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What does a group of RPI graduates do on their first day in Las Vegas? Visit the Star Trek Experience, of course. Here is DJ trying out a Borg regeneration node, no doubt wishing he was sharing it with Voyager's Seven of Nine.

I was really excited for this. But shortly after taking this picture, a guy dressed as a Borg drone and another dressed as a Klingon warrior showed up. The geekiness of it all scared me and I ran away.

When the Borg and the Klingon left, we entered the exibit. The cost of admission was surprisingly steep. Thirty bucks. We didn't realize that part of the cost was the memorabilia exibit, so we breezed right past it. The effect of being "transported" to the Enterprise and the IMAX motion ride in a shuttle craft were cool, but it was $30.

After the ride, Geordi conviently dumps you off at the gift shop. I thought they did away with materialism in the 24th century. DJ takes the opportunity to make out with Subcommander T'Pol.

After the gift shop, we decided to grab a drink at Quark's bar from Deep Space Nine. There were several actors dressed as Klingons and Ferengi milling around and interacting with the patrons. We were actually impressed. The makeup and costumes were very well done and the actors did a good job of staying in character. In this picture, DJ and I are sharing a warp core breach. It has 10 different shots of alcohol and dry ice to make it bubble and smoke.

Before we left, Eric tried to battle with a Gorn, but it doesn't look like he is fairing too well.

Next we decided to head back to the strip and check out some of the sites around our hotel. First up - The Venetian.

This picture really doesn't do it much justice, but the ceiling inside the Venetian made you feel like you were outside in the day time.

Here is a picture of the canal and the gondola ride that goes through the building.

This room is supposed to be St. Mark's Square in Venice, and it really did remind me of the real thing.

Next stop was the Mirage.

We never got down here at night, so didn't get to see the volcano erupt last time I was in Vegas.

Pretty cool. The fire flowing down the steps of the waterfall was a nice touch.

Since I was lagging behind, and the eruption was over before I got close, here is a closer shot of the volcano that I got from my friend Jeff.

Inside the Mirage, we got to check out one of Siegfried and Roy's white bengal tigers.

We weren't sure if it was the one that attacked Roy, but it seemed to have a wound on its front leg and was limping around a bit.

Then it was back to our hotel to check out the Sirens of TI.

Since we were staying at Treasure Island, we were able to watch the show from the VIP section up close to the stage.

The basic premise is that a group of Sirens battle with a group of pirates.

There is some singing and dancing, a few stunts and a bunch of pyro as the sirens try to tempt the pirates.

The bottom line is that the Sirens were pretty hot. It was a decent show, especially since it was free.

This picture had to be taken, especially since it now takes on a whole new meaning after the Roy attack. When Timmy showed up later and saw this picture, he was jealous that DJ stole his pose. Good thing we didn't ask DJ to ride the goat like we originally planned.

Today's mission was to check out as much of the strip as we could before hitting the Penn and Teller show. Here we are back in front of the waterfall at the Mirage.

Here is Jeff, Eric and DJ standing in front of the volcano. The site of the four of us stopping to take pictures every hundred yards must have been priceless.

Next stop was the Forum shops at Caesars Palace. Here is a picture that Jeff took of me and Eric in front of the Trojan Horse at FAO Schwarz.

Here is the centre of the shops. This is the Fountain of the Gods.

And this is DJ in front of the fountain. In what becomes a recurring theme, Jeff refused to pose for this picture.

As if the four of us snapping pictures like drunken Japanese tourists didn't attract enough attention, Eric decides to pose at the Fountain of Atlantis and we make him wait there until all three of us can take the picture.

What does Atlantis have to do with Caesar's Palace and ancient Rome? You've got me. But at the top of the hour these talking statues rise from the fountain an put on a little show. This guy is the King of Atlantis or something.

This is his daughter. She wants to be her father's successor and rule Atlantis. She controls water and ice or something.

This is the King's son. He also wants to rule Atlantis, and he will use his fire to defeat his sister. This was a pretty cool shot.

After the fountain show, we proceeded to the IMAX 3-D motion ride to save Atlantis. Part of the admission to the Star Trek Experience got us a discount to see this ride. It was decent. At least it only cost $3.

Here is one of the few pictures Jeff actually posed for.

After wandering aimlessly around the casino, we finally found our way back out of Caesar's Palace.

This is the Coliseum they built to stage the Celine Dion concerts. Apparently Elton John will also be playing here. Since we had no interest in either, we went on our way.

Here we are outside the Paris casino. This is a replica of the fountain at the Place de la Concorde.

And here is a replica of the Arch of Triumph. (Isn't the internet neat? I almost seem like I know all this stuff!)

Finally, here is a shot of the Eifel Tower and the Paris Casino balloon. (The internet was not able to tell me the significance of the balloon, however.)

Across the street from the Paris is the Bellagio. We stopped here to watch the fountain show set to Frank Sinatra. The sign is for the Cirque Du Soleil show called O. We tried to get tickets, but they were on vacation for the week we were there.

A little further up the strip we found a place called the GameWorks which had a rock climbing wall.

DJ was the first to tackle the wall.

DJ decided to try the hard-beginners climb. He started off well. He even stopped here to ham it up for the camera.

About half way up the wall he had to stop because his arm was bothering him.

I thought orangutans were supposed to be good climbers.

Eric patiently waits his turn on deck.

Jeff was up next. DJ bet him $10 that he couldn't reach the top and ring the bell.

My camera died during Jeff's climb, so I didn't get a shot of him ringing the bell at the top of the wall. Here he comes back down to collect his money.

Then it was finally Eric's turn.

Eric made good time up the wall.

When he got near the top, he had some trouble reaching the bell.

After a few minutes he finally rings the bell at the top of the wall.

He was looking for a $10 pay out of his own, but no one was buying it.

Across the street from GameWorks was the New York, New York casino. We stopped at the ESPN Zone for lunch and then DJ, Eric and I rode the Manhattan Express roller coaster. You can see it here in this picture.

Here is a better shot of the coaster. It is a pretty rough ride. Apparently a girl was treated for neck injuries just before we got on.

That night we met up with Mike, Pam and Timmy and headed over to the Stratosphere to ride the Big Shot. Here is a picture of the strip from the observation deck.

Here is another shot of the view. The top of the Stratosphere is over 900 ft high.

Here is a shot of the Big Shot needle rising above the observation deck. The Big Shot shoots you up another 160 ft in 2.5 seconds.

The next ride, which Jeff and I gracefully bowed out of, was the X-scream. They put you in a roller coaster car and send you hurtling over the side of the tower.

DJ and Timmy had front row seats.

Man, who in Hell comes up with these things, and who is the first person to try it out?

Next we headed over to the Rio. Inside is a Mardi Gras theme and show girls ride this tram over the casino and throw beads down to you.

We ended the day with the Penn and Teller show. Eric and DJ got up on stage before the show to check out this box.

After the show, Jeff was able to meet Teller and to get his picture taken.

Penn and Teller actually stayed around awhile to sign autographs. You probably can't tell, but the top squiggle is Penn and the bottom one is Teller.

It was kind of a strange feeling seeing Hoover Dam for a second time. It's the kind of place you figure you only go to see once. The Dam jokes never get old though. Watch.

DJ takes in the Dam scenery.

Jeff uses the Dam toilet.

See what I mean? You can do this all day. On a serious note, the Dam water level was lower than the last time I was here. Okay, I'll stop now.

This is the power plant that the tour will take us to later.

The copper building holds a few exhibits and is where we start the Dam tour.

After taking an elevator from the copper building, deep into the canyon wall, we enter into the power plant.

There are two identical plants, this one on the Nevada side of the river and the other on the Arizona side. The large red cylinders are the generators. There are eight in each plant, although they aren't necessarily in use at the same time.

Here is a spare turbine blade. This is the part that is turned by the water to generate electricity.

This smaller generator is used to supply the electricity that runs the dam and its facilities.

This large crane is used to lift the turbine blades from the generators for repairs and replacement.

Now some Dam facts: Enough concrete was used in the dam to build a 4 ft wide sidewalk around the Earth's equator.

The guide told us that they are constructing a new bridge over the canyon to divert traffic from the dam. When finished, the dam will be accessible only to pedestrians.

The water level is 33 ft below historical levels. That's 12 ft lower than the last time I was here. The guide said that it is mostly due to higher water demands caused by the booming population in the Vegas area.

Another cool tidbit was about this bunker that dates back to World War II.

Apparently it was used by snipers to protect against any attempt to bomb the dam.

On the way back we stopped off to check out a better view. For someone who doesn't want to be in a picture, Jeff seems to take a lot of shots with us in them.

I like to live life dangerously.

Hey, he stole my pose. Bastard.

This is the cable tram that the workers used to cross the canyon while building the dam.

That's a long was across.

And here is a close-up of the cable tram.

Aww. Group picture. Isn't that sweet?

One last look at the dam before we head back to the strip. Check out how much those towers lean.

Once we got back to Vegas, we decided to go bungee jumping. Well, Eric and DJ decided to bungee jump. Jeff and I decided to watch. When Eric saw the tower, he decided to watch, too.

There goes DJ as we cheered him on.

I think the slow elevator ride to the top of the platform would have killed me.

I was laughing the whole time at how there was nothing in this world that could have got me up there.

Our hero had to wait a little while as he was the second to last to jump.

Finally, DJ is harnessed up and takes to the platform.

Flying Sasquatch!!! DJ came inches from touching the pool at the bottom of his jump.

After DJ's bungee jump, we hit the casinos for dinner and a show.

After dinner and a show, we walked back to our hotel. The christmas trees in front of Caesars Palace were beautiful.

Christmas in Vegas just seems weird. Maybe its because it's so warm and there is no snow.

After sleeping in, we met Mike and Timmy at the Aladdin for a brunch buffet.

After eating, we were all a little stuffed. DJ and Eric decided they wanted to put on something a little more loose fitting.

Next stop was a sports complex just off the strip. The batting cages were cool. Here is Timmy taking a shot at the Green Monster.

Check out that form!

Mike took a few hacks.

He should have watched Timmy a little closer because he is leaving too much weight on his back foot.

After we all had a few turns in the cages, we headed back to the Luxor. Here is the Excaliber, the casino we have tickets to for dinner and a show. Unfortunately I got sick later and never made it to dinner.

Here is a shot of the Sphinx with the Luxor pyramid in the background.

Timmy, still jealous that DJ stole his pose earlier in the week, starts jumping in front of the camera every time I try to take a picture.

Christmas in Vegas still seems weird to me.

Timmy poses with the statue in front of Club Ra.

Not to be out done, DJ strikes a pose of his own. Watch it DJ, this is a family site.

This is the scene upstairs in the pyramid. There was a couple of IMAX theaters and a King Tutankhamun exhibit.

I was pysched to find this exhibit since we missed it last time. It was a little disappointing that these were only replicas and not authentic artifacts.

The exhibit is an exact reproduction of King Tutankhamun's tomb and the artifacts were produced using authentic materials and techniques.