Las Vegas to Lee Vinning – 5th September

I was up at 8.00am and started packing up all my clothing and closed up my suitcase and other bags. Then I needed to finish packing the two parcels I had to post home. One of them was a foam carton that can fit beer cans in it. I had picked up some beer and soft drink cans in Vegas and I was able to get them all into the carton and taped it up to send.

The other box was to put in the other items I had picked up in Vegas and also some clothing that I would not use again on this trip. I was able to get a few books also that I had been carrying and some DVD’s I had picked up on the way.

By 10.00am I was ready to leave the hotel and called for the bell hop to come and pick up all the cases and cartons. While I was waiting for him I was able to checkout of the hotel by using the on-screen prompts on the T.V. saving me the hassle of doing it at reception. The bell hop came and took the luggage and I went and bought down the car to the driveway and loaded up the car.
I left the hotel and drove to the US Post Office to post the parcels. It took about thirty minutes waiting in line to get them posted so it was closer to 11am by the time I got out of Vegas.

I put the details I required into the GPS system and headed off west.
First town I came to was Pahrump, which is still in Nevada. From there I turn left and head into Death Valley. Pahrump has a couple of Casinos but due to the time I decided not to go to them on this trip. The town also has the Kingdom Gentlemen’s club, which really stands out as you drive into town. I gather from the photos on the building is a brothel. There is also a billboard for the Brothel Art Museum, which is about 25 minutes away in the next town heading north.
I stopped in the town for lunch but could not find a cafe or deli so ended up at Burger King. The first time I had eaten at a fast food place on the whole trip. I also filled up with petrol before heading off. The service stations do not allow you to fill up and then go and pay. You either have to go and give the attendant the money and nominate which pump you are at or use a credit card and pay at the pump. The petrol cost $4.35 per gallon. One US gallon is approx 3.8 litres so the price was the equivaleant of $1.14 per litre.

From Pahrump I drove west over a series of hills into a town called Shoshone which is the last town before you enter the Death Valley National Park. At the park you start at a height of 3315 feet and travel down into the valley. At this point the temperature outside was 103 degrees F.
The view as you travel downhill of the ridges and different valleys is spectacular. There is not a tree or shrub to be seen.
After a while you reach Ashford Mill Ruins which used to be a gold ore smelter when gold was mined five miles to the east. Further into the valley you reach Badwater which is the lowest point in USA. The salt pan is 282 feet below sea level. (or 85.5 metres) For a comparison Lake Eyre, South Australia at 49 feet below sea level is Australia’s lowest point.

The temperature is by now 112 degrees F. The heat is a very dry heat with zero percent humidity.

I stopped and took some photos on the salt pan and of the rock ledge behind the area which on the wall has a sign showing sea level. Also at this point is a pay station to pay the entry fee for the national park. A flat fee for a car is $20 for seven days access to the park. Why anybody would want to spend seven days in Death Valley I do not know! I paid the fee and got a receipt that I need to take to the Ranger station at Furnace Creek further along the valley to get an official sticker for my vehicle.

I left Badwater and travelled a short time along the valley floor and went to a spot called The Devil’s Golf Course. The salt pan is at this point very rough so you would not be able to play any golf shots if you were to hit a ball there.

Travelling further along I took a side road which is called Artist’s Way. The one way road winds itself around some hills and hollows which is great scenery which is just rock and cliff faces but all the rock is different colours and you can see that artists would come here to paint at times when it is cooler.

Just past here is Furnace Creek where there is a hotel resort with an 18 hole golf course, a camping ground, some houses and the National Park Ranger station. I stopped and picked up my car sticker and bought a DVD of Death Valley to watch later.
Travelling further north along the valley you pass Stovepipe Wells which also has a motel with a swimming pool, another ranger station and a general store. Further along is Panamint Springs, which has the only petrol station within 150 miles. I filled up with petrol at $5.62 per gallon which is $1.27 a gallon more than I paid four hours before. I had used nearly a tank full of petrol in four hours because the air conditioning working so hard. It was 5.15pm whilst I was there and the temperature was 118 degrees F.

At this point I realised I still had about three hours driving to do before I got to my accommodation for the night so I made a decision to just drive and not stop at any more places in Death Valley.

I passed a lot of places that looked real interesting inside the national park before reaching highway 395, at this junction is a town called Lone Pine. I stopped here and used the public phone to ring my hotel for the night to tell them I was still coming but I would be late. The manager told me if I was not there before 9pm she would leave an envelope with my room key in it next to the reception and I could just let myself in.

I travelled north along highway 395 (in the USA highways travelling north south end in an odd number , highways travelling east west end in an even number) travelling through the towns of Independence and Big Pine before reaching the town of Bishop. Here they have a lot of motels which be looking at the huge signs in front of them cater for fresh water fishermen. Everywhere are signs saying fishermen welcome and there is a lot of fishing accessory shops in town. The whole local area which is on the eastern side of the Sierra Mountain range is a outdoor enthusiasts dream.

Also in town is an Indian Casino. The USA federal government allows federally recognised Indian tribes can operate casinos outside state jurisdiction because Indian tribes are considered sovereign entities by the US government and that their gaming operations cannot be prohibited by state governments. I stopped at the casino to get some poker chips and come out with the same amount of money I went in with. The cards used at the casino have the Kings, Queens and Jacks depicted as Indians complete with Indian clothing. I was able to get a pack to take away as I left the casino. By this time it was dark and I drove the last hour to Lee Vinning in the dark. I got to the motel just before 9pm so I was able to get the keys from reception. I was exhausted from the days driving so I quickly went to bed hopefully to get a good nights sleep.

Las Vegas - 4th September

I set the alarm to wake me at 9.00am as I needed to get to the Hertz Rental Car desk at the Riviera Casino at 10.00am to pick up my hire car. I showered and went and got some breakfast and then went across the road to the Riviera and picked up a new version Pontiac with only 12,000 miles driven by it.

I drove straight around to the US Mail postal office and bought two cardboard boxes to pack all the extra gear I have been accumulating. I then drove back to Circus Circus and put one of the boxes together and started to pack it. I am still picking up new Pringles tubes and different beer and coke cans. I am emptying the Pringles into plastic bags and dumping them and filling the tubes with cans and other items I am getting.

I headed sown to the front of Circus Circus to a smaller building called “Slots of Fun” which is part of Circus Circus but a standalone building with an open front right on the footpath. The gambling tables have two dollar minimum bets and they have a lot of different $5 chips for different events that have been held in Vegas.

I was not able to get all the chips so will try to get back another time to get some more. Also a lot of the slot machines are 25 cent machines. I have been picking up these quarters as there is a series with one side of the coin dedicated to each of the 50 states. I have been picking up one of each I have had, so far getting 28 of them. I put $40 into the slot machine and pressed collect and got 160 quarters. I went back up to the room and sorted through them and found another 9 states I did not have.

I then went back to the car and headed off to the Hoover Dam which is about a 30 mile drive south of Vegas. I programmed the journey into the GPS that came with the car and off I went. I got my first experience of driving on a four lane freeway in the USA but it was not peak hours so it as not too bad. The drive south out of Vegas shows off the mountains which surround the valley the Las Vegas is situated in.

On the way I passed a casino on the opposite side of the road which I must call into on the way back into town.

The dam is situated just past the town of Boulder City. The directional signs to the dam direct you through the shopping centre of the town. It is only on the way back you see that you could have gone a shorter route to get to the dam – obviously a clever scheme by the town council to get you to go through the shopping area.

Luckily they did direct you that way though as I came across the Boulder Dam Brewing Company which has a brew pub in the town. I went in and was able to buy a t-shirt, some key rings and some coasters. Through the town centre you pass some residential areas. This one provides excellent views of Lake Mead.

On to the dam and I passed another Casino again on the opposite side of the road and will again visit it on the way back into Vegas. Before arriving at the dam you have to go through a security check point that is set up by the police. The road actually drives over the dam wall and you can stop on the opposite side of the dam at various parking areas to take photo’s or walk back onto the dam wall itself.

Crossing the dam you enter into Arizona. I stopped got out and took some photos and some video of the dam but did not worry about going on any of the tours they have as it would be similar to the ones I have done on Warragamba Dam in Sydney in prior years.

The upside of the Dam Wall
The dam wall showing the new bridge being built on the lower side of the dam wall.
The dam lake heading upstream to Lake Mead
A memorial to the Dam Builders who scaled the cliff walls.
The plaque to go with the memorial above.
List of workers who died during the construction of the Hoover Dam.
The dam wall on the down stream side

I visited the gift shop and looked at the new bridge that is being built in front of the dam which will take out the hard turns for through traffic plus the larger vehicles that the officials do not want to travel down to the dam wall. They have just started on the first sections of the span deck.

Leaving the dam I travelled back to the Hacienda Casino and got the chips and also made a profit on the tables.
I then passed through Boulder City again before stopping on the hill leading back into Vegas to go into the Railway Crossing Casino. Getting the chips I again won a bit of money and stopped at the gift shop where the casino playing cards had a picture of a train on them. I figured I might be able to sell them on back in Australia to train collectors. The packs of cards were 49 cents each but they had a buy one get one free deal on so I bought 12 packs for 3 dollars.

While driving into town I was heading to Circus Circus as I was starting to get short of time to see the show at 7.30pm. When I was almost at the casino I remembered I had to go to the Monte Carlo to see Terry at the brewery gift shop as she had arranged yesterday to give me a gift.

I drove to the Monte Carlo and parked in their free car park which is across the road and about as far as you can get away from the gift shop and still be in the casino area. I walked very quickly to the gift shop and Terry presented me with a set of bottle labels from the old brewery plus a framed set of labels as well. I had a quick chat with her and tanked her ever so much for the great gift and then had to excuse myself as I needed to hurry back to the casino to have a shower, pick up my ticket and race to the Bellagio.

I made it in time for the show. Driving to the Bellagio I was able to use the Self Drive parking which is at the side of the casino and I drove to the top level as I think when I return at night I will get a good view from there to take some photos of the casinos.

I then went down into the casino and to the theatre to see the Cirque show "O". The show was quite good. It was a water based show with a lot of the performers spending a lot of time in the water and most of the gymnastic elements ended with the performers diving or landing in the water to finish their routine.

After the show I went back to the car and as I had thought I had a great view out across the strip of the lights of the casinos.

The Arc De Triumph and Hot Air Balloon at Paris Casino
Hot Air Balloon and Planet Hollywood
Bally's on left and Paris casinos.
Bally's


Following this I then drove up to the Stratosphere Casino at the northern end of the strip. I was able to get my poker chips and was able to again walk out with more money than I went in with. From there I drove to the Sahara and picked up my poker chips but was not so lucky with my gambling and walked out without getting my money back.

I then drove to the Las Vegas Hilton and got my poker chips and walked out with my original betting money I had put on the table.

I then only had one more casino to go to complete a clean sweep of all the casinos on the Las Vegas Casino Strip, getting to it however proved to be no easy task. Firstly I turned too early and drove into the car park of the Roman Catholic Guardian Angel Cathedral, which is a huge building. I went out the back entry to the car park and turned to go back to go onto the strip but the road I turned onto actually goes under the strip and I ended up not being able to turn off the road until about one mile later.

I was able to get back to the strip and drove into the car park for the Wynn Las Vegas Casino but it was the entry for the Hire Cars and Valet parking. I had to turn back out onto the road and then go around the corner to the correct self drive car park.

Finally in the casino I found it to be the most elegant of the casino floors I had been on in Las Vegas. The fittings were very flash and the shops around the outside of the gaming area were very luxurious in design and fit out. The gaming tables were very busy and the minimum limits to play were $15. There were only a couple of $15 tables and it took me a while to get to play at one of them. I played for about half an hour and was able to walk away with more chips than I started with.

I walked around the casino for a while taking in the sights and noticed a lot of the tables had minimums of $100, $200 and even a minimum of $500 per bet.

I then went back to the car and drove back to Circus Circus to get some sleep about 2am.

I am leaving tomorrow to drive to visit Death Valley and then California so I will have to get up and pack my bags and also put together a box for posting home some of my new cans and collectibles I have picked up since Orlando.

Las Vegas - 3rd September

I woke up around 9am and went to the buffet breakfast at the casino. The buffet cost $9.50 and you could get as much food as you liked. A lot of it looked inedible to me so I stuck to Sausage, Bacon, eggs and some pancakes.

Heading off I caught the ‘Deuce’ bus which I mentioned yesterday. It cost me $5 and I can use it for 24 hours as often as I like. It comes along every 20 minutes all day long but as seen yesterday it does have its peak times where you cannot get on and you either have to wait for the next one or start walking. I went down the strip and got off at The Mirage and walked through the casino and picked up some poker chips. I enquired about the Cirque show ‘Love’ which is a show using all Beatles music as background to their performance. Unfortunately it is not on again until Friday so I will miss it.

To get my $5 poker chips, I have been playing blackjack, sometimes single deck or other times six deck. Most casinos have ten dollar minimum bet tables, some only have fifteen dollar minimum at nights but a few have some five dollar tables during the day.

My strategy has been is to sit at a table and get $100 worth of chips. I pocket what I need from the pile, if they only have a chip with their name on it I have been keeping 4 of each. I have been playing either till I run out of chips or if I have one enough to cover the chips I have put in my pocket and then cashing in and moving on to the next casino. Some casinos have promotions for some of their shows on the chips so if that is the case I have been getting four of each. Also some casinos upgrade the design on the chips so if possible I have been getting four of each design.

The reason for four of each is I know other people who collect the chips and will offer them some when I get home.

I walked from there next door to Caesars Palace Casino. The front of Caesars Palace is a shopping centre full of all the exclusive brands from round the world. It is a three storey at the front with a big open area
with a circular escalator
domed ceilings


Then there is a mall going back into the block. All the store designs and the architecture of the building are fantastic. The ceiling is like a blue sky and you would think you are outdoors.
The Gucci Store
A store selling children's toys has a wooden horse at the front
I then went through the casino area picking up poker chips, not being able to continue my streak from last night. I also joined the players club getting some free poker chips to use and a shoulder bag.

I then walked out front of Caesar's Palace and took some photos of the casino and other casino's across the road showing their advertised shows.

I walked further and crossed the pedestrian bridge to the Bellagio. I first went in and got tickets to some more shows. I have decided to see more of the Cirque shows and tonight will see ‘Mystere’ at Treasure Island and tomorrow night I will see ‘O’ at the Bellagio.

I then got the poker chips (winning again!!!) and walked out onto the street in front of the Bellagio.

They have a huge lake at the front of the casino and I was lucky enough to be there as they run through the feature show in the lake. They have hundreds of fountain jets pointing upwards and they play music as water is pushed up into the air at various speeds and heights as well as swirling around which makes for a very visual water display. They replay this show many times during the day and night.

I walked from there to the Monte Carlo Casino which has a Roman style theme at the front.

They advertise that they have their own micro brewery in the casino but when I went to check I found that they had to remove the brewing vats so that some new buildings could be built next door that will form part of a building complex development called City Centre which is being built next door and due to open next year.

They still have the pub there so I bought a t-shirt from the pub gift shop and got talking to the lady, Terry, who works there. She told me about the history of the brew pub and I told her of my interest in brewery collectibles. She told me to come back tomorrow and she would bring in some items she has at home from when they closed the brewery down. I agreed to come back in the afternoon tomorrow. I then went to the pub and was able to get some coasters.

I was then down next to New York, New York, where I had already been yesterday so I had completed that side of the strip at the southern end.

From outside I walked across a overhead walkway and took some photos of other Casinos.

The Mandalay Bay building in the background and the Sphinx head of the Luxor in front of it.

The Excalibur Casino

MGM Grand

For something different I walked down one of the streets off the strip to Hooters Casino. The casino is of course based on the Theme Restaurants’ of the same name and the card dealers are in similar attire. They had 5 different types of chips in use and I managed to get four of all of them plus still walk out with double the cash I started with so my luck was on the improve again. I purchased so items from the gift shop and then walked back to New York, New York to look in the shops they have and then caught the ‘Deuce’ back to Circus Circus to shower before going to tonight’s show.

I caught the ‘Deuce’ back to Treasure Island and got the poker chips (with a small profit) before going to see ’Mystere’. It was a great show. The artists were very good, the music was excellent and really fitted the show well and I felt this show was better than ‘Ka’ which I had seen last night.

After the show I walked across the overhead walkway to the Venetian Casino. There is two entries to the Casino at the northern end you enter into a large open area with a beautiful ceiling.The casino is set up outside as a replica of Venice in Italy. There is a waterway which they have gondoliers you can ride in and inside there is a street scape similar to Venice complete with canals and bridges.
As you walk through the street there are different shops and cafe’s you can use and as you walk further you come across the gondoliers again.

I was lucky here as the Venetian and the Palazzo are run by the same people and I was able to get the poker chips for both from the one table, no luck with the fall of the cards though. As you leave via the main entry there are some very impressive paintings on the domed ceilings.

As I left the Venetian I continued south on the east side of the strip going from casino to casino. Firstly Harrah’s then the Flamingo and Bally’s, none of which are not themed casinos like some of the others on the strip.

Next I moved onto Paris Las Vegas, which has a replica of the Eiffel Tower and a gigantic Hot Air Balloon set up out the front of the casino.

You can have dinner in a restaurant at the top of the Eiffel Tower and the casino has one of the base sections of the Eiffel Tower set up in the gambling area. As you leave the casino at one side is a replica of the Arc De Triumph.

Finally the last casino before I got to where I had already been the night before at MGM Grand was Planet Hollywood Casino. This is a set with very modern decor and is has plenty of space around all the tables unlike some of the other casino’s which cram in as many as they can fit. By this time of the night (early morning) there were not many people in this casino and it was very easy to get onto a table to gamble. I was able to come out in front again here.

In between all these casinos there were a series of smaller Gambling Houses which are not as big as the casino’s but still have gaming tables and poker machines. I managed to stop at each one and get some more poker chips for my collection.

When I walked out of Planet Hollywood I was able to get the ‘Deuce’ back up to opposite Circus Circus where it stops out the front of the Riveria Casino. I went in and was able to get the poker chips and then walked across the road to my room and finally after a long day and night was able to get to bed at 4.30am.

Slots of Fun - A separate building at the front of Circus Circus run by the casino.