Month: January 1999
Las Vegas Grand Canyon Tour 1999
I had always wanted to visit the Grand Canyon since I was a kid, and for whatever reason just simply never made it out to Arizona despite having relatives living in the state. Anyhow, I finally had my chance during a visit to Las Vegas. This was a helicopter trip that took you over the Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam, and dropped you off inside the Grand Canyon where you had a champagne lunch. The whole trip was great, but a warning to females who might want to take this trip, they ask for your weight and you can’t lie about it. On the way back to Vegas they flew down the strip and I was able to take some great pics of Stratos from the air, you can see those pics in the Las Vegas post.
Las Vegas Hoover Dam Tour 1999
I remember watching this dam crack and flood on Superman 1, but I guess Superman saved the day because the dam looks just fine. During the tour I asked how long they expect this dam to last, given that the Mackinaw bridge was designed to last 1000 years. The response was 2000 years which surprised me. I guess two thousand years from now people will wonder if aliens built the dam. They also mentioned that there were a few missing people who were working on the dam and most likely fell in the cement. Probably not the best way to go.
In all seriousness the dam is a fascinating tour, a little warning to the ladies that you have to wear a hard hat on the tour inside so don’t do too much with your hair that day, you might end up with “helmet head”.
Las Vegas Vacation 1999
Nothing like a trip to Vegas, we found that the best time to do this is right after New Years, the crowds are much smaller then. Went on a helicopter ride that took us around the city then finished off by going down the strip of Vegas. Under construction was a new hotel which will feature the Eiffel Tower from Paris, that should be very impressive when completed.
The highlight for me was a visit to the Star Trek theme at the Hilton hotel and having a beer at Quarks bar on the pavilion. Other highlights were seeing Mystere and a magic show a Caesars Palace, the Pendragons I believe were performing there.
