We rolled into town Friday evening and setup at an RV park (aka asphalt parking lot with electrical plugs!) right off the main strip behind the ever-sketchy Circus-Circus Casino. Having been in the truck all day we decided we would walk the strip, besides we needed the exercise. We ventured into a few casinos checking them out but skeptical to gamble (mainly because we are horrible at it) but had a great time soaking in the scenery. Upon deciding it was time to head back the RV we realized we had walked all the way to the other end of the strip. Did I mention the other end of the strip was almost 5 miles away and it was still 85 degrees outside? But no worries we called up our favorite taxi cab driver, Hassan! Hassan is a native Iranian who’s lived in Las Vegas for the last 14 years and we met him exactly one year ago when we came to Vegas for the Kid Rock concert (See photo with Cheggy below)! We’ve kept in touch with him throughout the last year and couldn’t wait to see him again.
On Saturday for lunch we headed down to the ESPN Zone to watch all the college football games and stay out of the 100+ degree heat! We stayed there watching some great games till it was time to ready for the NASCAR race. My buddy Brian, who I mentioned earlier, works for NASCAR in the Timing & Scoring Division which means he keeps track of the positions of the race cars and lap speeds throughout the race and for final results through an elaborate network of wiring and computers. We got to go into his trailer where he worked and see all the equipment and how everything worked. He was able to get us garage and pit passes which allowed us to go anywhere the drivers and team go, a pretty rare experience for the average NASCAR fan! The race was a Camping World Series Truck race, a division within NASCAR, which is a little different then what people think of a typical NASCAR race. The car’s body is in the design of a truck, they have fewer cars in the race and they go about 8-10 mph slower than the cars, but I think the level of competition is better than the other divisions! The night started out a little different than any race I had been to with a power failure on the lights in one area of the track cutting off right before they started. This caused about a 30 minute delay, where Brian informed Cheggy and I that we had been on TV standing on pit road! After getting power back they started the race up with no other major incidents! It was a great race under the lights with good racing and a few good crashes. We stopped by victory lane to see the celebration of Johnny Sauter and his team before leaving. After leaving the racetrack we headed back to grab some dinner and waited for Brian to get done at the track so we could meet him back at his hotel. We spent the rest of the night catching up with him since we all had been on the road for quite a while. Thanks B I know you’re reading so we owe you a free place to crash when you come to Dega!
In case you’ve never been to Vegas I’ll explain why most people aren’t out till after dark because the temperatures hit triple digits everyday! We tried to stay cool with our AC unit that was struggling and watch the NASCAR race on Sunday morning relaxing for most the day. We decided that since we came to Vegas we had to see at least one show before we left. With a little research Cheggy and I agreed that the show that best suited us was a stand-up act of the infamous Carrot Top! We didn’t know what to expect but it turned out to be a pretty funny show with him doing some standup and using a bunch of props. But beware audience it was a little vulgar so leave the kids and easily offended if you ever go! We decided after all the money we spent that Sunday was our last night out on the town!
On Monday we decided had to go to the famous Lake Mead and Hoover Dam before leaving town. The Hoover Dam is 726 foot tall, has 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete, 660 feet wide at the base, and was built in 1935 to control the Colorado River and provide water and power for surrounding cities. We went on a tour that took us into the inside of the dam, as well as, to the base where the turbines are that generate power. The turbines provide enough power for 1.3 million people! The most amazing aspect to me was that it was built in the 1930s with none of today’s modern technology. It is truly an amazing site and well worth stopping by to see. After doing the tourist thing we returned to Vegas to meet Hassan and his family for dinner before we left out. It was a lot of fun to meet his family and spend some time with him outside of work. We spent a ton of money in Vegas and definitely had enough of the city for a while, but we’ll be back. We’ve already promise Hassan he can be our personal “chauffeur” again when we come back!
Buddy's. It was good hanging out with you SOB's again. Hurry up and get back to Georgia in time for hunting season. Yall be safe, dont do anything i wouldnt do, and see ya soon!
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