Las Vegas Trip Day 7 -- I love the smell of burning waffles in the morning.

Woke up this morning to the smell of burning waffles. The motel offers a self serve breakfast room where guests can get Danish rolls, cereal or make waffles on one of those flip-over waffle makers. They have two but one runs hot and burns the waffles.  We stayed at this motel last week and they had only one machine plugged in but some helpful person plugged in the hot one.

The Belgian Waffle was a topic of discussion this week because the US Men's World Cup soccer team was due to play the Belgian team and some wise guy decided we should boycott Belgian Waffles. Well, they played yesterday and it was a good game but the US team lost in the last few minutes in overtime. So, today I ate my Belgian Waffle as a salute to the hard fought game and the final winners....Belgium.

At breakfast I looked at the USA Today newspaper and it is odd how different people can watch the same soccer match and see different things. Everyone praised our goalie - Tim Howard - for his saves (16) but then there were some who complained that the US team's defenses were nonexistent. Belgium was a tough opponent, we have the best goalie in the World Cup, we needed to take the ball to their goal. We lost by one point in overtime. Not bad.

We are in Flagstaff but we get home today. It shouldn't be much more than a four hour drive and we will be able to pick up Watson   He has been at the animal hospital with his Barbie doll.

On the way back we stopped in Winslow, Arizona, to take pictures of us "Standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona."  They have a statue and a little scenario where folks stand and take their picture...complete with a flat-bed Ford. We went across the street to an old  Route 66 diner and had biscuits and gravy and watched the people come to take pictures. It's a continuous stream of people.

We made it home with Watson around 4:30. Happy to be home. Doing laundry. Gonna stay home for a while.

Las Vegas Trip - Day 6 -- Desert Storm

Today was our last day in Las Vegas. I always call it "Las Vegas" because I don't feel familiar enough to just call it "Vegas" and if I went only with its first name it would be "Las" and no one would know what I'm talking about. So, anyhoo, we checked out of the hotel. You can't beat the price of the room. Four days at the Riviera was cheaper than three nights at Econolodge on the interstate for the whole trip.

Jill went to the closing session  for the convention. B.J.Novak (The Office) was the speaker and he writes some kids books and was a good supporter of what libraries do. He will go to libraries and read to kids.

I spent my time drinking coffee and eating a scone and watching the World Cup. Even the workers were trying to watch the came. Argentina beat Switzerland but it was a tough match.  I walked around the convention hall...it was a little weird because crews were dismantling everything. The empty  rooms were a little spooky.... waiting for the next convention.

We finally hit the road around 11 AM and stopped for a lunch and then headed out of town. We got turned around a little but finally got it right. We stopped to take a look at Hoover Dam. It is a little costly to take the tour so we just did the pedestrian walk out on the new bridge.  Lake Mead is at its lowest level since it filled up originally. Power generation is curtailed to only a fraction of what it should be. The drought has everything in a tailspin but you wouldn't know it in Las Vegas.

It is a long drive from Hoover Dam down to Kingman AZ where you pick up I-40 going east.  I think I got a little too much heat walking out on the bridge to see the dam and that was added on top of all the other days of 110 degree heat in Las Vegas plus the motion and driving in the car. We climbed from the low spot near the dam (maybe 1200 ft.) up to over 7000 feet and I was feeling a little sick at times.

We headed east at Kingman into a huge thunderstorm that finally hit us a little east of Seligman. The rain was coming down in buckets and the roadway wasn't draining it off which made driving hazardous. A truck almost jack-knifed in front of us at one point. We saw a SUV that ran off the road and rolled several times in the median with smoke and steam pouring out of it. Some folks were stopped to help...it had just happened and it looked serious.  We had to creep along very slowly. The lightening was fearsome. Desert storms are extreme and dangerous but amazing to watch and experience.

We ran into a lot of road construction but finally made it to Flagstaff. We had a good supper and relaxed in the room.

Las Vegas Trip - Day 5 -- Stick a Fork in Me, I'm Done

Well....the merriment continues.  People are starting to get a little bedraggled and some are grumpy...but not me. The temperature today is 110 degrees and walking across the parking lot to the convention center (more than 2 football field lengths) is an ordeal.  Our hotel is one of the closest but it is still a 10-15 minute walk in the heat.


One of the vendors at the convention hall is selling shoe inserts. I bought a pair because of my sporadic foot problem (plantar fasciitis) and they work great. I went back today and bought another pair and got a coupon for a third pair.  I've been walking a lot and it feels good to be this active....especially since my feet are feeling OK.

So, what did we learn today?

• The publishers are starting to just give books away so they don't have to take them back home with them. Some are selling them for $1 to $5 each. I have somewhere around 50 books so far and I've paid $3.00 for the bunch. Librarians are starting to cull their collections and you find books laying around on tables or chairs in the convention hall or in the hotel. I found one at breakfast this morning that looks pretty good: Gutenberg's Apprentice by Alix Christie. 

• Librarians are more conscientious than corrections employees and are actually trying to attend the sessions even though this is day four. The sessions are still filling up.  I can recall some ACA congresses I attended where folks didn't last as long and sessions sometimes had only a dozen people.

• Slot machines are unkind. I brought a fair amount of gambling money with me and have only used a portion but it is easy to lose money.

•  I can't find where they keep the strippers.  I know they are here somewhere.

Well it is evening and Jill is at a librarian 'hunger games'  event where they act out the parts. I opted not to attend. This blog doesn't need to report on that. (Update....she had a good time.)

I watched the World Cup games: France and Germany won and will move into the quarter finals. Algeria and Nigeria go home. They are all good games.  USA plays Belgium tomorrow but  we will be on the road again.

We hauled some of our stuff to the car so we don't have to wrestle it all tomorrow
morning when we check out. The place is starting to thin out and is less crowded around the pool. We went down to the food court and had fast food. Eating here is expensive.

The Riviera Resort Casino is interesting because it dates to the era when entertainers like Jack Benny, Liberace, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra and Elvis all performed here. Pavarotti performed here as did the Village People. It's a Rat Pack place. They have a plaque on the wall with the names of the performers who appeared in the showrooms. Now they have a Crazy Girls show, a Men show (sort of a Chippendale's thing) and a comedy club and sometimes a magician.

I think that Riviera's history is a strength.  If they try to compete with Bellagio or The Venetian they will fail.   Across the street is a huge construction site for some new casino development. I'm sure that it will try to out-do the top tier casinos and will make the Riviera look even older.  

Our room was nice but a little bit 1970-ish. Some parts of the hotel have been recently renovated but ours is still untouched by the 2010s.  We have blond furniture, a lamp that sags over to one side, a little make-up station and a flat screen TV.  The bathroom is very nice and roomy.  There is no microwave or refrigerator. There is no coffee pot. The hotel doesn't provide a breakfast.


So we head for home tomorrow.  I'm ready to go home but I might come back. This was my first time here and there's a lot to do. I had a good time.

Las Vegas Trip - Day 4 -- Suspending Reality

A person can lose track of reality here and I think that is the business strategy for the resorts and casinos along the strip. Some more so than others.   They really need people to disregard the fact that it is 110 degrees, for one thing. Secondly, they need you to drop some of the defense mechanisms that you have about money.  Years ago, Las Vegas was an inexpensive vacation in some respects. That was years ago....now it is pretty costly -- especially if you stay at the top tier casino/resorts.  We are staying at the Riviera. which is not in that realm, but you can get there from here.

We went into several big casino resorts in the  evenings and it is as if you have become someone else in a fantasy world.

We were in the Paris, the Bellagio and Caesar's Palace last night and they are just opulent and dripping with wealth...not for middle class folks unless they want to pretend they are part of the moneyed world. The Paris resort/casino is a fantasy world for folks who want to pretend they are French or in France.

Today we were in Circus Circus, the Lynn and the Venetian. The Wynn is wealth and opulence and seems to cater a lot to the young college crowd...although I don't see how those two things match.   There is a beach 'club' there that I guess is the big draw. Most of the young ladies (mostly women) seemed to be barely 21.

The Venetian is amazing in the way they have recreated Venice (the good parts) complete with gondolas cruising the Grand Canal. We ate there in one of Mario Batale's restaurants...an upscale burger spot...and it was very nice sitting outside in the evening heat. They have umbrellas and misters to keep things cool and that made a difference.

Of course these places all have shopping sections with Cartier and Rolex and many other upscale shops. You won't find Mr. Bulky but you will find Godiva.

Circus Circus is designed for folks who want to fantasize that they are in an insane asylum. That was the most crazy whack-job of a place. It is geared for families so there are young families and lots of kids and noise and turmoil. We ran into people carrying huge (4' or 5' tall) stuffed animals wandering around as if they were in a trance. The noise was deafening. We could not wait to get out.

I spent some quality time with the slot machines at the Wynn casino and won enough to buy a couple beers and watch the World Cup game between Costa Rica and Greece. Costa Rica won, finally, on penalty kicks. Earlier in the day Mexico was eliminated in a lightening fast turn of events when Netherlands scored two goals in th final minutes. The two beers cost about $25. There went my winnings.  I refuse to pla anything other than slots or video poker --  table games are made for other people. I don't need the drama. Jill tried her hand ad roulette but made a fast retreat.

So...I'm actually ready to go home but we still have another day and a half. I'm grouped out. I don't need no more stinkin' books.  I wonder where they keep the strippers?

Las Vegas Trip - Day 3 - Carnegie Awards

I'm pooped.  If you have ever been to a large convention you know how you get worn out.  Part of it is carrying books that they give you. So far the free book count is up to about 35 books.  I'll need to build on to the house for a library.

I am not going to the sessions...I have a pass to the exhibit hall but not the sessions, although I could get in to most of them since nobody checks. I don't need to know about most of what is being covered in the sessions. My time in the exhibit hall has been productive. I learned how to make cheese in an hour out of whole milk and vinegar....there's a book for that.  I learned how to manage stress...there's a book for that.  I threw in the towel around 2:30 this afternoon and walked back to the hotel in 100+ heat carrying two tote bags full of more books.

I'll rest up for tonight (Award ceremony for books) and maybe play a few slots until Jill gets back from her sessions.  She is dutifully going to the sessions but she did get to meet Stan Lee and got an autographed book.

We took a shuttle down the strip toward Bellagio and got something to eat at the Paris casino. This is really the high rent district compared to the Riviera, although the Riviera has some authentic "Rat Pack" era charm. It could use a little renovation here and there.

Bellagio

We walked through Bellagio to Caesar's Palace where the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction were to be awarded. The Caesar's Palace is like a maze and it took us a while to find the ballroom where the awards event was to be held.

Doris Kearns Goodwin won for nonfiction for her book "Bully Pulpit" about Teddy Roosevelt and William Taft.  She made a very nice acceptance speech. The fiction medal went to Donna Tartt for "The Goldfinch".  All six books nominated looked very interesting. We stayed for the reception and then caught a shuttle back from Caesar's Palace to the Riviera.  for the awards and then ride the shuttle back to the hotel.

Las Vegas Trip - Day 2

Day 2 was relatively uneventful....driving from Flagstaff to Las Vegas.  Northern Arizona is sort of pretty.  Bur...The stretch from Kingman AZ to Las Vegas is not much to look at.

We are staying at the Riviera on the strip close to the convention center. If I remember right that's where the murders take place on CSI....so far, nothing has happened.   We haven't wandered out much except to go the the convention hall which is across a large parking lot. It was a hot walk in 102 degree heat.  We went through the exhibit hall and brought back a couple dozen free books from publishers.  Jill gets to see Stan Lee tomorrow and get an autographed copy of his newest Marvel comic.

Jill did go to a librarian event at the Ceasar's Palace in the evening while I played the slots (with mixed results...won and lost).   That was about it.

Las Vegas trip - day 1 1/2

Jill arrived by train on June 20th as the first leg of her trip to the ALA Convention in Las Vegas. I'm driving the two of us the rest of the way as a short vacation and time in Las Vegas. I've never been there so it will be new to me.

We left my house around 7 PM on Wednesday, June 25th and got as far as Gallup. The sun was in our eyes much of the whole way and it was tough driving.   We were delayed getting away because I needed to go to the funeral visitation for my friend, Rod, who lived next door.  Except for the sun the trip to Gallup was uneventful.  It looks like there might be a few things to do there so I might go back sometime.

We headed out from Gallup fairly early. Our hotel had a light breakfast so we ate there and got on the road. We gained an hour as soon as we crossed over into Arizona, which has it's own time zone....ignoring daylight savings time. Today was the USA vs Germany World Cup soccer game...the last of the group stage games and we were hoping for a win or a draw to move forward to the next group of 16.  Jill as able to follow the game with periodic updates on her phone. Our guys lost but still moved forward because the other teams did poorly.

Anyway, our first stop was Petrified Forest NP, which includes the Painted Desert. We followed the 29 mile drive through the park and made a bunch of stops and a few short hikes.

The route went through the Painted Desert first. We stopped and gawked at the various colors in the rocks and hiked along the rim of the mesa top. The park wasn't very busy -- it was still early.

We stopped at the Painted Desert Lodge, an old tourist stop that dates back to the 1920s. The building predates the park and the CCC workers renovated and redesigned the building into it's Pueblo Revival style. I like how these buildings are designed and saw some features I'd like to have on my house.

 The building is a national historic landmark and it was operated as a concession by Fred Harvey and Harvey Girls at one time.  The park has an artist in residence and there was an exhibit of photographs finished in postcard style. We talked to the ranger and had a nice visit.

The Petrified Forest included an Indian ruin at Rio Puerco. The ruin had a few structures excavated but most of it was left undisturbed,  There once was a 100 room structure there build around a central plaza.  It was inhabited  from around 1215 and abandoned by 1380. At it's height about 200 people lived here.

The site is famous for some of its petroglyphs including one that serves as a calendar marker for the summer solstice.  There are a lot of different designs.

We had a close encounter with a very colorful green lizard while walking through the ruin. He got a lot of attention and didn't seem to mind.  We took pictures of him and then some German tourists took some picture. He might be famous.
 

The trees of the Petrified Forest were growing about 250 million years ago and were apparently flooded and mineralized. They are fossils of huge trees from a tropical forest that fell and were washed down a stream onto a large floodplain where they were later flooded. The mineralization took a long time.

Our last stop was the Meteor Crater west of Winslow. I was there when I was about 13 and it was just a rustic tourist stop without much development.  Now it is very developed with a visitor center and viewing platforms...and a hefty admission fee.




We got to our motel in Flagstaff around 4 PM and relaxed a while before heading to Cracker Barrel for supper.  We listened to a Cardinals/Dodgers game for a while before bed..