The whole party met up for breakfast at Peppermill Restaurant just across from our hotel. Just as is everything else in this town, the diner was over the top, with indoor fake trees, neon lighting etc., and cocktails being served with breakfast. We resisted the cocktails, but we all ordered and got MASSIVE breakfasts. We will never learn that a full breakfast is just that - it is enough to feed an emerging third world country. We could easily have shared three breakfasts between the seven of us, but of course we had one each, and left the majority of it on our plates.
Maureen announced that she had been contacted by a relation who was also visiting Vegas. She had posted something on her Facebook page about being in Las Vegas, and Trish (a second cousin who was also on Facebook at the time) read the entry and contacted Maureen. They arranged to meet up for lunch on Friday. The power of the internet never ceases to amaze.
We made our way to Palazzo where Trish and her husband Andrew were staying along with their daughter and son in law. They live in Salt Lake City Utah - about an hours flight away - and visit Vegas every couple of months. Andrew likes to play the "slots" and he must do a fair bit of it, as the Palazzo were putting them up free of charge, and apparently do so all the time !!
We spent the next few hours being guided around by Trish. The young ones had already seen that it was not their cup of tea, and headed to the south of the Vegas strip to do some exploring on their own.
Trish took us to all her favourite places, and we saw some amazing things. A stop at the Bellagio Cafe for light refreshments was very well received, and after bidding farewell to Trish with a promise to keep in touch and to help in further exploring the family tree, we had a few hours retail therapy. On the walk back to our hotel we spotted some vacant seats at an outdoor bar overlooking the strip, and settled in for a couple of cleansers. We were about to leave, when who should come sauntering part but the rest of our group - Nat, Brian and Lauren. Needless to say, they were happy to join us for another.
About 8:00pm we walked the few blocks back to the hotel, and decided that we could all go a meal. Vince Neal's steakhouse was the venue, and the steaks we had were big, juicy and just the ticket. A cocktail washed it all down nicely, and we headed for bed. Friday in Vegas was a blast.
Brian Roach must be the luckiest guy in town. He put $1 into a pokie and somehow, after pressing a couple of buttons he activated the Bonus prize feature on the machine. He had no idea what he was doing, but with guidance from his daughters he managed to turn his $1 in $67 in just a few minutes. Needless to say, he cashed in immediately.
Tomorrow, Lauren, Natalie and Brian W are booked on a tour from Vegas to the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. The helicopters were sold out, so they are going on a bus tour. It will be a long day for them, but they are excited about it, and they should have a great day at what is the most spectacular place on earth.
The remainder of the party will do the Vegas strip again, and pick up the motorhome in the afternoon. It is a day early, but the rental company is closed for Easter Sunday when we were due to pick it up. At least this way the others will be able to see it before we take off on Sunday and the others head for San Francisco.
The fun just keeps coming.
Vegas is certainly exciting, you probably saw more of Vegas than I have, but then I was too busy 'Star Trekking' They obviously have no rules there of shutting down the pokies for a few hours, like they do here. Feel sorry for the cleaners trying to vacuum. Maureen, with all that food and grog you are consuming, you will have to walk around the Lake multiple times daily!
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