Oprah and Gayle's Big Adventure: Part 1
And they're off!
After The Oprah Show's huge 20th season, what do you do for a summer vacation? How about doing what Oprah says "was one of the craziest things I've ever done."
Time for a road trip!
Oprah says she got the idea from a Chevrolet commercial from her childhood. The ad, with its catchy "See the U.S.A. in a Chevrolet" jingle, always aired right after Lassie. "It was 30 seconds that really stuck with me for several decades," Oprah says.
Now, years later, Oprah was going to do just what that jingle said—see the U.S.A. in a Chevy Impala. This epic journey would start in Santa Barbara, California, and end 10 days and 3,600 miles later in New York City...just in time for the Tony Awards.
For this fantastic voyage, Oprah decided she wanted to take along her best friend, Gayle King. "I thought she'd be a perfect companion for this trip because we've been friends since I was 22 and she was 21," Oprah says. "But we never have been in close proximity for 11 days straight, 24/7."
What the friends didn't realize is that a cross-country trip can put a strain on even the best relationship. "People said doing this trip that we may not be speaking at the end of the trip," Gayle says to Oprah. "I don't believe that. Do you?"
Oprah and Gayle decided to not take any chances on the survival of their friendship! So, in the way that old friends do...they took a "pinky swear" oath.
Before Oprah and Gayle even pull out of the driveway of Oprah's California house, there are already a few arising clashes. First, Gayle is not going to be much of a navigator. "I don't know how to read a map," she admits.
Next, there are a few aspects of driving Oprah says she doesn't like. She says she has "interstate anxiety," "unpaved road anxiety" and "merging anxiety." Oprah also explains a few of the other things she doesn't really like—night driving, merging and driving over bridges.
Gayle is quick to add a few other of Oprah's road dislikes. "She doesn't like to pass trucks. She doesn't like curves. And Oprah doesn't like going across bridges, trucks, highways or bumpy roads," Gayle says. "But other than that, she's a lot of fun."
The last of the ways Oprah and Gayle are out of tune...is in the tunes. While Gayle likes to have music constantly playing, Oprah prefers silence. "I like to be with my thoughts," Oprah says.
"Listen, I have thoughts, too," Gayle says. "But I don't want to be alone in the car with my thoughts while we're driving 3,000 miles."
In the end, Oprah and Gayle decided on a classic compromise. Whoever is behind the wheel of the Impala gets to decide on what, if anything, they'd listen to.
It never fails. You start out on a long trip and after the initial rush of excitement wears off, reality—and boredom—sets in. "We were barely on our way when the interstate yawn-a-thon began," Oprah says.
To get things going, Gayle made a few stabs at car games. First she had the idea to chase down a couple of studs speeding past them in a convertible, but they got away. Undeterred, she stumbled onto a game the producers stashed in the glove box. "This is called 'Would You Rather,'" Gayle announces.
"Would you rather urinate through your nose or smell things with your genitalia?" Gayle asks. "What is your answer, Oprah Winfrey?"
"What are we, 11? I'm not playing this game, Gayle," Oprah says.
"I think I might have to urinate through my nose," Gayle says. "I know they're both bad."
Once the "Would You Rather?" book was laid to rest back in the glove box, Gayle started feeling very sleepy...and chatty!
As Gayle reclined her chair and closed her eyes, Oprah observed Southern California's legendary traffic. "A lot of people in the world," she says. "And a lot of them are out on this highway."
"Yeah, we're still moving, though," Gayle says. "Are they barefoot, both of them?"
A surprised Oprah responds, "Both of who?"
"Oh, never mind," Gayle says. "I think I was dreaming out loud."
"Jeez, Gayle. You just laid your head down," Oprah says. "I can't believe you're asleep already, for goodness' sake—doing that crazy talk."
As they got out on the open road, Oprah did something in the desert she hadn't done since 1983.
She pumped her own gas...with a little help from the attendant at the station.
"I feel kind of stupid not being able to pump gas, but I thought maybe they'd changed the pumps since I last pumped," Oprah says. "The pumps aren't the same as they used to be."
Almost 400 miles after leaving Santa Barbara and winding through desert, the Chevy Impala pulled into the first scheduled stop—the luxurious Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.
"Oh, my gosh, that's pretty," Oprah says.
Part of the experience Oprah says she wanted on this trip was to experience the road just like everybody else in America, with no celebrity treatment. So instead of driving into the entrance at the Wynn reserved for the rich and famous, Oprah and Gayle drove right up to the valet entrance...and a hastily assembled paparazzi line.
And, just like everybody else, there is the occasional snag checking in. After about 20 minutes, they finally sorted it all out and Oprah and Gayle had their room. "I see that this normal way of doing things is very time consuming, isn't it?" Oprah says.
Oprah and Gayle agreed their room was worth the wait. "That was the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in," Oprah says.
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas...until now! With only one night in Sin City, Oprah and Gayle decide to live it up with Hollywood's hottest "celebs" at an impersonators' convention. "Gayle and I are going to the convention impersonating ourselves—I'm going as Oprah Winfrey!" Oprah says.
Despite their best efforts, they didn't fool anyone...except an unsuspecting policeman. "A police officer looked at me and he goes, 'very good, very good'—meaning I was a good Oprah," she says.
Impersonators from around the world are on hand to greet Oprah and Gayle. "Simply the best" Tina Turner look-alike shows off her best moves, while "Jack Nicholson," "Bono" and "Robert De Niro" pose with rookie impersonators, Gayle and Oprah. Even Abraham Lincoln makes an appearance!
"[Impersonating] is a serious business," Gayle says. "Somebody had flown over from London looking like Elvis and Cher!"
After driving 400 miles and schmoozing with famous "celebrities," Oprah and Gayle have worked up quite an appetite. Gayle made her love of food well known when she went in search of the best burger and best cake in America, so how could she pass up one of the world's biggest buffets? "Nobody likes a buffet better than Gayle King," Oprah says.
Once inside the Carnival World Buffet at the Rio Hotel, the edible offerings stretch from one end of the room to the other. Oprah and Gayle have their choice of everything from sushi to pizza to crab legs! After Oprah's first full day on the road, she says she needs something a little stronger...a fish bowl-sized margarita should do the trick! "One day down, about 3,000 miles to go," she says. "No problem."
A restful night's sleep at the luxurious Wynn Hotel puts the cross-country adventurers in a great mood. Oprah and Gayle even bring a few souvenirs from the Wynn along for the ride. "We took all the lotions and the soaps!" Gayle says.
Day two takes a turn for the worse just minutes into the seven-hour drive to Sedona, Arizona. While in search of a grocery store to stock up on healthy snacks, Oprah and Gayle get turned around near the Vegas strip. "We hadn't even gone a mile, and we were lost," Gayle says.
After 10 minutes of U-turns, Oprah says she's ready to give up and head out on the highway. "Ms. Winfrey's losing her pleasing personality," Gayle says. "And it's not pretty." With Gayle behind the wheel, things inside the Impala were about to get ugly.
In accordance with universal road trip rules, the driver gets to control the radio, which is something Gayle's been looking forward to—and Oprah's been dreading—since Santa Barbara. With their XM Satellite Radio tuned to The Heart, Gayle begins her Chevrolet concert series.
At first, Oprah sings along. "I decide I'm going to be a good sport about," she says. "I thought maybe if I participate, she'll get tired and turn off the radio. I got tired...she didn't." Oprah, who prefers to drive in silence and "be alone with her thoughts," tries distracting herself with her Kodak digital camera. When that doesn't work, Oprah plugs her ears with her secret weapon—headphones.
Gayle belts out one song after another, from "My Girl" by the Temptations to Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This." Even after 30 years of friendship, Gayle says she had no idea that Oprah liked to drive in silence. "We're normally being driven and we're normally going short distances, so it really was kind of shocking," she says.
Oprah gets a brief reprieve from Gayle's karaoke concert when they stop along Route 66 for caramel root beers, onion rings and french fries at Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner. So much for their eating healthy plan!
Before Oprah and Gayle could polish off their root beers, word spread throughout town that celebrities were chowing down at Mr. D'z. Locals drop what they're doing and show up at the diner for a photo op. One woman comes straight from the beauty parlor...with her hair still wrapped in foil!
On day two, at approximately 4:16 p.m., Oprah and Gayle begin to question their decision to drive across the country.
Oprah: I miss my house. I miss my dogs. I miss my yard. I miss my trees. I miss laying out and reading under my trees, in silence.
Gayle: Well, honey, we're still on the West Coast...I just don't want to do this no more.
Oprah: It was good for one day, wasn't it?
Would they be able to make it for nine more days?
As Oprah and Gayle get closer to Sedona, Arizona, the breathtaking scenery gives them a second wind. "The best part of this road trip for me was getting a chance to see the beauty of this country," Oprah says. "It really is incredible. I have to say that after we got to Sedona, it was like a breath of fresh air."
With the windows rolled down, the smell of pine trees fills the car. They even stop for a "Kodak moment" to take pictures of the mountains. "Now this was worth the trip," Oprah says.
Long days, open roads and countless miles still to go...Oprah and Gayle continue their trek to New York City!
What could possibly happen next? A moving ceremony, a heart-warming story and surprise visit to an old friend.
Published 01/01/2006