Viva Las Vegas & Hello Palm Springs!

Yes, I am now focused on finishing up on telling y'all about the trip so we can jump forward and talk about getting stuck in the elevator yesterday and the fire dept. coming out to save us! But I am so getting ahead of myself. When we last left you I had just gotten back into town and went to the Golden Nugget where I was to stay the following night. They had no rooms available. It must have been because of the "World of Concrete" conference was still going strong! So I ended up at Fitzgerald's two blocks down and got upgraded to a suite and free breakfast called the double down due to Mom and Dad having gone to the Fitzgerald many times in Reno. They were listed in their system as "lucky charms" and so got the room and breakfast for $27.79. My room faced Freemont Street and oh my was I so not ready for what happened at 8pm that night. Suddenly all the casino lights go off and then a 10 minute show begins that is LOUD and BRIGHT!! Yes, by day it looks very simple and tame and then the sun sets and the demons get to thrive! It is quite something:
















The first three give you a great perspective of how it transitions and the last was the view from my room per se. It was on my list, but who knew I would have a front and center seat. Good thing as I was in a back tower at the Golden Nugget the next night and did not leave my room once I got back, needed a down night. So Thursday morning I walk down and have the double-down breakfast...OMG! It is served on a turkey platter...2 biscuits and gravy, a good 6 eggs scrambled, 10-12 pieces of bacon plus hash browns and 4 slices of toast with juice and coffee. No, I did not finish it, not even close. So off I went in the car and did a drive of the Vegas Strip and oh my what a different perspective from walking. Then went and drove and just got lost a couple of times because I could. Took a side trip up to the Red Rock area and it is quite beautiful and for hiker's it is a joy. Would not mind returning on a future visit. Love, love, love the low temps...happy tourist, but a lot of the others are grumbling about how cold it is.

Due to the multiple shows on Freemont Street the night before, I decided I did not need to return and instead, I took a long shower and a wonderful afternoon nap, a true pamper experience. Then, I discovered that the in-room dinner special was Liver & Onions w/ Bacon and well, I was in heaven! Ordered it and it came with baked potato plus green beans, a Caesar salad and a choice of either Lemon or Banana Cream pie...I opted for the former. Oh and add three glasses of ice water and you have a feast for a king...or a queen...go figure. Enjoyed it and continued to read my book and well, it was just a lovely night in. No rushing and heck, I needed my rest as tomorrow would be The Desperado! This is no ordinary roller coaster. You get a breathtaking view of the valley from 209 feet up right before you plunge at tremendous speed into a succession of twist, turns and unexpected surprises. Ranking among the top ten roller coasters in North America and one of the tallest and fastest in the U.S., the Desperado is 2.43 minutes of pure heart pounding fun.

So off to bed I go and Friday had me making that horrible 45 minute journey to Primm, NV right at the border of California after enjoying an early lunch in leiu of breakfast at Sonic Drive-In. One of my favorite places to eat out when traveling. Tonight I would stay at one of three casino's at this spot in the road. Buffalo Bill's and oh my, I was not ready. Checked in and it was scary...went on the roller coaster and it was scary. Went and looked at the restaurants and they were scary. Snagged a bottle of water and a newspaper and called it good. Went to my room and read, watched a bit of TV and went to bed early, I wanted out of there early. Way too redneck for my tastes and I was on the road for Palm Springs by 6:30am the next day!

Palm Springs

Boy was I glad I got an early start...got over half way before the rain hit and boy did it hit! Complete downpours. Arrived Palm Springs to sheets of rain. Perspective, that day Palm Springs got 4.5 inches of rain. One day! More than they get in any month. Once I got checked in at Chap's Inn I was quite pleased to gt to market and get groceries and make up a light munch and then relaxed a bit followed by meting up with some friends and deciding that I would skip the cocktail party that night and instead went out and explored the city a bit. Interesting place and why do people live here again? Well, the rain let up for a midnight swim to occur and a wonderful way to guarantee a good night's sleep. Next day was very lazy with coffee by the pool and read the NYTimes! Love doing that on Sunday. Then began watching coverage of the Super Bowl. The highlight had to be the Tram up the mountain in the afternoon. Here are some pictures of the experience:

The cabins are equipped with floors that turn 360 degrees to show the show the whole area without moving. The last picture is what I saw as we came down the mountain as the city lit up. Quite lovely! So then Monday arrived and I took a lovely back road drive up to Las Vegas and what a treat it was plus I got to see something that you will not see anywhere else. Mind you, you are driving along in the backboards and suddenly you are seeing something you do not expect and have to rub your eyes as yes, there is Joshua's show tree! And home again, home again, I did, did, did!