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In retrieving our repaired vehicle from Tucson, AZ, we enter into Nevada several times. My favorite crossing is by way of the Hoover Dam. The dam has a 660-foot base, which is enough rock to build the entire Wall of China. This route takes us by Lake Mead, where we see a herd of longhorn sheep climbing down from the cliffs. We head for cheap food and neon entertainment by following signs to Vegas. Alfonso was able to get a great deal on a room at the Luxor casino, so we look forward to checking into this grandiose pyramid.
Walking down the strip in Vegas during the day is rather dull compared to night, but the mood inside any casino knows no hour. Time comes and goes without signal, as each money pit has a self-created ambience. The sun can rise and set without ever touching the ringing slot machines or busy tables. Alfonso and I have a nonexistent gambling budget, so we spend our night taking in the sights and looking for bargains or giveaways. At the Tropicana, we take our turns at a free spin and Alfonso wins a show ticket for Follies Bergere. They give both of us a raffle ticket and free playing cards when we claim his prize. For dinner, we visit Ellis Island to order their “off the menu: five-dollar steak special.” It is a fantastic three course meal, and not just because we have spent the past several months splitting a daily budget of ten dollars!
We play the slots at each of the casinos that give us free slot play when signing up for their players club. As we walk back to our hotel, Hispanic men flick cards with nude women on them. These cards seem to end up littered all over the streets, as opposed to in anyone’s hands, and sightseers trample all over them. Once returning to the Luxor, we agree to play five dollars on the cheapest slots. My machine is lit up with magical fairies, and Alfonso’s depicts cartoon cows. As my husband waits in line at the cashier, an old man comes up and puts ten dollars into my machine. I immediately think of ”An Indecent Proposal,” but by the time Alfonso returns, we have turned the $10 into $35. The man cashes out, and takes fifteen dollars back for himself, after giving us his strategy. Implementing his advice, we cash out with $70 before going up to our room. To our surprise, it is 4 a.m.
The next afternoon, we try to win another show ticket at the Tropicana, but feel that our luck has run out. Then, while waiting in line to turn in our raffle tickets, a lady offers us her Follies ticket because she is leaving that afternoon. Before we have time to get excited, Alfonso’s name is picked from the raffle, and he is called to spin a large wheel in the middle of the casino. He steps onto stage and wins a fifty-dollar gift certificate for their restaurant.
We are forced to use all fifty dollars at one time, and the food is inexpensive, so our lunch becomes a feast. We even order two dishes to go, and save them for dinner. On our way out of the casino, we look at the raffle board, and notice that my name had been drawn while we were at lunch. Since I wasn’t there to spin the wheel, the host spun for me and won $250 in cash! Throughout the rest of our Nevada week, we can’t believe our fortune, and enjoy a trip down the Extraterrestrial Hwy in a search for Area 51.
