Day 1
We both worked a half day and hit the road with Tracy and Royce around noon. So far, the only bummer was that we were unable to bring one of the old cars due to a series of unfortunate events (hives, graduation, and more hives). The drive to Vegas was fairly uneventful, with the exception of the trailer that Tracy & Royce were using to bring their Corvair to the show. It blew a tire, but Royce noticed it before they lost the whole thing and our handy boys had the spare on in no time.
So handy:
In Vegas, we hit our usual favorite spots: the m&m store, the Coke store, and the Bellagio. I love, love, love the Bellagio. I love the fountain out front (although we missed it this time due to poor timing) and I adore the atrium inside. They change the decorations in the atrium regularly according to the season or holiday. This time it was done up in spring:
(*Dreamy sigh*)
Day 2
We woke up early and headed to the pawn shop from Pawn Stars. We also dropped off the ruined trailer tire. While the tire was getting replaced, we drove out to Hoover Dam. This was our first trip to the dam since they finished the new bridge. I had no idea, but there is a walkway across the entire dam so we walked out to about the center to get a few pictures:
(The bridge was very high and shook quite noticeably when semi-trucks would cross it, so we didn’t stay on long)
A shot of the bridge from below (I was up there just a few minutes before! Yikes!)
The next part of the journey was quite interesting. The wind was blowing like mad and poor Royce was having a heck of a time with the trailer. When we stopped in Tehachapi (about an hour outside of Bakersfield) Royce smelled something odd and knew something wasn’t quite right. When he and Kyle took a closer look, they found that the wheel bearings on one axle were completely shot. They spent 2 ½ hours trying to get it fixed before we decided to take the Corvair off the trailer. Kyle drove the truck & trailer, Royce & Tracy were in the Corvair, and I brought up the end with my four-way flashers going.
Shortly after we arrived in Bakersfield, Marc (one of our best car buddies) checked in to see how the Welcome barbeque was. When we informed him that we were about 4 hours late for it, he started it. The most amazing part of the car community. The street-rodders own version of a phone tree. He called his friend Lynn in Bakersfield, who lives there and has many connections. Marc gave us Lynn’s number, and when we dialed, she was already expecting our call. She gave us turn-by-turn directions to a repair shop, and called the shop to warn them we would be coming. At dinner that night (around 10pm), we discussed how lucky we are to have such wonderful friends and to be part of such a wonderful community of cruisers that will help you out at the drop of a hat. I think it’s because if we haven’t been through a breakdown, we know that we all eventually will so we help each other through that stressful time. Things could have been so much worse, and we are thankful that we made it to our destination safely.
Day 3
After a hard sleep (I think we all crashed because yesterday’s events wore us out!), we went to the repair shop. As promised, the man there was expecting us. He looked at the trailer and sent us to another shop (Buds Brake & Wheel) to pick up a part that he didn’t have. Then he & the boys had the trailer fixed in record time. AND he didn’t charge Royce! As it turns out, the guy at Buds only charged Royce for the hub assembly and none of the other accessory parts. (Again, so lucky and blessed to be in this wonderful cruiser community!)
We arrived at the fairgrounds and I think we all truly relaxed for the first time (no more driving, the trailer was fixed, and it was not snowing here like it was at home so life was good). After we wandered through some cars and vendors, the boys went to the safety inspection booth to work their safety shift so Tracy & I headed to the Ladies Tea. I honestly love going to the Ladies Tea. It is such a fun way to bring all of the ladies at the show together to mingle and make new friends. Sure, many of the women are old enough to be my mother (or even my grandmother) but they are a fun bunch! We closed the day at the show by setting our chairs on a main drag of the fairgrounds and watching the cars pass by while eating our deep-fried s’more (oh yeah, deep fried and covered in chocolate. It’s delicious but rich enough that having it only once a year does not upset me or my scale).
We went out to dinner at the Hungry Hunter Steakhouse. We found it 3 years ago when we first came to the NSRA show in Bakersfield. They are fabulous!!! (cue the sing-songy voice in my head!) This year I had herb-crusted chicken stuffed with brie & asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes, and seasonal vegetables with a glass of chardonnay (Cupcake chardonnay and it was AMAZING!). I literally felt like I was in a state of food bliss after we ate. I don’t remember the last time I felt so satisfied after a meal.
A quick dip in the pool followed by a soak in the hot tub closed yet another long day.
Pretty sunset
Day 4
This is usually the longest day of the car show because we are there from open to close. In the morning we worked an extra safety shift because Juan & Blondie were shorthanded at the inspection booth. After a quick lunch (corndog and sweet potato fries) we went through all of the vendors to get our event shirts and car parts (new steering wheel and armrests), as well as our other souvenirs. One of my favorite items is my NSRA blanket. It is a plain, gray blanket that they can iron-transfer each show logo on. It has become my record of almost every NSRA show we’ve been too!
Then we set about looking at cars. Just a small taste:
We also learned that we are too tall to own a T-Bucket…
We finished the day at the Rocket Stock Café, recommended to us by the NSRA Chaplain, Jim Rowlett. I had a grilled cheese, but it was wonderful. Then we went to the mall and walked off dinner as we wandered around.
Another small soak in hot tub ended a great day!
Day 5
We woke up early, packed, checked out of the hotel and headed back to the fairgrounds. Sunday was kind of a lazy day at the show; we just wandered around the cars some more.
At the show, Kyle was teamed up with an NSRA state inspector to pick a car for an award. Here he is presenting it during the awards ceremony:
After awards, we loaded up the cars and hit the road. We got in to Vegas with enough time to have dinner and go to the Bellagio to see the fountain! Even better, we watched it from behind (a view I’ve not seen before) and enjoyed some yummy chocolate gelato!!! (Can’t you hear my squee’s of joy?)
Of course, the mood (and my squee’s of joy) were dampened a bit by the drunk girl next to us puking her guts out over the balustrade around the lovely gardens behind the Bellagio fountain.
Ahhh, Vegas….
After that, we saw the sexy pirate show, Sirens of TI, at Treasure Island. We’ve been trying to see it for years every time we’re in Vegas, but inclement weather conditions have always prevented it. It was kinda fun, for a free show! Some late night gambling (we all came out ahead!) and we headed to bed.
Day 6
I always hate the last day of vacation. It always seems like the longest day of the vacation, and not in a good way. It seems to take forever to drive home and all that’s waiting there is laundry and housework. I know I couldn’t ever stand to go on vacation permanently, but it’s still bittersweet to come home.
We took a different route home, through Ely, Nevada. Kyle’s aunt and uncle live there, so we stopped to visit and have lunch. I’m glad we were able to see them and visit for a bit.
My dear parents watched the grand-dogs while we were away (and they were spoiled by their grandma!) My mom made homemade doggy ice cream for them to enjoy! (No wonder they love it at grandma’s house!)
I was so excited to go on this vacation because this was my first vacation (in a while) where I didn’t have to bring homework!!!! (See my graduation post!!!)
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