Airstream RV Blog #84 – The $1,128,000,000 Campground from Sean Michael on TheLongLongHoneymoon.com.
How valuable was this camping experience? We’ve been told that a half acre of land on the Las Vegas Strip recently sold for $47 million. And yet, here’s a massive swath of such land dedicated to a full hookup RV campground. So using these numbers as reference, I guess our little campsite is worth at least $5,000,000 — and the campground itself is worth around $1,128,000,000.
Unfortunately, for the reasons stated above, I doubt that this campground will be around much longer. In Vegas, everything is eventually destroyed to make way for something bigger, better, and more lucrative. I’m glad we camped here while the opportunity existed. In a few years, I suspect this entire casino and campground will be relegated to the history books.
There’s nothing particularly scenic about the campground itself. It’s a large asphalt parking lot, occupied mostly by European tourists driving rented motorhomes. Daytime temperatures are suitable for frying bacon and eggs. You’ll want a quality awning on your RV, and a robust air-conditioner cranked down to the “arctic” setting.
But once the sun recedes, temperatures cool, and city lights begin to sparkle. Suddenly Las Vegas, and by extension this campground, transforms into something different. It becomes surprisingly — dare I say it? — scenic, a cacophony of colorful light and sound.
If you’ve ever been to Las Vegas, you’re familiar with the litany of billion dollar casinos that litter the Strip. There’s no end to the available entertainment, and you don’t even need to gamble to have a good time. Just strolling from casino to casino, taking in the nightly spectacle, provides more over-the-top visual entertainment than most cities could ever dream.
Camping here has provided an additional benefit. After spending a week on the Strip, we have a better understanding of the city beyond the Strip. We’ve taken our truck SEEMORE into some of the suburban neighborhoods for a couple of supply runs. It’s in these places where you get a sense of the people who make Las Vegas tick, and what life in Vegas is really like. (Hint: it’s not so different from life elsewhere.)
There’s been one sour note. Late one evening we returned to our campground, only to discover that someone stole Kristy’s bicycle. Apparently stealing is one of the sins popular in “Sin City.” For the first time since we began our RV adventures, we felt unsafe. My guess is that the culprit doesn’t camp at all. Rather, our proximity to the Strip and the neighboring industrial district means this facility is exposed to some less than desirable characters — the kind who steal.
After two months on the road, we’re ready to start heading home. I have no idea whether we’ll ever camp in Las Vegas again; but I’m glad we did so at least once.
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