Monday 7 June 2010

40th: Day Twelve - The road to Las Vegas

We left early while it was cooler (80 degrees is cool these days) on the 220 mile trip from Williams to Las Vegas.  The road was pretty clear across the desert.  We had a good breakfast and made the Hoover Dam by about 1pm. 

Ever since I saw a docu-drama on the building of the Hoover dam, it has fascinated me.  So to see this huge structure in real life was a treat.  It wasn't exactly as I expected, sitting in a narrow valley with lots of electric pylons and supporting buildings and structures all around.  But it was still fantastic to see this damn fine dam.

The road across the dam will soon be supplemented by a new bridge, but at present is 15 mph one lane each way, so the traffic jams can be horrendous.  We walked across the dam some incredible heat and I am sure I have never felt me uncomfortable in my life due to the sun and the hot air I was breathing.  I know one of my brothers would have been crying as he suffers from a fear of heights.  It's a massive massive piece of concrete.

We then made it to the Trump International in Las Vegas.  This 64 story gold hotel is pure luxury at the end of the strip.  It lacks a casino and lots of bars and restaurants, so is not your typical Las Vegas hotel.  The room on the 58th floor is pretty huge and I particularly like the TV in the bathroom mirror, but we wont be renting a $400 cabana at the pool tomorrow.  We had a walk down the strip (as we had to drop off the Mustang) but the temperature was 117 degrees and it made moving around a sweaty ordeal.  The aircon in the casinos, shopping centres and hotels is welcome.

Pete won $60 for a $1 bet on a poker machine so is happy and this happiness was completed by finding a Cher shop in Caesars Palace.  Anyone who may have wondered if Pete was gay would have had it confirmed at this point.

I just took this night time shot from our bedroom window on the highest floor I have ever been on.

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