Las Vegas, NV

FRI., JAN 6, 2023 thru THUR., JAN 12, 2023

From Death Valley to Las Vegas! We arrived in Las Vegas on Friday, Jan. 6th. A pretty 150-mile ride with distant snow-capped mountains on an empty highway thru wide open desert land. We even saw a coyote just as we were leaving Death Valley. It was the first time seeing one up close for me. Looked like one of our huskies! He was going to cross the road in front of us but thought better of it. Very glad he did as it’s hard to stop on a dime towing 40 ft behind us. We also saw tons of Joshua Trees along both sides of the highway on our drive. If we hadn’t recently been to Joshua Tree National Park, I wouldn’t have known what they were!

Every day that we’re towing to another destination, I always say a thank you to God when we arrive safely. Yesterday was no exception, particularly since we had a small incident while on the road. A driver staying pace next to us got my attention and motioned me to roll down my window. He said “you have a piece of rope dangling from your trailer.” I pantomimed thank you as this is all happening at 60 mph. Now what?! We were 20 minutes from our destination. Can we wait??? When 2 more drivers pass by trying to get our attention, we figured, nope this can’t wait. Gary was able to pull over to the breakdown lane as traffic is whizzing by us because now we’re in Vegas and traffic is heavy! I get out and look. Sure enough, there’s a big wad of thin rope wrapped around one of the rear landing gear legs and dragging behind us. We must of picked it up on the road somewheres. We were able to remove it, and we continued on our way. I always say… people are kind. We arrived safely at the campground 20 minutes later, and I did my usual prayer of thanks.

Las Vegas RV Resort seems to have a diverse clientele… transients like us here for a week, monthly retirees escaping colder climates, and long term people who work in the area. We saw one large motorhome emblazoned with all kinds of interesting graphics. Turns out it’s owned by a 60-year old skate board pioneer named Steve Steadham. Apparently he’s doing ok for himself!

Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam were the destination for Sat., Jan 7th! Lake Mead is the nation’s first and largest national rec area at 1.5 million acres. Huge! There was clear evidence of Lake Mead’s low water level with closed-off boat ramps and exposed cliff walls but it still remains the largest reservoir in the US. Not as picturesque as Lake Powell, but still an interesting area to explore! 

Hoover Dam was the highest dam in the world when it was built in 1936. It now boasts the Memorial Bridge (completed in 2010) that you can walk across. It’s the 2nd highest bridge in the US after the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado, which we walked across last summer. Very cool experience to walk across the Memorial Bridge and see gorgeous views of the dam. A fun day!

A very short video of Hoover Dam compliments of Gary…

Sunday, Jan. 8th, we visited Valley of Fire State Park located 55 miles outside of Las Vegas. Established in 1935 it’s Nevada’s first state park, and it is just spectacular. The park derives its name from the iron oxide (better known as rust!) found in the sandstone formations. Manganese and other oxides are responsible for the black pigmentation, called “desert varnish,” that is also prevalent. We’ve seen desert varnish in other areas of the country as well, namely Arizona. But the colors of the sandstone formations go beyond red and black to include white, yellow, pink and even peach. 

To make it more interesting “wind holes” have formed that have given the rock formations incredibly unusual surface areas. Sandstone, weakened by weathering, develops small pits which are then enlarged by the action of wind and water. A sand-blasting effect comes into play and the “wind holes” get bigger and bigger. This effect is seen throughout the park on many of the rock formations. So cool!

We also saw rock formations that were called “Beehives” and, you guessed it, they looked like large beehives. Additionally we saw cabins that had been built from native sandstone by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) in 1935 to shelter campers and visitors to the park. I’m always struck by how beautiful the CCC structures are. 

We hiked a beautiful slot canyon in White Domes Loop, saw wedding photos being taken and even saw bighorn sheep grazing by the side of the road. One of our favorite state parks ever!

Bighorn Sheep sighting at Valley of Fire SP…

On Monday afternoon, Jan. 9th, we ubered in to see the Las Vegas Strip. We haven’t been there in years! Fun to see! We walked about 5 1/2 miles and didn’t see it all. Our absolute favorite thing was the Bellagio. They had an enormous Dale Chihuly blown glass sculpture sprouting from the ceiling showcasing flowers. Gorgeous! And the Bellagio’s conservatory was decorated for Chinese New Year. They had a Money Tree composed of 88 I-Ching coins. Eight is the luckiest number in Chinese culture and 88 signifies double happiness! There was a “Temple of Six Banyon Trees.” The real one was built in AD 537 and is a popular destination to visit in China for international couples seeking blessings for their newly adopted children. And they even had Caishen, the benevolent God of Wealth & Prosperity who stood 17 ft tall. Finally since it’s the Year of the Water Rabbit, there was a 32 ft medallion which symbolized peace and prosperity.

After spending time at the Bellagio, we stopped for drinks in their lobby bar. One drink each, “free” nibbles, a single rose centerpiece, and piano entertainment set us back almost $60! Only in Vegas! 

Once we got over the shock of that we continued on for more sightseeing. Some of our other faves:

• The Aureole Restaurant’s 4-story wine tower in Mandalay Bay. It housed over 10,000 bottles of wine. “Wine angels” use harnesses as they “defy gravity” to retrieve bottles and re-stock the tower. We did not witness any of the wine angels at work.
• The Luxor had a King Tut and also a Titanic exhibit… for a fee of course. We did not pay the fee to see either exhibit.
• A Chocolate Statue of Liberty made from the equivalent of 8,258 Hershey Bars! 
• M&M’s had the world’s largest candy wall in a 4-story candy store. You can even print a personal message on your very own batch of M&M’s!
• The Chandelier Bar in the Cosmopolitan Hotel which looked like the bar was encased in a giant chandelier. 
• A giant high heel in the Cosmopolitan.
• And, of course, the Paris Hotel complete with the Eiffel Tower. 

We capped off the day with dinner at the Chart House inside the Golden Nugget. Donnie was our server. He was so sweet! 

After dinner Monday night we headed to the Neon Museum for a tour. It has the world’s largest collection of neon signage in their 2-acre outdoor museum. They have more than 250 rescued signs. Some are restored and others are not. A unique experience seeing some of these iconic relics!

The restored lobby of The LaConcha Hotel (early 1960s) serves as the headquarters for the Neon Museum. The hotel was designed by Paul Revere Williams, the first African American who was a member of the American Institute of Architects. One of my favorite signs was The Moulin Rouge, designed by Betty Willis, one of the few women sign designers in the 1950s. She did research at the local library in Vegas to learn about French fonts. No expensive trips abroad for her to do research! She also designed the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign still seen today everywhere! 

Another interesting sign with a story was The Horseshoe Club. The club was started by a rough and tumble guy from Texas, Benny Binion, who believed in “Good Food. Good Whisky. Good Gamble.” He was the first to offer “comps” in the early 1950s when he opened the Horseshoe Club.

The museum also had a fiberglass pirate skull from Treasure Island’s Pirate Show that took place nightly in front of the Treasure Island hotel during Las Vegas’s “family friendly” years in the early 1990s. The town’s business community ran the numbers and realized a family-friendly Vegas wasn’t making money for the business owners. Parents were hanging out with their kids day and night and not gambling. Family friendly Vegas ended about 7 years later. Our capitalistic society at work!

After touring the Neon Museum, we were able to see the museum’s “Brilliant” Show afterwards. An artist created the show using music and projected light to make the signs “come alive” even though these were unrestored signs. Pretty cool!

Late Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 11, we made one more pilgrimage to the Las Vegas Strip so we could see it at night. The strip is such a uniquely American experience! We walked 4+ miles ogling the various hotels, had dinner at Buddy V’s at the Venetian (very good but noisy), saw the volcano show at the Mirage (fun!), the fountain show at Bellagio (awesome) and a second fountain show at the Bellagio from a different vantage point across from the Eiffel Tower. 

Two disappointments… I was looking forward to seeing the wildlife habitat, particularly the flamingos, at the Flamingo Hotel but all the birds including the flamingos were moved elsewhere “out of an abundance of caution” because of the avian flu. Bummer. And secondly, we waited an hour for it to get dark enough for Wynn’s Lake of Dreams show to start, which was a bit of a bust. It just had a talking (or I should say singing) puppet, no lake extravaganza! 

We did walk around Circus Circus… one of the older hotels on the strip… Gary remembered seeing some of the “circus” interiors of the hotel in a Bond movie. I’m not so much a Bond aficionado. 

The Wynn Hotel, like so many of the others, was celebrating Chinese New Year and had a great display in their conservatory. 

Gary played blackjack two afternoons while here in Vegas and came out a total of $75 ahead. Woohoo! I abstained from gambling. I figure we can’t afford two of us doing it. We ubered around town which made getting in and out of the city much easier, and we had awesome Uber drivers! One was a retired executive chef from the Rio, one was an aspiring singer, and one used to work in a casino. The stories he told… 

We had a great week in Las Vegas!

A few videos to share…

The Wynn Hotel’s Singing Puppet… he makes you smile.

A short snippet of the Mirage volcano show

Bellagio fountain show set to opera music that fills the air while watching. 

Another vantage point for the Bellagio fountain show with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. We were too far away to hear the music for this one. 

Once again, we thoroughly enjoy our time spent in Las Vegas.