Heart Attack Grill

When I lived in Las Vegas, one of the most unique places to visit on Fremont Street (particularly, with friends from out of town) was the Heart Attack Grill which is known for their extremely unhealthy high calorie/fat food and drinks. A competitive eater that I occasionally follow on YouTube recently ate there and here is his video...

Back In Vegas

Having spent most of the summer away from big cities, I found myself needing to do some shopping, have maintenance done on the Jeep and get my next macular degeneration injection, so I have returned to Las Vegas where I know I can find everything I want.

Although masks and social distancing are still required, most stores and restaurants are open with certain limitations. You can even go to a movie theater with reserved seating (however, there are no new movies to watch as Hollywood has been shut down due to the pandemic). After leaving here, I will probably head to southern Arizona. It's hard to beat the winter weather there, plus, I have friends in the area to regale/bore with my tall tales and feats of daring-do.

Leaving Las Vegas

After living in Las Vegas for over a year, I have decided it is time to see something different, so I am moving to the Santa Fe RV Park in Apache Junction, AZ (east of Phoenix). I am looking forward to making new acquaintances and developing that "sense of community" that never materialized in Vegas. I have friends in the area with OHVs that, hopefully, will allow me to have a lot more off-road adventures.

In my opinion, Las Vegas is a great place to visit, particularly, if you like to gamble and watch world class entertainment. However, it is becoming increasing expensive to live here and the growing homeless population is leading to more crime and violence. The near constant sound of sirens, police helicopters and jet engines is something that I will not miss.

Cooler Weather

One of the more unique consequences of spending the summer in Las Vegas in a RV is having no cold water. Even after insulating the hose, the water is still too hot to take a comfortable shower. My solution was to turn off the water heater and use the "cold" spigot for hot water and the "hot" spigot for lukewarm water. It reminds me of Newspeak, the fictional language in George Orwell's 1984 where everything is the opposite of what was said. In any event, it's getting cool enough that I am turning the water heater back on.

The other problem you experience is not wanting to go outside when it is 110+ F and the heat radiating off the asphalt and sandstone makes heat stroke a very real possibility. Now that the daytime highs are beginning to dip below 100 F, I am looking forward to getting outside and perhaps, getting some much needed exercise.

The Boiling Crab

I had the peel-and-eat shrimp with the Whole Sha-Bang sauce along with buttered corn on the cob at The Boiling Crab this afternoon. Although they were excellent, they were served in plastic bags that made for some very messy eating... 

They will offer you a bib which I highly recommend you accept

Earthquake 2

Last night about 8:30 the RV began shaking again, but this time it was stronger and longer than Thursday's quake due to a 7.1 earthquake in California. I could not help but wonder if this was the "big one" and the west coast had slid into the ocean. 

They say the probability of a magnitude 6.0 or higher quake in the next week is at least 50 percent. Why go to the strip for excitement when I have jets, police helicopters, sirens, occasional gunshots and now, earthquake tremors right here in the RV park to keep me entertained.

Earthquake

This morning about 10:30 the RV began shaking as if there was a strong wind outside or the washer/dryer was on the spin cycle. However, it was neither. It was a 6.4 earthquake in Southern California about 145 miles from Las Vegas. It's bad enough that Californians are fleeing the state and moving to Vegas which in turn is driving up prices. Now, they are bringing their earthquakes with them. <grin>

Staying Cool

Last summer when the temperature here in Las Vegas was topping out at 114 degrees F, it was a struggle to keep the interior of my RV under 90 degrees, even with two 15,000 BTU roof air conditioners and a 6,000 BTU window unit. By mid-afternoon, I wanted to go to the movies or casinos just to cool down.

This summer I have taken a couple of steps to keeping the interior cooler. First, I have covered most of my windows with reflective insulation which has reduced the amount of heat coming into the RV significantly...

Second, I purchased a personal evaporative cooler from Walmart that works surprisingly well by using the evaporation of water to produce cool air...

These small units will not cool an entire room - they need to be within a couple feet of you.

Although the temperature has only reached 106 degrees to date, the interior of the RV has been much more comfortable than last year. Hopefully, I will be able to say the same when it exceeds 110.

Update (7/28/2019): The temperature hit 112 F today and although the interior of the RV is warm, it is better than last summer. I did have to replace the living room air conditioner due to the compressor failing, so this may have been part of the problem.

High Rollers In Town

My friends, Ken & Faye, and their friends, DB & Sharon, are in town this week and the casinos are getting nervous. We started out at Binion's on Fremont Street and then hit Caesars Palace and Bellagio on "The Strip". I almost felt sorry for the casinos watching these professionals at work. Of course, they did not spend the entire day taking the casinos' money...

Checking out the scales at the Heart Attack Grill

Lunch at Margaritaville

The Forum Shops at Caesars

Chinese theme decorations at Bellagio

A good time was had by all but I was one tired puppy by the time we got back to the RV park. It's not easy keeping up with "high rollers".

Amazon

I have ordered items from Amazon in the past from a number of locations across the country and they were usually delivered within a week or so by USPS, UPS or FedEx. This past Friday, I placed an order that was shipped the next day, Saturday, and was delivered today, Sunday! Apparently, they have a Fulfillment Center in Las Vegas with their own delivery drivers that was able to handle the entire order in less than three days. Is it any wonder that Amazon is growing so rapidly.

Just in case you are thinking I wasted my hard earned money on something frivolous like food or shelter, you would be wrong - it was for the Jeep...

ARB Digital Tire Inflator 

Gunship Helicopters

Have you ever wanted to fire a M249 machine gun from a helicopter at steel targets, airplanes and zombies but did not want to go to Iraq or Afghanistan to do it? Well, you are in luck. Gunship Helicopters, here in Las Vegas, offers such an adventure starting at $550/person...

They will even video the experience so you can show your wimpy friends back home what real men/women do when they come to Las Vegas.

Alcohol Dragster

My neighbor, Glen, was kind enough to show me his alcohol fueled dragster with a 2,000 horsepower engine that generates a top end of 202 mph...

Glen and his buddies from Alberta bring their machines down every winter to race here in Las Vegas and Arizona. 

Merry Christmas

One of the nice things about Las Vegas is the number of restaurants that are open 24/7 365 days a year. I joined my neighbors, Steve, Doug and Nancy, for a half price Christmas buffet at Arizona Charlie's. I decided to splurge and spent $5.00 for all the fixings and dessert.

Doug had been on a plant based diet for a number of months but decided he was going to eat meat for Christmas. Fortunately, he warned me not to get between him and his plate so I still have all my fingers.

Glittering Lights & Giant Fire Spewing Praying Mantis

I tend to go to bed with the chickens but tonight my wild, party animal neighbors invited me to see Glittering Lights at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway where over 3 million Christmas lights were on display. I have seen some impressive light shows over the years but this was by far the largest. Unfortunately, the following photos do not do the experience justice...

On the way back home, we stopped at Container Park to see the giant, fire spewing praying mantis...

Unique Las Vegas Attractions

I suspect visitors to Las Vegas spend most of their time and money on The Strip & Downtown Fremont Street which everyone should do at least once. However, in the six months I have been in the area, I have discovered some other attractions within an hour's drive that do not get as much publicity but are worth seeing...

• In the downtown area, I would recommend Container Park with its giant, fire spewing praying mantis and the Neon Museum.
• East of The Strip on Tropicana Avenue is the Pinball Hall of Fame.
• Just west of the city is Red Rock Canyon.
• Northeast of the city is Valley of Fire State Park.
• Southwest of the city is Seven Magic Mountains and the Pioneer Saloon.
• Southeast of the city is Nelson Ghost Town.

Vegas Revenue Down

Back in May, I posted a short article on how casinos are using fees to increase the cost of visiting/vacationing here. Examples are resort fees, parking fees, concession & franchise fees, venue fees, convenience fees, processing fees and tap water fees. I wondered at the time how this might affect casino business in the long run.

Now, I know. A recent article in the VitalVegas.com blog indicated that the world’s two biggest casino companies, Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts, are sending surveys to customers to determine why they’re displeased with Las Vegas and visiting less often. I suspect the reason for the survey is "strip gambling revenue was down more than 12% year-over-year in August 2018". As was pointed out in the article, "visitors are willing to pay for great experiences but they will not tolerate feeling ripped off".

The good news is that if you are a Las Vegas resident and know where to go, it can be a relatively inexpensive city to live in. You go to the strip only on special occasions.

Nelson Ghost Town

Keith, Jayne and I rode down to Nelson Ghost Town to look at the old vehicles and memorabilia. I found a couple of items that I missed on my last visit...

Considering I am based in Las Vegas, perhaps, I should trade my R-Pod for a more bullet-proof travel trailer

I like the car headlight so you can mow at night

Valley of Fire State Park

One of the most scenic and unique places I have visited is the Valley of Fire State Park northeast of Las Vegas. There are an endless variety of sandstone rock formations that change color from a plain tan to a brilliant reddish orange depending on how the sun hits them...

Visiting Highrollers

One of the nice things about RVing is the people you meet. Keith & Jayne, friends from the Arizonian RV Park, are in town visiting for a few days. After getting caught up on each other's lives, we took a short tour of the city by driving up the strip and then taking in the Fremont Street Experience...

Must see area in Las Vegas

Checking out the scales at the Heart Attack Grill

Giant, fire spewing Praying Mantis in Container Park

Good information to know - would not want my horse to get a ticket

70 MPH Winds

High winds with gusts up to 70 mph swept through Las Vegas last night creating a major dust storm and leaving thousands without power. It was the scariest time I have spent in a RV in the seven years I have been on the road. First, there was the extreme rocking. It was so violent that I was beginning to think my fifth wheel might turn over. Second, was the noise. The fabric slide covers and rubber roof sounded like they were about to be ripped off. It all lasted around 30 minutes but seemed like a lot longer. Fortunately, there was no damage to the RV and the park did not lose power. However, I did age a few years that I can hardly afford to lose.

Here are some photos of the aftermath that I downloaded from the Internet...