SIN CITY

THE 'RESTROOM' IN SELIGMAN

DUST DEVILS

HOOVER DAM

EXCALIBUR HOTEL/CASINO

NEW YORK NEW YORK

PARIS - LAS VEGAS

We departed Tusayan and said farewell to Grand Canyon. Our continued pursuit of Route 66 took us to Williams, a town which sued the government several times in an attempt to prevent its stretch of 66 being by-passed by the interstate, but finally lost. It seems to have made the best of it though, with an economy now based on tourism and Route 66 memorabilia. The same focus on memorabilia also applies to Seligman where we also stopped......a fascinatingly quirky place, though its shabbiness suggested it was struggling somewhat.

As we drove through the remaining part of Arizona we could see dust-devils dancing in the desert around us. The next stop was to see the Hoover Dam which holds back the waters of Lake Mead which, in turn, is fed by the waters of the Colorado River. Although primarily built for water storage and flood control, this huge engineering project on the Arizona/Nevada border also produces 4.2 billion kWh of electricity per annum, enough to power 400,000 homes.

The main road used to pass over the Dam, but with only two lanes it soon became a bottleneck. Security concerns were also raised following 9/11. As a consequence, a four lane road now passes over the newly constructed Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge just downstream from the Dam. It was from here that we were able to view the Dam. Cars are not allowed to stop on this bridge but pedestrians can walk across once they have passed through security checks.

Now firmly in Nevada, it didn't take us long to reach the Alexis Park Resort in Las Vegas where we would stay for two nights. We were nearing the end of our Route 66 journey, so we had what would probably be our last evening meal as a group in an Italian Restaurant. Afterwards some of us did a reconnaissance of the famous Las Vegas 'Strip'. No, nothing to do with nudity! This is what might be called the Main Street in other cities. It was a Wednesday night and after 11.00pm, but the streets were full of people and brightly illuminated by the light from the huge displays that constantly advertised products. The place just throbbed with activity.

Next morning I set off on my own to walk the length of The Strip on one side of the road, then back on the other, a task that would take me all day. The hotels are much more than just places to sleep. They are also casinos, shopping malls, restaurants and theatres. Each casino/hotel links to the next by monorail or covered walkway, often bridging roads. I visited the Mandalay Bay, the Luxor, Excalibur, New York New York, then on to the Bellagio and Caesars Palace until I eventually reached the Stratosphere. I then crossed to the other side and walked back, visiting the Palazzo, the Venetian, Paris - Las Vegas and Planet Hollywood, to name just a few. The exteriors of these casino/hotels are impressive enough, showing off enormous scale-models of the Sphinx, the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, the Empire State Building, etc. Inside they are no less so. I was particularly awe-struck by the interior of the Luxor and Caesars Palace. In the evening I watched the fountain display in front of the Bellagio, the Volcano display at the Mirage and the Sirens of Treasure Island at the Treasure Island Casino and Hotel.

I was left with the impression that however tacky you might consider Las Vegas to be, this City certainly knows how to impress. The hotels are as elaborately and exquisitely decorated as any I have seen, and the free entertainment is better than some I have paid good money for.

As for the 'Sin' in 'Sin City', well there were a lot of scantily-clad girls around, but I didn't look - much. I didn't gamble either - promise - but I am coming back on the 7th of August so there is still time to remedy that.