We are writing this on the way to Mammoth Lakes, CA
Dave here – what a great day, mainly because we are leaving Las Vegas. I don't think Lisa shares the same sentiments, but here are some of my thoughts on Las Vegas.
There are two tourist attractions in Las Vegas – the old time gambling dens in the old downtown and the new ones out on the Strip. A few years ago my daughter and her husband and Lisa and I visited Las Vegas. We stayed out on the strip, had a great time gambling and walking along the trip watching the water shows at Bellagio and Treasure Island. I remember it as being a very pleasant stay and wanted to go back. We traveled down to the old gambling area by car and drove around a bit and I always had the desire to go back to the old part of town and spend some time there. We decided to do that this time and arrived at the outskirts of the old downtown and stopped at a cheap hotel. As soon as we arrived and parked the car, I noticed a young black fellow wearing a long sleeved white shirt on top of a couple of other shirts with a black scull cap and a backpack slung over one shoulder. He entered the parking lot of the motel and casually strolled in the 100 degree plus heat back toward our car. I was hidden from his view on the passenger side but could see him through the windows. As soon as he saw me standing alongside the car he turned away from me and strolled out of the parking lot. Within about a minute he appeared again outside another entrance to the parking lot even closer to our car and appeared to be watching me and the car. I wanted to let him know that he was being watched too so I stood out from the car with arms on hips and stared right at him. He stared back for a bit and walked away. My police training taught me wearing a long-sleeved shirt in hot weather may be an indication of a drug addict attempting to cover needle scars on the arms. In addition, I noticed some other people gathered on the driver's side of the car parked outside the parking lot dressed exactly the same – wife beater undershirt, black pants, red belt, black sneakers. One of these entered the parking lot. I gave him the same police stare and he turned and left. I went to the hotel office and described the above and asked if there was a problem here that I needed to be aware of. He said that he had noticed the activity. It came out that I had been a police officer and a fellow standing in the office introduced himself as a former DEA Agent. He said he had noticed the same thing. A short time later a police car pulled into the lot while Lisa and I were doing laundry but they departed.
We had a good time at the old gambling casinos. The hotel manager tipped me off that the best food to be had was at the Fremont casino at the Paradise Buffet. He was exactly right. A long line only increased our appetite but we sure ate well and reasonably priced. We liked the gambling there because we could still find slot machines that you could insert coins. Most of the the machines only accept bills or credit tickets. The atmosphere in the casinos had changed from our previous visit. There was no more clinking of coins rushing from slot machines and the loud alerts of winners. Everything was subdued and smokey. Las Vegas seems to be one of the last places in the US where smoking in a business establishment or restaurant is permitted. I don't remember being so annoyed with smoke the last time we were there. The light show on the immense ceiling which extends over 5 blocks of Fremont Street was awesome. Everything came to a standstill when the light show and music started. It was like watching a kaleidoscope of not only colors but faces and shapes rocketing acrosss the ceiling. We went back the next day to get souveniers and play some more games. On the way back to the hotel, at about noon, I noticed that we were being followed by a lone young black man, similar description to the gang members. Lisa noticed it too. I glanced over my shoulder and he turned away quickly. A few moments later I glanced again and he was again following us. The best way to win a confrontation is to avoid it. I stuck my right hand in my pocket as if I were handling a weapon. I glanced over my shoulder and he had turned away again and disappeared into a doorway. In spite of having fun there it was time to depart that area. We had tickets for Cirque du Soleil that night at New York New York Hotel and I had booked a room there as well with the intent of possibly staying there two nights. During that stay several factors disappointed me. The hotel layout seemed to be designed to confuse the patrons. It was very difficult to determine which way to go to get anywhere. It was a maze and I concluded, ultimately, to turn you into the gambling scene. In addition, there was a lot of construction inside the hotel which was further confusing since signs were not visible. Second, upon check in we were upgraded to a supposedly superior accommodation but it was actually no nicer than rooms we had already stayed in at half that price. Once again, designed to make you pay money. There was no coffee pot in the room, which every cheap hotel has. There was no continental breakfast available for free in spite of the high price of the accommodations, which all hotels also have now. In the old downtown there were plenty of food stalls with items for a dollar or two. The cheapest price I saw in the hotel for any food items was $6.50 for a hotdog. Downtown if you are gambling your drinks are comped, if you ordered at a bar the drinks were quite cheap. In the New York New York hotel, Lisa ordered a Bailey's on the rocks and it cost $9.75. Lisa and I had a good dinner but the meal cost well over $100 and the smoke still permeated the restaurant further diminishing our enjoyment. I don't mind paying a decent price for a decent return but I always had the feeling I was being taken. You might ask why didn't we go outside and shop around. It was over 100 degrees and much to hot to just stroll. Lastly, the gambling did not allow the use of coins – only bills or credit tickets. The best deal we had were the $50 tickets for Cirque du Soleil.
Well I am glad to be rid of Las Vegas. Death Valley was a pleasant change. More later.
As Dave spoke about earlier, we had a great dinner at an Italian Restaurant in the Hotel/Casino. We made reservations for 5 pm as the clerk for the Cirque tickets said we needed to be seated by 7 for the 7:30 show and not sure how long it would be for dinner. Got seated for the show and at 7:15 a woman and man came out on stage with some sexually oriented humor and devices and embarrased a lot of people sometimes dragging people on stage. We both decided we would beat them up if they tried to get us on stage. The show was touted as the “Sensual side of Cirque du Soleil.” There was something for everyone. Scantily clad or no clad beautiful women and men dancing and performing acrobatics.
After the show we went outside and walked the Strip for about an hour and a half. It was a pleasant stroll as the temperatures weren't too hot.
As we were driving through Death Valley, there was a sign “Avoid Overheating – turn off A/C for next 20 miles” as we were going uphill for that distance - from 282 feet below sea level to 5,000 feet above sea level. It was a nice gradual climb. So guess what happened next – we had to go down the other side of the mountain into a valley and back up into another set of mountains. Then down that one and then drove to over 7,000 feet to Mammoth Lakes, CA, where we are staying tonight. There is nothing here - you sure don't want to run out of gas or need a restroom because there is nothing for quite a distance, except cactus, rocks and signs for cows but didn't see them. We went to the lowest point in the US - Badwater Basin 282 feet below sea level. Dave, however, found a hole in the salt about a foot deep – stood in it and now claims he beat the US record. Badwater Basin used to be an ocean 10,000 years ago and now it is dried up and the salt remained. It was named Badwater due to a pioneer who couldn't get his mule to drink the water because of the high salt content. We walked out a ways into the Basin and we each touched some salt – just to be sure – and then tasted it. Sure enough – it was salt. I gave Dave a key chain with a thermometer on it and he put it on the salt. The mercury reached 116 degrees. And we were out walking around in that heat! It's a dry heat. One of the photos shows Dave with his hat sideways. He claimed his left ear, facing the sun, was about to “flashover”. Sure. In the photos, where you see all the white on the ground - that is the Badwater Basin and all the salt.
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