Steve Wynn Gnashes His Teeth

   Yesterday we took a hike up Pine Creek Canyon.  It was a short hike (3+) miles and fairly flat, but not having worn our hiking boots for some time, plus the rocky trail and a bit of scrambling and bush-whacking made us realize we've each lost some of our keen-edged conditioning.   Along the way I looked at a climb David N. and I did a few years ago.  It was one of my favorite climbs and I was interested in seeing it again. 
   After the hike we spent the evening on The Strip.  We spent most of the time at Wynn's,  walking out clear winners:  $4.60 to the good.   After we left there we walked a bit along Las Vegas Boulevard and went into the Palazzo where we did little but look around.  In reality the casinos all look similar.  There are some differences in decor and color scheme but you could switch any part from one to another and few would notice.  We also looked about to see if there were any shows we want to see.  At $100+ per ticket there aren't.  This evening we got a couple of guides to entertainment to see if there are any off-strip shows we're interested in and there don't seem to be any. 
   Today (Tuesday)  after a leisurely breakfast (courtesy the motel)  --- as a side note:  unlike most motel-courtesy-breakfasts, the breakfasts here are actually worth eating --- After breakfast we went to the Atomic Test Museum.  It was very interesting -- not kid-friendly (too much reading stuff) -- and very informative.  We spent an hour and a half there, although we skimmed the last bit -- interesting but long.  And after that we continued on to The Gun Shop where we were going to shoot some guns.  ("Eat lead, dirt bag!!)  dw selected a 9mm Glock and I selected a 45 S&W.  After paying and standing in line for a bit, we realized we would be in line for an hour or so, so we got a refund and left.  We plan to return the morning of our LV departure.  (get our return-home trip off to a blazing start).  I may yet get a full-auto machine gun to shoot, but so far I've balked at the price  --

   After The Gun Shop, we drove to Hoover Dam (nee Boulder Dam) to look at and walk over the new gorge spanning bridge.  The dam is a stunning art-deco sight (the water in Lake Mead is WAY down -- 50 -  75 feet or more) and the bridge is an impressive addition.  Then back to the motel for an evening of reading.  The excitement is continuous.  DA