In October 2007, Mark
and I went to Las Vegas for 5 nights, with friends.
It was
our first trip to this wild city. We tried to see and
do as much as we could,
and we were pretty successful! Here's some highlights of our
trip!
Good Vegas links & tips at bottom of page.
After a couple days
on the Strip (photos on our 1st Vegas page) we
rented a car from
the
Flamingo's lobby. We started with a trip to Hoover Dam and
then Red Rock Canyon, only 20 min. outside The Strip! This was
fabulous.
HOOVER DAM
The Dam is a National
Historic Landmark and has been rated by the American Society of Civil
Engineers as one of America's Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders. Construction began
in 1931 and was completed in 1935.
The 1983
high-water mark or "bathtub ring" visible on the Lake Mead side.
The Western States received unusually high rain that season as a
result of an El Nino event. The bathtub
ring is white because of the deposition of minerals on previously
submerged surfaces.
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- Dam
height: 726.4 ft
- Dam
length: 1244 ft
- Dam
thickness: 660 ft
- 104
died building it
- Nevada
on one side
- Arizona
on other side
- named
after President
- at
the time, Herbert Hoover
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The Hoover Dam Bypass
Project. When completed, this signature bridge will span the
Black Canyon, (about 1,600 feet south of the Hoover Dam), connecting
the Arizona and Nevada highways nearly 900-feet above the Colorado
River.
It was really interesting to see this project underway. However there
was a big set back when
the two highline tower cranes fell unexpectedly during a windstorm in
the fall of 2006.
Thus the completion has been set back over 2 years till 2010.
This
project was conceived to address a number of traffic congestion and
safety issues, as approx. 17,000 cars pass over Hoover Dam daily.
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It only takes about
45 min. to get to Hoover Dam. After our visit there we went to Red Rock
Canyon.
A must stop if you are in Vegas, its only 20 min. from The Strip.
We are more nature travelers, so we really
enjoyed our afternoon here.
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area encompasses 197,000
acres within the Mojave Desert. It features a one-way
13-mile scenic drive, with several hiking paths. There is a Visitor
Center which offers information and interpretation about recreation
opportunities, wildlife, vegetation, geology and cultural resources,
plus a gift store.
Gorgeous
views and Joshua Trees - native to
southwestern North America. Confined mostly to the Mojave Desert, they
thrive in the open grasslands. They are not very sturdy
because of their shallow root area and top-heavy branch
system, but if they survive the rigors of the desert, one can live to
two
hundred years. The tallest trees reach about 15 m tall.
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The Desert Tortoise is the largest
reptile in the Southwest USA.
This guy was in a huge fenced in area at
the
Visitors Center.
The antelope ground
squirrel is easy to see during the day, they enjoy
foraging
and sunning themselves. They live in burrows,
which they dig
for themselves. They do not hibernate.
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This rock
formation is called the Calico Tanks.
It is the first big look out point on the route.
The weather for our Oct. 10th day was perfect.
The sky was a brilliant blue at this time of
day (around 4 pm) and where we needed it to
be blue, behind the beautiful red rock.
It was about 28 C (82 F) and a really nice breeze.
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To
fully appreciate the height, spot the climber on
the left, he's just a dot!
Then a zoomed in view above.
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 |
I love this photo. We
look so outdoorsy.
Please note
there is only a pop,
Gatorade, water machines for drinks.
NO food can
be purchased once you've
reached the Conservation area.
We hoped we
could pick up a
chocolate bar or something to get
us thru - no such
luck.
So go prepared!
It only cost $5 per vehicle to go thru the
scenic loop.
As you can see, it is well worth it! |
Various points along
the 13 mile scenic loop.
After our full day of
exploring Hoover Dam and Red Rock
Canyon we were starving!
About
10 min. from the Red Rock Conservation area is
Red Rock
Resort
and Casino.
We stopped in here for dinner, as I had read on the net they
had great restaurants. It is also a very pretty place.
We went with Salt Lick BBQ. We loved our pulled pork
sandwiches with coleslaw (on top of the pork).
Their BBQ sauce was SO tasty, very happy and impressed!
Look at the size for
$9.99!
When we got back to
the Strip we went to
MADAME TUSSAUDS WAX
MUSEUM
We really had a hoot
here. There are props you can use. We spent a good 90 min. here.
Some are more life like then others, but all are pretty good!
Yes
you can marry George Clooney. Dance with J Lo. Hang with Hugh Hefner.
Sing with Elvis.
Do American Idol. Share a look with the The Rock. With 100 stars,
its easy to get caught up in the fun.
Remember to
find a 2 for 1 coupon in a Vegas magazine or buy them at a
Tix 4 Tonight booth where they are $12 each instead of $24!
Finally, a
photo of us and our friends in Vegas!
We had a lot of fun times. Especially at Kahunaville at Treasure
Island. Awesome drinks, look for a guy handing out 2 for 1 drink
coupons after the Sirens show at TI.
Also danced and drank at Margaritaville in the Flamingo.
We frequented The Carnaval Court Bar the most - 3 nights!
It was just so fun and close to the Flamingo. Its part of Harrah's,
it is an outdoor place with a super band called The Garage Boys
(played during our visits).
We never had to pay a cover, not sure about the weekend?
Great dancing and watching the Flair
Bartenders was fun.
We had to head out on Friday morning for our early
afternoon flight.
Taking those airport shuttle buses works great.
As you can see, the airport is close to The Strip, Mandalay Bay
in-behind. However as close as it looks, its not something you could
walk to!
I had a bit of an issue thru security. Apparently my Seigfried &
Roy mini snow globe
was dangerous! I had to return to check in and put my carry on as
checked luggage.
Least our plane left on time and we made it home safe!
Going to Vegas from Detroit our plane was delayed 3 hours, then
canceled. Luckily we were there early and were put on a flight to
Phoenix, then on to Vegas, so we were there about the same time as
originally planned.
Vegas is a place
you'll enjoy seeing at least once. We aren't gamblers (obviously
this is the first time I even mentioned the word), we put in a
few
coins but didn't win. There's so much to see, gambling doesn't
have to
be a priority, unless you want it to be. We had 5 nights, but
with
travel time only 3 full days on The Strip and 1 day of renting a car
for out of town sight seeing. This was a good amount of time to
accomplish a lot.
I do recommend planning out your Vegas trip so you get in as much as
you can.
Enjoy!
BEST
TIP - buy tickets for most anything at a Tix 4 Tonight booth. There are
4 locations. They sell tickets at half off for most shows -
like magic, comedy, Star Trek & even for restaurants! Also has some
Cirque & big name shows. However obviously those sell out with in
minutes of opening - which isn't till 11 am. We used it for
Dirk Arthur Magic - only $15 each. Star Trek, half off the $42
reg. price. And half off Madame Tussands Wax museum, we paid $12 - its
normally $24. So it is well worth it to check out what these booths are
offering! Look for their coupons in various Vegas magazines. It will
give you front of the line access and $2 off their $4 processing fee.
OBSERVATIONS:
1.
Things, such as any of the sights, don't open until 11 am. I'm used to
getting an early start on the day when traveling - but
Vegas thrives on the night life, so stay up till the wee hours and
sleep in!
2.
Know the highlights, (things to go see) for each casino/resort before
you go. Even knowing what we were aiming to see, things were
difficult to find. As in not many signs and arrows anywhere saying what
to see. So know ahead of time.
Want to go to our first
Vegas page, photos from The Strip Casino's and Fremont Street.
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