MONDAY APRIL 25 2011 We finally made it Nevada, the 'Silver State', and have obviously entered another time zone... We gained an hour, maybe that means we can stay up later tonight?? We had looked through all our RV park books and even checked out what our GPS could tell us about where to stay the night in Las Vegas... located in the Mojave Desert. Las vegas is the most highly popluated city in Nevada. It is an internationally renowm major resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining, and labels itself as the 'Entertainment Capital of the World'. A growing retirement city, Las Vegas is the 28th most populated city in the USA. It was established in 1905 and officially became a city in 1911.
When we arrived in Vegas, we decided to do 'The Strip' in the RV. Wow, it was quite amazing, and we knew it must be so much more so come dark when all the neons are on... the town sure would sparkle and come to life. Quite exciting was our first drive down Las Vegas Boulevard...
Circus Circus... occupies 126,000 sq ft, and is located in 'The Strip'. It is owned and operated by MGM Resorts International. Circus Circus features circus acts and carnival type games on the midway. Circus Circus has the only RV park on the Strip (KOA). We didn't stay here. It was oficially opened 18 October 1968. The hotels famous midway was featured in the 1971 James Bond movie 'Diamonds are Forever'. Always nice to learn a little something along the way!!
Mandalay Bay
One of Trump's Towers...
The Luxor and Mandalay Bay
Mandalay bay, The Hotel
Amazing!! Looks just like gold!!
We drove to the first RV park we thought looked ok. It turned out to be too far away from all the action. We're right in the middle of 5pm traffic now, so there are some NOT very great places to be in an RV. Perfect time for the co-driver to open a beer!! We ended up at the Oasis RV Resort. We were pretty impressed when we got there. it sure looked like an oasis in the middle of the desert and we were very happy to make it home for the night. They have a swimming pool and all the kids wanted to do was go for a swim, but it was getting a little late for that so, after we parked the RV we went for a wander to check the pool out. It was just like being at the beach!! Sand all around the edge of the family pool and little straw huts/cabanas. There was also a pool just for adults, how smart is that??!! And a spa that after and before certain hours was adults only too.
The palm trees were so pretty when we drove in...
...and even more so when dusk came!!
Craig & I with Hurricane Ruby, just a ruby red blur!
Family photo time.
Me and my girls.
Brianna & I
We caught a taxi to 'The Strip'. We asked our driver where he recommended us to eat. We didn't feel like anything too fancy, just good American food, something steaky maybe?? He dropped us off at Mandalay Bay and suggested the 'House of Blues'. We found the restaurant and there was a short wait, that was ok, it was fun people watching. Definately all sorts in Vegas!!
Brianna outside the 'House of Blues'
I'm pretty sure the kids all had mac'n'cheese. Just seems to go down quick and easy and is obviously tasty!! It was quite noisy as the band was playing, luckily they had sat us about as far away as possible from it.
Ruby got up and started grooving to the music
Jack
Brianna
Jack, Brianna and Ruby lined up after dinner. The chairs were covered in beer bottle caps...very cool!!
Walking through to the Luxor...
As well as my fascination with Route 66, is another I have for Egypt!!
Love the Sphinx
Brianna and Jack
The Excalibur hotel and casino
Looking up the strip from one of the walkways across the road. Looks so exciting!! Unfortunately Brianna had her first real experience with a homeless man. We tried to convince her that her probably wasn't as homeless as he looked, or probably hd a gambling addiction or something similar... no she felt so sorry for him. Poor guy, just sitting there begging for money... I got over it pretty quick!!
We're obviously outside New York New York hotel and casino!
Jack thought we were in New York!! Easy to see how!!
Love this photo =)
Las Vegas Boulevard... so pretty. Once the kids saw the M&M's shop they just had to go there. I must admit it was pretty cool!! Brianna bought lip glosses for her friends in NZ. We bought some funky tumblers for all the kids. You could've gone nuts in there!!
Taken from another walk way across the road.
Tourist alert!! I had no idea until I was in CA (thanks Kathy!!) that these guys expected money before you were allowed to take their photos. I guess I'm just lucky he didn't bop me in the nose for not paying!! I bet they get a bit of that!! Fabulous costume though!! You can see why I had to snap him!!
The Harley Davidson Cafe
with a Harley Davidson bursting through the wall.
Some of the lights on buildings around Vegas are just amazing.
The Bellagio.
Louis Vuitton... they had amazing lights dancing on their building.
After we had pretty much worn the soles off our shoes from so much walking, we decided to go and catch a cab. That was not as easy as it sounds!!!... We ended up outside a hotel and they told us we shouldn't be ther if we weren't staying there. We told them we were just after a taxi and they said they weren't supposed to but since we had a young family they'd grab one for us. I guessed the funny way we spoke help too =) We got in and the taxi driver reckoned he had no idea where we th RV park was. We soon sorted him out!! It was pretty much at the end of the strip.. easy peasy lemon squeezy!! By the time we got back to the RV we were all pretty much aslep on our feet.
TUESDAY 26th APRIL We got up and had breakfast. Craig popped some washing on and I took the kids over to the pool. The day looks absolutely gorgeous but the wind was bitter!! That doesn't seem to stop the kids having a good time!!
Jack and Brianna having a blast in the pool!!
The water wasn't actually to bad it was just when you got out or part of your body popped out you got the icy cold blast!! We managed to drag the kids out of the water and back to the RV to get dressed. We checked out of the park and haded on our merry way. We drove back up the strip, because the GPS took us that way =)
The Luxor
The MGM Grand
The M&M's store
Look! Mickey and Minnie!! Homer Simpson and SpiderMan!!
Paris, another hotel casino in Las Vegas.
Brianna and Jack never though they'd get to see the eiffel tower in America!!
Treasure Island, yes another of those hotel casinos!
While driving down the strip I saw a Margaritaville. We tried to find a park but that's not an easy thing to do when you vehicle is 34 feet long!! We finally found one but it was too far away but close enough to the Nascar Cafe so we went there instead. It was located at the old end of the strip and it's a little run down. We were hungry and needed to eat so pretty much anything would do!! I think our biggest problems was we compared it with the Nascar Grill in Orlando. Not alike at all!!
Jack and a Dale Earnhardt car
The front end of a NASCAR mounted over the bar.
Ruby
Just like the Big Texan have a mammoth steak to eat in an hour and get it free, the NASCAR Cafe have a giant 6lb burrito. If you can eat it within an hour you can get it for free!! It looked a whole lot more appealing thn the 72oz steak, but you can only fit so much food in... surely?? He didn't make it. Had a pretty good go at it though =)
Ruby eating curly fries and chicken wings.
Side view of the car above the bar.
Lunch wasn't all that flash, but it did it's job and filled us up. Loved the curly fries and the kids love that the waitress will take your glass away and bring it back full!! Unlimited soda... YAY!!
Walking back to where we parked the RV we saw so many Chapels.. do we, don't we... nah!! So cheesy!! But still quite cool, obviously an older part of Vegas.
Craig recognised this from a movie, I can't remember which one but I'll find out and edit this. I love these old neon signs!!
We missed the famous Las Vegas sign on the strip so I got this one instead, almost the same.
Cupids Wedding Chapel... so cute and quaint!!
Goin' to the Chapel...
The neon horse and cabellero from the Hacienda Hotel
The Hacienda was demolished on New Years Eve 1996...
This is what it looked like in it's hey day...
Back in the RV and now on the road again. We had a great time in Vegas, a little different to most, I'm sure with having the 3 kiddlets!! Still great to see it through their eyes too. We had to go and check out the LAs Vegas Motor Speedway!! Pretty cool, but just so weird seeing such a great complex in the middle of the Mojave Desert!!
The Dale Earnhardt stand.
Enough of this place, and time to get on the road again. We decided Ely was a great place to aim to spend the night. So on we went!!
We don't really like the look ahead!! Looks like it may be a little cold in Ely tonight... about 7500 feet abover sea level... maybe that explains the snow??
We had booked in at a place called the Prospector Hotel and Casino. We thought we'd park outside, and go inside for a nice meal and maybe meet some locals over a drink or two...we had also ben given a voucher or a free margarita when we wnet inside. A good way to encourage us in to spend more money!! Unfortunately that was not going to happen. While Craig was inside checking in Ruby was inside the RV, very unwell. Suddenly sick while I was trying to fill her up with her dinner. Not so good. Anyway, I decided we'd go in anyway. Craig wasn't feeling super sharp either. We ordered our meals and got our free margarita. Then without much warning, Ruby was sick all down the front of me. Guess that's my fauly for pushing her beyond her limits!! We went back to the RV with our food in doggie bags and the margaritas in take away cups. Craig and Ruby sprawled out on the couch bed and Brianna, Jack and I ate our dinner. Time for bed, won't do us any harm to have an early night anyway!! Craig slept on the table bed and I slept with Ruby on the couch bed, was just easier to sleep with her if she was going to be sick. All night, I could feel my turn was coming...
WEDNESDAY 27th APRIL What a night!! We woke up in the morning and yep!! I had it now too!! One of the worse possible things that could happen... happened!! We woke up and our water pipes were frozen in the ground. The most needed thing in the RV was the loo. We ended up using all our bottled drinking water just to flush the toilet!! It wasn't going to be a fun day for anyone!! I couldn't even lift my head by the time we went to drive on out of Ely, so I slept on the table bed. Poor Craig had to drive. No way we could do anything else. We just had to get outta there!! Poor Jack is thinking... when's my turn?? We just went for it. 390 miles (628km) and 6 hours 44 minutes. So pleased when we finally made it there!! I bet craig was pretty pleased when he got out of the drivers seat too!! We'd made a quick stop at a Walmart for emergency Ruby supplies, then stopped for the night at the KOA in Meridian. Unfortuantely for all of us, except Brianna and Jack, there was a pool at the RV park. I told the kids since they'd been really good with all the driving that they could have a quick swim. I sure wasn't up for being upright for too long. But they needed a treat for being so good. I didn't eat dinner, tv dinners for everyone else!!
