Thursday, August 28, 2008
In case you didn't know we made it home
Potentially more pictures and thoughts on the trip to come...
Gary's Post
I am writing here, because I could not figure out how to write on my guest blog space -- that is what I get for being a dinosaur. As for Convocation, Dave did such a great job, I am not sure that I have anything new to add. However, I will say that Carol and I are really PROUD of Dave, Kyle, Mike and Steve, because they are a class act who represented our Beta-Pi Chapter at UVA extremely well !!!! Our chapter became the first chapter in the history of Sigma Pi Fraternity to three-peat with three consecutive Grand Sage Awards, and we are tied with four other schools (including Wake Forest) with the most GSA's at four! Several of the Grand Council and Staff members plan to attend the Chapter's 50th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, April 4, 2009. This was my 18th consecutive biennial convocation, it was Carol's 14th, Dave, Kyle and Mike's second, and Steve's first. Now I wonder if any of the four younger guys will surpass my record!?! Mike may if he remains the Chapter Director of Beta-Pi Chapter until he is 61 years of age like me!?! UVA visits Wake Forest this fall for Wake's "Homecoming," so I am hoping that Dave, Kyle, Mike and Steve to venture down to Winston-Salem, NC to visit Tyler, Jordan, Snaps, Carol and me for what should be a good football game!!! My son Andrew is driving from Charleston, SC to San Diego, but he is stuck in Houston, TX right now, waiting for four new tires and lug nuts for his car. I hope that Charlotte will make it back to Virginia Beach without such a delay! Thanks for allowing me to contribute somewhat to this great blog and roundtrip around the USA! We will definitely share some of the photos at the celebration on April 4, 2009 !!!!!!
Fraternally, Pythagoras #29
Fraternally, Pythagoras #29
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Convocation in Long Beach California
First off let me please apologize for the long time between blog posts. We have been unbelievably busy. We had convocation for our Fraternity in Long Beach, which was the motivating factor for us going on this trip, and caused us to have too much to do and too little time. Blogging during the last week has not been possible. Therefore, I will attempt to summarize all of convocation for you and let someone else catch you up on the two days after convo. In addition, I will be creating two more posts which you guys should check back on in the next few days. In these guest blogs the current Sage of Sigma Pi at the University of Virginia, Steve Giordano, and Past Grand Sage of the entire Fraternity and UVA alum, Gary Tash, will share their views and memories of the great week.
We checked into our hotel first thing Wednesday morning after sleeping on the street nearby. We walked to Borders and updated the blog then headed back to the hotel for a meeting and opening dinner reception. After dinner we retired to our room where fellow Sigma Pi's from Wake Forest joined us for refreshments. After finishing what we had we decided to head down to a reception being thrown by current Grand Sage Larry Rovira. The three UVA bros elected to wear our shirts from The Price is Right and Tyler, Jordan and Snaps (The Wake guys) wore flamingo shirts that we let them borrow for the night. After meeting most of the current Grand Council we headed to the lobby bar and then retired to our respective rooms for the night.
The next morning we awoke bright and early and headed for breakfast. We had business meetings essentially all day which were highlighted by awards. In the morning session we were named one of the top 25 Chapters in the country. At lunch Steve Giordano won a scholarship from Gary, our Chapter had the 3rd highest GPA among Sigma Pis and we were named one of the top 12 Chapters. The top 12 award meant there were only 2 other chapters in our tier up for the Grand Sage Award which was our goal. All we had to do was be better than Georgia and Illinois. We were hopeful but not confident. If we won this would have been the third consecutive such award and we would have been the first chapter to ever 3peat.
Thursday night was a blast! The Fraternity had rented out Game Works, a large arcade with a bowling alley. We all wore Flamingo Shirts including Steve Giordano and Gary and Carol Tash. We were an absolute hit and just had a wonderful time. Afterwards we went to a bar with the Wake guys and some other fraternity brothers from Long Beach. Many rounds of Credit Card roulette were played and happily I never lost. Somehow on the way home Steve started talking to a Limo driver and managed to get 5 of us a ride home for only 15 dollars total. We have some great pictures from Thursday and you should definitely check them out. Friday was more of the same with business sessions all day. One exciting thing was that as a top 12 chapter we were invited to a hot breakfast rather then the typical bagels and fruit. That evening we all decided to take it easy and watched movies then turned in early. We all knew Saturday was going to be a big day.
On Saturday the Fraternity had to conduct some of our most important business involving the election of new officers and deciding on a budget for the upcoming year. Due to the heated nature of discussion we did not have time for a structured lunch break and were forced to sit in business from 9 all the way till 5. At 5 we closed business having finished everything we set out to do at this years convention and got ready for the closing banquet where the final award winners would be announced. We all got spiffied up and I provided bow ties for the entire UVA contingent. I must say we all looked stellar.
Dinner was delicious but we were too excited about the prospect of winning to really pay attention to it. At this point I should explain how the awards work. The Fraternities are split up into four tiers based on number of fraternities on that school's campus.
Tier 4 - 1-5
Tier 3 - 6-10
Tier 2 - 11-19
Tier 1 - 20+
We fall into tier 1 and usually are the final award announced. However, this year they decided to announce in a different order Tier 3,1,4, and finally two.
We were overjoyed to hear our name called second and celebrated by carrying Gary on a chair all the way from our table to the front of the room. Ecstatic about our win we waited anxiously to see if Wake would win in tier 2. Much to everyones excitement Wake Forest was also a winner in their category and therefore a massive celebration would have to follow. Needless to say we had a great time Saturday night and I was very pleased that one of the Grand Council was gracious enough to give me a very nice bow tie that he had worn to dinner and he also gave Kyle his cummerbund. Again you should really check out the pictures.
Here, look at the pictures
We checked into our hotel first thing Wednesday morning after sleeping on the street nearby. We walked to Borders and updated the blog then headed back to the hotel for a meeting and opening dinner reception. After dinner we retired to our room where fellow Sigma Pi's from Wake Forest joined us for refreshments. After finishing what we had we decided to head down to a reception being thrown by current Grand Sage Larry Rovira. The three UVA bros elected to wear our shirts from The Price is Right and Tyler, Jordan and Snaps (The Wake guys) wore flamingo shirts that we let them borrow for the night. After meeting most of the current Grand Council we headed to the lobby bar and then retired to our respective rooms for the night.
The next morning we awoke bright and early and headed for breakfast. We had business meetings essentially all day which were highlighted by awards. In the morning session we were named one of the top 25 Chapters in the country. At lunch Steve Giordano won a scholarship from Gary, our Chapter had the 3rd highest GPA among Sigma Pis and we were named one of the top 12 Chapters. The top 12 award meant there were only 2 other chapters in our tier up for the Grand Sage Award which was our goal. All we had to do was be better than Georgia and Illinois. We were hopeful but not confident. If we won this would have been the third consecutive such award and we would have been the first chapter to ever 3peat.
Thursday night was a blast! The Fraternity had rented out Game Works, a large arcade with a bowling alley. We all wore Flamingo Shirts including Steve Giordano and Gary and Carol Tash. We were an absolute hit and just had a wonderful time. Afterwards we went to a bar with the Wake guys and some other fraternity brothers from Long Beach. Many rounds of Credit Card roulette were played and happily I never lost. Somehow on the way home Steve started talking to a Limo driver and managed to get 5 of us a ride home for only 15 dollars total. We have some great pictures from Thursday and you should definitely check them out. Friday was more of the same with business sessions all day. One exciting thing was that as a top 12 chapter we were invited to a hot breakfast rather then the typical bagels and fruit. That evening we all decided to take it easy and watched movies then turned in early. We all knew Saturday was going to be a big day.
On Saturday the Fraternity had to conduct some of our most important business involving the election of new officers and deciding on a budget for the upcoming year. Due to the heated nature of discussion we did not have time for a structured lunch break and were forced to sit in business from 9 all the way till 5. At 5 we closed business having finished everything we set out to do at this years convention and got ready for the closing banquet where the final award winners would be announced. We all got spiffied up and I provided bow ties for the entire UVA contingent. I must say we all looked stellar.
Dinner was delicious but we were too excited about the prospect of winning to really pay attention to it. At this point I should explain how the awards work. The Fraternities are split up into four tiers based on number of fraternities on that school's campus.
Tier 4 - 1-5
Tier 3 - 6-10
Tier 2 - 11-19
Tier 1 - 20+
We fall into tier 1 and usually are the final award announced. However, this year they decided to announce in a different order Tier 3,1,4, and finally two.
We were overjoyed to hear our name called second and celebrated by carrying Gary on a chair all the way from our table to the front of the room. Ecstatic about our win we waited anxiously to see if Wake would win in tier 2. Much to everyones excitement Wake Forest was also a winner in their category and therefore a massive celebration would have to follow. Needless to say we had a great time Saturday night and I was very pleased that one of the Grand Council was gracious enough to give me a very nice bow tie that he had worn to dinner and he also gave Kyle his cummerbund. Again you should really check out the pictures.
Here, look at the pictures
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Day 24 - Tuesday, July 29th - Come on Down!
We found a Wal-Mart to sleep in last night outside of Los Angeles, and Dave and I set phone alarms to wake up around 5:15 AM. We had tickets to The Price is Right (or "The PIR" as the Long Beach guys called it). The ticketing system is long and complicated, and it offers no guarantees of being in the studio audience until you are actually in your seat. They start handing out priority ticket numbers at 6AM, and then begin handing out available tickets at 8AM based on your priority ticket number. There are 2 shows, a 1:00 and a 4:00, and we had "tickets" for the 4:00 show. This means we can only get a ticket to the 4:00 show if tickets are available. Knowing the complexity of things, we wanted to get there early enough to ensure our chance to "Come on Down!". I'd also like to make note that it has been my lifelong dream to see a taping of The Price is Right, even more so to be an actual contestant.
We arrived at the CBS studio around 6:15 AM, but they have no parking. They recommend parking in a neighboring shopping center, however there is no RV parking there. Complications arose, and the line for priority numbers looked pretty long as we passed by. I was anxious to park the RV and get to the studio, but we couldn't find anything. Finally, many blocks away, we found a 4 hour parking limit section on the street side. We got to the studio at 6:45 AM, and received priority numbers 306-308. We later found out that the studio seats 325 people per show, so being 306-308 of 650 total seats available got our spirits pretty high.
Turns out groups greater than 15 persons automatically have tickets, and we were waiting for whatever remaining seats were available. We were also told that "there are significantly more groups for the 4:00 show than the 1:00 show". They start handing out tickets around 8AM, and after only a few minutes, the tickets to the 4:00 show are sold out. This means we will be on standby, with about 250 people still ahead of us. Somehow there were over 100 people that ended up on standby for the 1:00 show, and we became standby #'s 39, 40 and 41 for the 4:00 show. As standby's, we were told to come back at 1:00 PM, and this is when we would find out if groups didn't show up that would allow standby's to receive tickets.
We started our 15 minute walk back to the RV and tried to figure out how to kill the next 4 hours of time, since it wasn't even 9AM yet. Passing a movie theater in the shopping mall, we noticed that Batman played at 9:20 AM. "Sure, why not see it a third time" was all of our reactions. So we did. The movie wasn't quite as great as in IMAX, but still a great movie, especially when the theater provided interactive seats for us. The 5.4 magnitude earthquake was the largest in Southern California since 1992.
After the movie ended, we put our Tiki shirts on and tried to figure out where to park the RV, since it needed to be moved at noon. There was nowhere to put the RV, since all spots were taken, so we put a note on the windshield wipers saying that the RV wouldn't start, but we were working on having it fixed. We hoped Charlotte wouldn't take it seriously and decide not to start when we returned. Being standby 39, 40 and 41 was a little upsetting, however, because it didn't seem likely that we would get into the audience.
We arrived to see a lot more people waiting in lines. After they arranged all of the groups, they put the standby people in lines on the benches as well. We got excited when the announcer was searching for a group that apparently had not shown up yet. The green tickets that they hand out are numbered, and we saw the people on the next bench receive #'s 235 and 236. Knowing they were the last people before standby's meant we should get a ticket. And we did get a ticket! Kyle was 268, I was 269 and Dave was 270. My excitement for the rest of the day can be seen in how much I'm writing about it. Of course there are many more lines and waiting before we could get into the studio. We had ID checks, then waited for our name tags to be written. Dave had a guy that took his time and did it right, while Kyle and my name tags look like a 6 year old wrote them. It didn't look like I had always dreamed it would. We then waited another hour for our group interview with Stan. They do a 3 minute interview with 12 contestants, so the only information Stan gets is where you're from and what you do. The interview was uneventful despite our Tiki shirts, so I didn't think it was likely that any of us would get on the show.
We then waited to go through security clearance, and heard a bunch of screaming and yelling. Drew was walking past everyone headed for the studio! Of course I joined in the screaming and yelling, and saw Drew give us a thumbs up, saying "I like your shirts". Stan also came over afterwards saying that he would like to record us saying "The Price is Right Rocks!" on his camera because he liked our shirts so much. Things were looking up!
Walking into the studio was surreal, and I was somewhat surprised by how small the audience section was. It made me wonder how come it took people so long to get down to contestant's row when they were called. I was filled with energy and jumping up and down for a while. We then find out that they needed audio clips of the audience in different scenarios. They would use this for future shows if an audience isn't being loud enough during a certain part of the show. We, as a part of the audience, would be a part of The Price is Right future, our screaming or clapping used whenever there were lame audiences. How exciting! (I hope they weren't lying to us and did this at the beginning of every show!?!)
The show was a lot of fun, but slowly got more disappointing as it came to a close and none of our names were called. It ended that way...a wonderful experience, but none of us able to take home anything more than our name tags. The show will air on Thursday, September 25th, the first week they will be offering the show in High Definition. Get your DVR's ready. We are towards the rear of the audience, slightly left of the middle. There will be no pictures of The Price is Right because cameras are prohibited, as well as cell phones and Drew Carey glasses (unless they are prescription).
We headed back to the RV exhausted, but glad to return to our cell phones. The block we parked on didn't allow parking past 6PM, towing enforced, and it was now 6:05. We had been parked there for over 12 hours in a 4 hour space. Charlotte was the last vehicle on the block, and much to our joy, she did start up without any problems. We ate at In-N-Out Burger, the first time for Dave and me, and then headed for Long Beach, CA. Our convention starts Wednesday, and we are in desperate need of a shower. After sweating all day Monday on the drive from Vegas, and all day Tuesday because of The Price is Right, I don't think we smelled the best. Parking on a street under the shadows of the Hilton Long Beach (our home from Wednesday through Sunday morning), we turned in for the night.
Total miles driven: over 5400
We arrived at the CBS studio around 6:15 AM, but they have no parking. They recommend parking in a neighboring shopping center, however there is no RV parking there. Complications arose, and the line for priority numbers looked pretty long as we passed by. I was anxious to park the RV and get to the studio, but we couldn't find anything. Finally, many blocks away, we found a 4 hour parking limit section on the street side. We got to the studio at 6:45 AM, and received priority numbers 306-308. We later found out that the studio seats 325 people per show, so being 306-308 of 650 total seats available got our spirits pretty high.
Turns out groups greater than 15 persons automatically have tickets, and we were waiting for whatever remaining seats were available. We were also told that "there are significantly more groups for the 4:00 show than the 1:00 show". They start handing out tickets around 8AM, and after only a few minutes, the tickets to the 4:00 show are sold out. This means we will be on standby, with about 250 people still ahead of us. Somehow there were over 100 people that ended up on standby for the 1:00 show, and we became standby #'s 39, 40 and 41 for the 4:00 show. As standby's, we were told to come back at 1:00 PM, and this is when we would find out if groups didn't show up that would allow standby's to receive tickets.
We started our 15 minute walk back to the RV and tried to figure out how to kill the next 4 hours of time, since it wasn't even 9AM yet. Passing a movie theater in the shopping mall, we noticed that Batman played at 9:20 AM. "Sure, why not see it a third time" was all of our reactions. So we did. The movie wasn't quite as great as in IMAX, but still a great movie, especially when the theater provided interactive seats for us. The 5.4 magnitude earthquake was the largest in Southern California since 1992.
After the movie ended, we put our Tiki shirts on and tried to figure out where to park the RV, since it needed to be moved at noon. There was nowhere to put the RV, since all spots were taken, so we put a note on the windshield wipers saying that the RV wouldn't start, but we were working on having it fixed. We hoped Charlotte wouldn't take it seriously and decide not to start when we returned. Being standby 39, 40 and 41 was a little upsetting, however, because it didn't seem likely that we would get into the audience.
We arrived to see a lot more people waiting in lines. After they arranged all of the groups, they put the standby people in lines on the benches as well. We got excited when the announcer was searching for a group that apparently had not shown up yet. The green tickets that they hand out are numbered, and we saw the people on the next bench receive #'s 235 and 236. Knowing they were the last people before standby's meant we should get a ticket. And we did get a ticket! Kyle was 268, I was 269 and Dave was 270. My excitement for the rest of the day can be seen in how much I'm writing about it. Of course there are many more lines and waiting before we could get into the studio. We had ID checks, then waited for our name tags to be written. Dave had a guy that took his time and did it right, while Kyle and my name tags look like a 6 year old wrote them. It didn't look like I had always dreamed it would. We then waited another hour for our group interview with Stan. They do a 3 minute interview with 12 contestants, so the only information Stan gets is where you're from and what you do. The interview was uneventful despite our Tiki shirts, so I didn't think it was likely that any of us would get on the show.
We then waited to go through security clearance, and heard a bunch of screaming and yelling. Drew was walking past everyone headed for the studio! Of course I joined in the screaming and yelling, and saw Drew give us a thumbs up, saying "I like your shirts". Stan also came over afterwards saying that he would like to record us saying "The Price is Right Rocks!" on his camera because he liked our shirts so much. Things were looking up!
Walking into the studio was surreal, and I was somewhat surprised by how small the audience section was. It made me wonder how come it took people so long to get down to contestant's row when they were called. I was filled with energy and jumping up and down for a while. We then find out that they needed audio clips of the audience in different scenarios. They would use this for future shows if an audience isn't being loud enough during a certain part of the show. We, as a part of the audience, would be a part of The Price is Right future, our screaming or clapping used whenever there were lame audiences. How exciting! (I hope they weren't lying to us and did this at the beginning of every show!?!)
The show was a lot of fun, but slowly got more disappointing as it came to a close and none of our names were called. It ended that way...a wonderful experience, but none of us able to take home anything more than our name tags. The show will air on Thursday, September 25th, the first week they will be offering the show in High Definition. Get your DVR's ready. We are towards the rear of the audience, slightly left of the middle. There will be no pictures of The Price is Right because cameras are prohibited, as well as cell phones and Drew Carey glasses (unless they are prescription).
We headed back to the RV exhausted, but glad to return to our cell phones. The block we parked on didn't allow parking past 6PM, towing enforced, and it was now 6:05. We had been parked there for over 12 hours in a 4 hour space. Charlotte was the last vehicle on the block, and much to our joy, she did start up without any problems. We ate at In-N-Out Burger, the first time for Dave and me, and then headed for Long Beach, CA. Our convention starts Wednesday, and we are in desperate need of a shower. After sweating all day Monday on the drive from Vegas, and all day Tuesday because of The Price is Right, I don't think we smelled the best. Parking on a street under the shadows of the Hilton Long Beach (our home from Wednesday through Sunday morning), we turned in for the night.
Total miles driven: over 5400
Day 23 - A rather unexciting day
Today we left the bright lights of Las Vegas behind and also lost our temporary guest in Charlotte. After dropping Ms. Langmandigo off at the airport we started on our way to Long Beach, CA, where we would be meeting up some of the local Sigma Pi members as well as some of the higher ups in our national organization for the Dodgers game. Unfortunately, since Lyn's flight was at noon we were forced to drive through the hottest part of the day in order to make it in time to tailgate before the game.
We watched intently as the temperature rose on our thermometer slowly from 92 degrees at 8 am up to 98 degrees at around noon. Shortly after that, the digital thermometer read "Hi" instead of a number reading, presumably since it cannot display a three digit number. Oh yes, and this is the temperature INSIDE of the rv with the windows open going 55 mph since we the AC doesn't actually work. Needless to say, perspiration was at an all time high.
Naturally Charlotte began to have trouble in the heat and decided to stop for a break (that's what we're going to call breaking down from now on) and "cool off" in the 110 degree heat of the desert. A few hours later she was ready to go again, so we slowly but surely made our way to Long Beach, arriving at aroud 5 pm.
We met up with some of the Beta Omicron chapter guys, got a tour of their house, and then hit the road with four of them to the Dodgers game...
We watched intently as the temperature rose on our thermometer slowly from 92 degrees at 8 am up to 98 degrees at around noon. Shortly after that, the digital thermometer read "Hi" instead of a number reading, presumably since it cannot display a three digit number. Oh yes, and this is the temperature INSIDE of the rv with the windows open going 55 mph since we the AC doesn't actually work. Needless to say, perspiration was at an all time high.
Naturally Charlotte began to have trouble in the heat and decided to stop for a break (that's what we're going to call breaking down from now on) and "cool off" in the 110 degree heat of the desert. A few hours later she was ready to go again, so we slowly but surely made our way to Long Beach, arriving at aroud 5 pm.
We met up with some of the Beta Omicron chapter guys, got a tour of their house, and then hit the road with four of them to the Dodgers game...
Guest blog from Lyn Mandigo
Lyn visited us for a few days and we decided to let her blog about Sunday in Vegas. When she decides to write about it you can read it right here in this space:
Today started out pretty slow because of all the fun we had the night before. As the rv started to heat up from the strong Nevada sun, Dave, Mike and I decided that we should go lounge by the pool for a while, leaving Kyle to sleep off his late night. We spent a few hours poolside trying to get rid of our headaches and get back our energy so we could venure out of the Oasis rv park to the Vegas strip. After the pool, we showered, ate lunch, put on our flamingo shirts and headed for the air conditioning and fountain drinks in the resort lobby to call a cab around 3:30pm. The cab dropped us off at Mandalay Bay, our friend Mark's recommended starting point for exploring the strip. We had decided to check out some of the sites and wait a while before we started gambling. So we explored Mandalay Bay and then headed over to the Luxor, the pyramid with the egyptian decor, and then went to Excaliber, the castle with medevil decor. From there, we went to New York, New York, "the greatest city in Las Vegas" which is complete with a statue of liberty and it's own old fashioned cart rollercoaster that costs $14 per rider. All of these hotels and casinos were truly amazing. They are so festively decorated according to their individual themes. You could spend hours just taking it all in. After New York, New York, we ventured down the strip some more and found a place to buy discount tickets to the shows. When we didn't see any for shows that we would be interested in seeing, we decided to check out one of the all you can eat buffets in a hotel. Due to price and location, we decided on the Monte Carlo buffet. When we entered, Kyle said he recognized it and thought he had been there before. The food was really good. We each got multiple plates full of entree items, and then shared an assortment of the dessert offerings. We left feeling satisfied and ready to walk the strip some more.
Our next stop was the Bellagio. The inside foyer was gorgeous. It had glass art work on the ceilings, an inside garden with beautiful flowers and neat water spouts, a garden train, and even a miniture mount rushmore. We also found the chocolate water fountain, which was amazing. It had dark, light and white chocolate cascading from the mirrored ceiling onto molded glass containers that directed the streams down an intertwined path to their containers full of chocolate at the bottom. Of course since we were all so full, we didn't find this appetizing, but just cool to watch. After looking at the inside of the Bellagio, it was close to 8pm and getting dark so we decided to stop outside to watch the famous Bellagio water fountain show, which was incredible and my favorite part of Vegas. The water sprays out of the fountains to the beat of the song that is playing out of the speakers on the Bellagio bridge for a good 10 minutes or so.
After the Bellagio, we checked out Caesar's palace and Harrah's and then decided to do some gambling at the Flamingo. I think the idea was that our shirts would bring us luck or at least perks there, but it doesn't seem like either was the case. Mike and I took a break from walking/standing and found some penny slot machines while Dave and Kyle went off in search of a $5 craps table. After losing $2 at our penny slot machine- which didn't take long with $.25 bets- Mike and I went to find the other two in our quadruplet and bought in to the $10 craps table they had found. Craps provided a good amount of entertainment. I think Kyle had the best streak rolling the dice, but then the table started to go downhill so we left. Mike and Dave went to find a blackjack table and Kyle and I watched. I am sure all of us were glad to be off of our feet for a few minutes after walking around so much.
After the Flamingo, we went to check out the Venetian and then called it a night. We waited in the cab line at Treasure Island to head back to the Oasis around 11pm. We were all tired and had a long day of traveling ahead of us. I guess the rest of the strip and Vegas will have to wait for a later day...
Memorable Flamingo shirt comments:
"Hey, are you guys together?"
"I know, they are all on the same bowling team"
"You guys must shop at the same store"
"I want a onesie in that print"
Today started out pretty slow because of all the fun we had the night before. As the rv started to heat up from the strong Nevada sun, Dave, Mike and I decided that we should go lounge by the pool for a while, leaving Kyle to sleep off his late night. We spent a few hours poolside trying to get rid of our headaches and get back our energy so we could venure out of the Oasis rv park to the Vegas strip. After the pool, we showered, ate lunch, put on our flamingo shirts and headed for the air conditioning and fountain drinks in the resort lobby to call a cab around 3:30pm. The cab dropped us off at Mandalay Bay, our friend Mark's recommended starting point for exploring the strip. We had decided to check out some of the sites and wait a while before we started gambling. So we explored Mandalay Bay and then headed over to the Luxor, the pyramid with the egyptian decor, and then went to Excaliber, the castle with medevil decor. From there, we went to New York, New York, "the greatest city in Las Vegas" which is complete with a statue of liberty and it's own old fashioned cart rollercoaster that costs $14 per rider. All of these hotels and casinos were truly amazing. They are so festively decorated according to their individual themes. You could spend hours just taking it all in. After New York, New York, we ventured down the strip some more and found a place to buy discount tickets to the shows. When we didn't see any for shows that we would be interested in seeing, we decided to check out one of the all you can eat buffets in a hotel. Due to price and location, we decided on the Monte Carlo buffet. When we entered, Kyle said he recognized it and thought he had been there before. The food was really good. We each got multiple plates full of entree items, and then shared an assortment of the dessert offerings. We left feeling satisfied and ready to walk the strip some more.
Our next stop was the Bellagio. The inside foyer was gorgeous. It had glass art work on the ceilings, an inside garden with beautiful flowers and neat water spouts, a garden train, and even a miniture mount rushmore. We also found the chocolate water fountain, which was amazing. It had dark, light and white chocolate cascading from the mirrored ceiling onto molded glass containers that directed the streams down an intertwined path to their containers full of chocolate at the bottom. Of course since we were all so full, we didn't find this appetizing, but just cool to watch. After looking at the inside of the Bellagio, it was close to 8pm and getting dark so we decided to stop outside to watch the famous Bellagio water fountain show, which was incredible and my favorite part of Vegas. The water sprays out of the fountains to the beat of the song that is playing out of the speakers on the Bellagio bridge for a good 10 minutes or so.
After the Bellagio, we checked out Caesar's palace and Harrah's and then decided to do some gambling at the Flamingo. I think the idea was that our shirts would bring us luck or at least perks there, but it doesn't seem like either was the case. Mike and I took a break from walking/standing and found some penny slot machines while Dave and Kyle went off in search of a $5 craps table. After losing $2 at our penny slot machine- which didn't take long with $.25 bets- Mike and I went to find the other two in our quadruplet and bought in to the $10 craps table they had found. Craps provided a good amount of entertainment. I think Kyle had the best streak rolling the dice, but then the table started to go downhill so we left. Mike and Dave went to find a blackjack table and Kyle and I watched. I am sure all of us were glad to be off of our feet for a few minutes after walking around so much.
After the Flamingo, we went to check out the Venetian and then called it a night. We waited in the cab line at Treasure Island to head back to the Oasis around 11pm. We were all tired and had a long day of traveling ahead of us. I guess the rest of the strip and Vegas will have to wait for a later day...
Memorable Flamingo shirt comments:
"Hey, are you guys together?"
"I know, they are all on the same bowling team"
"You guys must shop at the same store"
"I want a onesie in that print"
The Grand Canyon and then a big night in Vegas
Friday we went to the Grand Canyon. We woke up in Kingman, AZ and the nice folks at D&S looked at the RV and couldn't find anything wrong with it. We started Charlotte up and she seemed to be working fine. It was probably a heat related problem that was no longer presenting itself in the morning cool. We decided to go ahead and try to get to the Grand Canyon and Mike drove us all the way there without incident.
Once there we rented a car from Budget and I drove up to the Canyon. I find it hard to say much about the canyon other then it was grand. We drove around parts of it and took a lot of pictures which are now up in a web album. We watched the sunset which was quite colorful and headed home. About a half hour into the drive back to our RV park (A 1.5 hour drive total) Kyle realized we left our souvenirs where we watched the sunset so we turned back for them. I certainly hope those who receive those gifts enjoy them.
We got back to the RV late and everyone promptly went to bed after what had been a long day. Mike and Lyn made the mistake of trying to share one of the small beds in the back instead of taking Kyle's bed. This was a decision they would regret in the morning after a restless night of sleep. I awoke early and returned the rent-a-car. Once everyone else had gotten up we headed back to Vegas.
I drove us back to Vegas through a large rainstorm which was great because it kept Charlotte cool. We arrived at the Oasis RV resort around 2 and promptly headed to the pool, refreshments in hand. At the pool we met a local Las Vegan(???) who was very friendly and recommended we check out Karaoke night at the resort later that night. We debated for a short while and elected to attend Karaoke night. Sadly, Mike and Lyn were uninterested in performing. However, Kyle and I treated everyone to a rendition of You've lost that Loving Feeling by the Righteous Brothers. It was a less then stellar performance and I attribute the poor quality not to the two of us but to the fact that we were missing two of the four members of our singing group, "The Blue Man Truth." If we had the vocal stylings of James Calabrese and Ben Heriaud we would have clearly brought the house down.
After Karaoke shut down Mike and Lyn headed back to the RV for bed and Kyle and I played frogger on our way to the Silverton Casino. We essentially had no business being at a casino for the next 4 hours but nonetheless had a wonderful time. In our Tiki shirts the two of us were the life of the Casino and made many friends at the craps table. When all was said and done I ended up winning 55 dollars and, while Kyle at one point was up around 60, he ended up cashing out down 9. After such a late night the next day was less then pleasant and we didn't get going until well after 2:00 PM, but I will let guest blogger Lyn Mandigo tell you about our Sunday in Vegas.
Pictures
Once there we rented a car from Budget and I drove up to the Canyon. I find it hard to say much about the canyon other then it was grand. We drove around parts of it and took a lot of pictures which are now up in a web album. We watched the sunset which was quite colorful and headed home. About a half hour into the drive back to our RV park (A 1.5 hour drive total) Kyle realized we left our souvenirs where we watched the sunset so we turned back for them. I certainly hope those who receive those gifts enjoy them.
We got back to the RV late and everyone promptly went to bed after what had been a long day. Mike and Lyn made the mistake of trying to share one of the small beds in the back instead of taking Kyle's bed. This was a decision they would regret in the morning after a restless night of sleep. I awoke early and returned the rent-a-car. Once everyone else had gotten up we headed back to Vegas.
I drove us back to Vegas through a large rainstorm which was great because it kept Charlotte cool. We arrived at the Oasis RV resort around 2 and promptly headed to the pool, refreshments in hand. At the pool we met a local Las Vegan(???) who was very friendly and recommended we check out Karaoke night at the resort later that night. We debated for a short while and elected to attend Karaoke night. Sadly, Mike and Lyn were uninterested in performing. However, Kyle and I treated everyone to a rendition of You've lost that Loving Feeling by the Righteous Brothers. It was a less then stellar performance and I attribute the poor quality not to the two of us but to the fact that we were missing two of the four members of our singing group, "The Blue Man Truth." If we had the vocal stylings of James Calabrese and Ben Heriaud we would have clearly brought the house down.
After Karaoke shut down Mike and Lyn headed back to the RV for bed and Kyle and I played frogger on our way to the Silverton Casino. We essentially had no business being at a casino for the next 4 hours but nonetheless had a wonderful time. In our Tiki shirts the two of us were the life of the Casino and made many friends at the craps table. When all was said and done I ended up winning 55 dollars and, while Kyle at one point was up around 60, he ended up cashing out down 9. After such a late night the next day was less then pleasant and we didn't get going until well after 2:00 PM, but I will let guest blogger Lyn Mandigo tell you about our Sunday in Vegas.
Pictures
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Day 19 - Thursday, July 24th - Vegas, Baby, Vegas!
It has been a long time since we last posted. It has been a busy past few days, but we'll try to post a few days at once to keep you all satisfied. Sorry we promised updates every night, as you'll find out we hit some bumps in the road...
Today, Thursday July 24th, we woke up in the Red Rock Casino parking lot in Las Vegas, NV, with minimal sleep thanks to the blaring pop music, temperatures in the upper 80's and bright lights all around us. We went to the Border's across the street as Dave mentioned in the last post, and awaited heading to the airport to pick up my fiance Lyn, who was flying into Vegas for the next 4 days. She was to arrive around 12:45 PM, and we arrived late, much to her dismay. We didn't know about the height restrictions, and the heat/lack of sleep didn't help anyone's moods. We got on the road excited for the KOA in Williams, about 4-5 hours away. Temperatures were easily over 100 degrees for the whole ride. We saw the Hoover Dam, and crossed over into Arizona. After heading south towards I-40, Charlotte gave Kyle some problems. She just decided that she didn't want to drive anymore. After pulling her over, I tried turning her back on, and she would idle very roughly for a few seconds, then would turn off, with a press on the accelerator doing nothing to persuade her. Time to call a tow truck.
After AAA hung up on us, we got in touch with a wonderful lady named Misty that worked at D&S Auto Repair in Kingman, AZ. Misty helped us out tremendously, even offering to pick us up if she could (I don't think her car could tow us though). Eventually a guy from Mike's Towing came out, and we were on our way in a short amount of time. This towing experience was much faster than when we broke down on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. We arrived at the Auto Repair shop, which closed at 5:00, but checked in to the Rambling Rose Motel next door, at the suggestion of Misty. After a quick dip in the pool, we started walking down to a Mexican Restaurant 8 blocks away, another one of Misty's suggestions. It was very relaxing for the 4 of us, and Dave ordered their special Burrito, a whopping 28 inches long. He was unable to finish the burrito, and ended up having breakfast, lunch and dinner fixed for the next day. We then started our walk back down Historic Route 66 back to the Ramblin' Rose. Kingman was one of the fortunate Route 66 towns that also had I-40 run through it, so it wasn't shut down like the rest of them. On our way in, Lyn asked the tow truck driver where Route 66 is based on the fact that the scenery reminded her of the movie cars. Turns out she was dead on.
The Ramblin' Rose was comfortable, and taking a shower was a welcome change, as was Lyn's presence. Lyn's adventures with Charlotte didn't start off very well, but things will hopefully be better the next few days. Please post comments on our blog to let us know how you are all doing, and if you think you can figure out what went wrong with Charlotte on US-93 South...
Today, Thursday July 24th, we woke up in the Red Rock Casino parking lot in Las Vegas, NV, with minimal sleep thanks to the blaring pop music, temperatures in the upper 80's and bright lights all around us. We went to the Border's across the street as Dave mentioned in the last post, and awaited heading to the airport to pick up my fiance Lyn, who was flying into Vegas for the next 4 days. She was to arrive around 12:45 PM, and we arrived late, much to her dismay. We didn't know about the height restrictions, and the heat/lack of sleep didn't help anyone's moods. We got on the road excited for the KOA in Williams, about 4-5 hours away. Temperatures were easily over 100 degrees for the whole ride. We saw the Hoover Dam, and crossed over into Arizona. After heading south towards I-40, Charlotte gave Kyle some problems. She just decided that she didn't want to drive anymore. After pulling her over, I tried turning her back on, and she would idle very roughly for a few seconds, then would turn off, with a press on the accelerator doing nothing to persuade her. Time to call a tow truck.
After AAA hung up on us, we got in touch with a wonderful lady named Misty that worked at D&S Auto Repair in Kingman, AZ. Misty helped us out tremendously, even offering to pick us up if she could (I don't think her car could tow us though). Eventually a guy from Mike's Towing came out, and we were on our way in a short amount of time. This towing experience was much faster than when we broke down on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. We arrived at the Auto Repair shop, which closed at 5:00, but checked in to the Rambling Rose Motel next door, at the suggestion of Misty. After a quick dip in the pool, we started walking down to a Mexican Restaurant 8 blocks away, another one of Misty's suggestions. It was very relaxing for the 4 of us, and Dave ordered their special Burrito, a whopping 28 inches long. He was unable to finish the burrito, and ended up having breakfast, lunch and dinner fixed for the next day. We then started our walk back down Historic Route 66 back to the Ramblin' Rose. Kingman was one of the fortunate Route 66 towns that also had I-40 run through it, so it wasn't shut down like the rest of them. On our way in, Lyn asked the tow truck driver where Route 66 is based on the fact that the scenery reminded her of the movie cars. Turns out she was dead on.
The Ramblin' Rose was comfortable, and taking a shower was a welcome change, as was Lyn's presence. Lyn's adventures with Charlotte didn't start off very well, but things will hopefully be better the next few days. Please post comments on our blog to let us know how you are all doing, and if you think you can figure out what went wrong with Charlotte on US-93 South...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Hot, Hot, Hot
Not much to say about the 23rd of July except that it was hot. We had quite the drive and had to go quite slow because we started at 7300 feet and descended to 4300 feet then climbed above 7000 feet and then descended to back below 5000 feet only to climb up above 7000 feet again. We then descended down to Las Vegas an elevation of 2001 feet. This resulted in 7.3 MPG. Charlotte struggled at times but we made it without any real brake or engine problems. The views on the drive were great as always and you should definitely check out our pictures. Kyle is definitely the most aggressive when it comes to taking pictures and where I would just want to look, he has been clicking away so you should all thank him for that.
We arrived in Vegas around 8:30 and went to the Red Rocks Casino to catch an IMAX showing of the new Batman movie. Not only is the movie spectacular (We saw it on opening night as well) but the movie is even better in IMAX and was easily worth the 14 dollar ticket price. After the movie I had hoped we would drive to a Walmart for the night but neither Mike nor Kyle was interested in leaving the Red Rock parking lot. Therefore, we got ready for bed in an incredibly over lit parking lot where music was playing loudly from most of the lamp posts. It proved to be a hot and sweaty restless night.
This morning we drove to the Borders across the street where I am now blogging and uploading pictures. We will be picking Lyn up at the airport at noon and then driving to the grand canyon for the night. We will be staying in RV parks the next 4 nights (THANK THE LORD!) and will be able to update the blog each night as well as shower which is the really important thing. I worry that we are starting to smell like a gym bag that has been left in the trunk of a car for a few weeks.
Pictures
Progress Map
We arrived in Vegas around 8:30 and went to the Red Rocks Casino to catch an IMAX showing of the new Batman movie. Not only is the movie spectacular (We saw it on opening night as well) but the movie is even better in IMAX and was easily worth the 14 dollar ticket price. After the movie I had hoped we would drive to a Walmart for the night but neither Mike nor Kyle was interested in leaving the Red Rock parking lot. Therefore, we got ready for bed in an incredibly over lit parking lot where music was playing loudly from most of the lamp posts. It proved to be a hot and sweaty restless night.
This morning we drove to the Borders across the street where I am now blogging and uploading pictures. We will be picking Lyn up at the airport at noon and then driving to the grand canyon for the night. We will be staying in RV parks the next 4 nights (THANK THE LORD!) and will be able to update the blog each night as well as shower which is the really important thing. I worry that we are starting to smell like a gym bag that has been left in the trunk of a car for a few weeks.
Pictures
Progress Map
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