We had our leftover spaghetti breakfast and headed out. It was already quite hot out! Our first stop was Silverton, a casino a ways off the main strip.
Some 'creative' streets intended to slow people down.... or simply cause more accidents.
Arrows on the road, perhaps for foreign drivers... or just drunk ones?
At 1,149 feet (350.2 meters), the Stratosphere Tower is the tallest freestanding observation tower in the US.
The Mirage with the High Roller (a 550-foot tall Ferris wheel) in the background
Luxor and Mandalay Bay
The Silverton Casino Lodge was originally opened in 1994 under the name Boomtown. It didn't do too well and was bought in 1997, whereupon it was renamed and re-themed as a hunting lodge.
Inside was an 117,000 gallon saltwater aquarium. Supposedly there was a "live" mermaid show but it wasn't due to start for another hour. Darn!
We had to make due with paintings of mermaids instead.
Attached to the hotel/casino was Bass Pro Shops, an enormous store supplying hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor recreation items. There were numerous impressive displays!
Waterfalls poured from desert cliffs.
A herd of moose trapses through.
The Giant Eland is the largest species of antelope.
A pride of lions lounge on some rocks.
We headed upstairs for a better view.
Overlooking the store
A "Big Game" dining room
There was even an archery room!
Unwary shoppers
The California Condor is the largest flying bird in North America, with a wingspan up to 10 feet.
In the lobby was a custom motorcycle made for the store by Orange County Choppers.
Orange County Choppers was founded in 1999 by Paul Teutul, Sr. (pictured) and Paul Teutul, Jr. The company gained notoriety by a reality TV show called American Chopper that debuted in 2002.
We then drove down to the Vegas Strip and parked at the Bellagio. It took us a while to find a space and things were quite poorly organized. But eventually we entered the hotel and made the Conservatory & Botanical Gardens our first stop. Apparently the theme is changed regularly and takes months of planning. Then, over the course of 7 days, 120 people work 24-hours a day to transform the 13,573-square-foot area. More than 10,000 potted flowers and plants are shipped from Southern California (most of which are converted to mulch at the end of the show), and cranes are used to help move some of the larger art pieces.
This was the '2014 Summer Celebration.' Inside the small greenhouse to the right were live birds... 65 different species of them!
A giant treehouse
Dave and I enjoy the day.
Colorful koi fill the pond.
Unfortunately the underwater window meant to watch them was a bit mossed over.
