We decided to take a 2 week driving trip from our home in greater Kansas City to California. We always travel by auto and there are good Interstates all the way there. We usually stop in small towns for lunch and dinner since we really are not into chain restaurants. Usually they are good as they are so far on this trip.
Kansas is 400 miles long and really nothing to see or visit. However they do have largest Catholic Church in the Midwest which was built out of limestone over a year ago, so we did visit it. The architecture is very interesting.
Our first day’s stop was in Limon, Colorado which is a very small town. We always talk to everyone and a semi truck driver came in and we were talking with him. He had a truck load of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream.
We kept telling him how much we enjoyed Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, but being such a small town they didn’t have any at the only small grocery store in town. Yep, he felt sorry for us and went out to his semi and brought back a 1/2 gallon for us. It PAYS to talk to people!
Our second night was in the middle of Utah and the only place to stay is in Green River which has a population of 952 and most everyone works in the 10 motels in town.
Needless to say after the sun goes down, there is absolutely nothing to do in town. However the scenery along Interstate 70 is absolutely incredible. Native American Indians are selling their hand made wares at the rest areas.
The next night we stayed in Primm, Nevada which is about 40 miles southwest of Las Vegas. Room rates at the resorts are like $39.95 so is much less expensive than staying in Las Vegas. We were both lucky on the penny slot machines. Ray first won $49.60 and Donald won $176.50. So that was a nice surprise!
At the Resort where we stayed they had on permanent display the actual auto that Bonnie and Clyde were killed in – with dozens of bullet holes in it.
Then, next, onward to West Hollywood where the temperatures are tremendously warm! Upon arriving to Hollywood the news came out that Jim Nabors had died so we went immediately to his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Stars on Hollywood Blvd. Flowers had already been placed at his star by fans.
Now we will have a very interesting time in West Hollywood and then more fun times in Palm Springs before driving back home.
Always remember to have fun when traveling, meet new people and talk to everyone!
TRAVELING IN OUR FABULOUS GAY WORLD is written by Donald Pile and Ray Williams, Award-winning, Celebrity travel columnists who write for gay publications from coast to coast (And now legally married).
Proud members of the IGLTA. You can email them at gaytravelers@aol.com and visit their website at http://gaytravelersataol.blogspot.com/
It’s Friday night and Las Vegas is buzzing, but not from the sounds of slot machines or the spinning of roulette wheels. It’s a different kind of buzz that fills the Arts District. A man stands at a microphone with the light of a neon sign serving as his spotlight. Passersby walk through the Arts District, taking in the various vendors’ stalls. A boy picks up a vegan chocolate bar, and the man, like a Greek stentor, shares his spoken-word poetry. A woman browses local artwork and as she moves on down the street she proclaims loudly, “I’ll have to pick that painting up later.”
Nearby, a group of gay boys files out of a local bar holding inventive sugary cocktails that each deserves its own PANTONE color. The poet continues to speak, creating a vibrant urgency, and people dance through the stalls to the beat of his trochees. The neon lights of Downtown Las Vegas’ Arts District are nearly drowned out by the illuminated vendors who have completely transformed the outdoor 18-block district into a creative amusement park of art and local culture.
The rumba of salsa music has old and young locals twirling under the disco-ball twilight. Clouds of smoke from the freshly deep-fried zeppole waft across the dance floor and mix with spray paint fumes puffing like a chimney from a young boy creating a mural. He’s plastering the wood wall with dragons, wizards, castles, and all his middle school fantasies. A hula-hooper leads an exercise class as crowds gather round holding bags of recently purchased handicrafts. “Do you feel free?” the instructor shouts to the dozens of men, women, and children hoola-hooping along. “Yes!” the crowd shouts back in a united voice that doesn’t match their wild gyrations. There is a new type of freedom in this city that visitors will discover in the sprawling creativity of revitalized downtown Las Vegas.
Experience a side of Las Vegas you may never even knew existed. Check out the many outdoor activities and attractions as well as the luxurious accommodations you can always enjoy in Las Vegas.
How about a little fun on the water? The Lake Mead National Recreation Area offers a wealth of things to do and places to go year-round. Its huge lake caters to boaters, swimmers, sunbathers and fishermen, while its desert rewards hikers, wildlife photographers and roadside sightseers. Three of America’s four desert ecosystems\0x2212the Mojave, the Great Basin and the Sonoran Deserts \0x2212 meet in Lake Mead NRA. As a result, this seemingly barren area contains a surprising variety of plants and animals, some of which may be found nowhere else in the world.
Another way to enjoy the water and its inhabitants without getting soaked is a journey through the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. Take a 14-exhibit adventure through a jungle environment into a sunken shipwreck where you will see 2,000 animals, including some of the most dangerous predators in the world.
Palm Springs, Calif., may be the city most associated with the legendary Dinah Shore festival (so called for a golf tournament bearing the entertainer’s name), the annual gathering of lesbians seeking sun and fun. But for the past five years, Las Vegas has hosted its own Dinah gathering.
This year’s Dinah Vegas — which wrapped Sunday and took place at the Rio, Tropicana, Flamingo, Linq, and Luxor resorts — was another rousing success, according to founder Sandy Sachs.
Most people travel to Las Vegas for the infamous strip and glittering nightlife that never ends. But what about Downtown Las Vegas? That tiny little core city where the story all began? I travel to Vegas twice a year for business and while I’ve stayed at a lot of hotels on the Strip (Trump, Vdara, Wynn, Caesar’s), I always make a trip downtown. It’s seedy, a little ugly around the edges and just being there can make you feel better about all your choices in life – but it’s an experience you can’t get anywhere else in the world. And it can be a lot of fun if you’re traveling with the right crowd.
A trip from the strip to downtown Vegas will cost you $30 – but the drinks are cheaper here and so is the food. And while you won’t get the glitz of the strip, you’ll get a slew of stories to tell when you get home.
Strolling the Fremont Experience can be ridiculously cool and depending on the time of night, make you happy – or a little sad – for humanity. There are no filters here and you’ll see all kinds of street entertainment vying for your attention and spare change. Please note, even though you’ll see lots of families, this is no place for young children (or anyone under 20 for that matter).