Left Kaibab forest quite early so we could get to Las Vegas in good time. Popped over at the Jacob's Lake Inn for some of their fabulous cookies again. The drive to Vegas is long and hot. On the way, we stopped at Virgin River Canyon Recreation Area to eat our lunch. Wow, that is possibly the hottest place I have ever been in! Felt like I was being roasted alive in a fan-assisted oven. Nothing around us except cacti, dried shrubs and rocks. Oh, and a tiny, muddy Virgin River in the distance winding its way through the canyon. We didn't stay long. And when we left, we set the air conditioning on full blast - it took us ages to cool down...

Accommodation in Vegas was at the Luxor - an Egyptian-themed hotel at the South end of the Strip. The rates were really cheap online but then they hit you with an $18/person/day "resort fee" for "your convenience" (I kid you not, that's what it said in the welcome pack!). Not sure what this was for, exactly, but it wasn't exactly convenient! We had a huge room with 2 double beds and some amazingly comfortable mattresses and a view of the giant Sphinx's ass out at the front entrance. I slept blissfully in the afternoon for a couple of hours as I've been driving everyday and haven't really enjoyed a single night's uninterrupted sleep since I started camping almost 2 weeks ago!

Hmmm, not sure I like Las Vegas all that much! There seems to be alot of unnecessarily annoying noises. Even the gamblers seem perpetually bored pushing those buttons on the slot machines. I don't feel that artificial manmade "wonders" like these, that have been created in the desert, can compete with or replace the real thing - they're just simulacra.

Anyways, I'm here and gonna try to make the most of it! Dinner was in the Mandalay complex at The House of Blues - a New Orleans theme restaurant and live music venue. We took the glass elevator for after-dinner drinks at the Mixx on the 54th floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Great views of the city below, which seems to come alive a night, and you can sit and enjoy the desert breeze from the balcony.