Carole and I went to Las Vegas for our anniversary trip.
I had to scramble to finish up three big projects (two of them assigned very late in the game) at work before I left, but just managed to get them checked in and announced before I left. Saturday was for rest, packing, and getting the rest of life properly arranged.
We left on Sunday, in the Vette, and drove to Apple Valley to meet up with Carole's parents. They're checking out a retirement complex, and it looks promising - if they can cut through the somewhat heavy salesmanship along the way.
There was a big traffic jam starting in Barstow, so we headed to Lucerne Valley then up the 247 to join I-15 in Barstow. Traffic was spotty until Halloran Summit, and the outside temps were hot.
The registration staff at the Paris were more focused on up-selling than on providing customer service, but we made it through with a minimum of fuss. Our non-smoking room, on a non-smoking floor, wasn't bad - although the red decor was a little intense.
Monday we enjoyed the room fully in the morning, then went out shopping in the afternoon's 114° heat. At the nice outlet mall at the top of the strip, we picked up some snacks at Harry and David, and Carole got some shoes at the Clark's. She even found a way to pick up a couple of nice little purses at Dooney & Burke.
Traffic on and around the Strip was as unbearable as the heat. Carole dropped me off at the Mall to pick up a new Tempurpedic pillow at Brookstone, and we fought a balky cooling system and the traffic all the back to the hotel.
After some needed R&R, we cleaned up (again) and headed up to dinner at the Eiffel Tower restaurant, which was as good as advertised. We got a mix of sunset and night-time views, including the fountains at the Bellagio, which were spectacular.
Tuesday we just lolled around mostly. In the early afternoon we headed down to the pool. The water was refreshing, but out of the water it was so hot that we only stayed a little over an hour.
Wednesday we drove down to the Hoover Dam. The new US-93 bridge over the Colorado River is due for completion later this year, so I wanted to hit the dam now when we could still drive over the dam itself. It was still blisteringly hot, but we had a fun walking around.
We checked out on Thursday afternoon, and made good time on the way back home.
We agreed that Vegas is not the ideal destination for our late June anniversary trips.
