After the now traditional goodbye breakfast at Heidi’s with Glenny and Kyle, we drove to Las Vegas. The temperature was 39 degrees when we woke up in Tahoe, but as we entered the Harrah’s lot it was 100. Still dry. The trip’s scenery also changed, from pines and green mountains to more arid areas of scrub and Joshua trees.

We rested in our room and had an early dinner at Ramsey’s Kitchen where Tom had made reservations. The food was really excellent, as it was last year on our first visit there. We had Caeser salad and an order of oysters, then both opted for the Beef Wellington. Amazingly good. Tommy had the traditional English sticky toffee pudding and Paula had a chocolate tart.

After dinner, we really felt like walking. So, we roamed up and down the strip, which had all the characters we’d come to expect: Guys making percussion music with buckets, bottles, and sticks, half-naked lady fantasy cheerleaders, superhero costume mascots, and the occasional bachelorette group, identifiable by tiaras and sashes. We watched the fountain show at the Bellagio and then strolled back to the hotel to an Indiana Jones movie (the one with Sean Connery) and sleep.