Las Vegas Getaway and Hiking Charleston Peak
Another GottaGetGone adventure? Well, that idea went up in dust...
I'm not one for road trips, but I got an amazing deal on a Hilton Grand Vacation Weekend in Las Vegas after booking a stay in San Francisco through the Hilton concierge. Of course this is all about the big sell and time share purchases, but I'll take a Grand Vacation anyday.
We decided that while we are there, we would possibly hike the Rings Trail on the drive there and then hike Charleston Peak (11,912 ft) within the next day or two. These are both great hikes and we could spend some time getting away from it all. We planned to day hike at least one, but hopefully two days and were loaded down with plenty of gear to do so.
We left on Wednesday after work and decided to divide the drive into 2 parts.
So we drove to Bakersfield first. Had a quick bite to eat at Black Bear Diner and stayed the night at Hampton Inn - Bakersfield. We awoke to a buffet breakfast and ready to hit the road again!
Thursday (First Saturday)
Any day after the day you get off of work is Saturday.
The Thursday weather for the drive in. 47 mph winds and gusts up to 60. I've been at peaks with winds like this, it's windy, but we deal with it. I had no idea that in the desert, this creates an entirely different problem. But we kept pressing on in our little rental car. We are still thinking that we may be able to get in a hike of the rings trail today, so we keep driving.
Who knew that in a few hours, that would all change...
It's a good thing we are very adaptable.
Driving through Death Valley with an LP song Lost on You on the album Death Valley playing on the radio! What are the odds of that?
Our rental car wasn't this small, but it felt like it haha. We made a pit stop at Home Depot and Chris had to revisit his childhood for a minute and drive the cart. Vroooom, vroooom. As he clutched the steering wheel, a big gust of wind came up and nearly stole his hat. Quickly reminding us that the winds are continuing to increase.
Dust anyone?
The roads were getting totally covered with dust at times. I'd never experienced a dust storm like this before, so this was interesting to say the least. Um, I don't think we are hiking today...
NOPE. Hike cancelled. The dust was like a sand blaster. Hiking in that would be no fun unless you are looking to lose a layer or two of skin... No thank you.
So we drove straight on through to Las Vegas.
At last, we finally arrived and checked into the Hilton Grand Vacations Elara.
This hotel is right in the heart of the strip and sits above Planet Hollywood. It also has direct access to the Miracle Mile shops and restaurants. Pretty cool location.
Our room and key. How did they know we were here for an adventure?
The view from our room. Pretty cool!
And then there is the room. This was awesome!! I could live in a place like this. It had everything we need and although it was short on square footage, it was laid out so well that it felt enormous.
I particularly liked the kitchen island that was a sturdy table and chairs. Very cool and sleek.
The living room had a large sofa and fantastic views. The sofa table that surrounded the seating area was full of storage. Great design.
And then there is the bedroom. OMG. This huge jacuzzi tub sits right in the bedroom. We weren't in the room 30 minutes before I was filling this thing up! I took 2 baths the first day and one every day after! LOVE! Especially when I wasn't having to pay for the water.
Once we arrived and checked in, we headed down to the Miracle Mile for a quick lunch at a place that advertised $4.99 for lunch. It was seriously 5 bucks and yummy! Just what we needed after a long drive. Now I think we need a nap.
We both racked out for a couple of hours and woke up ready for an adventure. I decided I would like to hit the gym and then see what the evening has in store. We both made it down for an hour of cardio and such.
And then this warning came over the phone. Seriously?
Oh yeah, they weren't kidding. The wind was whipping so hard it felt like the tower was moving. Oh wait, the tower was moving! And the wind was whistling through any tiny crack in the window seals.
I nearly felt like Dorothy and would quickly be trying to gather my little dog Toto and be talking about there being no place like home...
Somehow we survived the great dust storm of 2017.
We got ready for dinner and went out on the strip. We decided to head over to the Cosmopolitan and see what we could find. We had dinner at a restaurant called Jaleo. Spanish Tapas and yummy wine. They had a delicious pan of Paella cooking and I'm still wishing we'd had some of it, it looked delicious! But we were on a mission to sample small plates and bounce to another venue.
We then headed to Aria. It's only 10pm and NOTHING is open! What?
We were wandering around and found a mexican restaurant called Javiers still open. We had a nice dinner and more wine. By now it's late and we are both pooped.
We went outside and it was COLD and WINDY! No thank you. It seemed to take forever to hail a cab and by the time I was in the cab I was ready for another hot bath!
So that's exactly what we did. Called it a night with a hot bath and bed. We will see what tomorrow brings on this adventure!
The views of Planet Hollywood and the Paris Hotel both day and night. Pretty cool.
FRIDAY (Second Saturday)
We quickly get into the vacation vibe and sleep in again until 10. Have breakfast in the room, workout in the gym and get ready for a little relaxing. Today is the day where I pay for the room by attending a Hilton Grand Vacation timeshare presentation. It's going to take a few hours, but I'm happy to do it, this room is amazing!
After the presentation, I was able to resist the temptation to buy into the timeshare. They did make it very appealing, but I've got other things on my plate right now and I'm sure timeshares will always be available for purchase. Time for another nap!
Then more Sangria and chips on the strip. I love hanging out and watching people walking by. Vegas is never a disappointment when people watching. From the Pikachu in costume to every Elvis variation, some fully clothed, some not and showgirls walking by amongst the crowds, it's very entertaining.
And when surviving storms, you must visit Cabo Wabo and drink Sangria...
And more sangria and maybe some chips and salsa too. We sat here on more than one occasion enjoying this fruity beverage. Yum.
Since it looks like we aren't going to be going hiking any time soon, we should find some things to do while in Vegas... Hmmmmmm, so many options.
We decided to have some dinner and take it from there. We headed over to the Wynn Hotel to see what we could see, thinking there would be good restaurants there. Not so much. And the vibe in that hotel was very weird. Ultra bright and unsettling. Not a place I'd want to hang out. We were seated at an asian fusion restaurant and after looking at the menu, we left. Not what we were in the mood for. We quickly found a bar/Italian restaurant called Allegra - Italian food - Margarita pizza and wine. Was much better and less stuffy. We sat at the bar and enjoyed our meal. We are going to check out David Guetta and see what kind of trouble we can get ourselves into hanging out with the 20 somethings.
We made it into XS Nightclub. Cover is pretty steep here. $75!
Having a great time. We have no problem blending in with the younger crowd. We're barely out of our teens as it is.
We danced and danced and were having a great time. By 1:30am we were both starting to fade and considered leaving. Not sure if DG would actually arrive. Just as we were about to go, he arrived! So glad we stayed. That really stepped things up and we danced until 4am!
Wow! What a fun show!
At 4am we are tired and hungry. We stopped in at a Cafe in Planet Hollywood for a Turkey Club Sandwich. Meh. I could have passed on that. Just show me the bed. I'm worn out!
Saturday (Third Saturday)
I could really get used to this. We were out until 4am, then slept until 11. Had breakfast, hit the gym and another bath in the hot tub. Oh yeah! Oh wait, I think we've earned a nap. Ok, let's do that too.
We headed to Cabo Wabo AGAIN. That place is too much fun. Sitting outside, drinking Sangria, eating chips and salsa, people watching and enjoying each others company. Does it get any better?
Our adventures have been completely sidelined, so it's a complete Vegas weekend. No hiking in sight. We decided to take in a show and landed on Britney Spears.
The show was packed and it was quite a production. She's here through the end of the year.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but thought it would be a little more of a concert.
It was more like a big production and she lip synced the entire show.
Costume and set changes galore. Overall it was fun, but I wouldn't want to see another show like that. I'm not one for over-produced entertainment. I really enjoy the gritty parts of a small venue live show. But hey, it's Vegas. She fit right in.
Sunday (actual Sunday)
Time to head home...
:-(
We slept until 8, had breakfast in the room and packed up. Ready to hit the road by 10.
I am really not one to be trapped in the car for long road trips. This one really pushed the limits of what I can do in a car, but time seems to just fly by when we are together. We enjoy conversation about this and that, listen to all kinds of music and press on. We really lucked out on the drive home and had very little traffic. Made it home in 9.5 hours.
Vegas was a blast. Maybe we will return another time when we can actually hike Charleston Peak and the rings trail. Until next time...
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