Life as J

Day 8 - the last day of the trip - was much more relaxing since we didn't have any preset plans for the entire day. Those who wanted to wake up early were free to hit the casino floor, while others who wanted to sleep in could meet the rest for lunch. When we all gathered to eat, we decided to go to Paris for lunch. No, not the city, but the hotel complete with a replica of the Eiffel Tower. The buffet was decent, with made-to-order crepes and a decent variety of food to choose from. But, although the food was good, the washroom situation was not. When I had to use the facilities, I found a washroom, but it only had one stall. Obviously, there was a queue with many people complaining in different languages how ridiculous it was that a buffet was only equipped with a single toilet for women. I guess they expected their patrons to dislike the cuisine? After we ate our fill, we strolled back to Bellagio to look at the gardens there. The main exhibits, like the replica of Mount ...

After leaving Yellowstone, our scenic drive to Las Vegas began. First, we stopped at Salt Lake City, home of the 2002 Olympic Games and also to many Mormons. I'm not too knowledgeable about the Mormon religion, but I do know that a large majority of people in the state of Utah are followers. That being said, Salt Lake City is the holy city for the religion, and it's very apparent as soon as you reach the downtown core. I think 15 separate buildings formed Temple Square, and most of them were structural masterpieces. Even the State Capitol Building was magnificent! We were able to walk around the various buildings in Temple Square, but no one was permitted to step inside the temple unless they were a Mormon. I went inside the Tabernacle and the Conference Center, and the facilities were amazing - it seems that the Church is very wealthy. I guess it doesn't hurt that the state of Utah is also overflowing with natural resources. One natural resource in particular comes f...

Our second and final day at Yellowstone National Park began at 6:30 am, in surprisingly frosty conditions. Everyone was decked out in winter clothing to battle the cold temperature as we walked through the Fountain Paint Pots. Unfortunately, with all the fog/steam, we couldn't see the bubbling pots of mud, but we could hear them! Other points of interest were easier to appreciate, like the steam spouters... which contributed to the haziness. After fully exploring the area around the Paint Pots, we headed to the Midway Geyser Basin where Yellowstone's largest hot spring - the Grand Prismatic Spring - resided. Having seen photos of the spring prior to the trip, I was really excited to see all the vivid colours in person, but alas, the fog was against us. As we walked across the Firehole Bridge, we were engulfed in the steam from the boiling water around us. One surprising side effect: we noticed some spider webs that had frozen from the tiny water droplets, yet still maintai...

It's been awhile since I've gone on a family vacation, and even longer since my family has travelled with another family for a vacation! A trip to Yellowstone was suggested because it was a place nobody had visited before, and it was relatively close. The initial plan was a road trip there, but that option was nixed because we couldn't agree on the vehicle to take, among other things. A camping trip was completely out of the question because one family was all for being outdoors while the other was not. Taking a plane to Yellowstone National Park and staying there for a few days was also vetoed because there was disagreement over how much time we wanted to spend in the park. Thus, the final decision was to have all family members meet in San Francisco, California, take a bus tour to Yellowstone and Las Vegas, ditch the tour and stay in Las Vegas for an extra day, then fly back home. Let's start with Day One. On Friday, September 5, I got off work and headed to the a...