Las Vegas, here we come.

Finally, after 6 nights in the Rode Way Inn and Suites, we left Flagstaff, AZ for Las Vegas.  Some would think we were excited about going there to gamble, party, and see some great shows.  Not at all.  We were excited but not for those reasons. 

Back in 2014 Buck and I, along with the polio friends who now live in San Antonio, met up in our motor homes near St. Louis, Missouri for an International Post-Polio Conference.  Kathryn and I attended the sessions while Buck and Ron toured the city.  (Talk about a bummer!) But Kathryn and I learned much about our post-polio prognosis, plus, we met a new friend.  Manny, from Las Vegas, was at the conference and is a polio survivor.   At the conclusion of the conference, we shared email addresses and continued occasional contact. 

When I shared with Manny that Buck and I were planning to travel to the SW states this summer, we informed him that he was having company.  He was thrilled!  So, that’s how we ended up enjoying our Las Vegas time with a wonderful friend. 

We camped at an urban-type campground that Manny recommended.  He and his wife live in a condo that was close by.  Long story short, we had dinner for the 3 nights that we camped in Las Vegas, and breakfast the next morning at our campsite, thanks to Manny.  The campground was right beside a parking deck for the casino. So, all 3 nights Manny, Buck, and I rode our scooters/power chairs lined up in a row right through the parking deck, the casino, and to the restaurants within the same building.  Yes, we got some looks, but who cares!  One lady looked at me as I followed Manny and Buck followed me.  Her month basically fell open.  I whispered to her that “We are good buddies.”  She smiled back at me. 

During the morning times, Buck and I went about “chasing stamps.”   The Hoover Dam is not a national park, but we wanted to get as close as possible.  “Possible” was not very close.  Greater security is provided to the Hoover Dam since threats have been made during the past few years.  We chased a stamp to the Lake Mead Recreation Center which was close by the dam.  We also headed towards “Death Valley National Park,” to chase a stamp.  That’s way out in the desert and is so desolate; thus the name, DEATH Valley.  Nothing grows there, not even sage brush. The Visitors Center at the exit where we stopped had been closed, so we went away with no stamp.  But we gave it our best shot. 

Remember that Manny provided breakfast on our last morning in Las Vegas?  Well, I think Manny did that so he could watch us close in the slides of the motor home and prepare to depart.  He is obsessed with motor homes and would love to be a traveler in his own RV.  Once we said our “good-byes,” Buck and I went to our “assigned seats,” cranked up and left, waving and remembering the good times.  Manny drove his scooter to our exit route and waved as we drove from the property.  He was also snapping lots of pictures!

I know Manny loved the time we could share with him.  Buck and I loved it, too.  As Manny says, “We Polios need to stick together.”

Manny. Janet, Buck