Let’s Go Racing!

As Mike was setting up the VCR to record his NASCAR races last Saturday, I asked him if he would like to drive to Las Vegas to watch a live NASCAR Sprint Cup race the next day.  “Are you kidding me!?  I would love to go.”  Within minutes he was on the phone getting tickets and we snagged two seats in the Richard Petty Terrace, Section 103, Row 42, Seats 28 and 29.  Perfect view of turn one.

The start of the race builds to a mind-blowing roar as the tightly bunched cars fly around the first turn.  Everyone stands for the start and any re-starts.  It was a long race with 266 laps, but with the number of  incidents like Kyle Busch’s engine blowing up and Jeff Gordon hitting the wall after a tire failure the whole event was never dull all excitement and fun.  The race on Sunday was close between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards near the end.  But, Carl won out.  Yeah!  (We like Carl.)  Carl did his famous backflip off his winning car and the crowd (estimated over 100,000 fans) cheered.

One of Mike’s happier moments.  We have to do this again—maybe on the trip down south in the next year or two?  Daytona, perhaps?

Twisted Farm Food

Hash House A-Go-Go was recommended to us when we where in San Diego, but we never made it.  When we saw Las Vegas had a Hash House A-Go-Go restaurant, we made up our minds to have breakfast there before we left town!  This is not your run-of-the-mill scrambled eggs and hash browns.  They have unusual combinations, and surprisingly the meals are very good!

Mike’s pick:  Sage Fried Chicken Benedict with maple reduction, 2 eggs, bacon mashed potatoes and biscuit.

My pick:  Griddled french toast dipped in banana cinnamon cream and pecan maple syrup.  I had loads of coffee to offset the sweet meal.  Love the combination of the two.

This is the first time in memory when a breakfast was so filling that we did not eat for the rest of the day.  Can you believe it?  Look at the size of the meal in the above picture.

Calico Trail

An easy hike turned into a rock climb when we veered off the beaten path.  We opted for the rocky terrain of Calico Trail in the Red Rock Canyon located 15 miles west of Las Vegas.  The large boulders are a bit of a strrrretccch for my short legs.  Mike had…no problem.
As he always reminds me, “No hill for a stepper.”

Red Rock Canyon – Las Vegas

We must remember to bring our better digital camera.

Our little Canon point-and-shoot camera cannot begin to give justice to the scenery in Las Vegas’ Red Rock Canyon.  But, the pictures do a better job showing rather than have me try to describe.

I am sure, based on what people tell us, the rock colors and craggy canyons keep getting better in Utah and Arizona’s Grand Canyon, but for now, we are loving the land located around the glitzy and fast-paced city of Las Vegas.

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservancy has loads of hiking trails, but it was too cold and windy to make the trek enjoyable today.  So, we wait and research the hikes that seem best suited to us.  We will jump on a future warm, calm day that happens so often in these parts during winter. 

Today, we enjoyed the scenic loop drive—occasionally getting out of the truck to get close to the canyon overlooks, but mostly snapping pictures out the window to stay out of the harsh wind. 

Pawn Stars

Every week we record a new episode of “Pawn Stars” on our DVR.  It is a television reality show based on a pawn shop located in the less traveled part of the Las Vegas Strip.  The owners and employees are interesting characters and the people selling stuff to the shop are often entertaining, too.
 
We decided the store would not be busy early in the day on a Monday; and we could catch a glimpse of Rick, the Old Man, Corey and Chumlee.  We were wrong.  At 9 a.m. the store had a line out the door waiting to get in.  Like all the other tourists, we parked the truck and stood in line.

After 15 minutes, we looked at each other meaningfully…

“Are we seriously standing in line to get into a pawn shop?", Mike asks.

Without saying a word, we just start walking to the truck.  We get in the truck and start laughing. 

What a couple of goofballs.  The magic of television can put stars in your eyes sometimes.  Pawn Stars.

Another Milestone for Mike

Birthdays come and go, and we really do not consider them a big event.  But, they are a wonderful excuse to indulge in dinner out and a little entertainment.  Yesterday, was Mike’s big day.  He picked out the Mandalay Bay buffet for dinner (unlimited prawns) and the Shark Reef Aquarium. 

The buffet, as usual, was delicious—lots of seafood either deep fried, sauteed, or cooked with a calorie-laden sauce.  Our favorite was the calamari/mussel/scallop dish with a white sauce.

Mandalay Bay Casino/Hotel has done a very nice job carrying out their jungle theme throughout the casino, hotel, and the aquarium.   The aquarium contains all the predators of the sea and a very large Komodo Dragon.  What we liked about this aquarium was the portion down the stairs and through the tunnel—a tunnel through the aquarium with big sharks swimming above, below and around.  At the end of the tunnel, the large room was designed like a sunken wreck, with you placed in the wreck looking around at the ocean life. 

Today, we spent deep cleaning our home (defrost the refrigerator, declutter the closet) and making reservations for the next four months.  Glad we did.  The popular spots in the Grand Canyon, Moab, and Bryce Canyon were darn near taken.

Walkin’ the Strip

When you visit Las Vegas, you must walk the Strip.  It can be painful with the number of casinos to walk through, the street vendors attacking you with tickets to “Girls, Girls, Girls”, and the crush of tourists.  Vegas always has such an interesting mix of visitors from the Paris Hilton wanna-be’s to the retirees losing their life savings.  Occasionally, you must stop at a bar that allows you to people-watch, rest your tired feet and indulge in a mind-numbing rum-and-coke which we did at a piano bar in the Bellagio.

We enjoyed a tasty breakfast buffet at the Mandalay Bay Casino (always excellent—ate here 10 years ago).  Mandalay Bay has a large outdoor parking lot for their Convention Center Building and it worked out very well for our oversized truck.  The picture of the hotel was taken from our parking spot. 

Lots of interesting things to see including a giant round eraser!  What possessed someone to sculpt an eraser for the Vegas Strip?  Seems a little out of place, but it was cool.

Vegas, Baby

We arrived at the Oasis RV Resort yesterday located just 6 miles from the Vegas Strip.  Lots to do in Las Vegas, not only on the Strip; but also the surrounding area.  Hoover Dam.  Boulder City historic district.  Death Valley.  Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.  Visit niece, Amanda, and her family.  And, of course, a few Vegas shows and a little bit of gambling.

Looking forward to a fun stay.  We are here until it starts to warm up at our next stop—Zion National Park.