Day 23 – April 2 – Las Vegas

Rick took the Jeep to a Just Brakes shop to see how much damage was caused by the “brake-buddy” system while being towed.

Turns out he was very lucky, the hubs got so hot a wire was melted that is used to control the ABS system in the car.  The sensors for the ABS were also melted.  In all the brake pads, calipers, and bearings (which contain the ABS sensors) had to be replaced, and the rotors had to be turned down to make true again.

After talking it over, Rick and Mary moved the RV to the brake shop while we drove on to Las Vegas.  We are staying in the Main Street Casino RV Park in downtown Las Vegas.

Since the day was just driving, I am going to touch on a couple of topics that have been on my mind.  First, why do the deer crossing signs have the antlers wrong on most of the signs?  Almost every sign has the antler points going back over the deer’s back instead of pointed forward.  That would be great if the purpose of the antlers was to scratch the deer’s back, but not too good for defense.  Seems to be like a case of a designer that has not really looked at a male deer and purchasers of signs that don't care or just don't see the error.  These type of errors drive me crazy.

The other thing I wanted to bring up is the cost of traveling by RV.  People have asked how we justify the poor gas mileage we get verse driving a car and staying in motels.  Here are some numbers to think about – even though the cost is just one side of taking your home away from home with you.  We have averaged less than $24 per day on camping fees – I would not want to try to sleep in any place that cost $50 or less a night .  Add to that the ability to cook our own meals instead of eating out every meal.  We are averaging 47 cents per mile we have traveled.  That is a mpg of just over 7 – not too bad for a moving house.  To me the bottom line is the costs are about the same, maybe a little better going via RV.

Back to Vegas – Rick and Mary showed up around 5:30 our time.  After they settled in, we went to the Main Street Casino to eat.  The food was good and afterwards we played the slots for a hour or so.  Dorrie and I won a little and the Ottos lost a little.

We got in the car and headed towards the strip.  Dorrie and I have been to Las Vegas a couple of times before, but Rick and Mary have not been here.  They could not get over the size of the casino complexes.   We got to see the end of the light and water show at the Belagio casino.  That is always a good show.  The lights on the strip are always so exciting.  Everything is so alive.  People were everywhere.  We noted a couple of places to go to later and then returned to the campers.