Topic: Vancouver to Vegas, Pacific Coast, and back

[Ead]

Vegas used to be fun.  There used to be a sense of "happy" in the air, much like what one would expect of kids in Disneyland.

Now there's just people milling about, without any sense of what they're doing or why they're doing it.  Kind of like zombies, without the "Brainnnnnssssssss" part.

It's not the Vegas I remember from almost 15 years ago.  It's gotten too big, and too expensive.  No more pampering.  At least they don't bother with trying to hide their ultmate goal - to take your money one way or another.

I kind of knew that Vegas had changed, by the conversations I had with a buddy of mine who was down there (multiple times) recently.  I hadn't expected it to change that much.  If not for the conference, I probably would've left the first day there.

EDIT: oh, and I was too slow getting out of Vegas, as sunset happened literally minutes before I could hit the coast (Ventura).  Oh well, I guess I'll just have to settle for sunset somewhere else up the coast, I guess.

[cha0tik]

Vegas used to be fun.  There used to be a sense of "happy" in the air, much like what one would expect of kids in Disneyland.

Now there's just people milling about, without any sense of what they're doing or why they're doing it.  Kind of like zombies, without the "Brainnnnnssssssss" part.

It's not the Vegas I remember from almost 15 years ago.  It's gotten too big, and too expensive.  No more pampering.  At least they don't bother with trying to hide their ultmate goal - to take your money one way or another.

I kind of knew that Vegas had changed, by the conversations I had with a buddy of mine who was down there (multiple times) recently.  I hadn't expected it to change that much.  If not for the conference, I probably would've left the first day there.

EDIT: oh, and I was too slow getting out of Vegas, as sunset happened literally minutes before I could hit the coast (Ventura).  Oh well, I guess I'll just have to settle for sunset somewhere else up the coast, I guess.

That's exactly why I don't go to Vegas anymore. I don't even gamble, but you're right, it just feels too in your face with the businesses wanting to take your money. I find road trips to BC, Washington State and California much more relaxing.

[Ead]

Was able to get my Pacific coast sunset (Cali version) somewhere north of San Fran/south of Eureka.  Submitted my calendar entry pic (not final at this stage) from that sunset.  Oregon was foggy and cloudy almost the whole way up, so there wasn't much to see or shoot.  Unfortunately, I also dilly-dallied my way up the coast in Oregon and didn't arrive at my next overnighter stop until well after dark (almost didn't have dinner that day).

I had one shot to catch Hurricane Ridge yesterday - and I uckfayed it up by not checking on my notes before leaving Forks.  Thinking I was short on time, I had skipped a lot of opportunities to go to the coast (Ocean Shores, La Push, Neah Bay) in the attempt to hit Hurricane Ridge before evening.  However, I missed the exit to Hurricane Ridge, and when I saw signs for Port Angeles, I knew I'd uckfayed up.   

Oh well, at least I'll have something to look forward to next time I'm down this way.

All-in-all, it was a pretty good trip, though very exhasting, and some parts were downright intimidating.  I wouldn't do it over again in its current form, but I would definitely consider a much more leisurely pace and a second pair of eyes to help navigate the drive.  I'd also keep it strictly to the Coast or near-coast, the exception being Death Valley (and Crater Lake, for which I didn't have the chance to visit this time).  I also have a good appreciation of the endurance aspects of my car (GJ, MY '13 "touring pkg"), and I hope the '15+ (ie. VA) WRX is the same or better.