5 October 2020 - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

For our last day of vacation and as a way to split up the long drive home, we stopped for a night in Las Vegas. Back in May, we took a drive through the city because I wanted to see the shut-down strip (from a historical perspective). With most of the hotels, casinos, and resorts open again and new procedures for masks/social distancing, we decided to take a risk and try it out.

We choose to stay at the Cosmopolitan because of a discount Conky had available to her. They also upgraded us to a tower balcony view which may be one of the best I have ever experienced.

We spent the evening walking around, enjoying food/drinks, and doing a little bit of gambling. Half the stores were still closed, but it was still fun. The Strip was still eerily empty compared to what I have seen in the past, but there were definitely more tourists than a few months ago. Most people were respecting the mask and social distancing rules so it seemed safer than other locations.

4 October 2020 - Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA

Continuing the road trip we headed off on Route 66 to get our kicks. Ultimately, we arrived at Flagstaff where we stayed at a hotel as camping was getting a little old.

 We spent most of the next day hiking the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park. I had a distance goal for the weekend of 10 kilometers and that was a perfect distance for an out and back from the Visitor Center to the Village. It was moderately crowded so we had to mask up. This came as no surprise because the park had recently reopened after being closed for a few months of pandemic lockdown.

We ended the day with a stopover in nearby Williams, AZ, and enjoyed a wine tasting and walking some of the historic Route 66.

2 October 2020 - Joshua Tree National Park - California, USA

This is not our first time at this national park. So what is different? We've always just made a day trip of traveling here. Camping here is our new experience. We spent two nights at the Indian Cove campground. I've never been in JTNP after dark but had heard how brilliant the star viewing experience is. Indeed it was in spite of the full moon. Have you ever watched the moon rise over the mountains? Overall it was a brilliant few days of hiking and camping.

30 September 2020 - Gaviota State Beach/Solvang/Los Olivos, Californa, USA

 Another Vacation week had arrived. While most of my original plans for this week have been canceled, we have been able to adapt and decided to head out for some socially distanced camping. For two days we spent our time on the West Coast at Gaviota State Beach and Campground. This spot might not be the quietest, but the location is still nice.

We took a day trip to nearby Solvang to visit Birkhoms Bakery. This small town is Dutch themed and proved a good spot to walk around. Thanks to everything that has been going on it was not crowded. We got our customary bin of sugar cookies from the bakery, had some lunch, and then headed north.

Conkey suggested that we visit Los Olivos, a small town in the heart of Santa Barbara wine country. The weather started to get excessively hot, however. By 1pm it was nearly 107 deg F. We made the best of it, had a small wine tasting, and then headed back towards the cooler coast and our campsite.

Tomorrow we head for Joshua Tree National Park.