Viva Las Vegas

Leaving Tucson early in the morning, we had every intention of making the push to our final destination of Reno, Nv that day. However, sometimes in life you need to roll with the changes. We could’ve driven the entire 13hrs it was gonna take due to the weather system moving through the area, or we could use this as a sign that maybe it was an omen of some sort to seek out another option. Who knew that option would be Sin City…

Halfway between Tucson and Las Vegas, Jennifer and I had made the decision that because of the winter weather moving in along our route and the fact that we’d never been to Vegas, now would be a good time to stop and break this last leg of the trip up a little bit more. The girls were already excited because they knew we had to drive through or slightly around Vegas on our way north and they were hoping to catch a glimpse of the strip with all of its lights. Quietly, Jennifer and I discussed the surprise and located a suitable hotel not far from the strip. This was going to be a fun little surprise for the girls.

Finally crossing the boarder into Nevada, we pulled off at an observation lot to checkout the massive Hoover Dam. My parents had been here years and years before and I remember seeing their photos and wishing that I could’ve gone too. Finally, even though we didn’t have time to do a tour, I was there. Taking in the moment with Jennifer and the girls I had that sense of “oh crap, this is for real. We really just drove across the United States and everything is changing” moment. Funny that this was where it finally hit me, but that’s where it chose to pop up. Looking at Jennifer and the girls pointing out a the dam and checking out the new suroundings, I knew everything was going to be ok. After all, it’s just another one of life’s adventures right?

Leaving Hoover Dam we made our way into Sin City and settled in at our hotel. Well, we tossed our bags in and settled the dog in at the hotel. The kids were chomping at the bit to head down to the strip and take in the sights. First on their list was the welcome sign to Las Vegas. Thankfully we had both vehicles with and we were able to find a parking garage close to the strip to park Jennifer’s car in. We made our way down one side of the strip and back up the other, stopping in stores and checking out some of the more famous casinos along the way. Later that evening we had a splendid Italian dinner right on the strip at Giordano’s before making our way back to the hotel for some rest before our final push in the morning.

A Quick Stop In Tucson

After a few days of traveling, it was nice to have a change of pace. Arriving at our friends home in Tucson we quickly transitioned from run, run, run to let’s take care of some life maintenance and take a little time to relax. After starting some laundry, we pulled everything out of the van to clean and do a reset. If you’ve traveled long enough you know that not everything ends up back where it belongs and sometimes it just feels good to clean and reset everything.

It was a welcomed change of pace. Once the life maintenance things were mostly completed, we enjoyed our time with our friends hanging out in their beautiful oasis that they had created in their backyard. After a little relaxation we escaped the afternoon heat at one of their favorite restaurants and enjoyed some exquisite mexican cuisine and grandiose margaritas. The food and drinks were excellent as was the company. After making a loop around Tucson to take in the urban sights we retired to the backyard oasis and enjoyed one anothers company before calling it a night.

The next morning we arose to the sounds of birds chirping and a beautiful Arizona sunrise. The early morning air was cool as we made our way to the Catalina Foot Hills and Finger Rock Trailhead. Here we were treated to a beautiful hike amongst the saguaro cacti and the rugged landscape. The views were breathtaking and it was our first up close experience with the massive yet beautiful saguaros. We were surprised to learn about how old each of them were. Did you know that a saguaro cactus can reach 40ft in height? Did you also know that they grow rather slowly, taking up to ten years to grow an inch, and 70 years to reach 6.5 ft tall? At that height, they supposedly can start to flower for the first time in their lives. Upon reaching the age of 95-100 years old, a saguaro cactus’ height may measure up to 15-16 ft. We were floored learning this information, especially given the fact that we were standing in a valley surrounded by giant saguaro cacti!

Departing the trail, before the heat of the day really set in, we made our way to a quaint little farmers market in town before retiring back to the backyard oasis. Here we spent the rest of the day enjoying each other’s company with a little bit of tinkering on an old Landy Hi-Cap pick-up truck thrown in for good measure.

The next morning we set off to explore the Mission of San Xavier del Bac. The missing was founded by Padre Kino in 1692 and is Arizona’s oldest European structure as well as a masterpiece of Spanish Colonial architecture. The Mission was gorgeous as were the views outside. Truly a place to experience if you ever have the chance. Side note, it’s also the first place that we experienced a Roadrunner in the wild. Trivial for some I’m sure but for us, being from the east coast this was an exciting thing to see. After the mission we indulged in a local favorite known as BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs. I know, I know… Those two things don’t seem like they go together but you’re totally wrong and so was I. It reminded me of a Chicago style hotdog with a Mexican twist and it was delicious!

On our last night of visiting our friends, we loaded the vehicles in preparation for our early morning departure and settled in to an amazing dinner that they had prepared. Food, laughter, great company and sometimes a drink truly do wonders for the soul.

Off To A Bad Start

Our trip west to Nevada didn’t start exactly as we’d hoped. Before we could leave Virginia, we needed to wrap things up on our rental home and do our final walk throughs with the property management. This meant we needed a place to stay, since we couldn’t be in the house and all of our things were in a container. So we rented a cute little cottage on the York River. However, cute doesn’t always mean a good idea. Well that’s not fair, it was a great place to stay, just not at the time we did it. You see, the cottage was built in the 1920’s and it wasn’t what I’d call thermally efficient. If you don’t know what I’m getting at, it’s a really nice way of saying it didn’t hold heat very well and it was frickin’ cold in Virginia that week! We did our best to stay warm, but ultimately Jennifer and the girls came down with some nasty head colds between the cold nights and all of the running around we were doing trying to get things done. This ultimately affected the first 3 days of the trip. North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Louisiana were just flashes in the pan as we blazed southwest chasing warmer weather. We had every intention of stopping in New Orleans along the way, but with highs in the low 30’s and 20mph sustained winds meant it was a no go with sick kids. The first few days were literally spent driving and our nights were spent resting and recovering in hotel rooms. Not a very glamorous start, I know.

Things started to change when we hit Texas though. Temps started to warm up as we breezed through eastern Texas, ultimately stopping in the center of the state at San Antonio. Here we rented a VRBO for a few days. This allowed the kids to recover and all of us to do a reset, knock out some laundry and do a little exploring. We’d heard a lot of good things about San Antonio from almost everyone we knew, so we were keen to get out and explore the city.

The first day consisted mostly of taking care of life maintenance things like laundry and checking out Jennifer’s car that had developed a hard crank/start issue somewhere along the way from Virginia. With laundry done and a loose camshaft position sensor connector locked back into place, we were ready to see what San Antonio was about.

We started off by visiting the old Pearl brewery as the city had revitalized this district and turned the grounds into an outdoor entertainment/shopping venue filled with little boutiques and eateries. Most of this was closed early in the morning when we visited, but we hear it’s a popular place to chill at in the evenings. Next we made our way to the Alamo district. Starting at the famous River Walk, we made our way along the shops and restaurants until we reached Casa Rio, which was the first restaurant to open its doors on the River Walk back in 1946. The food was amazing and well worth the visit. After lunch, we finished walking the loop and made our way to a place I’ve wanted to visit since I was a kid.

The Alamo is an interesting place to experience. This small mission, in the heart of the bustling city, embodies everything Texas. Defiance to the end and bravery beyond comprehension. The shear scale of the Santa Anna’s forces outside of the mission walls is hard to judge with the surrounding buildings and cityscape, but the historical placards and dioramas placed around the site do an excellent job of helping you see past that. What it must’ve been like to be inside of those walls with the constant bombardment and impending doom…..

Finishing up at the Alamo, we made a quick trip back to our VRBO to let Zephyr out and take a break before heading back to the River Walk for dinner and a cruise. Yes, we did the touristy thing and took the river cruise at night. It was actually pretty amazing and we learned all sorts of interesting facts about how the river walk was conceived and constructed as well as the history of the buildings and the area. Well worth it in our minds and we highly recommend that if you’re ever in San Antonio, you do the same….