Day 3

After cutting our losses in Vegas, we were on our way to Arizona. The weather in southern Nevada was so warm compared to the 20 and 30 degree weather we experienced in Idaho and northern Nevada. It was 50 degrees in Vegas, and as we travelled south, the temperature increased. After driving for about half an hour, we saw this: 

Yes, Andy is holding the camera outside of the car, and he apologizes for the tilt. The blue you see above is Lake Mead, an artificial lake created by Hoover Dam. The dam creates electricity for the city of Los Angeles, the state of Nevada, and Arizona. The Hoover Dam borders Nevada and Arizona, a magical place where Pacific time and Mountain time meet. There are clocks on either side of the dam.

It’s hard to get a picture of Hoover Dam unless you are on the bridge above the dam, but these pictures should give you an idea of just how large it is. 

Andy was in awe of the Star Wars scale of Hoover Dam: the Bespin-esque pillars of white rising out of the water, the giant empty concrete tunnel that belongs on The Death Star. Christi thought the dam looked like something out of the Wizard of Oz, but maybe she had that on her mind after winning a little money on the Wizard of Oz slot machine in Vegas. In any case, the place was awe-inspiring because of its size, grandeur, and management of two time zones.

Because the Dam is patrolled regularly and people are no longer allowed to see the inside of the dam since 9/11, there are a few rules visitors must follow. Dogs are not allowed on the dam. Instead, Mika got a good view from the sidelines where Christi walked her and waited for Andy to return with photos. Christi had been to the Dam before, so she was okay with not walking across it. Mika got lots of compliments. Most often Christi heard things like, "your dog looks like a little fox" or "she's so cute." 

Most of the tourists are unaware of the Oracle of Hoover that resides outside the gift shop above the dam. According to Pappy, things are going to be looking up and Christi might even find gold in them thar hills!

Andy and Mika at the Arizona state line. This trip was Mika's first time to Arizona. After crossing the border, we made our way to Tempe, despite a closed road in Phoenix. After some re-routing, we arrived safely at Christi's parents' house. 

Day 2

We made it to Vegas after a long day of speeding. We stayed at the Westin, a "dog friendly hotel" where the hotel staff didn't seem to like dogs very much. Well, everyone except for the nice cleaning lady who offered Christi dog biscuits for Mika. The place was nice, but the elevator smelled like cigarettes. Andy and Mika had never experienced Vegas, and the hotel was just off the strip. We decided to walk down to the strip around 10 p.m. and, hopefully, catch the Bellagio water show.

Along the way we met a few people who wanted to pet Mika. Their boozy breath really turned her off. We walked over the nekkid lady cards scattered on the ground, and we saw Chewbacca and Robo Cop (or something like that) on our stroll. Mika endured the chaos until we walked into the Bellagio where there were too many people and the floors were slippery. Then Mika started to claw at the ground and tremble. Christi scooped her up and walked down a flight of stairs with her to the patio. We found a place to watch the water show. Once we were outside Mika was fine. We felt like such bad parents.

Note the 24 hour Starbucks and the resurrection of Red Skelton. 

A skinny guy with a Santa hat stopped by and petted Mika (she seemed to like his coffee breath), and then Andy went to go get some green tea gelato. Just before Andy got back the water show started:

A word to the wise about seeing Vegas for the first time: dodge the puke outside the Bellagio, don't play the dollar slots at your hotel, and never bring your dog. After we were done with the water show, we decided to head back and stop traumatizing Mika. 

We watched a little cable and then got up late, thinking we had a shorter day of driving ahead of us. Besides, we wanted to play some slots before we left the casino. We spent some time at The Flamingo and won about $40 on the Wizard of Oz slot machines when all was said and done. Andy thinks he saw Moe Green and the ghost of Frank Sinatra. 

After that we were off to get gas and hit the road!

Day 1

We left our house at 10:30 a.m. to buy snow chains at Les Schwab. We were preparing for the worst and thought that our rented Ford Escape might need chains when we hit the mountains around La Grande. Yes, we planned a December road trip to Arizona. The weather that day was sunny, cold, and clear. Mika was ready for an adventure, but as we stayed on the road driving, she would give us looks that said "are we ever going to stop?" Finally, she just plopped down in her bed and decided to sleep until we got somewhere interesting.

After leaving Portland two hours later than we wanted to (original departure time, 9 a.m.), we were moving right along on 84. We stopped at the Bonneville Dam, and took Mika for a walk. The rainbow trout were beautiful, but our pictures did not capture them well.

The high elevation roads between La Grande and Pendleton were no picnic. Once we reached the mountains, the highway had some ice and snow. Not too much, but enough to cause concern, especially on Dead Man's Pass. We saw our first parade of Fed Ex trucks.

After surviving the ice and snow, we descended into Ontario for a late dinner. We were starving. Andy texted Jojo to find the name of his favorite restaurant, El Erradero. Christi's burrito was labelled "beef and cheese burrito." We freaked out because Andy had ordered a bean and cheese burrito. Luckily, Christi checked the burrito a few minutes later, and there was no meat. The burrito was delicious.


We wanted to reach Twin Falls, Idaho that night (Thursday evening), but we were exhausted. We found a La Quinta and spent the night in Boise. If you ever travel with your dog, La Quinta hotels are pet friendly. Also, hotels = cable! After watching part of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, we caught the weather report that night: a big snow storm was going to arrive in 24 hours. We had lost an hour entering Boise, and our plan was to get up early and hit the road by 8 a.m. to avoid the snowpocalypse.

After a hotel breakfast that consisted of coffee, peanut butter and jelly toasted english muffins, and an orange, we got on the road by 9 a.m..

On the way to Twin Falls, we sang Built to Spill's "Twin Falls, Idaho" and searched for the song on our phones. After making a lane change, Andy heard Christi yelp. Andy saw the cracked glass of our windshield. We were twenty five feet behind a truck, and we were pelted by a rock. How do you handle this situation when you have a rental car?

Our moods were lifted by the sun and expansive bridge over Snake River and the canyon that Evil Knievel tried to jump in 1972. Unfortunately, his parachute deployed prematurely. The rest is history.

We crossed the border into Nevada. Andy had never been there before. The hills were sparse; a light coating of snow everywhere. We passed through Ely: we have no idea if it's pronounced "e- lee" (Andy's choice) or "e-leye" (Christi's choice). We had to make a decision: longer or shorter route to Vegas? We took the scenic route.

We took "Scenic highway 93," and it was gorgeous. And empty. The roads were empty except for a car or two. It was a winter wonderland, said Christi. An Elk crossed the road right before we arrived in Poiche (pronounced "pee-och"), an old mining town. We were approaching two mining towns from the late 1900s: Poiche and Caliente. A ghost town was said to be between the two.  We stopped at J and J's "fast food" in Caliente.