Greasy Eyeballs, Ferengi Style

I don't blame him. I can't keep my eyes off her either.

Okay, where were we? I remember... on our way to Hoover Dam. The Dam is South and East of Las Vegas, on the road to Phoenix. In Boulder City, Nevada, we found ourselves in the wrong lane to bypass the business district, and since we weren't on a tight schedule, took the scenic route through Boulder City. It turned out to be a wonderful mistake. Leaving town on the East side we were thrilled at the views of Lake Mead. The road doubled back on itself several times, each view of the Lake as beautiful as the one before.
Mid-day traffic approaching the security checks was much worse than we experienced in the wee hours of Saturday morning, but it wasn't terrible. Big Bubba once again had to show Department of the Interior Officers what was beneath the tonneau cover, and in a few minutes we parked at the Dam to take the tour. I won't go into detail except to say I found it interesting and recommend it. The view from the overlook is worth the price of the tour, but if you have any interest in the extraordinary engineering involved in building the dam, you'll be doubly glad you stopped and took the tour.

Echo was right... we found ourselves saying, "Oh look this way!", time and time again as we drove Eastbound away from the Dam. The canyon views are indescribable.

Stressed and tired from two full days of walking and looking, my family went to sleep as I pointed the truck back toward Phoenix. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the already red hills turn the color of red wine as the sun got lower and lower... while listening to Big Bubba and Sara Jean snore and intermittently wake themselves with a snort. It's a good thing I love driving! We picked up Desi the Dachshund and made our way to BB's apartment, and in short order ALL of us were horizontal, snoring and snorting.

So now we no longer have to say we haven't been to Las Vegas. It's gonna take me a while to decide if I'd like to return... we dutifully followed Echo's instructions about the Dollar slot machine... money in, pull the lever... click, click, click... money gone. I guess I'm just too damn cheap... no kicks there for me at all. The mountains around Vegas are beautiful. There are other sights around town we'd enjoy seeing. By the time we drove by Fremont Street late Saturday night our "Dogs" were barkin' and we were too tired to enjoy it... we passed it by.

TC suggested a Vegas mini-reunion. I'd be up for that, simply because I'd like to see more of the Hotels... the Venetian, the Bellagio, and the Luxor, and I know I'd enjoy walking down Fremont Street. So if you think a Vegas mini is a good idea, say so in your comments!