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Day fourteen Friday 25th September travelling from Death Valley to Las Vegas circus circus
Las Vegas, Nevada
Decided to leave early and skip breakfast and steel a march in the heat which peeks at 4 each day. Neither of us were hungry after the previous nights meal. Checked out and drive on the 160 Road. We decided to take some time out to go to Badwater which is a south road just after the ranch. 20 miles got us to the Badwater salt flats, also the lowest place in the northern hemisphere at over 200ft below sea level which explains heat. Salt flats extensive - area measures in miles. The scale and vastness of the flat valley framed by volcanic mountains is awe inspiring.
We then used satmart (satellite Martin nav) music better than the computer one!! to take an alternative route which involved driving south to the bottom of Death Valley before heading east to Nevada. The area we drove through on the map was described as just "wilderness"....... To get to Nevada we drove though another set of mountains and another vast valley before the final range on the edge of Nevada. In the valley we found another small hamlet clinging on by selling petrol and food to travellers where we had lovely iced drinks in redneck tumblers - good use of Kilmer jars.......
Once in Nevada we drove through pahrump another sprawl of a town before the 60 miles to Las Vegas. Again mountain ranges are massive - red rock canyon being the best of this trip. Have decided to visit this when we get back to Las Vegas. Arrived in Vegas, found more freeways, but got to hotel quite quickly and the free hotel car parking - the hotel has 2 multi story car parks.....
Circus circus was mad - over 4,000 rooms. This hotel caters for, well not sure who, it was tacky, full of cheap franchises and lots and lots of slot machines with a cluster of card and dice tables. We went outside but the heat of almost a 100f was like walking into a sauna. It is apparent that no one walks anywhere. There is a shuttle bus we could use. The area appeared quite seedy so we went back into the very chilled hotel. Everyone looked miserable. However they did have a bizarre circus show that you could see through the machines where trapeze artists flew and were caught. We were also surprised that smoking was allowed in the casino area. Very smoky, especially as in UK we are used to smoke free public spaces. We tried the all you can eat buffet. The waitress waves a flag across the room to show you where you are to sit. The food was varied, Mexican, corn dogs, carvery and lots of stuff we did not recognise. It tasted ok but we would have liked half of the quantity and a bit more veg. The price was $16.99 each. Very popular with lots of overweight people tucking in. Highlight was a bogof on a draft beer at a casino bar where you sit at the bar with slot machines in the bar table. I saw one women just feed $5 in, one after another while talking and playing. No wins....
We tried to like this place - but this onrush of tack and humanity after the great wide open of the past few days was a sensory shock - so we fled to our room and Lyn read as Martin crashed (slept). Well tried to sleep the air con sounded like an aircraft taking off.
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