That's How We Warp! part 1

  Thursday evening Dexter and I began our great Trek into darkness to Las Vegas.  We were very fortunate to have this opportunity as the underwriters for this blog offered to pay for the entire trip in return for a detailed and awesome report.  Our goal  to unveil the myth behind the largest annual Star Trek convention in the desert sands of Nevada.  What drives these people to go to the Burning Man of geekdom?  What salvation is sought? What answers are found? And simply, why?

   http://www.creationent.com/cal/st_lasvegas.html (the program)

   But first, a fun diversion.  Flying into Vegas on a Friday is the popular and costly thing to do so we calculated on flying in on a Thursday, paying for a room with net savings over $100.  Plus a cool pool at the Nugget with a three story water slide that zips through a shark tank.  The pool itself is not very big as it surrounds the decent sized tank. The occupants are well sized sand tiger sharks (ideal big aquarium occupants; creepy looking but relatively mild mannered, nurse, black tip and reef sharks, groupers, tuna and smaller fish) . Other than the groupers the fish do not appear interested in the people flying through and floating in their habitat.

    The pool is shut down from swimmers about 9pm and not reopening until 10am.  Lifeguards were asking guests and their children not to dip their feet into the water until the pool opened.  Perhaps providing the fish  some respite (the glowing lights are shut off around midnight). At opening time, guests float and gather around the tank, make stupid faces, warble the Jaws theme and line up the stairs to the slide.  It was about a 5-7 minute wait until we reached the front of the line. The lifeguard, with a walky talkie in one hand and an iced tea in the other sits viewing a monitor and told me I could go.  The instructions are to lay back with hands behind your head.  However if you sit up and spread your legs, you slow your descent enabling some viewing time within the tube.  It's a quick mildly odd ride- then suddenly flush into the pool.   For someone like me who usually takes 20 minutes to get into the water, I was mostly thinking, "I don't want to get wet".  Dexter following me, shot through at rocket speeds.

   

       As spectacle, kind of fun. Plus Dext and I were upgraded in our room (we came in late?). Comfy large space with a tv in the bathroom (Dexter approves) and  bowls of candy and beverages.  First night is a good night. Shark week on the telly too (admittedly not very informational television but some good footage).

       Next: The Rio and Star Trek.

Still impressive how large everything is in Las Vegas; everything is a Big Gulp version of anything.