Bucoops Road Trip Honeymoon Hoover Dam/Las Vegas Day 3

[GrumpyDopey&Me]

We had a mini lay in today as we was going to spend the morning/early afternoon at Hoover Dam and then make our way back into Las Vegas for the evening

Feeling a little lazy today (or maybe we just like them so much) we decided to have Krispy Kreme again for breakkie so out ran waiter boy as I slower got out of bed and got dressed. It was starting to get to me all these early mornings and busy days. However by the time he had returned I was ready to go. We sat there on the bed eating our breakkie whilst watching TV and it was bliss.

By now it was 9am and it was time for us to hit the road, it was the exact same route we did yesterday so we had a rough idea what was coming up and we also noticed a lot more like the crazy “toot” shops by the side of the roads.

However with the new Hoover Dam bridge being open we was both on the look out for the turning because once you miss it, then it’s a few miles before you can safely turn around. Fortunately we didn’t and within minutes we was driving through the security checks, which was quiet a surprise as it was as security conscious as an airport.

We was soon through, parked up and making our way to the dam.



And it was rammed. Here is my little tip for future travelers – NEVER GO ON A SATURDAY. There was loads of American family here. It was as busy as Disney. We were queuing out the door.

Finally we made our way to the front and bought the PowerStation tour. We was then lead into another queuing area whilst we waited for the film show about the Hoover Dam to finish. This took awhile and after what felt like 40 mins but in reality was only about 10 we was lead in.

The show is very informative and it was nice to sit down, however I am not really interested in things like this so even though I was watching it I have no idea what was said. After the show was finished we was herded like cattle to join the queue for the PowerStation tour, this was also another long queue and I couldn’t have got to the end fast enough.

Well I could have if I realised we was going to be stuffed like sardines in a giant lift. There were over 20 people in the lift and it was practically noses to the back of the person in fronts head. I didn’t like this at all. We go down in the can and get out, following the tour guide into a room/hole in the cave and he gives a little talk (I won’t spoil it by saying what and we are led back to the elevator to be squidged back in, it really reminded me of when you see the youtube clips of the Chinese’s train stewards pushing as many passengers as possible into the train. There was no room for movement and it you was claustrophobic then give this a wide berth.

I can’t remember if we went up of down, and then like sheep we are once again herded to this giant room with turbines in. Unfortunately I was so unimpressed so far that I just switched off. After about 10 mins we was led out shoved back in the lifts and taken back up to ground level. That was the competition of the PowerStation tour and if I had realised it was going to be so short and uncomfortable I wouldn’t have spent the extra money. Dickie didn’t mind it but he also agreed it was a bit of a rip off as you don’t get to see much.

You are then left to your own devices and we wandered around aimlessly for about 30 mins, taking loads of photos and just appreciating the surroundings.

Some of our photos







We wandered around outside taking more photos



And we went into a little building (I can’t remember what it was called) and it there was a model of the surrounding states and this explains where and the route of the river go.



(in the background)

After this I decided to go back and relax in the car whilst Dickie went around some more. He loves engineering stuff and could happily have spent a good few hours just wandering around and it felt like he did. I was just happy relaxing and listening to my audio book.

After a while Dickie finally came back to the car and we decided to go to shoping on the way back at the Galleria Mall and it was massive, We treated ourselves to a nice hotdog and proceeded to shop like loons.

After a few hours here we decided to head back as we had dinner booked at Top of the World restaurant. When I made the reservation I picked 5.45pm so we could go up to the top in the day, see the surrounding area in the light, whilst we eat dinner watch the sunset and then go back up to see everything lit up in the dark.

We got back to the hotel and decided to park up and use Taxis so we could have a drink if we wanted, we also wanted to walk some of the strip and we didn’t want to leave our car at the Stratosphere. However this was very expensive because on a Saturday night the traffic is bumper to bumper. If I had had more sense I would have changed the tour day of Las Vegas and Canyon so I could have used it over the two days.

We got the Stratosphere with loads of time to spare and had a look around the casino before making our way to the top. The view as amazing



And it was so funny watching the people on the rides. I was far to scared to do it. We took loads of photos and just looked at the strip, this was our last night here and we wanted to soak it all in.



After a while we made our way down to the restaurant and was seated by the window and it was fab.



We was over the other side so we couldn’t see the strip but that didn’t bother us because as it moves we thought it wouldn’t take long. The sunset that night was stunning and so was the food. Oh my god is the best way to describe it. The meal was lush and I would definitely recommend it. This was the best meal of the whole holiday for me. We also used the $25 gift card from restaurant.com so it was a little bit cheaper.

After the meal we made our way back to the top of the tower and by now the sun had set and Las Vegas was awake. It looks amazing.



After about 10 mins of staring at the strip we decided to make our way into, it was our last night and we had a few things to see. First stop was the Bellagio. I couldn’t wait to see those fountains.

Jumping into a taxi it was another long and expensive drive but hey ho what can you do. Arriving at the Bellagio I couldn’t wait to see the show and we made our way as fast as we could only to then wait for about 20 mins, but it was seriously worth the wait. It was so good we decided to watch it 4 times before making our way down the strip to the hotel.

A few shots







It was pretty cool to be in the life of it all but I don’t like the tap tap people, I just wish they wouldn’t stand in the middle of the sidewalk, dodging them must have added so much to the walk. It was also cool because as Halloween was just over a week away there were a lot of people out dressed as ghouls and ghosts and it was pretty fab.

Again we was just soaking in the atmosphere and seeing the sights.









Finally we made it back to the hotel and just collapsed into the Jacuzzi. I wanted one last go and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend our last night in the Sin city. We decided the packing could wait and we just fell into to bed.

Las Vegas Day 2 San Diego Day 1

[Guest]

Fabulous photos.
The stratosphere restaurant looks amazing - wish we'd given it a go.
Great reporting - a wonderful honeymoon.

[Guest]

The Hoover Dam thing really annoyed me - when I was younger I did a tour of Bradwell Power Station - they showed you loads of it, it was really interesting and there was lots to see. Hoover Dam? You hardly get to see anything, and of what you do see, all the good stuff is in the free areas. Go figure...

[abiknox]

Another fabulous day! Im really looking forward to watching the fountains! They look amazing!