After a bit of work in the morning, it was time to pack up camp, hitch up the trailer, and say goodbye to Pahrump. It’s not the first time I’ve stayed here, and it won’t be the last, but it was time to move on to my next destination.
Somewhere between Pahrump and Las Vegas, I pulled into this parking area just off Route 160 to make some lunch, and let Lister roam. This sign is oddly specific, worded specifically to avoid the “I’m not camping” argument from people like me. Ironically, there was even a ranger here when I pulled in. But it was 1:00 p.m. and I was clearly not camping overnight, so we exchanged friendly waves and went about our business. After lunch, I kept driving.
I followed the highways to skirt around the south side of Las Vegas. Sorry, I didn’t get pictures of myself driving down the strip, because I didn’t want to deal with the traffic. I’ve been to Vegas a few times, and I didn’t feel particularly drawn to it. There was already more traffic than I prefer on the route I took to avoid the worst of it.
A little while later, I passed the exit for Hoover Dam. Once again, I’ve visited before, the last time being on the way to bring Bob Wells’ van to Quartzsite for the RTR. On that trip, we had to pull over and let security look inside our little Scion xA. I didn’t want the hassle of giving armed guards the grand tour of my van and trailer, so I skipped it. Back in the day, driving over the top of Hoover Dam was the main route from Nevada to Arizona, but US 93 bypasses it over a huge bridge these days. Naturally, the concrete barriers are too tall to give you any view of the dam as you drive by, so I didn’t get any pictures here, either.
It was a blissfully uneventful drive to Kingman, somewhere I visited during my Route 66 trip. The wind, which had been strong the past few days, was light in most places, allowing me to maintain the 65 mph speed limit most of the way. My intended destination was the Cracker Barrel in town, since the Walmart I’ve stayed at before no longer allows overnight parking.
Before I got there, though, I stopped at Locomotive Park, named for a steam locomotive on display there. I was passing right by, and it’s always worth stopping to check out an old train. Choo-choo!
I also took Lister for a quick walk to stretch his legs, and to enjoy some grass, one of his favorite things. There were signs all over the park saying “no dogs allowed,” but Lister is a cat, not a dog, so clearly these don’t apply to him. This seems to be the day of working around signs by technicalities.
It occurred to me during the drive that this trip from Oregon to Arizona would’ve been the perfect opportunity to look up some Harvest Hosts along the way, but I hadn’t. On a whim, I checked the app to see if there were any interesting ones near Kingman that would allow a same-day arrival.
I was in luck! Mike’s Route 66 Outpost and Saloon is on old Route 66 a bit outside town. This is the route we drove between Seligman and Kingman during our Route 66 adventure, so I know for a fact that I’ve driven right past here before. They were quite friendly and welcoming and made my stay a pleasant one. They had some local Arizona brews on tap, which I’ve missed while traveling around the rest of the country.
It was also Taco Tuesday with $2 tacos. These are no Taco Bell specials, but stuffed with all kinds of good stuff. They’re not the authentic Mexican tacos I prefer, but they were quite tasty, nonetheless. Plus, a $4 dinner meant I could sample the local brews I missed without breaking the bank. After all, Harvest Host guests are expected to spend some money during their stay, and a $4 dinner would’ve been cheaping out. If you choose to stay here, be aware that the sidewalks roll up extra early. The kitchen closes at 6:00 p.m. and the saloon closes at 7:00. That left the rest of the evening for Lister and me to entertain ourselves.
I didn’t sleep well. I didn’t know until it was too late that there is a train track across the street, and freight trains roll through at all hours of the day and night. I’ve definitely stayed in noisier places. Despite that, I’d gladly stay here again when passing through Kingman.
Now it’s time to pack up and move on to Flagstaff. I’ll need to resupply on groceries in town, and then head south toward Munds Park to meet up with Adventuring with Amanda, who I’ll be setting up camp with. This is her stomping grounds where she camps all the time, so I’ll leave it up to her to pick a suitable spot for the two of us. Trust the locals!
Smokey Da Van 