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Vegasworm and Family Dodge Mud & Rockslides to Enjoy Red Rock Casino & MJOne (7/27-7/31)

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by Vegasworm, Aug 3, 2019.

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  1. Vegasworm

    Vegasworm Finger Clicker Extraordinaire

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    My Trip Report

    Hello again VMB!!! As promised, V and I were back in Vegas three and a half weeks after our anniversary trip in June...this time with family in tow. If you missed my anniversary trip report from a few weeks ago, here it is:

    https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/index.php?threads/vegasworm-v-and-a-20th-anniversary-4-hotels-slots-cocktails-sir-paul-live-6-23-7-1.163406/

    Cast of Characters aka Vegasworm's Family:

    Vegasworm (E) - 44
    Vegasworm's Hubby (V) - 47


    20190524_141230.jpg
    Here we are on the kids' last day of school this year. We were toasting to summer break and now it's over! :cry:

    Offspring 1 (G) - 12
    Offspring 2 (H) - 11
    Offspring 3 (S) - 10


    20190413_191622.jpg
    The offspring from left to right: S, H, G

    When S turned 10 in May, she did not want a birthday party with friends, instead she asked to go to Las Vegas. We told her we couldn't make it happen until July since V and I already had our 20th anniversary trip booked for June. She was good with that, so I originally booked us 4 nights comped at Delano and 2 nights at Red Rock Casino. We ended up cancelling Delano and booking a 4 night stay at Red Rock, so we could also spend 4 nights in Utah with grandparents and cousins.

    I was a proud mama having a child request Las Vegas! :p

    I have done several past trip reports (some with kids, some without), and I have always done those reports live. Since this trip was a special family trip, I decided to take a break from reporting live and just focus completely on family time. I have to say, coming back to do a trip report after the fact is way more daunting than doing it live in the moment. Kudos to all of you who come back and report about your awesome trips! I find this format hard to do! LOL.

    Pre-Trip Driving to Grand Junction, CO (Day 0)

    As many of you know, we always drive to Las Vegas in our trusty minivan Olive. We usually drive from Denver to Grand Junction to Vegas and then Utah before back to Denver. Our plan was to leave on Friday, July 26th and head the approximately 250 miles to Grand Junction, CO where we would stay overnight with my brother, sister-in-law, and 2 year old niece C. My girls were excited to see their cousin since my brother and his family only recently moved there from Denver.

    The drive normally takes us about 5 hours with bathroom breaks...my brother says it takes him 4 hours. :rolleyes: We got a later start at about 11:00am and hit a lot of heavy I-70 mountain traffic heading west into the mountains. We figured we would lose a good hour thanks to the slow crawling traffic, so I let my brother know to expect us around 4:30pm. Little did we know what lay ahead for us!

    MUDSLIDE straight ahead!!!

    https://gazette.com/news/mudslide-closes-i--near-glenwood-springs/article_fc0f57f4-aff8-11e9-aba8-6b249eab0f97.html


    Mudslide.jpg
    This is an AP photo of the mudslide that shut down I-70 right outside of Glenwood Springs. We were about 2 miles back from this muddy mess.

    We were at a complete standstill on I-70 for 4 hours. I haven't seen anything like this since we evacuated hurricanes when we lived in Houston.

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    This is a picture I took from my vantage point. When it wasn't raining, people would stand outside their cars.

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    Only G could stay upbeat in a traffic stall. H and S were grumpy!

    Well, we waited...and waited...and waited. We would get bits of info from Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) on Twitter talking about a potential reopen in the evening. Unfortunately, the alternate route to Grand Junction was impassible due to a rockslide in the mountains! At one point, CDOT indicated one lane might open in 4 hours. Well, 4 hours passed and based on the images that started to surface, we didn't know how on earth it would even open by tomorrow. My brother was smoking a brisket, and we were loaded down with sides and desserts. We kept texting back and forth to stay in touch.

    If you've read my past reports, you know I have a shot bladder from having three kids in less than three years. I need LOTS of frequent bathroom breaks! :oops: Well, you can imagine being trapped in a minivan on a packed interstate. There were people who were braving walking into Glenwood Springs in the rain and traffic moving along the shoulder to exit into town. I didn't feel safe letting us attempt this, so we all crossed our legs and waited...and waited...and waited. The bad part was getting thirsty and knowing drinking would only make things worse.

    Three hours into not moving, the girls and I cried uncle and attempted to create our own porta-potty by clearing a small space in between the middle seats and using a red Solo cup that thankfully G had brought to pour some juice in. Let me tell you folks, it was not pretty and some splashing did occur. ;)

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    That is what you think it is! :whistle: Thank goodness we had a place to dump the Solo cup in between uses. V wanted to dump it out on the road. I said no way!!! Not with all of those people around us.

    4 hours into the fiasco, we made the call to exit off the side of the road and turn around and head back. They had been turning I-70W traffic around 20 miles back for hours, essentially shutting down the interstate. I wish CDOT had been more forthcoming about how long they would keep I-70 closed, but once we got wind that the alternate route's rockslide had been partially cleared and one lane was open, we bolted!

    Shortly after getting turned around and headed into the mountains we saw this beautiful sight that I took to be a good sign.

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    The alternate route took us about 85 miles out of the way. A good portion of the drive was a two lane mountain road with 30mph speed limits. It rained a lot and got dark quickly, so it was a white knuckle drive for over 100+ miles for me. Where the rockslide was, there was only one lane open, so we had to wait for traffic to be guided from each side. Since we were driving through the mountains, it was very dark and the rain didn't help. One cool thing is we passed through a town that had a drive-in movie playing. The girls had never seen one in person (their only reference is in the movie "Twister"), so they enjoyed looking at it as we drove by.

    We arrived at my brother's house in Grand Junction a little after 10pm...11 hours on the road! We were all exhausted and sad that the girls didn't get to play with their little cousin C. We ate midnight brisket and sides. LOL! Due to our late arrival, we hung around until around 10am the next morning so the girls could spend a bit of time playing with C.

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    My niece C used the sidewalk chalk we brought her as makeup. LOL.

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    G, H, and S having a breakfast picnic with C.

    I will break this trip report into day by day posts, but some points of interest regarding this trip are listed below:

    • 4 night stay at Red Rock Casino
    • $2,000 gambling bankroll
    • Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson One show
    • Restaurants included: (Andiron Steak and Sea, Pancho's, Trattoria Reggiano, Camelot Steakhouse, Grand Cafe, Feast Buffet)
    • Cabana at Red Rock Casino
    • KidsQuest at RRC
    • Movie Theater at RRC
    As with my previous reports, I'll include lots of food porn and pictures of my slot wins. Of course there will be cocktail pictures too! :drunk:We've always taken our girls to The Strip for past Vegas trips and they've never stayed Downtown with V and me, so this will be our family's first take on going off Strip. I will work to get the trip days up as quickly as possible. We drive back to Denver tomorrow from Utah and school starts Wednesday :eek:, so I've been bogged down doing lots of online check-ins from afar instead of working on this trip report.

    Thanks as always for reading my reports! :D

    Vegasworm
     
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2019
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  2. Kobra2848

    Kobra2848 VIP Whale

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    Nice start but sucks about the traffic delay. Looking forward to the rest.

    Mark
     
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  3. drac999

    drac999 Loving Life

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    I’d say you had a very precarious start:)! Hoping the rest of your trip went smoothly. Your girls (and niece) are precious:love:. Looking forward to your saga ;)
     
    Happy Birthday to Me!
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  4. Big dan

    Big dan High-Roller

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    Sounds like a good time. My kids always loved red rock
     
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  5. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    Wow, what an ordeal. Hard enough for adults but must have been torture for your adorable girls.
     
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  6. Johnzimbo

    Johnzimbo VIP Whale

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    "you know I have a shot bladder from having three kids in less than three kids"

    They look like three full kids to me :)
     
    Annual me and Pete
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  7. Pbtrav

    Pbtrav Mid level gambler.....high level drinker!

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    Rough start....hopefully all good for rest of trip
     
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  8. Vegasworm

    Vegasworm Finger Clicker Extraordinaire

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    And apparently I'm working with half a brain! :kill:

    Good catch! That's what I get for bouncing between my computer to type and phone to upload pictures and wait for the two to sync.

    Vegasworm
     
  9. Ckspores

    Ckspores Low-Roller

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    That start means good luck! The gambling gods will be smiling upon you!
     
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  10. emmas

    emmas VIP Whale

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    Hope things only get better after such a trying start to the trip.
     
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2019
    I need all the luck I can get!
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  11. Valgal

    Valgal VIP Whale

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    Wow what an adventure/ordeal— but you got all the bad luck out of the way early.
     
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  12. Astribling

    Astribling Alice In Casinoland

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    Oh my, what a start! I commend you for the patience you had. I start going nuts after 15 minutes sitting in traffic!

    I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the trip and hoping for big wins!
     
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  13. amk121

    amk121 VIP Whale

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    That is certainly an adventure! Hope everything else was better after that:)
     
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  14. Vegasworm

    Vegasworm Finger Clicker Extraordinaire

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    Day 1 - Saturday, July 27th

    We got a later start from Grand Junction to Vegas than we had planned, but since the mudslide cost us our family visit, we didn't leave until 10am so the girls could play with cousin C.

    The drive is a tad over 500 miles and we do gain the hour going from Mountain to Pacific time. We faced no snafus and just took our time driving slowly and safely. We had eaten breakfast at my brother's and only grabbed gas station snacks along the way. H was looking forward to having Panda Express (her favorite) from the Red Rock Casino food court when we arrived.

    20190727_122536.jpg
    Cool lookout in Utah.

    20190727_122451.jpg
    I am freaked out by unprotected dropoffs like these! I wouldn't let the girls get any closer to take pictures with their cameras. We took the selfie from a safer angle. Vegasworm does not need a Darwin Award! :poke:

    We arrived around 5:30pm to Red Rock Casino. Both parking and valet are free at RRC, so we valeted like we normally do as we have too much luggage and need a bellhop.

    While I dealt with getting us checked in, V took the girls to the food court.

    20190803_193828.jpg
    H and S got Panda Express while pickier G got a pretzel from Auntie Anne's Pretzels.

    The food court at Red Rock is pretty extensive.
    • Starbucks (x2)
    • Panda Express
    • Rubio's
    • Ben & Jerry's Ice-Cream
    • Auntie Anne's Pretzels
    • Villa Pizza
    • Capriotti's
    • Fat burger
    • Tropical Smoothie Café
    I booked our room online using the Summer Stay and Play special that included a $50 RC, summer swag bag, and coupon book. We were there 4 nights arriving on a Saturday and departing Wednesday.

    20190803_201316.jpg
    Swag bag we received including the bag, beach towel, mint tin, lip balm, and sunscreen that is not pictured because we used it.

    Our total for 4 nights with tax and resort fee came out to $716.07. I listed 4 persons since like most hotels, a 5th person exceeded occupancy. (The resort fee with tax at RRC is $44.07/night.)

    We had a standard 2 queen room with a view of The Strip and Las Vegas Ballpark where the Aviators play. The room and bathroom were very large for a basic room. We were very pleased!

    20190727_185654.jpg
    View of The Strip from our 14th floor room.

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    Zoomed in view of The Strip.

    20190727_185638.jpg
    Las Vegas Ballpark

    Room Pictures

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    S slept on her sleeping bag on a large settee lounger by the window. This is a night view of her set up.

    Bathroom Pictures

    20190727_185510.jpg

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    The girls loved the TV above the tub.

    20190727_185458.jpg

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    When you check in, you give the front desk your bell desk tag and they'll bring your luggage up. Since I met up with the family at the food court, they did not leave our luggage since nobody was in the room. We called down for our stuff after we got to the room and it didn't take long to get.

    When I tried to put some things in the safe, I couldn't get it to lock. Another call and we waited around for maintenance. Thankfully, that didn't take long either as we had a dinner reservation at Pancho's in Downtown Summerlin at 8:30pm (we bumped it from 7pm).

    We freshened up then headed out to walk to the Downtown Summerlin shopping and dining area that is adjacent to Red Rock Casino. It's about a 5 minute walk to Downtown Summerlin, but Pancho's is on the farthest end, so it was about a 15 minute walk to get there.

    20190803_203744.jpg
    The girls at Pancho's in Downtown Summerlin.

    When I originally booked Pancho's, I wasn't certain if this was an updated, fancier version of the Pancho's Buffet from my childhood where you raise the flag at your table and they bring you more stuff. It wasn't. This is the Pancho's out of California.

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    Pretty entry at Pancho's.

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    The lounge/cantina looked fun and had karaoke, but it was a no go since we had the girls.

    It was a beautiful two story restaurant with a large menu and good margaritas. It was expensive for a Mexican joint...it was no Javier's, but it hit the spot and we enjoyed ourselves.

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    Weary travelers from two long days of driving.

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    Loved the peek-a-boo bar behind our table where the drinks are made.

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    Naughty Maggie (Cadillac Margarita) for E

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    Cucumber Jalapeno Margarita for V

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    Believe it or not, V and I only had one margarita that night! :eek: We were tired!

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    Enchiladas Mole for V

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    Combo Platter (taco, chile relleno, enchilada) for E

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    Pricey kid's menu, but at least it included a drink and dessert.

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    Kid's Quesadilla for G

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    Kid's Taco for H

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    Kid's Enchilada for S

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    Each girl got this kid dessert.

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    Tipped $20 for a total of $124.46. Actually pretty cheap for us since we didn't order as many drinks as we usually do.

    After dinner, most of the shops in Downtown Summerlin were closed which disappointed G. She was thrilled though when we found the candy store, "It's Sugar" still open. I stayed with G at the candy store while V took H and S to an outdoor climbing play area in the complex.

    20190727_214842.jpg
    We didn't notice until later that the play structure had a sign that it's closed at night. Oops!

    20190727_214836.jpg
    G, H, and S playing. I bought H and S some candy gum cigarettes like I did on our last trip. They love blowing the smoke. Bad mom Vegasworm! :nono:

    Part of our motivation for staying at Red Rock Casino was so the girls could enjoy KidsQuest which is a dropoff childcare play center in the casino. They have been to other KidsQuests at casinos in Louisiana and New Mexico and love them! The age is infant - 12 years, so this is it for G as she turns 13 this fall.

    Tired as we all were, we pressed on and told the girls they should at least do an hour at KidsQuest (it was open until 2am). We checked the girls in and then V and I headed to the room. We opted against gambling or going to a bar because we were so tired. We even opted out of our chance for some nookie. ;) Instead, we got things unpacked and got the room ready for the girls to go to bed. We picked them up close to midnight after 1 hour at KidsQuest and called it a first day.

    KidsQuest is $10.50/child and with tax we paid $37.99 for that hour. The girls had a blast and returned a few more times.

    We had a brunch reservation the next day at Andiron Steak and Sea at 10am. Since I did no night gambling, the plan was to get up before everyone else and play some slots before brunch. A fairly low key ending to our day, but sleep was needed!

    Day 2 to follow soon. We have a 550 mile drive to Denver from my in-laws tomorrow, so there's a good chance my next post will be on Monday.

    I'll leave you with a spoiler.... Vegasworm did not break her 24 year handpay drought on this trip, but she also did not land $1,700 in the hole like on her June anniversary trip.

    Till next time!

    Vegasworm
     
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2019
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  15. Pbtrav

    Pbtrav Mid level gambler.....high level drinker!

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    Sounds like a good time for the family...
     
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  16. booker

    booker VIP Whale

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    Dang. Love your TRs! And S … that girl knows how to camp. At her age, that would have been my favorite sleeping arrangement … perhaps even now sharing a room like that!
     
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  17. Vegasworm

    Vegasworm Finger Clicker Extraordinaire

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    @booker, S fought hard to have that spot all 4 nights! Originally the girls were supposed to rotate with S getting 2 times in the camping spot since it was her "birthday trip" and the other two getting 1 night each. She loved her little nest and we convinced the older two to keep sharing the big bed the whole time. LOL.

    Thanks for reading!

    Vegasworm
     
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  18. AllenAndRossi

    AllenAndRossi VIP Whale

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    Wow, what a start you had:eek:

    We love Red Rock Resort. We stayed there once on a 2 night comp before we had our daughter(she's now 5)and before things were built-up around there.

    You have me thinking we might have to do a couple nights there again. Now, I suffer from a condition where I am physical unable to book a room in Vegas that isn't comp'd:goofy: But I might have to battle thru that.

    Love seeing others reports doing any of Vegas with kids. Our daughter always travels with us, has been there numerous times, and loves it!
     
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  19. Ezzy711

    Ezzy711 VIP Whale

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    I really enjoy your writing style. I could read your trip report to McDonald’s drive through.

    Your family was much more tolerant than I would be to the delays. My claustrophobia would not allow me to sit in a car for that long without the possibility of turning around.

    For all the trouble your family really rallied. Your girls are adorable and must have their parent’s good nature.

    I like that this is coming in segments just like a live report so I have something to look forward to during the week.
     
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  20. drac999

    drac999 Loving Life

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    I'm the same way, Allen regarding comped rooms! ;)
     
    Happy Birthday to Me!
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