Hartman Travels - USA 2019
It’s That Time Again!
A last-minute decision has me flying solo to the USA, departing Perth on 20 February and returning home on 4 March. While I’ll be making the journey there and back on my own, I won’t be without familiar faces—my son Scott and his fiancée Shannon will be in Los Angeles during my stay.
Meanwhile, Rayls has her own adventure planned. In April, she’ll be heading to Melbourne with her quilting group, the “QB’s,” for a Quilt Bash, ensuring both of us get our share of travel this year.
20 February 2019 – Goodbye Perth, Hello Sky Snacks
Rayls drove me to Perth Airport for my late-night departure. We don’t often spend extended time apart, but I’m confident she’ll manage in my absence, even if the fridge feels neglected. Check-in and security were exceptionally quick, taking less than ten minutes from start to finish, and there were no extra checks despite my carry-on bag being filled with more chargers than I would ever realistically use.
The Qantas Boeing 737-800 taking me to Melbourne was named Margaret River. We departed on time at 11:35pm, and according to the flight tracker, we passed directly over a street next to my own house not long after take-off—close enough to be amusing but just far enough to be mildly frustrating. The flight lasted three hours and twenty-five minutes and was smooth from start to finish. There was no turbulence, no screaming babies, and not a single aggressive seat recliner—an unusually calm journey by aviation standards.
21 February 2019 – Melbourne to Los Angeles
I landed in Melbourne on schedule, giving me more than four hours before the connecting flight to Los Angeles. Immigration and baggage transfer were efficient, and I had plenty of time in the Qantas Club lounge before boarding. The flight, operated by an Airbus A380, was scheduled to depart at 9:10am but left roughly thirty minutes late.
The journey to Los Angeles took thirteen and a half hours, during which I watched Can You Ever Forgive Me? followed by The Happytime Murders. Both films featured Melissa McCarthy, and both contained questionable decision-making by most of the characters. We arrived about twenty minutes behind schedule, and while immigration was quick, baggage delivery was slow enough to erase any advantage gained.
Scott met me at the terminal, and since my hotel room was not yet available for check-in, we visited his in-laws. There I was introduced to Shannon’s grandparents from Waco, Texas, as well as Maria, Charlie, and their dog Harley. We later went to Chili’s at South Bay Pavilion for dinner.
22 February 2019 – Anaheim, Foothill Ranch, Mini Golf
We began the day at the Anaheim outlets, where Scott purchased some headphone adapters. Our next stop was Oakley’s headquarters in Foothill Ranch, followed by Fry’s Electronics. Later in the day we played a round of mini golf at Camelot Golfland before finishing with dinner at Olive Garden.
23 February 2019 – Los Angeles to Cedar City
The day began with a short Southwest Airlines flight from Long Beach to Las Vegas, lasting just forty-three minutes. From Las Vegas we drove to Cedar City, Utah, in a BMW sedan, passing through Mesquite, the scenic Virgin River Gorge in Arizona, and St George. The drive covered about 290 kilometres under clear skies.
In Cedar City, we had a late lunch or early dinner at Golden Corral before ending the evening with The Old Man & the Gun, starring Robert Redford.
24 February 2019 – Cedar Breaks Scenic Drive
We took a scenic drive past the Zion National Park overlook and continued to the Cedar Breaks National Monument area. At around 10,000 feet above sea level, the air was noticeably thinner. Snowfall was heavy in the area, with roadside banks over a metre deep. The skies were clear and the views were striking, with skiers and snowboarders making the most of the conditions. Lunch was at Culver’s, and dinner later in the day was at Applebee’s.
25 February 2019 – Cedar City Rest Day
We remained in Cedar City for the day, taking care of errands, enjoying conversations, and having a quiet rest from travel.
26 February 2019 – Cedar City to Las Vegas
Today I drove the BMW south to Las Vegas, a journey of about two and a half hours that offered enough scenery and traffic variety to keep it from being dull. Along the way, I spotted another twelve Walmart trucks, bringing the running total for this trip to thirty—an oddly satisfying statistic to track.
Upon reaching the Las Vegas area, I detoured to Henderson for a bit of shopping, stopping at Kohl’s and yet another Walmart. I arrived at the Excalibur Hotel earlier than check-in time but was fortunate enough to be given a room straight away.
After settling in, I took a short walk along part of the Strip, but the day’s travel caught up with me quickly. By 6:00pm I was back in my room, where I promptly collapsed for the evening.
27 February 2019 – Las Vegas
Another good day, though not without its challenges.
I started with breakfast at Denny’s before making a couple of casual stops—Home Depot for a browse and Walmart for a few essentials. Just after midday, I headed to the airport to collect Scott and Shannon, who were flying in from Los Angeles for a Gwen Stefani concert.
Up until that point, I had been feeling rather confident navigating Las Vegas solo. That confidence faltered the moment I arrived at Terminal 1—at the wrong section for their arrival. When I finally located them, I couldn’t get the boot of the car open, much to Scott’s visible frustration. Things went further downhill when I entered the wrong hotel location into the GPS, sending us well out of our way. And, just to round out the experience, I inadvertently ran a red light while trying to make up time. Scott might claim there were more mishaps, but that’s enough for the record.
After delivering them to their hotel, I took a wrong turn on my way back to the Excalibur, though at least no one else was in the car to notice. Once parked, I returned to the Strip, making a beeline for the Coca-Cola Store—still a favourite of mine for its wall-to-wall memorabilia. Scott and Shannon found me there, although Scott committed the ultimate act of brand disloyalty by sipping a Pepsi. We took a fun photo with the Coca-Cola polar bear mascot, who managed to “bite” me for the camera.
From there, we wandered toward Planet Hollywood, browsing shops before stepping into the casino. Scott tried a poker machine, and on a whim, I played the one beside him. In half an hour, he was down $25 while I had turned his $5 into $16. I returned his stake and pocketed the remaining $11—Las Vegas high-roller status firmly secured.
We ended the evening with dinner at the Rainforest Café before parting ways—Scott and Shannon off to their concert, and me back to my room for a quieter night.
28 February 2019 – Las Vegas to Carson, California
This morning, I fuelled up the car before collecting Scott and Shannon from Planet Hollywood. From there, we headed straight to the rental car facility to return the BMW. The shuttle bus took us to the airport, where check-in and security were straightforward, leaving us with about a half-hour wait before boarding.
The short 47-minute flight to Long Beach was a little bumpy, but nothing dramatic. Luggage arrived promptly, and before long we were in Carson, thanks to Shannon’s car.
The afternoon was relaxed. Scott and I made a quick grocery run to Ralphs, and Maria treated us to a delicious lunch.
That evening, we headed to the Staples Center for an NHL game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Dallas Stars. It was a great atmosphere, even if my hockey knowledge is limited to “the puck goes in the net.”
1 March 2019 – Wildomar and Irvine
Scott drove me to Long Beach Airport where I picked up a rental car for the next three days—a brand-new Jeep Cherokee with only 140 miles on the odometer.
I had a small mission to deliver some parcels to a friend of Ryan’s who lives in Wildomar, about 130 kilometres from Los Angeles. Since I had the new car, I decided to make the trip myself and dropped off the items in person.
After returning to Carson, I enjoyed a quiet afternoon. In the evening, Scott and I took a drive out to Irvine to visit an ice hockey equipment store. Scott browsed a few items while I purchased a pair of skates for Ryan.
Dinner was at iHop on the way back—a fitting end to the day.
2 March 2019 – NHL Game
I spent the morning doing some shopping before meeting up with Scott and Shannon. Together, we headed back to the Staples Center for another NHL game—this time pitting Scott’s team, the Los Angeles Kings, against Ryan’s team, the Chicago Blackhawks. The atmosphere was electric, with plenty of friendly rivalry in the stands.
3 March 2019 – Plane Spotting
Out for some shopping in the morning and then back to Carson for a nice lunch made by Maria.
In the afternoon I went to my favourite spot near the LAX runway to watch planes land. Very pleasant couple of hours watching planes take off and land. So many A380s, 787s and 777s.
Back to Carson in the late afternoon. I must have been tired as Scott texted me twice and knocked on the bedroom door but I didn’t make up.
4 March 2019 – Departure from Los Angeles
Last day in the USA.
Packed, took the rental car back to Long Beach Airport.
Charlie kindly shouted us to Lucilles for lunch. Always nice going there.
Finished packing, and chatted a bit before heading to the airport around 6:30pm. Thanks to Scott and Shannon for dropping me off. They will be back in Oz next Tuesday.
Check in and security was fine. The previous flight from our gate (150), Norwegian Airways to Madrid, was delayed. So my flight was delayed – not good when you have under two hours between flights at Sydney. Our 10:30pm flight took off at 11:06pm. The worst was yet to come.
5–6 March 2019 – Sydney to Perth
A late departure combined with strong headwinds and a sick passenger meant I missed my connecting flight. I had to wait nearly four hours for the next available flight, only for that one to be delayed by another two and a half hours.
Bugger.
In total, the trip involved seven flights on four different aircraft types—Boeing 737-800, Airbus A380, Boeing 787-9, and Boeing 717—covering roughly thirty-four hours of airborne time. I drove about 1,400 kilometres across California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, stayed in five hotels, and visited fifteen chain restaurants along with several independents. I saw twenty-seven Walmart trucks, reached a maximum altitude of around 10,000 feet at Cedar Breaks, and observed snowbanks over a metre deep. Only one connection was missed, and three films were watched on board—two of them starring Melissa McCarthy, by pure coincidence.
