USA Vacation 3: Tahoe-Bound On the Road Through Nevada

Fun times in Las Vegas can't go on forever if you're anything like me. At some point, you have to drag yourself away from the shopping, cocktails and casinos and exit the city (vowing silently you'll return to that outlet mall and this deluxe hotel).

The husband and I stuffed all the shopping bags into the rental car, entered "Tahoe" into the GPS and headed out of Sin City. We were headed towards San Francisco, passing through parts of Nevada and seeing Lake Tahoe on the way. So, we drove off under the blistering desert sun, yowling along to whatever was playing on the radio.

                              

For tall people who are more used to short rides in Copenhagen, driving for too many hours isn't too ideal, so pit stops will happen every so often.

Yup, you read it right! Not only did this place on the Interstate boast of a gas station and diner, it was Area 51-themed and all, being quite near the militiary air base known for all the alien conspiracy theories . Oh, and an Alien Brothel and Bar open for business, too! Something for everyone, I guess. :)

After the initial pit stop, we drove through miles of desert, admiring the changing landscape and marvelling at how big everything was. So we drove.

And drove. 

And drove.

At some point, when you've driven for hours, can't get a decent music station on the radio and haven't seen another car for miles, you realize that you're really deep in the country and hope to the heavens that the car doesn't break down!

And slowly, the landscape changed from less desert-y to more pine tree-ish.

You realize how much you rely on your smartphone and Google when all you have is the GPS of a car and are sort of winging it on the road trip, hoping you'll see signs to Lake Tahoe soon. At some point, near sunset, we drove through a forest which turned out to be Inyo National Forest, and ended up by Mono Mills lake, which is a large, saline lake in Mono County.

After nearly 7 hours on the road, I yelled "stop" when I spotted the first sign that said motel, because by that time, we were both exhausted and starving and just wanted to stop for the night. We found out that we were in Lee Vining, which is on the southwest shore of Mono Lake and the closest town to the east entrance to Yosemite National Park.

Guess who ditched the car and bolted across the street when she saw a sign for Bodie Mike's Bar-B-Q? Yeah, you guessed it. A girl needs her regular meals, of course. I did enjoy that Pulled Pork sandwich, every delicious bite of it! Fed and satisfied, we checked into the only room left at the Yosemite Gateway Motel, which was clean, air conditioned and had excellent wifi so we could let the world know we were still alive.

And this isn't a bad view to wake up to in the morning! The sun rising over Mono Lake was beautiful....and crossing over for breakfast at the only diner in the town was beautiful,too.

Here's a view of the front of the motel rooms facing the lake and the sunrise. 

And here are some still photographs the husband took on his pre-breakfast walk. 

Despite being slightly behind schedule, I was glad we stopped at Lee Vining when we did because we would have missed the beautiful views en route to Tahoe. Just ignore the dirty spots from the windshield.

Streams, tree and mountains made up the beautiful landscape.

Which made being stuck in a traffic jam (seriously, out in the country?!) bearable, having something interesting to photograph.

And then, we finally made it to Lake Tahoe. Oh. My. God. "Gorgeous" just can't begin to describe it. I totally fell in love with this place! The lake is huge, for one, and it was simply amazing to see the clear waters stretch for miles with the snow-capped mountains in the distance and having such fresh air to breathe.

We drove around Lake Tahoe, admiring the beautiful views of the lake and the quaint houses among the trees. Lunch called for a stop at Sunnyside Restaurant and Lodge on the west shore of the lake, which boasted of a big wooden deck where a bite to eat and lakeside view go hand in hand.

A shrimp and crab salad was an excellent light lunch....

...and our friendly waited surprised us with this dessert when he heard we were on our honeymoon!

After lunch in the sun, we had to continue on to San Francisco where friends were waiting for us, We decided to continue driving around the lake, after a recommendation from some co-lunch guests, towards Emerald Bay, a natural bay surrounded by Emerald Bay State Park. And just when I thought Lake Tahoe couldn't get any more fantastic! So worth the extra drive! 

Just check out how gorgeous it is:

A longer stay by Lake Tahoe is definitely recommended! I hope to go back some day and stay at one of the hotels by the lake and just enjoy the magnificent natural beauty of the area. if you have a chance to pass by, do try to check it out!

Check out the next installment of our USA trip in a few days, right after this month's "Happiness Is..." post, because San Francisco is up next!

USA Vacation 2: Viva Las Vegas!

Oh gosh! Once again, I've been super delayed in getting my blog posts out there, but if you've followed me on Instagram, you've seen that I've really been getting the most out of this great summer weather we've been having in Denmark this year. Like they say, sitting indoors hunched over your computer can wait until the days start getting colder again. So, maybe I should compromise and start dragging my laptop with me outdoors, huh?

It's time to continue with my tale of our summer vacation in the U.S. And this time, we are headed to Vegas, baby!

Seeing America by car is really the best way if you want to get as much out of your vacation as possible. The husband and I definitely chose the smartest way to travel, so we found the nearest Enterprise car rental, gassed up, tapped into the GPS we were lucky to borrow and hit the Interstate from L.A. to Las Vegas.

Having lived in the Philippines and in Denmark makes watching the desert scenery from an airconditioned car that much more interesting. 

Along the way, we stopped for a quick bite at Peggy Sue's Diner. Also, air conditioned, by the way, because how else is anyone going to survive out there under the blistering sun? Loved the cute diner-y interior with photos of the actual Peggy Sue and all sorts of celebrities all over the walls.

Finally we hit Las Vegas and after making it to The Strip, as the 6.4 km part of Las Vegas Boulevard where it all goes down is called, we checked into our hotel, the New York-New York. Yes, it is designed to look like a little New York, complete with the Statue of Liberty, Times Square interior design and a whopping roller coaster that goes all around the hotel. We had a great hotel room with a really comfy bed (important for tall people like us) and the ever-important air conditioning (also important for people just come in from Scandinavia like us). 

Living on The Strip is definitely ideal for making pit stops in between shopping, gambling or sight seeing. Like when you need a shower or a nap after building up a sweat.

Seeing The Strip by day is amazing, though hot. Luckily, you can pop in and out of all the hotels and see the magnificent interiors or grab a drink along the way, while cooling down. I must've mentioned air conditioning a few times by now. Yes, the heat can be downright redonkulous.

  But seeing the lights of The Strip at night---now that's truly something else! And there's tons to do and see, because Vegas never goes to sleep!

You can pop into any of the casinos and see if Lady Luck is on your side!

Try catching the lighted fountain show right outside the Bellagio.

Or marvel at the canals and painted sky of the Venetian.

Or grab a sweet, fruity cocktail from one of the hotel bars in Caesar's Palace, while admiring the fantastic, detailed design of the hotel and casino.

Or get dressed up and hit one of the night clubs or catch one of the glitzy shows on stage, like Zumanity, Thunder Down Under or Jersey Boys

And when you've tired of it all and have dragged yourself back to your hotel, you can view the lights of the city outside The Strip while maybe having your last drink of the day before rolling into bed.

Aside from casinos and hotel hopping, there are a lot of activities you can do in and around Las Vegas. Hotel concierges are generally helpful in helping you find things to do and arranging them for you. Whether you want to check out a gun range, fly to the Grand Canyon, swim with the sharks at the Mandalay Bay, try indoors sky diving or tie the knot at a wedding chapel, Las Vegas has got it all!

And let's not forget the shopping! Oh, the shopping! If you feel like checking out a mall, try the Fashion Show Mall at one end of Las Vegas Boulevard. Dining, shopping and entertainment---it's all there. Or if you feel like hitting an outlet store, try Las Vegas Premium Outlets North or South. I'm sure you'll find at least one thing to your liking there. I know I did! Several times!

And while you're in Las Vegas, trying out the fabulous cuisine available is simply a must! From mile-long buffets to gourmet dining, some of the best meals I've had on this vacation were in Las Vegas. 

Like these fantabulous Eggs Benedict (I am a sucker for this dish!) and French toast, which I trekked all the way from the New York-New York to the Bellagio for.

And there are also fantastic places to check out outside the city center, if you're a certified foodie like me! Luckily, I have family in Las Vegas who knew these great places to try.

We had great Mexican food at Lindo Michoacan, where the guacamole certainly was the freshest I've ever had at a restaurant since the waited prepared it for us right at the table.

And there's a P. F. Chang's as well outside the city. I learned later on that this is a chain, but oh man, I loved the delicious Chinese food I had here! The food you see on the table was only a third of all the tasty goodness we had. Yum!

Such a great town to party in and to experience the glitzy, glamorous side of life! Viva Las Vegas indeed!

Indulge yourself a little while you're in Las Vegas. That's the whole idea of this city.