A pretty uneventful drive from Flagstaff across the Northern Arizona desert brought us to the Hoover Dam and what a mess that was. They are in the process of building a new highway that goes over the Dam (terrorism concerns) and traffic is severely restricted as a result. We were caught in 20 mph traffic for nearly 10 miles until the dam. We couldn't see much from the vehicle but there were a fair amount of tourists milling around and we would have stopped if they allowed dogs. You can't even keep your pet in the vehicle while you walk around. You never know, she might have a bomb strapped to her collar or something. Silly.
Shortly past the dam as we crested over Boulder City we got our first glimpse of Sin City 15 miles away. Jenna had never been and apparently had visions of grass and greenery (??!), so needless to say she was a bit taken aback by the concrete and neon jungle that is Vegas.
We lived it up and stayed at the Four Seasons, not because of our bankroll, but for the simple fact that outside of the Trump Casino its the only place in town that takes dogs. That little bitch is getting costly. We did manage to make some of it back at the blackjack tables, however.
Enjoyed a nice dinner at StripSteak though it wasn't without its issues. Jenna had made the reservation but apparently for the Strip House, a totally different restaurant across town, and fortunately the hostess took pity on our dishevelled visages and made room for us in the packed restaurant. A little commotion as we waited outside for our table as apparently the Latin Grammys were taking place right there and throngs of Latinas would erupt in shrieks as some unknown pop star would saunter past. Pretty amusing actually.
We then headed over to the Bellagio for the Cirque du Soleil 'O' show at 10:30. I had seen many Cirque shows in the past but not this one, and it was also Jenna's first. We were not disappointed. An amazing show and, to me, a more amazing set. The introduction of water into their show changes everything. Extremely well done and I think it blew away Jenna.
Got back to our room around 1Am and found our little pup just sitting on the bed, no damage to the room or our stuff. Good little dog she's turning out to be. At least at night. She tends to wake up around 6AM and start licking faces so inevitably one of us gets up and takes her for a walk. I've pulled the short straw the last two mornings and took her out this morning for her rounds. She wasn't counting on the PBR tour being here though. The bull riders have set up in the parking lot next door and we walked right through it. Once she caught a glimpse of one of the bulls (only about 10 feet away) she went bonkers. So I encouraged her to get closer. The bulls were certainly interested. But alas she's all bark and no bite and crouched behind me only to peek around me and bark and then retreat. Repeat ad nauseum.
Today we hit the road for a while with a possible stop at Zion NP before trying to make a cannonball run through the entirety of Utard. Should be a long day in the car.
Car is holding up pretty well though we had a minor scare in the desert yesterday. Check Brake Pads light came on about 100 miles outside of Vegas. Thankfully managed to get a hold of the dealer here in Vegas and came right to them and it turned out to be a quick fix (brake sensor line was not attached correctly and had rubbed through with contact to the wheel). Apparently the next closest dealer on our trip is Salt Lake and beyond that I think it's Chicago. Hopefully I don't have to find out.
Realized today was both the southern and western-most points of our trip. All East from here! I was a bit tempted by the signs to Los Angeles- West Coast or do we turn around and head back East? We could have made LA by dinner time. Instead today will likely be the last pool day for a long time...
Day 5: 250 miles, 73 mph, 13.6mpg
Total: 1281 miles, 68mph, 14.2mpg
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