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Caesar’s Palace

Richard K. Williams

    My son was about fifteen years old when my wife and I thought it would be a fascinating vacation if the three of us went to Las Vegas. We were not planning on going just to remain in the city we were going to experience the unique desert landscape by visiting the surrounding attractions including the Valley of Fire, Red Rock Canyon, and Boulder Dam. We were kicking the vacation off with a hiking trip in the Grand Canyon. The canyon is breathtaking, in more ways than one. We hiked from the south rim on the Bright Angel trail to the Colorado river and back. We did this in one day, which while it was tough especially for my wife, whose lips became blue from oxygen deprivation on the hike back up to the rim. We did it, none the worse for wear but we were scolded by a park ranger for doing the hike in one day. He claimed others have had to be airlifted out from exhaustion, and dehydration for attempting that hike as a one day trip.
    When we arrived in Vegas, we planned our days to be outdoors, and our nights bathed in the neon lights and the excitement of the city. Every morning we piled into the car and headed out into the desert. We hiked the trails and were amazed with the views that complemented in contrast with the sights of the Grand Canyon and Colorado river. The red hills and valleys of Red Rock Canyon. We climbed among the petroglyphs carved by the ancient Anasazi in Valley of Fire. We walked across and peered down from the height of Boulder Dam and went down into the bowels of the dam to see the giant turbines.
    At night we hit the streets to bathe in neon lights. We watched the Volcano erupt at the Mirage, took in the pirate ship fight at Treasure Island. Went downtown for the overhead laser light show on Fremont Street. Rode the rollercoaster at New York, New York. Went to visit nearly every buffet at every hotel. The highlight of the week was my wife got us tickets to a dinner magic show in Cesar’s Palace. We entered the casino hotel walking past the famous fountains that Evil Knievel attempted to jump on his motorcycle that his son Bobby successfully completed. We were ushered into a large round room with seventy or so other people. The rooms walls were covered in curtains, after we had all gathered in the room the lights dimmed slightly and there was a herald of trumpets and the curtain in front of us began to rise. I noticed as the curtain lifted a pair of feet in sandals and a glimpse of golden shin guards. As the curtain continued going up I leaned over to my son and in my best Michael Palin impersonation of Pontius Pilate complete with lisp I said, “So centurion, do you find it amusing when I mention my friend Biggus Dickus?” I had timed it so that the curtain was fully raised displaying a fully dressed Roman Centurion holding a spear. At that precise moment my adolescent son exploded in peals of laughter that filled the room.
    However, we had not noticed the other fully dressed Roman Centurion standing directly behind us. He did not accept my son’s uproarious laughter as a complement. He leaned in toward my son and in an obviously irritated toned whisper said, “This isn’t funny kid this is our crummy jobs!” Then he resumed his guards position. My son looked up at me with a combined look of embarrassment, shock and anger on his face and said, “Thanks dad!”
    This is just one of the fond memories of our family vacations.

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