Day 10

. We started at 8:30 this morning. It's now 1:00am. Long, long day what with the driver's arrest and all.
We wanted to go to the Valley of Fire first. Actually, only about 10 kids wanted to go, the rest wanted more shopping time in Las Vegas. These kids have shopped their way through the last 10 days. One Brasilian bought 3 pairs of sneakers today-a boy, too.
So we start out for the Valley of Fire. We have a AAA map and 2 GPS's. We get lost. We lose an hour wandering around. There's actually only one road, so it wasn't easy to get lost. We wound up somewhere called Lake Las Vegas, it's a new planned community in the middle of nowhere complete with a Ritz-Carlton.
We find the correct road, and hit construction for 12 miles. No road, just packed dirt. in a 59 passenger bus. We lose more time.
We make a few stops along the scenic route. Kids whine. I wouldn't let them watch a movie. They were supposed to be enjoying the scenery. Kids whine some more. We stop at the Visitor's Center, 7 Sisters, and the Beehives only. Kids whine a lot.
We get back on SR15. No fast food places or grocery stores. We need cash to give them for lunch. At this point instead of a group meal, we were just going to turn them loose in Vegas to forage for themselves. Driver's TomTom pulls up the nearest bank. It's in West Las Vegas. We pull in to the stripmall, parking illegally. Roomie gets out to get cash. The bus is parked perpendicular across the front of the building. There is plenty of parking. There is NO reason for the bus to park across 8 or 9 parking spots. Driver doesn't move. Security comes out. Driver doesn't move. Security returns. Driver gets pissy. Security puts a 3x4 sticker on side window stating 'warning violation' not a fine. Driver gets really pissy. Scrapes off sticker with a razor blade, and throws it to the ground.
ETA: It's 7:30am, and the rest of the story.
Driver went to return the razor blade from the auto parts store he borrowed it from, and somehow he and the security guard get into a verbal fight. Driver gives the security guard the finger. Guard isn't pleased. I'm not sure who shoved whom first. The next thing I saw was Driver bouncing off the plate glass windows. I couldn't open the bus door to get off the bus. A student had to open the door for me. Guard spun Driver around, handcuffed him, and marched him into the security office. I tried several times to go in, but Guard kept telling me to 'Step outside, Ma'am.' (Roomie is still in the bank, blissfully unaware of the excitement.) I told Driver I was going to call the police. Guard said he was calling, too.
I went into the bank. I asked the first worker if she would phone the police for me. She replied that she had to ask her manager. She called the manager (about 15 feet away.) The manager asked 'why.' LIke it happens a lot??? I went to the manager's desk, and she let me call 911. I explained a few times. 911 kept asking about the kids.
Roomie told me later she heard a woman asking for the police, for a bus driver, and thought it surely couldn't be me. Ha!
The police show up. 3 cars. I still can't get into security. Guard told me he isn't just a guard, he's Head of Security for the plaza. Oooh, that makes a huge difference. (Driver was completely in the wrong, but Guard was a jerk.)
We wait. We let the starving kids off to go to the grocery store 2 storefronts up. Police come out of the security office. Policeman orders Roomie and me to round up the kids IMMEDIATELY and return them to the bus. He asked if we were from around here. I said 'Ohio.' He said we were in the worst neighborhood of the worst part of Las Vegas. He said the kids would get 'jacked' in the aisles of the store. He had the 4 chaperones rush into the grocery store and get the kids out to the bus. They all obeyed. It was so weird. (at this point, regular weird is normal.)
The policemen explain the kids weren't allowed off the bus. Like he couldn't have mentioned that before? Then he explained the helicopter flying overhead. A man with a gun was running down this street. They were looking for him, and worried about the kids, too. The neighborhood looked a bit poor, but not too scary. The grocery shoppers were moms and grandmas. I felt embarassed for the store manager. Nothing like telling a guy his workplace was one step above Iraq.
We wait some more. I try to get into security.
We decided to send chaperones in to Iraq to purchase food. They cautiously and bravely went shopping. They made it back to the bus unscathed. They brought rolls, chicken tenders, and carrots. Hurray!
The police come out. 2 of their cars leave. I ask what's going to happen. They will let Driver go with a ticket for trespassing. Soon. Great. Cause the bus is still parked illegally. This is an hour later. I think about moving the bus. Sandra Bullock drove a bus in 'Speed.' If she can do it, I can do it. It's an automatic. Roomie has driven a 27 foot class A motorhome. She's most qualified.
Driver comes out. Moves the bus. Must leave as he's trespassing. So what's he do? Goes into the grocery store to help the chaperones carry groceries. Dumbass.
We continue on our way with kids whining they won't have enough time to shop.
Aww, and remember Driver got the 250 dollar parking ticket in San Francisco? The kids each gave 2 dollars to help pay for the ticket since it was our fault. Roomie and I donated our Disney tickets (we only went 1 day, and they were 2 day tix.) and an extra student ticket. Roomie sold them for $100.00. That money was all presented to Driver as we left Valley of Fire. The kids wanted to know if they had to donate to help pay for this ticket, too. We said 'no.'

Bus is leaving for an 8 hour drive. We went to see Tony 'n Tina's Wedding and then for a limo ride. More later.