written by Julie Hackler & David Fink
March 3, 1999 to March 7, 1999
Las Vegas, Nevada
After ten fun filled, yet shower-less days at Joshua Tree National Park, we were desperate to feel clean again and decided to treat ourselves to a 5-star luxury campground. The Destiny Oasis Campground of Las Vegas had all the amenities: 2 heated pools, a hot tub, a fitness room (not that we used it), a small movie theater, game rooms and most importantly hot showers! 
The night we arrived it was my 24th birthday, so we showered and hit the twinkling strip of Las Vegas. The strip is very pretty at night; the sparkle of millions of tiny lights is very captivating. Our first stop was at Caesar’s Palace. The casino was ten times the size of Atlantic City complete with it’s own shopping center called the forum shops. We paused to drink our yard long Banana Margarita and to watch the animated statues hail out all "Romans and Countrymen."
We passed the Mirage Casino to watch the volcano eruption that could be enjoyed every 15 minutes. Then over to the MGM Grand to catch a $12.95 per person prime rib and shrimp buffer. We were quite impressed. At 7:11pm (the time I was born) I dragged Dave over to the roulette wheel to play my lucky numbers on my lucky day (3, 33, 7 and 11). I was sure to win (how could I not?). But alas I lost $40 in about 5 minutes. We topped the evening off with champagne and a dip in the hot tub back at the campground.The rest of our time in Vegas was spent sightseeing. Treasure Island Casino was cool. After 4 P.M. every night they put on a Pirate show where they sink an actual ship. And at the Bellagio Casino, one of the fanciest, they put on a "waterdance"
where about one hundred water spouts blast, move and twist to the sound of french singing. Excalibur Casino was neat, but we tried their buffet for $7.99 per person and we were disappointed when we found out it was just cafeteria food. Game Works was part of MGM Grand and was a highlight for Dave. It’s an adult video arcade, restaurant and bar. We raced each other in the Indy 400 and we battled storm troopers as the rebel force of Star Wars. All in all, we enjoyed our stay in Vegas but are anxious to return to the BUSH!Jousha Tree NP ------------------Death Valley NP
We welcome any suggestions or comments. hacklerj@mindspring.com