Hoover Dam and Vegas

Thursday July 12, 2012

Last night was the beginning of sorrows as it relates to my cold. My throat was sore and I didn't sleep as well as the nice accommodations provided. Regardless, we have a full day planned starting with the Hoover Dam and bypass bridge.

We crossed the bypass bridge last night, but it was rather anti-climatic as the high walls prevented us from seeing the grandeur of the Hoover dam from the lofty perch of the bridge. I'm very anxious to walk across the bridge today as I was unable to do so on my last trip (I was in my motorcycle garb and the logistics were just too difficult). The bridge is over 900 feet to the river below and the view should be fantastic.

To get to the bridge walkway, we have to scale a couple of stairways and some switchbacks along the path leading to the walkway. Just as we are completing this hike and turn the corner to the entrance, we notice crowds of people coming from the bridge walkway and what appears to be a small crowd gathered on the walkway itself. There's murmuring in the crowd and it's soon apparent that a troubled soul has climbed over the guard rail and is perched on the edge. The person is far enough away that it's not easy to see, but it's painfully obvious what is happening. It is only moments later that a short-tempered man flashing his official credentials tells us all to back away from the walkway entrance. Shortly thereafter, we are all informed that we must leave the area.

There's nothing left to do but go tour the dam.

We took the official super tour of the dam and were able to walk inside the corridors and see the inner workings of the operation. It was most interesting and educational.

After all our touring of the Hoover dam facility was finished, we headed on to Vegas. I regret not getting to walk across the bridge, but I regret more the troubled soul who felt his only option was to jump from a bridge. We left Hoover Dam not knowing the fate of the confused individual.

Vegas is just a short twenty miles or so from Hoover Dam and we plan to eat at a restaurant I discovered on my spring trip. It's of the Mexican variety and is in the Eastside Cannery casino. After much mis-navigation, we finally find the casino and head inside; it's really hot out in the desert sun today.

Unfortunately, the restaurant doesn't open until 4:00PM and it's only about 3:30PM. What to do, what to do? There are so many slot machines just sitting there, I decide to tempt Debbie into giving it a go. We find the least confusing looking machine and proceed to insert a dollar bill. After about three spins of the wheels, the money is gone. That wasn't much fun. After a little head scratching and deliberation, we conclude that the wager was set too high and insert another dollar. This time, it takes several spins before we deplete our dollar's worth of credits. Just as we're having fun loosing our dollar bills, a security guard queries us about the ages of Audrey and Jill. As it turns out, minors can't be in the gambling pits. Who knew? From this point forward, we have to play the machines on the perimeter. Jill can watch from the restaurant entrance which is about ten feet away.

No Slots for Jill

Finally 4:00PM comes and still the restaurant is not opening. What is the problem? Someone in our group finally read the sign on the door with some comprehension and noticed the days of operation were Friday -- Sunday, or something to that effect. We haven't eaten all day and the meal we had been saving our appetites for has just vanished. Bummer!

We head out to the car and start doing restaurant queries on the GPS and smart phone. It appears that a restaurant that was featured on "Diners Drive-ins and Dives" is very close by. The GPS is programmed with the address and we're off.

When we get to the address, the restaurant is nowhere to be seen. Another wild goose chase it appears. That of course doesn't stop us from continuing a futile search for this elusive dining establishment. Finally, we give up. We are just north of the stratosphere close to Las Vegas Blvd at this time, so we might as well cruise the strip and gawk at all the big casinos.

This takes about thirty minutes or so and afterwards, we are really hungry. Nobody is interested in searching for a local eatery so the first decent looking place is where we're stopping. That happened to be Chili's and everybody is happy again.

It's getting a little late so we need to find a place to stay for the evening. After consulting Trip Advisor on my smart phone, it looks like Circus Circus is a good option. Once again, we get a room for $40 that's really very nice considering. Parking is free also, so I'm really happy at this point.

After checking in, we decide to walk up the strip and gawk at the sights. Things in Vegas look way closer than they are. We make it to the Venetian and tour the facilities.

Inside the Venetian

After the Venetian, we're beat and head back to our hotel which is about a mile north on the strip. When we finally get back to our room, we're exhausted and ready for baths and bedtime.

Photos