During the week before we left Manning we kitted out the van,
ripping out the back seat and installing a shelf that was even with the middle
seats when folded down. Curtains were
put up and a mattress was acquired, thank you Billy. We got a little camp stove and Esky and all our
misc stuff fit under the shelf so our bed was clear. Stocked up on home made banana bread and trail
mix we were ready to roll.
The Plan
First stop was a Abbotsford to pick up a stick of rattan for
a glaive then it was across the border and south to Pheonix.
Day 1: we drove through Washington, a rather lush state with
lots of green, crossing the Rockies, then in the evening got through Oregon and
part of Idaho before crashing the night in a rest area. We were down an out for 6-7 hours with our
van providing us our first night’s sleep, comfy.
Day 2: We woke to fund ourselves in a scrubby desert and jumped
back in the driver seat and away went.
Down through the rest of Oregon and into Nevada, what an eerie state it
is, nothing out there but flat with mountains in the distance, every building
is a casino of some form, but on the bright side they sold hard liquor in the
service stations right next to the chips.
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Some great views of
sediment layering across entire mountain ranges.
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The Sign of Vegas
We drove into Las Vegas as the sun was setting. Lots of lights and other shiny things, but
there was no time to stop Estrella started the next day. We didn’t realise that Hover Dam was a short
detour and we missed it in the confusion and traffic, but next time hey.
We got into Pheonix and managed to navigate our way through and, with
some missed turns and a little stress, found Estrella at 2am. Curled up in the van and waited to sign in in
the morning and war.