Viva Las Vegas

 

Guns n Roses , Las Vegas, Nov 2012

 

Its not eveyday one gets invited to Las Vegas, so it was a pleasant surprise to be asked to fly there from Dallas to train a new gang of stonecoat applicators. Not only another first, but staying in the

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino was another good reason to pack my suitcase yet again.

DFW to Las Vegas is just over 1000 miles and a little over 2 hours on a plane. With a 'problem' before we took off, the delay was explained as the Coffee machine leaking. Hard to believe but an extra hour added after we had boarded is always a pain.

Vegas is a sprawling place in the middle of nowhere and the red rock mountains are quite stunning as you fly in. I missed the Grand Canyon fly over as the guy in the window seat was asleep and the blind was down.

Next day, a quick guide around the offices of CLM and we were underway. Classroom stuff and a quick run through the who, what, where.

After a run through and practise wall day two and three were practical and re-finishing the exterior of the building.

 

The red stone of Nevada was the plan.

 

Later that night, I managed to blag a ticket for Guns and Roses in the hotel. Not a bad end to my Vegas visit.

 

 Front row.... not bad !!!

 

 

By Friday I was back in Addison TX, and spent the last few days relaxing before flying back to the UK.

Saturday saw me attending the Progressive Motorcycle Show in Dallas. A small affair with a good turn out of manufacturers. Some lovely customs and vendors to talk to.

A few hours to myself, and a nice break from 'work',

16 hrs on the go, I arrived back just as Mrs R2M was going out to work.

 

The Motorcycle Live at the NEC Birmingham starts today, So maybe another show by the end of next week.

Take one Honda Goldwing, and start again.

 

The guy working next to me is wearing two T-shirts and a hoody, plus gloves and a baseball hat. Its about 89F in a cul-de-sac of 10ft high brick walls and the cloudless and windless sky and high sun is giving me a trouser sauna. Even with a single T-shirt and shorts, I am suffering, lifting and shifting and working along side the locals.The two Mexicans and a Texan thing its cool today. They can not believe that I am too hot. Summer temperatures here in Fort Worth reach 120f and I am going to Vegas on Sunday, and thats in the desert. Sunday comes and the two hour flight receives an extra hour wait as the planes coffee machine has sprung a leak. Yes, only in America , but even with the water turned off, the coffee gone and the loo's not flushing, it took 62 minutes to get us off the ground. The passenger were strangly calm and accepting of this delay. Viva Las Vegas. I miss the Grand Canyon fly over as the window seat is occupied by a magician on his way to a gig. He is asleep, the blind is down and the mumbled PA announcement by the pilot was lost in a mix of static and his southern drawl. The 30 stone black DJ on my left added to my own 'bulk' hinders a comfortable trip, but arriving over Vegas I am surprised at the vastness of this yellow earthern landscape dotted with buildings for mile after mile. A giant blue lake below looks like the Adriatic coastline and as we land once again the calm on the plane surprised me as the passengers allowed all those in front of them to get up and leave in order.(No matter how long it takes). Entering the surreal world of Marbella on speed, the bright sun hasn't managed to heat the dry air above tolerable. Texas time was reduced by an hour as 'daylight saving time' came into action last night, take off plus either one or three hours for the trip west and its either lunchtime or breakfast, I still don't know. Travel back in time , yes we can ! The Hard Rock hotel and casino is just another glittering icon to the dollar, and the 'strip' can wait until its dark. Meanwhile the splendour of the vast air conditioned room allows me some rest bite from the noise of the street and the continual row of planes that pass just in front of my 7th floor window, bringing some more dollars from all over the world. Despite the supposed reduction in the economy the airport is mad busy and even in the arrivals lounge the ever lasting stream of slot machines that spread into every nook and cranny let you know you have arrived. Vulgar or great, false or fantastic, it doesn't matter, Vegas is cool as custom cars and bikes wander by. Its Sunday so I guess its 'go for a ride' day and the international feel is a change from the All American macho attitude of Dallas. I could be in Marbella, it could be Blackpool, but for the sun. I am here to work, and the next five days it will be just another city, another hotel room without a decent cup of tea and eight blokes more to train, take some stick about my accent and send out into the world of Stonecoat.com Guns and Roses are on down stairs on Wednesday.... now there's a thing, I dare not evenlook at the price of tickets, and anyway Slash is missing form the line up. My host is in the reception bar which has 18ft wide TV's showing 3 football games at once, 200 slots, food and most important BEER, so as you would expect from a Brit abroad....... I'moff