I am exhausted, but it was worth it!

Early on Friday morning Brandon and I left on a road trip to Las Vegas, Nevada! The plan was to drive halfway to Barstow to check out the outlets, then to city of Primm on the state line of California and Nevada, and then on to the bright lights of Las Vegas.

The drive was exciting. Not only was I on the way to Vegas, but it was a ROAD TRIP!, and it was through desert. Real desert.

Above: Taking some time to hang out in the desert at Barstow

After a little shopping and a lot of driving in the 96 degree heat of the desert we finally we arrived in Vegas.

We stayed at the Excalibur Hotel, a medieval themed hotel built and decorated like a castle. We had booked the cheapest room we could find on the Strip, but we got a free upgrade to a room with a spectacular view.

Above: The view from the hotel window, looking over New York New York and the MGM Grand. Have a look at the roller coaster ride around New York. Crazy.

By the time we dropped our bags at the hotel and finished swimming in the pool to cool down, it was dinner time. Brandon knew of an awesome seafood buffet in downtown Las Vegas.

After dinner we headed back to the Strip to take in the bright lights of the Vegas casinos and hotels.

Above: The Excalibur Hotel

Below: The Statue of Liberty at NY, NY, the MGM, Monte Carlo, Paris, and the Bellagio

Above: The Arc de Triumph at Paris

Below: Ceasar's Palace

By the time we made it to Ceasar's I was about ready to pass out from exhaustion. Lack of sleep on Thursday night and the heat of Vegas at 3am = time for bed. we decided to call it a night and hit the Bellagio water show, the Venetian, and Treasure Island in the morning.

Saturday, first on the list, the Bellagio water show. We just missed out the 2pm show because we were busy eating hot dogs at NY, NY.

We had a half hour wait for the next show. To entertain ourselves, we had the camera...

The water show at the Bellagio was definitely my favorite part of Vegas. You see it in the movies all the time, but in real life it is 100 times better. The water looks like it's dancing, set in time to "Your Song" by Elton John.

After the show we headed back to the Excalibur to check-out and take some last minute pics of our hotel.

Then we called the bellman and the valet, and took the car down the strip to our last stop, Treasure Island and the Venetian.

After a whirlwind 2 days and 1 night, it was time to head back to California. It was an exhausting trip, but it was worth it. The amazing hotels, seeing the high rollers bet hundred on one hand, and the ability to drink alcohol legally while walking through the bustling Vegas streets was an awesome setting. And on the drive home, we got to see a little piece of the beauty of the Nevada desert...