Our RV Adventures

Yesterday was our last chance to check out some of the Vegas attraction on the Strip.

So, after we spent the morning resting up from our talk show trip to LA on Tuesday and Wednesday, we left the rig about 4 pm to have dinner at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville at the Flamingo Hotel on the Strip.

From a very large model of Jimmy’s seaplane hanging from the ceiling to a girl sliding down the side of a volcano into a blender of margaritas,

and then dancing on the bar, it was a great start to a fun evening.

Leaving Margaritaville, we drove down the Strip to the Border’s Book Store before heading up to Fremont Street to see the Fremont Street Experience. The Experience is a large video screen covering two city blocks in downtown Las Vegas that shows music videos every evening.

Out of the 4 shown every night, our favorite is the one set to Don McLean’s American Pie.

And something new this year is a Zipline Ride running almost 700 feet along under the screen.

You can even ride it during the show. You’re about 80 feet off the ground, traveling about 30 mph.

Then leaving Fremont, we headed back down the Strip to the Bellagio Hotel/Casino to taken in their famous water show.

But to get to the fountains in front we traveled through the lobby and found this beautiful ceiling made from enormous glass flowers 2 – 3 feet across. Just beautiful.

Our viewpoint for the show let us look out across the lake toward the Strip and the Paris Casino.

The water show runs for about 5 minutes every 15 minutes, and each time it uses a different song, We heard Debussy, Chopin, and Beethoven, and even some Elvis. Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture would have been neat.

The show is another one of those events that the camera really doesn’t do justice. But here goes.

I’ll try to post some video in the next day or so when I get a chance.

After a somewhat abortive attempt to find a Boy’s Big Boy to have a late snack, (We ended up at the HOME of the owner of Bob’s Big Boy Toys. Word to the wise, never, never let Nick navigate!) we ended up at Blueberry Hill Diner once again, finally get home at almost 1 am.

Who knew retirement would be so exhausting?

More tomorrow . . .

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Thought for the Day:

"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So is a lot."  – Albert Einstein

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Yesterday was The Talk talk show day, so after getting up about 6:30, (Nick was not happy) we tried to have the breakfast at the hotel. But there was a tour group there that was taking up all the tables, and then some. So after waiting awhile we went ahead and just checked out and hit the road about 7:45 am.

It was about a 35 mile drive that due to the traffic, took us about 90 minutes, but we’d allowed for that so we got to Studio City about 9:15, 30 minutes before the 9:45 deadline when we would lose our seats and have to go on standby.

Everyone was given a number card in the order of your arrival. We got numbers 52 – 55, and after going thru security, we were sent to a waiting room to fill out our cards, and also sign a release form that pretty much allows them to do anything they want to us, and we just have to grin and bear it.

Then, after walking us a couple of hundred yards to the soundstage, about 10:30 they led us to our seats in the studio.

And right at 11 am the show started. This show is live, and runs in real time. They don’t do retakes or corrections.

And like our visit to the Bonnie Hunt Show last year, during the breaks, about 30 people swarm out onto the stage. Fixing hair, touching up makeup, adjusting clothes, talking about the script, etc. It’s a busy place.

Then the Floor Manager starts a countdown with “IN FIVE, FOUR . . . and Poof! everyone disappears.

The first guest was Alex Trebek of Jeopardy fame, and his introduction and entrance gave us our little claim to fame.

We got on National Television! Aren’t we a handsome bunch?

The second guest was Ellen Kunes, who wrote the bestselling “The Carb Lovers Diet”. Normally when a author is on the show, everyone in the audience gets a copy of the book, and today was no exception.

Just what Nick and I need, a diet book! (Well, actually, we probably do need it. We just don’t want it.)

It seemed like before you know it, the show was over. We had been told we would be doing taping two full shows today, but we only did one and some parts.

Parts, as in pieces that will be stitched together to show later.

While we were waiting to get started again, the crew passed bananas, granola bars, and water to the audience as a snack.

First off, was a cut-in with the editor of Redbook Magazine, along with the man voted ‘Hottest Husband” and his wife. The audience all got the latest issue of the magazine and a coupon for a year’s subscription. Whee!

Next was a cut-in with Megyn Price from “Rules of Engagement”. This 5 minute segment will be added to another show later. This usually happens when the guest star can’t be there when the show airs live.

Then everyone went off and changed clothes, and they taped the opening and closing for another show to that will be show next week when the cast and crew takes a break.

Finally, they ended up with the cast members doing some promos for tomorrow’s show. You know, those ones that go “Tomorrow on The Talk our guests will be”.

And by about 1:30 we were done. As we filed out we were given our free diet book and our Redbook stuff. We were also given some free eco-friendly perfume, whatever that is.

After a quick walk to our car, and a slightly-less quick stop at the nearby McDonald’s, (no breakfast, along with a banana and a granola bar only takes you so far) we headed back toward Las Vegas.

Going home we took a longer way with a slight detour up through Palmdale and Lancaster so Nick could check out the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds as a possible site for a Gypsy Journal RV Rally.

By about 5 pm we were in Yermo, CA where we stopped at Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner. We’ve stopped here a couple of times before as we passed through the area and it’s always good. And this time was no exception.

Hitting the road again, we headed up I-15 toward Las Vegas and home, and after a quick pit stop at Primm’s, we got back to the rigs about 9:30, very tired, but happy we had such a good time.

More later . . .

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Thought for the Day:

Friends will come and go, but enemies accumulate.

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