Was on the road by 9AM this morning. Note, in future I plan to travel with a spoon. You can get instant oatmeal in ready to go microwavable containers for a $1, add some fresh fruits, a carton of milk and a cup of coffee and you can put together a quick breakfast that you can eat in your room for under $3. Breakfast of champions. Problem is I always have to "drink" the oatmeal cause I keep forgetting a spoon.
Lots of riders out on the roads this morning. Most were also loaded down with luggage as well. I think sunday morning is my favorite time to travel and it seems other riders share that sentiment. Drove from Williams, AZ west on i-40 to 93 north. Stopped at the hoover dam. Coming in to the hoover dam area has some great canyons just to the west. Its probably a better view heading south on 93 the north, as you would see the down river side first rather then the industrial upper portion. However, traffic trying to get across from the other side was the worst I've seen anywhere. I am guessing it was people leaving vegas who were there for the weekend as it would fit with a 12 o'clock sunday checkout timeline. I don't know the name of it, but there is a suspension bridge being built down river above the dam. It looks to be about 3/4 of the way done. I found my self looking at the construction more then the dam as it was almost as interesting.
Came in to vegas and cruised the strip to decide where I wanted to stay. Went with The Mirage as it had a good central location. Rooms are pretty affordable and I am staying in the nicest room I have stayed in all trip. Big, with modern furniture, flat screen hd tv, charging station and tv inputs on the desk, but a lame shower head. Even holiday inn express has figured that one out, come on mirage. Oh, and I played/lost $10 on the casino floor.
Walked through the major hotels to see each ones respective attraction. Over at the venetian the canal makes it seem like outside and daytime even at night. The fountains at the Bellagio are really beautiful, they run every 15 minutes on the hour for the length of about one song. Better at night then during the day. I remember getting the inside scoop on the water cannons back when natasha was still on daily planet. The treasure island show with the ships, dancers, cheesy dialogue and random pyrotechnics was probably the most expensive to build and run and the least interesting of all. The strip lit up at night is really quite the sight.
Went to a cirque du soliel performance. I had never been to one and there are 5 or 6 different cirque du soliel acts to choose from here. Among of course the 100 or so other shows running every night. Took advantage of the concierge desk to get advice on which to see, the guy working had seen them all and said mystere was his favorite. Mystere it was, even though it was more expensive then my room it was well worth the entertainment. Its easy to get great seats when you just need one. I was in the second row, which was cool cause I was close enough to hear the performers timing calls for cues to each other. The show had lots of audience involvment, was funny and impressive. Like a circus, there were things going on all over the stage all the time. Even when you can barely see the performers or they are in the shadows, they remain in character. The performers must practice like crazy, as it was so well choreographed and timed. They all looked to be in amazing physical shape too. Only one fault (gymnastic term for screw up right?) in the performance when someone missed landing on the shoulders of another performer. The others were quick to catch her from falling and seamlessly covered it up, if you were looking else where you could have easily missed it. Overall, a pretty good time in vegas, only thing I didn't do was the pool. Tomorrow more riding, Keith F has sent me some recommended routes to take to San Diego.