Overdue Road Tripping! Part 2
Did you read Part One?
Despite being incredibly comfy in our room at the Signature at MGM Grand, I didn't sleep super well, likely from having too many sips of over-proofed spirits the day before (worth it). Thankfully, since we got a great deal on the one-bedroom suite, I had an actual living room to relax and read in while I waited for Chris to wake up, rather than the floor of the bathroom, as is my normal practice when we're traveling. Once Chris awoke, we made coffee/chai and had blueberry yogurt granola parfaits for breakfast, enjoying the ability to sit at a real dining room table and savor the morning while watching planes land at the airport.
In last week's blog, I discussed the first stage of our recent road trip, leaving home and arriving in Las Vegas, where we visited Lost Spirits Distillery and ate dinner at China Poblano.
Posing at one of the stops along the scenic drive
Finished, we suited up in hiking clothes and headed downstairs to claim the truck from the valet, driving west from the strip and into Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. One of the main draws of Red Rock Canyon is the 13 mile scenic drive that runs through the area; there are lots of places to park and hike or picnic or just enjoy the scenery and take lots of pictures. Right now is high season at Red Rock, so everyone was required to make reservations online for a timed entry ticket; with Chris' veteran status, we gain free admission to all national parks/monuments/areas, so the ticket cost us just the $2 processing fee, which was far less than what the experience is worth. As it turned out, even with a stop at a local grocery store for Tide Pods and mascara, we were running early, but the ranger on duty was happy to let us in when we arrived.
Parking in the Visitor Center lot, we grabbed our hiking packs and started out on the Moenkopi Trail, an easy, 2 mile loop; it was fairly flat with only a few small undulations, but I still used my hiking poles, mainly to add a bit more stability since I was still rehabbing the ankle.
This trail runs through the middle of the conservation area,
surrounded on all sides by the driving loop.
While the hike itself is pretty uneventful,
you can see amazing scenery all around you.
Hiking selfie!
Even though we were moving pretty slow, the hike didn't take too long - just over 45 minutes. Skipping the Visitor Center itself (since we have been here before, albeit seven years ago), we started out on the drive, stopping to take pictures every now and then and admire the beauty of the wilderness around us.
The weather was gorgeous this day -
a high of 72 or so, and not a cloud in the sky
At the High Point Overlook -
also where the picture at the top of the blog was taken
We'd brought a picnic with us (charcuterie, chips, and crackers, etc), and we made use of the tables at Willow Spring to eat lunch.
Noms!
Glamour shot of our new cooler -
it's made by the Canyon Cooler company,
which is located in Flagstaff,
and it worked like a charm!
Navigating the other half of the scenic drive (they do a half marathon on the paved route that I'd love to run some day), we exited the conservation area and started back toward the strip. Checking the truck back in with the valet, it was up the elevator to the 25th floor and into our peaceful room for a much needed shower and nap (also, some laundry with the Tide Pods we obtained earlier in the day).
Waking refreshed, we realized the Super Bowl would be kicking off in an hour or so, and we wanted some yummy, super bad for you snacky foods before we headed to dinner (yes, we were in Vegas for the combined Super Bowl/Valentine's Day weekend - it actually wasn't as bad as that sounds, thankfully). After considering our options (would a regular hotel bar be crowded? could we get something to go? did Uber deliver to the 25th floor?) and going on a walking tour of the MGM Grand (Emeril's New Orleans Fish House had space, but the minimum bill charge was ONE HUNDRED AMERICAN DOLLARS PER PERSON - no wonder they weren't full), we ended up ordering loaded fries and a few beers from Delights, the Signature's in house cafe, and taking everything back to our room to watch the start of the game.
Hooray, football!
We enjoyed the first half of the game on the room's television, eventually starting to get ready for our upcoming dinner reservation. Happily, we didn't need to leave until just after that kick-a$$ halftime show, so we saw the whole thing before scooting downstairs to the designated ride share pickup location.
Our Super Bowl Sunday dinner was our biggest, fanciest of the trip, and it was the one we'd planned and been looking forward to the longest - Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres, housed inside the Sahara. As I mentioned in the last blog, we really like Jose; he's funny, seems kind, and does a lot of amazing work with his charity, World Central Kitchen (right now, he's in Eastern Europe, making homecooked meals for Ukrainian refugees). He also puts his name on restaurants that have truly outstanding food - we were lucky enough to eat at the Bazaar in Hollywood when we lived in the LBC, and we jumped at the chance to dine at not just one but two of his spots in Vegas.
We arrived before our reservation time (OF COURSE WE DID), so we chilled out in the bar for a short while.
Fancy drink and shiny dress time!
Before too long, our table was ready, and we decided on the "Jose's Way" tasting menu, shown below.
I was lobbying hard for the chateaubriand,
but the waiter's description convinced Chris
the ribeye was the way to go.
It was delicious, so I have no complaints.
We didn't get shots of every course (we try not to be those people, I promise), but here are a few of our favorites:
This goofball with the bagels & lox cones
The classic tartare (on the left)
and the selection of cured meats
(a few of the cured meats are already gone in this shot)
As we anticipated, all of the food was so, so good, and we ate almost everything (we took home about half the steak and a few of the cookies/pastries, too - we enjoyed them just as well as leftovers in the subsequent days of our trip). In the happiest of food comas, we bid adieu to yet another great dining experience, and after a small kerfluffle with the Uber app and the signage at the Sahara (the Sahara recently changed their ride share pickup area, and not all drivers were complying with the update - the one we got asked us to come to him, at the older location, and as we were halfway there, in dress clothes, fighting our way through happy Rams fans/disappointed people in Cincy jerseys, he cancelled the ride on us. Super cool), we were on our way back to the Signature in a cab. It wasn't too late when we got back, so we chilled out in our living room for a bit, packing (me) and enjoying cherry cordial (not me), before drifting off to sleep.
On the next blog, we say goodbye to Sin City and head into the desert!
Later!
Amy
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