Grand Canyon, Arizona on the South Rim

If you hit the Grand Canyon on a road trip you could look at spending one day to one week at the location. If your making a quick trip, drive up State Highway 64 and walk around the South Rim to check out views like this. NOTE that you need cash ($25.00 per vehicle) to get into the park. Luckily the fee gives you a pass which is valid for seven days. If you have some more time than one day look at:

-Whitewater Rafting
-Multiple Day Hike
-Point Sublime (North Rim)
-Hermit Trail
-Helicopter Tour

Sahara Casino in Las Vegas via the 1950s

While the Sahara Hotel and Casino might not be the newest or hottest place on the Strip but the poker room is a golden nugget. With huge crowds at the 7:00pm including quality players and a free dinner if you make first hour. I’ve won a couple times here over the last few years and it has been nothing but a blast.

The same dealers are always there and know what is going on (please tip them well). The 7pm and 11pm tournament cost $45 for 3,000 chips and you can do an additional buy in over first hour for $15 for an extra 2,000 chips. Don’t quote me on the addition buy but it’s something close to that.

The poker room is in a quiet corner of the casino with 15 tables for action. They also have some lower limit poker games going which you will find yourself waiting for on the weekends. There is a bad beat jackpot which is paid out to all the players in the room if it is hit. I really like some of the managers that run the room here and not so much a few other ones.

This is my review from Yelp, follow me there: joeyredmond.yelp.com

Mitsubishi Ralliart Sportback in a Random Iowa Field

Windmill During the Winter in Iowa

Mitsubishi Ralliart Sportback in front of Union Pacific Train

Mitsubishi Ralliart Sportback Rear as a Train Passes By

This road trip started in Lima, Ohio and we made great time all the way into Iowa before whipping out the Canon 30D to take some shots in this field. I put the cars all wheel drive system into “gravel” from tarmac and had some fun noting the changed characteristics as we flew up and down the gravel road. With no one around but fields and some light snow on the shoulders we grabbed the camera and snapped some photographs of the Mitsubishi Ralliart Sportback. The car had plenty of space for our large amounts of stuff and we felt great a full day into the road trip to Los Angeles, California so far.

Atlantic Station in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia Just Before Sunset

This gorgeous photograph was snapped from a condominium complex, 1280 West, across the interstate from Atlantic Station. This photograph was snapped in 2008 while many new buildings were going up for construction in the area. Atlantic Station is a modern hot spot located off 17th Street with bars, restaurants, shopping, and a great movie theater.

1802 Newport Blvd Costa Mesa, CA 92627 (949) 650-2469

My friends live just down the street and invited me to dine here the other evening. I assumed this was a Chinese place or something of that nature upon arrival but got my hands on the menu and quickly got intrigued.

I opted for parking in the lot across the street without any problems (my car wasn’t towed, gone, broken into, or set on fire) so I deem that a great place to park it when you get hungry.

Now for my meal I selected the Grilled Cheese Burger which doesn’t sound as fantastic as it was in person. It’s literally two Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with a hamburger in the middle of it. It was pretty mind blowing and fantastic although I could only eat half of it. The thing was fantastic and worthy of ordering just to look at. We had some great appetizers as well for the table.

It is strange that the whole place has glass windows on the inside so you can watch people shop at The Closet. I am not familiar with the store and sadly it was closed but I am guessing the people stalking while eating your double grilled cheese hamburger would be a bonus.

This is my review from Yelp, follow me there: joeyredmond.yelp.com

Classic Ford Thunderbird in Teal at Old Abandoned Ford Dealership - Ohio

Classic Ford Thunderbird in Teal at Old Abandoned Ford Dealership - Ohio

Classic Ford Thunderbird in Teal at Old Abandoned Ford Dealership - Ohio

Classic Ford Thunderbird - Vintage California License Plate (OPD 938)

Just starting our road trip in the Mitsubishi Ralliart Sportback we came across this Ford Thunderbird in teal sitting in a closed Ford dealership parking lot. The car has a black/yellow license plate that expired in June 1989 so it appears that the car hasn’t been road ready in some time. It was cool for us to see this great car just a few miles in to our trip. In the top photo you can see our Mitsubishi ready to embark on the drive to Los Angeles, California.

New Jersey Transit Train

The north east enjoys train rides and train stations that is culturally unavailable in the rest of the United States. It is also inconvenience of transportation but America was built for the automobile and the open road! The state of New Jersey is quite an  anomaly compared to most other states in the USA. If you need a quick ride to New York City then this is your ticket.

Hilton Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada

I stayed here for the first time over the weekend since they were running one of the best deals in Vegas. This is normally rare I’ve found over a few years with this hotel since they seem to book well due to the location near the convention center.
I was familiar with the hotel before staying here for the first time. I love the buffet and the gambling area isn’t too shabby. The sports betting is a great place to have some fun and watch the games over the weekend.

Now with my hotel room I became quickly unimpressed with the hotel sadly. Once I arrived they checked me in and I was off to the north tower. Once inside I wanted to place a wake up call but nobody ever picked up……

The room had a nice makeover but it was missing parts like the gear cover to our door. Then moving to the bathroom the bath was chipped all over the place and lacking paint on about 15% of it. Getting in around 2:00am we went on a hunt for a quick drink before we headed back to bed and couldn’t figure out how to get one……

All and all book the Hilton for pure convenience or a Star Trek wedding. If your stuck at the convention center for a huge convention (like SEMA) where the taxi line has more people in it than all the Strip Clubs in Clark County you will be glad you picked the Hilton Hotel. If you want luxury feeling or any kind of service you should look elsewhere.

This is my review from Yelp, follow me there: joeyredmond.yelp.com

2010 Mitsubishi Ralliart Sportback from Lima, Ohio to Los Angeles, California

Our drive with the new Mitsubishi Ralliart Sportback was quite an interesting one. Growing up in the south I had never tackled snow before and right as we hit Wyoming a snow storm of epic proportions hit  and I-70 was closed just behind us.  We made a great stop in Park City, Utah which was my first visit to that lovely part of Utah. The car has some decent horsepower along with plenty of space. I am not a huge wagon fan per say but I really dig the way this car looks.

Cadillac Ranch, Texas

Just off Highway I-40 is this American iconic stop on any road trip you take down this road. The logic of this place or the reason it exist really doesn’t make sense or matter when you come upon this place. Bring some spray paint and leave your own mark on this Texas treasure. Watch out for the cows roaming the field!