Las Vegas to Pahrump

NOTE:  We have been without internet access since we left Pahrump.  A lot has happened since then.  Will post as I get it together.  In the meantime, enjoy this post.

It has been pretty quiet.  Saturday was spent doing laundry.  Sunday before church we went to a buffet for breakfast.  In the afternoon, Ed drove us up and down the Las Vegas Strip.  We walked the “Fremont Street Experience”.  It’s an experience at night with various light shows.  We went during the day but we did see some of the lights last night when we drove through town.  We ate lunch at a casino with a Sunday Brunch buffet.  There was everything from soup to nuts; breakfast foods, carving station, salad, soup, various ethnic options and, of course, desserts.  It was good, but I don’t need to do two buffets in one day any time soon.

The Vegas Strip

Start of Fremont Street

Monday morning around 10:30, we said our good byes to the Candler’s and left Las Vegas for Pahrump, NV on NV State Road 160.  If you ever watch CSI Las Vegas and they investigate a death in the desert, this is the road where they most likely filmed the episode.  It is miles and miles of miles and miles.

We traveled NV State Road 160 for about 60 miles.  The uphill grades were 6% & 7%.  Terry did all he could do to get the coach to go faster than 35 mph.  And then at the crest of the hill, we started down.  Speeds reached 70 and 75 mph.  Not bad if it weren’t a winding road.

Miles & Miles of Miles & Miles

We arrived around 12:30.  Ate some lunch and set up the coach.  Boy, its hot here!  We ate supper at a local Denny’s and came back to the campground for a social time around the pool with our fellow tour folks.  We participated in a get acquainted game that broke the ice for some of us.  We met most of the folks with whom we will be traveling.

Tuesday morning we slept in, did a load of wash, and took a drive into town.  At 2:00, we all gathered in the conference room for our tour orientation.  From there, we left for the Pahrump Winery for a tour, wine tasting and dinner.  The tour was interesting.  Why a winery in the desert?; because Nevada didn’t have a winery.  Now there are a total of four wineries in Nevada.  We moved onto a room setup for dinner.  The owner of the winery, Gretchen, hosted the wine tasting.  We sampled seven different wines and had a choice between Strip Steak, Roasted Chicken or Atlantic Salmon for dinner.  I chose the salmon, Terry the steak.  The meal was delicious and the wine pairings were perfect.  After dinner, we had an opportunity to buy wine to enjoy on the road (not while driving).