We're on Our Way to Vegas, Baby!

For a while now, Melon Man has been harping that he needs to get away.  Well, so do I.  But, in a way, I was kind of tired of going to San Diego.  It seems that it's the only place we go anymore and we always eat at the same places and do the same things.  I wanted something different.  So, we planned this little jaunt to Las Vegas.  I'd always resisted going to Vegas for a vacation because we really don't condone gambling and we try to stay away from it ourselves.  So, we decided that we would stay at a lesser priced hotel, see a show, tour around a little, and eat.  Vegas is supposed to be good for eating, right?  We agreed upon an amount of money we were willing to spend (i.e."lose") on playing the slots, if we decided to play.  Mostly, we just wanted to get away somewhere different, have some romantic time together, and relax.

So, at 6:40 this morning, we were off.  We drove Dog to the Petshotel to stay with his friends.  He was so excited to go that he was whining 5 miles before we got there.  Then, when we got into the store, he practically wanted to run to the hotel part.  We got inside and he was like, see ya!  And, he was off.  So, with that, so were we.

We drove out to Wickenburg and went through the drive-thru for some breakfast.  We decided, after eating our breakfast, that we would take pictures of every single meal we had for Michigan Man since I always blog about food.  We laughed about that and continued on our way.  Soon, I was pulling my regular travel trick - falling asleep.  My head was bobbing up and down and side to side like an apple in a big bucket of water on Halloween.  But, I was tired!  At one point, I woke up and saw this:

I seriously thought Melon Man had gotten on the wrong road and was in Flagstaff or such!  But, he wasn't.  It had been raining most of the way since home and Kingman is high enough that the rain had turned to snow.  I had never been through Kingman when there was snow.  I so miss seeing snow! 

I then proceeded to take a picture of Melon Man and, of course, as usual, he pulled one of his wacky faces with fake smile.

So, I made him smile nicely for me and I took another picture.  Geez, why does he do that?  Silly man!  He's happy though...feelin' like a big man driving his my our big red truck.

It wasn't very long and we were coming up to Hoover Dam.  They are building a new bridge across the gorge so it will help alleviate traffic over the dam.  I think it has something to do with preventing someone from parking a bomb-laden truck on top of the dam too and blowing it up or something, but I don't know that for sure.  Anyway, as we started getting closer to the dam, there was construction everywhere.  They are FINALLY making the road a two-lane highway each direction.  THANK GOODNESS!

As you start to approach the dam even more, you see these big white things sticking up high above the mountains.  They have LONG cables attached to them, but you can't see where they go...yet.

Oh, but of course, wait, it's our turn to stop and be inspected before we can cross the dam.  Luckily, this line went really quickly.  It's amazing how our world has changed since the events of September 11th, 2001.

Once we got through the security checkpoint, this is what we saw...a new bridge - not THE new bridge over the gorge, but a new highway bridge that leads up to THE new bridge.

Yep, sometime in 2011, we will be driving on that overpass instead of the road we are on in this picture.  I can probably handle that one.  It's not TOO high.  As we started coming down the hill to the dam, I could not believe how low the water was in the lake behind the dam.  I've never seen it this low - ever.

Soon we crossed over the state line and we were in Nevada and a new time zone.

Unfortunately, I was on the wrong side of the truck to get any good pictures of the new bridge!  So, I will have to get them on the way home.  The rest of the drive was really quite short and soon we saw the Vegas skyline appear in the distance.

I have never been to Vegas on a vacation.  I have driven through there many times, but never stopped as an adult.  This was going to be a new adventure for me.  It was weird knowing this is a desert, but seeing actual mountains in the distance, especially with snow on them!  The temperature was in the mid-50s and was just lovely for me!

We decided to stay at the Treasure Island hotel.  We valeted the truck and went to check in.  It was only 11:30 in the morning and the line to check in was super long.  It took about an hour to get to the front desk to get checked in.  I wasn't too happy with that.  Plus, I discussed our room and show package with the person at the desk and asked for the discount package that had just been put on their website in the last two days.  That took forever to get worked out.  We got a nice room overlooking the strip on the 25th floor. 

We went to our room, relaxed for a few minutes and then I headed down to go get our show tickets.  Man, was I ever grateful I did it then!  There were only about 5 people ahead of me when I got there.  Later in the day when Melon Man and I were cruising around the hotel, the line was almost as long as the hotel check-in line!  We were able to get much better seats for less price with revising the package like we did, so that was nice.  I called Melon Man and he came down and I played a few slots while waiting for him to meet me in the casino.  We walked around and looked at some of the shops.  There really wasn't anything we wanted at that point...except, we decided to get an ice cream at Ben and Jerry's.  So, Michigan Man, here's Melon Man's cup of Chunky Monkey ice cream for you!

After the ice cream, we played a few slots and then we decided to take the tram over to the Mirage and see what it was like.  On the way there, we stopped in at the "Everything's $10" store and I bought 2 pair of sparkly earrings and a little cream evening purse.  Then, off to the tram.  It was a short ride but relaxing.  We got off, walked into the hotel, played a few slots without any luck there, then decided to go check out the shops there too.  Um, yeah, these hotels' shops are for people with a lot of money.  I can't buy DKNY, Ralph Lauren, Sephora, etc.  So, we decided to go back to our hotel and have dinner.  On our way out of the hotel, of course, Melon Man had to use the tinkletorium, so I waited for him by this Beatles Revolution sign.  It was kind of nifty and all kinds of people were taking pictures in front of it.  This was taken during a quick lapse in people picture takers.

Back on the tram we went.  We got there at 5 minutes to 4:00 and thought for sure we would end up paying for the dinner price, but luckily, we got in on the dinner menu for the lunch price at the hotel buffet. 

Melon Man LOVES eggrolls.  If there is an eggroll around, he will eat it.  He thought these were pretty good.  I went for the pork carnitas and tamales.  Those were good.  The rest...just ho-hum.  But...of course, more food pictures for Michigan Man....

So, after dinner, we went back up to our room.  The doors for our show didn't open until 9:00 so we took the time to....well, you know....what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Soon, it was time to head back down to the theater for the show.  It was a Cirque du Soleil show called Mystere.  Talk about AWESOME!  Those folks are so talented.  From the minute it started to the minute it ended, it was full of fun and thrills.  They entertained and involved the audience.  I would go to one of their shows again.  I have always loved watching acrobats fly through the air.  This was phenomenal!

After the show was over, Melon Man was hungry again so at 11:30 at night we headed to the Canter's Deli in the hotel.  We shared a pastrami sandwich and an order of onion rings and a drink.

It was alright, but it definitely was not Chompies!  So, off to the casino again we went.  Melon Man went one way and I went another.  After a while, I was pooped and losing money so I headed upstairs to the room.  I tried finding Melon Man but to no avail and I couldn't get ahold of him on his cell phone either.  He was just off playing a machine somewhere and having a little winning streak of his own.  Good for him!

When I got up to the room, I turned off all the lights and sat in the dark looking out the window at the scene before me.  The strip certainly is a lively place.  All the glimmering lights and all the cars and people roaming about.  It's weird how this town comes alive after dark!  Of course, I wanted to capture the sight on my camera, so I took about 20 different shots the best I could from my window, but I guess I should have brought my tripod and it would have worked better.  But, this isn't too bad, I think.  Lovely view of our parking garage right down in front, isn't it!?!?

Soon, Melon Man came "home" and we watched some tv and then went to sleep.  Tomorrow we have plans to meet up with Shelli for lunch at Hash House A Go Go and do some touring around the city.  We'll be sleeping with the drapes open all night to enjoy the fun scene outside...