Our Traveling Lifestyle: NEVADA

We headed for Las Vegas thinking to spend only a couple of days there seeing some of the new sights before deciding what our route would be for heading east. Route 93 from Wickenburg to Wikieup was very scenic passing through a Joshua Tree forest and an area of balancing boulders and mini hoodoos.

We crossed over the new bridge at Hoover Dam into Nevada on April 11th. Because high-profile vehicles had to drive on the inner lanes, the crossing was not as impressive as we had thought.

We found a good site at the Boulder Beach campground in the Lake Mead Recreation Area. Mornings we were awakened by the sound of helicopters starting the day’s tours of Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. Evenings, we watched the lights of airliner after airliner coming into Vegas.

Boulder Beach Campground is in the trees

Quiet until Easter week brought lots of families

We extended our stay as Nick decided to visit us during some of the time he had to be out of his apartment for mold removal. Also, Donna wanted to visit with her friend from Montessori Bowling days, Sally Skinner and with her niece, Ausrine, who was working at a health convention.

Nick

Ausrine and Donna

We would rate a visit to the Hoover Dam Visitor Center and the walk onto the Mike O’Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge as a MUST SEE. The sight of those two magnificent man-made wonders sitting in that very dramatic natural setting is breathtaking. The stories of all that went into their creation are fascinating. A teacher and now docent at the Boulder City Museum gave us some personal views about the people who worked on the dam as well as some of the happenings while the bridge was under construction.

Walkway up to the bridge

Bridge statistics and info are posted on signs along the way--no museum yet.

On the bridge looking towards the dam

Hoover Dam and the new visitor's center on the left

Depression art panel depicting Hoover Dam’s generation of electricity as creating development and settlement of the Southwest

Bridge from the Visitor Center

In Vegas we walked through the gardens at the Palazzo and the Bellagio and the Lake of Dreams at the Wynn. The aroma from the 2 tons of melted chocolate in the Chocolate Fountain at Jean Philippe Patisserie tempted us to indulge in one of their designer crepes.

The Atrium at The Palazzo

Coins looking like mosaic tile in fountain pool

Gondoliers at the Venetian on way to the Bellagio

Bellagio Conservatory

Flowers interpreting art

While heading for escargots for lunch at Paris, we volunteered to go to the Wyndam Resort Hotel to listen to their spiel. In exchange we got dinner and the “Legends in Concert” show at Harrahs that evening. We had a few words with Elvis as our photos were taken with him. Unfortunately Donna threw away the receipt for the photo. Walking on the Strip that Friday evening was like being on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Scantily-clad dancers and loud music were almost out on the sidewalk. Lots of tall drinks in exotic containers were being carried by young people in exotic attire.

We also walked through Crystals and Aria at City Center. We took a break and rested among crystal beading in a lounge in the Cosmopolitan on way to City Center.

Found a monorail that ran from the Bellagio to City Center