Day 10 - Las Vegas to Oakhurst

There was another early start today and again bags were collected inside rooms from 7.00am. There was trouble loading the bags onto the coach as Geoff had predicted. An 8.00am departure meant loading the bags onto the coach at 8.00am to the porters at this hotel. We were around 15 minutes late in leaving. Our first stop of the day was at Calico Ghost Town where the Sheriff got on the bus to welcome us. He was huge! This was a lovely Ghost Town with some interesting attractions. We paid $1 each to go down a drift mine where I swear I saw a ghost (and I didn‘t even believe in ghosts and had never seen one before). The next stop was at Mojave and Geoff had arranged for anyone interested to eat at Wendy’s. The menu was extensive and the food was what you would expect from a chain restaurant. It was reasonably priced and the service was good. The next stop was at a factory outlet in Tulare. There was a Baskin & Robins Ice Cream Parlour and plenty of outlet shops. We only had time for the Nike Factory Outlet and were very happy with a pair of trainers each which we could not find in Las Vegas. We joked on the way that we needed the next stop to be outside a Nike Factory Outlet and that is exactly where we were dropped off (what are the chances). From here we went to Oakhurst. We were informed en route that at Yosemite the next day, the food court available for lunch was poor and anyone interested would be dropped off at a supermarket whilst the others would be taken to the hotel, the coach would then return for the supermarket shoppers. We went to the supermarket and it had plenty of choice. Once back at the hotel everyone was given a recommendation for a restaurant next to the hotel as the hotel did not have it’s own. We took a look and as everyone had gone in at the same time it was busy. We had read about a restaurant over the road called Todd’s Cookhouse Bar-B-Que and decided to take a look. To get to the restaurant you had to cross a pitch black main road so we had to be careful. You could see the car and truck headlights from quite some distance away though. This was one of my favourite restaurants from the whole trip. When you walked in, you went to the counter and ordered food and drinks then took your drinks to a table. We went into the extension/covered porch/conservatory without windows and watched the American Football. Although the food came on plastic plates with plastic knives and forks, the food was traditional and good homemade cooking. The prices were as cheap as they come and the atmosphere was great. We were well looked after. Another couple we talked to went to a nearby Best Western hotel and said their restaurant was good. A family we talked to had gone to a nearby Chinese and loved that too. As there was not much to do at this hotel, we had an early night.