Starting Mileage leaving Barstow: 9360
Ending Mileage arriving Las Vegas, NV: 9509
Miles Driven: 149
Avg. MPG: 9.3
Overnight: Las Vegas, Nevada
Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort
Travel Day
This morning after doing the dishes to get ready to roll out of Barstow, I turned to see streams of water on the floor. It was coming from under the cabinet near the refrigerator. My first thought was that the freezer had stopped working and I had melted ice on the floor. But, alas, as you can figure out, the water was coming from the sink. I called my rescuer, Dave, to help me figure out what had happened. Fortunately, it was not serious. The rings that tighten the pipes under the sink had wiggled loose. But, this did leave a mess for us to clean up. Again, fortunately, I didn't have much under the cabinets except some old snack chips, plastic bags, and pots 'n pans.
After getting the cabinets and floor wiped down, we were off and running. We stopped in Baker, CA, to check out the town. Dave's mother's sister and her family used to run a gas station and store in Baker when Dave was a boy. So, he wanted to check it out. There are now several chain restaurants and it's grown quite a bit.
If any of you have ever watched "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" on the Food Network, then you'll know that The Mad Greek in Baker--of all places--was a featured restaurant. We were there too early to taste their wares, but it sure looked out of place in the middle of the desert!
Here's as picture of Dave's aunt and uncles' gas station. It's been modernized since the 50s, but it is now shut down.
The terrain today was sand, sand, sand, more sand, and sagebrush.
As we approached the Nevada state line, we could see in the distance several groups of buildings. These were not towns and there were no houses to be seen anywhere. These turned out to be casino oasis (or should this be "oases"?). I couldn't help but wonder where folks lived that worked at these casinos and shops.
As we approached the first gambling mecca and shopping area, we noticed that this oasis included a real mirage. (You can see the mirage below the row of buildings.)
This mirage made us realize we needed to stop to quench our thirst and get some nourishment--so a delectable burger at Mickey-Ds it was. Now, let me tell you that the name of this city is Primm. I sure hope not after "Prim and Proper!"
We drove a bit further and there was yet another casino oasis--the city of Jean. The only structures we could see in Jean were a casino and a prison. Does that combo say anything?
A little further down the road, and there was Las Vegas.
The last time we were in Las Vegas was in 1980 as we were camping our way across the USA to move to Florida. Circus Circus and Caesar's Palace were on the cutting edge as far as casinos go, and they were located at the south end of the old downtown. Now, these hotels are at the north end of the "new" strip and are not considered in a "good" part of town. When we visited Circus Circus in 1980, Dave won so many HUGE stuffed animals we had to ship them on ahead to Florida. There was no room in our 22-ft travel trailer for stuffed animals. Our trailer already housed 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 boys, my mom, Dave and I.
Back to the present--we found our campground and it's very nice. Very upscale. But, then, did we expect anything less from Vegas??
I picked up a few brochures on what's playing where, who's in town, and what's to see and do. Naturally, that meant I had homework to do tonight--plan our haunts.
It is hot here, but not as hot as in Barstow. It is in the upper 90s. However, we lucked out. Our site is completely shaded by a freeway billboard.
I have settled in for the evening with my "homework" so I'll say adios and buenas noches.
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