[VAC] 02/28/01 Wednesday - EEWCRC

["Terry Tyler" <tylerbears@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"East and West of the Colorado River Caravan"

On our last day (an extra day) in Las Vegas, we chose the Stratosphere Players Club. This time the
height limits in the parking garage were well marked with ample warning. Having learned our lesson,
we chose the open air parking lot across the street. Inside the hotel, we traveled the equivalent of
several blocks (past hundreds of slot machines and as many customers). Each hotel has its own unique
maze - through a forest of flashing lights and blaring slot machines. The first few hotel
experiences were the most exciting. Now, it's old hat.

The elevator to the floor show was well hidden and even camouflaged. As the theater doors opened and
our scantily clad waitress seated us at a tiny table for two, we were ready for the obligatory $5
minimum drink. This time, the drink was a totally different experience. The specialties were called
Stratoblasters (18 ounces), came in long containers shaped like the Stratosphere building (24" tall)
and had long spiral shaped straws. Most dramatic. The floor show took about an hour and was great,
especially the dancing girls. We were put off by the comic's insulting humor. Different strokes for
different folks.

Gasoline prices in Las Vegas were the highest yet, but not as high as what was to come in
California. At our driver's meeting, some caravaners planned to continue their goal of shunning
Interstates. Driving on California Interstates with numerous lanes required extreme vigilance.  

Tomorrow, Las Vegas will be history for us. While here, we found plenty of free and low cost
entertainment. Yet, we saw people (not caravaners) spending large amounts of money like there was no
tomorrow. Bottom line, none in our group came away with more money than they went in with. All of us
had an enjoyable experience, whether first timers or returnees. We'll go back again, see new shows,
visit different hotels and find more restaurants with special deals.

During this week, I picked up daily email directly from our phone in the Airstream. This has been
the slickest system yet. The charge is 75 cents per call, but no limit on the length of time per
call. The fee for this week's service was $7 (deducted from the required $25 deposit)

Terry
mailto:tylerbears@airstream.net