After a few days of hanging around the house with Gail and Dan in Vegas, we’re ready to head into town to check out new additions since our last visit.  Specifically, I want to go to Slotzilla – a gigantic zip line that runs under the canopy that covers Fremont street in downtown LasVegas.  Although its opening has been scheduled for months now, we found that it’s not open yet.  Next year, for sure.

It’s crowded downtown, and the canopy holds in all the smoke of the hundreds of smokers.  Even though it’s huge, there’s a definite feel of being in a smoky bar.

So, off to the Strip we go, electing to leave the Firetruck parked downtown, and riding the bus instead.  At the RTC (Regional Transportation Center), we viewed the bike hub.  Indoor, super-secure bike storage – FREE – for up to 75 bikes.  With a $60 annual pass, you can also get a locker, shower, and unlimited bike repairs.  They also have lots of free clinics and rentals.  Impressive, and appears to be fairly well used.  Sure wish we had something like that going on in Grand Rapids.

Wandering around the Strip, we rubbed elbows with thousands of folks.  The sidewalks were jammed with all sorts of folks – some in town for the NASCAR race this weekend, some around for the boxing match, some for the huge heavy equipment show at the convention center.  We even ran into Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and a Star Trooper. 

Not sure what these folks were up to, but it’s Vegas, baby.  You just gotta roll with it.

The Fireball is rolling today – headed to Valley of Fire State Park.  Hard to say goodbye, knowing that we won’t see Gail and Dan for another year.  But…..family – like fish – begins to stink after a few days, so it’s time to head out.  Back to the dirt!