Vegas…and Another Dam Thing

Family week in California was special and leaving everyone was more than difficult, but time and trailer move on. Next on the itinerary was Las Vegas where we would spend four nights at Desert Eagle Campground on Nellis Air Force Base. The five-hour drive was uneventful except for one rest stop where Helen took a picture for a group of Japanese students out for some fun in the desert. I recorded the moment as well.

Desert Eagle is one of the largest military campgrounds in the country with 226 RV sites. It offers full hookups, laundry, game room, WiFi, and the cleanest showers we’ve used on this trip. Also, we had the good fortune of an assignment to one of the few sites with good shade all around. The temperatures were beginning to heat up just a bit when we arrived, and we were grateful.

Although casino-hopping was on the agenda, we didn’t want (nor could we afford) to do that alone, so we mixed in some sightseeing while the slots warmed up for us. Our first excursion was a one-hour drive to Hoover Dam, the largest hydroelectric facility in the world. As residents of the Tennessee Valley, and customers of TVA, we wanted to compare our dams to this dam. Ours didn’t measure up.

Hoover Dam is a massive structure. The picture at right lists some of the dimensions of the dam.

Lake Meade, created by Hoover Dam, is almost 500 feet deep at full pool. Equally amazing is the fact that construction began in 1933 and the first generator went into operation three years later.  In today’s world, it would take ten times that long to complete an environmental impact study and get a permit. Below the dam, the Colorado River flows southward.

We participated in a power plant tour and walked deep into inner portions of the dam to one of the generators.  All I could think of is that one of the concrete walls in front of me held 35 billion cubic meters of very cold water. I was glad to resurface. Helen and I walked to the Victory Statue that marked the completion of the dam and placed our hands on its shiny brass toes.  Supposedly this gesture brought good luck. Good luck in Las Vegas is a valuable commodity, so we gave those toes a big squeeze and hoped for the best.

While on this trip, Helen and I have tried our best to walk 10,000 steps at every opportunity so, on the day following the dam visit, we decided to walk much of the Las Vegas strip for some hotel visits and people watching. On the way downtown, we stopped at the Stratosphere to get a view of the city from the top of the hotel tower. The day was clear, the view stunning, and just as stunning were the people lined up to bungee jump from the tower…and, they paid good money to do it. I watched as one jumper suited up and walked to the ledge. I saw him jump but didn’t wait for the bounce.  I hope he made it back, he had a cute girlfriend.

Later, we parked Butch (truck) in the lot behind Bally’s and began our stroll by walking toward Caesar’s Palace. Helen was eager to try her luck after giving Victory’s toes a good rub the day before. She should’ve rubbed a little harder.  We moved on to Bellagio’s and paid $45 for one drink and a glass of wine. We decided to savor our drinks slowly while walking through the Japanese Flower Garden displayed in the Exhibit Hall. My pictures don’t do justice to the real thing, but hopefully readers will get a feel for the beauty surrounding us.

Our stroll continued for another hour or so until we reached Bally’s.  It was time to get serious, and our step counter showed that we had logged over 14,000 steps for the day and I was ready for a break. Helen had received a tip from a friend who suggested she find a Gremlin slot machine where her friend’s daughter had done very well on a previous visit.  The Gremlin gobbled Helen up in short order and she moved on. I lost track of her when I settled in with a Wheel of Fortune machine and held my own for an hour or so.  In the end, we balanced each other out (more or less) and had a very pleasant time.

We spent the remainder of our time in Vegas making use of the great facilities at Nellis to catch up on laundry and use the WiFi to catch up on things back home. We ventured into town again to do some shopping and enjoy a meal or two.  Pawn and Thrift shops are a favorite destination of mine in casino towns.  You never know what some unlucky gambler will part with to buy gas money home. Helen located a very popular shop on Trip Advisor and we found it on the southern end of the strip.  I purchased a model car to add to my collection of miniature ’55 Chevys.  It was a bargain.

Vegas was great. Nellis was great.  There are times when we measure luck in more than money.  We know we’re truly blessed…it’s time to be Easin’ Along.