Labor Day fun in Las Vegas includes sun, heat, water — PHOTOS
Many Las Vegas residents and visitors enjoyed hot temperatures and idle time on Labor Day, the final holiday of the summer.
While no attendance projections were made, it was obvious that several hundred thousand visitors were in town, many of them from California.
Harry Reid International Airport said it anticipated heavy passenger traffic at its two terminals, and one social media post early Saturday said chaos was rampant at the airport.
Excessively hot weather was obviously a factor with the holiday coming in the middle of a long heat wave. High temperatures didn’t break any records, but 108 to 110 several days in a row is a challenge to deal with.
The water of Lake Mead at Boulder Beach was an attraction for hundreds, if not more.
As for Californians headed back home, the Monday afternoon slowdown around Primm was about 8 miles at 25-30 mph around 4 p.m. before it largely dissipated an hour later.
Some travel times earlier indicated about 80 to 90 minutes to Primm from Las Vegas.
Last year, California and Nevada’s governors detailed a $12 million project to use a shoulder to handle extra traffic.
No official word yet on if it helped with the mass exodus from Las Vegas that has become a staple of the holiday weekend that often doubles motorists’ travel time to the Los Angeles area.
It’s 80 days to the next holiday.
The Strip crowds may be just as big for the food feast aspect of Thanksgiving, and it’s certain that temperatures will be easier to handle.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com or 702-863-4285. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.
