Time to try this again....Randy woke me up at 6:30 this morning, to get ready to go get the tire fixed. He's letting me sleep in, compared to the recent 4:30 and 3:00 wake-up calls! The tire place is about a mile from the RV park so we got there by 7 am. They checked and aired the tire, put it back on, removed all the valve stem extenders, and we left by 8:30.
It's about 300 miles between Las Vegas and Vista. To our surprise we didn't run into any construction or traffic back-ups. Usually we take a few breaks along the way but this time we were afraid of missing the "no-backup" window of opportunity. So we only stopped for fuel and cruised on into Vista at 2:30.
Then we found that our spot was already occupied! Cousin Jack is at the Museum for a week and his view is that he has had dibs on that particular spot for the last two months. Since he was already parked there, he won. We moved to another area that is not used for parking, although it has water and electrical hookups. Surprise, surprise - the electric box has no place to plug in. Randy took a quick trip to the hardware store with Dan, got the right stuff, and created a plug-in. He gets to create plug-ins a lot - he's already done it at Mom's and at Jack's!
We settled in, then joined Dan and Ashley, plus Jack, for Randy's 50/50 burgers and Dan's grilled corn-on-the-cob. It's good to be back!
No travel today
Well, phooey. We were going to drive to Vista today but that didn't happen. Randy didn't wake me at 3 am to leave this time; he waited until 4:30. At 5 we were ready but his final check of the tires showed we have a flat. It's the inside rear dually - again. There isn't any reason for this! But it's definitely flat, and when we drove just to the front of the Resort to air it up at their pump, the tire came off the rim. Nobody going anywhere with that. And it's Sunday, so nothing is open.
Time to take a few deep breaths, let it go, and do what we can with the day. We did a little internal cleaning of the black and grey water tanks, then went nearby Town Square. It's a nice walk around there, even in this heat, and we got a couple of refrigerator containers at the Container Store. Most of the stores are surprisingly expensive, but I wasn't looking for anything anyway. The RV is full of things we need, or think we need, so there isn't a lot of spare room, plus my breakables always break.
Tomorrow we will see about getting the tire fixed. If that can be done quickly enough, we can still go to Vista. Otherwise it's another night in the Las Vegas desert.
Time to take a few deep breaths, let it go, and do what we can with the day. We did a little internal cleaning of the black and grey water tanks, then went nearby Town Square. It's a nice walk around there, even in this heat, and we got a couple of refrigerator containers at the Container Store. Most of the stores are surprisingly expensive, but I wasn't looking for anything anyway. The RV is full of things we need, or think we need, so there isn't a lot of spare room, plus my breakables always break.
Tomorrow we will see about getting the tire fixed. If that can be done quickly enough, we can still go to Vista. Otherwise it's another night in the Las Vegas desert.
Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace
We went to check out the shops at Caesar's Palace. Don't know how these shops stay in business - we didn't see anyone with shopping bags. And it's easy to understand why, at these prices! I found a lovely pair of Jimmy Choos. Cute as they can be. Adorable. Costs $1,500. Not going home with me.
Caesar's Palace has made some changes, trying to keep things fresh. In one of their large atriums they built a stage populated with good animatronics, themed in Medieval Fantasy. The Dragon behind the King's throne is kitschy, but overall it was still well done.
And the base of the display is a round aquarium, full of pretty fish and stingrays.
Caesar's Palace has expanded a lot since we first visited it. They have more shops than ever on three stories. Everything in Caesar's is attractive, even the stairways. The big curved stairway at one end is really a curved escalator.
Outside the lights were coming on and the sidewalk acts were starting. Most are pretty bad, a few are OK, and occasionally someone is really good. Today the good act was a group of 5 young men, dancing in coordinated sync to Michael Jackson's music.
For dinner we went to Silverton Casino, very near our RV park. Saturday they have a Polynesian Buffet. We figured it must be good because there were a lot of Hawaiians in line. And we had a two-for-one special, so it seemed like a good deal. What we didn't know was that a huge group had just been seated, and every seat in the restaurant was full. By the time we realized there would be quite a wait, we had already invested a chunk of time, so we decided to wait it out. We were in line almost 1 1/2 hours! It was not worth that, almost nothing could be, but actually it was a good meal. And their prime rib was excellent, which is really unusual for a buffet.
For dinner we went to Silverton Casino, very near our RV park. Saturday they have a Polynesian Buffet. We figured it must be good because there were a lot of Hawaiians in line. And we had a two-for-one special, so it seemed like a good deal. What we didn't know was that a huge group had just been seated, and every seat in the restaurant was full. By the time we realized there would be quite a wait, we had already invested a chunk of time, so we decided to wait it out. We were in line almost 1 1/2 hours! It was not worth that, almost nothing could be, but actually it was a good meal. And their prime rib was excellent, which is really unusual for a buffet.
Fare-Thee-Well, Pahrump
While we were in Pahrump we were investigating a position as a Resort Manager. Our initial impression of the Resort was favorable but every day revealed new and serious problems that needed to be fixed. Randy developed plans to solve the problems while increasing revenue, but the Owner and Randy were not on the same page. When he made us an offer yesterday, it was a probationary position, which meant Randy would be allowed to do the work, receive very little pay, and have no authority to accomplish anything. That offer was easy to refuse.
At that point there was no point in remaining in the desert longer so we were ready to move again. We had really enjoyed our brief return to the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum, so Randy texted the folks there to find out if they had a spot for us. They forgave us our wandering ways and welcomed us back. This morning we drove as far as Las Vegas, where we will spend a couple of days enjoying the Imperial Spa and some good restaurants, then go on to Vista. And I can't wait to get back there!
Dust devils
One of the most common sights around here are dust devils. It looks like a small fire is burning somewhere, but it always turns out to be just dust and wind. Someday there will be a real fire and nobody will notice!
Nevada's nature
Today I found a large, unusual beetle in the laundry room. I freaked out but locals laughed at me, saying it was probably a water bug. "Water bug", it turns out, is a local name for a roach, similar to how "Palmetto bug" is a South Carolina name for roach. But I knew it wasn't a roach. Good thing,too - if I found a roach this big, I would have to move.
I decided I had to know that the heck this is, so I tossed a couple of pennies on the ground for perspective (upper left), let the bug out of the cup I had captured it in, and took a picture as it ran away.
A few minutes on Google and I learned that it's a Palo Verde Beetle. They grow over 3 inches long (which in my opinion is way too big) and they aren't harmful to us, but they aren't very good news for trees.
I decided I had to know that the heck this is, so I tossed a couple of pennies on the ground for perspective (upper left), let the bug out of the cup I had captured it in, and took a picture as it ran away.
Las Vegas trip
Saturday we drove to Las Vegas to go to Costco. That seems like a weird way to spend time in Vegas, but we needed some stuff, we only wanted to be there a couple of hours, and we didn't want to gamble. So going to Costco and some other stores was a nice way to spend the afternoon. We also went looking for a nice place to have lunch, and found the Hash House A Go Go. Their food is good and the portions are HUGE. We ordered one pork tenderloin and had more than enough to split.
Our new GPS has some unusual traits that we haven't gotten used to yet. One is that if our car is facing one direction, she assumes we need to go that direction, even if turning around would make a lot more sense. Today that little trait got us headed out of town on the northern route, driving just south of the Nellis Air Force Base. I thought our GPS had lost its little mind when it described the landscape with a series of angles...
but it turns out the GPS was right - Nellis' border really does look like that.
But no matter which way we drive, there just isn't much to see on these roads. Good thing it's beautiful in its own way.
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