It Does Rain in Las Vegas

We made camp inside a large hotel, yes, a real actual hotel. Safety was a concern and we both were firm about not wanting to camp in the car surrounded by potential crazies. Waking up in Vegas was strange to me. The light-blocking curtains tricked us and we awoke later than we are used to. Neither of us complained, until we had to do laundry. So, sleeping in the car mixed in with adventuring outdoor activity will cause clothes to get soiled as well as stink. Duh. We spent the morning enjoying the warm running water, the smell of hotel soap (it actually smelled good), and scrubbing away the dirt we have carried from more than 2 states away. Having purchased Patagonia clothing, the material doesn’t hold water as long as cotton materials and we were able to dry the clothes in only a few short hours. The maids must have thought we were traveling bums, but I guess at this rate we kind of are. Treasure Island… (insert tagline tune) was buzzing with people at slot machines, glaring with neon light and loud. Not surprised as I have heard this is one of the cities that never sleeps. Chad and I had meant to walk the strip, being that our hotel was at the very beginning of it, but were stopped due to the light rain that had just started. Looking around, hardly anyone was outside and the water in the streets was high and moving quickly. We went back to retrieve our outer reflective layer and ventured into the rain. We walked the strip heading to our destination, the Caesar’s Hotel Bacchanal Buffet. While scrubbing laundry we had researched the best buffets in Las Vegas and decided to try the $116.78 for two with tax. ;)

Dressed to the nines in our spare Patagonia, we devoured kisses of the 500 dishes. As we were purchasing our rite of passage, the cashier advice was to take a very small taste of each dish in which she called a “kiss”. I found out quickly that if you speak with the servers, for example a man carving fresh roast beef, and told them you were new to the buffet, it was a mistake. They would smile, make small talk and put a large helping on my plate. I smiled and said thank you, but on the inside I was screaming, “NO!!!!! He is going to make me full!!!!” Chad and I stayed for our limit of 2 hours and had made friends with the server. The server joked about how the staff would watch the people eat until they looked like they would burst and waited patiently to see if anyone would toss their cookies. I almost felt like tossing mine and I was thankful when we left but had to retreat past all of the fried foods. Sneaky trick. Walking off the food comma, Chad and I explored the strip under a cloud-filled sky and in the rain. We didn’t mind too much since it was around 50 degrees and we could go anywhere without being stuck behind people. Vegas was not what I expected and I waited until night to see the full effect of the neon lights. After asking for suggested places to go from my friends on Facebook, Chad and I watched the volcano show outside The Mirage. We took a bus to Fremont street and bumbled around under the dome of neon lights. There were crazies everywhere mixed in with every kind of person imaginable. Live bands, lights, food, dancing and booths surrounded us. The low energy from our surroundings the entire day was draining and we were happy to hop the bus back to Treasure Island. The bus took us by small chapels that dotted each corner and I continued to make sarcastic jokes about getting hitched. Chad was soooooo amused. In the morning, the sun decided to come out a little bit but then quickly retreated. Apparently there was a winter storm coming and we were planning to head right into it. With our destination set, we slowly made our way to the Grand Canyon. For those of you wondering, there was no gambling. I was desperate for a bagel with cream cheese I told Chad I would rather spend my money on a bagel and receive it than not at all. Carbs won.