Las Vegas 2013

We landed in Las Vegas on Easter Sunday, March 31st

We were in a Hilton timeshare unit located behind the Flamingo Hotel on the strip

We did lots of touring, including going up the Stratosphere Tower

From the top you can see all of the city spread out below

There are even rides you can take while hanging out over the city below

We then visited the Boneyard Museum where they kept all the old neon signs from hotels that were torn down to make way for the new ones.  Too bad it was closed on Wednesdays.

We did get to see Freemont Street where they now have a zip line running down the length of the canopy.  At night they project images on the canopy along with music.

This is the view from our window overlooking the pool at the Flamingo Hotel.  We got to spend some lazy time in the afternoon sitting under the palms by the pool, as the weather was great.

We toured some of the other hotels nearby as they had spectacular floral displays.  Here is the one at the Palazzo Hotel and Casino.

The indoor conservatory at the Bellagio Hotel had a Dutch theme with tulips, giant wooden shoes and even a windmill.

Of course the Venetian Hotel had to have gondolas.  The water was so clear it seemed as if the gondola was floating through the air!

Next to the Venetian is Madame Tussauds Wax Museum where you can pose with the figures.  Here we are with President Obama- didn't know he was so tall!

We spent a full day touring the nearby Red Rock Canyon; one place we'd never been before.

Our guide was Cheyenne, a real cowboy, who took us on a private tour of the area.

We saw caves that the Indians had lived in years ago with petroglyphs on the rocks.

Wild donkeys were along side the road and Cheyenne tried to lure them closer to us but they were too shy to come near.

We ended up at a Wild West Ranch where they had shows, shops, a live performance and even a bank robbery with a gunfight.

The climax was a public hanging of the robber- very realistic but as in most illusions, he didn't really die.  The noose had a harness rig under his shirt that saved the performer- thank goodness.

On our last evening we splurged on a fancy dinner and even had a flambe dessert!

And no evening would be complete in Las Vegas without seeing the dancing waters at the Bellagio Hotel.  With lights and music, it is a spectacular sight and all for free!