Today I’m continuing to share my trip journals from our Desert trip. If you missed my previous posts from our Desert trip check those out >>>> Desert Trip
On this day, we loafed around our hotel room and figured out where we wanted to go after checking out.
We drove down towards the North end of the strip passed the Strat (which is far as went by foot). We go to see Circus Circus where my Granddad used to stay and several more wedding chapels.
Our first stop was Fremont Street Experience (FSE). This is an area is a pedestrian mall and attraction in downtown Vegas about 2 miles from the North end of the Strip. The main attraction is a 1,375 ft (419 m) barrel vault canopy covered in more than 12 million LED lamps. It is quite a site to see. As you walk through the FSE, you’ll me mesmerized by not only the eye catching canopy, you will also see old school casinos with signs (not all of which were lit when we there during the day) as well as street performers and people just walking around dressed in different costumes. These days, you can also enjoy casino games online through sites like BoomtownBingo. Other attractions at FSE is SlotZilla Zip Line (114 foot zip line that runs overhead as you walk down the plaza) and Neonopolis (250,000 sq ft shopping mall located on top of a city parking garage). We didn’t do either of these.
We had In N Out Burger for lunch. We don’t have those around where we live so it’s always a treat. Although, it wasn’t quite as good as I remember.
After that we stopped at Seven Magic Mountains, which is about a 30 minute drive from Vegas towards the Mojave Desert. It’s a beautiful installation that thanks to Instagram attracks 100’s of visitors a day. It was quite crowded when we were there.
We really enjoyed the natural landscape behind the art.
The way a lot of our road trips work is we know we have to get from point A to B. How much time do we have to get there? What cool things can we see along the way even if it means making some detours? We also like to go a different way back than we came.
On this trip we went a bit out of the way to point B, which was Phoenix. We drove along the California-Nevada Border. About 26 miles from Seven Magic Mountains, we saw these tall glowing bright towers rising from the Mojave Desert surrounded by what looked like fields of glass. A quick google search showed this is the Ivanpah Solar Facility, which is the largest concentrated solar plant in the world!! More info: Wikipedia / Atlas Obscura
The original bridge was built in London over the River Thames in the 1830’s. In 1968, the bridge was purchased from the City of London and the exterior granite blocks were cut from the bridge and transported to the U.S. to be used to build this bridge in Lake Havasu City. The bridge was completed over the Bridgewater Channel Canal in 1971. Pretty cool!
The Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge protects the lower course of the Bill Williams River, to its mouth at Lake Havasu reservoir, in western Arizona. It is located within eastern La Paz and Mohave Counties, in the Lower Colorado River Valley region. It was a dirt road and was a bit sketchy at parts, but Rob is good at driving in less than desirable locations even without 4 wheel drive. However, my nerves can never admit that.
After all these beautiful views, it was full steam ahead to get closer to Phoenix!
I was hoping to have some more authentic Arizona/California type Mexican, so I picked out Amigos Authentic Mexican Grill and Bar (13621 N Litchfield Rd #131 Surprise, AZ 85379). I’m not sure I would say that, but it was decent enough.
Rob had the Chile Verde (Pork). I go the Chile Colorado (Beef)
That night we stayed at a Residence Inn in Peoria, AZ.
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We explored Freemont Street during the day too and could see how much more lit up and bustling it must be at night (though I really enjoyed it during the day!). That London Bridge area looks so neat to explore.
I appreciate the way you guys travel, stopping to see things along the way. I don’t think I have ever been able to do that. My parents drove as fast and furiously as we could to get from one place to the next. And PC is always ready to get where we are going. I would love to see a river and be able to jump in for a swim. Maybe in my next life??
Have really enjoyed this trip. We visited Circus Circus shortly after it opened when I was a girl. And I stayed at Golden Nugget years ago before they had the FSE. Looks very cool. I clearly need to get back to Las Vegas!!