My journal begins Day 1 - Here we go! Awake at 3:30AM...no use trying to sleep any longer. It's time to hit the road! We're psyched! By 4:30 we are packed with all our gear and a thermos of strong coffee heading toward the interstate...by 4:45 we are back in front of our house as we cannot remember if we locked the front door. I guess we are a bit nervous. OK, on the road. We're drivin'..., drivin'..., drivin'... It's either the extra vibration of old shock absorbers or just the excitement of the trip, which proves to be too much stimulation for Lorenzo. He pulls us into a rest stop to test our new futon mattress and privacy curtains. I do not complain ;^) Arrive in Viva Las Vegas! I needed to insist Las Vegas be included in the itinerary because Lorenzo had never been there before. He complained it was too far out of the way. Come on! Skip Las Vegas?? Capital of excess, tackiness and all-you-can-eat buffets??? No way! Lorenzo sees 'The Strip' for the first time and reacts like a kid at Disneyland, pointing laughing and shouting, "Oh, WOW!" at each new casino which is bigger and gaudier than the next. I love Vegas. It's all so over the top. Such blatant bad taste is so incredibly seductive. Just like a gold lame jumpsuit encrusted with pink rhinestones...it makes you sick, but you must have it. We have a grand time sight-seeing, people-watching, buffet-eating and doing a little gaming (I win $50 bucks!) before we tuck ourselves into the van for the night in the middle of the Tropicana Casino parking lot! Next stop New Mexico...