Saturday, December 31, 2016, Moab, UT to Las Vegas
After week-plus of National Parks and outdoor activities, it was time for a little culture shock with the bright lights and craziness of Las Vegas. We left Moab early for the seven-hour drive. It was a beautiful drive with temperatures in the teens and twenties and snow all around as we headed west. That changed as we turned south, left the snow behind in Utah, and proceeded toward Las Vegas.
We arrived in Vegas mid-afternoon and the city that is always buzzing with activity was even more active than usual on New Year’s Eve. We got checked into our room at the Marriott Grand Chateau, a very nice two bedroom suite (it’s great to have all those Marriott points!), and headed over to Caesar’s Palace for our main event of the night – Elton John! I’ve always liked Elton John, but somehow had never seen him in concert before that night. Beyond his piano, vocal, and songwriting talent, he is a gifted performer in front of a live audience. It was a great show. The whole family enjoyed it and I was so glad we seized the opportunity.
After the concert we grabbed some dinner then headed out onto the Strip with several hundred thousand of our closest friends to ring in the new year with the fireworks show. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I hope. Seriously, it was a lot of fun but I don’t think I need to repeat it. The crowd was immense and when the fireworks were over everyone wanted to head in a different direction. It was a mass of humanity moving slowly, bumping into each other, and getting nowhere fast. We got to the corner for our hotel and a nice police officer told us we couldn’t go down the street – we had to continue to push our way one more block, then come back in the crowd on the other side. After a seven-hour drive, walking around Vegas, a concert, and the crowded celebration I had had it. I had some choice words for the officer, who was a consummate professional and sent my tired butt on its way down the street. Not one of my proudest moments, but one that still gives Chrissy and the kids something to talk about over five years later. Good times.
We finally made it back to our room and settled down for a good night’s sleep so we could hit Vegas again the next day.
Where Are We Going Now? 