Hoover Dam and Lake Mead area

Today we took a day trip to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead with Jay and Liz. A great day with friends :)

Liz, me and the girls took the basic tour for $8 per adult and the guys did the $30 secret tour and really liked it. It took you deeper into the damn and got to see more behind the scenes "things". The dam is quite the amazing achievement and the pictures don't do it justice. You just can't capture the enormity of it in photos.

Playing a game which demonstrates how much
electricity each gadget in our home uses
and how much energy you need to produce
to keep them running

Sierra making her own electricity

Aayla giving it a try too

This wrench is as big as Sierra is

Ian trying to turn the nut

Aayla determined to get a drink all by herself!

Sierra the budding photographer at 4!

A family photo at Hoover Dam

Both aayla and Sierra are in LOVE with Liz

Aww kisses for the engaged love birds

This one belongs in Hollywood

Jay and Liz

Me playing with my new lens

Secret corridors

After leaving the dam we took the scenic drive back to Vegas which ended up being a pay to enter National Park at Lake Mead. We didn't mind though as it gave us a chance to pick up our America the Beautiful National Park Pass. We will be using it over and over again during our trip and it will save us a bundle! And it was a very pretty lake to drive around.

Both girls could have stayed here for hours.
They are expecting the trip to be full of beaches
and this is the first one they have seen, but
Texas will be here before we know it!

On our way home we finally found the world famous sign

As mentioned above I bought a new lens. My point and shoot (less then 6 months old) died so I wanted a lens for my Canon Rebel to replace my point and shoot and my zoom lens all in one. Since the Tsunami wiped out a few manufacturing plants their were no Canon lenses to be found so I bought a Tamron 18-270 lens and so far love it. I have noticed a regular spot in my pictures and have been cropping it out but since we were lens shopping I had my Canon cleaned only to find out the spot was actually some type of fungus growing and it couldn't be cleaned. Since we are on a major trip I NEED a new camera so the search is on for a new Camera!

WELCOME wishes to mdfoster! Happy to have you join us Uncle Mike and Auntie Joan!
***edited to say apparently I don't know my own families user names...welcome to our cousins Mal and Diane :)  ******

Las Vegas KOA at Circus Circus REVIEW

While in Vegas we stayed at The Las Vegas KOA at Circus Circus.

Value 3/5
It was expensive as we wanted a grass site for the girls. We booked this site before leaving to ensure we had a space and wanted grass for the girls which cost us $70.00 a night! Yikes expensive!!! However we were right n the strip and didn't have to worry about parking. (Friends of ours stayed just off the strip in a hotel for $50 a night)

Site Quality 3.5/5
The pavement was starting to deteriorate and made it a bit un level. Full service with a grass area which also has a patio table and chairs. We were given a site with an electrical box and promptly asked to move. If I am paying for grass...I want to be able to use it. We moved with no problems at all.

Facility fun 4/5
There is a fair size pool, hot tub, 2 saunas, playground, wifi, small store, and video games area for older kids, pet playground and dog wash. We thought for a family campground they could have had an Easter egg hunt for the kids but they didn't.

Natural Surrounding 2.5/5
I know I know...right on the strip...what do I expect! There were numerous mature trees, and grassy places but you had to pay about $15 more per night to have grass at your site. Some are shared sites where 2 RV's share the common grass area and some have a large corner area like we had.

Bathrooms 4/5
All code locked and clean.

Staff 4/5
Helpful and friendly staff.

Location 5/5
If you want to be on the strip then you can't get a better location then this. You are minutes away from the strip and it's endless entertainment. Close to nearby shopping, Hoover Damn and much more! In North Vegas there is a HUGE area for quadding and dirtbiking for  those of you interested. We didn't bring our Quad but if we come this way again...we will!

Overall 3.5/5
I still find the price we paid here hard to swallow but overall this is a fantastic location in you want to camp on the stip. They also have a couple of tent sites and I think airstreams to rent for the night if you want a camping experience while staying on the strip. Laundry was $1.50 per load wash and or dry.

Our site froom the road, over looking the grass site

Our site from the next site

Playground with nice shade cover and for use from 2-12 years

Dog playground

Hot tub and two saunas

Pool with lots of shade and seating

View to show the majority of sites with no grass

Very close to the strip and traffic but it was surprisingly quiet.
The helicopter tours were the loudest but not too much of a bother.