We set off from home on Wednesday 10th December 2014 on a trip to Las Vegas. Did I say this was about the last place on earth I wanted to go to? I didn't? Oh well, Las Vegas was the last place on earth I wanted to go to.
Why then did we go to Las Vegas?
Well MAC has this 'bucket list' item which involves a lifelong need to drive heavy equipment. Las Vegas, it seems, is the one stupid place which has an installation called 'Dig This', owned by a New Zealander (wouldn't it be?), where heavy machinery is available for the lay public to drive.
Staunchly refusing to go to LV for many months, MAC trying to persuade any of her friends to go with her, failing to gain any 'takers' I performed my conjugal duty to accompany her on this totally fools errand.
So, that being said, we set off for Newark Airport and a flight to LV. Arrived late afternoon and checked in a Wynns hotel and casino.
The whole place is so unbelievably over the top in every way that it renders the word 'taste' completely extinct. The hotel was already decorated for Christmas with vast numbers of flowers, and huge constructions made from floral components including a carousel and a hot air balloon. Declining room upgrades at check in which would have given us untold luxury (?), we trekked to our rooms in the 'cheap' part of the hotel!! Of course, the route to the rooms had to be right through the middle of the casino, just in case we needed to lose some money BEFORE we unpacked.
The room was pleasant with a view of the exclusive Wynn's golf course and the hills in the distance. I guess seeing a green golf course right in the middle of the desert brought one up short but, there it was.
One of the more bizarre features of the room's toilet was a phone with two lines and a hold button. This would mean that whilst performing regular bodily functions one could handle multiple calls. This feature was the subject of much lavatorial badinage between us during the stay. The thought of a 'Captain of Industry' sitting on the toilet handling multiple calls from his o office preparatory to going down and losing the company on the tables, was wonderful. Our interpretation was slightly different with 'Line 1' and 'Line 2' being code words for............ well you know.
The restaurants in the Wynns and most other casinos on 'The Strip' seem to be operated by famous chefs and offer culinary blandishments of every type. The prices seem to be even above Manhattan levels and nothing is cheap anywhere along the Strip.
We ate at what was described as a New York Deli which had decent but expensive basic deli food. On a later visit I ordered a pastrami sandwich and I must say that the pastrami was pretty awful. Lesson XV - don't order New York food in Las Vegas.
After a decent sleep and a quick breakfast, we set off the next day for the 'Dig This' site. After a slight difficulty actually finding the office, we located it and the adventure began.
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| If you didn't believe it existed, here we are. |
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| The briefing process |
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| Going through the controls. |
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| Ready to go |
So the program went like this
1. A slalom down through some cones
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| The slalom course. |
Then the raking up the ground and digging the hole
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| Just about finished with the pile. |
Then drive over the pile
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| This looks better on video |
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| Slaloming the tires through the cones.....just for fun. |
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| Mission accomplished |
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| MAC and her fellow driver Dan, (r) and the instructor (c) |
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