March 19, 2005
Bugged by ghost last night, not sure if it was Oatie or another; figure it was from Oatman Hotel.
Shortly after we pulled out of the campground we saw a flock of vultures. Thought about whether or not to take them as an omen; decided to take their appearance as roadkill.
Drove to Las Vegas. Stopped at Sam’s Town as per directions. Office was closed. Called to find out what the story was. They had trouble finding the reservation. Seems they took the D for a B and couldn’t find it when they typed in the correctly spelled name. Found that there is a second rv park area, that wouldn’t be open until 1 pm. Went into Sam’s Town to kill some time. Over ate at their buffet. Marveled at their outdoor scene indoors; it has an animatronic bear, owl, jay, eagle, and woodpecker.
Checked in. Took nap. Ventured out in evening to the casinos on Las Vegas Boulevard. Thought it quite INSANE to do so. Traffic was crazy! Lots of taxis. Finally got into the MGM parking garage which was even more nightmarish. The small cars didn’t seem to comprehend the truck’s turning radius MGM is not truck friendly with its parking spots. Parking delays on account of people with baby strollers. Never seen so many kids.
Saw the MGM sleeping female lions, decided to go across skywalk to see other casinos. Saw New York New York with its statue of liberty and outside roller coaster. Saw oxygen bars! Saw Excaliber all its suits of armor and dragons. Saw a show there where a man pretended to be robotic. Saw animatronic camels telling jokes at the Luxor which is pyramid/Egypt themed. Rode on moving sidewalks. Ended up at Mandalay Bay. Figured we’d walked 4-5 miles by the time we strolled back to the vehicle. Decided that it’s a young persons town–ages 21-27 by the crowd.
March 20, 2005
Did laundry. Ventured out to the Hilton for the Star Trek Experience. Enjoyed the display of uniforms and props as well as the timeline which fits space exploration in with the series and ties all the series together. The Borg Experience was good, but can imagine the fun it would be to be a part of a group of trekkies that were all willing to play along and move with intent when the officer says to, rather than moving as a sauntering group. Also enjoyed the Klingon Experience. Nice to have illusion of motion without the negative impacts of physics forces found in roller coaster rides. Wandered around the shops and had a Romulan ale in Quark’s bar. Considering trying a Warp Core Breach if we happen back that way before we leave.
March 21, 2005
Parked at the Hilton which has friendly angle parking. Got monorail tickets. The monorail that travels the Las Vegas strip was not paid for by tax dollars. It travels from one end to the other in 14 minutes, a train arrives every 6 minutes, and it can transport 4,000 people an hour. Went looking at casinos checking out free t-shirts and stuff for signing up for club cards and free exhibits. Saw many wondrous things.
The Venitian has gondolas that go through canals around and in the complex, wax figures, living statues, living marionettes, singers, stores with building fronts under an artificial lightly clouded sky where the clouds appear to move as one walks and painted ceilings. The Mirage had a white tiger and beautiful fountain. Tried the slots at Casino Royale. Had lunch at McDonalds, which had a single golden arch going out from the building.
Walked by the Eiffel Tower, saw fountains, saw Hawaiian Dancers. Got photos of the 10,000 lb MGM golden lion, New-York New York. Rode Monorail back to the Hilton.
Shared a Warp Core Breach at Quark’s Bar in the Star Trek Experience area. It bubbled and fogged. A fish/eel type thing wiggled in one of the Ferengi’s private stock bottles. Rode monorail out to the Sahara. Looked around. Rode monorail back to Quark’s to take advantage of free beer with Monorail ticket offer. Stayed and had a delicious hamburger and onion rings, while Borg wandered around the bar. Went home and dealt with the after effects of the eve.
March 22, 2005
Recuperated from prior evening, while the other went in to check out Sam’s Town’s slots. Cleaned kitchen. Went over in evening to watch the Sam’s Town fountain show. Played $1 worth on the penny slot named Easter Island with dancing statues and sporadic sea turtles--didn’t win. The outdoor atrium area reflected the evening conditions with the lights of the hotel rooms appearing as building window lights. Light, fountain and laser show was nice. Watched it from the 2nd floor balcony. The wolf made a nice shadow on the buildings behind and made good eye contact with the audience with its red lit eyes. Ate at the café.
March 23, 2005
Left Las Vegas by 8 am. Long roads of not much. Butterflies were quite prevalent and many met splattered deaths on the windshield and fiver. Second time we’ve encountered this. Saw antelope. Encountered snow. Drove up a pass (over 7,000 feet) where the snow was 6" deep on either side of the road. Saw 2 snow plows and 1 road grader...also a Ely district BLM pumper truck.
Camped at the Prospector Holiday Inn in Ely. Turned out they weren’t charging for camping, and they were giving out coupons for 10% off dinner at restaurant and a buy a $2 roll of nickels get a $1 roll free, as well as a buy one get one free drink at bar. No water because of the cold temps but the site has electricity. Supposed to get down to 24 degrees tonight.
Explored town in the snow. Interesting variety store with outdoor furniture and dollar store items in addition to groceries. Saw where train museum is located,;but it is seasonal. Used Holiday Inn coupon at restaurant, and nickel coupon. Chicken primavera at restaurant was excellent. Found a penny slot that I interfaced with. Won back all that have gambled during the trip...about $7 total. Not sure of totals of other member of party, but doubt if it is breaking even.
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