Monday, July 30, 2007- What Happens in Vegas…

Today was our day to hotel hop in Las Vegas. We started off taking a taxi cab to the Las Vegas Hilton where we then caught the monorail. We thought that the monorail connected the major hotels. Actually, it’s not the great. Many of the ones that we wanted to see were not on the monorail’s line, so we still ended up taking a few cabs today anyway. The monorail’s track wasn’t even that scenic, since it goes behind many of the hotels instead of the front of them. In the end, it was an expensive trip that we wouldn’t make again.

We got to the MGM Grand and we got chance to see three of the lions that they have on display there. We walked right underneath them in a plexi-glass tunnel with the lions sitting right on top. From there we went across the street to New York, New York. There wasn’t anything specific that we wanted to see there, but Julie wanted to check out the elaborate façade with the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan. Anna was hoping to ride the roller coaster, but was very disappointed when she was too short to be able to ride.

From there we went to Mandalay Bay, where we wanted to see the shark exhibit. We had thought that it would be free, like the lions at MGM, but there was a hefty little admissions charge to the aquarium. Though it was a bit expensive, it was an interesting place with tunnels to walk through the shark tanks. Anna liked seeing the piranhas.

Then we caught a cab to the Hofbrauhaus German restaurant. Unfortunately, the band wasn’t playing so early in the day, but Scott enjoyed the beer, wurst, and schnitzel as usual. It was interesting to see how much they made the interior of this one look like the one in Munich. We’ve now officially been to each of the sites- the original in Munich, the one Newport, Kentucky, and here. Scott wants to send in pictures of himself at all three places to see if he can win anything. Emma ate her fill of noodles and fell asleep on the way out.

From there we took a cab to the Venetian where Julie and Anna picked up their tickets for Phantom of the Opera tonight. We peeked around there a little, and then rode the monorail back to the Las Vegas Hilton. Anna and Scott went to the Star Trek Experience, where they simulate being beamed up to the bridge of the Next Generation’s Enterprise during a Klingon attack. Apparently, Klingons were attacking us because one of us is Jean Luc Picard’s ancestor. They shipped us out on a shuttle craft (on a ride somewhat like Star Tours at Disneyland). Emma was too little to ride and was creeped out by the aliens who were in the waiting area anyway. Again, though, it was quite expensive. The Star Trek museum filled with props and costumes that we got to see on the way in made up for it somewhat.

Now, Julie and Anna are on their way back to the Venetian where they will be seeing Phantom of the Opera. Anna should really like it, because it’s one of her favorite movies. We sprung for some of the good seats because of that.

Julie says that Las Vegas seems to have gotten a lot more expensive. There seems to be fewer freebies and cheap buffets that hotels used to use to try to get you in the front doors to begin with and a lot more times where you’re forking out money. Scott said it feels like there’s a hole in his wallet here, and we haven’t even done any gambling.

Update: Julie and Anna loved the Phantom. The special effects in the show were excellent and included fireworks inside the theater. Julie loved the chandelier and the part when the Phantom was dangling from. Anna said her favorite part was "Everything."

Sunday, July 29, 2007: We Rode Through the Desert in a Van with No Name

Scott had the option of going back to Comic-Con for its final day today, but decided not to when Anna asked, “Do you want to say goodbye to all of your little comic book friends?” We all laughed and decided to take the scenic route to get to Las Vegas.

We drove through the distinctive hills east of San Diego, which are all steep, very rocky, dry and
barren. We passed through an area that had burned a while ago in Cuyamaca State Park, where the trees were all charred black and grey, but had green vines spiraling up them. There were actually sprinkles of rain as we passed through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. It was around there that we started to see cacti and Anna was very interested to see how the area compared to her impressions of a desert that she had from school.

After driving past the Salton Sea, we stopped a little town called Mecca where we ate lunch at a Del Taco. The sky had been overcast all morning which made the temperatures in the drive very warm but bearable. A few times there were occasional sprinkles. Scott had a raindrop hit him behind his glasses, right in the eye, and figured he was the only person that could happen to in the middle of the desert.

As we entered Joshua Tree National Park, the sun was starting to come out brightly. We stopped in the little visitors center at the south entrance and continued through to the other side. In the park we loved seeing the Ocotillo cactus with it many long spindly arms, the dangerous Cholla cactus that were growing in a grove, and of course the Joshua Trees, which only grow in the Mojave Desert, on the north side of the park. We even saw a little grey kangaroo rat hoping across the road, but he was too quick to get video of.

It remained sunny for the rest of the day as we drove on the long strait roads through the desert valleys. One of these was the old Route 66. In these valleys, we could only see lots of scrub bushes and the mountains that box the valleys in. There were a few trailer and homes but even they vanished as we drove on into Nevada (a new state for Scott, Anna, and Emma).

We arrived in the bright lights of Las Vegas about 8:30, where a billboard announced that the current temperature was 100 degrees. We found our hotel, Circus Circus on the Strip. Scott sarcastically said that he didn’t realize that it got its name because it was such a circus to try to get in to. We had to weave through the casino and wait in a long line to get a room, then cycle through a mini-mall to try to find the elevators. It was after 10 o’clock when we settled in. The girls were disappointed that we weren’t going to swim, but we’ve got lots to do tomorrow.