand Canyon, we still found Red Rock to be a new experience, with its mounds of bright two-toned sandstone along the scenic 13-mile drive. Stop by the Visitor Center to check for guided hike times and meet Mojave Max, the desert tortoise. There are numerous overlooks along the scenic loop as well as hiking trails of various lengths, most of which involve traversing rocky terrain.

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This is Red Rock Canyon without a filter, and this photo was taken with my iPhone. That's just how colorful it is.
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At 1,149 feet, the Stratosphere is the tallest building west of the Mississippi River, beating out Seattle's Space Needle by 544 feet. We visited around sunset to see the city view at day and night. It's a great panorama of the Strip, Downtown Las Vegas, and the surrounding valley.

If you're looking for an adrenaline rush, the observation tower also features several thrill rides, including a power tower, a spinning chair machine, a bungee-jumping experience, and a roller-coaster car that makes you feel like you're falling off the edge of the building. The Stratosphere also has several dining options, most notably its revolving Top of the World restaurant. There's also Roxy's Diner, which is open 24 hours and has an endless menu of filling foods.

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Overlooking Old Las Vegas from the Stratosphere.
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Visiting the Stratosphere can be pretty pricey, but you can receive free admission to the observation deck and some of the rides if you stay at the Stratosphere, although the tradeoff might not be worth the accommodations.

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Las Vegas hotels are fairly cheap because they want you to spend money in their casinos. Many have deals on Groupon or AAA discounts, and all offer free parking. However, they also charge hefty resort fees on top of the room price, so remember to factor that into your budget.

Staying on the Strip is ideal because of the convenient location and abundance of restaurants. However, we decided to stay off the strip in the Red Rock Casino simply because we wanted a more mid-range hotel, and we loved our experience there. You can ask for a room with a view of either the Strip or Red Rock Canyon. The rooms are modern with huge bathrooms, and the outdoor pool area is lovely.

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The pool complex at Red Rock Casino.
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We split our exploration of the Strip across two days, visiting the casinos on the north side on the first day and those on the south side on the second. We were more interested in seeing the interiors of the themed casinos than actually gambling, but we did indulge in some slots and recouped our lost cash with digital roulette. We also lost $15 in two seconds at a blackjack table and watched a guy blow $200 in less than a minute. As a wise man once said, "Beating a casino takes a real mathematical advantage, not a rabbit's foot."

The most fun we had gambling was playing BINGO at Green Valley Ranch off the Strip, where it felt like we had a real chance at winning. The process is all automated, so you don't have to mark your cards unless you really want to do it the old-fashioned way.

At the Tix4Tonight booths, you can find discount tickets for shows like world-famous magician David Copperfield, the Jersey Boys musical, and the numerous Cirque du Soleil performances. Tix4Tonight has many locations along the Strip and Downtown Vegas. You can receive an extra $2 off each ticket by printing the coupon on their website.

Many casinos on the Strip also offer free gambling lessons in poker, blackjack, craps, and roulette. Check the Vegas.com website for specific times, and learn new ways to burn your money.

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The Venetian was easily the most intricate of the themed casinos along the Strip. The Italian storefronts, the singing gondoliers, the costumed performers of the Carnevale di Venezia on St. Mark's Square—they're all part of the "streetmosphere" of the Grand Canal Shoppes.

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The canals and shops of The Venetian.
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The grand gallery in The Venetian seems to emulate Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel.
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"Metamorphosis" by Vladimir Kush
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The best surprise we stumbled upon in Las Vegas was the gallery of Vladimir Kush, one of my favorite artists. His surrealist oil paintings and sculpture are beautiful dreamscapes that invite you to stare awhile. You can find the Kush Fine Art Gallery in The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.

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The Bellagio is an icon of Las Vegas, with its famed fountain show and conservatory. This luxury hotel contains almost 4,000 rooms and is one of the most popular accommodations along the Strip. During our visit, the waters danced to the tune of "Your Song" by Elton John; there's a new show every half an hour in the afternoons and evenings.

The hotel lobby ceiling is constructed from thousands of colorful glass flowers designed by Dale Chihuly. Take a relaxing stroll through the botanical gardens and visit the world's largest chocolate fountain at the gourmet Jean Philippe Patisserie.

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The largest chocolate fountain in the world is housed in the Bellagio.
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The Paris Las Vegas is best known for its replicas of French monuments, such as the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, but to us its most unforgettable feature was La Creperie, where we shared a heavenly cinnamon bun crepe.

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The Eiffel Tower of Paris Las Vegas.
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The New York New York Casino on an overcast afternoon.
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Another one of our favorite themed interiors was the New York New York. The restaurants and shops look like city streets, complete with dim atmospheric lighting. The outside "skyline" and Statue of Liberty make for a great photo op. This casino is also famous for its outdoor roller coaster, which features a 144-foot drop.

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The Luxor on the Las Vegas Strip.
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When I was a kid, I thought the Luxor was the very definition of glitz and glam. I assumed that the black pyramid was a high-class luxury hotel and that a single room would cost thousands of dollars. This lofty perception was soon brought down to Earth after understanding the kitschy nature of Vegas and seeing this behemoth in person. Although I no longer yearn to spend the night in one of its towering rooms, it's still a cool sight.

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To conclude this three-part series, here are a few of our favorite memories from The Road Trip Across America:

  • Walking through the millennia-old canyons of the Badlands in South Dakota, which also entailed scaling a fifty-foot ladder and tiptoeing across the canyon’s edge

  • Encountering a surprise show from the Grand Geyser (which only erupts every 7 to 15 hours) in Yellowstone

  • Sampling Beecher’s world-famous mac and cheese along with fantastic grilled salmon at Pike Place Market in Seattle before watching the city light up from the Space Needle

  • Hiking along the stony shore of Rialto Beach, shrouded in the mist of the Pacific Ocean in western Washington

  • Driving through redwood forests in the Avenue of Giants and traversing creeks and fallen trees in Fern Canyon

  • Biking across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, taking in the bay views before stopping in a quaint Italian restaurant for the best fettuccine alfredo of our lives

  • Cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway in California, blasting The Beach Boys on the stereo

  • Trying our luck at BINGO in Las Vegas…and losing

  • Marveling at the orange hues of a sun-dappled slot canyon in northern Arizona

  • Trekking to the top of a 700-foot sand dune to witness the seemingly endless sea of dunes in the distance, and then attempting to sand sled our way back down (we failed miserably and are still cleaning sand from our ears)

  • Exploring the craziest playground known to man in St. Louis, a labyrinth of hidden caves, tunnels, ladders, and rooms, along with a ten-story slide, a ball pit, and a rooftop Ferris wheel

I hope this guide inspires and informs your own travels. So what are you waiting for? Go forth and explore.