California Vacation...part 1

We began our trip on Monday where we set off to Nevada after dropping off Bear who was sooo excited just to take a ride in the SUV down the street to Matt’s and to play with some other dogs that he didn’t even notice that I left. We then left a sad and attached Pugsley who has now decided that my mom is my replacement and is following her everywhere. And don’t forget the cats that probably didn’t notice we were even gone until day 2.

We arrived at Las Vegas Circus Circus about 4 pm, got in our room then checked out the Midway to see what times the shows were and what games there were. We watched an acrobat show and Savannah just loved the cool things they did, especially the one where the acrobat used his butt cheeks to jump the double Dutch jump rope. We went to dinner via a cab down the strip and the lights were awesome, but that is about all I will say that is nice about this city.

Unfortunately the $100 in food vouchers we were given for our free gift for attending the Worldmark travel share presentation did not clarify that the Planet Hollywood dining was not in the Planet Hollywood resort. Who knew? Not me, I assumed and didn’t call ahead of time. Needless to say after we were dropped off by our taxicab we went on a tiresome treasure hunt by foot in the worst place in the world! Charlie and I both agreed we were glad and grateful for God’s grace he has bestowed on us as one time we were both part of the crowd that had resided on those streets.

We finally found the restaurant buried deep in Caesar’s Palace and can tell you that these casinos look smaller on the outside than they really are? The even worse ending to this story is that Charlie lost his wallet that had his ID, SS card, and a credit card in it. We had given the taxi driver all our cash cause he didn’t have any change, and we had no way to get more cash for another taxi. I think we walked at least 3 miles to find the restaurant and back to our hotel room.

Needless to say all’s well that ends well. Savannah did well at ignoring the casinos and the other items that I did not want her to see. The next morning we ate breakfast, watched a clown perform tricks as well as saw a balancing act. We then played some games and won Savannah a couple of stuffed animals that she carried around and showed the clerk at the gas station.

We were both happy to get out of sin city and aren’t so sure we want to go back on the way home. Yes I am contemplating changing our reservations regardless of all you can eat crab that may be available. I was pretty apprehensive about going there in the first place but didn’t realize just how much had changed and how much people allowed down there! Boy am I naïve.

Our drive to Oceanside took about 4 hours and 45 minutes just as the directions said it would. The sun in the desert and the green hills and palm trees were a sight for my sore eyes. Even Savannah said it was summer here, as she didn’t see any snow. I think I am in a Vitamin D deficiency as it was as if I was suddenly energetic and happy with the sun pouring through our windshield.

We arrived at the resort and checked in, everyone was so friendly; the place was calm, peaceful, clean, and very welcoming. The other people there were also very friendly. I guess I should only have expected more coming from Vegas and the rough crowd there, but this was different nonetheless. I thought about it and I guess that is because it is a whole different atmosphere. This is a resort, the people here are paying good money and are invested in it and therefore I think they have a different mindset.

When we saw our room Savannah leaped for joy, as did Charlie and I. It was a lot nicer than the online pictures I had viewed from other people who visited the resort. They were not as nice as the ones on Worldmark website but I suspect those they have there are for the higher end members. We love the fireplace, outside balcony and view, and for me – the open kitchen.

We walked down to the beach and by this time it had gotten dark…but it was so revitalizing to smell the fresh air and hear the sound of the ocean. There wasn’t a crowd either, which is a rarity. We checked out the local shops and restaurants on the pier and just fell in love with it. I am thinking Charlie and I just belong in a city next to the ocean, as this was a repeat occurrence of the experience from when we went to Astoria, Oregon.

We went to dinner at Joe’s Crab shack that was also next to the pier cause of course Charlie couldn’t give up the idea of crab. I threatened him I was going to get him the T-Shirt they had for sale that said, “Craboholic” on it. He thought that was pretty funny. We had a really great time and were overwhelmed with the possibilities of all that we could do in this area outside of what I had already planned.