24 hours of driving, and we didn't kill each other

We're finally back in civilization! Actually, I'm not sure that you can classify Las Vegas as "civilization." Vegas has musical water fountains, roller coasters, near free-fall jumps off of hotels, and canals inside hotels, all because it can. So it's not actually "real life." But regardless of whether or not Vegas is a good representation of modern society, the fact is that we are finally back in an area populated with more than 200 human beings. And although it's nice to experience the barren wilderness of the southwest, it's also nice to be back in the Sin City.

You may ask, How did you guys enjoy the Grand Canyon? Well, after a long and taxing 19-hour drive through the pitch black night skies interrupted only by enormous lightning strikes from violent thunderstorms, we had made it to the Canyon:

Just kidding! We didn't even make it to the Grand Canyon! In fact, as you may have already guessed, that is not a picture of the Grand Canyon at all, but rather the Hoover Dam. That's right, we drove all that way and never even saw it. Unfortunately, the rain was steady and before we headed north to Grand Canyon Village, we decided it would not be worth the extra driving so that we could trek through the mud, only to stare at rain clouds (we could've stayed in Pittsburgh to do that). Instead, we continued on to Vegas. It's disheartening that we could not get to one of the sights that we looked so forward to seeing, but as the saying goes, "When one door closes, another spot at the blackjack table in Vegas opens."

We stopped briefly at the Hoover Dam to admire the unfathomable power that humans have over nature, and then we drove into Vegas for the first time (normally we do like most sane people and fly for five hours, instead of driving for six days). We asked for a room upgrade (why not?) and they almost put us in the penthouse suite. Actually, they didn't have any available upgrades, but they did give us a better view:

Last year we had a nice view of the Hooters hotel.

And what's even better is this room was completely comped. Free. That's right, we're big rollers (thank you George!), and they know it. They were going to roll out the red carpet for us but since our plans changed and we arrived early, they weren't ready. Okay, maybe we're only one step up from the bottom of the Vegas totem pole, but our room is still pretty nice:

I think being in Vegas makes any room seem nicer.

So, with this, the days of the long drives are behind us. I'm much closer to San Francisco, and reality is starting to set in. Luckily, Las Vegas is pretty good at making you forget about reality, so it should be a great night. It is Anthony's last night on this road trip; he'll be leaving in the morning and flying back home. I wish he could stay for the rest of the trip, but I'm also glad he joined us for the majority of it.

It's now time to relax, get some food, and maybe take a nap. Then an early dinner, LOVE, and VIP access at the Palms. I'll let you know how it goes in the morning. Actually, make that the afternoon.