Vegas 2014 - Caching around

The previous times I have been to Las Vegas the temperature was fairly comfortable and there was some wind.   It was not the case this time.  
As we had elected to stay in LV for the duration of our trip we rented a vehicle for day trips.  Twice we went out to Henderson/Boulder City/Hoover Dam area. 
 

This was the actual cache with a TB attached..double score!!

Both times the heat was 30 C or hotter so we tried to limit our caching to P&Gs. One of my goals was a challenge cache in Henderson so we spent some time beforehand solving a nice little geoart series.  This was a fun series of drive ups that had us searching hard for a couple of them while seeing how they do housing developments.    Name That Toon

Also in the area we managed a letterbox in a wetland area that surprised us.  
We also did a nice Wherigo cache in Boulder City.   Bolder City Train Heist was at the Train museum.  Lots of fun and not too much area to cover.  

In Boulder we also picked up some virtuals as well as some traditionals at a park.  Devilish little hides in trees that reminded us of home.

Boulder City was a great stop to explore and shop!!   

Really interesting layering

The one thing on my to-do list this trip was Red Rock Canyon.  Got to use the National Park Pass one more time before it expired.  We did the scenic loop drive, taking pics and finding some traditionals as well as an earthcache.  












 

Since the day was a little overcast the temperature was a lot more comfortable for a 2 mile hike into the 2nd oldest cache in Nevada.  We set off on the trail with water, camera, and GPS in hand. 



We were about 750m in on the rough track when we came upon a pair of burros.  The let us get about 10 feet from them.  Their markings were very interesting. 

The signs on the road stated that feeding of wild horses and burros was a $500 fine...we just took photos....

You really cannot beat an Ammo Can in the desert... This was fun to find this oldie as well as others in the area  Vegas New Year 2K1 Stash

A tad rusty but still going strong..

 

 

Well it wasn't a lot of caches on this trip but definitely some fun ones...

 

We rounded out the trip with some caches around our hotel and the ones required to complete the challenge.

Vegas 2014 - Travel details....

We decided to return to Las Vegas this year for a short stay.  Due to some previous obligations our trip was going to be only a few days long. Because of this the decision was made to fly out of Victoria.  We arrived at the airport in Victoria way to early due to the miscalculation that we would be needing the time to clear customs.  But, because we were laying over in Seattle before boarding Alaska Air we actually cleared Customs & Immigration there. 

Planes lined up behind us in Seattle

So this is what happens when you do not know the routine.  I originally thought that a 2 hour layover in Seattle was a pain..Little did I now that we were going to need every minute of that layover.  When we arrived in Seattle we had to pick up our luggage and then head to C&I.  By the time we disembarked, picked up our luggage, got through C&I, caught the train over to the domestic terminal, and made our way to the our gate, they were loading 1st class..Wow..there is a definite learning curve there for us newbie travelers.

Thinking that is Mt. St Helen

On our return it was so much simpler.  We went through security in LV, arrived in Seattle and had approx 30 minutes to make our connection.. Just reverse the whole thing, except you are not picking up your luggage, or going through C&I.  You do have to catch the train to the International terminal and we arrived at our gate as they were starting to load.  And getting through Canadian C&I in Sidney was a lot easier...
So, a word to the uninitiated....you need all of the time between flights and hope that the flight that you are arriving on is not late....
With that said lets talk about extra charges...We paid $25 each both ways for checked luggage.  This was through Alaska Air.  I was talking to someone in LV who flew in from Michigan on Spirit and they got their flights real cheap.. But, they got dinged on their luggage and carry on to the tune of approx $70 apiece one way. It would be prudent to check before you go just how much extra you are paying for your change of clothes..
And there are now so many pieces of carry on (small luggage w/wheels) that there is no room in the overheads for even your coat...All has to go under the seat.  
This is definitely my learning curve of traveling.  Next time I will be packing just a little different..