Day 14

Well went back to the tables yesterday and I turned $75 into over $1000 so all total gains minus losses I made a little over $600. This time it was Jeffrey who lost it all. I made my big comeback on craps not blackjack. Apparently when you gain and lose thousands of dollars you make their radar. At the craps table the pit boss called me Mr Mingledorff even though I don't have a players card. Jeffrey had a similar experience at the blackjack table, one pitboss even asked where I was saying "don't you usually play with your brother?" They watch everything! Then we went to Cirque Du Soleil at the Bellagio. It was fascinating what these people can do and the way they turned the stage into a pool was amazing. If anyone ever gets the chance to see one of their shows it is a don't miss. Getting in the car now to go to Marina Del Rey.

Day 13

Well after the night before we slept in a little bit then got up and started to explore. We walked down the strip past the Bellagio and Paris and ate at the Harley Cafe. It was really cool and had a bunch of bikes suspended going around the room on a track. Was pretty glad we weren't sitting under them though. After that we walked down to New York New York and explored a little bit. Its definitely a very neat place. Lots and lots of cool but very cheesy atmosphere. We played a little blackjack there and figured out that we both hate the electronic shuffling machines. Anyway after that we walked back to Caesars relaxed for a while then went downstairs and started playing blackjack again. Stopped a little later and went to dinner and at that point I was still even and Joseph was up around a $1000. After dinner we went back to the room for a while then went to the Bellagio to watch the fountain show. That was very very impressive and really cool to watch especially since we are both very easily entertained. After that we went back and started playing blackjack again. By the end of the night I was up around $100 from where I started and Joseph lost everything. So yeah we'll see how we do today.

Day 12

Well today we got up really early (6:20am) to go on our tour of the Ping golf factory and get fitted for clubs. The club fitting was really neat and more in depth than I thought it would be. Some of it was static like your height and the length of your fingers. However, there was also a dynamic part that involved actually swinging the club to see how the club face actually hit the ground. It was really great though and I think when I order a set of clubs now that I will really like them. After the fitting we went on a tour of the factory which was also really cool. The guy who started Ping started by heat treating putters in the oven in his house and doing everything else in his garage. Now there are over 800 employees and Ping is one of the most respected names in the industry. Also the company is privately owned, has not taken a loan since its first and only for $1200, and is the only golf club manufacturer that still makes its clubs in the USA.

After the tour we drove to Las Vegas. We ended up in the middle of nowhere again and didn't eat before we got there. The GPS couldn't find anything within 50 miles of us to eat so we ended up driving for quite a while before we actually found anything other than bushes, rocks, and dirt. Later we drove across the Hoover Dam which was really neat. We got a few pictures but didn't actually stop because it was really crowded, really hot, and the parking lots were about 1/2 a mile from the dam. We then finished our drive into Vegas and got to see a good bit of the strip, which by the way is really cool in a tacky overdone sort of way.

Finally got to the hotel (Caesar's Palace) and figured out the place could have its own zip code. Got checked in and settled then went exploring for a few hours. After that we started gambling. We stuck with blackjack and overall did pretty well. At this point Joseph is up almost $1000 and I'm sitting about even (first little bit was just learning so I lost a good bit but gained it back by the end). Anyway off to bed now so we can get up and explore some more tomorrow.

Grand Canyon

Sedona pics

Day 11

Well today we went to the Grand Canyon. It was nothing like we have ever seen. It was absolutely incredible. We got some really really good pictures as it was a beautiful day. Luckily it never got very hot so walking around wasn't bad at all. We were on the South rim so we were where the best views and pictures were. We walked to a few of the good overlooks and rode the bus to a few more. I'm still amazed when I look at the pictures as to just how wide, long, and deep the canyon really was. There were actually only a few places where you could see the river cause of how far down it was.

After we left we drove back to Phoenix because we are touring the Ping golf factory tomorrow. Oh and on the way for some reason the AZ DOT decided today of all days was a good day to shut down a lane on the main interstate to Phoenix. Brilliant let me tell you...

Day 10

Well we drove to Sedona and got there about 1pm so we could go on a Jeep tour. They normally only let people do 1 trail but considering they let us do two. The Jeep was pretty much stock with no lockers so we had to take it easy on it so we didn't have to buy anything like a rearend. It was a lot of fun though and we definitely got to see a lot more scenery than if we hadn't done the Jeep ride. The first trail was pretty easy with only a few tricky spots. The second trail was a lot more fun and also had a lot better scenery. The guides running the guided tours got a kick out of us doing all the obstacles and not skipping anything. But all things considered it was a lot easier than the stuff in GA. We did take some good pictures that we will post a little later.

After the Jeep ride (which we still finished early despite doing two trails) we ate in Sedona and then headed for the Grand Canyon. On the way out traffic going into Sedona was backed up for 8-10 miles on the little two lane road headed south. It was absolutely unbelievable. We were definitely glad we were headed the other direction.