Saturday, September 2nd
I'm retracing this trip from 25 years later. There are some photos from the airplane as we flew from Corpus Christi to Las Vegas then drove to our timeshare in Mesquite, Nevada.
The sky was exceptionally clear so the view as we neared Las Vegas was exceptional. We had good views of the mountains coming in and I got a good shot of the Hoover Dam from above.
From the airport we drove to the Casa Blanca Resort in Mesquite, Nevada. Dave and Aida were with us on this part of the trip.
Sunday, September 3rd
I usually take pictures of the church we attend, but that practice must have started later. I think we went to La Virgen de Guadalupe Catholic Church just outside town. Then we did some walking around the resort getting pictures. I'm sure we spent some time trying out the casino.
Monday, September 4th
Remy and I tried out their golf course. We saw several different wild life including geese, rabbits and quail. There were plenty of good views of the hills along the course. I think this is the day that Dave and Aida played bingo and watched a movie at the resort. They won in bingo.
That evening, I noticed we had a good view of the mountain we had been viewing all day from the golf course. The view was great around sunset.
Tuesday, September 5th Today we played the other 18 hole at the Casino Golf Course. It was a little tougher than the 18 holes at the adjacent resort, but the views were also spectacular. I think Dave and Aida saw a movie and visited the Casino while we were gone. They posed by the fountain when we got back.
That evening we had the same good view of the mountains from our room.
Wednesday, September 6th Today we did a day trip to Zion National Park just over the border into Utah. Remy was able to get some pretty good pictures of the scenic road into the park.
Thursday, September 7th Today we did a day trip to the Valley of Fire Park, 55 miles west of Las Vegas. It is world-renowned for its 40,000 acres of bright red Aztec sandstone outcrops nestled in gray and tan limestone. Valley of Fire State Park contains ancient, petrified trees and petroglyphs dating back more than 2,000 years. See the State Park Map
Friday, September 8th Today we went horseback riding. Remy brought a heavy bag of coins with her from the Casino and when Remy got on her horse, she panicked and backed out of the trip. She told the handler to keep the fee but get her down from the horse. We continued the ride while she kept fighting off the flies from the stable while she waited our return. When we returned, I got some photos of some llamas they had penned up there next to the horses.
Saturday, September 9th We started the day with a tour of the Hoover Dam. We purchased the grand tour which included views of the generators and transformers. In addition, we got a trip through the control room where an engineer went over how the controls worked. We got to see the huge pipes that transport the water through the generators.
They were selling some Vegas show tickets next to where we purchased the tickets for the Dam tour, so we bought to I believe a Magic Show. I don't remember who it was, but I think it involved several trick birds. After that we did some Las Vegas touring. The Venetian looked a lot like the Venetion in Italy. We stayed in the town and saw the casinos light up at night.
Saturday, September 10th So today we checked out and took Dave and Aida to the airport. We then headed to Palm Springs, California. We checked out the last chance casino at the California border.
Sunday, September 11th I walked around the Resort in the morning before Mass at St. Theresa. The ducks introduced themselves to me. After Mass we did a round of golf at the neighboring Marriott Resort where we encountered a flock of flamingo.
Monday, September 12th Today we played the Palms Resort Course and the Valley Course. Again, the ducks and other avarian life took my camera's eye. The carts were equipped with a GPS Screen that showed you where the cart was, the distance to the green spots, etc. So, it acted like an automatic caddy. In addition to the waterfowl, I was able to catch some shots of a roadrunner that was scrambling about. I think this was my first time to see aloes bloom.
Tuesday, September 13th The day started off with the ducks coming by the room to visit and look for a free meal. Later we did a trip on the Palm Springs Aerial Tram up to Mt. San Jacinto State Park. It rotated slowly as we climbed to get good views of the mountain. Most of that day there was very limited cellular access. Part way up the trip we stopped at a Mountain Station where we visited an observation deck and a Visitor's Center. At the top we landed at the Mountain Station. We did a couple of self-guided walks along some trails that had some good views of Palm Springs. In addition, there was a very white bush/tree with tussles that looked similar to a willow tree. I remember seeing some mountain goats there, but don't seem to have any pictures of them.
Wednesday, September 14th We headed back to Las Vegas and I got my first view of wind farms. It was a little difficult driving and taking pictures at the same time, but I managed to get some.
Links:
La Virgen de Guadalupe Catholic Church Casablanca Resort Casino and Spa St. Theresa of the Child Jesus
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