Las Vegas - A day on the Strip

Last night was not the greatest for sleeping. 

We had quite a few young folks in our campground hootin' and hollerin' all night.

Add sirens from the strip, and car alarms, and you have two tired RV'ers this morning.

Oh well, this is Vegas right ?? 

Let's go have fun, and walk the strip.

We started out with pretty high expectations, and big smiles on our faces.

We felt a little uncomfortable, with a few patrons, having just a little too much fun, and shouting at people walking by.

With a combination of Spring Break, and St. Patrick's Day, the streets were packed, making walking difficult.

We popped in and out of a few shops, and noticed immediately how expensive everything is here.

We were hoping to take in a couple of shows later, so we priced a few things out. 

Whoops, that's a lot of money for a few hours of entertainment.

And, we were totally unprepared for the street vendors that are very aggressive while handing out cards of scantily clad ladies, enticing you to visit their XXX shows.

We walked through a few of the casinos, but we are not gamblers, so we felt out of place.

We wanted to visit Margarita Ville, or the Hard Rock Cafe, but the lineups were way too long.

In fact the only place that did not have a lineup was good old McDonald's.

It was about this time, that it started to sprinkle out.  Oh, oh, we were pretty far down the strip, so let's head back.

Now remember, the crowds were thick as flies, so it was impossible to move too fast.

As the rain started getting heavier, we picked up the pace.  By the time we got back to the rig, we were pretty wet.

Okay, we know what everyone must be thinking ... Hey, TnT, what the heck did you expect ?

Well, to be honest, we did not know what to expect, but suffice it to say we were totally out of our element today, and Vegas is now on the "been there, done that" list.

We must be getting old, because we sure saw lots of evidence of young people having the time of their lives.

We are going to see the Fremont Street Experience tomorrow or the next day, so we still have some fun ahead of us.

But for now, this boring old couple better get to bed !!

Oatman, AZ and Las Vegas, NV

The plan today was to get to Vegas. 

But first, we wanted to take a road trip to Oatman, on the original Route 66 highway.

I am so glad that other bloggers had warned us about not taking the motorhome, because it was tense enough just in the car.

The fastest we ever got was about 45 mph, but most of the time we were creeping around corners and switchbacks, without guard rails.

We did pass a few folks with motorhomes.  Obviously, their blogging friends aren't as helpful as ours.

Thankfully, Oatman wasn't too far down the highway.

Shortly after getting parked, we found the burro's walking right down main street.

We shopped for a bit, and even made a couple of purchases.

By this time, we were getting hungry so our next stop was the Oatman Hotel.

Guess what ... they also have dollar bills attached to the walls and ceiling.

Soon we were back to our rig, and on the way to Vegas. 

The traffic got busier, the closer we got.

I must admit, even though I am getting a little more used to freeway traffic, times like this are still pretty quiet in the motorhome.

We decided to stay at the KOA at Circus Circus. 

The good news is that it is right on the strip, so we can just walk to all the attractions.

The bad news is that it is right on the strip, so driving here was a bit stressful.

However, we made it and we are all set up for the next four nights.

Although pricey at $50.00 per night, I found an internet deal where you pay for three nights, get the fourth free.

By the way, this campground is nothing more than a parking lot, but location, location, location.

Tomorrow we hit the strip, and hopefully win us a new motorhome.

Lake Havasu and Kingman, AZ

We were boondocking yesterday, so we did not have access to the internet.

On Wednesday morning, we said goodbye to our friends and neighbours at the resort.

As we were driving away, I remarked to Teresa that now we know how Adam and Eve felt, leaving the garden of Eden ... sigh.

We hit the road for Lake Havasu, AZ.  It really was quite a long drive, because we were fighting some cross winds.

We found our camping spot, in the desert, only a few minutes outside of the city.

After a great night of sleep, we headed to the famous London Bridge.

Did you know that next to the Grand Canyon, this is the most visited spot in Arizona ?

It was a real scorcher today, perfect for the beach.

We were very surprised to see the water was crystal clear.  I guess because this canal is always flowing back to the Colorado River.

There was only one little glitch in our plans.  Spring Break.

Even though it was only around noon, there were lots of young folks out having fun, and drinking beer on the beach.

Not that they were causing any trouble at all, in fact, I thought everyone was pretty well behaved.

After a couple of hours, we headed back to the rig, and were soon on our way to Kingman.

It was a short drive on yet another great day.

We headed for old Kingman, famous for its part of Route 66.

We enjoyed touring this museum, dedicated to the famous roadway.

We read most of the exhibits, and watched a short video on Historic Route 66.

We had been advised, that no trip to the museum is complete, until you visit Mr. D'z  Route 66 Diner.

We loved the fun atmosphere of this shop.

And what else do you order ??  None other than a couple of malts !

You can bet these bad-boys spoiled our supper, but it was worth it.

We have a big day tomorrow, visiting Oatman, then we are on our way to Las Vegas.

We are slowly working our way north, but we want to have fun doing it.

Blogger Buddies - John and Judy

The incredible weather just continues in Palm Springs.

Everyday this past week has been hot and sunny.

Our highlight of the day was hosting John and Judy for lunch today.

John is a great writer and has a real sense of humor.  You can check their blog out here  RV Life on Wheels

Teresa prepared a great meal of fresh buns, assorted cold cuts, salads, and of course pickles and cheese.

John and Judy very thoughtfully brought a bottle of lovely wine !

We had a great time visiting and comparing travel notes.  These two are fulltimers, and show no sign of slowing down.

Their love for this lifestyle is contagious, and it doesn't take long after listening to them, to want to go fulltime yourself !!

After lunch, we all jumped into our car for a tour of this magnificent resort.

I think they appreciated the beauty of this place, as much as we do.

It was about that time I came up with a great idea. 

I offered to go in halves on a lot with them.  They could have it for the summer months, and Teresa and I would use it for the winter months.

I think I had John convinced, but Judy is pretty shrewd and put the brakes on that idea .... darn.

We promised to keep in touch, and with hugs they were on their way to new adventures.

Safe travels John and Judy !!

Appies with friends

We broke tradition this morning, for the first time in five months.

I quietly got up and turned on the coffee maker then snuck back to bed.

However, when I got up again to pour our coffees, Teresa was still fast asleep.

This was unusual, so I thought maybe I should let her sleep, and she continued her slumber for nearly an hour.

When she woke up, she was in disbelief that she had slept in, and never heard me get up and make coffee.  We had a great laugh.

After breakfast, we spent a couple of hours doing laundry and chatting with other patrons.

Everyone here is very satisfied with the park.

We had been invited over to John and Angela's beautiful lot for appetizers.

When we arrived we were overwhelmed with the delicious presentation set before us.

We had a variety of sushi, chicken wings, mini burritos, battered fish pieces, a veggie tray, and red and white wine.

Teresa made a three cheese dip served with cubed bread.

We all ate until we were full, then we ate some more.

About this time, John was telling us about his favorite ice cream shop in Cathedral City, named Cold Stone Creamery.

Hey, that sounds great, let's go.

We had cheesecake ice cream, with graham wafer crumbs, and sprinkled with chocolate chips.

It was every bit as good as John had promised !!

We sure have enjoyed our time with these great folks, and we are very grateful to them, because we would never have found this wonderful RV resort, if they were not here first.

Supper with neighbours

The last few nights, we have gone to bed without putting on the furnace or electric heaters.

Daytime temps have been in the 80's, with overnight low's in the 50's.  When we wake up in the morning, it is usually around 58 in the rig.

My bride and I enjoyed our coffee in bed, then Teresa got busy cleaning the motorhome, while I went to Walmart to pick up a few staples.

Our neighbours here are very friendly, and are always wondering about Saskatchewan.

We are trying to be the best ambassadors for the province that we can be.

Tonight, one of our next door neighbours invited us for supper.  Bob is a gourmet cook, and served up chicken breasts, rice, asparagus, and garlic bread. 

Hmmm ... wish Bob could travel with us all the time.

We brought wine and a dessert, and had a wonderful time getting to know each other.

After the sun went down, Bob turned on a propane heater which took the chill off.

By this time the yawns were taking over, so we reluctantly gave in, and headed for home.

Tomorrow is going to be another busy day, so we had better get some sleep.

ORPS

What the heck is ORPS ??

The view from our street

It is the acronym for Outdoor Resort Palm Springs, and I can tell you we are LOVING this place !!

The sign says it all

We have been here four days, and have not left the resort yet.

24 hour security

Today was the ice cream social.  They offered every type of topping you could imagine, and everyone enjoyed it immensely.

So far, we have enjoyed the espresso bar, the restaurant, and the ice cream social, yet we haven't used the pool, fitness center, nor tennis courts.  

Hmmm .... what is wrong with this picture.

We were also looking forward to this day for another reason.  There is a couple here that we keep running into, and we felt an instant connection with them.

Tom and Jane invited us over to their place for appies and cocktails, and a chance to visit more.

Jane and Tom

We had an absolute blast.  Jane is an amazing host, and Tom's quick wit had us laughing throughout the evening.

Enjoying time in their beautiful lot

It was very obvious that they treasure friends and family, and we felt privileged to be invited into their lives.

When the sun set, Tom lit the propane fire pit to take the chill off.  We have to get one of these !!

Still in short sleeves, thanks to the fire pit

We couldn't believe we visited for over four hours !! 

We apologized for staying so late, but the time flew by, and we still had more to talk about.  Next time, I guess, at our place.

As we were parting ways, we met more neighbours of Tom and Jane's and everyone went out of their way to make us feel welcome.

Can you tell, we LOVE this place !!