Donna and I are driving to Las Vegas tomorrow. My sister Mary and brother-in-law Dennis will be there, taking a break from subzero weather in northeast Montana. None of my sisters are nearby, so we don’t get to see each other often. A chance to visit in nearby Las Vegas is something to seize upon. While we’re there we’ll also see our son and his family. We’ll drive home Friday. The bridge over Hoover Dam is now open, so we’ll try it in at least one direction.
Anyone willing to bet the DHS inspection stations set up on either side of the dam in the wake of 9/11 have been dismantled? Once such “homeland security” operations are established — especially once they’ve been in place for almost a decade — they’re hard to kill off. You know the day is coming when our security overlords will make even interstate cross-country car trips as humiliating and enervating as airline flights. You know it. Will we tug our forelocks and submit? Of course we will. We’ve knuckled under to everything else.
Goodness, I’ve veered off into curmudgeon territory. Must get back on happy track.
Our son called in some favors and got us a room at a hotel a little south of the Strip. Off-Strip is, unless you’re going to Las Vegas strictly to run the casinos, the way to go. You can get in your car and go places. One of the places I’ll be going to is the Shot Show, a gun industry trade show.
No gun nut, me, but I bet I’ll find all sorts of interesting things to look at. My wife works at a gun shop here in Tucson, and we have firsthand knowledge of how some in the industry push the notion that President Obama and Attorney General Holder are coming after our guns. It’ll be interesting to see the industry’s reaction to the Tucson shootings and emerging public discussion of adopting more restrictive gun laws.
Our dog got ringworm a year ago. We cured it, but it came back in October and is resisting all medication. She has scabbing on both sides of her snout and near her right eye (that’s the area that bothers me most). I clean her up every morning and apply fungicidal ointment, and maybe that’s keeping things from getting worse. The next step is a veterinary dermatologist. What, they have veterinary dermatologists? Yes, they do.
Donna’s bringing her laptop to Las Vegas. I’ll post if I get a chance.
Update (1/19/11, Las Vegas): Hey, what do you know, DHS took down the Highway 93 checkpoints north and south of Hoover Dam. My inner curmudgeon was wrong. The new bridge over Black Canyon cuts at least 30 minutes off the Kingman AZ to Las Vegas NV leg, and it’s four lanes all the way . . . until you come to the first casino south of Boulder City, naturally. I wonder how much money changed hands there?
Anyway, we are here, staying in a comped suite at a new condo development south of the Strip. We have been visiting with Greg & Beth & the grandkids, and will connect with my sister & brother-in-law later today.
We didn’t bring our dog Schatzi on this trip, and we’re both feeling guilty and mean. We won’t make that mistake again!
Update (1/21/11): I don’t know why it’s so important to me to get things right (I mean, what other blogger would take this much trouble? Name one!), but those DHS inspection checkpoints? They’re still there, but only for Hoover Dam traffic. If you take Hwy 93 over the new bridge, no checkpoints. But if you take the old route to the dam itself, you’ll have to stop and be inspected. There.