Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS! June 29 - July 2

To quote Dad "Las Vegas isn't what it was like in 1979."

As we planned the trip from Williams to Las Vegas, we still had the GPS set to major highways only and because of that setting, the talking lady was having us drive over 400 miles (all the way over to California) but all on the interstate. We thought this was a really long way, but decided on it because interstates can definitely handle us. Our Prevost friends next door, however, told us the way that they had just come from Las Vegas.  It was Highway 93, home of the Hoover Dam. Because of the recently finished new bridge, we didn't have a curvy and very narrow leg of the trip near the dam. Taking 93 also took our total number of miles down to about 220 which was a big relief to us.

Leaving Williams started well until we banged the hitch on the ground which was the first time on the trip that happened. And that was a LOUD noise. Dad stopped, checked the damage, there was none (we have been lucky with loud noises so far) and we continued on our way. The silly GPS went a little crazy before we got on I-40, but honestly, what's new? I do not like her! We pulled out about 8:00 AM again, stopping only for some more fuel. After tanking up with diesel fuel, there was more excitement.   We put the talking lady on silent as we were getting off of the interstate to prevent her from continuing to say "recalculating, recalculating," and I completely forgot to turn her back on (uh oh....). Inside the Flying J Dad purchased a trucker's atlas because for the rest of the trip we want to travel on roads that are approved for truck travel and avoid roads that are not. I was trying to learn something when we passed our exit to 93 North towards Las Vegas. OH CRAP. This is where it gets stressful for us because we always look ahead on Google Earth to see what our exits look like so that we are prepared. In this case, even though the next exit could be an easy off ramp and then a few easy turns and an easy on ramp, we don't know what it looks like. That is what makes us uneasy. Well, thank goodness, I had the talking lady zoomed in significantly and found a safe exit for us to turn around and we were back on our way. The rest of the trip went swimmingly, and we decided that we were too big to stop at the Hoover Dam.  We would come back in the Jeep the next day.

The Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort (LVM for short) may be my new favorite place on Earth. I told Dad I never wanted to leave, and he said he definitely should have saved this place for later in the trip. These pictures give an extensive look at total fanciness.

Entrance to LVM Resort

Entry way

Club house with fitness room, etc.

Amazing wide roads - looks like a neighborhood

One of the lots with build-outs

The Newell and Jeep in our spot

View of the mini golf course and pool

I spent Friday afternoon at the pool and gym before we decided we had to see the famous Las Vegas Blvd ( The Strip!). The women at the front desk of LVM said there was always parking, it was FREE! and easy to get to. Well, 2 of the 3 things were true. The parking at the Bellagio was more difficult to find than we inititally had in mind and there were people everywhere. Neither Dad nor I realized how packed this place would be for both car and pedestrian traffic. Eventually we found our self-parking and went into the garage. There was not a spot to be found on this first level and we couldn't find access up to other levels. I suggested going out of this level and up the entrance ramp to possibly more parking. There we found a spot after about a total of 35 minutes looking for parking. Later, we saw the garage from outside and noticed there were many levels.  Finally, we took a minute to figure out to go outside the first level and go up. We, of course, loved that parking was free and we were off to explore Vegas. The Bellagio was fantastic! There was amazing artwork, bars, casinos, and people as far as you could see. Also, there was not a clock in sight. With the number of people walking around, it felt like mid-afternoon. If it hadn't been for the ridiculous clothing (yes, I did judge heavily) the girls were wearing, I wouldn't have known it was 10:00 PM. We don't gamble, but we do like to watch other people gamble so we stalked around a few tables of blackjack and tried to learn a thing or two. Then we stalked around the cashier and watched PILES of money being given to the winners. Why don't we participate??

Inside the Bellagio

Amazing chocolate fountain

Inside the Bellagio

DC inside the Bellagio

Ceiling inside the Bellagio

So beautiful!!!

SO MUCH TRAFFIC

After finally finding our way out, we went to see the famous fountains. So beautiful!! It also felt fantastic outside. We decided to walk...I mean be herded like cattle down the sidewalks and up onto the skyways so that there were NO people on the street corners. This path is   safer for both drivers and pedestrians. We dropped into another casino, didn't gamble, and decided we had enough. I also decided that I am definitely coming back, staying on the strip, and doing Vegas correctly!!

Do you know anyone else that got off of the Las Vegas Blvd. without spending a cent? Well now you know two people. Terrible bragging rights...who am I kidding??