Marsha and Jerry Do Las Vegas

not my photo

November 10, 2022

After dry camping in a dispersed area in the desert south of Las Vegas, we woke up early-early and left at 6:15-ish e.s.t. for our drive through visit of the Las Vegas Strip. We arrived in the city just before 4:00 a.m. local time, armed with one granola bar and one stingy mug of instant coffee.

I was lucky to get even this!

We knew there would be traffic, but... there was TRAFFIC. Actually a traffic jam outside the Convention Center. And road work. And lane closures. And flashing lights and arrows that blended in with the flashing and lights of the buildings around us. The collage of brightness and flash was in both directions - we drove north, then turned and drove it back south. We're grateful the turtle wasn't in shock. It's never been anywhere like that. (We were shocked by the shabby living conditions just a block off the Strip.)

I'm not sure Jerry got much of a look except at stoplights. Fortunately there were a lot of stoplights. I did my best to help see ahead and navigate, pinwheeling and spinning from side to side to identify and call out names of places. (We're big fans of the Oceans movies and Miss Congeniality 2. :-) We survived the excursion without incident, thanks to Jerry's steady hands and God's protection!

But we both were able to get an overwhelming and lasting impression of the Excess that is Las Vegas. My photos are horribly blurred and unimportant. We didn't stop other than at red lights. I'm adding a few just for us to remember. The excess. I was craving the open road and National Parks after our forty-five minute trek into the very sparkly jungle of the Las Vegas Strip.

We're both glad we experienced it all, and we agree that our initial lack of enthusiasm for Las Vegas was founded on truth: it's not a place that interests us at all.