More Travels 4--In and Out

The In and Out of Las Vegas

The road into the state park winds between rugged red hills.

They must all use the same architect to design the parking garages out here,” said Andy as he maneuvered the little black Ford Focus down the ramps of the Palace Station parking garage at 9:30 a.m.
We headed northeast toward Valley of Fire, a state park, since all the national parks and Bureau of Land Management federal areas were still closed. Fake ocotillo with orange metal blooms decorated the highway. “You mean to tell me even ocotillo can’t survive here!” Andy commented as he drove. “Even the creosote bushes look skimpy.” Twenty miles out of town a few dagger yuccas popped up.

Suddenly brilliant red rocks rise around us.

Inside the Valley of Fire State Park, 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas, red rocks just popped up out of nowhere.
The Beehives, a geological cross-bedding formation, drew the interest of a photography club, all shooting with tripods.

Spectacular sandstone formations etch the skyline.

We walked a couple short paths out to enclosed tree fossils. The huge trunks were from trees in an Araucarian forest more than 150 million years ago in the Age of Reptiles. The interpretive sign explained that the best known tree in this evergreen species is the Monkey Puzzle tree. Similar evergreens still grow today in South America and Australia. Here they probably succumbed to storm, fell and were washed to a low spot or bog where they lay buried for millions of years to turn to stone.
The weather was spectacular--hot sun and cool 73-degree breeze. Lots of other people had the same idea to come here on such a gorgeous Saturday. With photo pullouts everywhere, we tried to be selective, especially as the sun climbed overhead. Here, shadows play an important role in photography. They set off the formations and accent the color. At noon, it’s glaringly harsh.


Every turn brings new formations.

A blistering sun baked the dead red sand of the trail. It contrasted with the mounds of light brown Navajo sandstone, the interspersed red rock pillars and the hilltops of yellow and white conglomerate. We read that we should look out for desert tortoises. “Stay ten feet back,” said the sign. This endangered species holds water in a bladder, especially from eating grasses.  When frightened by people or dogs, the tortoises empty their bladders. It’s not a danger to tourists, but it threatens the life of the animal with a long, dry winter ahead.

A bright sun highlights the color.

The trail takes us deep into the interior of the formations.

Swirls in the red sandstone give Fire Wave Trail its name.

Andy’s map showed Duck Rock, but the dirt road from the parking area was closed. We walked in a generous half mile, but the old road and the trail that led off of it were both washed out  We might have scaled the gully, but the eight-foot drop in loose dirt looked precarious to me in shorts and tee-shirt. Andy agreed.   We headed back to the car.

Spectacular swirls make
solid rock look like pudding.

But just around the bend in the road was the .6-mile one-way trail to Fire Wave.
As we plodded back uphill through the ankle-deep sand, Andy told newcomers, “You’re almost there. It gets easier.”
I told them, “Keep going. It’s worth it!” And it was.
After the initial .2-mile stretch of dead, red sand, the trail crossed huge expanses of colored rock--                                                                                                                      red and yellow and tan and white sandstone. One stretch was scattered with hundreds of rocks and pebbles, pieces of black pumice and lava and shards of yellow chert. I wondered whether they washed down from higher elevations onto the flat expanse or were left from some long-gone remnant layer that had covered the sandstone.  The Fire Wave itself was a gigantic, twisted boulder of multi-colored layers of sandstone. It looked like a huge soft serve ice cream sundae.

At the halfway point in
the hike, Sue takes a break
at the top of the sundae.

On the way back, a desert iguana zipped across the trail ahead of me. He ran to hide under a yellow matchweed bush. We never saw any tortoises. We stopped at the Visitor Center. The high today went to 77 degrees, but in the summer temperatures often reach 120 degrees. Andy read that Valley of Fire averages four inches of rain a year.

Andy starts back along the trail.

The next stop was The Cabins, three circular stone houses built for shelter by the CCC in 1935.
We turned around at the Lake Mead Entrance. It was closed off anyway by the government shutdown.
The campground was full, but we drove part way in. Years ago—probably 30 or so—we had camped here a night before visiting Las Vegas. It was in July, and we were the only people in the campground. That night the wind whipped up, the tent shook, we had front and back flaps open to cool off, but the temperature never dropped below 97 degrees.

The sun going down sets off the
red sandstone formations.

Today was gorgeous and lots of people knew it. “I’ve never seen Valley of Fire so crammed with people,” said Andy. As we left about 4:00 p.m., three busloads of tourists pulled in. The Visitor Center closed at 6:00 p.m., and the park closed at dusk. They didn’t have much time.

At the Visitor Center, Sue
finds a nook in the
sandstone cliff.

In the meantime, a few states have caved in to pressure and opened national parks to visitors: Arizona, the Grand Canyon; New York, the Statue of Liberty; and Utah, just about all the parks. Ironically or not, Utah, conservative Tea Party Utah, wants reimbursement from the federal government.

Frank Marino in drag as
Joan Rivers hosts the show.

The Frank Marino Divas show at the Quad drew a huge and raucous audience. It was great!  Marino as Joan Rivers hosted an hour-and-a-half of songs by famous female vocalists, all performed by male impersonators. Most of them looked JUST like the real thing from our vantage point in table section B. Marino, in drag as Rivers, roasted Paris Hilton to a blackened crisp. Then he/she told the audience of the two Marino stars on the Las Vegas Boulevard Walk of Fame for the longest running show on the Strip and a Guinness World Record for the most costume changes—more than 350,000. The one-liners came so fast, we didn’t stop laughing and strained forward to catch every joke—like the suggestion that next flight he should report to the airport as she to go through security. Then the drag queen mused about what security might say as the body scanner moved upwards from the feet.
With each succeeding performer that Marino came on stage to introduce, Rivers appeared in a different gown.

The drag impersonator
who plays Cher bumps
and grinds on stage.

The supporting cast was incredible too:  Diana Ross, Cher, Madonna, Celine Dion, Reba McIntyre, Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, Tina Turner, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler and Whitney Houston. It was an incredible show.
Andy has voiced two pet peeves about Las Vegas: disappearing lanes and show seating. He’s justified. First, traffic lanes along the highway suddenly merge and disappear on the right without warning. It makes driving for an out-of-towner erratic and dangerous. Second, seating at shows is totally inconsistent. We bought tickets for Divas and chose our table and seats carefully from a chart in the Casino.  That’s a significant improvement over the old wait-in-line-an-hour-with-a-general-admissions-ticket and then tip-the-usher-to-move-up-closer method.  But this time all the chairs had been rearranged. We were at the back of a long table on one side instead of across from each other on the stage end. And I had confirmed the location of our seats when we purchased the tickets. “Those are your seats on the outside,” insisted the waitress. Ten minutes into the performance, she came back with a group of seven twenty-somethings. They had seats on both sides of the table, stood in the dark and argued about who would sit where, crowded over us and then changed their minds and switched. The waitress came back ten minutes later to confer with each about drink orders and again to deliver drinks. No consideration for the five of us who were on time in the first place and trying to watch the show! Much less the fact that they got the seats we chose in the first place!

Fountains sway in rhythm to the music.

Oh well, I stood quickly to snap pictures from the greater distance. And it was a great show.
We had a few minutes after Divas to hurry across the street for the 11:00 p.m. firing of the Mirage volcano. This time I was ready with camera settings.
Two young blondes stood on the street near the volcano. “They look high school age,” I told Andy. “They couldn’t be much more than 16.” Dressed in red knee hose, spike heels, blue bathing suit bottoms and white corset bodices, they waited for people to offer money for photographs. Show girls did the same thing on the other side of the street, along with all the Elvises, Depends diaper Man, Mickey and Minnie Mouse and a bunch of other movie and cartoon characters. But here the girls looked out of place, naively playing big girls in a dangerous world. “Enterprising or stupid,” I asked Andy. He knew what I meant.

Bellagio waters emphasize that Americans can be proud.

“Now we’re going to the Bellagio for the water fountain show,” said Andy. “It goes off every 15 minutes.”Weaving our way past a lone bride sans groom, drinking a beer at an outdoor hotel bar; around groups of partying tourists and families with small babies; past girls in super short skirts and guys with birthday ties, around ladies in glittery cocktail dresses and men in business attire, and past scruffy beggars and grungy sex solicitors, we crossed two overhead passageways to the Bellagio.

The second show played on
soft, swaying sprays.

At 11:30 p.m. the Bellagio waters danced to “I’m Proud to Be an American.” The young dude next to me sang softly along with the music. I wanted to shout it out. Chills played on my spine, until I saw a vet write out his homeless sign nearby.

The Grand Finale awes onlookers.

“Let’s stay for one more show,” suggested Andy. I certainly didn’t need any coaxing. With this song, much mellower in movement, the waters swayed to a Viennese Waltz and then built to one huge 40-foot crescendo. What an awesome finale! It was a lovely way to end an evening.

More Travels 4--Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Believe It or Not!

Approaching Hoover Dam and Lake Mead from the South,
we catch a glimpse of water in the distance.

If an organization pays its own way to the federal government, it is allowed to remain open during the shutdown. Hoover Dam was open and absolutely crammed with visitors on Friday morning. Between Columbus Day weekend vacationers and tourists blocked from national parks by the shutdown, everyone showed up at the dam.

Little grows due to lack of rainfall.
Vegas gets about four inches a year.

We finally found a parking place in upper lot #13. Lucky! Then we walked down for views of the dam.

The parking lots high above the dam off spectacular views
of the dam and the intake stations.

"In three years if the water level continues to drop," said Andy, "it will be below the intake pipes. And no one seems to know what to do about it."
"Doesn't that mean no more electricity?" I asked.
"Yup," he answered, "and as far as I know they haven't addressed the issue. Las Vegas may be in for a sudden dearth of cheap electric. When Regan was President, he extended the three cents a kilowatt rate for 50 years, even though the issue at the time was market value. With fees, they probably pay six or seven cents a kilowatt now, while people on the East Coast are charged 22 cents."
"Interesting idea," I answered. "Imagine Vegas paying more for power!"

The bathtub ring shows up as a white
line high above Lake Mead.

We could see the bathtub ring from where water once reached in Lake Mead. Now the lake was far below maximum. "I read that it will never fill up again and never come near the spillway," said Andy. "It has to do with irrigation allocations when the dam was being built."

The new bridge, built between 2005 and 2010 for security,
spans the Black Canyon and the two states.

We walked all the way across and back. It was summer again here: baking sun, bright sky, tourists in shorts and tee-shirts. Only the mid-70 degree temperatures at noon hinted that fall had arrived.
Private tours gathered here and there with tour guides broadcasting information. We climbed the stairs back up to the car and drove to the new bridge parking lot.


From the O'Callaghan-Tillman
Bridge high above Hoover
Dam, the world seems small.

More stairs took us to the pedestrian plaza and walkway across the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, constructed between 2005 and 2010. Named for the Nevada Congressman and Arizona football player, both of whom served in the Armed Forces, the final link of the bridge joined Nevada and Arizona in 2009. Poured in concrete sections ten feet high, the arch bridge is reinforced symmetrically with steel girders of 45 tons each that are 115 feet across. It forms a graceful white arch over Black Canyon.
On the way back to town, we stopped at the Tropicana to pick up show tickets for tonight.

We trade photo opportunities with a couple on the street.

Across the street construction workers cleared the area in front of New York, New York. "I wonder what they are building," mused Andy.
"Central Park," I suggested. "Actually they are cleaning up the area around the Statue of Liberty from Hurricane Sandy," I said.
"Really?" he asked.
"Duh!" I don't catch Andy very often!
We walked the Strip again, taking pictures and people watching. Some of the same beggars claimed some of the same spots. I wonder if begging is territorial.
Back at Casino Royale more foreigners played their luck at the promotional machines.
Between Harrah's and the Quad, about 15 Elvis impersonators gathered in the walkway for a pep talk or rally. Not one of them looked like Elvis, even with their black wings, tight white pants and sequined jackets. They gave a little "Yea" and headed en masse to the street. We had seen several of them earlier posing for pictures with tourists in the plaza. Nearby was another tourist teaser, a middle-aged man pretending to be Cupid. Dressed only in an adult diaper with heart-shaped pasties over his nipples, he pretended to shoot women with crooked arrows. "He certainly leaves something to be desired," said Andy. I went the other way.

Not for sale, Johnny Carson's
father's sedan attracts lots of interest.

The old Imperial Palace Auto Collection is now part of the Quad. We had free passes. In a 125,000-square foot showroom, more than 250 world-class automobiles are displayed, many available for sale."
"I'm surprised how many cost under $30,000," I told Andy.
"Well," he explained, "you need to consider that originally those sold for about $2,000 each; if they need work done, it costs a fortune because of the specialty parts; and you don't know the condition of the engine for drivability."
They were all collector cars, and the display is advertised as "the world's finest classic car showroom."  You can believe that or not. It's Las Vegas!
I took pictures of the old 1880's bar from Dodge City, Kansas. The sign said it was used until 1960 when the saloon was demolished.
Other photos included the following:
1. 1969 Ford Mustang 428 CJ Convertible, $95,000 asking price.
2. 1967 Rolls Royce Phantom V PV23, a black limousine owned by Red Skelton with only 47, 441 original miles, $400,0000 asking price.
3. 1957 Ford Thunderbird, built for and used by Burt Reynolds, $50,000 asking price.
4. 1966 Maserati 3500 GT Moretti Coupe, the 1966 Geneva Show Car, $650,000 asking price.
5.  1939 Chrysler Royale Sedan, owned by the father of Johnny Carson, King of Late Night. Carson learned to drive in this car and used it to take his girl to the Senior Prom. He sold it to the Auto Collection for $1.00. It is not for sale.

At the Mirage the volcano erupts every
hour on the hour after darkness sets in

We checked into Palace Station Hotel and Casino soon after 4 p.m. The "come-down" was literal and figurative. Rooms at the Rio quadrupled in cost on the weekend. We abdicated our palace on the 21st floor for servants' quarters behind the kitchen in a one-story motel wing of the Palace Station. The room was clean and faced the pool. It will do! And it gave us easier access to the Strip at night!
Our show, starring Gallagher, the fruit-smashing comedian, started at 7 p.m. at the Tropicana. Irreverent and fresh, he entertained an older audience. There was no fruit smashing (fruit smashing might have been fun), but he did admit to being 67 years old and having four heart attacks.

Within five minutes the show ends,
as the eruption ceases and lava cools.

Maybe that's why some bitterness penetrated his "Americans-can't-make-up-their-minds" jokes. "Americans aren't black or white. They are all grey and use spoon-forks," according to Gallagher.
After the Gallagher show, we headed to the Strip for the public mini-performances. The volcano at the Mirage erupted every hour on the hour. I tried to get pictures in the dark, but throngs of people crushed in from every direction.

Fire spreads as the pretend lava flows
down into the lake.

We stopped at McDonald's for burgers and then squirmed our way into the crowds at Treasure Island Casino to see the Sirens of TI at 10 p.m. The 20-minute performance included lots of suggestive dancing by the Sirens as they lured young pirates to their doom.

A cast of young performers wows
the crowd with twirls, swirls and dives.

Three pirates actually dove overboard into the water to the delight of hundreds crowding the walkways.

Las Vegas at night is as magical from high above,
as it is seductive and dangerous from below.

 By the time the Sirens disappeared and we walked back down the Strip, the volcano simmered again. We had front barrier standing room and enough light to set the camera for the explosions of fire and eruptions of light and smoke. In spite of the crowds, this time it was really fun!
Believe it or not!

More Travels 4--Strip "Teasers"

Life with Strip "Teasers"

Every room at the Rio boasts a suite. We had two queen beds and a sectional pull-out sofa for $55. The views from the 21st floor were beautiful, even if we looked out the back over the dark swimming pool away from the Strip.
But Vegas has changed. The city remakes itself to keep up with society. On the Strip, cranes stretch high for new construction. A gigantic Ferris wheel behind the Flamingo will offer families new entertainment and breathtaking views. It won't be called a Ferris wheel, since the cars suspended on the outside of the wheel will carry more than 15 people each. It's a Wheel.

The new Ferris wheel, that is only called "The Wheel,"
rises high above the surrounding hotels.

And since we were here three years ago, brand new hotels have gone up and opened--the Quad, in particular. Those that have disappeared include the Sands, the Dunes, the Stardust, the Landmark, the Hacienda, the Desert Inn, the Sahara and the Imperial Palace.
The biggest difference we notice is in the food specials. There aren't any! Vegas used to be inexpensive with great eating--steak and egg breakfasts for $1.99, all-you-can-eat dinner buffets for $4.99. Now the breakfast buffets start around $18.99, and prices for a cup of Starbuck's coffee equal those in New York.

As clouds clear, the Las Vegas Strip basks in October sun

"I remember staying at the Dunes in the 1980's for $12 a night," said Andy, "and besides a nice room, we got two adult dinners, two adult breakfasts, two adult show tickets and kids ate free."
I reminded him that in 1976 we had visited Las Vegas during a trip out West and had gone to one of the extravaganza stage shows at night for $7.76 a ticket. Now the big name entertainers can command a couple hundred dollars a ticket. We chose performances that offered two-for-one-tickets. There weren't too many of them.
Some measurable rain last night cleared the air. By 7:30 a.m. we headed to Starbuck's for breakfast and to check out the town. A go-go girl in skimpy black lace already danced on her platform in the casino at the Rio. There wasn't a soul around to watch. An older man cleaned the ashtrays by the slot machines. We hurried by. The dancer and the custodian continued their jobs numbly without a glance or a smile. By 8:00 a.m. a different dancer in black lace bounced up and down on the platform. This one smiled as we headed out toward the Strip.
As we approached the overhead sidewalk to cross Flamingo Boulevard, a tall scruffy young man with dreadlocks scrounged in a trash can. Just as I passed, he straightened up, with his back to us, and held up an almost empty Corona bottle. The lime chunk clogged the neck of the bottle. "Can't get anything out!" he screamed. He lifted his arm and smashed the bottle against the walkway wall. Glass shattered everywhere. We moved fast.
"There's a man down there who needs help," Andy told a security officer when we reached the top of the escalator. "He really went off the deep end."
Three other homeless people begged at the top of the crossway: a young Mexican man with an "I need beer" sign and a huge sombrero; a middle-aged woman with a small dog; and an older man, head bent down, with a full beard and a wool cat.

The Talking Tree invites us to play at the Bellagio.

At Bally's we met a couple from Massachusetts, who confirmed that Jubilee was the best major floor show in Vegas. "You'll love it," they said when we bought our tickets.

A 16-foot whimsical
scarecrow made of hand-painted
burlap, rules the autumn display.

At the Bellagio the Talking
Tree greets hotel visitors.

We crossed the Strip to the Bellagio. Their autumn display in the Botanical Conservatory exploded in orange, yellow and red. A 16-foot scarecrow with a hand-painted burlap head, guarded the flowers. Whimsical talking trees 25-feet tall made of twisted willow "withers" greeted guests. Every turn gave us a different colorful, gorgeous picture. The autumn pumpkins, gourds and greens attracted wall-to-wall crowds.

Even twisted grotesque
vine shapes look beautiful
in the autumn colors.

Only a few milled around the fountain outside, but as the clouds moved out, a bright sun teased us with warming temperatures. I took off my jacket; Andy kept his sweatshirt on but loosened the tie.

From the Bellagio we had a lovely view of the skyline of
the Paris Casino across the street.

We circled the Miracle Mile stores inside the mall twice. I doubt it was two miles, but the walk was a quick, long one in search of advertised shows at a fountain and a rain forest. "Loser," said Andy rather loudly, when we discovered the fountain was only a small indoor water drop with colored lights.
"Even bigger loser!" I said just as loudly, when water fell from the ceiling high overhead into a pool, lights flashed and a few drum rolls of thunder rumbled around us.
"Well, THAT was certainly disappointing," said Andy.

Opera singers perform in the
courtyard at the Miracle Mile stores

"Yeh," I agreed, "a Strip teaser."
The two free shows at Caesar's Palace were closed for renovation. We had raced there in order to meet the times posted on the printed Strip show list.
Wynn Casino also had gorgeous gardens inside--huge balls of mums and roses hanging like ornaments from the ceiling. We wondered how they stayed so fresh and lovely.

Mums and roses decorate
the mall at Wynn Casino.



 

Upscale and classy, the Venetian had block after block of exclusive stores. "How do they stay in business?" asked Andy. Very few of them had any customers inside, and the prices equaled New York City's costs.
Casino Royale had another teaser, a buy-a-beer-for-$1.00-and-get-one-free coupon. Yesterday Andy said, "Miller Lite, please." The bar tender handed him two bottles and charged us $3.50. It wasn't the "correct" coupon. Today Andy ordered again. "Two bottles of Bud Lite, please." The bar tender charged us $2.25. It wasn't the "correct" beer. Apparently, only Michelob is the $1.00 beer, but nowhere is that qualified except on a small sign outside the building.
We'll be back tomorrow.

Turf, Andy, Sue and Jeff Civillico pose after the show.

Jeff Civillico headlined at the 4:00 p.m. show at the Quad Casino. Comedy in Action was a fast-paced, audience-involved series of juggling skirts, balance acts and unicycle skills. Civillico kept the audience laughing and yelling out answers, as he tapped two men to come on stage to help him mount the ten-foot bike.The body contortionist and dancer Turf from America's Got Talent opened the show. Audience members gasped as he twisted his arms backwards and practically turned his body inside out.
After the show we picked up our free tee-shirts, had them signed in magic marker by the stars and posed for pictures like goober tourists.

From the Venetian Casino and Hotel
Las Vegas looks like a foreign wonderland.

"We have an hour and a half for diner before the next show," said Andy. "Where do you want to eat?"
"How about Denny's?" I suggested. "It's quick, it's close by and we get 20 percent off with the AARP card."
Nearby a middle-aged man begged for coins. His cardboard sign said, "Homeless truck driver, blind in left eye, so I can't drive a truck. Please help." Across the sidewalk a woman with a mangy golden retriever stroked the dog with one hand and hummed to herself. With her other hand she clinked a small metal cup of pennies, nickels and dimes. It's pitiful to see such poverty next to store after store of exclusive luxuries.
Slot machines don't clink an more. That used to be the fun of walking through a casino. Now people play with cards and tickets, and payoffs only click a few times. So much for bells and whistles. Casino Royale gave away free play coupons for $50 of play money on promotional machines. "Can you win on these?" asked one man with an English accent. He hit the SPIN button.
"Sure," we told him, "but your odds are one in a million. It's like winning the Lottery. You have a better chance of getting hit by lightening twice in the same day." He punched the SPIN button again.
"It's win or lose, and you need 4,000 points on 25 spins." I explained. "So basically, no. You can't win."
We played the promotional machines and drank our two-for-$1.00 Michelob Lights.
"My hand is getting tired," complained Andy.
"Can you get carpel tunnel from this?" asked our new friend next to him.
I had fun just watching the tumblers spin. I won extra spins--four 10-pointers and eight 2-pointers the first round; one 10-pointer and seven 2-pointers the second round. After that I didn't keep track. That must be what happens to real gamblers! It all amounted to nothing--just another Strip "teaser"!
Kevin Burke starred in Defending the Caveman at Harrah's at 7 p.m. The performance, a monologue about male-female relationships, was hysterical and insightful, well worth the two-for-one ticket price. This one wasn't a Strip teaser!

More Travels 4--What Happens In...

What Happens in Vegas Stays

By tonight Flagstaff won't be Mecca. Weather forecasters predicted strong winds and snow there by evening with a low of 22 degrees. I believe it. As we headed west, the cirrus clouds swirled in patterns that swept across the horizon. Tops of the Ponderosa pines bent back and forth, and in Williams, Arizona, a gigantic American flag blew horizontally from the pole with barely a dip because of the strong sustained wind.
Six miles downhill on the western flank, the clouds stretched in stratus layers.
"That's probably what will bring snow to Flagstaff," said Andy, "but at least it should be warmer down there." The 49-degree reading on the car thermometer climbed to 57 degrees, and Utah juniper and cedar bush-trees took over as we descended.
The farther west we drove, the heavier and thicker the cloud cover became. "I understand why the high in Flagstaff tomorrow is 46 degrees," I told Andy.
"Durango will be just as cold," he replied, "so it's a good thing we decided to head toward Las Vegas. Forecasters did mention the possibility of a thunderstorm there, but the high temperatures will be in the 60's."

In the murky dustiness, not much grows
here except the bunch grass along the road.

The sun still popped in and out as we sailed past the exits for Seligman and Peach Springs and Valentine, all on Route 66. No one lives here. We passed mile after mile of hills covered with Utah juniper and cedar scrub trees but little grass. It looks greener than the high desert, but there can't be much grazing pasture opportunity.
"I think it would take more energy for the cows to climb up and down for the grass bunches than what they could get from their nibbles," I told Andy. By now some cumulous clouds with darker under sides piled up ahead of us over the road. Snow was coming to the hill country of Arizona.
Just about everything along Route #93 from Kingman to Las Vegas was for sale -- 5/10/20-Acre Tracts, 54 "Prime" Acres, Land for Sale...Call Us, Four Parcels--36 Acres.
"Back by Chloride, there were dagger yuccas. Now it's all creosote bush," said Andy. "This is really poor soil or probably just even drier conditions."
It wasn't a day weather-wise to help things look better either.
Thick dust in the air obscured our view of even the closest hills. Everything looked murky. Even though the car thermometer recorded 66 degrees outside, the weather looked downright dreary.

With grey skies overhead, all vegetation disappears
as the road winds toward Hoover Dam.

"It's the wind here that is causing the problem," said Andy. Strong gusts had picked up the dry, sandy soil and clouded everything. The thick stratus cover overhead didn't help much.Lake Mead National Recreation Area was closed. We expected that. Willow Beach was blockaded. "The only reason we are driving through here is that Route #93 is a major highway," said Andy. "We can come back here one day if the weather clears up," he added. Along the road even the creosote bush was having a hard time growing. "Vegas is very dry," said Andy. And that was evident from the land southeast of the city.
Since check-in at the Rio was not allowed before 4:00 p.m., we parked at the Flamingo garage to check out available shows and stroll along the Strip. Of course, walking with Andy has never been a stroll. We dashed through Harrah's, the Flamingo and Casino Royale, checked out Players' Clubs at Harrah's and Casino Royale to qualify for half price show tickets, jogged along the strip outside for a few blocks and still had plenty of time to make it to the 1:00 p.m. Mac King comedy magic show at Harrah's. For the price of a drink as admission, we were treated to an hour-and-a-half of mystifying magic interspersed with quips and jokes. King is a delightful showman. He even gave me an autograph.

From the Masquerade Garage parking lot on the fourth floor,
the view of Las Vegas at night is beautiful.

It took the rest of the evening to get registered at the Rio, find convenient parking and settle in. The 55-floor hotel boasts suites in every room, and the accommodations are luxurious, even if we overlook the dark swimming pool from the 21st floor.
Vegas is full of life with people everywhere, probably more so mid-week this week because of the government shutdown. But in Washington, D.C., no one is talking yet. And so with everything else closed down and blockaded, vacationers flock here. Just like we did! Viva Las Vegas!

More Travels 4--Heading Backwards

Heading Backwards

Kurt, Carol, Kari, Andy and Sue hug goodbye.

Lots of hugs and Carol's gourmet breakfast of green chili omelets, bacon and homemade raspberry muffins sent us on our way from Los Alamos by 9:45 a.m.
Two hours and about a hundred miles later, we passed through Albuquerque on our way back to Flagstaff. There wasn't a single balloon. "The Festival goes a few more days," said Andy. "With such a big sky view from the freeway, I would have thought we would see at least a few balloons dotting the sky."
"Maybe the wind?" I half-suggested.
"No," he answered. "It's actually pretty calm, and with predictions for snow moving in above 7,000 feet, they won't have good weather much after today. I'm surprised not to see anything today since the Festival goes through Sunday."

At the Arizona Welcome Center we stop for noon snacks.

Heading back through Albuquerque to Flagstaff had not been part of our plan. But with the government shutdown that caused the closing of all the national parks, our four days at Mesa Verde were cancelled, even before we called to change our plans. We hedged about alternatives until Drew warned of blizzards--snow and strong winds--farther north. "It's early for big snow," I told Andy.
"But that would really curtail our outdoor activity," he answered.
That settled it. He booked Las Vegas.

Route 66 is famous as a Chicago to
Los Angeles byway of the past. 

Behind the bronze statue
is the mural with a girl in
her flatbed Ford truck. 

Wind whipped the car as we headed west along I-40. Andy gripped the steering wheel tighter as the car rocked with the gusts. By 2:30 p.m. we had crossed back into Arizona. But it wasn't a cold wind at all. In fact, at 79 degrees we were comfortable in shorts and shirt sleeves.We got off the highway in Winslow, Arizona, to "stand on the corner," as the 1970's Eagles' song, "Take It Easy," goes.  A mural of a girl in a truck, a plaque and a bronze statue marked the place.... the particular corner.


Andy makes friends with the traveling
guitarist who memorialized Winslow,
Arizona, in the 1970's song.

"Well, I'm a standing on a corner 
in Winslow, Arizona 
and such a fine sight to see 
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed 
Ford slowin' down to take a look at me 
Come on, baby, don't say maybe 
I gotta know if your sweet love is 
gonna save me 
We may lose and we may win though 
we will never be here again 
so open up, I'm climbin' in, 
so take it easy."

A group of middle schoolers dressed in wool hats and scarves leaned on the street lamp. We ignored them and took pictures anyway. The car thermometer read 81 degrees. "This part of Arizona does get cold," said Andy, "but I don't think it's that cold." We were 58 miles from Flagstaff.
In the distance loomed the San Francisco peaks. The closer we got, the more trees popped up and the higher we climbed, the more the temperature dropped. By the time we reached the city, it was 61 degrees, a 20-degree drop!
"Can you believe the difference!" said Andy. "No wonder people flock to Flagstaff.  It's desolation for miles around in every direction, and then you come upon tree-covered peaks that rise 5,000 feet above everything else."This must be Mecca.