High Rollin' Bookers

We woke up this morning FREEZING.  Even Sid had burrowed under the blankets on our bed.  We're still at the Grand Canyon, 7000 ft in elevation.  There is ice on the windows inside the van.  We had to scrape it off using a credit card.  Frost and ice on the ground.  The temperature in Flagstaff, Arizona, which is south of where we are was 28 degrees overnight and it is 45 degrees inside our van.  We put the furnace on and drove across the street to McDonalds for their bathroom and coffee.  Time to blow this pop(sicle) stand for some desert warmth.  Ah, Vegas.  A few hours from the Grand Canyon and the temperature is in the 80s.  We stopped at the Las Vegas information centre on the way into town and that was a good idea.  We got lots of coupons, information and maps.  Fully armed with goodies, we drove "The Strip". 

Wow.  This is over the top.  It is just over 4 miles long and packed with themed casinos (Excalibur, Treasure Island, MGM Grand, Luxor, New York, New York, Paris, The Venetian, Ballagio's, just to start). 

The swarming herds of people are everywhere.  Las Vegas had to build overpasses for pedestrians so these hoardes wouldn't have to physically cross the streets.  Too many people-cars couldn't move and people were injured.

We realized that this part of Vegas wasn't really car and dog friendly so we went to the outskirts.  Hey, there was an outlet mall on the street we drove down.  Huh.  Of course, we stopped.  We went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner.  This place was open 24/7-there was a sign on the door saying, "If the door is locked, ring the bell."

The next morning we intended to leave Vegas for California.  We got on the expressway and saw a billboard advertising a concert by Huey Lewis and the News for that evening at a local casino.  A quick search on the Garmin revealed that the casino was just up at the next exit.  There are casinos everywhere here. 

We took the exit and went in to try to get tickets.  No tickets, but we are now VIP casino members.  Part of this deal was that the casino gave us free money to get us started gambling.  This could be up to $500.  Hmmm. Our cards got us $3 each, plus two free t-shirts.  Shawn, make room in your closet.