This winter, our escape to warm weather was to Southern California and Nevada. We were fantastically lucky that it came JUST before everything started happening with COVID-19, and we didn’t have to modify our travel plans at all.
Our first destination was San Diego. Daytime temperatures were between 65 and 70 F – this was in February – and residents were apologizing to us that it was so unseasonably cold! We sure weren’t complaining, though. It was gorgeous and sunny.
Honestly, of all the things we did, I think I most enjoyed just sitting in Balboa Park, enjoying the sun and eating vegan hot dogs. Runners up were visiting the local coffee shop, Dark Horse, and visiting my aunt and cousin for dinner in Little Italy.
We then took the drive to Death Valley National Park. As soon as we got out of the major metro areas, and headed west, we encountered a vast desert, the Mojave. It got hotter the further west we got, and more and more desolate. We drove through a few towns, briefly stopping at a cactus and gift shop populated by an older woman who owned the shop, and her three cats. The one pictured is (ironically, some might say) named Handsome.
Finally, after a few sightseeing stops and bathroom breaks, we made it to the park, setting up our tent just as the sun set.
The following days were filled with hiking, exploring, and reading spooky stories at the campfire. It got quite chilly at night, but during the day it stayed in the mid-70s.
Our drive out of Death Valley to Las Vegas featured two interesting stops: the historic Amargosa Opera House and the Area 51 Alien Center.
Amargosa Opera House was built in Death Valley Junction, an old borax mining town, by a semi-famous vaudeville performer in the mid-20th century. She happened upon the tiny outpost, which was run-down and unused, and made it her life’s work to turn it into a desert performance center and hotel. The opera house still hosts performances today, and the hotel is in operation, with a small cafe next door. I once stopped here with my family on a road trip when I was a teenager, and it was interesting to see it again as an adult. Naturally, I also took photos of the resident cat, a friendly, fluffy boy named Wilson.
The second stop, the Area 51 Alien Center, was completely different – a kitschy tourist trap with alien themed foods, gifts, decor, and even a legal brothel. It featured fun alien memorabilia and photo ops, and of course I bought a sweatshirt to show off my silly roadside stop.
At long last, we arrived in Las Vegas, admittedly exhausted. Immediately upon entry to our Air BnB, we collapsed and took a nice, long nap, before going out to explore Fremont Street, also known as Old Vegas. Since I had played Fallout New Vegas, this was of particular interest to me – some of the landmarks on Fremont matched the ones in the game, albeit a bit less dilapidated.
We also explored the strip which, to be honest, was both underwhelming and overwhelming at the same time. It was certainly something to see, but the other things we did were way more fun. One notable place we visited was the Erotic Heritage Museum. Not only was it novel and weird, it was actually quite informative. The photos we took of the exhibits, however, were maybe a little too salacious for my blog.
One attraction I was quite impressed by was the Wynn. It was absolutely covered in gorgeous flowers – real and fake – and every single restaurant featured several non-salad vegan items. We had what may have been the best lunch either of us had every had, overlooking the gardens and pool. I will not tell you how much it cost, though (it was a lot).
The last night we were there, we had drinks atop the Stratosphere, where we watched the sun set, and saw bungee jumpers falling from the tower, which was terrifying to even see. I can’t imagine actually doing it.
Just weeks after we got back, the entire country went on lockdown. So, I guess we got really lucky with this one. A lot of people I know have had to cancel vacations, which of course is a bummer, even if it is in the name of safety. I’m hoping that the country will be open again by September, since we have a Cape Cod trip booked! I’ll try to be optimistic. In the meantime I’m doubling down on sewing to keep myself occupied, so stay tuned!
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