27 March 2010 – Tea Party Express III – Showdown in Searchlight, NV

UPDATE!!!  Welcome to the readers who may have found me via Atlas Shrugs and thanks to Pamela Geller for the link!!!

Welcome also to the readers who might have wandered in from Conservative American News, too!!!

Yeah, it was a long day, but it was surely worth it   As always, click on the pictures for full size

As I said in an earlier post, Saturday’s plan was to attend the Showdown in Searchlight and send a message to Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, and the rest of the miscreants in Congress.  My itinerary was to leave Vegas at about 0730, get down to Laughlin at about 0930, attend a mini rally at Harrah’s, and then caravan up to Searchlight.  Well, that was the plan…

I got on the road about 0745 and headed towards Laughlin.  Passing through Searchlight, there was a group of about 50 or so Harry Reid supporters at the intersection of the highway and Nipton Road.  One of them stepped into the street nearly in front of me with a Harry Reid campaign sign and I swear I nearly hit her, but I braked and swerved while she stepped back onto the sidewalk.  I could’ve just gone to the Searchlight rally, but I wanted to be part of the start down by the river, so I continued on south.

27 March 2010 - the Tea Party Express buses at Harrah's in Laughlin

27 March 2010 - Tea Party Express bus at Harrah's in Laughlin

27 March 2010 - Tea Party Express bus at Harrah's in Laughlin

They say no plan survives first contact with the enemy and this was no different   The mini rally didn’t happen and the caravan didn’t fare much better, either.  But the trip was not wasted

27 March 2010 - Andrew Breitbart at Harrah's in Laughlin

Lookie who I got to meet and shake hands with !!!  Yep, that’s Andrew Breitbart   And he’s every bit as nice as you’d think he is, too.  I only had my cellphone with me at the time and didn’t have time to get my picture taken with him, but it was still nice to meet him

27 March 2010 - Showing the flags on the way from Laughlin to Searchlight

I couldn’t tell you how many cars, trucks, and motorcycles were decorated for the event, but I got a picture of this one

27 March 2010 - Some of the people walking to the rally from miles away

By the time I got back to Searchlight, parking was a bit of an issue to say the least.  I managed to get a spot about 2 miles or so away from the event site.  I had my Kel-Tec on my hip which drew a very few comments (and a couple of compliments), but I had originally planned to sling my new Mosin and carry that to the rally as well.  The problem with the Mosin was the weight.  I’m pretty sure it weighs somewhere between 10 and 15 pounds.  Of course, I wouldn’t have it loaded for a host of reasons (at least the trigger is covered by the holster for the PF-9 and it’s under tight control on my hip), but I’d still want to have ammo – a rifle’s a paper weight without ammo.  That means carrying six stripper clips in a double ammo pouch on my belt – another couple of pounds there.  I knew how far I’d have to hike and it’s not all that easy for me without a rifle and ammo.  So the rifle stayed in the car and I went to the rally.

27 March 2010 - This car belongs to a soldier as shown by the decal on the windshield

27 March 2010 - They might have driven all the way from Alaska!

People came from far and wide to attend the Showdown in Searchlight.  The car above is from Alaska, but I heard on the radio that people drove in from St. George, UT and someone even flew in from Georgia!

27 March 2010 - Great signs on parked vehicles

27 March 2010 - Rally participants take a break along the walk to the event

27 March 2010 - I wonder if the owner of this truck has an opinion

27 March 2010 - Traffic was backed up for miles - flags and signs were common

27 March 2010 - Yeah, I agree with that one!

27 March 2010 - Another proud American Patriot owns this truck

27 March 2010 - This sign was on the back of the truck in the last pic

You might think from the pics above that people had a few opinions on current events and you’d be right   It wasn’t just signs, though.  There were conversations being conducted all over the place.  After being around liberals so much of my life, it was rather enjoyable being around people who actually have a clue

27 March 2010 - They even had skywriters!

27 March 2010 - More skywriting

The action wasn’t confined to the ground.  No, we even had skywriters at this event

27 March 2010 - Not everyone supported the rally and some seemed less than mentally complete

The sign above shows that these people have a different opinion than most of the people within 20 miles (or even further), but it’s their right to freely express their opinion.  It’s also my right to express my opinion and say that they’re freaking morons for thinking the way they do.  But the sign wasn’t the extent of their demonstration of mental deficiency.  No, these guys came over to the other side of the street and tried to start a fight with a group of bikers on Harleys.  Normally they’d have become part of the pavement in short order, but today was their lucky day as the bikers didn’t want to see any bad press, so they refused to take the bait.

27 March 2010 - Plenty of helicopters buzzed overhead - this one was from LVMPD

Sure, the local TV stations and law enforcement had their helicopters overhead to record the event, but there was also at least one Cessna that was filming the event from above as well.  Did I mention this was a BIG event?

27 March 2010 - Did I mention there were signs all over the place???

Some people never even got out of their cars due to the traffic and parking situation, but they still made themselves heard

27 March 2010 - I finally reached the entrance to the rally site!

After quite a hike, I finally made it to the rally site.  NHP stopped people from entering in vehicles at about 0930, but we still made it in on foot.

27 March 2010 - The rally site from a distance

This ought to give you a bit of perspective on just how big the event was.

27 March 2010 - Another indication of a Veteran in attendance

Oh yeah, there were quite a few active duty and retired military guys and gals there, too   I liked this plate a lot

27 March 2010 - VP Biden's latest gaffe didn't go unnoticed

27 March 2010 - More signs

27 March 2010 - More signs

And yes, it seemed like everyone had a sign or three on their cars.

27 March 2010 - Walking into the rally site with a bunch of like-minded people

This pic was taken at around 1230 hours – after Sarah had already started speaking.  People kept coming like this for quite a while.

27 March 2010 - I got to see Sarah speak! Look where the arrow is pointing

27 March 2010 - A little wider perspective of the stage from my point of view

I know not everyone is a fan of Sarah Palin, but I am one of her fans.  No, I don’t agree with her on John McCain, but I do agree with most of the rest of what she stands for.  I like the fact that she’s unapologetic about her hunting, her family, and her opinions.  It’s one of those things I find missing in so many people these days that just bugs the heck out of me.

27 March 2010 - Panorama - A view of the stage and the crowd

I didn’t have a chance to really move around much – it was jam packed and standing room only!

I spent much of my time with a guy named Jeff (good name!) who’s working on a new electric car that resembles a golf cart in some ways, but that’s street legal if not highway legal.  I got his card and there will be much more about him, his partners, and their project in some posts in the near future.

27 March 2010 - This was a family event

It shouldn’t surprise me, but it did anyway.  There were families everywhere!  Young kids, parents, and grandparents.  People in wheelchairs with oxygen.  They all said it was important enough to drive out to the middle of nowhere that they were willing to do whatever they had to just to attend this event.

27 March 2010 - 1955 Thunderbird - The owner drove down from Montana!

See that T-Bird?  I saw a news report where they interviewed the owner.  He drove down in that classic car all the way from Montana just to be a part of this day.  That’s not easy or cheap in a car like a 1955 T-Bird, but it was important enough for him to make it a priority.

27 March 2010 - View from the entrance to the event site

I headed back towards the car at around 1430 or so and the traffic still hadn’t let up on the highway.

27 March 2010 - "Smokey" - a great guy from Vegas with an opinion and no problem sharing it 8)

This is Smokey.  Smokey’s a biker from Vegas who has a few opinions and is almost as shy as Glenn when it comes to sharing them   He’s one of the bikers who wouldn’t take the bait from the doofuses across the street with the moronic sign.  I met him on the way in and he was still there when I left.  I gave him some cards from New Frontier Armory and Infinite Arms, so it looks like Adam and Guido might have another customer

27 March 2010 - Work on the Hoover Dam Bypass is proceeding nicely

Y’all are probably wondering right about now just why I would have ended up on Hoover Dam when it’s a straight shot south from Vegas to Searchlight.  OK, some of you probably just think I’m a bit out of spec when it comes to “normal” and wouldn’t be surprised by me doing much of anything   I actually did have a good reason for this.  The traffic going north from Searchlight was so bad that it was basically a parking lot from the south end of town all the way up through Boulder City and up to Henderson   I decided I didn’t want to deal with that much stop and go traffic, even if I’m used to dealing with the Strip in my stick shift HHR, so I headed on down to Laughlin, over to the junction with Highway 93, and on up over the dam instead.  It added a bit of time and a few miles to the trip, but it was worth it – there was still a traffic jam at the northern end of the highway by Boulder City as I passed the junction up there.

27 March 2010 - I just had to show off what I wrote on my car

27 March 2010 - I just had to show off what I wrote on my car

27 March 2010 - I just had to show off what I wrote on my car

I didn’t think to take pictures near the event, but I wanted to show off my car anyway

So that’s how yesterday went and I’d say it was a success all around 8)  Somehow, I don’t think it’s the last event for Searchlight between now and election day – it’s such a great place to hold a rally

Have fun, everyone