Left Las Vegas

I am finally back in Austin, Texas.  So I thought I would add just a few more  images from the Las Vegas journey.  The long road shot was through the windshield in the heat of the day in West Texas.  The sunset was also through the windshield at 80 miles per hour.  After two nights of rest in Ruidoso, NM at my friend's home, I caught sight of the start of the large motorcycle rally that began to filter into town.  Hundreds of these roaring machines were on their way to this small town, but that was days away.

Next we crossed the Hoover Dam, going and coming.  In fact on the return leg we stopped for the full tour.  I asked the older gentleman who appeared in his uniform to be the back-up-guard at the security check point if anything had changed in the 35 years since I last took the tour. He perhaps had a arthritic neck as he slowly turned to me in his chair and he broke into a wry smile "well, the people are older."  It was on 9/11 we made this visit.  Generators that feed 1,000,000 people.  Lake Meade is visibly lower, year seven of the drought.  In another few years the original turbines will have to be replaced with ones that can run on less "head" pressure as the lake empties.  Demands on the Colorado River are just too great to retain enough water to keep the lake full.  Allocations to adjoining states exceed the natural volume of the river.

While in Las Vegas we visited downtown one night, off the "strip" of the mega casinos.  It was the land of the older Las Vegas that has been somewhat overlooked.  Many of the vintage neon signs are on display on Fremont Street.