After celebrating the 14th birthday of Grandson, Sean, with Gary and family and sharing Easter brunch with Terri, we fired up the Diesel and were off to Las Vegas for a liaison with our friends, the Gerstens (Bob and Marvis) from Connecticut and the Van Horns (Bob and Kitty) from Florida.
From Left to right, the Gerstens, the Burns', the Van Horns.
We settled into the RV Park at the Circus Circus and cell phoned our friends who were "out and about" in a shopping mall. From their adventures at the "mall" the couples came by to greet us and check out our "on the road" travel mode before all of us headed to the Venetian for dinner and an evening of sharing memories in the Gersten's beautiful well appointed suite. So went our first day in the city that never sleeps.
Our next day was spent "hotel hopping" in this city of plastic. San Francisco, New York, New Orleans and London have a spirit that excites the senses and sparks the imagination. Las Vegas has plastic and lights! When one looks at the beautiful facade of fiberglass and plastic it is difficult to imagine that Las Vegas will ever be anything more than the glitz that shows. Millions of dollars have been invested to lure the masses to sustain the “scam” that supports that glitz and glamour but alas, it’s just a facade. It fulfills a need for escape and keeps alive the ever lasting hope of “hitting the big time” for some. For others, it brings misery. Different strokes for different folks. I have no quarrel with the Las Vegas premise, even enjoy it in moderation, but honestly, does it have any vindicating factors? Perhaps I would feel different if I ever really won the big money but I was not blessed with a four leaf clover.
Nevertheless, touring the lavish hotels and visiting the shops was an experience and fun as well. At one of the hotels, we stopped in a shop that displayed expensive and inordinately pretentious, though unique and beautiful diamond studded and sequined evening purses and accessories (all properly secure in locked glass displays). They were beautiful but for me, my highest praise was GAWDY! When I could contain myself no longer, I mused to Marvis and Kitty in my usual pointed and “painfully” unsophisticated manner that “ I would be terribly out of place carrying one of those purses to a barbecue at the RV Park. “Whether it was what I said or a wise clerk (as the other clerk claimed to Marvis later) we were completely ignored. Marvis later inquired of the clerk, “who buys those beautiful purses these days?” Looking down her “snooty” nose, the clerk replied in a “snooty” fashion (as if we had just fallen off the “turnip truck”, “Oh people attending our shows, night clubs, theatres etc. Another clerk, a man, chimed in by observing that the clerks had sensed that we were not the “type” of people who were likely to be interested in their “wares” and thus unobtrusively stood aside while we “window shopped”. To our amusement, Marvis diplomatically but pointedly put the pair in their place. They may have thought they were insightful but I thought it was “class” profiling and I resented it. I may be a “hillbilly” but my “comrades” are not! .
As we “ worked the strip”, Ken pointed out with pride several items of fiberglass that his company had produced. We were properly impressed. There is much creative imagination portrayed in the many beautiful buildings but I remain steadfast in my opinion that it does not reflect an inspired genius likely to pass the “test of time”. It is hard to imagine any of those buildings being preserved as part of any national heritage worth remembering.
Opting for a late lunch, we arrived at the Bellagio a few minutes before the luncheon buffet closed and were assured that we could stay as long as we wished. We enjoyed lunch and stayed on for the fine dinner buffet which consisted of prime rib and assorted fish delicacies. Ken is still obsessing over the muscles, but found the crab legs a little tasteless. It was all very good, well prepared and priced reasonable. Lunch and dinner was enjoyed by all. We returned to the Venetian for a last visit with Bob and Kitty before they headed for the airport and the Gerstens and Burns’ took to the “down town” scene.
Tuesday we did a quick tour of Death Valley, We entered the park at Beatty, toured Stove Pipe Wells; the former Borax mine facility and stopped at the Furnace Creek visitors center where we watched a video of the valley, its wildlife and its history. I used the video presentation as a good time to catch my afternoon nap, content to rely on Ken and the Gerstens to let me know if I missed anything of importance. I managed to avoid “snoring” because Ken always pinches me when I snore in public places. Is that a “spousal abuse” syndrome? After our “entertainment” we exited via Death Valley Junction, had dinner at a Pahrump casino where seniors could eat two for one. It was a buffet but the food was good and the price was right. Hey – a bargain is a bargain. So went another day in the city of plastic.
Wednesday morning we joined Bob and Marvis for a “flyover” tour of Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the Grand Canyon capped off by lunch at the Grand Canyon. I have a fear of heights and when there is turbulence, I am a basket case. As it turned out turbulence was not too severe and the beauty of the scenery below kept my interest and distracted my fears.
We returned to the hotel at 430 just in time to catch the Sea battle at Treasure Island which was a “never to be repeated” experience. Bob and Kitty cued us as to the best place to view the show from but alas, we arrived too late and thus, had to cope with the “masses”. [Pictures of the action at Treasure Island}
The presentation was okay but a 30 minute wait for a five minute show tends to denigrate ones enthusiasm, especially for someone who does not like to wait. A presentation of ‘THE LORD OF THE DANCE” at the Venetian provided a wonderful evening to an exhilarating day. We enjoyed it immensely. It was superbly orchestrated, well produced and well performed.
Bob and Marvis had a 1AM flight out on Friday. We picked them up at the hotel lobby after check out on Thursday morning and drove out to Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the surrounding area. Ken, Bob and Marvis toured the dam and viewed first hand the inner workings of that engineering wonder.
THE MIGHTY COLORADO RIVER.
Our otherwise smooth day was interrupted momentarily en route back to town when the brakes on the car locked. Ken called the Auto Club but by the time the truck arrived the brakes had cooled and unlocked themselves. We were able to get back into town under our own steam and completed the day with dinner at Lawrys, a La Vegas location for a highly acclaimed Prime Rib restaurant in Beverly Hills. After dinner we dropped Bob and Marvis off at the airport and headed back to our humble abode at the Circus Circs. Another wonderful day of a great week shared with good friends acquired in another adventure in another country.
On Friday morning, after a brief stop over at the Saturn dealer to get the brakes fixed. (The brake attachment that connected to the coach was too tight – simple but what do we know?) Ken returned just in time to make the 12 noon checkout deadline and we headed to Death Valley for some real exploration of the lowest and often the hottest place in the United States ( 280 feet below sea level.) Below is a shot from Dante's View 5,475 feet above sea level.
My curiosity about Death Valley had been satisfied by our quick one day drive through with Marvis and Bob but Ken insisted that there was much more to see. He was right. The desert flowers were beautiful and the star studded night sky awesome. It was also extremely windy because of a weather front that was passing over. By now, I am becoming convinced that the wind is “haunting” us wherever we go. On Saturday we did a loop taking in Zabriskie’s Point and on to Dante’s View from which we could look down upon Badwater, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere plus the surrounding snow capped mountains. We passed on the 20 mile loop through Twenty Mule Team Canyon and proceeded on to Death Valley Junction where we took the loop past Ashland Mills a former gold processing mill, through Badwater, 280 feet below sea level, and Artists Pallette loop (the pallette was a little “iffy” to my imagination, but I’m not very imaginative when it comes to color. We completed this phase of our trip at the lovely Furnace Creek Inn and viewed the gardens and unique accommodations available there. We completed our sightseeing with a tour of Scotty’s Castle, designed as a vacation retreat for wealthy Midwesterner, Albert M. Johnson and his wife. However, to everyone else, it has always been known as Scotty’s Castle, named after Johnson’s friend , Walter Scott who introduced Johnson to Death Valley after Johnson invested in a non existent gold mine operated by Scott. As near as I can tell, Scott was a charismatic “con” man, who endured himself to Johnson for a friendship that lasted a life time. Scot, known as Death Valley Scotty, had free run of the ranch and all its amenities throughout his lifetime and was said to entertain and regale Johnson’s guests and family with endless stories of Valley folklore.
After our visit to Scotty’s Castle, Ken wanted to return to Death Valley Junction for am opera presentation at the Alomogordo Playhouse but I had endured a full day of photographing flowers, viewing spectacular sights and while I enjoyed the outstanding views, sights and sounds I was ready to call it a day. Death Valley has over 900 varieties of plants within the park. Ken wanted to photograph them all but had to settle for a sampling of the many beautiful flowers that we were able to photograph during our visit. A few of his “shots” are included with this dissertation. We found that one really has to get out and walk among the plants to see the true beauty of the landscape that is Desert Valley. Spring is the best time to see this vast wasteland that has a beauty and mystery beyond imagination and a wet winter enhances the beauty by providing the water necessary to flourish the desert.
On Sunday, we climbed the passes, descended into valleys and ascended from 280 ft below sea level to Lone Pine, at the foot of Mount Whitney approximately 5,000 feet. We camped at nearby Big Pine where Ken threw in his fishing line for some fishing time. The next morning, Ken “baited the fish’ (or perhaps they baited him) before breakfast but alas, this was not “his” fishing trip. After breakfast, we “broke camp” and made our way home and once again, it was good to be home after a fun filled and adventurous trip with my micro tourist husband who never wants to miss a thing big or small.
Our return home was saddened by the news of the passing of Peggy Roth, mother of Raoul Roth. Until the last few months, Peggy was blessed with a good quality of life, her keen mind stayed the course and to the end, she was surrounded by a loving family. Although Peggy will be missed by her family, she leaves a “treasure” of memories that will keep her spirit alive and provide comfort to the loved ones left behind. Ken joins me in extending our heartfelt sympathy to our friends, Raoul, Jan and the Roth family.
More photos for your viewing pleasure (or displeasure) whatever.
