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World Series of Beer Pong - Drive to Mesquite, NV |
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It was starting to get dark, but none of us seemed to care because we all knew that by the next time it would be day, we would all be in fabulous Las Vegas. Until then, Balkman and Salmon passed the time by having a Mario Party. It was certainly better than staring out the window and the darkening skies, which was exactly what I was doing at the time. |
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I had forgotten how close Las Vegas was to the mountains, and this picture proves that it is, in fact, rather close to the mountains. Oddly enough, every time that you come back to Las Vegas you see something brand new. |
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The back seat of the minivan was named after the man who spent the most time there - Brodey's Lounge. It became the most exclusive club that the country has ever seen, and only 4 people were allowed access to it. Sadly, I was turned away and could only live on the stories told by the other 4 people in the car. Balkman and Brodey slept most of the way there, until of course their time would come to drive and lead us through the mountains and to the land of safety. |
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But until that time came, it was up to Aaron and I to man the controls of this vessel. The moments from when we left until now are nothing to speak of, for we have been driving through parts of the country known as "Boring America." I wish something would have happened because it was challenging to stay awake amid all of the flat land and corn. |
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This is the part that needs the most explanation. The last two videos took place between the pictures above these words and the pictures below. I-70 takes you through the Rocky mountains through Colorado, and it is truly a beautiful and relaxing ride - during the day and in the warmer months of the year. Unfortunately, tonight was neither. The short winding turns were made that much more dangerous by the falling snow and the ice already accumulated on the ground. After you pass through Denver, it's all downhill all of the way until you hit the desert. The difference in elevation between Denver (at 5277 feet) and Las Vegas, NV (at 2,178 feet) is 3,099feet. That means we do downhill 3,099 feet in a matter of 747 miles. That may not sound like a lot, but believe me, it sure felt like we were driving blindly straight down the side of a mountain. Balkman was driving at this point, and I sat in the middle passenger seat with my earphones in, eyes closed, and hood pulled over my face. I'll admit it, I was afraid. Normal people (read not Mr. Balkman) are afraid of the unknown and what they cannot see or understand. We couldn't see too far ahead of us in the road, so any normal person would have been shaking in their booties. But oh no, not Balkman was a pro, handling every curve with ease and taking the snow in strides. I don't know quite how he did it, but Balkman got us to the safety of Utah. As I think about it now, I've seen Balkman do stranger things so I guess it all makes sense. We stopped as a gas station in the middle of nowhere, and seeing as it was the middle of the night and we we out of gas, we had better get it here or risk drying up somewhere along the road in Utah. In the end I gave Balkman a hug and thanked him for keeping my life intact, and I noticed that the clerk at the convenience store looked a lot like a guy I've seen hanging outside the Quick Stop in Leonardo, New Jersey selling drugs. What was he doing in Utah? |
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We drove straight through Mesquite (it was 5:30 am and far too early to check into the hotel) and decided to check out Las Vegas. When we arrived there, it was around 6:30 and still dark out. According to a Las Vegas sunrise calendar I found, the sun rises at 6:52 am on January 2, 2006. We were able to see the lights as we approached the city and decided to park inside the Bellagio casino. We gambled for a little bit, and everyone lost money. I suggested that we go outside and check everything out, seeing as how this was everyone's first trip to Las Vegas (except for Salmon and I. As you should know by now, I was just there in May 2005 and Salmon was there sometime in his teenage years prior to being of legal gambling and drinking age. We walked to nearby Caesar's Palace, and once again were instantly drawn to the gambling sections. We lost once again, and everyone started to get mad. I tried to explain that there's more to Vegas than gambling, but everyone was too tired and cranky to listen to me. We ended up spending barely 3 hours there (I've been there 5 times and still haven't seen everything) before everyone wanted to drive back to Mesquite. It must've been the long car ride that got everyone so upset, because I definitely know that it couldn't have been the dirty city of sin and deceit. |
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I don't know what these guys were looking at, but I guarantee you that they didn't like it. I don't understand; I could spend days walking around Las Vegas and still be able to come back every year to do it again. Maybe it's just me... |
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I shouldn't have to say it again, but I'm really excited to be in Las Vegas again after being away from it for 7 long months. I do look like I'm overly excited, but that's just because I threw in an extra kick for the next couple of days and the events that would transpire. Seeing as how we drove 30 hours just to play beer pong, I guess we didn't have any time to waste by gambling and sightseeing. I guess I can somewhat agree with that statement, but I'm still disappointed that no one else's eyes were widened by the spectacle of Las Vegas. The city itself and everything in it is a modern marvel of man's dream to build and be one step bigger and better than the man that went before them. At least I'm marveled by this delightful place. |