Windmills

Today was a shopping day. Scott and I drove out to Cabazon to the outlet shopping mall - about a 1/2 hour west on the highway. On the way there we drove through the windmills again. It is such a eerie sight - only because I remember them from an episode of the X-Files. Anyways, it is quite the site - there are thousands of them everywhere!! Also the mountains are really cool too - they are on either side of the highway - plus you could see all the snow on the mountain tops! It was freezing when we got to the outlet mall - we forgot how much colder it can be there! First stop - buy a sweatshirt!!! We shopped for a few hours and then drove to this little Taco Shop off the highway that we've gone to before - called the Crazy Coyote Taco - they have great Mexican food there!! Then we went back to finish the rest of the mall. We both got some good stuff, but didn't go too crazy.

Windy Day!

Today the winds were just howling!!! The palm trees were swaying, the sand blowing everywhere and we had a 1:30 tee time at the Palms Course at the Desert Springs resort!!! I was very leary about playing today - particularly because my shots are rarely straight and I was worried about where the wind would blow my ball! As it turns out, although it was VERY windy, it didn't affect my game that much! I think we all got wind-burned though! Scores for today - Scott 83, Barry 96, Sandi 96 and me - 111 (with an 11 on a par 4!! - I got into a bit of trouble on that hole!)

The winds are still howling - I think this may go on all night!

Marriott Desert Springs Resort

Below are some photos from the resort we are staying at - the Marriott Desert Spring Resort - Villas II. The resort is comprised of a big hotel as well as the Villas -which are for timeshare owners. Scott's parents own a timeshare here which is why we get to stay here with them. There are two golf courses here - the Palm course and the Valley course. It's quite spectacular here!!

Today was a non-golfing day. Scott did some work for some clients, and Sandi and I went and did a bit of grocery shopping. Later in the afternoon, all of us went to Lumpy's - a golf store in La Quinta. Scott bought himself a new Cleveland hybrid 2 iron. Scott and Barry went to the Beer Hunter - a popular sports bar to watcht the Leaf/Habs game. Sandi and I went shopping nearby. We picked them up after the game - a disappointing loss for the Leafs and we went for dinner at Pappa Dans - a local italian restaurant that we frequent when we are in Palm Desert.

Golf Club at Terra Lago

Today we played our first round of golf at the Golf Club at Terra Lago - formerly the Landmark - home of the Skins from 1999-2002. We played the North course this time - in the past we've been on the South course. It's a beautiful golf course - challenging with lots of bunkers, desert vegetation and firms greens. I won $8 in the Hollywood game we played!! My score was definitely not the best - but not bad for my first game this year. Here are our scores - Scott - 81, Barry - 91, Sandi - 105 and me - 108.

After the game, we drove to Shadow Ridge - another Marriott resort for an owners' reception. There was snacks and drinks and it featured different vendors from the area. We were given draw tickets to try and win prizes from these vendors. They had a spa there giving free back and hand massages. We took advantage of that!

Here are some photos from Terra Lago:

Leaving Las Vegas

Yesterday was our last day in Vegas. We drove out to a golf course that Barry played at the last time he was in town - the Paiute Golf Resort - on the Paiute Indian Reservation north of the city. A beautiful resort with three championship golf courses. We didn't play - just went out for peek - it was way too windy and cold anyways! We also went to Freemont street to visit the old strip and the casinos there. Tried our luck at some games.

Before dinner, we went for a walk around through the Bellagio - where we had a few drinks and listened to a great band and saw the fountain show. Then we walked to Caesars Palace and through all the shops to get to the Mirage - where we had dinner and caught the Beatles Love Cirque du Soleil show. The show was absolutely fantastic!! It's my first cirque show and I highly recommend going if you are ever in Vegas!! It was simply unbelieveable and we all had an awesome time!!

This morning we checked out of the hotel and started our journey to Palm Desert, California. The drive through the desert took about 4 1/2 hours. We checked in, bought some groceries and just cooked some dinner, taught Scott' parents how to play Texas Holdem (using dry roasted peanuts as chips - Scott's mom was the big winnere) ending the evening with 3 games of Euchre for money - which Scott and I won!! We've also set up a tee time for tomorrow morning, through Stand By Golf - we are playing the south course of Terra Lago - formerly called the Landmark. It may be a tough day - that course is pretty tough and I haven't played since December!

Here are a few photos from our drive this morning:

Vegas Day 2 - Lake Mead & Hoover Dam

Had a nice breakfast this morning at the hotel. We decided to drive out to Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam today. It was an easy drive - only about 1/2 hour to Lake Mead - the largest man-made lake and reservoir in the US - created by the construction of the Hoover Dam. We stopped at a Marina - where Scott went fising from the last time he was there. There were hundreds of carp and striper bass and ducks swimming around the docks - apparently, they get fed quite a bit by the public so they like to hang out there. Sandi bought a bag of popcorn to feed them - it was a wild feeding frenzy - they were all fighting for some of the popcorn.

Next we drove to the Hoover Dam - what an amazing site!! We took a tour of the site, watched some short videos and took lots of photos. The magnitude of the project is quite spectacular and unbelieveable!

On the way home, we stopped at one of the Outlet Malls - I did't buy anything!! Back to the hotel - Scott and Barry went for a hot tub. For dinner, we went to The Rio - we heard they had the best buffet in Vegas - it was pretty good! There is just so much food here - it's no wonder that there are also a lot of heavy people here!! Sandi and I played some slots and Scott tried his luck at Roulette.

LAS VEGAS!

Scott and I are in Vegas with his parents. We caught a 10 a.m. flight from TO, flew to Chicago, changed planes and arrived in Vegas around 2:15 p.m. Scott's parents flew in from Naples, via Chicago as well - they were delayed a bit due to a flight cancellation. We took the shuttle bus to the National car rental place and picked up our mini-van. Only, because they were running short on mini-vans, they were giving out SUVs - so we got a brand new Dodge Durango - it's a beast!!! I'm not sure if I will be able to drive it I don't think I can see over the dash board!

We checked into our hotel - we are staying at the Marriott Residence Inn - thanks to Barry and Sandi's Marriott points!! It's off the strip - but still walkable. After unpacking a bit and getting some needed supplies - beer, diet coke and water, we headed to the Strip for dinner. We stopped off at the Wynn to check it out! What an amazing looking hotel!! Super Deluxe! We had dinner at TI - Treasure Island. Unfortunately, the food at the buffet was not that appetizing! We crossed over to the Venetian to pick up a cab to take us back to the hotel - it's been a long day!!

Below are a few photos from tonight.