It’s strange because Brian and I have only been to Vegas three times, but because each time we’ve stayed for so long…I feel like we’ve been there a hundred times.

In 2017/2018 we went for TEN DAYS to celebrate our anniversary and New Years. In 2019 we were there for four days during our six-week road trip. Then just recently, we were there for five. Just the ten days alone was a lot. A lot for Vegas, I mean. Like…don’t people normally only got for a weekend? Three days max?

We’re not your typical Vegas travelers. We’re not huge gamblers and not huge drinkers. We’re not ones to go to bars or clubs, etc. We DO, however, like hikes, walks, and climbing shit (not to say we don’t like the casinos or drinking, we just don’t do that every day). It’s the desert! There are playgrounds everywhere. We’ve come to fall in love with Red Rock Canyon and after the first time in 2017, we always go back. ^2017

< 2019

^^2022

It’s a giant playground, and I say that with the most respect. Like, don’t vandalize or be a dick. We usually spend a few hours there before sunset and leave before dark (the way out is a scenic drive and hella curvy/bendy).

Personally, this visit to Vegas felt more nostalgic than I was expecting. I think because it felt so good to be back after Covid. Other than not having concerts, not traveling was really hard. I’m very privileged to be able to go where I go and Brian and I work hard to make it happen (mainly Brian), but MAN! Not being able to go ANYWHERE for that long?
It still felt risky when we went and we had to be extremely careful every day. It was strange, for sure.

I was thankful to see that masks were mandatory EVERYWHERE! This time around (understanding why Brian referred to it as the Fuck It trip) we stayed at Caesars. 2019 was The Stratosphere (for one night) and Luxor, and before that was Flamingo. We’re slowly checking the casino/hotels from the main part of the strip off our mental list.

Every casino had a sign at the entrance saying how masks were mandatory and scattered throughout the building were security guards with boxes of masks, handing them out to anyone who wasn’t wearing one. It was a beautiful sight.

Caesars is huge. Like, it’s fucking enormous. We were there for five days, and I swear it took us three just to be able to comfortably navigate our way around it. And that’s not including the mall. The mall is its own beast. We checked in just past midnight and it was surprisingly NOT busy for it being the day after New Years. The interior of this place is BEAUTIFUL, and our room was beautiful—my favourite was the bathroom. We were pretty beat from being in the car the entire day, so we walked around for a bit, saw the Bellagio fountains do their thing, then went in for the night…morning? It was almost 5 a.m.For this leg of the trip, while still relaxed, we did a lot of walking. Again, we don’t mind walking. Originally, we had a few things planned, but we canceled them due to STUPID Covid. So, our schedule opened up…for a lot more walking.
            We walked around Caesar’s mall and window browsed (not shopped. browsed) the ridiculously overpriced brand shit, then went down to the opposite end of the strip to New York New York to get Shake Shack. We love Shake Shack. Canada doesn’t have Shake Shack…the closest one is in Michigan. So…we made sure to stock up this trip, haha! Now, the bathtub in our hotel room…when I tell you I lived in this thing…I wouldn’t be overexaggerating (thank you menstrual cramps). My long-ass 5’9” fit perfectly, and then some, AND it was a Jacuzzi.
(side note: we had to buy this indie brand body wash (that I also used for bubbles) because the other shit was locked? up? Because…America? I have no idea, hahaha)

(I know you ask for someone, but we couldn’t find a staff member anywhere)

The following night we had dinner reservations at the Strat’s 360-degree restaurant. My cramps were trying to kill me, but they were nothing some Robax, weed, and vodka wouldn’t fix (temporarily).

To be honest, we weren’t 100% satisfied with our food, which was odd because last time we ate there, it was delicious. The vegetarian options, like most restaurants, were a disappointment, but that’s also something I’m used to. However, I got wasteypants and that’s always a good time. But, like I said, my cramps were trying to kill me, so after our dinner, we went back to our room and went to bed. The 4^th was Red Rock Day. We went in the afternoon and climbed and climbed. It’s all done at your own risk. There are some paths to follow but for the most part, you’re finding your own way up and your own way back down. That’s half the fun. That night was a struggle to find what to eat. While I love The Vegas, it’s either super hella expensive, requires a nice dress attire, OR piss-shit broke. There’s not really an in between. But we eventually found a Mexican restaurant in the corner of Planet Hollywood and YUM! (I can’t remember the name) Our last day, we drove out to The Valley of Fire and spent a few hours there before our flight home. Another giant rocky playground with a bunch of different hikes and view points. We prefer fucking off on our own and doing our own thing. This was the second time I drove the Challenger. Long open roads with almost no one on them. I gave it some gas and felt the power, but nothing crazy. Brian definitely had more fun with it than I did, but honestly, I was just as happy being a passenger.

I don’t know why I was so psyched out to drive the car. First off, Brian only paid for one driver, so I wasn’t even insured under the damn thing to begin with. And it wasn’t so much that I was nervous about me driving it, I was nervous about everyone else around me.

Los Angeles was FILLED with auto collision shops. Like, I felt like every corner was an auto collision shop, and all the cars on the roads would be covered in dents and bangs and fender benders. I didn’t want to risk it. Even as we were driving on the highway in Vegas, I think I made the comment that I would feel more comfortable driving in Nevada than California, and a few minutes later, someone almost (dangerously) cut us off and Brian had to slam on the brakes and the horn and change lanes very quickly and it was all very dramatic. I laughed out loud and said I was never driving the car. We had to get Covid tests before flying home because if we were positive, we weren’t going anywhere. For a while, we both had a fear that we actually had it because for almost the entire trip, we both had slight sore throats. But we spent one week by the beach, and then another week in the desert. Our throats were bound to be sore.
So, $250USD ea later, we had booked earlier in the week to assure we had appointments and drove to Henderson to wait in a car line-up in a parking lot. It was very well organized and for the most part, everything moved quickly. We got to stay inside the car and a nurse came to our windows to perform the test. She commented on my hand tattoos and asked me what “Inked Caffeine” meant. I AWKWARDLY EXPLAINED THAT IT WAS MY BOOK THAT I HAD JUST RECENTLY PUBLISHED, AND SHE SOUNDED INTERESTED and that is still such an odd interaction for me to have.

We filled out some forms and a few hours later got the negative results emailed to us. When we got back to Caesars, we took advantage of the parking lot to empty out the car and clean it up a bit before giving it back. Enterprise is right near the airport, but we still needed to take a shuttle from point A to point B. I was honestly SO SAD to see the Challenger go.

It was a very long and tiresome adventure home, but after a five hour layover in North Carolina and some uncomfortable sleeps on the plane later, we were finally back in cold (January) Canada.

I always love going out West and this was another successful trip! And I get to do it all over again in September when we go to Hawaii for Sarah’s wedding! Wee!