Day 115-118: Las Vegas, Nevada

As Christmases go, this one ranked bottom barrel for me, as it did, I know, for many others. At least, I was able to zoom into our church's Christmas Eve service. I listened to our wonderful pastor Rona's comforting voice, sang the hymns softly to myself, and flipped back and forth between mini-images of Sophia and Anna on the banner of attendees. But, the best part of Christmas Eve was our zoom watch party of Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer. 

Christmas, itself, was a work day for Greg. While he was at the stadium, I caught up on some blog posts and took a long walk on the Las Vegas Strip. It was late afternoon and a few folks were milling about, taking in the sights. Unlike our usual white Christmas in Vermont, this one featured blue skies and neon.

Finding reasonably healthy, tasty food on the road has been a major challenge for us all season. So we were grateful that Fox decided to order room service Christmas dinners for the crew. The turkey and fixings were delicious -- and I didn't have to cook, so that was a bonus. 

Our long driving days tend to take a toll on our bodies, especially our backs. We try to take breaks to walk around and stretch, but sometimes the demands of the "miles-to-go" take precedence. That happened on the long journey from Green Bay to Las Vegas. And Greg ended up aggravating a previous back injury. So, in addition to the regular challenges of his job, he had to deal with pain, as well. 

He was managing it fairly well -- limping along (the theme of this year, that's for sure) until game day morning when things took a turn for the worse. Greg took a wrong step and was suddenly in excruciating pain. After several horrible minutes, we came up with a plan -- the hotel staff lent us a wheel chair and helped us find a nearby urgent care. The doctor there gave Greg a shot in his back and set up a medication regimen that enabled him to recover enough to do the game. Phew! Below are some shots from game day.

 Las Vegas's space-age stadium.

(Above) Greg on game day and with cameraman Jesse Liebe and producer Mark Teitelman.

If you saw the 12/27 Dolphins vs. Raiders game, you'll know that, even with his injury, Greg did an amazing job. I watch enough football to recognize when the crew goes above and beyond. In this case, they certainly did. If you didn't watch the game, you should google the video of the final play. Here's how Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes described it. 

With the game in the rear view mirror we had one thing to look forward to in Las Vegas -- a socially distant family visit. As it turned out, Greg's mother, sister and brother-in-law were in Las Vegas visiting Greg's niece and her family.  Sue (Greg's mom) has a house in Montpelier, but she wasn't able to come home this year after wintering in Hawaii with Sharilyn and Roy (Greg's sister and husband) because of Covid. It had been a year since we'd seen her. We braved the relatively chilly weather and sat, chatting happily, for a couple of hours. It was so wonderful to connect! 

 

Sue, Greg and Sharilyn                        Sharilyn, Sue and Me

On the field: NFL Week16, 12/27/20,  Miami Dolphins @ Las Vegas Raiders --  In an up and down game, the Raiders appeared to have clinched the win with a touch down in the final minutes. Then a last second throw from Dolphins back-up quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (whose face-mask was being yanked at the time) stole victory from the jaws of defeat. Final score: Dolphins 26, Raiders 25.

On the map: distance from last week at Green Bay, Wisconsin to Las Vegas, Nevada -- 1,848 miles.

The map is getting pretty dog-eared (above). The journey from Green Bay to Las Vegas starts in blue at the upper right corner and ends in blue at the lower left corner (below).

Day 111: Green Bay, Wisconsin to Des Moines, Iowa; Day 112: Des Moines to Amarillo, Texas; Day 113: Amarillo to Gallup, New Mexico; Day 114: Gallup to Las Vegas, Nevada

It is kind of fitting that we are approaching the end of this road trip in a similar fashion as we started it -- heading west. When we left Vermont in advance of NFL week 1, we traveled through warm, lovely landscapes showing just a hint of fall color. But, as we headed west from Green Bay after NFL week 15, the views stretched on -- an endless tableau of brown and white. 

But, when we hit the road after spending the first night in Des Moines, we began to see changes. Brown and white gave way to tan, sage and bright blue skies that seemed to stretch on forever. Our second driving day was a doozy. We were on the road for 11 hours, traveling through 5 states -- Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. I had that old Nat King Cole song,  "Route 66" stuck in my head -- especially after we decided to break our journey in Amarillo and, later, in Gallup, New Mexico. We spent a fair bit of time on the highway that replaced the old Route 66, often we could see the old road off to the side. 

Before leaving Amarillo, we stopped at a couple of cool sights. Below, Greg and I stand under a model of Helium in the courtyard of the Amarillo Discover Museum. The giant molecule structure also also functions as a time capsule and sun dial. 

Amarillo, Texas: Helium Time Columns Monument

A six-story-tall spire with a big helium molecule in its center, celebrating all of the helium that's buried under Amarillo.

Helium Monument

Part scientific/historical monument to helium, part multi-pronged time capsule, all roadside attraction.

Helium Time Columns

The Helium Time Columns are so much more than just a 66-foot-tall sculpture of four stainless steel columns. Each leg of the sculpture is a time capsule, with artifacts, letters, and knowledge from 1968 stored inside in an inert helium atmosphere. These time capsules were set to be opened 25, 50, 100, and 1000 years after the statue dedication in 1968.

But wait, there's more -- attached under the sculpture is a model of a helium atom. And the sculpture is also a sundial, marking the time on the dais that houses the sculpture.

The next stop was even more unusual but iconic: The Cadillac Ranch. In 1974, an artist and philanthropist buried 10 Cadillacs nose down in his field with the aim of creating a rebellious piece of public art. Over time a tradition started -- visitors were encouraged to put their own stamp on the art using spray paint. The result is truly an amazing, weird spectacle. As we watched folks try their skill, we were happy to be spectators. There was a pretty stiff wind causing blowback -- some of the would be artists ended up as art.

Just a mile down the road a copy-cat has sprung up: a Cadillac Ranch-themed mobile home park. We stopped by for a couple of pics.

Then it was back on the road and headed for Gallup, New Mexico and after that, Las Vegas.

Days 107-110: Green Bay, Wisconsin

When we started this journey on September 3, Greg and I thought the season was likely to be short. We figured that the NFL would be so hampered by Covid that they would have to cancel the season or postpone it after a few weeks. After all, in a world where close contact is perilous, it seemed silly to think that the sport that arguably features the most contact (besides wrestling) would be able to keep playing for an entire 17-week season. But, as we rolled into Green Bay we marveled that somehow, by sheer audacity, the NFL managed to keep going. Players have gotten sick, even stars, but the teams just sub in other players and/or reschedule games. 

Green Bay is definitely the most football-obsessed town we've been to. Folks take their Packer-mania seriously. For example, the families who live across wide Lombardi Avenue from the stadium seem to be competing to see whose yard can show the most Packer love. Even City Hall is in on the theme. I bet they have an ordinance allowing them to confiscate your property if your display isn't sufficiently great. Don't believe me? Check out the sign below.

The yards above are across from Lambeau Field. Below, Greg and I join in on Packer mania.

  

The Packers Heritage Trail snakes its way through downtown Green Bay. Here are a few stops along the way. 

 

  

In addition to football sites, Green Bay has other interesting features. Here are a few that caught my eye. 

 

There's a distinct smell you notice from time to time when you're out walking in Green Bay in frigid weather. Turns out it is from the paper mills. Below, a mill's smoky plume. 

In the Covid era, Greg's team conducts all player interviews by zoom (below left). The Green Bay game was aired in prime-time to 100% of the country. That meant more cameras and tape machines for Greg. Here's the monitor wall he was facing in game (below right).  

On the field: Carolina Panthers @ Green Bay Packers. The Packers scored on their first three possessions, but faltered in the second half as the Panthers defense rose to the challenge. Aaron Rodgers and his team just squeaked out a victory. Final score: Panthers 16, Packers 24.On the map: Distance from last week: Cincinnati to Green Bay -- 506 miles  

As we headed out of Green Bay on Sunday morning, we couldn't resist a stop in nearby Appleton, Wisconsin. Greg was a huge fan of Harry Houdini growing up. While Houdini was born in Hungary, his family moved to Appleton when he was a boy. He claimed the town as his home. There's a bust of him in Houdini Square. Greg looks a bit like the uni-bomber (below) but it was cold out.

  

   

Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in the United States and then as "Harry 'Handcuff' Houdini" on a tour of Europe, where he challenged police forces to keep him locked up. Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, straitjackets under water, and having to escape from and hold his breath inside a sealed milk can with water in it. (from wikipedia).