RoadTrip - Day 12

Leaving LA - After waking up we relive the events of the previous night and explain to Jake how he got his new wounds. We say goodbye to Dan and thank him again for his hospitality and hit the open road. Time to start the trip home. We hit an awesome bbq joint on the way out of town and then turn the minivan east and drive into the rising sun (that is if the sun rose around 1pm)

Hoover Dam - From LA we make a B-line for the Hoover Dam. We get there a little before sunset (like every other outdoor attraction on this trip) and drive our car right across the dam before parking and exploring. The hoover dam is unbelievably large. When it was built in the 30's it was the largest concrete structure and electricity producer in the world. (now it ranks somewhere in the 30s). The sheer drops, curvatures, and spillways almost give you vertigo when you look over the side. The nevada/arizona state line cuts perpendicularly through the middle of the dam so we spend a few minutes hopping between states. We were literally in and out of Arizona like 50 times on this trip. All on purpose.

Vegas baby, vegas - We didn't really have any plans to go to Vegas, but hoover dam is only 30mins away. It seemed like the only decent thing to do was to pay the city of sin a visit, but we needed rules. strict rules. Here's what we came up with:
1 - Everyone takes out $100
2 - Go up to the first roulette table we see
3 - Put all $300 on black
4 - if we lose, we put vegas in our rearview. If we win we take our original money back and put our $300 dollar winnings on 3 numbers. If one of them hits we make ~$3500.
5 - split all winnings 3 ways

Seriously how could this plan fail. We hit the Wynn casino, get our cash and head to the first roulette table we see. When we walk up we notice red has hit the last 4 times in a row. It's an omen. Dollar signs are bumping and grinding in my mind. We put our $300 on the table and I get the first ever black chip of my life. Yeah we're high rollers. Everything is going exactly as planned. The only question running through my head is whether or not we accept the suite that they will eventually try to comp us with. And then the ball starts to roll...and roll... and roll... and roll... and then stop....on....RED. We turn and head for the door. Shortest stay in the history of vegas. 30 seconds, $300 down. Vegas you're such a bitch.

On the way out of town we're feeling hungry and unsatisfied and then we see the stratosphere. The stratosphere is a restaurant/hotel/casino/amusement park that looks like the seattle space needle. Since our gambling strategy worked out so well, we decided to treat ourselves to the 104th floor rotating dining experience. Unbelievable panoramic views of the city and great food. Expensive, but worth doing.

Drive all night pt4 - out of Nevada, through Utah, and into Wyoming. We wanted to stop and check out some of the national parks in Utah, but unfortunately it just didn't work out for this trip. Maybe next time.