Viva Las Vegas ~

I arrived home this morning after returning on the redeye.  Thankfully non-stop, but hard to sleep on the plane and it was like sitting in an icebox for the four hour flight.  I still haven't quite gotten over the chills.

I had an absolutely wonderful visit with my son.  Even at 46, we made some great memories.

Our first stop was the Museum of Illusions on the Strip.  A few fun pictures.

Bill is skinny but not quite this skinny 😁

Squint and who do you see?

It wouldn't be a trip to Las Vegas without a stop at the Bellagio!

The Chihuly glass was a "must see".

The fountain show was not as spectacular as usual.  We were guessing it was a bit too windy for the extremely high jets of water.

Bill had heard that comedian Carrot Top put on a great show.  His show was rated #3 in Las Vegas a year or two ago.  He has been performing at the Luxor for 20 years.  I had heard of him, but had never seen any of his routines.  He was rather raunchy, very funny and high energy.

Have you ever heard of a ZOOX?  Neither had I.  It is a totally autonomous vehicle being tested on the Strip.  Currently free to ride, but I'm sure that won't last once the testing is done.  On the Zoox app, you tell where you are and where you want to go.  It seats four.  No driver, no steering wheel!  They are in high demand and we were thrilled to be able to get a ride in one.  We took it from one end of the Strip to the other.  A 19 minute ride with speeds up to 43mph (on a street parallel with the Strip).  So smooth.  Absolutely incredible.  One of the highlights of my trip.

That was just my first full day there!  So much more to share.

Thanks for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

The Bellagio . . . and more ~

A trip to Las Vegas would not be complete for me without a stop at the Bellagio on the Strip.  I am always mesmerized by the Chihuly glass hanging above the lobby.

The Conservatory and Botanical Gardens are just off the lobby.  They change the display several times a year.  The theme while I was there was the Lunar New Year.

The flowers are gorgeous.  They have 120 gardeners on staff!!!

Here is my #1 bad boy Bill.

The fountain, set to music, is incredible.  Since my videos are too large, I hope this link will work.  

We went to see a magician named Shin Lim at the Mirage.  I had never heard of him, but my son had seen him when he won America's Got Talent.  He is the only person who has won it twice.  It was pretty amazing what he could do with cards.

That pretty much sums up the highlights of my trip.  The best part was spending a few days with my son.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs 😊

Lauren

But It's a Dry Heat :)

Dry or not, 111* is H-O-T.  Kind of like sitting in an oven hot.  My son says when the hot wind is blowing, they call that the "hair dryer effect".

Long post here . . . but I must catch up before heading to August adventure #2 early tomorrow.

I have to tell you about my TSA experience.  I randomly got the TSA pre-check, but knew my carry on would be flagged.  I wrap the pumpkin rolls in aluminum foil, and they always pull the bag aside.

TSA:  I need a bag check.
Me:  There are pumpkin rolls in there.
TSA:  I need to check them.
Me:  OK.
TSA:  Do you always travel with pumpkin rolls?
Me:  Only when I am visiting my son :)

I had a wonderful visit.  It was so nice to spend a few days with him, hot or not.  Our first little adventure was to Goodsprings, home to the Pioneer Saloon.  

The oldest drinking establishment in Southern Nevada has been operating since 1913.  Disclaimer:  Card sharks are shot on site.  Horse thieves are hung out back.  Street girls bringing cowboys into the saloon must pay for the room in advance . . . lol :)

Old tin walls are original with bullet holes where in 1915 a card shark was shot to death for cheating at cards, ruled a justifiable homicide.  One room is dedicated to Clark Gable and Carole Lombard.  The area is near where Carole died in a plane crash in 1942.  Clark sat at the bar for several days burning holes into the bar top waiting news of his wife's fate. 

On our way back to the city, we stopped at Seven Magic Mountains.  I'm sorry.  I thought it was butt ugly and the darn thing cost $3.5 MILLION.  How is that even possible?

I prefer these cairns and I'm sure they didn't cost a dime :)

That evening we headed to the Strip.  He wanted to show me a couple of the big projects he had worked on when he first moved to Las Vegas and of course I wanted to stop in the Bellagio to see the Chihuly glass flowers and to catch the fountain show.

Fremont Street.  What can you say?  I love going down there to watch the street performers and to see the overhead light show.  Never a dull moment down there.  Unfortunately I just took videos of the performers and I can't seem to get a video to load, but I was able to get a few screenshots.

Some things you just can't unsee :(

This Michael Jackson impersonator must have been only 6 or 7 years old, but he was phenomenal.

The last day there, we decided to head out to Mt. Charleston, not far from the city.  It's hard to believe the temperatures at the higher elevations are about 30* cooler than in Las Vegas. We were going to hike a little near Mary Jane Falls.   We were not planning to go to the falls since Bill thought there would be no water flowing, but a few hikers said that their indeed was some and it was worth the hike.  The trail travels for 1/4 mile through tall Ponderosa pines, white fir, aspen and mountain mahogany.  The next 1/3 mile is a slow ascent after which the trail begins a series of switchbacks and rock steps to the base of the falls.  Let me tell you, it was over a 1.5 mile hike to the top and a tough climb for this old broad, but I did it :)  DON'T LET THE OLD LADY IN.

Hard to believe there is still some snow on the mountains.

Bill said he had to take a picture of me with the falls in the background to prove that I was not a wuss :)

Wild columbine?

Kids!  When my back was turned, Bill scaled up here giving his mom near heart failure when I saw him up there.

Coming down.

My grandkitty, Snowball.  She's not fat, she's fluffy.

Bill chose sushi for his birthday dinner.  (I still can't believe he will be 40 tomorrow.)  A first for me, and also the first time I attempted chopsticks.  The sushi was pretty good and I managed to eat without dropping more than a few grains of rice.

It's always hard to say goodbye but he is where he wants to be and what more could a mom ask for than a child's happiness?

If you've made it this far, thank you.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren