Sunday - November 21, 2004

My Little Trip

As promised earlier in the week, here’s a recap of my latest little adventure which was just that---an adventure.

We start with arriving at the airport, going to the “self check-in” kiosk and being told to run a piece of ID through the scanner.  I reach into my wallet to extract my license when HORRORS!!! no license!!  You ever have one of those “AW SHIT!” moments?  I had one there.  I ran another piece of ID through and checked myself through all the while thinking in one little section of my mind that the license would materialize yet fully cognizant of the fact that on the way to the airport I’d cleaned out my wallet of superfluous junk and no license was ever spotted (nor noticed to be missing.)

I then came to the immediate conclusion that without an ID I could NEVER rent a car in Phoenix.  But I called the agency anyway---just in case.  Yep, I was right.  No license, no car.

So here I am in the terminal, 75 minutes before flight with no license.  I knew EXACTLY where that son of a bitch piece of plastic was, too.  In my scanner.  Why the scanner?  The previous week I’d had to make a copy of it and send it to a company from which I was trying to buy a shitload of ammo. 

So bullets almost ended up screwing me.

To make a long airport story short, I could contact no one who could get to my house and make it to the airport (65 minutes by car away) in time for me to make my flight. So I got on the courtesy phone, changed my flight, raced out of the terminal, got my car back out of long term parking, raced home AND BACK in 90 minutes only to find the later flight was already booked.  So I made an even later flight.  Did not get to Phoenix until midnight.  Called my friends and informed them I’d be staying at a hotel instead since I was arriving so late.  The lady of the house would not have that so I stayed at their place after all.

The next morning we had breakfast and I headed out to the Grand Canyon with plans to meet up with them in two days at Kingman so that we could head out to Vegas.

I took the scenic route from Glendale (where my friends live) and made it to the GC at sunset.  The place was PACKED!  I’d booked a room at one of the lodges and recommend anyone going there do the same.  The room was cheap enough (less than $60) and the convenience made the higher cost worth it.

Got up early to try and get sunrise pix and came across a herd of elk with babies.  So much for the sunrise since I could not safely get between mother and child without serious risk to my person.  So I tagged along at their pace until they cleared the path.  Too late for sunrise itself but I still got awesome pix.

It was the first time I’d put my Sony F717 through its paces.  WOW!  I am impressed with that camera!  I brought along almost 900 meg of memory and by the end of the trip used all of it.  300 plus pictures at high resolution. Plus 5 rolls of conventional film.  The only thing I wish I had brought along were filters for the lens.  I had to play with different exposure settings in order to get what my “eyes” saw.

The Canyon is one wondrous place.  I wish I had had more time.  Half of it is off limits to cars with busses providing access.  It was great to hop on the bus, get off at a viewing area, take a few photos and by the time you were done, the next bus was pulling up.

I got A LOT of exercise in the week I was gone.  I actually lost weight!

All day long I was out taking photos and after sunset went to the lodge bar and had a well deserved beer. 

A couple of pix for you below:

The park rangers were ecstatic at having been one of the first places where recently released California condors mated and hatched a viable baby.  It was far away in another canyon wall cave but a ranger was there at Hopi Point with a POWERFUL binocular telescope allowing you to see the bird sunning itself.  Cool.

Sleep came easy and at 5:30 the next morning I was ready to go again.  Packed the car and took off for more sunrise pix.  It was a cloudy and cold morning but the sun peeked through nevertheless and made for stunning shots.

Took Route 66 at Seligman, stopped at the Road Kill Cafe for breakfast (come on, could you REALLY go by the “Road Kill Cafe” and NOT stop?) and met my friends, Kurt and April, at noon in Kingman.  I’d not seen Kurt in a couple of years and not seen April in several.  Kurt, myself and 4 other guys cycled across the US in 1997 and that’s how we met.  Read the adventures here.

A quick lunch and we were headed to the Hoover Dam.  DAMN!!!  What a DAM!!!  I call it a place of “numbers.” Every question asked about it involves numbers.  How high?  How much water?  How much cement?  How many workers?  How long?  How much electricity generated?  etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum, ad infinitum. 

Terrorists have made their mark there, also, since all cars are subject to search and a bypass road is being constructed that will take traffic off the dam.  Right now it is the only expeditious way into Vegas.

Now, Vegas.  Sin City.  The City that never sleeps.  Adjectives?

Dirty.
Littered.
Prostitutes.
Escorts.
Ka-Ching!
Slots.
Lights.
Shows.
Prostitutes.
Extravaganzas.
Buffets.
Huge hotels.
Always under construction.
Illegals everywhere.
Did I say prostitutes?

We checked into the Stratosphere. I’d read about it before I arrived and felt some trepidation since people complained about the service, rooms, etc.  As it turns out I need not have worried.  They were very accommodating considering my friends did not have reservations and the prices was absolutely right.

The Stratosphere is a 20-some odd story hotel which is a maze to get around in. Its claim to fame is that it has a 1000 foot plus tower attached to it.  On the top of the tower is a roller coaster, a negative “G” ride, and another ride that I would not go on without having put on some “depends” first.  Just awesome from up there.  Revolving restaurant in the tower, too. (natch!!)

Soon as we were squared away I broke out my bottle of single malt scotch and we toasted our reunion.  The bottle was quickly being depleted of its contents when we decided to stroll down for an awesome dinner at the hotel’s Italian restaurant.  Then we headed out to the Old District on foot.

The hotel is located at the north end of the strip about a mile south of the “Old District.” They’ve tricked it up a bit with fancy lights and shows.  Along the way we passed the “Sin City Hostel.” I am glad we did not stay there.  I can just imagine all the drunks and their comings and goings at ALL hours.  Of course, the strip is full of “wedding chapels.” How quaint.

Here’s a night shot of the hotel’s tower.

Sometime about 1 AM we crawled back after having sampled some one armed bandits.

The next morning I was up and about at 7 and walked about one and half miles south of the Stratosphere to take pictures along the strip.  Found a great place that served 5 cent coffee and 25 cent cookies.  Yum Yum!

Just for shits and giggles, there’s little need to walk the distances I did.  One can buy a $5 all day bus pass and hop on and off the busses that run the strip all day and into the night. (see below for exceptions)

The rest of Friday was spent wandering around, going up to the top of the tower, taking in the rides, taking in a show. and doing a shitload of walking.  Since the sun sets early it was dark at 5 so we headed back up to the tower for night shots and more fun on the rides.  There’s a lot to be said for having the shit scared out of you in a dark place, 1000 feet above the town and the sensation you are about to die from having been catapulted either off the top or off the side.  One needs a good heart for this sort of stuff.

I’d come to town having decided I’d not gamble more than $10.  Push comes to shove I may have gambled $11.  I lost it all, of course.  But hey!  When in Vegas......................................

To say I felt like a rube from the sticks would be an understatement.  The city is a constant source of visual over-stimulation.  From vending machines distributing free papers touting the “escort services,” to the millions of color playing-sized cards available either stuck into fences, on the machines or handed out by hundreds of migrant workers (and later found littering the streets) or to constant parade of humanity flowing past at all hours, this city is a constant source of amazement to one not used to it.

For the evening’s adventures we headed to the bottom of the strip and the Bellagio.

What a difference in the class of people.  The Stratosphere, although a very nice hotel, caters more to the middle class in jeans, coveralls, shorts and, in general, those with bad taste in dress code.  Lots of nickel and quarter slots. Poker, Black Jack and Craps can be played for a dollar minimum.

The Bellagio?  Lots of suits, tuxes, ladies in fine, fine dresses.  The gaming tables?  Full.  The bets?  $500 minimum. $10,000 max!  YIKES!!!!!!!!!

New York New York, The Parisienne, MGM Grand, Luxor, etc. we went by them all. Huge affairs full of people spending money.  Acres of ground to cover and walk through.  Internal mazes in all of them and what I felt was a purposeful minimizing of signage to keep you from finding handy front door exits and keep you in there.

Here’s another night shot:

Tired, we decided to head back by bus.

Wrong answer after midnight.  First off, there are few busses running.  Those that do are filled to capacity.  So we walked 2 miles back to our room.  We saw only 2 buses.  Both full.  Yes, we slept like babies.  And our dogs were howling for relief.

The next morning we left Vegas.  Kurt and April headed home and I stayed at a hotel on Route 66 in Kingman then visited Oatman, Arizona, an old mining town.  Not what I expected but the drive was pretty.  Spent the night with my friends again and finished catching up on news.

Of course, the return trip is not without its little excitement.  Winds kept one of the runways in Phoenix closed so we took off late.  I had only 40 minutes between gates at Atlanta and guess what?  We arrived as my connecting flight was taking off.  Delta assured us we’d been booked on the next flight so they allowed us off first and I rocketed through the ramp, saw a flight in 10 minutes but a different terminal.  Just short of having a fatal heart attack I arrived at the gate as they were closing it.  They booked me (I wasn’t, as Delta promised) and said, ‘hmmmm, you’re the first of 15 others to make it.” I told them I was incentivized to get home.  None of the others made it on time.  From what I understand Delta DID book us.  On a flight more than an hour later.  So my hustle paid off.

Got home without incident---and without baggage.  It was delivered the next morning.

All in all a good trip.  I think I will go back to both places soon (Grand Canyon and Vegas) because the photo opportunities are tremendous, flights are cheap (fuck going to Europe and visiting those snobby bastards!) and car rentals also cheap.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 11/21/2004 at 07:36 AM   
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