It’s been over a month since we arrived in the U.S., and we’ve already discovered some truly iconic places: Alaska, Yellowstone, Monument Valley, Colorado, Antelope Canyon. And it’s not over yet! We’re now about to discover three of the most famous and iconic places in the American West: the Grand Canyon, Route 66, and Las Vegas—all in the same day!
Saturday, October 8, 2022
It’s hard to come back to reality after the beauty of our hike to The Wave. We’re still dazzled by the natural wonders we’ve just witnessed. But it’s time to keep moving—next stop: Las Vegas, a world completely opposite to the one we’ve just experienced. We can’t afford to waste time, as many miles lie ahead. Before reaching Vegas, though, we want to make one last stop in nature. After all, to us, it offers the most beautiful wonders. And speaking of wonders, we’re about to discover a very impressive—and vast—one!
Before getting there, we drive for three hours under an increasingly threatening sky, then through a violent storm. When we finally arrive at the most famous national park in the United States, it’s raining and very cold! After the desert heat, it feels like a thermal shock. We stop at the first viewpoint along the way to admire the Grand Canyon for the first time. It truly lives up to its name: it’s big. Immense. Gigantic. And incredibly beautiful—even in the rain!
Tonight is Mom’s last camping night. Tomorrow, she’ll finally enjoy the comfort of a hotel room (and so will we!). In the meantime, even though it’s the coldest evening we’ve had in the past 10 days, we make the most of it. We cook our signature dish—burritos—and enjoy them by the campfire. Then we finish the meal by roasting marshmallows. A wonderful evening that beautifully wraps up these 10 days of camping! 😊
Sunday, October 9
Today is a big day. We need to be in Las Vegas by late afternoon, which is 450 kilometers from the Grand Canyon. But there’s no way we’re leaving without admiring the canyon from every angle. By 8 a.m., we’re already up and ready to go. We stop at several viewpoints, each one more breathtaking and impressive than the last.
Vegas is waiting for us, and we can’t afford to linger. Rémi and I will come back to the Grand Canyon to explore it more deeply, but for now, we need to hit the road. After two hours of driving, we leave the highway for a country road. We keep driving through the desert. After a while, Mom starts getting impatient: “Where is this Route 66!?” But Mom—we’ve been driving on it for over an hour already!! 😅 Far from what we imagined, this stretch of Route 66 is just another road: long, straight, and monotonous. But in every village we pass through, the mythical Route 66 atmosphere is very much alive: vintage signs, old gas pumps, classic cars, and old shops. Sure, it’s all staged for tourists—but it’s still pretty cool!
We arrive in Las Vegas at 4 p.m. after a 5-hour drive. In the outskirts of the city, we return our trusty rental car. Our hotel is about 20 minutes from the agency. I hide in the back of the Jeep among all our belongings, while Mom sits in the front with Rémi. Definitely not the time to run into the police! We’ve booked two nights at the Rio, a massive hotel-casino not far from the Strip, Las Vegas’ main boulevard. The entrance is directly through the casino. The atmosphere hits immediately: the noise of countless machines, the music, the cigarette smoke (since smoking is allowed indoors), and there are even slot machines built into the bar so you can drink and play at the same time. A whole different world!
We’re quickly disappointed, though, as we have to wait 2 hours in line to get our room keys. Not cool at all, Rio! To make up for it, we’re given a room with a better view… So off we go to the fifteenth floor for a very large, slightly outdated room overlooking downtown Vegas. First thing to do: turn off the air conditioning—it’s freezing in here! After a quick shower, we head out on foot to the Strip!
It’s 9 p.m. The atmosphere is electric. We walk past Caesars Palace, one of the largest hotel-casinos in the city. Across the street: the famous Bellagio! We barely have time to admire its illuminated façade before the Bellagio fountains burst to life to the sound of Michael Jackson. What an atmosphere!
The Las Vegas Strip means crowds, noise, lights, and nonstop entertainment. For the past five months, we’ve been immersed in nature, exploring some of the wildest and most remote places in North America. Tonight, Las Vegas is a shock. There’s too much of everything—too many people, too much noise, too many lights and activity. It’s overwhelming for the eyes and the ears. What a world! What madness!
We then sit down facing the Bellagio to eat at a Mexican restaurant. But we’re not in Vegas just to admire the Bellagio fountains. Well… not only! Indeed, it’s impossible to visit Las Vegas without trying your luck at the slot machines! When it comes to casinos, we’re spoiled for choice, but there’s no hesitation—we head into the Bellagio. After passing through the luxury shopping gallery, the enormous casino opens up before us. We’re a bit impressed. Poker, blackjack, roulette, craps… As for us, we’ll go for the slot machines!
We first watch the players to understand how the machines work. Mom has a well-tested strategy: spot a player who seems to be betting and playing a lot for a long time, wait for them to leave, then take their seat! 😏 So we observe the players around us. Eventually, we give it a try. We play—and lose everything! 🤑 Looks like all our luck disappeared with The Wave lottery! But what a thrill—and what style—to have played at the legendary Bellagio! Mom still leaves with two small tickets worth just a few cents, stamped Bellagio, as souvenirs!
Back in the hotel room, it’s already 2 a.m., but we pop the champagne to celebrate—not our casino jackpot, but these 10 days filled with adventure! 🍾🍾🍾
Monday, October 10
The night was short, but very good! We love the Jeep, where we always sleep really well, but sleeping peacefully between four walls, in a real bed, is a comfort we had almost forgotten. And because of that, we enjoy it even more.
It’s 9 a.m. when we leave the hotel to head back to the Strip. By day, the atmosphere is different, but not that much. There’s still that same wild energy, that sense of excess, that luxury. Casinos are still packed with players. Streets are still crowded. And the Bellagio fountains keep bursting regularly with a thunderous roar. It’s scorching hot. We wander through this very American city, surrounded by the biggest brands: Coca-Cola, M&M’s, Hard Rock, McDonald’s, Nike, Adidas, Barbie. Not to mention luxury brands: Dior, Guerlain, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci. All these storefronts lure us into the game of (mass) consumption, encouraging us to spend more and more without thinking.
We just soak up the atmosphere of Las Vegas. We pass through New York, with its Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, the Chrysler Building, and even a roller coaster!
Just before noon, we start getting hungry! We look for a brunch spot, but hey—we’re in the States, not Berlin! 😅 That is, until we come across the giant Shake Shack sign! I turn to Rémi—no need, he spotted it before I did! No words needed, this is where we’re eating. It’s an upgraded fast-food chain. The last time we went was in 2017 in New York (the real one)! Rémi is thrilled, and honestly, it’s really good!
After lunch, we keep strolling along the Strip. We pass through three major cities—Rome, Venice, and Paris—all without taking a plane! And we admire some of the most famous casinos in Las Vegas: Caesars Palace, the Mirage, the Venetian, the Palazzo.
At 2 p.m., we’re back at the Rio. Just enough time for a quick shower and to call a taxi, and we’re on our way to the airport to drop off my mom. What a trip!
My dear mom, what a joy it was to share these few days with you in the American West. The American West—what a dream! I loved discovering these iconic landscapes, but I loved even more discovering them with you! The majestic arches, glorious sunrises, American canyons, Monument Valley, the Colorado, the Grand Canyon, Route 66, Las Vegas! What a dream! And none of it would have been the same without the camping adventure. Hotels are nice, but comfort and daily showers… honestly, overrated!
What made our adventure so magical were the evenings in the dark cooking in the middle of nature, your “savanna snake” technique to climb into the Jeep, your fear of heights when getting into the rooftop tent, the chairs that refuse to unfold without a proper fight, the headlamps that keep disappearing, the starry sky as we eat dinner, the campfire to keep warm, breakfasts in parking lots or in front of stunning landscapes, glorious sunny mornings, and meals inside the car when it rains.
In short, that’s camping. Nothing is simple, everything has to be planned, thought through, calculated. Everything takes more time and effort. But that’s exactly what makes our trip so special! Because if everything were as easy as a hotel room in Vegas, it wouldn’t be nearly as fun! Thank you for embracing our way of life for a few days and loving every second of it! So many beautiful, unforgettable memories 😘
Rémi and I head back to the hotel for a second night, just the two of us. Tonight, no casino, no Strip. We spend a refreshing hour at the hotel pool, order Chinese food, and spend the evening in our room. We have a lot of catching up to do—and a lot of rest to get!
Tuesday, October 11
Until the very end, we enjoy all the comfort our room at the Rio has to offer. We linger in bed, watch the sun rise over the city, enjoy the couch and ottomans, and take one last shower. It had been five months since we’d experienced this level of comfort, and yet after just two days, it’s already hard to leave it behind and return to our life on the road. You get used to comfort quickly… The Jeep is waiting for us in the parking lot. Since it’s too tall for underground garages, it spent two days under the blazing sun! Safe to say, it got hot—very hot! Before leaving the city, we head to the famous Las Vegas sign.
Then, we treat ourselves to one last thrill: we drive down the Las Vegas Strip! How cool is that! It’s also a chance to realize that we hadn’t even walked half of it.
We leave Las Vegas to return to nature, not without relief. Did we enjoy Vegas? Far from it! This festive and over-the-top atmosphere, which attracts all the vices and misery of society, felt overwhelming—almost decadent. The last word on Vegas goes to Rémi, in the car taking us away: “It really is a strange city.” We will come back in six weeks anyway to catch our flight to France! Yes, we are heading back to France for two weeks to take a break from our trip, spend time with our loved ones, and renew our U.S. visa. In the meantime, we have six weeks to do a big loop through the American West. And that’s worth more than all the couches in the world 😀 Next up is another iconic stop on a U.S. road trip: Bryce Canyon National Park!
