Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas!

The road west was indeed calling us, and we answered that call. Chrysa and I loaded the cars, bid a fond farewell to Julie and Emerson, and wiggled our way down the mountain road heading toward Salt Lake City. Although the road to Las Vegas beckoned us, it certainly didn’t cooperate with us. As soon as we hit the valley floor the wind began to howl. I could tell that it was going to be an excruciating drive to Nevada. Now, I drive a soft top Jeep Wrangler, and I pull a closed top cargo trailer. A stiff headwind doesn’t do wonders for my gas mileage. Additionally, it is loud, like jet engine inside the cab with me loud. I prayed that the wind would die down along the way to Vegas. It never did! So, that’s how the drive went. I struggled to maintain speed up and down hills, while not listening to the radio, and not hearing anything Chrysa said on the CB. By the time we got to Debbie’s house, I was fried! Thankfully the drive to Vegas was not an indicator of our time in Vegas. We ended up having a wonderful experience.

My aunt Debbie was a spectacular hostess. She was willing to put up with Chrysa and I and the dog (the cat was boarded)! She has a beautiful house about 20 mins from the strip. It was an ideal situation. Debbie had a party to go to the first night so Chrysa and I had the place to ourselves. After a long, brutal drive, it felt great to unwind. In fact, we were both so sick of driving we decided to spend the entire first full day hanging at the pool with Debbie.

The pool day with Debbie was just what the doctor ordered. We started the late morning off with mimosas by and that set the tone for the day. It felt wonderful to unwind without a care in the world. We soaked up the sun (or the shade in Chrysa’s case) ate lite and just chilled, all while catching up with Debbie. Later in the day we went out for sushi and checked out the Hoover Dam at night.

I went to the Hoover Dam when I was around 19 or 20. It was on a family vacation during the summer. I remember being hot, but loving the views and the science. The tour is not an option at the time we went, and the top off the dam closes at 8pm, but we did get to walk around the roadway. The sun was quickly going down and the temperature was letting up – a little. There was plenty to see during our short visit. We parked in Arizona and walked the length of the dam to Nevada. We took tons of pictures and read all the plaques along the way. It was a nice way to wrap up a great day.

The next couple of days were dedicated to seeing the bright lights of Las Vegas. This was Chrysa’s first time and I really wanted to make sure that she got to see as much as possible. We drove into town straight up Las Vegas Boulevard. We got to see the famous “welcome” sign and some of the sights while we made our way to the Bellagio where I was happy to find out that parking was free! We used the Bellagio as a jumping off point for the rest of the strip.

Vegas is a very walker friendly city. You can get anywhere you want to go by walking through the casinos. This was a very good thing considering the 100 degree temps. While exploring we took a bunch of pics and got to see some of the free attractions, notably the Bellagio fountain. We also window shopped at the fancy stores at the Fashion Mall and the Mall at Caesar’s Palace. As much as I would love to buy Chrysa something from Cartier, it just wasn’t in the cards this trip. Maybe next time.

We also ate some good food. The 2 Hot Tamales have a joint in Caesar’s. Our lunch there was another first for Chrysa. We got the house guac and a combo order of ceviche. Although guac is a regular for us, ceviche was new. Initially Chrysa seemed taken aback, but we finished it all. I think it was a hit! Just think, a couple years ago Chrysa wouldn’t even consider Hispanic food. Now – it’s every other day!

One of the highlights of the trip has to be the show we took in. Now, Chrysa and I are adults (as far as we can tell) and we wanted to catch a show while we were in town. While eating and enjoying a beer we decided to get tickets to Zumanity. Zumanity is a Cirque du Soliel show, so we would get the classiness that we are known for, while getting to see some T & A. The show was everything we thought it would be. Amazing physical feats, funny banter, spectacular showmanship, and boobs. We had a great time being on the strip, at night, seeing the lights and people watching after the show. It was a wonderful end to a great visit.

It was bittersweet leaving Las Vegas. It was especially sad to leave our hostess. Good thing she will be joining us in Cali for Thanksgiving!

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