Drive To Laughlin, NV -- Joined SOCALM
There
Late March 2008 The OPMC
accepted an invitation from the Southern California Miata Club to join
them and other regional Miata clubs in Laughlin, NV in late March, 2008.
This was an opportunity to interact with our Miata counterparts from Southern California
and elsewhere. Below are brief trip narratives and photos provided
by OPMC members Paul Hart and Mike McGee. Thanks to Mike, and Paul
and Janet Hart for organizing and leading this fun weekend event for
OPMC -- good job you guys.
Mike writes --
We left Tucson with 6 cars, and members McGee, Hart, Bohling, August,
Holt, and Joan Schultz. The Feldmans drove up earlier. We had a nice
drive up and arrived a little later
then planned, as the leader (me) gave an unscheduled tour of a golf
course and a nice parking lot at another hotel before getting back on
track
and arriving at "our" hotel. I felt better Saturday, as Paul got us
lost on his part of leading us back from Kingman. !!!! Most of the group
had dinner Fri. night at a very good
Mexican restaurant in Bullhead City. We hooked up with our hosts,
Southern California Miata Club on Sat. Morning (The San Luis Obispo Club
and a club from Colorado were also
participating) and the 24 Miatas drove a remaining section of Old Route
66 thru the mountains to historic Oatman before ending up in Kingman to
visit the Route 66 Museum and a stop for lunch. There was a
small cocktail party Sat evening to say goodbye to our new friends, and
Janet and Paul Hart led some of the group back home to Tucson on
Sunday, and I went on to Vegas.
Paul
writes -- A good time was had by all
as our small group made it's way north from Tucson to Laughlin, NV.
Mike Magee did a great job in leading the way and insuring our need for
food and fuel was met. Mike has provided a good overview of our time
and travels while in and around Laughlin, so I’ll mostly pick up on
Sunday morning and our trip home.
Seven Miatas made the “run” north,
but our numbers dwindled to three for the return home on Sun. Mike was
pressing on to visit friends in the Las Vegas area, Hal and Carol were
heading northwest for a family visit near San Francisco and Bill and
Deanna and Dennis and Faith opted for alternate routes and different
departure times.
At 9:00 am and with fuel tanks
full, our small band (Janet, Paul, Ed, Pat & Joan) set out for a full
day of driving. Janet had planed a route, although a little longer,
that would keep us out of the congested Phoenix/I-10 area and provide a
great driving and sightseeing experience and excellent lunch break at
the famous “Lute’s Casino” in Yuma. It would also provide the
opportunity for several quick stops to get some exercise while seeking
out the sometimes elusive “geocaches” Ed had plotted along the away.
Now some of you may not know what “Geocaching” is all about and I won’t
go into detail here. Think of it as a treasure hunt utilizing modern
GPS technology and the internet. It’s a fun activity that we can talk
about more at an upcoming meeting and could provide the basis for a
local club event.
Our route took us out of Laughlin
and south on Rt. 95. With only a few turns we would follow 95 directly
south to Yuma. We passed through the towns of Needles, Parker and
Quartzsite, but most of the time we traveled in the vast wide open
desert of the southwest. No one could have asked for a better day, a
better ride or better scenery, a fact that wasn’t lost on our group.
The wind had picked up as we cleared
the mountains northeast of Yuma and the flat agricultural land was a
dust bowl. Fortunately, things quieted down as we neared Yuma’s
historic downtown and a much anticipated lunch break at Lute’s. If
you’ve never been to Lute’s check out the photos and plan to stop on
your next trip through Yuma. Notice I said “though” Yuma. Good and
always interesting food and be sure to give their “Especial” a try – a
cheeseburger with a hot dog on top. Had it then and have had it before,
what’s a trip to Lute’s without an “Especial”. We walked off lunch
chasing down a few “caches” located around the neighborhood (a special
nod to Joan for her participation and patience) and after a quick refuel
were ready for the run back to Tucson. I-8 is the only way to go, but
is an easy drive with some very pleasing scenery. A final stop at Gila
Bend for another “cache” offered the opportunity to DQ – and we did.
After that it was back on the road and the final push home. We hit I-10
at Casa Grande, turned south and watched the sun set to the west.
Headlights were on as Ed and Pat pulled off at Tangerine Rd. and a quick
wave from Joan as we took the Prince Rd. exit for Tucson. A short while
later we were in midtown, it was 7:30 PM. A long day on the road, but a
fun adventure shared with good people. And that’s what OPMC is all
about.
Photos By
Paul and Janet Hart
Photos By Mike
McGee
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