Viva Las Vegas (Ogden, UT)

We have some catching up to do.  We are now in Ogden, UT at the Hill AFB FamCamp.  So, we will start with our visit to Las Vegas.

We were very busy seeing the sights of Las Vegas.  We would spend one day on the Strip walking and seeing sights  and spend the next day re-energizing.  So much walking!  

This is Sandy's first time to Las Vegas.  On our first night, Dan drove down the Strip while Sandy took a few photos.

Our first full day on the Strip, we stopped by Bellagio's Conservatory to see the spring flowers.

We watched the fountain show in front of the Bellagio.

We visited the second floor of the Venetian to watch the Gondolas float down the canal.

We spent one evening in vintage Las Vegas downtown.  We ate dinner at Hash House a Go-Go.  It is a good thing we decided to split a salad because "Huge" salad described on the menu is an understatement!   The couple next to us could barely see each other over the mound of food on their plates.  This restaurant doesn't believe in small portions and it was delicious!

We could imagine Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack walking down the street....

Vintage Vegas

This is why we were in the downtown area.  We were here to see the Fremont Street Experience.  The canopy has thousands of LED lights and speakers setup for the light show.

There is a zipline ride that goes down the length of the canopy.

Zipline riders

On the strip we also went to The Secret Garden that was setup by Siegfried and Roy at the Mirage.  We thought it was a little pricey, but how often do we get the chance to see white tigers and white lions?  The day we visited we saw a total of eight large cats and quite a few dolphins getting fed along with a few tricks.

Big mouth and teeth!

Sandy loved how close we could get to the tigers and lions when they came to the fence.  Only one came close enough for us to see his pale blue eyes and to take in just how big he was compared to us.  Notice the double fence...keeps paws in and hands out.  Plus, bushes made a two-foot barrier between us and the fence.

Still they are gorgeous creatures and we can see why Siegfried and Roy love them so much.  Here's some more photos from the Secret Garden.

Yep, we felt just as exhausted as this big guy.  We had a great visit and would not mind visiting again someday.

 We lost about $6 on slot machines with minimal play, and won about $110 on craps.  Very little gambling, mainly just sight seeing.  We stayed at the Thousand Trails campground on Boulder Highway, taking advantage of our annual membership.