Ocean Fix Voyage Part II
Laughlin – Little Sin City

After turning west on I 40 I set Sirius to love songs and gave myself to the open road. As you come off the Colorado plateau, the mountains become hills, erode to bumps and desert prevails with the occasional outcropping of rock, one interesting one appears right where you turn off to Laughlin. I know that because I missed the turn and had to drive a long distance before I could back track.

Laughlin…well why did I go there. After all it’s a gambling haven with casinos lined up on each side of the placidly flowing Colorado River. I really went for the river and to cut 3 hours off my driving time to Cleve’s house not wanting to do the drive all in one day.

Laughlin was a mistake. It’s difficult to enjoy the river as the concrete walkway is filled strolling smokers and to be honest I was still weak from my cold. I had to walk a ¼ of a mile from the car to the room and although the room was $19 a night (see pic of Colorado Belle), which is great, there was no coffee service. I had my French press, but idiotically assumed there would be a way to get hot water. Not. Well at least not until I called housekeeping and cried over the phone and they sent up a little coffee maker that made tepid water the next morning for my coffee.

Dinner was an impossibility on the Nevada side. No restaurants that were really free of smoke so I went to a Chili’s on the Colorado side which worked at well enough.

The next day I meandered out of Laughlin trying to find my way back to I 40 without retracing my steps. I finally made it and was off to Ventura.

There is this drive north of the San Bernardino Valley in the high desert that heads west, two lanes and it’s like a baby roller coaster, just these constant little hills and valleys. Kind of fun as long as everyone stays in the lane they are supposed to stay in. Coming out of this area once suddenly is on an Interstate that winds down through hills and canyons. A little wild, but still no problems to speak of. I was always glad to be in Big Red especially when 18 wheelers were framing me.

Once off this and after a short north ward turn on Five one gets off and heads due west through the Santa Clarita valley I think it is. At a gas station in the middle of orange groves I called Cleve on my cell phone and he vectored me in to Motel 6. He told me it was a good thing I decided not to stay with them as they had plumbing problem and no water. I managed to get to Motel 6 with no wrong turns just off Highway 101. After throwing my stuff into my room I headed for the beach and took a slow walk along the beach taking in the sounds of the waves and the brisk breeze. I found a rather green rock and a kinda red rock on the beach. They really looked out of place and pocketed them. I do this and then bring them home and put them aside and often in years to come forget where I was when they caught my eye.

That evening Cleve and Evelyn took me to a really wonderful Italian restaurant. We sat outside huddling beneath heaters sipping drinks and enjoying great food. The following day took me on a car tour through Ojai. It was lovely with a quaint little village full of shops, but the standout shop was a gallery with ornate wood carving that virtually defies description—so you will just have to go. We returned to the house where we enjoyed wine, grilled steaks, salad, and Hagan Daz with fresh California strawberries just out of the fields. Yummm!!

And that seems like a great place to end this part of the journey…