Dave's Final Post
Sorry for the delay in posting, I hope you all weren’t getting too anxious in anticipation! Much has happened in the last few days. We survived Vegas, a little overwhelming and ridiculously hot. The Hoover Dam was spectacular; once again, ridiculously hot (try 120 degrees for hot, no joke!). Finally, we arrived in Flagstaff, our final destination. Catching up on sleep was well needed, and although the sleeping arrangements in Flagstaff weren’t the most comfortable (going from a big comfy bed in the 15th floor of the hotel in Vegas to a carpeted floor with sleeping bags), they were what we needed (and also my future apartment) to empty out my car, laundry, and repack for our respective trips. I am now in Anchorage, Alaska for two and a half weeks of field work, and Alyson is back in Massachusetts. :-( Anyways, read on for our adventures over the last few days, and when I can, I will be posting on my other blog about my experiences up in Alaska (http://researcharctic.blogspot.com)
Vegas
Wow, how about that ride in to Vegas. We descended from the mile high Salt Lake area into Arizona for a few miles and finally into Nevada (woo-hoo another time zone change!). The canyons and mountain passes we traversed into Nevada were incredible, and lots of fun to drive (especially when the speed limit is 80!). The temperature steadily rose, and by the time we arrived in Vegas, the car thermometer registered 114. It took us both a bit to realize it was actual heat, not just exhaust fumes from all of the traffic. As we neared Vegas, the billboards, and finally the buildings of the famous Vegas strip were in sight, a good 30 hazy miles away. All sorts of good signs, including strip clubs, 24/7 bars, etc were to be seen. Why anyone would take their child to Vegas is beyond Alyson and I, but we sure saw a hell of a lot of them once we arrived.
We drove the strip, which was quite entertaining. Words can’t do justice to all of the sights we saw, maybe Alyson can describe them a bit better than I. Let’s just say, regardless of the time of day, you are bound to see drunken idiots with beer bottles, plastic cups, or even fancy glasses of wine galavanting Las Vegas Boulevard. The best is when you see two or three people all trying to hold ourselves up. We got so caught up in being entertained people watching that we almost forgot to have our own fun.
Our hotel was the Stratosphere, on the north end of the strip. It also is home to Nevada’s (and actually if I read correctly the tallest building west of the Mississippi. It has a huge tower with 3 rides and a free fall thing that descends you over 900 feet toward the strip below at silly speeds. Like all of the hotel/resort/casinos on the strip, we soon found out that you have to lug all of your stuff through the casino to get to hotel check in. Then, in good fashion, you went through the casino in a different direction to get your elevation to the room. They certainly were smart in planning, allowing you every opportunity and then some to gamble away all of your money before paying your bill or getting comfortable in your room.
While it wasn’t the best location (a solid mile walk was in store to get to the heart of the action near Planet Hollywood, Circus Circus, the Mirage, Caesar’s (no not the home of the real Caesar, and I never did find out if it was beeper friendly or not -- Hangover reference for those of you out of the loop), it was a great hotel. Access to the 107th floor observation deck, a huge pool/bar/lounge area on the 8th floor, a 24-hr fitness facility (who goes to Vegas to be fit, not us!), a mall, huge casino, several restaurants, you really could just never have to walk outside.
But we did, because we were so mesmerized by the rest of the strip. By the time we went out both nights, it was past 10, but no worries because most clubs are open until 4, and some bars never even close (a lot of them have drink specials from 2 AM- 2 PM, yup thats right. The other smart way to get cheap (free) drinks is to find a waitress walking around the casino floor, sit down to start playing and snag her for a drink. A dollar tip and she’ll be sure to come back to make sure you aren’t staying sober. Going out may not have been the smartest decision, it was still over 100 at midnight, and by the time we returned to our hotel later that night, it was not much cooler.
We also enjoyed a delicious (albeit slightly pricey) dinner buffet at Planet Hollywood. For an hour we stuffed our faces (me especially -- I think I went up 4 or 5 times, and that doesn’t include the desert bar with chocolate, sundaes, cake, crepes etc). There were crab legs, mussels, prime rib (a given at most Vegas buffets), dishes from most ethnicities, and yeah, lets just say there was more than enough for even the pickiest eaters.
The Hoovan Dam!
Sadly, our time in Vegas had to end sooner than later, and upon leaving we were enroute to Flagstaff, AZ via the Hoover Dam, one of engineers greatest achievements of the 20th century. We took the tour, which included going down almost 600 feet to where the water runs through the dam and turns 17 turbines that at peak generate enough electricity to serve well over a million homes, in addition to providing water from the upstream Lake Mead that serves most of the Southwest and Mexico with drinking water. The walk across the dam to get to the tour was an experience in itself, the mercury had risen to 120. Every 15 seconds (or at least it felt like it) Alyson would go “Dave…” Yes honey? “It’s really hot”. Just in case I may have forgotten. By the time we got to the visitor building (which felt like it was the distance of a half-marathon but probably only took 10 minutes tops) we were more than dehydrated.
We weren’t very comforted either to hear that when the construction of the dam took place during the Great Depression, temperatures reached 160 in some of the tunnels they were working in. The dam is really incredible, and the story behind its construction is equally as good to hear. The average worker made $4 a day, which back then was more than a fair days pay. Workers were trucked, bussed, shuttled, and trained in from all over, and if you didn’t like your job, there were a thousand more people waiting in line to take it. All in all, over 25,000 people worked there for one time or another. Parts required for the dam were so large, that it required the construction of a manufacturing plant on site for some of them!
Also, what really got us was the death benefits! 94 people “officially died” we were told, and by officially means what scarce records exist tally up to that number. Historians estimate that number to be in the hundreds. Also, to get any sort of benefit (ie your family would receive up to $500, but was likely on average far less), you had to die on site. That means if you were paralyzed, knocked out or what have you, and you died en route to a medical facility or at it, you were off the clock, off the worksite and not given any death benefits. Forgot about the idea of workman’s compensation! The majority of the deaths were attributed to heat stroke and carbon monoxide poisoning. Leaving the museum and hearing of 160 degree temperatures the workers endured still didn’t make us feel any better as we returned to the blazing 120 degree temps. The wind (which usually feels refreshing) really made it feel worse!
Flagstaff
Finally, we climbed back in elevation and were soon in Flagstaff (around 7.000 feet). It is now monsoon season in the southwest, and that means unpredictable storms, lightning, flash floods, and forest fires! We more or less saw all of the above in our 2 short days in Flagstaff. We did laundry, and gambled with the weather (I guess we didn’t lose enough in Vegas and were feeling lucky), putting our clothes outside to dry. While we were there, Flagstaff never got any rain, though I think every location around it did!
At the Grand Canyon, we got to see the sunset. The whole time, Alyson kept asking me if we were going to die from the impeding storm clouds. What’s great about much of the area is that in between the mountains, you can see for miles. So as we drove closer to the Grand Canyon, we watched vivid flashes of lightning, and could see where it was and wasn’t raining some 50+ miles away. So cool! But, unlike New England, the storms don’t race toward you. They kind of have a mind of their own. They all stayed in one spot more or less, and never got us wet at the Grand Canyon or Flagstaff. Also, on the drive back we smelled lots of smoke and got pictures of abundant smoke from a fire about 20 miles NW of Flagstaff that was sparked by lightning. We were shocked and nervous, but apparently to the locals it is just a daily occurrence. Luckily, none of the fires in the area were threatening residential areas like the big ones a few weeks ago.
Finally, it was time to depart. A very sad day. Hopefully Alyson and I can return to embark on another road trip, because we really did cover it all. The drive to the airport in Phoenix brought us back to 110 degree temperatures, and more real cactus (like the ones you see pictures of), but Alyson stole those pictures so you’ll have to wait for her post to check them out.
From roughing it camping, staying with some great people (thank you so much Diane and Lisa for your hospitality), to hosteling and being treated to luxury in Vegas we did it all. A road trip is certainly one of the best ways, if not the best to see and appreciate the country. I scrubbed my car this afternoon of the bug guts, but I still don’t think they will all ever come off. Thankfully, the windshield replacement will be in in August to remedy the ever growing crack, and I’ll finally have a bug free windshield! Thanks for joining us on our adventure, and don’t forget to follow my blog over at http://researcharctic.blogspot.com. I hope you enjoyed and we kept you entertained! Check back next time!
I'm now off to Adak about 1,000 miles SW on Anchorage Alaska. I will be pretty far removed from civilization, but will hope to sneak some internet access to post on my other blog!
Best,
Dave
Alyson's Final Post
This is really sad knowing it's my last post that I am writing (and pretty late too...sorry!). We were so busy towards the end of the trip, and we would have posted in Vegas, but you had to pay for the internet. Now that I am back to reality, I can finish writing my story. Here goes...
Vegas
Vegas is in the middle of the desert, in case you didn't know. There is hardly any civilization outside of it. Driving towards it was really neat because you could see the big hotels you see in pictures (and they really did look like they do in pictures and movies!). It was incredible how clean it was and how lit up it was at night. We even saw the fountain show at the Bellagio, which is the one you see in shows/movies. There are nice cars (and limos of all sorts) driving up and down the strip (and Dave's bug-guts mobile!). There are signs everywhere telling you that "You could have a girl like this (picture of a mostly naked girl) brought to you in minutes" like the girls were pizza or something. And there were little kids with their parents seeing these signs (and the kids were still out even at 2am!!!).
Do you know what 115 degrees feels like?!? I thought I did, or thought it wouldn't be bad...I was terribly wrong. Even sitting by the pool drained us. The pool water was like bath water, not enough to cool you down. They also had a hot tub going at the pool (how ridiculous, but Dave still went in it, though it didn't last very long at all!). Walking down the strip at night was hot as well, temperatures hanging around 100 degrees.
The hotel was so cool! It was really big, though not too too close to the fancy hotels in the middle of the strip. We thought we could handle walking to them, but we gave up after about a mile (and getting distracted by going into Circus Circus). The hotel, as Dave mentioned, was part of a huge tower. The view from it was really great. Our room was really nice too (I felt like a Queen after camping and being in a hostel).
Vegas is definitely a place that stands out from any other place when it comes to a lot of things. There were girls in underwear dancing on poles in front of you while you play slots. On that topic, Dave was so determined to find a slot near the lady who brought you the free drinks because he wanted to get his money out of losing the money gambling (so he figured the money he lost would pay for his free drinks...don't worry, we didn't lose much money at all). Also in Vegas, you can drink on the strip. People with beer bottles were everywhere, along with people carrying 3 foot tall drinks filled with pina coladas (though we weren't any better with our guitar...pictures to come, and you will understand). This place is certainly different with bedtimes too. People were up all night long wandering/stumbling the strip.
Last but not least (I hope I'm not forgetting anything) is the buffets. I don't know how I didn't come back 20 lbs heavier! Just one night of having a buffet was too much, never mind people who get the deals 24 hours of all you can eat from 6 buffets on the strip! The gym in our hotel was free to anyone who stayed there, but who the heck uses a gym when you could be at a buffet?!? (other than the handful of people who were in there the morning we checked out)
The Hoover Dam
I thought I was going to die this day. It was so hot! The difference from 115 degress to 120 degrees is a heck of a lot. Just the 10 minute walk from the car to the dam dried my mouth out to desert conditions, and I thought I was going to pass out. I made sure Dave was well aware of how hot it was.
On our way into the Hoover Dam, we were stuck in traffic for a long time because there is a patrol at the entrance (so no terrorists get through). We were behind a large white van with a Mexican license plate "Chihuahua." When they got to the check point, they were pulled to the side to be checked...and so weren't we! I guess a car full of belongings would be a reason to stop Dave and me?
We went on a tour which was pretty cool! Our tour guide was hilarious, and made it fun to learn so much about the dam. Dave pretty much covered all of the cool stuff we learned.
Arizona
Arizona is a really cool state! On the drive in, we saw storms in the distance on both sides of us and a rainbow above us! The drive was so pretty.The temperature in Flagstaff was also much cooler than the temperatures in Vegas and at the Hoover Dam, which was nice treat. When we got to his house, we went grocery shopping, made dinner, and passed out right away.
PS: Dave's house is really cool!
The following day was relaxing (the day before we both left). We took it easy by doing laundry, packing, and going to see the Grand Canyon. On the way to the canyon, we saw a storm in the distance. Not long after, in the general area where the storm was, we saw a cloud of smoke rising from the trees. It was a wild fire! Apparently it isn;t a big deal to the people who live there, but to me it was a big deal! The Grand Canyon looks just like the pictures. We got to watch the sunset there (and dark clouds rolling towards us).
The next day was a very sad day. We drove to Pheonix so I could grab my flight, and then he drove back to catch his in Flagstaff. The drive to the airport was quiet for the most part, minus when I saw a real cactus! It was the kind you drew growing up, or the one you get a mental image of when you hear about a cactus.
I guess that's most everything that had happened at the end of our trip, I will really miss writing about it, and being on it...but that just means we should go on another! I will post the pictures of the Grand Canyon soon, and I hope that we can make an online album of all of our pictures for everyone : )
Love,
Alyson
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