Summer of 2022 – Part 1 – Las Vegas

I returned to Las Vegas.  A three-year hiatus was long enough.  I was itching to return to the City of Sin and indulge in its many thrilling activities.  I wasn’t concerned about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic because I’m fully vaccinated.  However, the current state of air travel raised my eyebrows. 

Countries around the world have been slowly removing mask mandates and social distancing restrictions because, let’s face it, the world has failed to eradicate COVID-19.  The disease has become endemic, and we will have to live with it just like we do with the seasonal flu.  We will have to get COVID-19 booster shots every year.

The removal of these restrictions led to a surge of people returning to the skies in the spring and the airline industry & airports weren’t prepared.  Travellers were treated to long lines for checking in, security, boarding, deplaning, customs, and retrieval of luggage.  The powers that be blame lack of staff.  The Toronto Airport became the worst place for all these problems.  Things only got worse with the arrival of summer.

Unfortunately for me, I had to fly through Toronto.  I nearly missed my flight to Las Vegas because of the long wait at customs.  Thankfully, an agent let me skip the line.  I relaxed in my business class seat as the plane flew south.  I enjoyed the meals and filmed a terrific lightning storm with my smartphone.  We didn’t fly through it; we passed it on the left.  The plane landed safely in the late evening.

I thought my problems were over, but I was proven wrong when my luggage didn’t appear on the baggage carousel.  I wasn’t the only one.  I filed the necessary report with the airline and hoped my luggage would arrive before I had to return home.  The airline gave me a bag containing a razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, and an extra-large white shirt.  Thanks.  I left the airport with just my backpack and the clothes I was wearing.  I didn’t get to the hotel until 2am.  At least my room wasn’t given away.

My first full day was devoted to firearms.  I returned to Battlefield Vegas to shoot 18 different guns.  Advertised as the “Counterstrike Extreme Package”, I fired pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, a shotgun, and a sniper rifle.  You can view the videos on my YouTube channel (Parts 24 – 41).  Originally, I wasn’t supposed to fire the Micro-Galil, but my instructor let me, because there was a defect with the regular-sized Galil.  As always, I had a blast!  The gun that surprised me the most was the Desert Eagle.  It’s a large pistol with enormous recoil.

I revisited Battlefield Vegas’s outdoor museum of military vehicles and snapped a lot of pictures.  The staff then gave me a free ride to my hotel in a Humvee.

I picked up my rental vehicle and drove to a nearby WalMart to buy some clothes, snacks, and sunscreen.  The temperature in mid-June is ridiculously hot!  I pondered on whether to send the clothing receipts to the airline for reimbursement.

The afternoon was spent at The Range 702, another indoor gun range.  I went there to fire one gun.  Well, actually, four guns . . . at the same time.  The weapon system is called “Quadzilla” and it’s four M4 assault rifles rigged to fire using one large custom-made trigger.  Each magazine held 25 rounds, so I fired 100 rounds in a few seconds.  You can view the video here.  The experience was awesome.  I’ll definitely return for another go.

I only had one activity planned for my second day, and it required me to drive 45 kilometres southeast of the city.  Gunship Helicopters gives thrillseekers the opportunity to shoot guns from a moving helicopter at stationary targets.  I chose “The Door Gunner Experience,” featuring the M249 SAW.  I’m familiar with the support weapon, having fired it twice at Battlefield Vegas.  This was also my first helicopter ride!  You can view the videos here.  I didn’t mind that the gun jammed; it just meant more time in the air.  The whole experience lasted 7 minutes.  Totally worth it!

I returned the way I came and stopped at a large service station in the town of Jean.  The rest stop is called Terribles and the staff always greet people walking in with a loud, “Welcome to Terribles!”  The store was showcasing the white car that was used in the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me.  I looked around, snapped a few pictures, and bought a few snacks.

That's a lot of candy.

My next detour was Boulder City.  I checked out the Hoover Dam Museum and had a dam good time!  A lot of work went to building that engineering marvel.  (The dam, not the museum).

A third-party delivery company delivered my suitcase to my hotel.  I retrieved it and took it to my room.  Nothing was missing.   

Porsche 911 Carrera S.

The third day was all about cars.  Dream Racing is located at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and offers a wide variety of expensive cars to drive on a racetrack.  My original plan was to only drive the Lamborghini Huracan GT, but the staff convinced me to practice first on a Porsche 911 Carrera S.  The discounted price sealed the deal.  Customers are required to watch a safety briefing video and be driven around the track before they step into their selected car(s).  A coach rides along giving instructions.  Click here to view the driving videos.  To make a long story short, I had fun.  I just need to improve my standard driving skills.

Lamborghini Huracan GT.

I enjoyed a delicious steak lunch at the Triple 7 Restaurant & Microbrewery at the Main Street Station Hotel & Casino.  I’ve eaten there before.  I’m glad I showed up when they opened because there was a very long line when I left.  I hate waiting in lines.

Triple 7 Restaurant - Steak Lunch meal.

I headed over to Speed Vegas in the afternoon to enjoy a two-lap ride-along in a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat.  A professional stunt driver speeds & drifts around the racetrack.  I admit the experience wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be.  I think it’s because the driver behaved like he had done this so many times that he could do it in his sleep.  That put me at ease.  The ride-along felt like a theme park ride.  You can view the videos here.

The focus of the fourth day was a bulldozer and throwing axes.

I returned to Dig This!, “The World’s Heavy Equipment Playground”, to experience the thrill of driving a CAT D5K Bulldozer.  My instructor showed me where & how to use the controls and guided me through a few activities.  I drove two figure-8s around two large tires, dug a trench, drove over the excavated sandhill twice, and then filled the trench.  The whole experience lasted 90 minutes and was fun.  I have video footage of the experience but didn’t have enough time to upload it in time for this post.  I’ll let you know when it’s on my YouTube channel.

I went to In-N-Out Burger for lunch.  I just had to.  Three years have passed since my last meal and the fast-food chain is exclusively located in the western USA . . . and Texas.  I ordered & enjoyed their Combo #3 meal.

The afternoon was all about throwing axes at tree stumps.  I returned to Axe Monkeys and threw axes for an hour.  I think I’m getting better.  I’ll let you know when the videos are uploaded to my YouTube channel. 

June 21 was a explore-The-Strip-on-foot kind of day.  I didn’t have any activities planned.  I just loaded my backpack with bottled water, sunscreen, and some snacks, and walked up and down The Strip, photographing the hotels, attractions, and anything else I found interesting.  I made it all the way to the Stratosphere Tower.  I caught a cab back to my hotel. 

I hope the USA government doesn’t come looking for me, but I had a clear view of the JANET building from my hotel room.  JANET stands for Just Another Non-Existent Terminal, and it services the white jet planes with red stripes.  These planes ferry government workers between Las Vegas and Area 51 daily.  Personally, I would have picked a different colour scheme.  The white & red paint make the planes look North Korean.

The only interesting thing I did on my last day in Las Vegas was watch the movie Jurassic World: Dominion at a movie theatre.  The movie was good but the sound was too loud.  I clocked it at over 80db during the action sequences!  (Noise above 80db can cause hearing damage).

My journey home was its own adventure.  A taxi dropped me off at the airport in the morning.  (I returned the rental car the day before).  Checking in and getting through security wasn’t a problem.  I stayed in a business class lounge before it was time to board.  The flight to Toronto was uneventful; I just enjoyed the views from my window and enjoyed the business class meals.

And then the problems started. 

The plane was delayed on the tarmac for about 20 minutes because there wasn’t a gate available.  Getting through customs was alright thanks to newly installed self-serve machines.  I passed the time in the Maple Leaf Lounge.  My next flight was fully boarded when a stewardess announced that it was cancelled.  At first, the announcement didn’t register with me, and I shook myself, thinking I was imagining things.  The loud collective groan of the passengers convinced me otherwise.  I think the flight was cancelled because the airline couldn’t find pilots. 

Everyone disembarked.  A few passengers loudly voiced their displeasure.  I was rebooked the following morning.  I returned to the Maple Leaf Lounge, stayed a bit, then left with everyone else because the lounge closes at midnight.  The staff need time to clean and restock.  The lounge would reopen at 5am.  I roamed the empty hallways rather than stay in a hotel room.  I saw a few people sleeping on benches & chairs.

I finally boarded my flight home at 7am.  I photographed downtown Toronto and Downsview Park with my cell phone.  I was thankful my luggage travelled with me.

Toronto, Canada.

I slept in until the afternoon.

In case you are wondering, I didn’t gamble.  The casinos along The Strip still let patrons smoke inside and the smell is unbearable.  The ventilation systems are not enough.  If the casinos want me to gamble, then get rid of smoking indoors.  Otherwise, I’ll have to wear a hazmat suit.  Then again, I’m not a gambling man.

Returning to Las Vegas was the perfect way to start my summer of 2022!     

To Be Continued . . .

Update: Sorry for the long wait.  I finally uploaded the videos of me at Dig This! and Axe Monkeys.  You can check them out here: Big Dig Bulldozer and Axe Monkeys.  Enjoy!