We started off our second day in Vegas with a trip to the "Welcome to Vegas" sign where we got a couple pictures in spite of the fake workers rushing people along and fishing for tips. After the sign we said goodbye to Danny and Charlie, who were headed off to the alien town a little further north in Nevada near Area 51.
Our new friends at the Vegas sign
By the time we made if back from the sign it was right around lunchtime, so we made a stop at In-n-Out Burger, a chain that can only be found in the West. The quality was much better than your average fast food burger joint, and not overpriced. Apparently there is a whole "secret menu" (most of which can be found on the restaurant's website) that you can order from to get some special options. Since I didn't have time to study the secret menu, I just ordered the standard double-double with fries, and I wasn't disappointed.
Everybody loves Spike
Once lunch was finished, there was some time to relax and get caught up on blog posts and pictures, and I even managed to squeeze in a few minutes to play fetch with Spike, one of the bungalow complex's dogs.
Around 4pm we met up with Adam again and went downtown to El Cortez to try out some gambling. We played a few games of penny slots, which were pretty unsatisfying, even though I did manage to come out five dollars ahead. It was just kind of boring sitting there and pressing a button for something you have no control over. I would have liked to try out some poker, but where we checked in The Venitian was a little too rich for my blood.
Next we got some dinner on Fremont Street and waited around until Chris, aka "Foggy" and a friend of Charlie's, made it into Vegas. Once he arrived we took a trip back to The Strip to show Chris around and check out the Bellagio fountain show at night. Even after multiple viewings, it still impressed with its well choreographed streams, and explosive water canons that towered over even the extravagant hotels.
Chris, aka Foggy
The Strip at night was as busy as ever with a roiling mass of humanity blocking our path at every step. In spite of the Memorial Day weekend crowd we made it from The Bellagio to The Venitian at the other end of The Strip. Just walking along The Strip was exercise in more ways than one. It was exhausting just trying to look at all the incredible light shows and buildings at every turn. Even if I had a few more pairs of eyes it would have been overwhelming.
We finally reached The Venitian and walked around it for a bit. It had similar styling to Caesars Palace, but with even more lavish decorations including a life-sized canal complete with gondolas. Once we had our fill of The Venitian we made our way back to the car, and were fortunate enough to catch the show outside of Mirage, which combined waterworks with an incredible fire display. Dozens of torches sitting in the lagoon puffed up large fireballs in time to the music, as the volcano spouted huge torrents of water and flame that I could feel from the sidewalk 100 feet away. It was quite an exciting way to end our final day in Las Vegas.
Geries at the indoor Venitian canals
Next stop is the Joshua Tree National Park just outside of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert, where we should have better luck camping this time.
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