This is Karen and Gary’s trip report. We were on vacation in Las Vegas from June 22 - July 11. We stayed the entire time at the Tuscany Suites and would highly recommend this hotel. We hiked and walked an average of 12 miles per day. The day we hiked the Historic Railroad Pass Tunnel we walked 19 miles. We wanted to share with the readers our version of a Las Vegas vacation and how the MRB book can save you money and the newsletter and website can give you lots of ideas.
The first stop after the rental car and hotel check-in is Target. We purchase our beverages here to save money because the Tuscany Suites have small refrigerators. We also freeze water bottles and use the frozen water for our hikes and walks. NOTE: A small backpack works wonders and is better than a purse in the evenings. We also get a cheap Styrofoam cooler to keep our drinks cold when we’re doing day trips.
We made ample use of the MRB. We used the buffet coupons at the Rio, Red Rock Station, Paris, the Golden Nugget, Fiesta Henderson, the Riviera, Planet Hollywood, Harrah's, Boulder Station, Green Valley Ranch, Sunset Station, the Mirage, and the Flamingo.
We went back to Red Rock Station and Fiesta Henderson several times because the lunch buffet was 4.99-5.99. Our favorite was Paris for breakfast. They opened at 7a.m. and we ate there before one of our hikes. It was one of the few places that served ham at a carving station. The Rio brunch is also a treat. We try to time the lunch buffet right before they start serving dinner. This way you can eat at 3:30 and pay the lunch price and 1/2 hour later you get the added features of the dinner menu. We ate very well and our food for 20 days only cost us $327.00. This included two meals at the airports on our way out to Las Vegas and the trip back home. Thank you, Las Vegas Advisor.
We go hiking and see other sites and local activities during the day, and spend our evenings gaming at our favorite penny machines. We also did a lot of walking ON the Strip.
We only lost $319.00 for the whole trip. We used the slot play coupons for the Orleans, Gold Coast, Four Queens and El Cortez. This year at the El Cortez the power did NOT go out while we were playing. (grin) Last year we lost a bonus round on the slots when the power went out in the middle of it. Of course we make the money last longer by taking turns hitting the button and sharing the machine. Remember, sharing is caring! (grin) We enjoy all the casinos but the ones off the strip seem to pay off the most. One fun spot downtown is the La Bayou Casino because you can still cash out for coins. There is nothing better than flashbacks to the good old days when you could only use coins. Something a little sexy about getting your hands dirty!
As for hiking and walking, we logged 233 miles while in Las Vegas. We are members of hikinglasvegas.com with Branch Whitney. This year we hiked the Keystone Thrust Trail at Red Rock Canyon. We’ve seen big horn sheep on this trail in the past. We then extended the hike onto the White Rock Trail, making it all the way up to the old homestead and the springs. Our second hike started at Calico Basin. The entrance is located just before you get to Red Rock Canyon, and there is no entrance fee.
The trail starts by the boardwalk (yes, boardwalk!) and winds down and up, leading you into the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. We saw Red Rock Canyon from a completely different perspective.
Our third hike was the Railroad Pass Trail, which starts just outside the Lake Mead Recreational Area, goes through 5 railroad tunnels, and leads down to Hoover Dam, with a short side trip up and across the new O’Callaghan—Tillman Memorial bridge overlooking Hoover Dam. This was our 19 mile day. Karen learned a new way to walk with blisters – toe sleeves with gel pads sold at any drugstore. Spring Mountain Ranch was our fourth day of hiking and this is our favorite place for picture taking. We have enlargements of many photos for our home and work from here. It’s peaceful and quiet sitting on the bench at the lake just watching the ducks and taking in the surroundings.
After leaving Spring Mountain Ranch we took a short drive to Blue Diamond. It’s a nice, quiet community with a baseball diamond, a skateboard park, and…oh, yeah…wild burros. Apparently a couple of families of wild burros have taken up residence in Blue Diamond. You can walk up to them and pet them, but just be wary. Some of the adults can get a little ornery, so if they walk away, don’t chase after them.
On another day we parked at Main Street Station downtown and walked to the Old Mormon Fort, where admission is only $1.00. If you want to get an idea of the history of Las Vegas that does NOT include casinos and mobsters, you should check this out. The walk is just a couple of blocks, and it takes you past the Boneyard, where a lot of the old Las Vegas signs end up. They run tours here as well, and you can see some more history from Las Vegas. We also walked what we call the "Boulder Highway Tour". We parked and ate at Boulder Station, walked down to Arizona Charlie’s, continued to Sam’s Town, and ended up at the Cannery. This year we discovered Sunset Park, a nice walking area out near McCarran Airport. The residents of Las Vegas are very lucky to have all these free activities and areas to hike and walk in their own backyard.
One activity we always enjoy is the train ride in Boulder City, complete with a stop at the Dairy Queen. Well, no, the train didn’t stop at the Dairy Queen, but WE did. (grin)
We also used the MRB coupon and went up to the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris.
If you’re feeling a little old-school, take a short trip down Tropicana Ave. to the Pinball Hall of Fame and play your favorite pinball machine. We did that twice.
We saw three different fireworks shows for the Fourth of July holiday. The first was at Lake Las Vegas.
We took a drive out there and had a nice paddle boat ride before the fireworks that night. The second one was at Red Rock Station. By parking on the lot to the east of Red Rock Station, you could see all the other fireworks going off around the city. The final one was a front row seat for the display set off from the rooftop at Caesars.
There were a number of nights at Bill's Saloon and Casino on the Strip for karaoke. Gary dedicated his singing of AC/DC’s "Highway to Hell" to Karen for our 30th wedding anniversary. The guys loved it and the women didn't know how to react. We made it downtown a few times for the free concerts. The Fremont Street Experience is always fun to watch, and the concerts were awesome.
Before we knew it, it was time to go home. Karen cries each time we have to leave. Next year she swears that she’s taking her resume and her dream job is to work with AC at the Advisor!
Unfortunately, once again the trip ended way to soon. You may wonder how you can spend 20 days and not go broke. It's easy...plenty of hiking and walking, lots of fun activities, MRB, MRB, MRB and most important, enjoy it with the one you love.
The first stop after the rental car and hotel check-in is Target. We purchase our beverages here to save money because the Tuscany Suites have small refrigerators. We also freeze water bottles and use the frozen water for our hikes and walks. NOTE: A small backpack works wonders and is better than a purse in the evenings. We also get a cheap Styrofoam cooler to keep our drinks cold when we’re doing day trips.
We made ample use of the MRB. We used the buffet coupons at the Rio, Red Rock Station, Paris, the Golden Nugget, Fiesta Henderson, the Riviera, Planet Hollywood, Harrah's, Boulder Station, Green Valley Ranch, Sunset Station, the Mirage, and the Flamingo.
We went back to Red Rock Station and Fiesta Henderson several times because the lunch buffet was 4.99-5.99. Our favorite was Paris for breakfast. They opened at 7a.m. and we ate there before one of our hikes. It was one of the few places that served ham at a carving station. The Rio brunch is also a treat. We try to time the lunch buffet right before they start serving dinner. This way you can eat at 3:30 and pay the lunch price and 1/2 hour later you get the added features of the dinner menu. We ate very well and our food for 20 days only cost us $327.00. This included two meals at the airports on our way out to Las Vegas and the trip back home. Thank you, Las Vegas Advisor.
We go hiking and see other sites and local activities during the day, and spend our evenings gaming at our favorite penny machines. We also did a lot of walking ON the Strip.
We only lost $319.00 for the whole trip. We used the slot play coupons for the Orleans, Gold Coast, Four Queens and El Cortez. This year at the El Cortez the power did NOT go out while we were playing. (grin) Last year we lost a bonus round on the slots when the power went out in the middle of it. Of course we make the money last longer by taking turns hitting the button and sharing the machine. Remember, sharing is caring! (grin) We enjoy all the casinos but the ones off the strip seem to pay off the most. One fun spot downtown is the La Bayou Casino because you can still cash out for coins. There is nothing better than flashbacks to the good old days when you could only use coins. Something a little sexy about getting your hands dirty!
As for hiking and walking, we logged 233 miles while in Las Vegas. We are members of hikinglasvegas.com with Branch Whitney. This year we hiked the Keystone Thrust Trail at Red Rock Canyon. We’ve seen big horn sheep on this trail in the past. We then extended the hike onto the White Rock Trail, making it all the way up to the old homestead and the springs. Our second hike started at Calico Basin. The entrance is located just before you get to Red Rock Canyon, and there is no entrance fee.
The trail starts by the boardwalk (yes, boardwalk!) and winds down and up, leading you into the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. We saw Red Rock Canyon from a completely different perspective.
Our third hike was the Railroad Pass Trail, which starts just outside the Lake Mead Recreational Area, goes through 5 railroad tunnels, and leads down to Hoover Dam, with a short side trip up and across the new O’Callaghan—Tillman Memorial bridge overlooking Hoover Dam. This was our 19 mile day. Karen learned a new way to walk with blisters – toe sleeves with gel pads sold at any drugstore. Spring Mountain Ranch was our fourth day of hiking and this is our favorite place for picture taking. We have enlargements of many photos for our home and work from here. It’s peaceful and quiet sitting on the bench at the lake just watching the ducks and taking in the surroundings.
After leaving Spring Mountain Ranch we took a short drive to Blue Diamond. It’s a nice, quiet community with a baseball diamond, a skateboard park, and…oh, yeah…wild burros. Apparently a couple of families of wild burros have taken up residence in Blue Diamond. You can walk up to them and pet them, but just be wary. Some of the adults can get a little ornery, so if they walk away, don’t chase after them.
On another day we parked at Main Street Station downtown and walked to the Old Mormon Fort, where admission is only $1.00. If you want to get an idea of the history of Las Vegas that does NOT include casinos and mobsters, you should check this out. The walk is just a couple of blocks, and it takes you past the Boneyard, where a lot of the old Las Vegas signs end up. They run tours here as well, and you can see some more history from Las Vegas. We also walked what we call the "Boulder Highway Tour". We parked and ate at Boulder Station, walked down to Arizona Charlie’s, continued to Sam’s Town, and ended up at the Cannery. This year we discovered Sunset Park, a nice walking area out near McCarran Airport. The residents of Las Vegas are very lucky to have all these free activities and areas to hike and walk in their own backyard.
One activity we always enjoy is the train ride in Boulder City, complete with a stop at the Dairy Queen. Well, no, the train didn’t stop at the Dairy Queen, but WE did. (grin)
We also used the MRB coupon and went up to the top of the Eiffel Tower at Paris.
If you’re feeling a little old-school, take a short trip down Tropicana Ave. to the Pinball Hall of Fame and play your favorite pinball machine. We did that twice.
We saw three different fireworks shows for the Fourth of July holiday. The first was at Lake Las Vegas.
We took a drive out there and had a nice paddle boat ride before the fireworks that night. The second one was at Red Rock Station. By parking on the lot to the east of Red Rock Station, you could see all the other fireworks going off around the city. The final one was a front row seat for the display set off from the rooftop at Caesars.
There were a number of nights at Bill's Saloon and Casino on the Strip for karaoke. Gary dedicated his singing of AC/DC’s "Highway to Hell" to Karen for our 30th wedding anniversary. The guys loved it and the women didn't know how to react. We made it downtown a few times for the free concerts. The Fremont Street Experience is always fun to watch, and the concerts were awesome.
Before we knew it, it was time to go home. Karen cries each time we have to leave. Next year she swears that she’s taking her resume and her dream job is to work with AC at the Advisor!
Unfortunately, once again the trip ended way to soon. You may wonder how you can spend 20 days and not go broke. It's easy...plenty of hiking and walking, lots of fun activities, MRB, MRB, MRB and most important, enjoy it with the one you love.
