Leaving Las Vegas

We're up and out early this sunny Saturday morning after our one-nighter in Sin City.

We've been to Las Vegas many times - more for business than pleasure and always for more than one night at one of the glittering mega-hotels on the strip.

Each trip has been busy -- so much to do in Vegas. And, it usually involves staying up late and getting up later.

This trip is different. We drove across the desolation of the Utah, Arizona and Nevada deserts to get here. (Sounds bigger than it was...just a couple of hours, actually.) Just about the time we were ready to declare the entire region uninhabitable (because it basically is), up pops a skyline in a little dimple of a valley ahead. That raised the question: How (and why) did Vegas ever happen? It's a big bright neon city in the middle of nowhere.

It's one thing to arrive here by hopping off a plane. It's another perspective to drive in from the desert in an RV. The traffic -- which we've never noticed before -- puts you in a life-size game of "Frogger" as you try to maneuver to your exit. Great fun on a early Friday afternoon!

And, when you're in a RV, the mega hotels on the strip are not for you. You get to stay in a mega RV Park.

Imagine, for just a moment, how an RV park might work in Vegas.

You're probably right.

With 700 rooms (er, campsites), the Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort has a sweeping palm-tree lined drive, a dramatic entrance to the registration desk, a couple of big sparkling pools, and a slot machine or two. There's even a spot where you can take a look at luxury suites (er, 40-ft RVs) that you can own. (Yes, we looked.) The place is a kick.

But, unlike previous trips to Vegas, we were in bed early and are up with the sun.

You know what? Mornings in Vegas are something to see.