From the sublime to the ridiculous…

On the way to Vegas we stopped at Bryce Canyon, this was to be our ‘cool down’ walk after the Grand Canyon, our legs were still aching but we thought it would be a good idea to ‘walk it off’. We planned a little jaunt around Bryce Canyon – my goodness it is incredibly beautiful. The little jaunt turned into something a lot longer and a lot steeper, we didn’t take enough water so we became hot, thirsty, grumpy, tired and exhausted very quickly.

We needed to rest, so where better to rest than – LAS VEGAS?

We were all looking forward to our Las Vegas trip not only to stay in a nice hotel but we were meeting up with our friends Annemarie, Polo, Dana and Mary.

We chose Casino Royale because it was on the strip, it was small and it had a pool. It was a good choice. The kids were amazed as we walked through casino to get to the reception.

What was not so good were the bloody temperatures, it’s was 45* in Vegas, which meant not a lot of outdoor time! The crowded concrete streets and traffic fumes all added to the unbearable stifling heat. On the flip side, everywhere is of course air conditioned but this too poses problems – dry skin and crusty noses. Even the swimming pool gave no relief, we only ventured in there after sunset in hope it would cool us down.

Spending time with our friends was a delight and a welcome change from just the four of us. Henna and Arlo particularly enjoyed Dana and Mary’s company, two teenage girls to bow to their every whim.

Purple Reign (Prince tribute act) we’re playing at the Tropicana, I’d heard good things about them and convinced John, Anne Marie and Polo to go, whilst Dana happily ‘babysat’. They were actually quite good, very cabaret with ‘appearances’ from Morris Day, Jerome, Apollonia 6 and Vanity. Jason Tenner was a good impersonator – but it wasn’t HIM. I was worried I would feel sad or morose or even worse irritated by these people but actually, the musicians were excellent and the singing was ok, I was happily entertained.

The 8 of us did manage a few hours of walking up and down the strip, dipping in and out of casinos and hotels for the coolness.

Our friends sadly had to leave after two days so 8 had once again become 4.

Circus Circus has an indoor Adventuredome (funfair) – this is where we were heading. We cruised around checking out the rides and we found an ‘unlimited arcade games area. It was all old games like Pacman and Teken. Four hours later, they’d had enough, their eyes were square.

Our special treat for us and the kids was tickets to go and see Cirque Du Soleil, Mystere. Henna’s (and mine) current obsession is The Greatest Showman and anything circusy. My goodness this is one fantastic show. It completely blew us all away. We had great seats and the show was spectacular. I spent the whole show just smiling, looking up in awe and amazement. The costumes were unbelievable and beautiful, the skill, strength and genius of the artists was incredible. We all came out of the Treasure Island hotel theatre buzzing, inspired and hyper.

Our final day in Las Vegas saw me doing three weeks worth of washing in the laundromat and John took the kids bowling. This suited me as I’d rather be washing clothes – I can’t stand bowling.

Next stop, Kings Canyon National Park. A cabin in the woods surrounded by giant Sequioa Trees, majestic and beautiful.

And even better, the temperature has dropped to 24*!