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We then headed toward the Strip to park for free behind our hotel, the Planet Hollywood. After circling the block 5 or 6 times, we couldn’t find the oversize parking spots! There went half an hour wasted! Finally, we left the minibus with the valet and checked in to get our 3 reserved rooms. It took a while—another good half-hour! Then we spent quite some time figuring out which elevator would take us to the 38th floor… The room was huge, and the view of the Bellagio fountains was stunning, but it was already 4 p.m.!
We walked along the Strip toward the Venetian to find that famous indoor canal (we wondered how we missed it in 2014!). It was amazing and, all in all, quite peaceful. JF regretted not bringing his camera—so his phone had to do the job!!
On the way out, quick selfies in front of Madame Tussauds museum!!
We passed through all the casinos we encountered on our way to cool off, because the street was like an oven! Annwen played "Marilyn" with her skirt, and JF tried his luck with a $1 machine, but we were quickly shooed away because our kids were watching. Oh well, fortune wasn’t on our side today…
A small noisy crowd caught our attention: a star, surrounded by 2 or 3 bodyguards, a makeup artist constantly touching up her look, and an agent, was crossing the street. Bystanders took photos, hugged her, and snapped selfies… Who was it???
On the way back, we spotted the restaurant for tonight. At 5:50 p.m., after zigzagging through the casino on the ground floor, we went back up to our room and hopped in the shower: 2 in the shower and 2 in the bathtub to save time because we had a meet-up with the rest of the family at 6 p.m.! Papoune told us he took a bath and discovered the shower when he got out of the tub. The bathroom was really huge!!! We had dinner at Bubba Gump—the decor was nice, and the dishes (too?) generous, especially for our stomachs used to eating salad/carrots/cheddar at almost every meal for 3 weeks!!! The kids' menus were served in little fishing boats. We were stuffed. Only 2 desserts were ordered, but the server brought 9 teaspoons…
We walked down the boulevard to the M&M’s store to stock up, then headed back to the hotel. We enjoyed the bathroom a bit more and fine-tuned the arrangement of the suitcases and backpacks while glancing at the animated and illuminated Bellagio fountains… Pretty cool, right?
The plane, relatively empty, waits a long time on the runway before takeoff because of traffic at LAX. This time, the kids get their own little kits (bag, headphones, puzzle, coloring book).
After turning around over the Bay of Los Angeles and flying over the city, we watch the sunset over a sea of clouds.
An aperitif is served shortly after, then lunch around 2:30 PM. The flight goes smoothly—the turbulence announced at departure isn’t too bad. Movies for everyone, and the kids, especially Louenn, sleep like logs. Breakfast is served, and then, marking the end of our journey, we land without any issues—though there’s a hard brake at the end of the runway. We’re still at the very end of the terminal. We grab our luggage and head to the train station—it’s far…
Just 2.5 hours left to wait before we can finally relax on the train. The sky is gray and gloomy. After sandwiches in real French baguettes, the train leaves on time but loses 30 minutes a little later. It’s so peaceful compared to the plane, and lost in our memories, we sleep deeply! In Rennes, with the delay, we only have 30 minutes to wait in the station under construction. But Papoune and Mamoune have to hurry to catch their connection. We’re off again, and we sleep some more! We arrive in Brest in the late afternoon after more than 34 hours of travel!!!
A few days later, we realize we lost our GPS—last seen at the minibus check-out. The lost-and-found services at Air Tahiti and SNCF have no record of it…
2) Basin Campground in Kodachrome Basin SP: for the same reasons as above. We’d love to go back to this colorful, isolated little state park—it’s only worth it if you camp there to enjoy the sunrise/sunset.
3) Lodgepole Campground in Flaming Gorge: surprisingly, this one came in third… Surprisingly because there aren’t really any wide-open views. What we loved was being lost in the middle of an aspen forest.
Places we visited:
2) Arches NP: stunning, but because of our flat tire, we barely got to explore it. We’ll have to go back!!😇
3) Monument Valley: this place is breathtaking. We visited in 2014, camping at Goulding’s, and we can only recommend staying at the campground or The View Hotel—both located INSIDE the park. This year, we also did the Wildcat Trail (easy if you go early in the morning or late in the evening, depending on the temperature). Seeing a sunset there is reason enough to return, but we still have Mystery Valley to explore. We’ll have to go back…😇
Activities:
1) The back-of-the-truck tour in MV: we were even lucky enough to get caught in a storm!! Flash flood, lots of laughs, and a rainbow!!!
2) The limousine tour in Las Vegas: sure, it’s cliché, but what a blast driving (in air-conditioned comfort) through all those neon signs. The stop in Fremont Street was a hit.
3) The hot-air balloon ride: this was a gift from the seniors to the veterans. It was a magical moment for everyone.
4) Other favorites included swimming in the river near Madison Campground, breakfast at Denny’s, and dinner at Bubba Gump. And let’s not forget the food—jerky got everyone’s vote. We came home with our suitcases stuffed with this dried meat.
During the first week when we were on our own, the ATV tour was a big hit (even though the Bryce Canyon part was very short—thankfully).
As for the horseback tour: a bit of a tourist trap. There’s a horseback tour INSIDE Bryce Canyon that’s probably more scenic.
- The shorter hikes: White Rock Amphitheatre, Mesa Arch, Grand View Point Overlook, Bryce Canyon, Toadstool Hoodoos, Sandal Trail (Navajo NM).
- Sunrises at Snow Canyon and Arches NP.
- Some unexpected favorites: Cedar Breaks, Lee’s Ferry (peaceful, zen, and beautiful hikes despite the heat—we did Cathedral Wash in 2014), the easily accessible petroglyphs in Moab, the tranquility of Flaming Gorge.
- Yellowstone, its bears and geysers (more than in 2014), Old Faithful from Observation Point, Solitary Geyser, Artist Point, swimming at Madison.
- The tour in Monument Valley with the storm and flash flood.
- The long, empty road between Yellowstone and Moab. We’d happily drive it again.
- Scenic Byway 12 near Moab.
- Filling out the Junior Ranger booklets (with a dictionary handy).
- The jerky, bacon on the barbecue, and like everyone else, Denny’s and Bubba Gump!
- The comfort of the GMC Yukon XL, our independence with the Ford Transit for our last day in Las Vegas,
- The Las Vegas Strip at night,
and of course, all the prep work done mainly by Christelle, reading Photographing the Southwest by Laurent Martrès, designing the kids’ travel journals (a long process, finished on the train to Paris), and sharing this adventure as a family.
But we still wish we’d had more time at Snow Canyon and Arches, the mosquitoes didn’t let us enjoy the quieter hikes we’d planned, and we’re officially sick of shredded carrots! 😛
Adding to these memories are photos and videos (we’ve finished editing all 23!), and a photo book will be ready soon.
We hope this journal has taken you on a little trip—back in time or forward to your own adventures. And if you need more details about any of the places we visited, don’t hesitate to reach out!VoyageForum — the largest community of French-speaking travellers.