As is usually the case, we rose early (for me at least) on our day of departure from Willow Wind Resort in Hurricane, Utah to herd the Beast down to Las Vegas, Nevada. Our planned path of travel took us southward down I15 and into Arizona (again). This makes at least the fifth time we have entered Arizona and soon exited as we entered a neighboring state.
There are two noteworthy observations about traveling in this part of the desert southwest...first, you will see this sign about every 20 miles...
...Arizona seems to literally jump in front of you around every bend...
...and second, you will cross the Virgin River hundreds of times...
...the Virgin River in Zion Park...
...For a VIRGIN River, this one seems to get around a lot...I'm jes sayin'...
...Here is the route we traveled...
...It is a short, but incredibly desolate journey...
...This is the really pretty part...
...The rest is really sage brush and the Mojave Desert. ( No, Britanny, Sagebrush and the Mojave Desert is NOT the name of a Navajo rock band...)
...Sagebrush and the Mojave Desert...(not a Starbucks sign in sight...)
...in short order, we entered Nevada, State Motto: "Wanna Bet??"
...Interesting logo on the welcome sign. In Nevada the prospector uses the pick to pluck your wallet from your pocket...
...Soon, with the temperatures reaching a balmy 107degrees Fahrenheit, we arrived at Sam's Town RV Resort and Casino in Las Vegas...
...Head Westie, Rocky appears tired after serving as navigator across the barren high desert...
Factoid: It would seem that ALL establishments in the state of Nevada are named (insert business name here) and CASINO. For example, The Pyramid Resort and Casino, New York, New York Hotel, Shops and Casino, etc. ( I believe I saw "Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe, Attorneys at Law and Casino"...)
...Didn't believe yer ole Captain when he said the temps were 107' did you???
...The heat was so oppressive we decided to run to the street when we heard the ice cream truck's bells calling us...(ice cream can fix ANYTHING)....
...Alas, we were too late...the truck had melted...
...As mentioned before, the locals say "it's a DRY heat." During one of our wilting hot doggy walks, I explained this to the Westies...they nodded in apparent understanding, then peed on my shoes...(...they think this DRY HEAT theory is nonsense)
...The next day, we ventured out to the Hoover Dam. Our intention was to recreate a scene from 33 years ago when we drove out there to see the Dam and to take the tour...
...January, 1982. We are standing astride the Nevada/Arizona border in the middle of Hoover Dam...
...September, 2015...Amazing how the Commodorable remains so young while the Captain deteriorates at an astonishing pace...
...After taking the above picture, we sadly noted that Lake Mead (created by the Dam) was woefully low on water. It is startling to see the bare walls of the lake showing at least 40-50 feet of dryness where the lake should be. If you visit soon, please bring water...they need it...
...if this lake gets much lower, Las Vegas will be using candlelight for its casino operations...
...The down river side of Hoover Dam...
...leaving Hoover Dam, we drove into the city and toured the entire length of Las Vegas Blvd. (the Strip)
...The Strip...
...we then parked at the Belaggio Hotel ( and CASINO), where we enjoyed refreshing adult beverages at one of the many hotel ( and Casino) bars...
...The BELAGGIO...
...Leslie in the colorful Belaggio lobby...
...Our bartender was kind enough to snap this picture of the happy couple...
...At 15 bucks apiece, these drinks had BETTER make you smile...
...Leaving the Belaggio, we took a taxi to PIERO's Italian restaurant...
...The movie fans among you might remember PIERO's from the several scenes filmed there for the movie CASINO. The movie tells the true story of real life character Frank Rosenthal (Robert De Niro) who ran the famous STARDUST Hotel (and Casino) from 1970 to the early 1980s for the Chicago mob...(your Captain/narrator stayed there in the early 1980s, but doesn't remember witnessing any mobster type personnel "adjustments"...)
...A normal evening at PIERO's...
...Sharon Stone and Robert De Niro at PIERO's...( They weren't there when we were...I'm sure that Sharon and Bobby just didn't know we'd be arriving...)
...After a great meal and a superb bottle of PIERO's best chianti, we hailed a taxi before the gunfire began and returned to the Belaggio for a bit of gambling....
...Since your Virtuous Captain really doesn't gamble, (beyond eating the occasional Chinese meal) he watched in breathless anticipation as the Commodirable set about to win enough money from the Casino to fully underwrite our great RV Tour of America...
...Now we know where the phrase "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" originates. What happened was that Leslie bet money. The money stayed in Vegas...(Can't say we weren't warned...)
...Since it was blindingly obvious that our wealth accumulation scheme was not proceeding as planned, we plotted a course to...
...Tune in to Chapter 42 and learn the next thrilling destination of your Intrepid Captain and Crew...
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