Las Vegas - Day 5 - August 31st, 2015

Long but amazing day today ... We got up early to catch our bus to the Grand Canyon. The bus arrived at 6:15 to take us on our way. It's a four hour drive each way so a bus tour worked out well and allowed for some relaxation along the way. We watched some funny movies on the bus - RV Vacation with Robin Willams and Vegas Vacation with the Grizwalds.  Our guide Mark from 1-800-4-Canyon was great and very knowledgeable. We stopped in Williams for lunch at the Grand Canyon Railway & Hotel. The buffet lunch was minimal but it filled my belly. We stocked up on candy at the Dollar General because it's way cheaper than candy on the strip. We travelled along Route 66 for a bit and I would love to drive it start to finish one day ... What's left of it anyway. We finally arrived at the Canyon just after lunch and my first glimpse of it was breathtaking. We saw the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone earlier this summer but this was just WOW!! Our tour took us to the South Rim and we walked along the trail to Angel Stone, which was about a 5km walk. I'm pretty proud of myself as I got waaaay closer to the edge than I thought I would. My husband on the other hand had to go out on the edge of every cliff, hang over the edges and climb out to some crazy places. I'm happy to say that he also came home in one piece. Again, my pictures will not do justice to the beautiful scenery but I got some stunning shots. The bus ride back was pretty quiet and uneventful. Although, there was an accident on the other side of the highway which started a brush fire that we drove through. Stopped at Carl Jr's on the back for dinner - meh! Saw the Hoover Dam light up at night which was pretty cool. It's twelve stories high and pretty breathtaking to look at. Finally, arrived back at our hotel at about 9:30. The guys went out gambling again and I'm exhausted. Night all!

Our travels took us onto Route 66 for a bit. 

The Grand Canyon

Crazy ... ?!?

Not as close as it looks!

The Grand Canyon

Las Vegas - Day 4 - August 30th, 2015

Today it was a little easier to get up as our neighbours partied themselves out last night. Got up, claimed our spots at the pool and then it was back to Fat Burgers for Breakfast, which was yummy as usual. We went to the pool until just after lunch, and left before things got too crazy. We headed out on the Deuce to the outlet mall which was just okay. No great deals out there especially with our dollar in the toilet!! We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory which was fabulous!! I'll need to go back there again a bunch of times so I can try everything!! After the outlets we headed to Old Vegas on the Ace and walked down Freemont Street. It's pretty spectacular lit up at night. My biggest disappointment was that I didn't get to "zoom", which is a giant zip line that goes from one end of Freemont to the other. You get to fly like superman seven stories above the crowds. It would have been awesome but the wait was too long and it probably wasn't the best idea with a belly full of cheesecake!! We saw some "interesting" sites as we walked along. We took the Ace and headed back to the Strip. The guys ditched us and went to Treasure Island to try their luck and the girls headed back to the hotel, completely exhausted! Up early tomorrow morning to go see the Grand Canyon ... Excited!!

Welcome sign on Freemont Street

Salted Caramel Cheesecake ... Yum!

Not me Zooming along Freemont Street

The lights on Freemont Street

Day 3 - Las Vegas - August 29th, 2015

Today was a little slower paced. Woke up a bit later due to the party room next door. They came crashing in around 4:30am and the returned again after round two at about 6:30am. Not to thrilled to share in their party!! We had the all day buffet at the hotel today. So headed down for breakfast at about 8:30am and ate waaaay to much as you normally do at an all you can eat buffet. Headed to the pool early and spent most of the day pool side. Made many visits to the lazy river to cool off and of course for the entertainment!! Finally, had enough sun and headed back to the buffet for a late lunch. Learned my lesson and had a much smaller meal. Went up to the room for a nap and shower (rough day so far) after that. Then it was off to Treasure Island on the Duece bus to see Cirque Du Soliel's Mystere. It is the original Cirque show here in Vegas and it was amazing!! The acrobatics were unbelievable. I can't say I've ever seen a bad cirque show!! Had to stop and play the slots for a bit. Had a gentleman come up to us and ask if he could take a picture of our feet for his Facebook page ... Ummm, no!! That's a bit creepy!! Headed back to our hotel for a very late dinner, then it's off to bed for the girls while the guys head out to win big!! Fingers crossed ... I cashed out a biggie today and increased my winnings by .25 cents, yup ... Big winner!! Night all!

Cool motorcycle at Treasure Island

Cirque - Mystere

Big winner!! Oh yeah!!

Having fun!!

Las Vegas - Day 2 - August 28th, 2015

Busy day today ... Woke up around 5:30, but managed to fall back to sleep until 6:30. Got up and went to our favourite breakfast spot Fat Burgers on the Strip and had some bacon and eggs. Did a little shopping, went into Ross, Famous Footwear, Marshalls and the M&M store. The slots weren't as nice to us today and I lost all my money I put in but after my big win last night I'm still up $2!! Went to the pool for the afternoon because it is hot, hot, hot here ... The pool was good and very entertaining - if you know what I mean!! Did laps around the lazy river to stay cool and to people watch ... More entertainment!  Went to 800 Degrees and ate some delicious pizza for dinner. The girls were going to go see a show but the one we wanted to see wasn't on so we decided to go to the Aquarium at Mandalay Bay and check out the Sharks. The guys went to the Belagio and Caesar's to do a little gambling. Lots of walking today, I'm exhausted ... Night all!

M&M Store

Mandalay Bay Aquarium

The Strip

My view of the Strip from our room. 

Las Vegas - Day 1 - August 27th, 2015

We left home around dinner time and arrived in Las Vegas at 10:30pm (1:30am our time). Our flight was uncomfortable but uneventful. After the third hour I discovered the head rest folded out to support you head and I was able to nap peacefully! We had a great cabbie from the airport who recommended dinner at The Top of the World restaurant in the Stratosphere and to go see the Cirque du Soliel show Mystere. The Monte Carlo is not as grand as the MGM but it's a nice spot. Once we put our stuff in our rooms we headed down stairs in search of a snack. For a city that never sleeps they don't keep their food outlets open late ... Alas, no snack for my rumbling tummy!! However, I did double my money already ... Bet two dollars and won $5 on the Big Bang Theory slot machine. Pretty excited!! Let's hope my winning streak continues ... If I keep going like this I could come home with an extra $40 bucks!! It is now 4am at home so time to hit the hay and call it a night!! The guys are still out gambling ... Win big, boys, win big!!  Sweet dreams everyone ... 😴