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.

Catching Up (Las Vega, NV)

We are in Las Vegas now, but it is time to do some catching up.  We have been doing some traveling and visiting to different sites before we came to Las Vegas so here's a quick summary...


Oatman, AZ
We had a nice afternoon walking around the streets while eating ice cream from the Oatman Hotel.  A former gold mining town with shops and a couple of restaurants on Route 66 in the Black Mountains of Arizona.

The burros are descendants of the miner's burros turned loose when the mines closed down and they spend their day roaming around town looking for handouts.  They are relatively tame, but there have been some incidents since signs are posted to be careful around the burros.

We watched a street show of the ol' West.....The afternoon got a little noisy at that time.

Old West Shoot Out Show

Sandy had a new friend...

Pssst! Yo, got any apples?  Carrots?

A bunch of burros showed up after the first gun shot.  The warning shot must be like a dinner bell to them.  They know there will be the largest gathering of humans and food for them during the gunfight.

If the gun doesn't convince them to give money,
I'll help by convincing them with a kick, okay?

The stage coach showed up right after the show and stopped right next to us.  The driver asked us if anyone was killed and Dan answered "only one!".   Yup, great day!

Stage coach has arrived

Death Valley National Park

Dan's standing in front of the Bad Water area.  Buses on the main road look like ants.  That's how far away we are in this photo.  It is so amazing how far we can see.  It just goes on for miles and miles and miles.

The following photos are of the Badwater area is five miles of salt flats with crusty ridges going every which away..  We were standing 282 feet below sea level.   

Bad Water

Turns out it is not as dry as it looks.  We were kneeling to get better close-ups of the salt and both of us ended up with a wet knee.  When the spot dried, we had a salty crusted knees.

Side view of the ridges

Close-up of the dry salt

Scotty's Castle

At the north end of Death Valley National Park we visited Scotty's Castle.  

Bridge over swimming pool

And the story....well, talk about a Wild West story perfect for a movie...go to this link  to read the story behind the castle.  It is an interesting story filled with intrigue, a gunfight, an unusual friendship with a happy ending! 

There are a couple of paid tours we could have taken, but we were happy to wander around outside.  Just touring the outside took awhile because we explored  every nook and cranny. 

Dragon or a snake ornate lantern holder

Their very own clock tower stood separate from the main buildings.  There is a clock face on all four sides.

They started construction in 1922 and because the castle is so remote, the Johnsons used very advanced technology to power their home.  They used water flow to turn a Pelton wheel which ran the generator for electricity. They even had a solar heating water system.  They had a water fountain in the main hall that dripped down a rock face giving the place an evaporated cooling system.  Amazing!

 

Next blogs from Las Vegas Nevada.

Pair-A-Dice Skp Co-op, Pahrump, NV

Our stay at Pair-a-Dice Skp Co-op in Pahrump NV was pleasant, but overall we did not find the area very appealing.  The people were friendly and helpful, however Pahrump doesn't have much to offer for our lifestyle except a super Walmart, and a few  grocery stores.   Gamblers might like the area more then we did as there are multiple casinos in town.  Costs of the co-op and real estate in the area are very reasonable and it is a good base for exploring Death Valley as well.

Permanents with building between them

The Co-op offers one cookie-cutter style building with two connected sheds.  They are all painted in similar colors.  No different designs or styles so there is no individual tastes except for what the owner does with the porch and the front yard.

view of shared building.  Front yard belongs to the other side.

The shared owners are parked on opposite sides with plenty of space for a large rig and their vehicle.  Hopefully, everyone likes their neighbor since they are sharing the building.  Each owner also gets a porch/patio and a front yard on the opposite sides facing the street.  There are quite a few permanents so less are available for travelers.

Patio and covered porch with front yard on our side.

Everyone looks for something different.  For us, our two favorites are Benson, AZ and The Ranch, NM.  We still have a few more to visit though so there's always a chance we will change our minds.

Lots of space per site

Here are some additional photos from around the park....

view of two different roads

Side road

Large Center

We have moved onward, and are now in Las Vegas at a Thousand Trails campground.  More to follow.