Day Three

Today we woke up super early to go on the Hoover Dam tour. We took a cab to Bally’s for pick up. On the way to the dam our guide played a video on the history of the dam. Our first stop was a scenic stop at Lake Mead. It was really windy but incredibly gorgeous. Our guide then gave all 18 of us glasses with eyes to disguise ourselves when we were going through security. It was really funny. We all tried to look nonchalant with our funny glasses, which made the security guy laugh. We drove through the Nevada side of the dam to the Arizona side to turn back around to get to the right parking area. Once the bus was parked we were given our tickets to go on the power plant tour. We saw the generators, felt the water rushing under our feet, and walked through tunnels 550 feet below the ground. The tour was really interesting. After that we went to the lookout spot where we could really see the dam. We met up with the tour guide and walked around and learned more about the workers who died while working on the dam (only 96 deaths were logged at the dam site). Jon and I both rubbed the golden feet of a statue, which is supposed to bring you luck.

After the dam we got on the bus and went to the Boulder City hotel to look at the museum there and get lunch. The museum was very interactive and taught a lot about the depression time and how Boulder City came to be. After lunch we loaded the bus again and went to Ethel M Chocolate Factory. We took a tour and learned the history of chocolate. We saw workers making Kudos granola bars. I got a free sample of dark chocolate and took pictures of some incredible chocolate sculptures. After the tour we loaded the bus and headed back. The guide was a really funny guy and made lots of dam jokes.

After the tour we walked to the Bellagio and looked at the Conservatory. They had their fall decorations set up. I recognized some staples that they had a few years ago. The tree trunk shaped like an old man, the bronze leaf statues that had water running down the them, and the windmill. Other than that it was completely different, but just as stunning. After that we went to Caesar’s Palace to see if some people we needed to say hi to were working. We ended up on a $10 craps table that wasn’t hot, but wasn’t running cold either. Jon jumped in first. The dice started making their way to him. Once he got the dice the table turned hot. He had a great roll. The guy after him had an even better role. The table was running hot and getting crowded. I jumped in but had to step away for a few minutes because my brother called me. It was nice to hear from Dave. When I got back to the table I asked the dealer if a few people were working so I could say hi for Dad. Go figure- they weren’t working. HOWEVER- Jon’s friend, Ruth, has a brother who is a dealer at Caesar’s who was working. We met up with him and had a great conversation. Next time we’re in egas we’ll look for him again. We walked away from the table with double the amount we started with. Guess rubbing the toes of that statue worked!

We went back to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner. We went to Martarano’s, which is a really nice Italian restaurant in the Rio. It was really good food, but the selection is limited. The interior was pretty nice, too. After dinner we heaed back to the room and got ready for bed. Tomorrow we’ll be leaving Vegas and heading to Dallas. It’s going to take us about a day and a half to get there. Arg.