Once we got home, Ben watched over the boys while I got a couple of hours to myself. It was amazing to get my “introvert” time. I definitely came back feeling refreshed (and not as cranky). Best hubby ever!
My first stop was Great Clips for a long overdue haircut. I had tried cutting my own hair during the beginning of stay-at-home for COVID, but cutting it in the RV seemed way more challenging. I do ok cutting the boys’ hair, but it’s challenging to cut your own. I thought I had done ok until the hair dresser showed me a section that was an inch or so shorter than the rest of my hair. Whoops!
I checked in online to cut down on my wait time at the store. Masks are required indoors by the person getting their hair cut and by the stylist. They were only doing cuts, no washes or coloring. It was so nice to get some length off and it felt so much better!
Next, I stopped at a nearby Starbucks for a coffee. I was going to sit there and read, but they didn’t have a lot of available indoor seating and no outdoor seating. It was also 100 degrees outside, so I sat in the truck and read for a little bit while drinking my coffee.
When I finished my coffee and book, I headed back home. After catching up with what the boys had been up to, we headed out to adventure. Our first stop was Circus Circus. It has not changed very much from the last time I had seen it. The rides and arcade were running though. (Video of game/ride walk through)
We stopped at Walmart in the search for a new hat. They were switching over to winter gear (it’s 100 degrees out still!) and only had baseball hats. We saw someone getting arrested outside of Walmart (this makes the 3rd person we have seen arrested so far in Vegas).
We headed north of the city and found one of my favorite stores, Target! We didn’t have any luck there either in regards to hats. We did stop at Smith’s (Kroger) for some groceries and picked up Chipotle for dinner. This was a much nicer area of town than where the campground is. I enjoyed shopping out there!
I had been so excited to do the rail cars through the redwood trees in California, but when COVID caused us to reroute and replan, we had to skip this. Ben knew I was disappointed and found me rail cars in Las Vegas!
The rail cars were located in Boulder City, which was about a 25 minute drive from our campground. You can rent a 2 or 4 seat rail car.
We left early to explore the town a little bit before our tour. We found the turbine in the park for Hoover Dam. Unfortunately, the Hoover Dam tours and walkway were closed (for COVID). Ben was really bummed about that, as he wanted to show the boys and take the tour.
We checked in for our tour and walked around the outdoor train museum while we waited. We read about mail trains and nuclear rocket trains. It was some interesting stuff.
After a brief safety speech (video link), we were assigned our rail cars. These are only powered by peddling (like a bike), but they glided really easily over the tracks.
Talk about social distancing! They spaced out the rail cars so that there was plenty of room between each group. We didn’t see anyone before or after us for most of the ride.
The track down to the halfway/stopping point was 4 miles, but it flew by. (Click here for the video!) I really wish the experience on the rail cars was longer (one of the employees told us that they do have plans to eventually extend it). Once you reach the halfway point, there were several chairs (and lights for the night time trips) for you to relax in while you waited for the train to pick you up. We had brought water and snacks, so we sat back and snacked.
The train was a fun way to get back to the museum/parking lot. The train cars consisted of mostly open-aired cars and they really spaced out the rail car riders between several different cars for social distancing. It was a great ride back.
We were one of the last ones off and one of the conductors asked if the boys wanted to see the caboose. We got pictures on the back deck and he let them blow the horn. It was really loud! They were ecstatic that they got to blow the horn, even Ben. 🙂 The inside of the caboose was really neat with built in metal stairs to a high seat on either side of the walkway.
The rail car company offered a Rambler (4:00pm), Sunset (6:00pm), and Lantern (8:00pm) tour. We booked the 4:00 trip since the evening ones were full. However, at 4:00pm it was still a little warm to say the least. There wasn’t a lot of shade along the trail, and the rail cars did not have tops. The rail cars were really neat and easy to move along the tracks, but the scenery wasn’t the best. It ran along the road for most of the trip (which makes sense since that is where most railroad tracks run). The train ride back and blowing the train horn I think were the most memorable parts for the kids. It was still a really neat experience!
We headed back to The Strip and parked at New York New York. We didn’t get down to this part of the Strip yesterday. We were pretty tired and the monorail is not running at the moment (COVID). As we walked in, the roller coaster was running and we could hear screams (hopefully of delight).
Our destination wasn’t really the casino, but the Hershey store. The store was so much fun. Almost anything you could think of was for sale with the candy logos: toy cars, baking accessories, extra large candy, clothes, scented candles, etc. It made me wish I had a bigger place, because I would have bought the kids some gear, a few chocolate candy scented candles for me, and the Twizzlers scarf for Ben. I did a walk through video as well that’s up on YouTube. The chocolate Statue of Liberty and Twizzlers Statue of Liberty were pretty neat to see.
We headed down to the Excalibur. The shows, several food/drinks stores, and the arcade are closed right now (COVID). It was pretty empty of things to do other than gamble.
Next, we walked through the Luxor and looked at the different statues. Just like the rest of Vegas, the shows are closed at least until November. We were hoping to see the Blue Man group because I think the boys would have gotten a kick out of it.
Our final stop for this part of the Strip was Mandalay Bay. They had some really neat fountains.
COVID NOTES:
Excalibur: Shows, many food/drink places, and the arcade are closed. Hand sanitizer stations around the casino.
Luxor: Hand sanitizer stations, shows closed.
New York New York: Hand sanitizer stations. New York’s arcade and some rides were open.
Mandalay Bay: Buffet closed, but many other food places open. Hand sanitizer stations available.
Pools: At one time you could rent cabanas and beach chairs to the various hotel pools. However, now you have to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy the pools.
After brunch at the Wicked Spoon, we decided to walk the Strip. We had parked the car at the Cosmopolitan before breakfast. Many of the casinos on the Strip were offering free self-parking. The Cosmopolitan’s garage was under the hotel/casino and was really neat. Each parking spot had a sensor which would glow green if empty and red if occupied. The end of the rows also told how many available spots there were.
We wandered through the Cosmopolitan to exit onto Las Vegas Blvd. The casino had a hands free motion activated door opener, which was neat.
When we made it out onto the Strip, it was a little after 10:00 am and already very sunny and warm.
Our first stop was the Bellagio. They still had the beautiful flowers on the ceiling that I remembered from years ago. The boys said they were neat, but I think that was more to appease me than anything else.
They did like the Conservatory. It was set up for Fall and contained a woodland scene. It was amazing. It had to have taken so much time to set up. There were fountains, flower covered mushrooms and trees, a talking tree, a tree house, flickering dragonflies, and a large tree you walked through. I have a quick video on YouTube that shows the display.
Next we headed to Caesars Palace. We walked through the Forum Shops. The Atlantis show was cancelled, but we still got to see the different statues and the sky ceiling. The fish tank was fun to watch as well. There was even a COVID-19 Essentials store which sold a large variety of face masks. We took the spiral escalator down (because when are we going to see one of those again?) and headed back out to the Strip.
Our next stop was the Mirage. We saw the waterfall in the front (we had just missed seeing it turn into a volcano last night) and the atrium.
We headed over to Treasure Island. The front of this had changed since I was last there. I got to see the Pirate vs British ship and the guy vs girl battle shows in the past. Those are over now, although I wish they still had the Pirate vs British show since the kids would have gotten a kick out of it. The one ship now has what looked like horns on the bow and a large Viking shield by the wheel (even though the boat itself has not changed design and is definitely not a Viking ship). I found this video on YouTube of the original pirate show.
We stopped at the Wynn next. The inside was beautifully decorated. There was a moving carousel made of flowers. The horses even had eyelashes! The nearby walkway had large flower balls hanging from the trees. Further down the path was a hot air balloon also made from flowers (this one didn’t move).
Off to the Venetian! The gondolas were running, so we watched them for a few minutes outside. We wandered around for a little bit inside and found Carlo’s. I used to watch Buddy’s show all the time! We got a cannoli and a lobster tail to try later.
We walked past the LINQ. We’re hoping to do the High Roller Wheel later in our stay.
We stopped in Paris for pastries and bought an eclair and an apple pie tart.
Everyone was pretty tired by this point and we still had to walk back to the truck. On the way back, I was slightly envious of all the people with scooters zooming along the sidewalks.
We ended the night with the boys taking a dip in the campground’s pool.
COVID-19 Notes On Las Vegas Casinos:
Because we had the kids with us (and the fact that I am not a big gambler at all), we mostly just walked through the casinos to see what we could see. We stayed on the main walkways for the most part, so these notes are definitely not everything, just what I observed as we walked through.
Bellagio: Throughout the Bellagio, especially at the entrances, they had stations of hand sanitizer and masks available for use. Near the casino floor, they also had a hand washing station. There were floor markers for social distancing at check-in and the Conservatory.
Caesar’s Palace: At the entrances, they had stations of hand sanitizer and a sign with Mr. Las Vegas wearing a mask. Masks were not available at the station we saw, but it did say they were available at the front desk, security, and Rewards Center. When we exited the casino, we did see a mask and hand sanitizer station, so I guess they had masks at select spots. Seating/benches were marked as closed by a sticker, but not roped off, so many people ignored the signs.
Mirage: We didn’t explore the whole gaming floor since we had the kids with us. The blackjack tables did have plastic dividers between players.
Treasure Island: This was the worst casino we have seen so far on the trip. The main entrance off the strip did not have hand sanitizer or masks. The doors are not touch-less to enter. I was glad I had my own sanitizer with me.
Wynn: Hand sanitizer stations available. The roulette wheels had coverings on the outer side near the walkways. Blackjack tables had plastic shields between players.
Venetian: When we entered from the Strip side, there was a hand sanitizer station. They also had a thermal temperature scanner that took temperature readings as guests walked in. There was even a staff member standing at the top of the escalator telling people to fix their masks if they had it on wrong (not covering their nose, etc.). Poker tables had plastic dividers between players.
Paris: Social Distancing floor stickers by restaurants. Mask stations.
If you have met my children, you know they are bottomless pits. Will is also enamored with buffets. We wanted to give him the Las Vegas buffet experience (while social distancing), but only three were open before our trip (Wynn, Cosmopolitan, and Southpoint). By the time we checked in, the Wynn had closed their buffet again stating customers didn’t like the new way of ordering from a menu instead of walking a buffet line.
We ended up making reservations for Sunday breakfast/brunch at the Wicked Spoon in the Cosmopolitan. Reservations are recommended, as they have reduced seating to allow for social distancing. Drinks (non-alcoholic) are included in the cost of the buffet ($39/adults, $20 children ages 4-10). Your time slot is for 2 hours. Ben and I were both done at the 1 hour mark, but the boys kept on eating. Nick tapped out at 1.5 hours, but Will went to the very end.
The Wicked Spoon was located on the second floor and is nicely decorated. I’m always a sucker for glass decorations on ceilings. The brunch buffet has a wide variety from traditional scrambled eggs to fried rice. See a video of all the delicious action on our YouTube Channel here.
You can walk the line and see the food options, although you have to stand behind the roped off area. There are several staff members at the different stations who will hand you the dish you want. This actually made the experience better, it made it seem more personal and attentive.
Everything was cutely plated: fried chicken in little fryer baskets, eggs in Mason jars, rice in small take-out containers. The food was delicious and fresh. Ben’s favorite was the Vanilla Yogurt and Fresh Berry Parfait, Will’s favorite was either the home-style potatoes or the Watermelon Sorbet, Nick’s favorite was the Mousse Dome (because it had a piece of gold leaf on top and he can now say he ate gold), and my favorite was either the layered Bailey’s dessert bar or the caprese salad.
The buffet line even had a few TVs that show random food facts and information, which was fun to read. We learned a few new things. For example: Peperonata is Italian and is a mix of garlic, tomatoes, onions and peppers cooked in olive oil. It can be served hot or cold.
It was a very nice experience with great food, social distance, and awesome restaurant staff. They did a very nice job. Our table server, Herman, was attentive and extremely nice.
Ben’s Review:
Cosmopolitan- Wicked Spoon Review, Sunday Brunch 9/20/2020 Pandemic Changes $170 + tip ($30). Better than a normal buffet – White glove service, very attentive server, handed food, Still let’s you see the food, 2 hour limit gives you an order end (not that you really need 2 hours), elegant space.
Dark horse buffet winners:
Vanilla berry parfait. Fresh berries, right sugar level, just outstanding. I don’t normally even eat yogurt, so this blew me away.
Eggs Benedict: Again I would never order this at a restaurant, but since we were at a buffet, I went for it. I only planned on eating a bite to see how it tasted. I gobbled up the whole thing. They poached the egg perfectly so it had a warm gooey yolk. What a treat!
Don’t miss:
Gelatto: I went with an out of the box item for me (Pistachio) because the server recommended it. So amazing.
Scrambled eggs: These come in little jars that keep the eggs moist and at the peak of freshness. Above and beyond being cute, they tasted perfect.
Items to skip:
Crab: this is a hard one to do right on a buffet, so I normally skip it. But it was Vegas, so….same disappointment. It’s sloppy and tough to eat. This version was overly salty.
Tips:
1. Go early: Less COVID chance, more space, no lines.
2. Talk to the servers handing you the food. They seemed to love it. They don’t want to be “servants.” Humility goes a long way. Ask them what they recommend. Tell them they are doing a great job.
It was time to leave Utah and move on to Nevada. Our next stop was Las Vegas. Ben and I have both been here before, but it’s been about 14 years for me.
We got checked into our campground and set up. So far, this is not my favorite campground, but I will get more into that when we do our review.
After getting set up, we drove to Costco. (Are you noticing a theme yet? 😉 ) This Costco sold propane per gallon from a large tank and had a large wine and liquor selection. Ben bought me a wine advent calendar! The food court was similar to others we have seen (mostly pizza, hot dogs, ice cream), but it had a window where you could watch them make the pizza. They had a cool machine that puts on the sauce, which was fun to watch.
After putting the groceries away, we headed down to Las Vegas. Our first stop was the Fremont Street Experience. Masks are required in Nevada and it wasn’t anywhere near as crowded as I remember it being. There were several street performers/buskers, some of which were not wearing a ton of clothing. The ceiling still changes and is very bright. It was fun, but seemed to be half ads instead of the crazy light show I remember it being. It was still the first time the boys had seen it, so they thought it was neat. They had a Covid safety message that would routinely show as well. (YouTube link here.)
We then drove down the Strip. It was starting to really light up at this point, which is always amazing to see. Ben managed to have perfect timing in the traffic and we were stopped at a red light right in front of the Bellagio when the fountain show went off! It was spectacular as always. Driving past New York New York, the Statue of Liberty was dressed in a Raiders jersey and a mask.
Getting back on the highway to drive home, we saw a glitter covered minivan. The back said “life without sparkles…is not life at all”.
For our time in Hurricane, Utah, we stayed at WillowWind RV Park. They offer mostly back-in sites, some pull-throughs, as well as a few teepees to sleep in. They offer 20/30/50 amps, WIFI, cable (if you bring your own coaxial cable), laundry, and a clubhouse. Their rates were for 2 people and you have to pay for any others over two. When we booked, they were still cheaper, even with having to pay for the kids, than other campgrounds available in the area.
It is close to grocery stores, restaurants, and the post office. They do sell ice, although they did tell me at check-in that it was cheaper at the local grocery store. There were a few times that we walked to the grocery store, Wendy’s, and the post office since they were only a couple of blocks away. There are even more options for restaurants and shopping (Target, Costco, Walmart, etc.) in St. George, which is about 15-20 minutes away.
Office, fire pit by office, laundry room by office, and gym
There are two laundry rooms: one by the office and one by the rear bath bathrooms/shower house. We used the laundry by the office. Both were close to us, but once the loads were started, we would go to the clubhouse and the boys could play pool. The laundry room had plenty of machines, a single use detergent vending machine, and a table for folding. The cost per load of laundry varied. They had regular sized washers for $2.00/load and the dryer $1/load. The laundry room by the office had a mega washer that could hold up to 5 loads. This washer was $4.25/load and the neighboring commercial sized dryer cost $0.25/8 minutes.
Back shower/bath house. The second laundry room is the middle door, with bathrooms/showers on either side. The outdoor dog wash is the green tub on the side of the building.
The campground was dog friendly (had a dog fenced in area by office, outdoor dog wash tub by rear bathhouse, a walking area in back). There was a small gym, a clubhouse (offered books, puzzles, a kitchen, and a pool table), community fire pits (located by the office and rear bathhouse), and a horseshoe pit in the back. Individual sites did not have picnic tables, firepits, or grills. I did see a few charcoal grills around (one by the teepees, a few by a lane of RVs). There also wasn’t a swimming pool, which in the 100+ degrees, would have been nice.
Clubhouse
The sites were paved, had grass, and trees for shade. They did have sprinklers for the grass that went off every day. One of the sprinklers seemed to be awfully close to our electric box. Several long term residents had sprinkler guards (similar to these*) set up to protect their electric where it plugs in at the box. We used an empty plastic bin to keep the water off and it seemed to work. The campground seemed to be a mix of travelers and long term residents. Everything was well maintained. Our neighbor to the right had a large collection of outdoor plants on an amazing set of shelves. I was totally jealous of all her green. We only brought Nick’s Venus fly traps! I do miss having more plants, but we just don’t have the room for them.
There were several state parks and National Parks nearby. The three closest National Parks were Zion (25-35 minutes), Bryce (2.15 hrs), and the Grand Canyon (2.5 hrs to North Rim). Of course, our definition of close is changing the longer we are on this trip. Two hours would have been an entire day trip before, but now it’s like “well, that’s pretty close, let’s go for a few hours”!
Yesterday was a boring day at the RV. Lots of school work for the boys, work for Ben, and I worked on some outdoor maintenance on the RV.
With our time coming to an end at Zion, I still wanted to get to the Canyon Overlook Trail. After everyone’s work was done for the day, we headed off to Zion. This trail is off of the Zion-Mt. Caramel Highway, right after the tunnel, so you do not need a shuttle pass. Parking is tight. There is only a small lot (compact cars only) with a bathroom across from the trail. However, there are more parking options further up the road (a mix of parking lots and off road parking). We had to drive for a while, turn around, and then come back to find a spot. It was totally worth it though!
This trail begins with stone steps going up the side of the hill. As you walk up, you get a great view of the tunnel. Some of the spots are narrow, some are against the edge of the hillside. There are railings along some of the edges, so no worries about falling over (which if you know my klutziness and Nick, you can understand the worry). You cross a walkway/bridge and come to this great natural overhang. It provided a lot of shade and was a nice break from the sun. There were some plants growing along the back wall, which made for a really neat spot to take a break.
The trail has some really neat rock formations. There were also a few spots for the boys to climb, which is always a big hit. We didn’t see a lot of wildlife, only a lizard and a chipmunk. The chipmunks here are fast! Our chipmunks back home must be lazy, because they don’t move anywhere near as fast as these ones do.
At the end of the trail is the overlook. You can see the road leading up to the tunnel, Zion Canyon, Pine Creek Canyon, Bridge Mountain, West Temple, Alter of Sacrifice, Streaked Wall, and the Sentinel. They have a sign that points out the different views, which I really found helpful.
It was a great hike and I am glad we got it in!
On our way out of the park, we stopped at the Museum. The museum itself is closed (COVID), but you can park in the parking lot and take a trail or look at the views. There are a few informational signs around, one of which is about a natural bridge (arch) along the mountainside. I never would have noticed it without the sign, it blended in so well. We also saw a whiptail lizard along the fence line.
Every time we drive back to the campground from Zion, we pass a historical marker sign. We had never stopped before, but today I decided to see what it was. It was the coolest marker ever. The mesa on the other side of the road has a rocket sled test track! I didn’t even know such a thing existed.
I have new posts coming, I just ran a little behind!
However, I got an email this morning from the National Parks about free days coming up! Mark your calendars for 9/26 and 11/11! These are the last two days this year with entrance fees waived to the National Parks.
We have loved each of our adventures so far at the National Parks. We received our America The Beautiful annual pass as a gift before leaving on our adventure (Thanks, Mom!). Even if we had to purchase it ($80), it would have been totally been worth it. It pays for itself in about 2.5/3 visits. (For example, Yellowstone is $35 for a week pass/$70 for annual pass to just Yellowstone. Rocky Mountain is $25 for a day pass/$70 for annual pass to just Rocky Mountain. Rocky Mountain is requiring daily time reservations for entry, so they are not selling a week pass right now.)
Our passes weren’t until 11:00, so we packed up some snacks and lots of water. Everyone dressed in wicking clothes so we would dry off faster. We headed towards Zion a little early because I was worried about parking. The Visitor Lot fills up really quickly and although you can park in the town of Springdale and take their shuttle to Zion, I really wanted to park inside the park. I figured that after hiking we would be tired and would want to be able to leave as soon as possible.
We picked up our hiking gear (Zion Guru) and went into the park. I would say we got there around 9:45/10:00 am and the lot was half to 3/4 full. We had already put on our socks and boots at the store. Zion’s Visitor Center was closed (COVID), but they had lots of informational signs outside. We read those for a while and then attended a Ranger Program at 10:30. It was about mountain lions and was pretty interesting. Did you know they can leap 45 feet?!
A little before 11:00 we boarded the shuttle and headed in. We were going to do the Narrows hike that does not require a permit (Bottom-Up), the one that starts at the end of Riverside Trail (stop 9 on the shuttle). It is listed as a moderate to strenuous trail; how hard the hike is depends on water depth and flow.
The start of The Narrows Trail at the end of Riverside Trail.
It was surprisingly busy. The river was pretty shallow at the entrance point here, although it is still cold. You could probably walk here with just sandals on. The farther in you go, there are sections that got up to upper thigh on me. (Later in the hike, we heard other people talking that it was chest high farther down. The man was at least 6 foot tall, so I’m glad we didn’t get that far!)
Some spots in the river were clear and you could see the rocks and judge your path. Some spots were murky, I’m not sure if it was the crowd that stirred it up or the algae, but you couldn’t see the bottom. We were so glad to have the hiking poles to test the depth in front of us.
We saw plants growing from the walls, lots of different sizes and colors of rocks, Mystery Falls (a waterfall), Wall Street (narrowest part), and the Floating Rock (boulder in the middle of the river). We made it a little past the floating rock and decided to turn around. The Narrows is an in-and-out hike, and we were already tired. Everyone, except Will, had fallen at least once.
On our way back, Nick fell several more times in a row. We stopped and made sure he ate some peanut butter crackers and drank more water. After resting a few minutes, we started back again.
Ben jarred his back when he stepped in a hole. I tripped on a rock I couldn’t see and fell face first into the water. I will say I am glad we had on the water shoes that went above the ankle. I am sure I would have twisted something if I was in gym shoes. Will was still the winner at the end of the trail and had not fallen once!
We were exhausted when we were done. The shuttle line was long, and I would say we waited 45-60 minutes. We did see some deer and wild turkey while we waited. (YouTube video of walking the line for the shuttles.)
We returned our gear and headed home to take showers.
It was a once in a lifetime experience and really neat! If you were to hike the Narrows, I would definitely recommend renting equipment. The neoprene socks helped with the cold water and not having wet cotton socks rubbing on our feet was definitely a plus. The water shoes/boots were surprisingly helpful. Even the broom handle-ish walking stick seemed better suited than our normal walking sticks.
