Ben was interested in taking a harbor cruise. We found a great deal on Groupon (half off!) for Hornblower Cruises. We booked an afternoon 90-minute harbor cruise.
The first part of the tour was narrated by the First Mate. He gave lots of interesting information about local sights and history. The second part of the cruise was narrated by the captain, who was retired Navy and gave us lots of interesting information on the Navy ships we passed.
We saw sea lions sunning on piers, sea gulls and double crested cormorant (some species can dive 100 feet into the water!). We also passed the Cabrillo National Monument where the first San Diego lighthouse was located. You can still see it, although it is not in use. They found a better location for a new lighthouse. We also saw a three sided arch (Model Range Arch) that the Navy uses to help know where to put antennas on the ships.
It was sunny and warm, no shade on the decks, but there was a nice breeze, so it made it nice. I would definitely bring a hat and wear sunscreen. The staff was nice and mask wearing was definitely encouraged (required indoors).
The boys and I still woke up early so that they could attend their “live” classes. We snacked on the donuts that we picked up yesterday from pinkbox. Everyone’s favorite was the DoughCro (a croissant/donut). Ben had taken a vacation day, so he finally got to sleep in.
Pretty good donuts. The pink one is funny, but it really is just a lot of icing piped on top of a regular donut with a glaze/shell over the whole thing.
Today was pool day! We were all excited to go swimming. The pool opened at 9:00 am and was operating at 50% capacity due to COVID restrictions. Once capacity was reached, there was a waiting line to get in. If you leave the pool area and it is at capacity, you would need to wait in the line to get back in. However, if you book a cabana, then you can come and go all day long. Masks were also required in the pool area unless in the pool, eating/drinking, or going directly into/out of the pool. There were staff members at exits with disposable masks for people as well. I did see a few stop people who were just walking around or sitting on chairs and give them masks to wear.
We had reserved a cabana for the day on the Mandalay Bay Beach lazy river. Ben had always wanted to try a cabana and it definitely helped with social distancing. The boys also still had school so it gave them a place to do their school work in the morning. Although we had prepaid, you still had to check into the cabana by 11:00am or give them a call to let them know you were going to be later. We packed up, checked out of the hotel room, and headed down to the pool area a little before 9:00. We brought the boys’ computers and the hotspot so they could continue with their classes.
We chose a cabana on the end to help with even more social distancing. The cabana had a loveseat, a table and two chairs, TV, towels, 2 inner tubes, a mini fridge with included Pepsi/Diet Pepsi/water/bucket of ice, 2 lounge chairs under an umbrella, and a safe. Food and beverage service was available for an extra charge.
Tipping and charges were a little different than what I was expecting. There was the cabana charge and the cabana host tipping option (they were the ones in the blue shirts). We didn’t really interact with them much. One person showed us to our cabana and another replaced the waters in the fridge towards the end of the day. The people in red were the food and beverage servers and were a separate charge and tip. We saw our server multiple times during the day, as she checked in on us quite frequently. She was very friendly. We ordered a frozen drink (Miami Vice 22 oz, souvenir plastic cup, $28) and an order of chips and guacamole ($11, way over priced for the amount we actually got). The drink was very tasty! The guacamole was good, a little spicy, but the chips seemed a little stale.
The main pool area had a walk up food/drink service as well, but it looked like the same menu.
There were a few restrooms around the different areas, but not specifically changing rooms that I could see. There was an outdoor shower area to rinse off the sand from the beach. The entry walkway also had a beach shop, but it had very limited gear. I had not not been paying attention when I packed my swimsuit and accidentally grabbed two bottoms. I stopped in the beach shop to see if they had any bathing suit tops. It only had tiny bikini tops and small one-piece suits, no larger swim tops/shirts. (Seriously, I tried on a top and there was no way I could swim and stay in it. I ended up just using my swim skirt bottoms with my bra and top.) Video: Walking Around The Mandalay Bay Beach pool area.
The lazy river was also operating at 50% capacity. When we got there in the morning, there wasn’t a line to get in, but towards the afternoon it got crowded and you did have to wait in line. There were times it was just a sea of people floating past us, so we took a dip in the Wave Pool to avoid any crowds. NOTE: You can also bring your own inner tubes for the lazy river as long as they are round, no rafts. There is a fill up station near the lazy river entrance. Video: Traveling Along The Mandalay Bay Beach Lazy River.
The lazy river was a decent temperature. It was a little cool when you first got in, but I quickly adjusted so it wasn’t bad at all. The Wave Pool was freezing. It would have been really funny to watch everyone’s faces as they got in the water, but I’m pretty sure I had the same “Holy Cow, this is cold” look on my face.
NOTE: The walkways are very slippery if they are wet or even just walking with wet feet! Go slow. The Wave Pool also goes off every 90 seconds, I believe.
We wanted to take a ride in the High Roller (a huge ferris wheel at the LINQ casino/hotel in Las Vegas). You can buy your tickets online to save some money (I think it was about half the cost when we did it this way). Thanks Nancy for the encouragement!
When I called to get details I was told that for social distancing purposes, right now they are only letting 10 people on per car, instead of the 30 people each pod normally holds. We lucked out and only had 7 people in our car. It is hard to imagine 30 people fitting in there. They were not doing the souvenir photographs when we were there.
Normally there is a bar service, but it is closed due to COVID. You can, however, now bring on your own drinks and snacks. We took advantage of this and went a little early to grab some snacks from the LINQ Promenade. Ben found a donut shop (Sweet Sin) while I grabbed a shake and a sundae from Ghirardelli. This was a great treat/breakfast.
The ride itself flew by. Officially, it lasted 30 minutes. It brought us 550 feet in the air at its highest point. It was constantly moving (albeit slowly), so you stepped on and off while it was in motion. There was air conditioning, music, and informational narration throughout the ride. The ride was super smooth and had great views. We had really great timing on our pod and got to see the Bellagio fountains go off. (I made a condensed video of our ride: Riding in the LINQ High Roller wheel video.)
Like any ride, you exited down a ramp that lead to a gift shop. After we left the building, we walked down the LINQ Promenade and down to the Bellagio to see the fountain show again. (Walking the LINQ Promenade video) There were only a few people out, even for a Sunday afternoon.
The High Roller was a wonderful way to see the city! I highly recommend taking the time and spending the money for this experience.
We headed back to The Strip and parked at New York New York. We didn’t get down to this part of the Strip yesterday. We were pretty tired and the monorail is not running at the moment (COVID). As we walked in, the roller coaster was running and we could hear screams (hopefully of delight).
Our destination wasn’t really the casino, but the Hershey store. The store was so much fun. Almost anything you could think of was for sale with the candy logos: toy cars, baking accessories, extra large candy, clothes, scented candles, etc. It made me wish I had a bigger place, because I would have bought the kids some gear, a few chocolate candy scented candles for me, and the Twizzlers scarf for Ben. I did a walk through video as well that’s up on YouTube. The chocolate Statue of Liberty and Twizzlers Statue of Liberty were pretty neat to see.
We headed down to the Excalibur. The shows, several food/drinks stores, and the arcade are closed right now (COVID). It was pretty empty of things to do other than gamble.
Next, we walked through the Luxor and looked at the different statues. Just like the rest of Vegas, the shows are closed at least until November. We were hoping to see the Blue Man group because I think the boys would have gotten a kick out of it.
Our final stop for this part of the Strip was Mandalay Bay. They had some really neat fountains.
COVID NOTES:
Excalibur: Shows, many food/drink places, and the arcade are closed. Hand sanitizer stations around the casino.
Luxor: Hand sanitizer stations, shows closed.
New York New York: Hand sanitizer stations. New York’s arcade and some rides were open.
Mandalay Bay: Buffet closed, but many other food places open. Hand sanitizer stations available.
Pools: At one time you could rent cabanas and beach chairs to the various hotel pools. However, now you have to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy the pools.
After brunch at the Wicked Spoon, we decided to walk the Strip. We had parked the car at the Cosmopolitan before breakfast. Many of the casinos on the Strip were offering free self-parking. The Cosmopolitan’s garage was under the hotel/casino and was really neat. Each parking spot had a sensor which would glow green if empty and red if occupied. The end of the rows also told how many available spots there were.
We wandered through the Cosmopolitan to exit onto Las Vegas Blvd. The casino had a hands free motion activated door opener, which was neat.
When we made it out onto the Strip, it was a little after 10:00 am and already very sunny and warm.
Our first stop was the Bellagio. They still had the beautiful flowers on the ceiling that I remembered from years ago. The boys said they were neat, but I think that was more to appease me than anything else.
They did like the Conservatory. It was set up for Fall and contained a woodland scene. It was amazing. It had to have taken so much time to set up. There were fountains, flower covered mushrooms and trees, a talking tree, a tree house, flickering dragonflies, and a large tree you walked through. I have a quick video on YouTube that shows the display.
Next we headed to Caesars Palace. We walked through the Forum Shops. The Atlantis show was cancelled, but we still got to see the different statues and the sky ceiling. The fish tank was fun to watch as well. There was even a COVID-19 Essentials store which sold a large variety of face masks. We took the spiral escalator down (because when are we going to see one of those again?) and headed back out to the Strip.
Our next stop was the Mirage. We saw the waterfall in the front (we had just missed seeing it turn into a volcano last night) and the atrium.
We headed over to Treasure Island. The front of this had changed since I was last there. I got to see the Pirate vs British ship and the guy vs girl battle shows in the past. Those are over now, although I wish they still had the Pirate vs British show since the kids would have gotten a kick out of it. The one ship now has what looked like horns on the bow and a large Viking shield by the wheel (even though the boat itself has not changed design and is definitely not a Viking ship). I found this video on YouTube of the original pirate show.
We stopped at the Wynn next. The inside was beautifully decorated. There was a moving carousel made of flowers. The horses even had eyelashes! The nearby walkway had large flower balls hanging from the trees. Further down the path was a hot air balloon also made from flowers (this one didn’t move).
Off to the Venetian! The gondolas were running, so we watched them for a few minutes outside. We wandered around for a little bit inside and found Carlo’s. I used to watch Buddy’s show all the time! We got a cannoli and a lobster tail to try later.
We walked past the LINQ. We’re hoping to do the High Roller Wheel later in our stay.
We stopped in Paris for pastries and bought an eclair and an apple pie tart.
Everyone was pretty tired by this point and we still had to walk back to the truck. On the way back, I was slightly envious of all the people with scooters zooming along the sidewalks.
We ended the night with the boys taking a dip in the campground’s pool.
COVID-19 Notes On Las Vegas Casinos:
Because we had the kids with us (and the fact that I am not a big gambler at all), we mostly just walked through the casinos to see what we could see. We stayed on the main walkways for the most part, so these notes are definitely not everything, just what I observed as we walked through.
Bellagio: Throughout the Bellagio, especially at the entrances, they had stations of hand sanitizer and masks available for use. Near the casino floor, they also had a hand washing station. There were floor markers for social distancing at check-in and the Conservatory.
Caesar’s Palace: At the entrances, they had stations of hand sanitizer and a sign with Mr. Las Vegas wearing a mask. Masks were not available at the station we saw, but it did say they were available at the front desk, security, and Rewards Center. When we exited the casino, we did see a mask and hand sanitizer station, so I guess they had masks at select spots. Seating/benches were marked as closed by a sticker, but not roped off, so many people ignored the signs.
Mirage: We didn’t explore the whole gaming floor since we had the kids with us. The blackjack tables did have plastic dividers between players.
Treasure Island: This was the worst casino we have seen so far on the trip. The main entrance off the strip did not have hand sanitizer or masks. The doors are not touch-less to enter. I was glad I had my own sanitizer with me.
Wynn: Hand sanitizer stations available. The roulette wheels had coverings on the outer side near the walkways. Blackjack tables had plastic shields between players.
Venetian: When we entered from the Strip side, there was a hand sanitizer station. They also had a thermal temperature scanner that took temperature readings as guests walked in. There was even a staff member standing at the top of the escalator telling people to fix their masks if they had it on wrong (not covering their nose, etc.). Poker tables had plastic dividers between players.
Paris: Social Distancing floor stickers by restaurants. Mask stations.
If you have met my children, you know they are bottomless pits. Will is also enamored with buffets. We wanted to give him the Las Vegas buffet experience (while social distancing), but only three were open before our trip (Wynn, Cosmopolitan, and Southpoint). By the time we checked in, the Wynn had closed their buffet again stating customers didn’t like the new way of ordering from a menu instead of walking a buffet line.
We ended up making reservations for Sunday breakfast/brunch at the Wicked Spoon in the Cosmopolitan. Reservations are recommended, as they have reduced seating to allow for social distancing. Drinks (non-alcoholic) are included in the cost of the buffet ($39/adults, $20 children ages 4-10). Your time slot is for 2 hours. Ben and I were both done at the 1 hour mark, but the boys kept on eating. Nick tapped out at 1.5 hours, but Will went to the very end.
The Wicked Spoon was located on the second floor and is nicely decorated. I’m always a sucker for glass decorations on ceilings. The brunch buffet has a wide variety from traditional scrambled eggs to fried rice. See a video of all the delicious action on our YouTube Channel here.
You can walk the line and see the food options, although you have to stand behind the roped off area. There are several staff members at the different stations who will hand you the dish you want. This actually made the experience better, it made it seem more personal and attentive.
Everything was cutely plated: fried chicken in little fryer baskets, eggs in Mason jars, rice in small take-out containers. The food was delicious and fresh. Ben’s favorite was the Vanilla Yogurt and Fresh Berry Parfait, Will’s favorite was either the home-style potatoes or the Watermelon Sorbet, Nick’s favorite was the Mousse Dome (because it had a piece of gold leaf on top and he can now say he ate gold), and my favorite was either the layered Bailey’s dessert bar or the caprese salad.
The buffet line even had a few TVs that show random food facts and information, which was fun to read. We learned a few new things. For example: Peperonata is Italian and is a mix of garlic, tomatoes, onions and peppers cooked in olive oil. It can be served hot or cold.
It was a very nice experience with great food, social distance, and awesome restaurant staff. They did a very nice job. Our table server, Herman, was attentive and extremely nice.
Ben’s Review:
Cosmopolitan- Wicked Spoon Review, Sunday Brunch 9/20/2020 Pandemic Changes $170 + tip ($30). Better than a normal buffet – White glove service, very attentive server, handed food, Still let’s you see the food, 2 hour limit gives you an order end (not that you really need 2 hours), elegant space.
Dark horse buffet winners:
Vanilla berry parfait. Fresh berries, right sugar level, just outstanding. I don’t normally even eat yogurt, so this blew me away.
Eggs Benedict: Again I would never order this at a restaurant, but since we were at a buffet, I went for it. I only planned on eating a bite to see how it tasted. I gobbled up the whole thing. They poached the egg perfectly so it had a warm gooey yolk. What a treat!
Don’t miss:
Gelatto: I went with an out of the box item for me (Pistachio) because the server recommended it. So amazing.
Scrambled eggs: These come in little jars that keep the eggs moist and at the peak of freshness. Above and beyond being cute, they tasted perfect.
Items to skip:
Crab: this is a hard one to do right on a buffet, so I normally skip it. But it was Vegas, so….same disappointment. It’s sloppy and tough to eat. This version was overly salty.
Tips:
1. Go early: Less COVID chance, more space, no lines.
2. Talk to the servers handing you the food. They seemed to love it. They don’t want to be “servants.” Humility goes a long way. Ask them what they recommend. Tell them they are doing a great job.
It was time to leave Utah and move on to Nevada. Our next stop was Las Vegas. Ben and I have both been here before, but it’s been about 14 years for me.
We got checked into our campground and set up. So far, this is not my favorite campground, but I will get more into that when we do our review.
After getting set up, we drove to Costco. (Are you noticing a theme yet? 😉 ) This Costco sold propane per gallon from a large tank and had a large wine and liquor selection. Ben bought me a wine advent calendar! The food court was similar to others we have seen (mostly pizza, hot dogs, ice cream), but it had a window where you could watch them make the pizza. They had a cool machine that puts on the sauce, which was fun to watch.
After putting the groceries away, we headed down to Las Vegas. Our first stop was the Fremont Street Experience. Masks are required in Nevada and it wasn’t anywhere near as crowded as I remember it being. There were several street performers/buskers, some of which were not wearing a ton of clothing. The ceiling still changes and is very bright. It was fun, but seemed to be half ads instead of the crazy light show I remember it being. It was still the first time the boys had seen it, so they thought it was neat. They had a Covid safety message that would routinely show as well. (YouTube link here.)
We then drove down the Strip. It was starting to really light up at this point, which is always amazing to see. Ben managed to have perfect timing in the traffic and we were stopped at a red light right in front of the Bellagio when the fountain show went off! It was spectacular as always. Driving past New York New York, the Statue of Liberty was dressed in a Raiders jersey and a mask.
Getting back on the highway to drive home, we saw a glitter covered minivan. The back said “life without sparkles…is not life at all”.
We started the morning doing laundry at the campground. It’s a pretty nice set up and we had it all to ourselves for the majority of the time.
When Ben was done with work for the day, we went on a candy factory tour. The tour was at Hammond’s Candies. The tour consisted of a video and then a walking tour. They are known for their candy canes (the large shiny ones you see at Christmas time). Their candies are carried in several stores, including Williams-Sonoma and Target (Wonderland section at Christmas). It is all made by hand!
We got to see them making candy while we were there. It seems like Covid hit them hard, as the tour guide stated they were down half of their cooks. I have a video up with clips from the tour (it’s about 4 minutes long) on the YouTube channel.
Everyone got a piece of candy at the end of the tour, which conveniently ends in the shop! We bought a few different kinds of candy to try, including a chocolate filled candy cane. I haven’t seen the filled candy canes in stores near us, so I was really excited to try it.
Afterwards Ben wanted to see Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater. I typed in Red Rock Park and ended up in Boulder near some apartments, which by the way is not where the amphitheater is. Whoops. I never would have guessed that there was a Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater and a Red Rocks Park as separate places, or that not adding on amphitheater would change my directions so much. So, we had a 40 minute detour…well more like an 80 minute detour since we had to drive back to our original starting spot. Apparently, I have not gotten that much better at directions as I have aged.
We finally made it to the amphitheater and it was really neat to see. The color of the rocks was amazing, as well as the shape of them just jutting forth. It must be an incredible place to go to a concert. It was a little crowded with visitors and people getting graduation pictures, so we didn’t stay too long.
Saturday, Nick made pancakes for breakfast. He had to make them on the stove in the cast iron skillet instead of on the griddle we used to have at home, but he did pretty well!
We cleaned up, did laundry, and started to get ready to move Sunday morning. We had a 9.5+ drive ahead of us. I had bought the kids Radical Road Trip* before we left Ohio, so I pulled that out for them to play on Sunday.
Once we got a lot of things situated and the sky got darker, Ben and I went out to the field to watch the stars. They were certainly pretty. There was still a lot of ambient light from the other RV’s and campground, so no Milky Way sighting yet. I’m hoping to see it at least once on this trip.
Sunday was move day. We woke really early and had a gorgeous pink sunrise. We missed most of the rain, although we did get a little bit. The drive was pretty uneventful, even with the scenery. More wide open spaces (It’s amazing how much nothingness is in the middle of the country. So much wide open land), mixed with cows, farms, and train tracks. Wyoming had a few oil derricks and Montana came in with oil processing and lots of train tracks.
As we got closer to Yellowstone, Montana started changing from an industrial type of look to the wide open skies and landscape I was expecting. There are so many creeks and rivers winding through the land here, it makes for some really nice viewing.
Montana is requiring face masks be worn by everyone (over the age of 5, I think). It makes it so much less stressful going out. Although, the rule seems to be for indoor use, so outside it is still hit and miss, but much more people are wearing them here even outside.
We got to our campground and had a challenging time parking. The spots are a little tight and you have to backup into them weirdly. It caused a bunch of stress. Ben finally took over and got it parked. We were not happy with each other when we were done. Still need some work on backing this RV up. I would love to only have pull through spots, but sometimes they are not available. We do have an amazing view out our back window though of the Yellowstone River. We’ve seen mule deer, a hawk, and several groups of rafters floating down the river. The campground is about 1 mile from the North Entrance of Yellowstone Park, so really convenient to both the local town for shopping and for exploring.
We drove around town and saw our first animal sighting. Elk, I think. They were just hanging out near town on the school sports field! Ben actually got to finally see a group of animals. The boys and I see them and when we go back out later with Ben, he only sees 1 or 2 (total, not even groups)!
Ben had work again this morning. The weather was nice and cool (in the 50s). So I thought the boys and I could go see the Badlands. Waze was acting up, so I used Maps instead. It was about 1-1/2 hour drive. I stopped for diesel when we were maybe 3/4 of the way there. Somehow the fuel pump sprayed me too. I tried using a wipe and water to help get it off my shirt, but I smelled like diesel fuel. I drove with the windows down because I couldn’t stand the smell.
We were getting so close, when we had to turn back. Maps had sent us through a reservation. We were stopped and very politely informed that the tribal council had shut down road access due to COVID-19. She pointed out another way to get to the Badlands, as the North entrance was open. They were very nice and helpful. My prayers are with them during this time.
It was another hour or more on the road to get to the North entrance, so we decided to go to Custer State Park instead. It was $20 for a week pass, or $36 for an annual pass. Since we are only in SD for a week, I ended up getting the week pass. I pulled off into a parking zone where there was no one around and changed out of my shirt into my sweatshirt. I couldn’t take the smell anymore. It was aggravating my eyes. We got back on track and ended up taking the wildlife loop.
It was amazing! We saw so many buffalo, both adults and babies. Will and Nick nicknamed them the B’s and mini-B’s, after the cow nicknames (Moo and Mini-Moo for baby cows). We got to see some males butt heads a couple of times, watch them graze, saw a few run. They came close to the road and even blocked it a few times while crossing to try the grass on the other side.
Cows and calves that we saw a lot of during our drives. We have since renamed them Moos (cows) and Mini-Moos (babies). 🙂So, of course, the buffalo got renamed B and Mini-B!
We also saw the “begging burros”. The burros are feral (although not afraid of humans and extremely friendly). A group of burros were released to roam free in the park. According to the park booklet, at one point they had been used to move tourists around, but when that ended they were let go to roam free. The pamphlet you get at check in says to give wild animals their space and not to feed them. However, these donkeys/burros were getting ear scratches and eating apples, carrots, Goldfish, Cheez-Its, Cheetos, etc. We did not feed them, but many people were.
There is not a lot of cell service in this part of the area. We tried FaceTiming Ben so he could watch the buffalo graze, but had intermittent luck. I did get some video that he was able to watch later. I have a short video up on the YouTube Channel of the buffalo.
When exiting the park, we turned towards Wind Cave. That was also a pretty drive and we saw a few buffalo, some prairie dogs, and a couple of pronghorn. The prairie dogs are so easy to miss! Look for a flat plain type of area with dirt mounds. They just blended in so well that it is easy to miss them as you are driving by.
We drove back to the RV and picked up Ben. We headed to Sylvan Lake to take a hike. We drove on the Sylvan Lake Road/Hood Tunnel/Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. Definitely not a RV road! It has many switchbacks and a rock tunnel! It was really cool.
Sylvan Lake also offers lodging and has gorgeous views. The lake is amazing and there are several trails nearby. The rock formations are incredible, especially against the blue sky backdrop we had today. We did some climbing, which the boys loved! I did okay, but was much slower than everyone else in the family. It was just a really neat hike.
We headed towards Walmart to return the scooters. They were just too small for the boys. Ben caved and got them bikes, which they were thrilled about. There isn’t a ton to do in the campground while social distancing. We still want to go to the pool, but it’s been busy. We also got dinner at Pizza Ranch. The boys were amazed there was such a thing as a pizza buffet. It wasn’t crowded yet, so YAY for food and social distancing! The final stop for the day was to drop some postcards off at the post office.
