We decided to enjoy the buffet breakfast in the hotel this morning to ensure the kids had a decent meal, not knowing when the next one would be! (Goodness that sounds like a third world problem when it is really a first world one…)
Ross dropped us to the location to pick up the motorhome while he returned our rental car. The kids happily played in the parking lot for the three hours we were there (!) and I went through our paperwork. In the months leading up to the trip we made a list of locations we knew we were visiting and invited the kids to research cities so we would be informed once we arrived there. Now that we have left San Diego I have reviewed the research done on it, and we didn’t even try to scratch the surface! We didn’t leave Carlsbad or even Legoland, so will have to add it to the list of “places to return to one day”.
Our motorhome was finally ready just after 1.30pm, which the kids boarded with great excitement. We then began the five hour trip to Las Vegas, stopping just after 3pm for lunch when the excitement wore off slightly and their hunger took over their interest in anything else. We found a new franchise chain, Ono Hawaiian BBQ, which actually served rice and salad with their chicken and beef dishes – no fries in sight! – and congratulated ourselves on the choice.
We arrived in Las Vegas about 7.30pm, and went straight to an RV park behind Circus Circus which Ross’ parents recommended because they had stayed there the previous night. It is the only RV park on The Strip, so is great for its proximity to all the action, but does charge accordingly for the privilege. After a quick dinner, we tried to unpack properly and set up the motorhome, but that task is ENORmous, so we drove down the Strip to show the kids the lights and then returned to walk through Circus Circus. Being a Monday night, the Adventuredome inside (a mini-carnival/Timezone setup) had closed at 10pm instead of midnight, which I wasn’t really sorry about because it saved me money! There was a stage set up like inside a circus tent and the next acrobatic show was scheduled for 11.45pm but it was already 11.20 and we didn’t think we could keep the kids on their feet that long, so we returned to the RV for sleep. On the walk back, Sam produced a dime he had found on the casino floor. He had wanted to put it into the adults’ games (ie. poker machines), but I told him to just be happy to be one of the few people who left such a place with more money than when they arrived! 😉