The Mirage Hotel And Casino Las Vegas

After driving through monsoon and empty high desert, arriving on the Strip was a bit of a culture shock. We were happy to know our way around the Mirage (having stayed there before) and to have picked up supplies for a relaxed drink in our room. A late, light dinner in an uncrowded restaurant downstairs was as much of the action as we needed to see tonight.

Sweltering heat met us when we stepped out of the casino for a morning walk. But on the Strip it's easy enough to go from one air conditioned space to another without being outside very much in between, so it wasn't too unbearable. We even opted for outside tables at the Starbuck's at the Fashion Show Mall over our many indoor breakfast choices. After we ate, we wandered into the mall, ostensibly to check something out at the Apple store. (Bad idea, since you could only enter the place after ...

Waking up the next morning, I passed the first test: no hangover. Good! That's very hard to do in Vegas, I understand. I cannot say the same for my friends, however. Our first stop was the ESPN Zone restaurant where they tackled about five pitches of water before lurking around like zombies through the streets. Today was the day we would go shopping. I was intent on buying a souvenir for my girlfriend, while my buddy Malcolm wanted to add to his already-overstocked surplus of shoes and t-shir...

Yesterday morning we were up at 5 with jetlag so at 6 we bundled on the clothes and went to the Grand Canyon for sunrise. It was windy and freezing cold but it was good and we saw the mules going down with the supplies.

We then travelled to Las Vegas which took about 5 and a half hours including stops. We drove along a bit of historic Route 66 and saw a roadrunner. We also stopped at Hoover Dam.

We're now in Las Vegas, staying at the Mirage. Yesterday we explored the Strip but i...

Tuesday April 24th - On the road to Vegas A long days' driving - roughly 7 hours - in order to reach Las Vegas, but it started well when we stuck the radio on and found a station playing classic 50's/60's hits such as The Beach Boys and Elvis and it helped the journey along. We stopped at a small town just off the main highway which appeared to have just one café. We took a look at the menu and spotted the only item that might be ok for veggies - a veggie burger option so plumped for that. Th...

"Soooo... you're telling me, your mom travels like garlic bread," my best friend tells me. "What do you mean?" I ask. "When I was a waitress at a BBQ joint, many to-go customers would call back and complain that the garlic toast was bad. We eventually put up a sign at the take-out counter that stated in clear bold letters that GARLIC BREAD DOES NOT TRAVEL WELL. You are telling me that your mom doesn't travel well." "Yep, absolutely!!! Diane always knows how to make me laugh and put things int...

After taking care of some things around the camper, Uncle Bill and I headed back out. We went shopping at Camper's World and Home Depot. When we got back, we went to Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton. Uncle Bill and I took a tour of the museum and the 4D Borg ride. We then ate lunch at Quirk's Restaurant. I had a coupon for a mini-warp core. Since it was an alchoalic beverage, Uncle Bill drank it instead. Uncle Bill then went out on the floor while I took another look at the m...

(Written by Chris) Well, about at the half way point of our travels, and as I write this we have just arrived in San Francisco (once again our lack of planning was a key part of our travels - until yesterday we thought we would head to Yosemite directly). We are spending the night here, and currently trying to decide between heading to the Napa Valley (for the wine) or south to Redwoods National park for a few days before returning to San Fran for the 11th. We are both enjoying the travelling...

So, our Kiwi mates Justin and Lucy came to visit, and the boys had decided way back in Darwin that they wanted to see a world title boxing fight in Vegas. So they found a fight and we all headed down to the desert. We walked out of the airport, got hit with a 44 degree dry heat and the first thing we saw.. was a stretched Hummer. (see attached pic) How very American!! Somehow we managed to survive customs. That honestly was such a grueling process. I was shaking - feeling like a criminal. I g...

All right, we're just getting ready to leave our hotel in Vegas. This is my first time here, however David has seen the place quite a bit in the past. I'm telling you they don't call it "sin city" without reason! I will say it was amazing to see all the incredible sites and architecture in this city and stay at this huge luxury hotel and casino, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting out of here and seeing the real beauty of God's creation in the Grand Canyon. PS. I think we might have...