When you approach Vegas at night, the lights from afar are mesmerizing. They look clean and shimmery. When you drive in for a closer look, you realize that among the hundreds of thousands of colored lights and lighted signs, many are shouting things like, "Cheap Cigs and Beer" or "Sleep Cheap"... not quite as clean and shimmery up close. Coming in so late, we felt good about the fact that there was a Thousand Trails campground right near the strip. No matter what hour, they are always welcoming and we know they have all the amenities like hookups, inviting pool and clean grounds.

As we absorbed the sights and sounds of Vegas, it was a relief to hear the kids recognize the disparity between the natural wonders we had just come out of and this man made wonder. They said it felt like shock going from one extreme to the other. But, it certainly did not deter us from enjoying Vegas in all its spendor. I kept calling it the Vegas vortex because our plan to stay for only one day kept extending until on the fourth day we had to rip ourselves out of there.

We visited cousins Karen and Steve and the kids had a great time learning how to play a dice game called 'Farkel' with them while Mike and I got to go to dinner and play a little blackjack. We each had some luck at the tables, but trying to explain 'responsible gambling' to the kids was an interesting task.

Anyway, it's always fun to be in Vegas, and it felt good to throw something completely different into the mix.