There are only so many staggering views you can take so we did our laundry, packed up camp and continued on our quest west to Las Vegas. It was back on the I40 as we had some miles to cover and Route 66 was a 90 mile detour. No stopping other than a quick one for petrol and Jolly Rangers – our first sweets of the journey – and then onto the Hoover Dam. We drove over the new and very magnificent bypass bridge without even realizing it and we were called over by a bunch of boy scouts (sorry – the Hoover Dam police) to be searched. Luckily the 112 degree heat rather sapped their strength and when they discovered they’d have to climb on the roof to search the roof bag, they gave up and waved us on, believing Mark’s claim we were not carrying propane (take note Homeland Security and Al Qaeda; the Hoover Dam police are a complete waste of time and money!).
Despite the ‘search’ inconvenience, the Dam was definitely worth a stop, if only to gaze at the new bypass bridge which now spans the Dam canyon. We paid our $7 parking fee and decided to forgo the $30 a head tour, choosing to walk the Dam in the piercing heat. The children were, of course, completely nonplussed only wanting to know how many had perished in the building of the Dam and where could we buy the fridge magnet!
Next stop Vegas! We drove across the desert and could see the city nestling amidst the smog from about 25 miles. Embassy Suites came up trumps yet again and offered a welcome relief from the heat and dust of Mather campground. After bathing off the campsite dust, ready for the Vegas grime, we stepped out into the heat in search of the New York, New York resort where we decided to try the recommended Italian for pasta and pizza. OMG, nothing had quite prepared me for this. I’ve obviously been living in the US for too long as I was so taken aback by the seediness of the place. The pavements are lined with metal boxes filled with soft porn magazines and the strip was heaving with touts essentially selling girls (and they had the T-shirts to prove it!). It was a quick lesson in life for Tristan who wanted an explanation of how exactly you could sell girls and why all the business cards had pictures of naked women – and this from the boy who was caught surfing the net for ‘hot ladies’ only three years ago. Merryn and Jowan did a pretty good job of spotting the ladies of the night and I decided two nights in Vegas was probably two too many.
The pizza and pasta was pretty good but eye wateringly expensive. We then cruised the south end of the Strip, watched the street entertainers, the Bellagio fountains and decided there’s only so much tackiness you can take in one night. Dinner had cleared out our cash so it was a long walk back to the hotel with much moaning from Tristan who had simply wanted to stay and gamble at the casinos. Sigh!
Today’s Tune: Viva Las Vegas by Elvis Presley
Wildlife Watch: Most of it unmentionable!
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