National Parks Road Trip 2017: Vegas

Vegas baby!  Going into Vegas was a bit of a shock to the senses after our commune with nature over the past week.  The lights, the sounds, the people, the cigarette smoke and the hot.  It was so hot.  But we had a pool, one night with a real bed, and a hot shower that we could step out of and not immediately have dust on our feet and legs again.  Plus, how can you not see Vegas while in Vegas?!

Las Vegas Highlights:

• Zac's first driving experience with major, crazy traffic during the Las Vegas under-construction rush hour.
• Worrying that the propane tank in the roof clam shell would explode because it was 118* when we arrived--getting the car put in the oversize valet parking so that worry could be alleviated a bit.
• The boys' first casino experience: staying at the Stratosphere Hotel!
• Rooftop pool swimming to beat the heat and delicious bar-food appetizers, like kettle cooked potato chip nachos, to fill our bellies.
• The loooooooooong walk (in the hot hot heat) to the downtown strip--because the Stratosphere isn't all that close to the main drag.  It ended up being about 2 miles before we got to the edges of The Strip.
• Dinner at The Sugar Factory where the wait was much longer than the quoted "10-15 minutes," but the food was YUMMY and colorful (and expensive)!
• After dinner we walked a little further up The Strip--seeing the lights, unique and creative casinos and feeling the energy of Las Vegas.  There really isn't anywhere like it! 
• AND THEN came the Vegas Uber Story that will live in infamy and family lore forever. 
• We had to walk the 2.5 miles back to the hotel.  It was about 10:30 at night because the walk in had taken so long, then the wait for our table, then the wait for our food.  We had wanted to see a little more of the Strip, so we had chosen to walk a little further up, but all of us were exhausted.  We toyed with the idea of an Uber, but I didn't want to push it, since I don't have the app and I didn't want my parents to pay for it if they weren't 100% wanting one, too.  So we started the walk back.  My dad decided to stop to buy some more socks, saying they'd catch up to us...and that is when they ditched us.  The boys and I carried on our way, but about 10 minutes later, I realized that it would make sense to cross the street to the side our hotel was on, because there were fewer cross streets so we wouldn't have to worry about cars.  I texted my parents to let them know: "Crossing the street to our hotel side" so they'd know where to catch back up to us.  Somehow they took this to mean that in the 10-15 minutes we had been apart, I had magically traveled 2 miles with five exhausted boys, two of them being little and slower, and arrived at our hotel already.  So they decided to get an Uber!  As chance would have it, as they were discussing getting one, an Uber driver overheard them and offered his services--in his air conditioned, brand new SUV that would have easily fit us all.  So while the five boys and I slogged the 2 miles in the 110* nighttime heat, among the homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk and the three men walking behind us talking about robbing a bank (we hoped they were kidding!), saying little prayers for safety and Ben herding us together because he didn't want any space between us because that felt safer, my parents rode back to the hotel.  They then texted us.  "Caught an Uber," and then later "Where are you???"  "Ummmm...still walking!"  We finally got back to the hotel at about 11:45pm.  We gave them a nice long guilt trip--followed by "love yous" and collapsing into bed, then teased them and laughed about it the rest of the trip.  My parents will never live this one down!! 

• And I've downloaded the Uber app myself.