Day 11: Pinball and Bullet Holes

There have been days on this road trip where I have wondered how on earth we’re going to put El Jefe and his stuff in the car when he joins us for a few days. But lemme tell you right now, I am so glad I’m not these folks we passed in Vegas. I hope they weren’t driving all the way back to California like that. Yikes.

As much fun as Vegas was, we did have to leave. But first, we had to make a Very Important and Vital Stop.

See? Vital.

The best thing about the Pinball Hall of Fame is that all the pinball machines are playable. And they have machines dating back to the 50’s, so it is phenomenal.

I don’t know how pinball ever caught on. Those early machines were HARD to play.

95% of the games were up and running, and man, Earl and I had fun jumping from machine to machine.

So much fun.

  Even with all the selection, I had only one machine I really wanted to play.

It was dark. I almost cried then and there.

I went in absolutely certain that Addams Family was my favorite pinball of all times. That illusion was quickly shattered. Wizard of Oz for the total win.

Of course, amongst the pinball machines were other arcade games, like Tetris, Ms. Pac Man, Punch Out, Duck Hunt/Hogan’s Alley (wheeeeee!). There were also a couple of really old scary stuff. Dancing clowns. Nooooooo thank you.

We had one last quarter to blow before heading out the door. Earl wrestled with it.

It was time to hustle out of town, since we’d spent way too long dropping quarters into machines.

Last thoughts on Vegas:

This billboard cracked me up. I’m not sure I want to know how she put herself through law school.

I was baffled when I saw this sign for the City of Nevada Las Vegas. Then the bus moved. Oh, hi, University of Nevada Las Vegas. That makes so much more sense. But it’s not nearly as funny.

We did a drive-by of Gold and Silver Pawn from Pawn Stars. The line was crazy. And it was juuuuuuust a little warm outside.

You know, Vegas, it’s been fun, but 118 is a little ridiculous, even on July 2. We’ll catch the Pawn guys on our next trip. Buh-bye.

As we headed for the coast, my newly Bonnie-and-Clyde-Obsessed (don’t ask, I still have no clue) child really wanted to stop in Primm to see the bullet riddled death car. I really didn’t think we had time, but fate stepped in. A mile from the exit, a road sign alerted us to a truck fire just past Primm. The interstate was closed.

Hmm…sit in parking lot traffic on the interstate or go see something my kid was clamoring to see anyway?

The stop was exactly long enough for a lane to open up on the interstate. From there it was smooth sailing to our next destination, LaLa Land, where the temps are milder, the friends abundant, and our stuff still all fits comfortably in the car.