Day 267 on the road.
Firehouse Coffee Company, Laughlin

The drive to Laughlin from Boulder City last Sunday afternoon was uneventful. It's a quiet trip going south on Hwy. 95, with little to see but mountains and flatlands which follow a straight course as you make your way to the cutoff going east to Laughlin.

The drive to Laughlin is beautiful once you veer east from the cutoff at the intersection of Hwy. 95 and Hwy. 163. The highway cuts through a mountain range to enter the Colorado River valley and the towns of Bullhead City and Laughlin.

As you can tell from the photo above, I'm back to work on my blogs, and doing some writing. The posting of video clips and photos to this blog and elsewhere is time-consuming. I invest a couple of hours downloading the photos from my Cheap Nikon Camera, editing and resizing them so I can post them online. The video clips take time, too. I edit the clips, add the transitions and title slides, then select and edit the music and sound.

My plans for the rest of the week: poker at the River Palms to maintain my free room and board, a movie or two at the nearby cinema, and maybe a nice dinner at the Outback Steakhouse located inside the Golden Nugget Casino Resort just down the block from the River Palms.

This weekend I'll be back to Las Vegas. I've booked a room at the Sahara Las Vegas Hotel and Casino for Saturday night, and Sunday night I'll move over to the Palace Station Hotel and Casino . I'm "casino hopping" in order to review the various hotels on the Strip. I'll return to the River Palms on Monday. For the month of May I'll be staying Monday through Saturday in Laughlin, and Saturday and Sunday at various locales in Las Vegas.

I'm also going to drive around Boulder City this weekend. I may settle down there some day. I'd love to take advantage of the real estate values there. I can see nothing but good things for Boulder City in the next ten years, and property values are almost guaranteed to keep going up.

A Weekend in Boulder City, Vegas, and GVR

Day 265 on the road.
Starbucks, Boulder City, Nevada

I'll be driving back to Laughlin this morning after spending the weekend here in Boulder City. After checking in at the Western Inn (thanks, Vincent, for the nice room), I saw that a festival of some kind was underway in the park near downtown Boulder City.

The Annual Jamboree in Boulder City was underway on Saturday, so I spent time walking around town and the park. The Jamboree is a big festival with an art sale, antiques, classic car show, food and entertainment. After a couple of hours I was ready to make the 30-minute drive to Las Vegas. I wanted to return to The Orleans and play some Omaha.

After playing cards at The Orleans Saturday afternoon, I went to The District at Green Valley Ranch where they were having an art festival and "wine walk." The District is an upscale mixed-use development similar to The District at Desert Ridge in Scottsdale. Both developments have an outdoor mall, commercial sites, office space, and condominiums. The District at Green Valley Ranch is connected to the GVR Resort and Casino, making the entire development a must-visit when you come to Las Vegas.

As you can tell, Saturday was a full day. On Sunday morning I worked a while at Starbucks, then returned to the poker room at Green Valley Ranch and played cards for a few hours. I really like the place and I think it's among my favorite places so far. The Station Casinos are all pretty nice, and are owned privately by the Fertitta brothers who inherited the business from their dad. Founded in 1976, the Station Casinos franchise includes eight major gaming and entertainment complexes and five smaller casinos.

Below are some photos from Saturday and my visit to the Jamboree in Boulder City and the art festival at Green Valley Ranch.

Old Town, Boulder City

The Annual Jamboree in Boulder City

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Fine Arts Festival and Wine Walk, Green Valley Ranch

Hoover Dam and Lake Mead

Lake Mead and Hoover Dam

April, 2008

A video clip of Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.

Lake Mead, looking north, in Boulder City driving toward the Hoover Dam.

Lake Mead and the RV and camping area, far in the distance. A road leads to a guard shack, where you pay for an overnight camping spot.

The walkway at the entrance to Hoover Dam. A restaurant is atop the dam, along with a gift shop and visitor's center.

A new bridge is being built crossing the Colorado River just south of the dam. The bypass bridge will allow more traffic to wind it's way through the mountain without having to cross the dam itself. Traffic is horrible and will remain slow until the new bypass is completed.

A monument dedicated to the workers who built the dam between 1931 and 1934, many who died during the construction.

Looking south from atop the dam.

Notice the pillars of the new bridge in the upper left corner of the photo. Once the bridge is complete, it will have a beautiful view of Hoover Dam and the Colorado River.

The dam is built in the middle of a mountain range, the Colorado River being at the bottom of a huge valley.

The visitor's center, and the new bypass bridge under construction in the background. It cost $12 to enter the Visitor's Center and get access to the concrete overlook for a "photo oppurtunity."

Looking north from atop the dam, toward Lake Mead.


"The Hoover Dam construction crew's mascot was found as a puppy by workers at the construction camp. This dog traveled to and from the damsite with them and spent his days visiting the many work areas. On February 21, 1941, the life of this devoted animal came to an end when a truck under which he was sleeping rolled over him. The grave below was completed by workers that same day."

The mascot's gravesite and plaque.

26th Annual River Run in Laughlin

The 26th Annual River Run in Laughlin was last weekend. Here's a video clip I made of the shopping area and vendor booths.