Day 8 - Las Vegas

Day eight in our Winter Oasis was a study in contrasts from the glitz of Las Vegas to the beauty of nature. We began our day with tour of the Las Vegas strip and a stop at the Bellagio. Inside the Bellagio we admired the glass artwork of Dale Chihuly and his beautiful glass flowers.  Also at the Bellagio everyone was amazed by the giant chocolate fountain. 

As we finished our tour of Las Vegas Blvd we stopped at the iconic Las Vegas Welcome Sign. We were joined there by a group of teen beauty contestants as well as Elvis himself (or a great impersonator). 

From the glitz of Las Vegas we drove to the idyllic town of Boulder City, NV, founded when Hoover Dam was being built. After lunch at the Hacienda Casino/Hotel we toured the Hoover Dam and were amazed by the work it took to build the dam. The tour of Hoover Dam took us over 500 feet below the top of the dam to view the hydro-electric generators.  

Back on top of the dam we were able to take pictures standing not only in Nevada but also in Arizona, doing so we spanned two time zones, Pacific and Mountain. 

Our day ended with a scenic drive up to the Valley of Fire state park. We arrived just in time to see the beautiful colors of nature highlighted by the magnificent shades of reds.  

We arrived back in Las Vegas in time to prepare for "La Reve" at the Wynn Hotel. "La Reve" was a spectacular way to end a very busy day.

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#8 John and Brenda McMillan