Day 154

Flagstaff Day

Oct 7, 2013, 8:28 PM

We had a nice and relaxing day today and after the last week having a down day was so needed. We had a cable issue that we had to fix, we went out to breakfast, then Walmart, then a stop at Best Buy, and back home. I did some cleaning, catching up on wash, made dinner, and relaxed. So there really isn't too much to report. Sorry!!

Tomorrow our plan is to go to Sedona, after that there will be, should be photos to share and stories to tell. Good night all, talk to you tomorrow. 

Day 153

Flagstaff

Oct 6, 2013, 8:33 PM

We left Vegas for Flagstaff. It was a quiet drive, no real issues, except going around in circles trying to get out of Vegas. Miss one turn and and you fall down the rabbit hole. Thank goodness we found our way without too much trouble. 

We are in a delightful RV park. There is one thing that's strange here. This is a no smoking RV park. I don't even know how they can make such rules. Of course it is perfectly fine with Steve and I, but we talked about it on our way here. How would they know if you were smoking in your own RV. It is nice that there aren't people smoking outside but really how do you enforce rules like that?  

I was shocked when we got here to see that the campground is FULL. When I was checking us in there was a call that came in and the woman in the office told them she had no openings tonight. I thought most people would have cancelled because of the national park closures. I asked and the woman told me it didn't effect them much at all, there are so many other things to do in the area. Thank goodness, that will give us other things to do in the area. Here in Flagstaff the low tonight is going to be 29 degrees. OH MY GOSH, WE ARE GOING TO FREEZE!!!!!!!! Well I guess I should say goodnight. After we thaw out in the morning we are going to go to breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then take it easy, it's been a crazy couple days. 

Day 152

Saying Goodbye Again

Oct 5, 2013, 8:36 PM

I hate the goodbyes!!!!! We picked up daddy and Sandy and got them to the airport it worked out just perfectly. Then back to the Golden Nugget to get Kim, Robert, and Alex so they don't have to pay a late checkout charge. We got them and their bags and we brought them to the RV. We still had a couple things we wanted to try to do. I wanted to get a picture of the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, I wanted to drive by and see if the chapel we got married in was still there, and we wanted to go to the Neon Boneyard, we also needed lunch but you saw that coming didn't you? So we headed out to the Neon Boneyard and we went to get lunch somewhere close. Well there really wasn't much close, but we found something and then went back to the boneyard. You aren't going to believe this, but they were full for the day. Who knew that a field of old signs from casinos would be such a hot spot, but there was no way we could do the guided tour today. I felt so bad for Alex, he wanted to see the signs and I'm sure it would have been cool to get photos, but what are you going to do?

After that we went in search of the Vegas sign. Oh you won't believe what a popular spot that is. Oh and I love this, there is a long line of people waiting to get a photo by the sign. There is a woman organizing the flow of people going up to the sign. She asks where you're from, she offers to take the photo for you so that the person with the camera can be in the photo too, but she doesn't work for the city or anything. There is a sign saying that there are no city approved vendors at the welcome sign. She is just some woman taking tips and putting herself out there like she has an official position. I don't hand my camera equipment over to anybody, but I do think it's funny, if these street photo op people and this person would put half as much energy into something productive they would be highly successful people but they take the easy/lazy way instead and I think if analyzed they probably work twice as hard in the end. 

After the sign photos we drove down the strip to where the Candlelight Wedding Chapel was supposed to be, but there is construction going on there now. It's gone! That is kind of sad, lots of famous people got married there, beside Steve and I of course. Well now what? We went back to the RV and just chilled for a while. Alex and Steve were playing Scrabble, Robert was on his laptop so Kim and I stole the opportunity to go play some roulette. We went to The Main Street Station across the street, but the table didn't look like they were having fun. The Croupier didn't look very friendly so Kim and I moved on. We went to the California Casino. We liked the California as soon as we crossed the bridge over the street into the California. The casino was on the first floor and as we got to the bottom of the escalator we were looking right at their roulette table. We figured this was meant to be. So we watched for a few minutes, there were a couple people at the table already. The one person we really were watching was this one woman. She had pink chips so of course this caught my eye, we noticed she was slamming down the chips on the table and she was covering the table with chips. I mean there were maybe six numbers she didn't have chips on. She just kept grabbing another stack of chips and slamming them down. The ball went around the wheel. Kim and I were asking each other what she was hoping to accomplish. Only one number can win, she can't possibly win here. We thought she had to be pissed at her husband/boyfriend and she was getting rid of his money. Believe it or not she DIDN'T WIN!!!!! The ball dropped on one of the very few numbers she didn't cover. She stalked away from the table and that was that. The other couple at the table made the same comment that she must have been pissed at her husband and she wanted to lose all his money. Of course that sent Kim and I into bouts of laughter and the couple at the table insisted we should stay at the table because they liked us and our happiness. Well we sat down and went through $20 a piece but we had a great time doing it. We found out the couple, that by the way was going through much more money then we did, by hundreds, are from only minutes away from Kim and Robert near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. When we were finally done we went back to the RV, just as the guys were going to come looking for us. They wanted dinner. We ate at a great buffet and then drove to the airport. We said our goodbyes, I cried, of course I missed Kim as soon as we drove away. We heard from daddy and Sandy, they got home safe and sound. So all is back to normal. Steve and I will be leaving for Flagstaff tomorrow. Goodnight everyone!! 

Day 151

Hoover Dam

Oct 4, 2013, 3:25 PM

Well I woke up and found a beautiful anniversary card, perfect for Vegas and perfect for me, it was pink and sequined. I have the most wonderful husband and I'm so damn lucky. My dad and Sandy reserved a minivan so we could all drive together to Hoover Dam, WOW, has that changed from when we were here ten years ago. Now there is a bridge that crosses over the Colorado River. You can go out on a walk way to get a really nice view of the dam. We had the most perfect day, it was bright and sunny and cool with a breeze. We took the Power Plant Tour and really enjoyed that. Except for the seepage of water in the tunnel part of the tour. They tell you there's nothing to worry about, it's only seepage, you only need to worry if there's a leak, but let's face it, the only difference between a leak and seepage is the amount of water making it through. It makes me nervous!! Very NERVOUS!! The tour was very informative and interesting. We even ran into a neighbor of my father and Sandy's from their neighborhood in Philadelphia taking the tour. How is that even possible? You leave home travel almost completely across the country and you find someone you know from the neighborhood. Unbelievable!!!!!! After the tour I was able to get some photos and Spanky even got some photos and a Hoover Damn pin. 

Then out to dinner. We really had a fun day, but we ended it on the early side because tomorrow the PA group heads home. Daddy and Sandy leave for the airport early and Kim, Robert, and Alex leave later in the day. It will be such a shame to see them go. Sunday Steve and I will be leaving for Flagstaff. It will be good to get on the road again. 

Day 150

The Strip

Oct 3, 2013, 10:10 PM

What a WILD day!! We road the bus to the Mandalay Bay, on the strip then started working (riding trams and walking) our way north. We hit the Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York, Bellagio, and Paris. By the time we got to Paris we were ready for a break. We had covered a lot of territory by this time. It was a full day already. Kim and I had decided early on we were going to make a concerted effort to photo bomb people taking selfies. Come on, you know you want to too. Anyway, we had done some shopping, we watched fountains, we went back into the Bellagio to take photos of a fall decorated courtyard. I'd left my camera at home forgetting that there were so many things to take pictures of. Thank God for Sandy having her camera and she very graciously allowed me, to borrow it for the day. There was the cutest covered bridge with little water arcs, daddy and Sandy wanted a nice photo at the beginning of the bridge under the water, Kim who had been dying to put her hand in the water to make it splash on the people that were posing under it saw her chance, so as daddy and Sandy were waiting for me to snap she splashed the water and daddy and Sandy got it good. Oh we do have fun!!!!! We were having fun, but now we were tired and we wanted to sit and take a break. We'd walked down to Paris and we were walking around the casino looking for a nice lounge, we saw a sign for the Neapolitan Piano Bar, they were doing 2 for 1 drinks 4-6PM. So we found the bar and went to open the door, it was locked. We checked the time, it was 4:15PM. We checked the sign again, it didn't mention specific days. I knocked on the door, there was a bartender speaking with someone that I could see right through the door, but did they even look my way? HELL NO!!!! As a matter of fact they walked away. Now that got me HOT!! As I turned around there were two people in suits walking by, we grabbed them and asked what the deal was. The gentleman went to the door to knock, but they were ignored too. Oh this isn't going well. Both of them got on their phones, they were making calls left and right. They got a hold of the Beverage Shift Manager. While we waited for him to show up, Steve was pissed and ready to leave but at this point it was a matter of principle. I don't put up with people shitting on me and that's how it felt, I at least wanted to see this through. While we waited we did have a nice conversation with the first two people that came up, they were asking us about our trip and where we were all from. The Beverage Manager  came up, opened the doors, and apologized, but that didn't change the service level. We went in but the bimbo waiting tables still ignored us. As we walked past her, she was holding open the door, she told us, "You can come in but we aren't ready for you". This girl finally came near the table and it was just to wipe it down, REALLY. We wait longer, she comes back around and puts a candle on the table and handed us drink menus. She had nothing at all to say to us, she didn't take our order and she acted like we were really annoying the hell out of her just being there. Kim was sure they were going to spit in our drinks, we were pissed, we left. We were walking away and the Beverage Manager came running up to us to find out what had happened. So we told him what had transpired after he had the lounge opened. We really didn't appreciate the attitude from the server and we were leaving. He was so apologetic and he offered to take us to their bar on the casino floor and he wanted to buy us the first round of drinks. We went and had our drinks and we did have very nice service. Then he brought Steve and I a bottle of champagne and fancy chocolate. We did appreciate his attempt to make amends. We decided to take the bottle with us and I sampled the chocolate, it was very nice. We discussed it at the table and we came to the decision to give the bottle of champagne to the first bridal couple we found and really make their day special. 

After this we made our way down to the Venetian. We watched Gondola rides and just took in the beautiful scenery of the Venetian Casino. We found a very good Asian Noodle place to eat and sit but I think that was our down fall. We sat for over an hour and rested our tired feet and when we went to leave oh that was difficult. I think that caused a quicker end to our night than might have otherwise been. We wanted to see the pirate show at Treasure Island so we again walked out to the street and down to Treasure Island. As we are fighting the crowds someone kindly told us that the pirate show had been canceled sue to the high winds, so now back home. At this point I am thanking God we are going home I'm beat. Kim and I were going to play some more roulette, but the tables upped the minimum bet and we weren't willing to lose that much money. So the night was done!!!!! (Or so we thought) Steve and I said good night to Kim and went out to the street and what we saw will scar me forever. We ran into a man and woman pirate street performer/picture taking type persons. When we got closer we realized the female pirate was wearing a skirt, corset and a tri-corner hat, a smile, and NOTHING else, plus this woman was HUGE, and she was decorated with sequined pasties, and I don't mean the meat pie pastie like in Michigan either. Oh it was not pretty, however a tourist family felt it note worthy and they gave their baby to the woman and took pictures. YUCK!!!! 

Well I'm a day behind on my blog, but I will catch up. Good night all!!

Day 149

Fun In Vegas

Oct 2, 2013, 9:39 PM

Oh my gosh what a great day we had today. We started out going to Walmart, while there we decided having dinner at the RV one night would be a perfect idea. So we decided today would be the day to cook since we already lost time, we got what we needed, went back to the RV to start the process, then went to the pool for the afternoon.  We had a great time there!! The Golden Nugget had a nice pool with a slide/tube that goes through a shark tank. It was lots of fun, but the best part was when Kim came down the tube almost side ways to make sure we could see her, you could see through the fish tank, the tube that goes through the tank is clear, Alex was able to completely stop so we could wave, daddy almost got stuck, it was a riot. After the pool dinner was ready and great, then on to Fremont Street again. 

I wanted to get some photos, of course. Well the people that walk around Fremont Street all dressed up are very obnoxious, they think that walking around dressed like freaks gives them the right to demand money for photos. WHATEVER!!!! People that were worth photographing were more than willing to have you take their photo. However I did have fun screwing with some of the really obnoxious ones. We watched the spray paint artists again, we saw the cellists, and the Indian puppet dancer. 

There was a group of people walking around, one of the women had a post-it note with Happy Birthday BJ on it and she was asking people to say that to the guy in the orange shirt a few steps ahead. OH YOU KNOW US, we made BJ's night. We wished him Happy Birthday, Kim photo bombed him a few times. The guy thought he had a sign on him somewhere cause people he didn't know were wishing him a happy birthday. We played with them for a good long time. We got photos, BJ was having a picture with the show girls, we got the entire street to wish BJ a happy birthday. It was fun and they were terrific people. We could have partied with them, in the middle of the afternoon Hotel Security had to come to their room to make them be quiet. MY KIND OF PEOPLE!! After that Kim and I were going to play Roulette again, but none of the tables looked fun so we decided to wait till tomorrow. We walked Kim back to her room and laughed so much on the way, people must really wonder about us, no alcohol at all and we act more drunk then the drunks. 

We are having the MOST fun. I can't wait for tomorrow. 

Day 148

Vegas Day

Oct 1, 2013, 9:48 PM

What a crazy day, I'm not even sure where to start. . . We went to the airport to try to get Kim, Robert, and Alex and they had to check bags and they were very early, but then daddy and Sandy's flight was early too. So everyone ended up at the airport within a few minutes of each other and we only have a five seater, so we took daddy and Sandy to the hotel and Kim, Robert, and Alex took the shuttle. It was one of those perfect days, everyone was able to check in early. So we got together and went to a buffet lunch, of course. We had so much fun, we were laughing so hard Steve tried to sit at another table but the hostess chased him back to our table then she talked to us for about ten minutes. Food, fun, laughs, family, it doesn't get much better!!!!! At this point we were going to walk around a bit, but when we passed a Roulette table Kim and I squealed and we had to play. The very nice Roulette guy and the men at the table talked us through how the game was played, what the game protocol was, and the betting etiquette. We had a blast. Kim, won $33, I lost $5, but that's OK. Then we did walk around Fremont Street. 

After a while walking around Fremont Street we went back to one of the rooms and played card games, I think between Sandy and I we were the big winners, however Kim will try to convince you that she was the winner because she had the high score (which was to loser). Then we went out to Fremont Street again, it was dark now. At first I thought the light show was a big disappointment because it was just advertisements, but then we were there at the right time and the music started, the light show started and although it was too loud, no I'm not getting old, it was loud to the point of distortion. Even the people sights were interesting. We saw guys making pictures with spray paint, we saw Michael Jackson and Marilyn Monroe, Transformers, and super heroes, and those were the benign sights. Some FUN!!!!!!!!!!!

Goodnight everyone, expect more fun in tomorrow's blog. Have a great night.