Primm, Nevada

Yesterday was full of packing at 4 AM, watching Remember the Titans, driving until Primm, Nevada, enduring long walks through dizzying casinos while covering my nose and mouth and wearing sunglasses, swimming in a buffalo-shaped pool and a turd-shaped hot tub, and, best of all, riding roller coasters. Mom got sick on the Desperado, the jerkiest roller coaster I have ever ridden. That didn't stop Sica and I from going on it six or seven times. We even screamed and laughed as a girl behind us swore her head off. (I screamed to cover the profanity, Sica just laughed, an improvement from her earlier drooling.)

The 3D vault ride was so stupidly simple that we all talked to each other while it was going (Mom was back in the room, sick). The virtual roller coaster made us all woozy, though. The log ride featured laser guns and targets, some of which caused fake miners to shoot water at us or moon us. The highlight of the night passes was the Turbo Drop, or "Turbo Dry" as we called it, since it dried us off after the log ride. We went around and around, getting back into the five-person line so the ride operator could let us back in. It gave us a lovely view of the surrounding desolation and left our stomachs 200 feet in the air.

We got to bed at 1 AM our time, after being unable to secure breakfast for Sunday morning, despite the long walks and monorail rides to the other two hotels and casinos. After having to slide our room card to get ice, no free internet, and having no fridge, we were not too surprised to find that no groceries were to be found.