Semi-Live Vegas Part 3: The Tale of Two Valleys

As I was driving to our next stop a good 40+ minutes away, we passed a few points of interest. The first was like an oasis in the middle of a rocky mountain scape. It actually is just that. This is one of the inns within the park which you can stay.


We passed this sign in the Furnace Creek area. I’m sure one of the places my dad might enjoy playing just to say he’s done it.


And if you need to get gas within the park, be prepared to pay!

 

The next stop was our main destination - Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. We were planning to get some sunset pictures here for our youngest daughter as she loves sunsets. When we pulled in there were several RVs with groups of people and many other cars. The place was pretty busy, but the dunes area is massive so even with a bunch of people it doesn’t seem so packed (if you walk away from the parking lot).

Words simply cannot describe the breadth and beauty of this location! I was just blown away by how amazing this is. This is a must see!

We spent a very long time here, and frankly, could have spent more but we were getting exhausted from our day that started well before 6am since we checked out of Red Rock before leaving on the trip to DV.

We climbed out for several waves of the dunes to get different views and angles. The sand was just like you would expect - hard to get traction - so climbing the dunes could be a bit difficult although not impossible. I wanted to climb out to the highest peaks, but when you realize it might be a mile or more walk in the sand it seems like that’s just not going to happen.

Here is a pic drop of several pictures from the Dunes, but I’ve easily taken over 100 in this location alone.





This has to be one of my favorite views of the Dunes as you see the highest dune peaks and the shadows cast on them already before the sun goes down.

 

Thanks for sharing your trip to Death Valley. It's my favorite and the NP I've visited over the years. I strongly suggest to try to visit in the Spring, between the wildflowers, the pupfishes and other animal life, and pleasant temperatures, though I also loved my visit at 120 F.

Here is my link to pictures from my latest visit, sadly 20 months ago.

My brother took his family out this past Sunday, very jealous.

 

Thanks for all the DV reporting! I’m amazed that I still haven’t been there. It sounds a little less terrifying in the late Fall and Winter.

Glad you didn’t get too hurt in the fall.

Good luck back in Vegas!

 

We then drove over to nearby Stovepipe Well to get the best angle of the sunset in the pictures. It was very peaceful here with just a few people out taking pictures in a large area.

 

Before we made the trek back to Vegas, I needed to change my socks and shoes because of the sand.


It was a dark and uneventful drive back.

When we got back to Vegas we stopped at Chick-fil-A for dinner and headed for check-in at Suncoast. I asked about upgrades but was quoted higher pricing than the e-upgrade offers, so I politely declined and accept my comp Golf View room. We got all our stuff to the room and headed straight for the shower.

After showering and having dinner, we both settled in and were asleep pretty fast.

 

Thanks for sharing, @Viva Las Vegas! I will take some time to read this once we get back home. I can’t imagine being in Badwater in that heat. We usually visit Vegas in May so Death Valley has always been a want on our list, but the weather has made it a “no-go” until this trip.

 

Thanks for the well wishes @carolineno. A trip to DV is a must, and there’s no doubt if you’ve considered it in the past, you will certainly appreciate going! I suggest going when the weather is cooler; but, whenever you go just prepare for the weather and bring snacks and drinks.

 

It’s a rise and shine time for Vegas. Here’s the morning sunrise view looking out the window at Suncoast.


Already a few gentlemen getting their early morning round of golf. Second group I’ve seen by 6:15.

 

So plan for today is try getting over to the Antique Mall and Pinball HOF without being distracted by South Point this time. After that, it’s hit the northern end of the strip including Resorts World and some other casinos in that area that we have not been to before.

If you see this shirt out and about, say “hi!”

 

We have been looking forward to having a meal (or 6) at Du-pars since we booked the trip. We always enjoy the food and service here. The portions are huge especially for the price point. We were all in for breakfast for less than $30 including tip.

I had the French toast….


Wife had the massive stack of 3 pancakes…


And we split an order of bacon…

 

We made it to the Antique Mall of America. Very large place and assortment of items. We managed to find one item for the daughter. She’s a big Elvis fan and does a lot of pencil drawings, so we picked up this item which fits both aspects.

 

Killing some time here. They are installing a new sign that is right on Las Vegas Blvd.

 

I just got caught up. Looks like your having an amazing trip! Death Valley has been something we have wanted to do for a long time.

 

It’s been an absolute blast! Hope that you are able to make a visit to Death Valley on a future trip. There’s so much to see in the park so trying to make up a one-day excursion is tough to put together without leaving something out.

 

Walking through the Pinball HOF was some reminiscing of my childhood and also a history lesson. I was playing one of the older pinball games when the ball was perfectly stuck on an upper bumper. Had to get assistance and learned a little about the games during the quick time. The employee mentioned that some of the electronic pinball games (from the 50s-70s) are turned off to rest in intervals because they wear out and need service attention rather quickly compared to newer games.

We enjoyed some of my childhood games (Paperboy, Ms PAC Man, and a few pinball games) and old school games that my dad played in the arcades as a teen. I had to send him a message with pictures and he confirmed playing some of these at that time.




After playing around and enjoying the less than $10 we spent over 2 hours in there, it was time to keep on moving. It was a worthwhile trip and we will come back again!

We headed northbound to go check out Jerry’s Nugget. It’s not my cup of tea. I get that some people like it, and that’s great, we can still be friends; but, it is not some place that I see going back to play. The craps table was pretty full when I got there and I stayed even until I threw. I didn’t have it in me and lost some bucks, but yeah, I’ve been there done that now. Crew was alright but there was a lot of stoppage in play that drove me crazy.

We then decided we should go eat since we were getting hungry and had not had anything since this morning.

 

We pondered what to have as we headed back towards our hotel. We were trying to find something that would be good and I’ve heard people rave about Nacho Daddy, so we ventured to their location in Summerlin.


The food was fantastic but the service, eh, I think we had one of those people mailing it in. She wasn’t very attentive other than when we first arrived, and when she did come over she seemed lost. Chalk up our first low service rating of the trip.

I had the Cali Burrito…


Wife had the Chicken Quesadilla and a Strawberry Margarita…

 

Jerry’s nugget restaurant is solid, I’m surprised you didn’t try it while you were there…

Enjoying your trip report, sounds like a great time!

 

Thanks for following along! It’s certainly been fun although the winning ways have gone wayside, but hoping to turn that around!

We could have eaten there, but there’s so many other places we haven’t even tried yet.

 

After dinner I was feeling a little tired but knew I needed to give some play to Suncoast to help offset the comp. Got down to the craps table and bought in. It was an interesting table for sure as we had a guy that was loud and betting the don’t, hitting dealer stacks, and just being obnoxious. Meanwhile the rest of the table were your polite and quiet players. When the right side players started hitting points and taking it to the Don’t guy, people were cheering albeit not with a roar or anything, but enough for him to know to shut up.

Main point is lightning strikes twice on this trip. Bought in for $600 and cashed out for….


And as I left the table, this is how I felt!!!