So, we got into my 2006 Saturn Vue, filled up the tank at $3.47 a gallon, and headed toward Boulder City, following the Hoover Dam signs. We decided to explore the Art Show which was going on in Boulder City, as we were driving slowly through town. Local artists were showing their works, but nothing grabbed our attention (we aren’t art lovers, but it was nice to see what was offered). It took 30 minutes to see it all.

Back in the car, we headed down to Hoover Dam. So was everyone else, it seemed, as Lake Mead came into view. It took about 45 minutes to finally get to the actual Dam. If you go, expect to stop at the search point…which we were waived through by the officer on duty.

Once you drive over the Hoover Dam, I can tell you there is nothing to see on the way to Kingsman, and in fact, nothing to see in Kingsman, either. The historical town was virtually closed on Sunday. Antique stores mostly, and an old train.

We found a Chinese Buffet near the I-40-and Highway 68 junction. Not the kind of buffet we are used to in Vegas, that’s for sure.

We headed back on 93 to Las Vegas, and waited once agin through traffic at the Dam.

So, the entire day was 10:30 to 5:30, putting on about 250 miles on the car. We drove with the windows open mostly, with outside temperature about 68 - 72, until you reach the Dam, about 78 degrees.

My suggestion is instead of taking the 93 to Kingsmen, take the 95 to Laughlin. Or, drive west on 68 from Kingsmen to Laughlin. At least there, you can gamble or find somewhere to eat, take a ride on the Riverboat on the Colorado River, as we did a few weeks earlier.

Travel advice, travel tips, and general travel information is also available for those who are travelling overseas.

So, looking at Google Maps, I emeorized the route for this particular Sunday. After all, I wanted to make sure we’d get there this time. Well, to make a long story short, we turned off “The 93″ instead of “The 95″….which would have been the next off ramp.

Being the adventureous type, we decided to stay on 93 to see where it goes. We realized that we were on “The 15″ which at that point was still “The 93″. We saw a sign that said “Junc 93 North” and figured we’d take it, since we knew where “The 15″ would take us, as we’d been down that road (been there, done that).

Well, 200 miles later, we ended up in Caliente, Nevada…..although we thought for sure we were in Utah or Colorado….or who knows where. It’s a good thing we had enough gas to get there, because this 200 miles was all open road in between mountain ranges….no food, no gas, no nothing. Boring….except for the fact the Sun was on the west, then the est, then the north…we had no idea of which direction we were going, or where we’d end up.

We had lunch at a little buger-casino joint. The owners, who had just opened the place, had recently moved there from our origin of departure, Henderson, NV. They explained that we were on the west side of Nevada - which was not correct, as later I went online to discover we were on the east side, which is what I figured….since a sign we say after having lunch said “Beaver Dam - 300 miles”. We’d been to Beaver Dam on another trip….which we discovered there was no such dam, but a town called Beaver Dam.

So we explored the mining town a bit north of Caliente, and headed back the same way we came. “The 93″ south was actually heading west, then north, the east, then west, then south….finally. Too bad there wasn’t a straight line from Caliente to Las Vegas….probably would have saved two hours of drive time.

Moral of the story: Print out the directions from Google…..or your wife will (jokingly) say “You’re an idiot”.

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