Message posted by Gary Sellani on August 20, 2000 at 15:47:36 EST:

The TTR hike is a good starting point. I will post a good map and the waypoint where the trail starts.[I'll post a GPS route as well.] The hike is easy, though your car looks like a pimple where you reach the top of the hill. If you have company, you could easily lug a cooler up there. One item that would be nice would be once of those cammo-netting tents the military uses. There was little sun when I was on the hill, but you never know. It is a very nice place to hang out even if you aren't interested in spying on planes.

I don't know about doing the hike in the rain or hail. ;-) The roads are probably not passable in the winter time. The lightning I encountered was quite enough to deter me from Tikaboo, so I would time my visit wisely. Rachel seems to have the strangest weather.

As far as giving the family something to do, there are plenty of diversions in Las Vegas. The Star Trek ride at the Hilton is great, and the virtually reality rides at the Luxor are pretty good too. There is Lake Meade, the damn, Red Rock Cayon, and if you have the whatevers, hike up Mount Charleston. I went half way up in July after the People's Rally and was freezing, so I turned back. It didn't occur to me to dress warmly for the hike. Don't forgot the buffet pig out places like the Rio or Main Street Station. The Rio cocktail waitresses are worth checking out, but I suspect I am digressing too much from the Area 51 topic. The car collection at the Imperial Palace is worth checking out as well. You can get in free if you download a coupon from their web site.

I suggest staying at the Tropicanna facing the airport. The photos I took (not developed yet) will be pretty good. You can see people boarding the Janet jets. Getting rooms at the Tropicanna can be tough, so if you are serious, book a room well in advance.

The Tropicanna is pretty pricey compared the some of the Vegas hotels, especially on the weekend. If you are going in and out of Vegas (as I do when I visit the area), you can save some bucks by staying at the Sante Fe in North Las Vegas for some of your visit. [You have to do the Tropicana at least one day.] The Santa Fe is very high up so you can scan the valley floor and Nellis AFB. If you kids are small, there is an ice skating rink in the complex.

In Reply to: Re: more ramblings from Magoo...! posted by Magoo on August 19, 2000 at 23:13:46 EST:

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