Las Vegas, NV
Ken and I went on to Las Vegas from Sunday through Tuesday nights,
January 8-11, 2006.



We stayed at the posh Mandalay Bay Hotel/Casino at less than $100/night.
Ken got the good deal by reserving the room while in Laughlin


Ken checking into the room at the lobby of the Mandalay.


View down our hallway on the 15th floor. The room had a five digit
number, 15227!


For an extra $28/day for both of us, we got access to the spa
with steam rooms, saunas, hot tubs, fitness center, and many ammenities.
We used it at least two hours every day including an hour on
the treadmills.

 
The Mandalay Bay features a "Shark Reef" attraction which includes major
predators of the ocean,including these lion fish, deadly to the touch.

Moving up the Strip:


The Luxor Casino at night. The Great Pyramid, which is behind the
Sphynx in this photo, has a bright spotlight which shines straight
up into the sky. Also note the full moon!


The Excalibur Casino with its castle theme...


MGM Grand is one of largest hotels on the Strip.


Casino "New York, New York" was very well done!

 
Paris Las Vegas Casino features a model of the Eiffel Tower
including a restaurant and an elevator to near the top.


Bally's Casio features a tunnel entrance. 

 
The spectacular water displays in front of the Bellagio Hotel/Casino

 
More from the Bellagio. They also had powerful speakers playing
Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli singing, "Time to Say Goodby"
while the water danced in time. Hair raising!

  
The massive Caesars Palace is in the background

 
Caeser's Palace has an elegant interior including these double
spiral staircases which have curved escaltors!

 
The Mirage is famous for a spectacular water and flame display
simulating an active volcano.

 
The Venetian is famous for the models of the Grand Canal, St. Mark's
Piazza, and the Rialto Bridge.

 
Ken and I on the quasi-Rialto Bridge.

 
The Stratosphere Tower is a real interesting trip. At the top they have
four "rides". One is a eight seat car that goes down a ramp, over the
edge of the tower, and jerks to a stop.

THIS IS AT 850 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND!

The other rides include a rollercoaster, a vertical accelerator
and a circular ride out over the edge of the tower.

You have to be nuts to go on any of these rides.

Check out the rides website here


At the top of the Stratosphere, we met a very nice group of Japanese gals.
Mom, on the left, took her daughter, right, and the daughter's girlfriend,
middle on a six day trip to the USA. They didn't speak English, but Ken
was able to have a great conversation with them, including lots of jokes.
They were VERY happy to run into an American who spoke Japanese!

 
Ken and I went to the Gun Store in Vegas where you can shoot automatic 
weapons! We tried the Thompson "Tommy" gun, and Uzi, a British Sten, and
an RPK47! Ken was also testing a .357 magnum handgun. In the photo, I'm
shooting the Uzi with a rifle shoulder stock.


On the way back to Kingman and Phoenix, Ken and I drove over the Hoover Dam.
This maybe the last opportunity as the road is being diverted so no
vehicles need cross directly over the dam. Currently, only trucks are prohibited.
Another security precaution falling out of 9-11...

 
Power lines and the Lake Mead side of the dam.

 
Ken looks into the overflow bypass tunnel. On the right one
can see how low the lake is by the white line on the landscape.

 
Looking over the dam toward the Nevada (north-west) side.

 
Bottom and top of the dam on the Colorado river side.

Return to previous page