Viva Las Vegas

Las Vegas lives up to all the hype. I came in late and the place was on fire. Remember this was a Monday night and hundreds of people on the street in the bars, and just everywhere. I had heard that it was insane but the reality was unexpected. My goals were to see the strip, Hoover Dam, people watch, not gamble (some place for it), and get Issy Fixed.

The Strip was gorgeous. Each night I was there I just walked up and down it and took in all that it had to offer. The loud music coming from the bars and clubs was a comforting sound. You could just feel the electricity and enjoyment of everyone around and don’t forget most of these people were losing their money. As I walked around I noticed one thing that not many places allow. All over people are walking around with beers, mixed drinks, bottles of liquor and out in the open. Apparently there isn’t an open container law in Vegas. I didn’t want to have too many but I had a few beers and walked around the strip basically just because I could. At the Bellagio Hotel they have an awesome water shower, where fountains go off to music it was interesting. And the Treasure Island Hotel had a flame throwing, High diving battle of the sexes pirate show filled with a lot of “Tension.” Walking the strip was free and that along you could fill a night or two with. Even durig the day it was awesome. The Venetian hotel modeled around Venice, Italy is complete with a fine designer mall, and gondolas that you can ride around the hotel in. I’m no Pavarotti but the singing could have been a little better though. To be honest this was the one place where the feeling that having someone with me was the strongest. I think what I’m going todo is try and schedule a week trip with some of my boys out there and get into so me trouble. All in good fun though.

If the strip surprised me the Hoover Dam astonished me. I knew it was big because I saw Transformers 2, but it is huge and the story around why it was built and stories about the workers were intriguing. A lot of men gave their lives for the betterment of their country. They understood the vision of those in charge and gave it all they had literally. Issy and I rode around and took pictures. The Dam separates Nevada and Arizona so we took pics from both sides. Right now we have been in a drought for many years and you can see noticeably how much lower the water is than it has been in years past. On the tour, our guide showed us how the Dam produces energy for much of the surrounding area. Huge turbines and a massive amount of water run through The Dam every day. The Dam creates Lake Mead now a recreation area for fishing, swimming and hanging out with friends. What many don’t know is that before the Dam this river (Colorado) caused horrible droughts and harsh floods before it was controlled. I’m convinced that Transformers is right they are hiding a top secret experiment within the walls of the dam but when I asked the guide he replied “Only in the movies” I think he’s hiding something.

I returned to my hotel The Riviera with the notion that I was not going to gamble but it was killing me. I have a small gambling problem when I win I win BIG and when I lose I lose BIGGER. Now before I get ahead of myself I didn’t gamble, but it was torture, I honestly enjoy gambling. The ups and downs, the drama just sitting at the table and playing going through the swings is fun to me. The chance to win millions doesn’t hurt either. While walking the strip I stopped in Oshea’s the place the Beer Pong World Championships is held the custom tables were cool. The rest of the time I was just reenergizing. I hung out by the pool, worked on my tan and relaxed. People think site seeing and partying is easy but it’s really not. Fun yes, not as stressful as work certainly but most of my days start at 9am and end at 2am and then I do it all over again. So a rest day here and there is welcomed.

On my way out of town I made sure to take care of Issy’s chain and sprockets. She has been really good to me so I even got her a new front tire. We were going to need it because the next stop was 5 hours away at the Grand Canyon. After she was all good we started for one of the great wonders of the world.

One Mile at a Time.