The weather was unusual, at least the first few days we were there. It’s usually hot and dry at this time of year – the normal temp is in the upper 90’s with very low humidity and almost no rain. Those first few days were mostly cloudy and only in the upper 80’s with humidity levels in the 50-60% range. And, it was stormy, mostly in the late afternoon. The second half of the time there was finally dry and…
We also went to Old Las Vegas State Park. This state park, just north of the downtown area, has a modern visitors center with the history and artifacts of Las Vegas. Outside, there are the remains of an old Mormon Fort and adobe ranch house, the site of the first white settlers in Las Vegas It was very interesting to see how Las Vegas came to be.Tuesday was our last day in Las Vegas. We started out by going back…
Mojave National Preserve is in California and only about 60 miles southwest of Las Vegas, but it takes 2 ½ hours to get to the main visitors center near the center of the park at Kelso Depot. It is the third largest national park in the continental US. The park is home to sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones, and Joshua Tree forests. In the spring, if there has been enough rainfall, there are often carpets of wildflowers throughout the park.Our…
First, we went to drive over the not-so-new Hoover Dam Bypass bridge. The last time we were in the area, this was still under construction. I thought I had read that there was a scenic overlook from there, but there is not one you can get to from the highway. We discovered that you have to actually go to the Hoover Dam and walk up a long winding walkway that goes up to the side of the bridge. It was…
We first stopped at the visitors center to get maps and information. The hiking trails are mostly difficult, steep trails, and the section of trails to the peak are closed due to fire danger. A couple of trails were suggested, so we set out to find them. The first trail, Robber’s Roost, was a short, supposedly moderate trail. But it was very steep with difficult walking on gravel and stone steps. We didn’t make it very far. It didn’t help…
That evening, John and I went over to the Orleans Wednesday, John returned to the EMS Expo, while I went out with Renee and Al revisiting old favorite places on the Strip. We walked through Excalibur, Luxor, and Mandalay Bay casinos. None of them have changed much at all. We rode the free tram back to Excalibur. Casino. This is largely a locals casino,but it’s the first Hotel/Casino we ever stayed in. The annual JBT national tournament is held here…
We went on to take the free tram to Treasure Island, walk through that casino, then across the street to the Venetian. For several years there has been construction in this area, but it is finally done, and you can walk along Las Vegas Blvd in front of the casino and see the gondola rides in the canal there. Walking farther down the strip, we ended up in the Flamingo Casino, where there is a free Wildlife Habitat in a…
The real part of our vacation started out Sunday (after our car exchange) by meeting our good friends, Renee & Al at Dunkin Donuts. They had just landed and couldn’t check in to Bally’s until later in the day. So we ended up going to the Harvest Festival Arts & Crafts Show together at the Cashman Center, north of downtown Las Vegas. I hadn’t been to a major craft fair in a long time, and this one was excellent….
We rented a car from Dollar Rent-a-Car. John has a membership, and a reservation, so we went to the Express window to claim our car. It was Saturday night and the lot was mostly empty of rental cars, but quite a few people there to pick up rentals. We were directed to the worker getting the cars, and were directed to a Ford Focus. It was supposed to be a “premium” car, but John barely fit in the driver’s seat…
This trip is to Las Vegas so John can go to the EMS Expo. They hold it in Las Vegas every other year and I came with him two years ago, and again this year. But we are no strangers to this city. This is my 7th trip to Vegas, and John has been here a few more times for the Expo, and for professional courses. We first visited here in 2005 for the National Junior Bowlers Tour that our…