After the adventures had on Day One of our road trip to Las Vegas, I could safely say Day Two (July 2) was anticlimactic - except that it was not! More about that in a minute.
We woke up to no alarm clock, of which I was very grateful. We all got dressed, ate breakfast, then hit the road...I mean, the Strip. There were so many sights to see, so many sites to see, and so many things to do. We started walking from the Riviera and headed south on Las Vegas Blvd. So many beautiful things to see. Also so many very interesting people to see as well. The contrast between the opulence and the poverty is almost unreal. But even the homeless people we saw seemed to be upbeat. Most of them.
We also went into the many hotels and casinos on the Strip. The beautiful gardens, waterfalls, fountains, paintings, photo galleries, and so much more, kept us busy all day. I have to say that I did not realize how far we had walked from our hotel, until we started back that afternoon, and it was around 115 degrees outside. My ever-growing scalp told me that I needed a hat and I bought one, from Margaritaville. And we also bought and consumed several gallons of water before the day was over.
One of my favorite stops along the way was the Classic Automobile collection inside the Quad Hotel. There were many antique cars, by that I mean pre-1930. But there were also classic vehicles that I had either driven or ridden in as a child and teen. The really great thing about the collection was that many of the vehicles were for sale - not that I could afford any of them, but one can dream!
So we trudged back to the Riviera sometime around 4 PM. I found out on this day that I am really over fifty years old. I was actually tired to the point of near exhaustion. My lovely bride made me feel a little better by telling me that the altitude and lack of hydration drained me more than usual. That worked. I am sure my physical condition had nothing to do with it. Thank you, Sweetie.
Like I said, the day was anticlimactic compared to the first day of the road trip. Well, here is where the Second Day went sour. Child B's wedding rehearsal dinner was to start at 8:30 PM. So...we left the hotel plenty early so that we could arrive at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company early enough that we could get seated fairly quickly. Sweetie, Child A, Child B, and the Groom To Be all loaded into the pickup and headed for the restaurant. My lovely bride had secured directions from a person who worked at the restaurant, so we were able to drive directly to Bubba Gump's. Well, not exactly...
Yes, we DID drive to the Planet Hollywood Hotel, BUT...it was the WRONG Planet Hollywood! Only we did not learn that it was at the time we arrived. Child A and Child B, along with future Groom walked ahead of Sweetie and I as, like I said, both of us were definitely feeling our age. Somehow, in walking into the WRONG Planet Hollywood, we got separated from the three "children" who were running and playing. So, having no idea where they were, we continued walking...and walking...and walking. We were out on the Strip but nowhere near Bubba Gump's, as far we could tell. And between all the people, all the casino noises, all the traffic, we were not able to hear the pinging of the phones as "texts" were flying into both our phones in droves!
In the mean time, unbeknownst to us, the children had learned that we were at the wrong Planet Hollywood. Child B was desperately texting us but due to the din mentioned above, we were not able to hear the tones of each text's arrival. Finally Child B called my lovely bride and mentioned that she had been trying to reach us for over half an hour. It turned out that Child A, B, and Groom, upon learning of their mistake, hailed a cab and let the taxi driver take them straightaway to Bubba Gump's. Meanwhile....
My lovely bride informed me that we were at the wrong location, and that the children were in a cab. They would arrive at Gump's shortly. So...Sweetie said "Well, we need to go back to the truck." No problem, right? Not so much...We were so disoriented at this point that we had no idea WHERE the parking garage was in which we had parked. I was so disoriented that I did not know which way to turn. On top of that, Child B was calling or texting every couple of minutes wanting to know where we were "now." But, in fact, I had NO IDEA where we were NOW, other than in Las Vegas! So I was tired, hungry, and lost. I have to admit at this point I was beginning to lose some of my charming personality. Not ONLY because I was tired, hungry, and lost, BUT I also had no idea how to get BACK TO WHERE THE TRUCK WAS PARKED!!!
I would like to say at this point that the stress I was feeling was WAY MORE STRESS than I felt while I was trying to rip open the door on that wrecked Tahoe that threatened to roll over on me with every touch. That was NOTHING compared to the way I was feeling at THIS moment! And it was at this point that my lovely bride mentioned to me that we would look back on this moment as time goes by and laugh about it. That was really not the thing I wanted to hear at the moment. And the texts from Child B were coming in now very thickly. It seems the people over at Bubba Gump's would not "seat" the guests until "all your parties" have arrived. So they really wanted us their NOW!
With my lovely bride both doing her best to calm me down and to get us oriented so that we could find our vehicle, I trudged along with her, but I was certainly not to the point of believing that we would some day look back on this little problem and laugh about it. At least not before the turn of THIS century! After some great effort we located once again the parking building. By this time it was well after 9:30 PM. I was still not looking back and laughing about the situation, I can assure you. One reason I was not yet laughing was that neither one of us could remember on which level we had parked!! I truly think old age or something like it has set in, never to leave me again. Luckily, a call back to Child B, and we were able to find the car. Child B remembered where we had parked! Armed with this new and vital information, Sweetie and I retrieved the truck immediately. By the way, did I mention that this little turn of fortune had stressed me a little? Apparently my lovely bride thought I was way more stressed than I really was (well, maybe she KNEW how much I was stressed) because she refused to let me drive and took over that duty herself.
So, thus having FINALLY retrieved our vehicle, we drove straight to Bubba Gump's...not! It took my lovely bride another HALF HOUR just to get out of the PARKING GARAGE and back onto Las Vegas Blvd. During this half hour, Child B continued to send texts, wanting to know our whereabouts. We finally we were actually able to drive onto Las Vegas, but traffic was so heavy that it still took nearly another half hour to get to Bubba Gump's. Really, the only ones stressed were my lovely bride and I, as all the other members of the "party" had been partying while we were lost for over two hours. So none of them, except Child B, were even upset. Libations had been flowing liberally!
Ultimately the Bubba Gump dinners were great, the drinks were apparently quite effective, and everyone had a good time. Several people looked back on what my lovely bride and I had just gone through, and laughed. Though I had rested, been fed, and was no longer lost, I did not join in the laughter about this little incident. Maybe I will someday...maybe...
With all the partying and fun over, we headed back to the hotel. Child A, it turns out, had imbibed so much that he was in a happy mood but not necessarily at his mental best. So I walked with him up to his room to make sure he got in all right. Once I was convinced that he was getting ready for bed, I left him there and returned to our room. Child B spent the night with us...she and Sweetie spent some quality mother and daughter time together while I read and listened to some music.
So, Day Two of the Road Trip had drawn to a close. Was it anticlimactic after all the excitement of Day One? I should say NOT! And, like my lovely bride said, someday I will look back on all that happened today and laugh. Someday...maybe...I figure in about fifty years or so...maybe I will laugh...and maybe not!
We woke up to no alarm clock, of which I was very grateful. We all got dressed, ate breakfast, then hit the road...I mean, the Strip. There were so many sights to see, so many sites to see, and so many things to do. We started walking from the Riviera and headed south on Las Vegas Blvd. So many beautiful things to see. Also so many very interesting people to see as well. The contrast between the opulence and the poverty is almost unreal. But even the homeless people we saw seemed to be upbeat. Most of them.
We also went into the many hotels and casinos on the Strip. The beautiful gardens, waterfalls, fountains, paintings, photo galleries, and so much more, kept us busy all day. I have to say that I did not realize how far we had walked from our hotel, until we started back that afternoon, and it was around 115 degrees outside. My ever-growing scalp told me that I needed a hat and I bought one, from Margaritaville. And we also bought and consumed several gallons of water before the day was over.
One of my favorite stops along the way was the Classic Automobile collection inside the Quad Hotel. There were many antique cars, by that I mean pre-1930. But there were also classic vehicles that I had either driven or ridden in as a child and teen. The really great thing about the collection was that many of the vehicles were for sale - not that I could afford any of them, but one can dream!
So we trudged back to the Riviera sometime around 4 PM. I found out on this day that I am really over fifty years old. I was actually tired to the point of near exhaustion. My lovely bride made me feel a little better by telling me that the altitude and lack of hydration drained me more than usual. That worked. I am sure my physical condition had nothing to do with it. Thank you, Sweetie.
Like I said, the day was anticlimactic compared to the first day of the road trip. Well, here is where the Second Day went sour. Child B's wedding rehearsal dinner was to start at 8:30 PM. So...we left the hotel plenty early so that we could arrive at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company early enough that we could get seated fairly quickly. Sweetie, Child A, Child B, and the Groom To Be all loaded into the pickup and headed for the restaurant. My lovely bride had secured directions from a person who worked at the restaurant, so we were able to drive directly to Bubba Gump's. Well, not exactly...
Yes, we DID drive to the Planet Hollywood Hotel, BUT...it was the WRONG Planet Hollywood! Only we did not learn that it was at the time we arrived. Child A and Child B, along with future Groom walked ahead of Sweetie and I as, like I said, both of us were definitely feeling our age. Somehow, in walking into the WRONG Planet Hollywood, we got separated from the three "children" who were running and playing. So, having no idea where they were, we continued walking...and walking...and walking. We were out on the Strip but nowhere near Bubba Gump's, as far we could tell. And between all the people, all the casino noises, all the traffic, we were not able to hear the pinging of the phones as "texts" were flying into both our phones in droves!
In the mean time, unbeknownst to us, the children had learned that we were at the wrong Planet Hollywood. Child B was desperately texting us but due to the din mentioned above, we were not able to hear the tones of each text's arrival. Finally Child B called my lovely bride and mentioned that she had been trying to reach us for over half an hour. It turned out that Child A, B, and Groom, upon learning of their mistake, hailed a cab and let the taxi driver take them straightaway to Bubba Gump's. Meanwhile....
My lovely bride informed me that we were at the wrong location, and that the children were in a cab. They would arrive at Gump's shortly. So...Sweetie said "Well, we need to go back to the truck." No problem, right? Not so much...We were so disoriented at this point that we had no idea WHERE the parking garage was in which we had parked. I was so disoriented that I did not know which way to turn. On top of that, Child B was calling or texting every couple of minutes wanting to know where we were "now." But, in fact, I had NO IDEA where we were NOW, other than in Las Vegas! So I was tired, hungry, and lost. I have to admit at this point I was beginning to lose some of my charming personality. Not ONLY because I was tired, hungry, and lost, BUT I also had no idea how to get BACK TO WHERE THE TRUCK WAS PARKED!!!
I would like to say at this point that the stress I was feeling was WAY MORE STRESS than I felt while I was trying to rip open the door on that wrecked Tahoe that threatened to roll over on me with every touch. That was NOTHING compared to the way I was feeling at THIS moment! And it was at this point that my lovely bride mentioned to me that we would look back on this moment as time goes by and laugh about it. That was really not the thing I wanted to hear at the moment. And the texts from Child B were coming in now very thickly. It seems the people over at Bubba Gump's would not "seat" the guests until "all your parties" have arrived. So they really wanted us their NOW!
With my lovely bride both doing her best to calm me down and to get us oriented so that we could find our vehicle, I trudged along with her, but I was certainly not to the point of believing that we would some day look back on this little problem and laugh about it. At least not before the turn of THIS century! After some great effort we located once again the parking building. By this time it was well after 9:30 PM. I was still not looking back and laughing about the situation, I can assure you. One reason I was not yet laughing was that neither one of us could remember on which level we had parked!! I truly think old age or something like it has set in, never to leave me again. Luckily, a call back to Child B, and we were able to find the car. Child B remembered where we had parked! Armed with this new and vital information, Sweetie and I retrieved the truck immediately. By the way, did I mention that this little turn of fortune had stressed me a little? Apparently my lovely bride thought I was way more stressed than I really was (well, maybe she KNEW how much I was stressed) because she refused to let me drive and took over that duty herself.
So, thus having FINALLY retrieved our vehicle, we drove straight to Bubba Gump's...not! It took my lovely bride another HALF HOUR just to get out of the PARKING GARAGE and back onto Las Vegas Blvd. During this half hour, Child B continued to send texts, wanting to know our whereabouts. We finally we were actually able to drive onto Las Vegas, but traffic was so heavy that it still took nearly another half hour to get to Bubba Gump's. Really, the only ones stressed were my lovely bride and I, as all the other members of the "party" had been partying while we were lost for over two hours. So none of them, except Child B, were even upset. Libations had been flowing liberally!
Ultimately the Bubba Gump dinners were great, the drinks were apparently quite effective, and everyone had a good time. Several people looked back on what my lovely bride and I had just gone through, and laughed. Though I had rested, been fed, and was no longer lost, I did not join in the laughter about this little incident. Maybe I will someday...maybe...
With all the partying and fun over, we headed back to the hotel. Child A, it turns out, had imbibed so much that he was in a happy mood but not necessarily at his mental best. So I walked with him up to his room to make sure he got in all right. Once I was convinced that he was getting ready for bed, I left him there and returned to our room. Child B spent the night with us...she and Sweetie spent some quality mother and daughter time together while I read and listened to some music.
So, Day Two of the Road Trip had drawn to a close. Was it anticlimactic after all the excitement of Day One? I should say NOT! And, like my lovely bride said, someday I will look back on all that happened today and laugh. Someday...maybe...I figure in about fifty years or so...maybe I will laugh...and maybe not!
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