Sorry for the long post - it was the only way to get this done!
Now that my bucket is well defined and smaller than I had anticipated, we decided to plan and execute a trip to cross a few things off the list. One item on my list was to drive a Lamborghini supercar (or, if I couldn't drive, to be driven in a Rolls Royce). The supercar experience was available and it happened to be in Las Vegas! So that was the plan. It expanded over several iterations to include Vegas shows, the driving thing, and a trip to the Grand Canyon. What a blast!
We stayed at the Luxor the first night and went to the hilarious Blue Man Group show in the building.
At the Luxor
Our room had an external hallway and this was the view from the hall. The elevators were very far apart until I figured out that they run on an angle (it is a pyramid). Very weird feeling inside an angled elevator.
Luxor from the room levels
The room was OK, but the windows were also on a weird angle. Parker thought it was cool the way it was designed.
Inside the Luxor room
Ceiling at the top of the pyramid
Parker put on a snazzy jacket in the Vegas Knights store between the Luxor and Mandalay Bay. A little small for him, but this is apparently popular to wear going to a hockey game.
I posed with this guy in the Guinness Store.
The Blue Man Group show was fantastic and they really made it a lot of fun for the audience. One of the most entertaining shows that I have been to. It was a little less exciting because I was nauseous (from chemo etc.), but well worth going.
The next morning was our Dream Racing Experience! The inner part of the Las Vegas Speedway is the location for this event and the weather was perfect! Maybe 20C and almost no wind. Dry as a bone (as is everything in Nevada), but a great addition to the trip.
Dream Racing, Las Vegas Speedway
Each of us drove (except Wendy) a practice ride in one car to see the track, after we had a ride in a Maserati Levante SUV. Parker says that was the wildest part!
Eric preparing for his practice lap
Once the practice was done (Eric and Parker did it in a white Maserati GranTurismo Sport - about 130 kph as a max), it was off to the real supercars! Eric took five laps in the James Bond car, called the Aston Martin DB11. The orange was very similar to the colour of our own car, but this was one sweet ride! I took this baby up to 176 kph on one of the laps!
Eric's favourite - the Aston Martin DB11
Parker chose the Mercedes AMG GT R - he took it to 184 kph! Here is Wendy posing with it before the race.
Parker returning to the pit area after his ride
Parker in the Mercedes AMG GT R
Parker followed with the Audi R8 Sport - he went 179 kph
Parker finished with the Audi R8 sport. He reported the ride to be not quite as exciting as he had expected, as this was his dream car.
Parker and Mel also took an extra ride along "hot lap" with the pro driving this Ferrari F458 GT. They went 201 kph.
Parker in his racing gear
I got my bucket list item on my third car, the Lamborghini Huracan Performante Edition. I'm not as cheesed about the colour of this one - a rather uninspired green - but at least it was a Lambo! A video is pasted further down this screen.
Eric returning to pit lane in the Huracan
I have to say, I was thrilled at this very visceral physical experience. Doubt I would do it again, but it was well worth the effort (and the sore back later in the week).
Eric after his Lamborghini ride! 196 kph was my top speed!
The racing crew at the end of our day.
The racing crew waiting for our videos to be processed
VIDEO FROM YOUTUBE:
Here is a video of me driving the Lamborghini Huracan Performante - reaching 196 kph on one of the laps! If the video doesn't work in this window, click this link https://youtu.be/6JlppKz2zJI to try it a different way.
After the racing, we had lunch at Sam's - a large casino, hotel, mall complex not far away. This is about as close as I wanted to get to the very smoky casinos, although we did a few slots the previous night at the Luxor.
We headed out to Kingman Arizona and saw many parts of old Route 66, including areas with Burma Shave ads along the highway.
At Mr. D'z ice cream float shop and diner
At Mr. D'z ice cream float shop and diner
We got to Tusayan Az early enough to go into the Grand Canyon park area itself and found some great scenery.
Along the Hermit's Road area
The next day we headed back to the canyon and did more sightseeing. We were able to slip into the El Tovar hotel and restaurant for lunch in the Grand Canyon Village. Somehow we lucked into the best table in the restaurant with a view of the canyon.
The following day we headed to through Williams Az to get to the Grand Canyon Western Lodge to stay in a cabin near the West rim of the Grand Canyon. One of the peak experiences planned was a helicopter trip down into the canyon.
Parker on his helicopter trip
Eric and Wendy went in the second wave
Fantastic views all around, and we even saw the Grand Canyon glass floor tourist spot - above us!
Colorado River
Being quite ill during the midpoint of the trip, I had to bow out of an evening sunset wagon ride with champagne. However, Mel, Murray, and Parker took a horseback sunset tour and had a blast!
The ranch (going since the 1800s) has its own buffalo herd
To make up for my missed dinner and missed wagon ride, they sent us to the firing range in the morning. Wendy was, by far, the best shot!
22 cal pistol
22 cal pistol
22 cal pistol
22 cal rifle
22 cal pistol
22 cal rifle
Here is the whole crew after the firing range. Thanks to Murray for many of these photos!
At our cabin - the cowboy told us to hold on a minute while he got the props out of the van for this photo.
We headed to the Hoover Dam after the firing range and decided to stop at an interesting old gas station along old Route 66. Lots to see and buy!
Literally, out in the middle of nowhere.
An old Desoto at a very small Route 66 shop on the way to the Hoover Dam
We had read online that there were no tours at the Hoover Dam because of the elevator being broken, but Mel went to check and arranged the full tour for us, including the power station. Fantastic place and warm enough that my shivering and shaking wasn't too noticeable (major fever and maybe a lung infection at that point. Regardless, I loved the tour!
Hoover Dam
Parker got to stick his hands out into the abyss that is the face of the Dam.
Back we went to Vegas for 2 nights at the Bellagio (little did we know that Bernie Sanders chose this place for his Nevada Caucus at the same time). This place was way over the top, including the fact that our suite had 4.5 bathrooms!
Chihuli glass ceiling in the Bellagio
We took in the show "Cirque du Soleil O" at the Bellagio the first night - WOW! It was a spectacle. We walked the strip the next morning, with a slushy being about all I could swallow (no solid food possible for most of the trip... a side effect of the radiation treatments I completed before we left).
Eric with a (non-alcoholic) slushie
We also took in the Coke museum store and the M&Ms museum store.
Wendy's Mecca
The bear was always pawing us while we got our photo taken
The next night we went over to the Mandalay Bay and watched "Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson One". Fantastic music and choreography. We had dinner before the show, and along with French Onion soup (I sadly couldn't eat the cheese), I had a Belching Beaver Peanut Butter Milk Stout from California. Great choice to stand up to onion!
Parker said he wasn't hungry - so he gets this massive prime rib platter! I think he ate most of it.
Fantastic Michael Jackson show!
Our last official event of the trip
Back to the Bellagio we went to check out the fountains (playing Cher at the time - she was in town doing shows... Parker didn't know who she was!) then off to bed for me. We got up early and headed back for our flights in the morning after a room service breakfast in typical Bellagio over the top style.
That week was about as bucket list as any trip could be, and I know that we all made many new memories along the way.
I posed with this guy in the Guinness Store.
The Blue Man Group show was fantastic and they really made it a lot of fun for the audience. One of the most entertaining shows that I have been to. It was a little less exciting because I was nauseous (from chemo etc.), but well worth going.
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