Bright Lights, Big City

We got an early start leaving San Diego headed for Vegas...we knew it would be one of our longer driving days, and we wanted to get into town in time to see some of the sights. We had also seen that the Mojave National Preserve was along our planned route - and were considering a stop - which we did. When we arrived at the Vistor's Center in Kelso, the temperature was a sweltering 103 degrees - a far cry from the 60 degrees it was in San Diego when we pulled out.

From the coast to the desert in just a few hours was a bit of a shock to our system. Hike, anyone? The sand dunes sounded interesting, but the thought of walking 3 hours out and back across reflective, white sand wasn't too appealing. And the hike through the Joshua tree forest was also intriguing, but then I remembered that Joshua trees aren't known for the amount of shade they provide... Hmmm - maybe a drive-through tour of this park would suffice. So drive through we did - after lunch and a close encounter with a train that came right past the front of the Visitor's Center (which used to be an old train depot). After standing mere feet from the train as it flew past, Isaac declared that his visit was complete and we could move on. The trees were beautiful on our way out of the park...from the somewhat cooler inside of the truck. Note to self - visit "desert" parks in the cooler seasons...

Moving on. Vegas greeted us mid-afternoon and we got set up at the KOA campground on the property of Circus Circus, right on the Strip. Unfortunately, the heat from the desert followed us all the way there... Oh yeah, Vegas is the desert - right. Since there was no way that our camper was going to cool down while sitting in the middle of an asphalt jungle, we got back in the truck to try and knock out a few errands that had been building up - primarily a grocery run, since we sort of skipped that in San Diego in favor of more amusing pursuits. We checked out the aquarium at the Silverton casino, ran by Target and grabbed some dinner when we realized that the night was closing in on us. Oh well, groceries would have to wait again (just have to get more creative for another day). The sights and sounds of Vegas were calling...and we left dinner to a sunset and a lit-up Strip. The first stop was the famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign where we had to wait for a couple who was re-newing their vows (dressed in a wedding gown and tux, complete with photographer and officiant) before we could take a photo - oh, please...

We cruised down the Strip and listened as the kids gasped and squealed at all of the lights. They loved identifying all of the hotels that they had seen lego models of at Legoland only the day before...the Luxor, MGM, Paris Las Vegas, and New York, New York among others. Then we got parked and made a bee-line for our first destination - M&M's World. Isaac, lover of all things chocolate, could barely imagine what he would find. When we arrived, even Abby was awed by the wall of M&M's in every color imaginable. We wandered the four floors for the full shopping experience before leaving with a small sample bag in the hands of each child, where they had put together a mottled rainbow of various colors and flavors. M&M's World - check.

Since it was getting late, we raced off to the Bellagio to catch a fountain show - just making the 10pm after dragging the kids through various questionable activities along the way. Isaac was fading fast, so we plopped both kids on the wall and watched as the fountains and lights danced to Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon." Abby loved it, but I'm not sure that Isaac will remember much - sitting still on the wall for just a few minutes had completed his slide into a state of severe sleepiness. So off we went to find a cab and head back to the car, which was at the other end of the Strip. Back at the camper, with the kids tucked into bed, Matt and I both agreed that the big city experience was fun...but we were ready to be back in the national parks.

Tracy