Las Vegas Trip

Jeff & I just returned from our first southern vacation – to Las Vegas!

What an adventure!

We drove down to Whitehorse after work last Wednesday so we could catch the 6am flight out in the morning.

That didn’t happen.

The plane had mechanical issues, so we sat and waited. We knew we had a 4 hour layover as padding in Vancouver, so we weren’t too worried.

Then they cancelled the flight.

The tiny little boarding room was then a little chaotic. Lucky for us, we had a US connection, so Air Canada prioritized us and put us on the 8am Air North flight to Vancouver! Thanks Air Canada! Air North is even better, with free meals, snacks, drinks, candies, and better seats so no complaints here! However, they said they wouldn’t be transferring our luggage, but they’d send it when they could.

We had a pretty tight schedule of things we wanted to see while we were in the Vegas area, so we were grateful we’d at least be there, with or without summer clothes!

So off we went to Vancouver.

Vancouver has US Customs you clear before you flight into the US. It is a nice setup, so you don’t have to clear customs when you land, but it is a bit tricky when you are attempting to enter the US with no luggage. We had to go into the secondary screening area and they needed to do paper work so they could be able to clear our luggage later, without us.

Our second flight of the day started in a similar way – with mechanical problems! This time we were loaded onto the plane, but mechanics were on board and spent about an hour trying to get the computer system rebooted, flipping through manuals, and doing a bunch of shrugging.

Hoping to get to Vegas!

Finally around 6pm we got to Las Vegas! We got royally ripped on a cab who saw us Vegas virgins coming and took a $60 long route over to the Golden Nugget where we stayed the first night. We checked into our room and then tried to get a cab to Walmart to get some clothes that weren’t wintery. We planned to go to the Grand Canyon the next day, so we knew it would be at least another 48 hours until we were going to see any of our luggage!

Unfortunately they said cabs were short and the chance of getting a return cab from Walmart was slim, so we had to pay a cab while we dashed in to shop… for everything.

In I ran like a mad woman, wishing I had stopped for a cart. Underwear, socks, sandals, bathing suit, shorts, why can’t I find a pair of shorts!, what else do I need, getting frantic here, shirts!  Jeff did the same, without the franticness, and suddenly we were down another $250 American, and another $40 for a cab.

The second cab driver gave us a bunch of suggestions for food in the area, so we wandered off in search of prime rib in our new wardrobe. My new underwear were too big, couldn’t find shorts so I ended up with old lady calf length pants that were too big, and a shirt with lampshade like dangly toggles and flowerchild sandals.

The Golden Nugget is not on the strip, but has it’s own area with the “Fremont Experience”. We spent the evening wandering through the casinos, past the girls offering spankings for photos on the streets, under the zip liners whizzing overhead, and were just in general awe of the sights and scenes. We had some drinks and played some slots, but didn’t win back our cab fees.

We looked everywhere for the big Golden Nugget that is supposed to be there, and when we finally got wifi, I Googled and learned that big nugget is no longer on display. What a let down!

Our hotel room in the Nugget was fabulous though! The tub must have been 6 feet long and so deep! I had a good long soak (our tub in Dawson is smaller than some shower stalls) and could even float it was so big!

Early the next morning, we walked to the nearby car rental place to pick up a car to head to the Grand Canyon for the night. Their service counter was inside a casino, of course 🙂 The guy asked Jeff, “Just the two of ya?”. When Jeff nodded, the guy said, “Do you want a free upgrade to a Mustang convertible?” I don’t even think Jeff heard the entire sentence when he was already saying, “Yes, yes I do”. Not even a check with the wife!

Look at this car!

And look at that LUCKY shirt Jeff found at Walmart!

We put down the top (it was at least 13C that morning) and tried to navigate our way out of town towards the Grand Canyon. First stop though, IHOP!

Then off to the Hoover Dam!

The start of my convertible hair look.

I was pretty underwhelmed by the Hoover Dam. I felt like it was way smaller than it appears in movies. The landscape was pretty cool though, and very foreign to me. So many browns and rust colours with no trees and hardly any vegetation. I’m pretty sure I was already sunburnt from driving with the top down in the car. 

And from there we crossed into Arizona! I can’t believe we’ve been to Arizona now!

I’ve got plenty more photos to show you, of the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, and our NASCAR race experience! I’ll write those tales in the next post(s) so this one doesn’t get too long!