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Trumm Family Vacation to Las Vegas, 5-10 August 2004
We arrived in Vegas on Thursday, Aug 5th at 10:30 PM. We had a great view of the strip from the right side of the airplane during final approach. Cort picked us up and took us to home where we had pizza and talked before going to bed. The next morning (Friday, Aug 6th) we had a late breakfast and then spent much of the morning and early afternoon in the pool in the backyard.
Both Amanda and Ana had a great time swimming with Daddy. Amanda had a chance to show off what she had learned during swimming lessons she had during the summer. Ana swam for the first time with “floaties” on her arms and stuck close to Daddy the whole time.
For lunch, we had grilled cheeseburgers and corn on the cob (mmmmm!) and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon before going to the Rainforest Cafe at the MGM Grand for dinner. We could not believe the size of the casino, it was (as they all were) huge!
After dinner, we went and saw the lions kept at the MGM Grand, but only the females were out and they were all sleeping. We then took a car ride up and down the strip to get our first up-close look at the lights!
The next morning (Saturday, Aug 7th), Cort took us all out to take some "landmark" pictures near the strip. Here we are in front of the famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign (Ana was asleep in the van at the time)...
...Luxor...
...Mandalay Bay...
...New York, New York...
...and the MGM Grand. Of course, there were many more sites to see, but just after a couple hours in the 100 degree heat and sun, we were ready to head back to the house for some food and rest!
Later that day, Kristy took us to the Mirage via a monorail from Treasure Island to see the Secret Garden. Here we all got to see...
...dolphins...
...lions...
...white tigers (and regular tigers), and an elephant.
Later that night, Maria went out to dinner at Caesar’s Hotel with her friend Olga while Cort and Mike went to the "Star Trek Experience" at the Hilton.
Above is a picture of the famous "Downtown" Las Vegas near the Hilton.
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On Sunday, August 8th, we gave the digital camera and break and took out the video camera (sorry, no pics for this day!). We started the day by going to a chocolate factory and cactus garden, both in one convenient location! Cort and Mike then took the kids to see Hoover Dam while Kristy and Maria did a little shopping. We got back to the house mid-afternoon and did some more swimming, then got Sub-way sandwiches and ate at this beautiful public park (you could really see what the casino taxes does for the local community here!). Then, we closed out the night by going to Freemont Street and watching the big jumbo-tron show. Very impressive!
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The next morning (Monday, Aug 9th), we all went to one of the famous all-you-can-eat buffets. The one we went to was at the Main Street Station. The food was excellent and we all came out very full. Afterward, Kristy, Maria and Mike took the kids to the indoor amusement park at Circus Circus.
It was amazing how they could fit so many rides and attractions in this huge dome. Jake went on a very scary rollercoaster ride with Mike and everybody had a lot of fun.
That night is was parent's time away from the kids! Kristy got a baby-sitter and the adult's went to the Stratosphere.
It was an amazing view from the top. And no, we did not go on any of the rides! None of us felt like getting sick to our stomachs that night, though only 3 of us were able to say we didn't!
When we came back down from the tower, we got a couple frozen drinks and Cort was kind enough to lend Maria a dollar bill to try on a nickel slot. Well, needless to say Maria must have a give because it was long before she turn the dollar into $19! She wanted to quit there but Kristy and Mike egged her on (no small thanks to the judgment clouding effects of a little alcohol) and she was back down to $16.55 before she took charge and cashed in. Mike took another and lost it in 5 minutes but then turned his next dollar into 6 bucks! So, Maria and Mike cashed in the $21.55 from their 3 dollar investment and...
After a quick stop to see the volcano at the Mirage, we went and ate at the Peppermill, a watering hole that is a favorite among the locals in Las Vegas. We ended the night there and it was one of the best evenings Maria and I could remember. Thanks Cort and Kristy!!
Tuesday, August 10th was our last day in Las Vegas and we spent the morning at the Shark Reef in Mandalay Bay.
The girls really enjoyed watch the sharks and other fish swim around/over them in the glass tube.
Mike's personal favorite was a huge tank of purple jellyfish.
We got one last picture at the strip on the way back before packing for the flight that evening. We took off at 10:30 at night and landed at 5:30 AM in Detroit. I actually went to work that day too!
We want to thank Cort, Kristy, Jackson, Jake, Johanna and Johnny for making our family vacation to Las Vegas one of our best ever! Even with the heat (it got up to 119 on the last day there!), it never seemed that uncomfortable (a dry heat really DOES make a difference) and having family to stay with made everything all the more fun and enjoyable.
Note to Cort...Conduction, Convection, Radiation, and...Vaporization! Yeah, I would never have gotten that one either!
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