THEFT & NOISE

In all the times that we have been a Gate Attendant or camped in other parks, I don’t ever think of recalling of theft being so high in just one campground. 
We did have our share of minor thefts while working the parks; coolers here, chairs there, and the most was being gas cans stolen the one year at Robinson Point.
While spending our winter months down in Quartzsite, AZ we have been warned that Generators were a hot item in the theft department and to make sure you locked up your generators or put them away.
In our case, we don’t have to worry about our generator being stolen, it’s a 4000 Onan that is attached underneath the frame of the motor home-so let a thief try and take it.  I don’t think they will get very far.
Anyways, while staying here on the National Recreation Area and in one of the more populated parks, one would think that theft would be low.  Specially when over 90% are seniors traveling slowly back north, with a few locals coming out to camp.
This week is National Park Week, so entrances to all National Parks are free for this week, ending on Sunday April 24th.  With the entrance being waived and Easter falling late this year, the parks are booming with young adults with kids and the younger crowd coming out.
With this being said, on Thursday Evening 4 of the Honda e2000 generators were taken from varies campers site.  All being under cable and lock.   The thief cut the cable and at one even took the cable with them.
Now comes Friday night and we are socked in with one family with 8 kids, a neighbor that has a big mouth and don’t know when quiet hours are and young adults that came out to have a good ole time.    By 11:00pm Brian yells out it’s quiet time and to shut it down.  The family with the kids quieted down-other than their screaming baby.  The big mouth got bigger and the party down a ways got louder.  By 1:00am, we have no choice but to try and get some assistant.
We don’t like calling 911-so I go on the Internet looking for the non-emergency phone number the local sheriff’s department.  found one, just to learn it’s the wrong number!  No choice now but to call 911.  The gentleman was understanding and directed our call the the National Park Service dispatch.  Come to find out-no rangers on duty and no assistant.  He asked if we got the host involved.
I guess from years of our own experience-we were never to get involve at night and to always call for assistant.  I guess the National Parks works differently around here.  So we had to go and get our poor host out of bed to get the folks to understand what quiet hours mean.  It did get quiet, but now we have been putting up with a screaming (and no it’s not crying) baby for over an hour…..I guess we are being punished.  I can understand a crying baby, but I have a hard time with a screaming baby or child.
One more night to go before they should all go home-hope it’s quiet…..

FISHING TRAILS

As Brian and I walk around the Las Vegas Bay Campground and towards the closed boat ramp, we came across several trails that head towards the rushing water.
On one of our crazy adventure we followed a foot trail that was not a registered trail with NRA.  It wind and meander what we thought towards the rolling creek.  But instead just along the bluff.  So we choose to make our own foot trail, towards the creek.  Once we got down there, we planned on walking along the water way and doing some of our own exploring.
Las Vegas Bay Water Way
Our exploring came to an abrupt halt when we got into cattails and the canyon wall that we just couldn’t get around.  Now the dilemma was do we back track all the way back or try climbing up on another old fishing trail that someone else made?  Brian didn’t think that I could make it up the canyon because it was steep, and it looked  like who ever made the foot trail did a lot of sliding downwards. 

The She-Woman that Brian tends to call me once in a while, said that I could make it-with a little boost from him.  Oh, he gave me the 1-2-3 push and I did make it up that canyon.  Only problem was, it was just a portion and we still had to climb upwards more yet!  Brian said that we probably climbed 90 feet straight up with little plateaus to land and rest once in a while.
We did make it back to the top, all dirty and dusty and just one minor scrap on my knee; which is already heeled up.  After that adventure, Brian said he needed a drink and that he wasn’t going to let me talk him into another adventure like that again.
So last night what did we do?  You guessed it-I had discovered another fishing trail along one of our walks several days back and I wanted to go exploring again.  But this time, a camper next to us had already been on it and said it was an awesome trail.  The only thing eerie for them, they went early morning and came across a fresh dead chicken with it’s neck broken and a candle still burning.  Now that would of freaked the both of us out!  But that didn’t stop us from still checking out the trial-only a couple days later.
As we entered the fishing trial and it wind it’s way back and forth, you did get a sort of eerie feeling.  We are surrounded with canyon walls and brush that has grown up.  the trail that we were following was along the Las Vegas Bay and what used to be the inlet waterway of Lake Mead.  The only sound you could hear was the occasional sound of water and the quails calling for it’s mate.  Due to the warm weather we have been experiencing, we also had to watch out for not-so-friendly-snakes.
Dried up water way
After about 15 minutes on the trail, we came across where the water way was rushing through a split in the canyon wall.  It was amazing and beautiful.  The camper next to us said the day they were there, that carps were spawning and trying to jump upstream.  We didn’t get to see any of that, but the view was worth the adventure.  We would have gone a little farther, but there was a family there fishing  downstream and we didn’t want to disturb them and it was getting also close to sun setting, and we did need to find our way back yet.
 Las Vegas Bay
The water stinks
 This dumps into Lake Mead
 Carving of the canyon wall
No scraps or bruises, but yet we were once again dirty.  And NO, we never came across any dead chickens either.

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITES

L
Our first experience ever in Las Vegas will be one we will always remember.  All the casinos, hotels, tourist people from all over the world, the traffic, all the types of Limo’s & Rolls Royce's. 
As you stroll down the Strip of Las Vegas,  not only are you reeled in by the buildings and the surroundings, but what also the going on.  You walk down the walkway and traffic is going in every direction, you will notice traveling advertisement.  Some for Shows in Las Vegas, but the ones that we seen were the most appalling.  I think my mouth fell to the ground when I first seen this going by:

Also along the street you will come across several  boxes that appear to be holding maybe newspaper or magazines for casinos and upcoming shows.  Again, when we opened the box, we were appalled as to what you will find.  Oh they had flyers and magazines for casinos and shows, but also advertising girls to come to your hotel room in less than 20 minutes!
The Boxes and the traveling advertisement were for solicitation for female companion or what we call “Ladies Of The Night”.  On the main part of the strip, at every corner and in-between, there are folks handing out mini flyers and magazines and what Brian is calling “Trading Cards”, all of females with nothing on or barely covered.  Oh, they are somewhat discreet with tiny stars covering up the private areas. 
They didn’t care who they handed these “cards” or"  “magazines” too, I was even handed a few of them, or rather-shoved into my hands!  Oh, we did notice, that they didn’t hand any out to the kids, but to the parents instead!  Where are the morals now a days?  
As we walked around the Casinos, you could almost pick out the girls.  They the way they were dressed, we could almost guess where they were heading.  We even seen two girls acting like they were gambling, until they started their flirting with some young adult boys that were on Spring Break from college.  We again had to walk away.
Did you know that the state of Nevada legalized prostitution, all except for the county that Las Vegas is in.  We have been told that there are numerous “Chicken” farms all around, and they ain’t raising or selling chickens, but are brothels instead!
We learned to laugh at all this, or otherwise we knew we would be saying something that maybe could get us into a bit of trouble.  So as the saying goes:  What Happens In Las Vegas, Stays In Las Vegas….Don’t worry, I never let Brian out of my site for once and I never let him keep his “Trading Cards” either!

VIVA LAS VEGAS!

 
We took our first adventure into Las Vegas Nevada. We choose to go in late afternoon and into the evening hours, for we wanted to see the many lights and a few free attractions that only went on in the evenings.
From a far distant off  Lake Mead Hwy in Henderson, Las Vegas doesn’t appear to be that big or even confusing to maybe get around in.  I kept telling Brian that I could handle getting us around in there.
Brian, on the other hand, knowing that I don’t like to drive in crazy driving conditions, came up with the idea of parking our car at Sam’s Town; which is about 10 miles from the Las Vegas Strip.  Sam’s Town does a free bus shuttle from their parking lot to two casinos on the Strip: Harrah’s and Riveria.  It will also drop you off at two spots in the downtown area of Las Vegas: California and Freemont.
So after parking our car at Sam’s Town and hitching a ride on the shuttle to Harrah’s, I’m so amazed by all the traffic and the buildings.  I would know for sure that I would have been lost in an heart beat-even with Ms. Garmin’s assistant.  If not lost, then defiantly frustrated.
Once we are dropped off in the parking garage of Harrah’s, then it’s time to figure out which direction do we go?  We decided to follow other fellow passengers through the maze of Harrah’s to the great outdoors and the beginning of what they call the “Strip”. 
As you exit out of the building, you are surrounded with many outdoor vendors all willing to sell you their goods.  Anything from Mardi Gras beads, to a mix drinks. to fast painters and cheap T-shirts.  Once out onto the Strip, the next decision is which direction to go?
Our first stop was to McDonald’s, as we were thirsty and knew we needed to quinch that thirst before moving on.  Again, we are amazed by this old stylish looking McDonald’s.  And their $1 tea was only a 12oz cup, which normally you get the gulper size at any other McDonald’s.

So now it’s time to go and wonder around.  We  headed towards the Stratosphere.  We had a handy little map that was handed to us free from the Bus Driver, along with many coupons and attractions to go and see.  So it was easy to follow the map of the Strip and find all the famous casinos and Hotels.
Along the way, we saw many casinos and motels, Wynn’s & Encore, Palazzo, Sahara just to name a few and  including Donald Trump’s.  As we headed toward the Riveria, we started to get a bit of an uneasy feeling.  tourist weren’t as many and we ran into a couple of gang bangers and some needy folks that needed a good bath, and probably a meal.  But determined as I was, we continue to march on, for I wanted to go into Circus, Circus and check out the Stratosphere.  As we kept moving on, we noticed many new buildings that appeared to be going up, but at a complete standstill due to our economy, which made the area even more eerie for us. 

we finally reached the Stratosphere, but could not go up into it, unless we wanted to pay high dollars.  We did watch from below as bungee jumpers jumped from the top and then was lowered to the ground.

So now it’s time to head to the other side of the street and head back to the main part of the strip and to Circus, Circus.  Once we got into Circus, Circus, it was liking walking in a maze and never getting to where you really wanted to go.  I wanted to head for the big top tent, and although there were signs pointing you into that direction, we literally never found the big top!  So much for that adventure.  Somehow in the process of trying to find it, we asked a lady that was sitting for directions.  She somehow started to reel us in by asking us if we would be interested in a free supper and a show.  Well, of course she got our interest, until the end.  We would have to come back into L.V. the next day, listen to a 120+ minute speel on some private resort that you paid into.  We walked away…So no free meals or shows for us this day.

by now Brian had said I have walked him to death and he needed food, drink and rest.  Me?  I’m so facinated by all the sites, I even forget about the pressure points sores on my feet!  Seems that any place you look you will find a McDonalds just about on every block.  So McDonald’s burger and fries and a resting spot won out.  It’s getting later and we need to get ourselves back into the main area where other tourist are and onto safer grounds.
As the crowd gather around the TI (Treasure Island), we watch the most fascinating 20+ minutes show that was put on by TI. 
       
The Male Ship                                           The Female Ship
The war between the two ships were just amazing, the sound & lighting effects were so “real “ feeling.  We could even feel the heat when ever they “blasted” each other.
the Volacanic eruption at the Mirage was another one that it appeared to look real with it’s sound and lighting effects.  Again, we were up close and could feel the heat and the vibration of the sound under our feet.

The Beligio puts on a very interesting water show put to music and you can watch the water dance away. 
We are now completely exhausted and have to wait for our bus to come and pick us up.  when it arrives at 9:30pm, we both were glad to aboard and head towards home.

This trip into Las Vegas calls for at least another visit or two, for we never got to the MGM, or inside Caesar's Palace, and a few other famous casinos and motels.

View Full Album