US 40 to Las Vegas

[decodancer]

I've been researching the bucket list trip to Alaska and I think it's going to have to wait until next summer. I just don't have enough money to fall back on in case of a major vehicle breakdown so far from home. I will however be able to take the long awaited trip to Vegas. I've never been out west. Yes my family did live in California when I was five but I remember very little about that portion of my life. I will have at least a month off in November so that seems like a good time to go. I hate interstates, I want to actually see the country, not pass it by. I also avoid major cities as much as I can. I see US 40 as a possibility for much of the route from north eastern Pennsylvania. Do any of you know why this would not be a good choice? Are there plenty of options for places to stay and inexpensive (or free) things to see. I hope to only travel 4 or 5 hours a day at most. I will stay at a few campgrounds on the way but do not mind boondocking in a safe place. Does anybody know if there is a place near Vegas where I could get a shuttle in for a bit of gambling. I think it will be too hot to leave my pups in the van without being plugged in with the air running. Any concerns I should have? Thanks in advance because I know I'll get lots of great advice.

 

[cyndi]

I-40 is a great choice, especially since much of it parallels Route 66, from Missouri to California.

Vegas has a pretty good transit system so getting around shouldn't be a problem.

Karen and Tony have a few tips with regard to parking on their blog
http://rollinginarv-wheelchairtraveling.blogspot.com/2011/05/vegas.html

Casinocamper.com lists 7 casinos that may allow overnighting (technically, sleeping in your vehicle is illegal, unless in a campground)
http://casinocamper.com/rv-parking-locations/search-results?cat=79&keywords=las+vegas

Depending on the time of year, leaving your pets in the vehicle may not be a great idea. In the summer, if there's an AC failure, your pets would be toast.

 

[user 423]

US50 would be a pretty good choice also. MD to Sacramento. I took that route from DC to Cortez,CO in a car a while back. Their are several websites with info on history, sightseeing,etc.

 

[rvwandering]

Thanks for the mention Cyndi!

Decodancer - we travel by the premise that any road is better than an interstate so US 40 is good but unless one of your goals is to drive as much on the same road as possible you might want to detour onto some of the smaller roads. Southern Utah is gorgeous! The weather in November may be a problem though.

As far as Vegas is concerned the best option for you and your pups might be the RV park at Main Street Station There's no mention of the park on their webpage but they do have one. Check in is at the hotel desk. It's basically just a parking lot but it does have full hookups and is fairly cheap, around $20.00 a night. It's right in downtown Vegas within walking distance of the casinos and Freemont Street. I think that there are shuttles to the strip. If you gamble some you may get the campground fees comped.

We hear the call of the penny slots too :-D but we've found that Vegas will eat through your pennies very fast. Indian casinos across the states seem to be a little looser and give us more play for the money. Check the casino link that Cyndi posted for casinos along your way. Almost all allow overnight parking - safe and surprising quiet.

We're going out for the day but later today I'll check through my information for good places to see and stay on your trip west. More to come!

 

[user 423]

http://www.roadtripusa.com/routes/loneliestroad/loneliestroad.html

 

[decodancer]

US 50 sounds perfect and a great option for a return trip. If I don't lose all my money playing penny slots LOL. I'll take more time to read and digest all the info later. Not that I want to but I have to go to work. You guys and gals are the best!

 

[MrNoodly]

I've driven I-40 end-to-end several times. It's an efficient way to get across the US, but very boring. That's true wherever you cross the the vast open middle part of the country, though. The novelty of wide open plains wears off rather quickly.

I don't know where you plan on connecting to I-40, but here are some things to consider.

- The section west of Asheville, over the mountains, is twisty and rather narrow. It's better to take it in daylight.

- TN is a lot wider than it look on the map.

- There's a mess of interchanges in Memphis. Be on your toes, watch the signs and be ready to switch lanes.

- Gas-food-lodging places in Little Rock are way off I-40.

- Oklahoma City is a bigger mess of interchanges than Memphis.

- OK probably has the greatest variety of paving surfaces, some of them bad.

- At least you don't need to go across the wide part of TX.

- The scenery improves almost instantly when crossing into NM.

- There's no overnight parking at the Flying J on the west side of Albuquerque, but there is at the Walmart on Coors Blvd.

- I-40 through northeast AZ seems to always be under construction. Expect slow going.

- Flagstaff is at 7,000 feet, so it will be cold. There might be snow.

- US-93 from Kingman to Las Vegas has some very nice parts. US-95 from Needles to LV, not so much.

- Driving into Las Vegas, you really need to know exactly where you want to be. Avoid trying to drive on or cross The Strip at prime hotel check-in time or during evening entertainment hours.

If I was making this trip, I'd use Interstates to blast through boring or ugly sections, then get out the maps and look for what William Least-Heat Moon called the "blue highways", the pre-Interstate roads. A hundred miles of 2-lane road can feel shorter than a hundred miles of Interstate, with its strings of semis and monotonous sameness mile after mile. You're closer to things, you see more details, you see how people live instead of the same assortment of gas, fast food, hotels and stores.

 

[Reducto]

I've only taken I40 as far East as Albuquerque and that far it's pretty much the same as any interstate. I can't think of any specific advice other than what would apply on any long stretch of cross-country interstate. Don't let your gas tank get too low and be prepared for cold weather.

You won't need to run your AC Nov-Feb! You will probably want a heater for some nights, though. There are plenty of options for paid RV spots but not so many for free spots. There is a city law against it (pushed through by the owner of many of the RV parks) so you have to be sneaky and move around. Orleans and behind Harrah's you can get away with a couple of nights if they don't see you getting in. The Walmart on Tropicana is a ways out but they don't seem to care and there is a bus going right to the strip.

There are a ton of snowbirds in the area, you'll fit right in! Feel free to PM me with vegas questions.

If you haven't found this site yet:
http://www.atlasobscura.com/

 

[wagoneer]

I'm a sore loser so I do not Gamble and usually just pass around vegas been through many times I do recommend seeing it at least once remember when I was younger seeing a sign for Sanatra and Elvis. 40 gets rough rt 66 the same no more maintenance. I loved route 66 and air-streamed down that road many a time. Good to slow down. You will enjoy the high dessert flowers will amaze you. Boondocking is a snap. Good journey Adrian.

 

[GotSmart]

Old 66 through Missouri and Oklahoma! Lots to stop and see.

The worlds biggest McDonalds on the Will Rogers Freeway.

Strange people and other things,

Jackalopes and classic cars, even Yoda.

The best places to eat in the world. You can even get a vegetarian meal at In-N-Out Burger. They call it a wish burger, (I wish there was meat on this burger!) Ot the Protein Style. (Extra lettuce, no bun)

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives...ate-every-single-item-on-the-secret-menu.html

That will be my first stop as soon as I get close enough to the West Coast to get one. (Nothing is further than a 24 hour trip from central warehouse. Nothing is frozen!)

The slow trip on old Route 66! The Mother Road!

 

[akrvbob]

You may want to clarify, there are several folks who think you want to take Interstate 40 when in fact you want to avoid them. Also, clarify when you are going, it sounds like you are going in the summer, is that right?

I'm predjudiced but I think there is very little in the mid-west that is worth seeing. So I would take a different route. I'd take 20 across and explore some of the Lewis and Clark trail along the way and then jump up to Badlands NP, Black Hills and Mt Rushmore and Sturgis. That's worth seeing!! From there I would jump over the The Battle of Little Big Horn (Custers last stand) and then west to 89 I'd go south through 89 to Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP and then Zion NP. If you are that close you should take 24 over to Capital Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands NP. Then to Vegas.

The problem is once you are in the mountains, there are few direct routes, you just have to jump around to see all you want to see.

WOW what a trip!
Bob

 

[GotSmart]

Its all good! Flip a coin, and enjoy yourself.

 

[rvwandering]

Well, I looked at my information and was surprised to see that we've never traveled very much on US 40. It parallels I-70 through Pennsylvania, Ohio,Indiana and Illinois then joins I-70 through most of Kansas and Missouri so you can hop on the interstate if you get tired of driving across the plains and want to make some quick time. Because US 40 was a major route before the interstate system it goes through a lot of cities where it's best just to get on the interstate to get through. We've found that there's little traffic during the day on the most direct route through cities and use that rather than the bypasses.

The main problem that I see with US 40 is that you'll be going in November and it will be cold, possibly snowy. Most of the campgrounds will be closed. It might be warmer and more interesting if you drop down south as soon as possible. You should drop down before Colorado to avoid crossing the Rockies at Denver. Crossing on I-40 in New Mexico is easy.

A few things along US 40
Good overnight casino stop near Pa/Ohio border - Wheelin Island Casino

Dayton Ohio - Very good free airforce museum - http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/

St Louis - The Arch
Cahokia Mounds - free museum -site of large Native American city AD1050 http://www.cahokiamounds.org/
Good overnight casino -http://www.hollywoodcasinostlouis.com/

Independence Missouri - Harry Truman NHS - http://www.nps.gov/hstr/index.htm

Topeka Kansas - Brown verses Board of Education NHS -free -http://www.nps.gov/brvb/index.htm

Kansas fishing lakes often has nice free campgrounds - http://kdwpt.state.ks.us/KDWPT-Info/Locations/State-Fishing-Lakes

 

[decodancer]

I do want to avoid interstates but long boring two lane roads are not too appealing either. Large cities are the pits and I will often take the long way around to avoid them. My contract at the campground ends October 31st so I can't go sooner. It's not even that I'm a gambling nut, I just want to say I've been there. Sedona is also on my wish list. Going a southern route would be ok but I've been to most of the southern states and really was looking forward to adding some new states to my been there map. I've been to the arch and slept through Missouri and Kansas, the plains are not too exciting LOL. Kentucky and Tennessee were beautiful. I hate the heat and don't have AC in my van so cooler weather would suit me fine. That said, my van is horrible in snow as are most RWD vehicles and slower than you know what going up a long ascent. Route 66 would be ideal for at least a portion of the trip to Vegas if that's an option. It turns out that I will most likely be leaving Vegas and heading to Florida (Tampa Bay area) to spend Christmas with my family instead of back to PA. Wow I just read what I wrote and sound like a real negative Nancy. This will be the longest trip I've ever taken and I just want it to be as interesting as possible. It's easy to get a bit road weary when traveling alone.

 

[decodancer]

I found a trip mapping site that's really cool. It's called Roadtrippers and although they do the route on the interstates they allow you to ask for other roads. What I like is the attractions that they put on for you that are 30 miles or less from your route. You can get more info by clicking on the dot and add them to your itinerary if you like it. Unusual things too like Antique Archeology from the Pickers show and giant metal statues of the Beatles that you can see for free. You put in route 66 and can see all the oddities along the way. I put Quartsite on too as I've heard so many of you talk about it. I'm leaning toward a more southern route now as November is iffy for the North states. The only problem is now my route to Florida has a loooong stretch through Texas and Route 10 which is also boooring.

 

[GotSmart]

For that set yourself up some good music CD's and sing you way east!

 

[WheelEstate USA]

T&K mentioned Main Street Station in Vegas. We paid $16/night, including web, cable, clean showers and laundry.
Freemont St is a short walk...had a great time.

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

Nov may not be a good travel time for 40. If you do, contact me if you want to stay at my place in Dayton. An artist friend, Dave at http://pleinairjourney.blogspot.com/ stopped for a few days while travelling 40 to stay with me. We had to talk him into the Air force museum. When he got back, all he talked about was how great it is, and all free except the IMAX, which is just a few bucks if there's something you want to see.

 

[decodancer]

I may just take you up on that offer Dragonfly. I have decided to take a more southern route but I have to get through Ohio before I head down toward route 66. Main street Station sounds ideal Bindi&us. Thank goodness I have many months to research and plan. I've already found 20 or so free or cheap things to see along the way. The building that looks like a basket was my only pick so far in Ohio. I love artsy kitschy stuff so route 66 is right up my alley. I also hope to meet the PawnStars when I go to Vegas and visit Villalobos Pitbull rescue when I pass through New Orleans on the way to my Mothers. Reality tv favorites might be a good blog post now that I think about it. This trip will certainly give me something new to write about. I'm trying to figure out how to copy the link of my map to this site, there is an option but it doesn't seem to work.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Don't plan on meeting the Pawn Stars crew in Vegas. They are nowhere to be seen these days.
You'll stand in long line to be admitted as others leave to make room. The overall size is the first disappointment. Then, you'll see over priced items, such as a marigold carnival glass bowl worth maybe $50 on today's glass market marked at $700. Many things are Vegas artifacts that aren't for sale, like Benny Binnion's hat.
Don't waste your time, but if you want the tour of the place we've got all the pics we'll share.

---

Oh, I found a little trick for free tickets to some shows, like the car exhibit at the Quad (on the Strip) and others. Ask at the concierge desk about the show price at a casino/hotel, mentioning you're not a guest. Often times the person will slip you a comp ticket. When I accepted the freebie I'd ask how much for my wife and a second ticket usually magically appeared.
You can tell by the smile when you approach if its a friendly person.
We saw several shows and had a wonderful time in Vegas on the cheap.

That's also where we met up with this site's own Tony&Karen. We spent a fun afternoon wandering Caesar's Palace and went to a great buffet they had free tickets for.

(Thanks again T&K) :heart: