IMG_2184.jpgI'm a pretty unimpulsive person. I like to approach things in a calculated manner with no surprises, however last week, that all went out the window. A close friend of ours win a week's use of a condo in Las Vegas and invited us to go, not thinking that we'd actually take them up on it. But we did! They had an entire extra suite at their disposal. The trick was that I was still had to work, and my son still had school. 

The hemming and hawing of the decision had to be made by 2:30pm in order to make the last Allegiant flight out of Bellingham in time, and it was nearing 2pm. I consulted with my manager and it was allowed that I was OK to work my 8 hours from the condo in a staggered fashion. C is going well in school, so we figured we could swing it. So at 2pm Jenn clicked 'submit' on the ticket order page and we had 30 minutes to pack.

Packing went ok and we were in the car at 2:30, and we made Bellingham in an hour at fifteen minutes, however C had some  'state report' homework to complete and it was our week to pick up C's crew from afterschool Safety Patrol! D'oh. With some one-the-road finagling, we got it all settled and we were set to go without any further worries.

 

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Boarding the Allegiant flight, 3 hours after we purchased the tickets.

 

Despite our rush to catch the plane, it turns out it was delayed 2 hours anyways. The flight was uneventful and we arrived at KLAS in the late evening. We went to rent our car from Alamo, with our intention to get the usual compact. Then C and I saw it, the metallic gray Fiat 500. Oh yeah.

Jenn did not want anything to do with a rental car that was 6 inches smaller than a Mini Cooper! However, she agreed that if the suitcase fit in the trunk, we could get it. And by the grace of good luck, it did. 

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First stop: In-n-Out!

 

We met up with our friends at the condo and crashed. The next morning we zipped around on errands, I caught up on work, and we headed out to see the Red Rock Canyon. I wasn't sure what to expect, figured it was a series of loop trails. It turns out to be a nice loop you drive in your car with a number of pullouts to stop and take photos or hike, as there were a large number of trails criss-crossing the area. The canyons themselves are beautiful, as the desert can be, and the time of year was perfect for a large number of wildflowers. 

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On the strip we checked out M&M World for the kids and the New York, New York Casino, though it was too windy to ride the coaster. 

The rest of the day was me finishing up work and the fam/friends lounging poolside. The evening The evening was spent touring the central part of the strip, from the Mirage up to Paris. 

The next day, Jenn+C and I went different directions. I went to see the Hoover Dam with the Lees and Jenn and C went to see the strip. Hoover Dam is quite impressive, and the new bypass bridge is literally breathtaking to a person like me who is afraid of heights. I can't imagine all of that traffic used to pass over the dam itself.

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Yes, I really loved this car.

 

That evening we returned to the strip on the south part, from the NYNY, up to the Bellagio. This time we were able to ride the coaster.

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The next day was packing, working and lounging by the pool. I found an hour to spot at KLAS from their viewing area on Sunset road.

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Then we returned the car and flew on home.