VEGA$

As I was finishing the last post, snow flakes began to fall in the canyon and the temperature plummeted. We decided to pack up and head for Vegas at once. We drove at top speeds to leave the blizzard behind us. We stopped briefly at the Hoover Dam to take some dam pictures and discuss the engineering feat.

We checked into our soundproof suite at the Tropicana at approximately 7pm, bringing everything we couldn't fit into the cab of the truck upstairs to avoid theft. They shoved us through the turnstyles and turned us loose on the inside. We scoped out a 2 for 1 steak and seafood buffet and had some refreshments in the room before going down. It turns out one needs to be a member of the "winner's club" in order to redeem the buffet deal. I said we were winners but the hostess wouldn't budge, so we waved her off and started back toward the room. On the way up, we bumped into some engineering girls Mark knew from Marquette. We chatted for a minute, said we'd meet up later, and returned to the room for more refreshments.

Blair was down for the count within the hour.

Mark and I made him comfortable and decided to play poker. We scoffed at the $100 minimum buy-in at the Tropicana and elected to play at the Luxor since we knew they only required a $40 buy in, and because I've had good luck there before. It was a short walk down the crowded, electric strip, and the warm breeze felt nice on our greedy faces. We registered with the same nice man as last time and soon after my name was called. I was under the impression that we signed up for limit hold'em, but the first hand taught me this was 100 percent no limit. Some girl across the table took me all in, but I had the cards to back it up. 2 pair before the turn killed her pair of kings, and I won $40 in 5 minutes. I got up and left, having made enough already to cover my share of the room, refreshments, and breakfast in the morning. Mark broke even since he never got the chance to play. I love the Luxor.

Blair was as we left him, snoring like a freight train sprawled out on one of the beds. Mark and I were starving since we still hadn't eaten, so we dug out the camp stove and cooked grilled cheeses on a section of a beer can. They were delicious, and we didn't burn the place down. Nourished, we had more refreshments and planned the next step. We agreed to meet the girls at the jacuzzi, and brought a few for the road. The first spa we saw was overrun with dude-bros except for two 30-something ladies, and the girls were no where in sight, so we opted to swim in the main pool that was most definitely closed for the night. Within 30 seconds, a brisk-walking female security guard informed us of what we already knew. The pool was still closed. We reluctantly climbed into the sausage fest hot tub and started making friends. There were two guys from Hawaii who were really cool, and three bros who sucked. I talked to the Hawaiians about their continental US experience and told them of Blair's and my bike trip. They thought it was cool and wished us luck. I proposed that everyone in the tub should go to the Wyn, which we agreed would have the most bad-ass spa in Vegas, but no one else thought it possible to sneak into the pool of the nicest place in Vegas. We soon grew bored and spotted the engineering girls at a spa across the main pool.

Our beer reserves were depleted, and seeking more, we gave Blair a call up at the room, not hoping for much. Much to our delight, Blair not only answered, but arrived at the spa in double-time with reinforcement beers. We were thrilled to see him.

Mark dared me to do a cannonball into the closed pool, and I accepted the challenge. The cool water was a shock to my system and I quickly exited the main pool in fear of the female security guard. My fear was realized when she threatened the entire group that if anyone stepped foot in that pool again, everyone would be eighty-sixed from the pool level. We all moved to the spa Mark and I started out in, which was free of bros, and talked awhile. We said goodbye to the girls and hung in the spa for awhile longer. It was 3:30am and I decided I was ready for bed. Blair agreed. We tried to convince Mark to come up to the room with us, but he insisted on sleeping on the deck with his legs half in the spa. We dragged and pleaded, but he would not be moved. I said forget it and went up to the room alone. Blair has more patience than I do. He found the security guard, and told her of our dilemma, and she called another security guard who brought a wheelchair. I was sitting alone in the hallway outside our room during this spectacle, because my key failed to function as a result of close contact with my cell phone in my pocket. I made up my mind to wait and possibly sleep in the hallway while waiting for my friends to return. After about 20 minutes, I hear the elevator doors close, and witness one of the funniest things I'd ever seen. Blair is pushing Mark down the hall in a wheelchair, accompanied by a Tropicana security guard . It looked like a scene from a retirement home - The orderly pushing the senior citizen who had a warm towel around his neck. But when this senior citizen saw me, he had a huge grin on his face and two thumbs up. The security guard let us into our room and Mark explained that apparently when you fall asleep half in the pool, they give you a free wheelchair ride up to your room. Blair was starving for a sandwich, but I convinced him to wait till morning, and we went to sleep.

The next morning we woke up and met the engineering girls for breakfast. We annoyed them with our stories, said our goodbyes, then packed up and checked out.

It seemed like the drive to Santa Barbara took forever, but when we arrived, Mark's saint of a sister, Karen Anna, had a huge pan of lasagna and a three layer cake waiting for us. We inhaled lasagna and I asked Mark if I could marry his sister. Tomorrow, we're up at 6:30 to go deep sea fishing with Mark's buddy Goebel. Hopefully we catch some lunker sea bass and rock cod and grill them up for dinner. I'll let you know how we do.