Friday – June 2nd, 2023
As the day dawned on our final day in Las Vegas, so did the realization that our trip was drawing to an end. We still had 5 days left, and an awful lot planned for those days, but the trip really was wrapping up now. This led to a little bit of melancholy, only to be overridden that by the end of the day, we would be back at Disneyland and you can only be HAPPY at Disneyland!
Leaving Vegas
We had a little Hotel credit to use up and figured the best way to do that now was with a great breakfast. We headed to the very pleasant-looking Salt and Ivy Restaurant overlooking the pool. Most breakfast options in the hotel were looking manic with huge queues but at Salt and Ivy, it was fairly short. We were offered seating inside or a long wait for seating outside. we opted for the latter and after a whole 8 minutes, we were shown to our seats.
The outdoor terrace is really nice and we were seated on some comfy garden-style furniture overlooking the pool. The menu was modern American Breakfast, and we ordered Eggs Benedict, and chicken & Waffles. Both were really good and a great end to our stay at the Aria.
We then headed up to our room, packed out gear, and headed out. Down at reception, everything was in order, very much unlike the Cosmo and we were off out the door in minutes as it is meant to be. We still had the long trek back to the Garage, but the desk had given us better directions so we didn’t have to trek all the way through the Aria’s MASSIVE casino.
Back in the car, we noticed the windscreen crack was larger than ever but still not obscuring the driver’s view so we pressed on. We filled up with Gas, paying the lowest price we have all trip from a Station right on the strip, which felt odd.
As we left the City, we had one last stop to make, at the (in)famous Las Vegas Sign. No matter how many times we come to Vegas we still want a quick stop at the sign. We don’t queue for photos but just grab some shots from the sidelines. Then it was goodbye till next time to Las Vegas. We had a couple of stops on the Way to Anaheim but nothing too time-consuming.
7 Magic Mountains
The first stop was the Seven Magic Mountains. An art installation on the outskirts of Vegas. This has become quite a draw for tourists and honestly, we don’t know why. This is the first time we have made it here, and only as we were passing directly by. It’s just some painted rocks piled on top of each other and not worth a trip unless you are passing. The good news is it’s right on the I-15 the most often used route into Vegas so it’s a fun stop if you are going by but otherwise skip it.
It did make us think about neolithic stone monuments around the world such as stone henge, they don’t really know why the ancient people went to such effort to build these monuments, they are assumed to have a deep cultural or religious significance, but what if they were just built to lure tourists out to try and scalp them for tickets to a show or some cheap merchandise? Probably not, but it’s what we do now!
Back on the road, we pulled off at Jean. not for any real reason just to stop at the same petrol station the wolfpack used in the Hangover Movie.
Primm
Our final stop-off for the day was Primm. This is the closest town to the California Border and the first place California residents can stop at to gamble. If they just can’t make the extra 40 or so miles to Vegas Primm is a very poor alternative. We really don’t know how places like this still survive but we wanted to make a quick stop just for one reason.
Fallout. If you are not a Gamer this will make no sense but one of my favorite ever Game Franchises is the Fallout Series. I just love the dystopian post-apocalyptic worlds created in the series and one of the best Titles is Fallout New Vegas. One of the most recognizable destinations of the Game is the small town of PRIMM.
There isn’t much there, just an old Casino and a roller coaster, and that’s pretty much true about the game, and today! I just wanted a shot in front of Buffalo Bills with its iconic rollercoaster and then we were off.
The next part of the journey was a non-stop pull all the way to Anaheim. We passed the incredible Ivanpah Solar Power Station, which is straight out of a Sci-Fi movie, and through the desert all the way to Anaheim. Traffic was not great and as we headed through the Cajon pass the traffic crawled to a halt. As we headed into Los Angeles the Radio came alive with traffic reports all promising doom and gloom on the roads, but we seemed to carve a path through the chaos and arrived in Anaheim in pretty good time.
Kings Inn Anaheim
Arriving at Anaheim we checked into our regular Disney accommodation. We love the King’s Inn, it’s really modest but clean, comfortable, and minutes away from the Gates. For the price it’s unbeatable and we just can’t always justify the cost of a Disney hotel when we Visit the resort so often.
Our room was handily located right at the front of the resort, near the Rooftop Terrace which offers modest views of the fireworks. There isn’t a lot to say about the Inn, it really is just a bed to sleep in when we are not in the parks
Downtown Disney
After Checking in we headed off to Downtown Disney. We both wanted to check out the Disney 100 Medaloons and Kate wanted to hunt out some Merch. I just wanted a Big Burger and a beer at Black Tap Craft Burgers.
The first stop was the World of Disney Shop. Kate had plans to put out Vegas winnings to good use, but in the end, there was not much on offer that took her fancy. We did pick up a New Magic Band+ to try at the Disney 100 Celebrations.
Then it was over to Black Crafy Burgers. We got the Truffle Burger and the Greg Normal along with a Craft beer, a nice Blood Orange IPA. The burgers were seriously good and while we really wanted Crazy Shake we just didn’t have the room.
Instead, we headed off to look for the 100 medallions, and tbh we were really disappointed. Each medallion simply did the same thing and flickery of fairy dust around the outside edge and tinkling sound to match. It was very underwhelming.
Better was our Visit to Topanga Terrace where we grabbed Dole Whip float with Rum! We love Dolewhip and we, obviously, love rum too so this is the perfect Drink/Dessert!
After this, we headed back to the Hotel, after a quick stop in The Disney Dress Shop which fortunately still offered nothing Kate wanted to buy. Here we just relaxed for a while before heading out and watching the Disneyland Fireworks from the Terrace.
An early night was on the cards as we had a really early start and a BIG day tomorrow!
Walking Total – 11,714 Steps – 5.9 Miles
With a lot of driving today we didn’t do too much walking but a respectable 6 miles is not bad considering how much time we spent in the car. We had a feeling the next two days would more than makeup for any light days!
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Day 18 – Disneyland – New Rides – New Shows – Dessert Party – 18+ Rides! >>>