McNeely Road Trip Adventure, Day 3 (and Day 4)

I know you must have checked our blog 100 times wondering where Day 5 was, right?  Hehehe!  Well, when we got to Vegas we learned that in order to get WiFi we had to pay $12 a night, um, no!  Since we were trying to get to CA as cheaply as possible this luxury was not going to make the cut.

Then we got to Bakersfield and there was a party waiting for us, and hardly a minute to do anything but have fun!  So here we are, a few days later, but I'll fill you in.

We left Gallup, NM to head to Flagstaff, AZ and check out some Indian ruins.  We figured we just needed to get out and walk a little bit to get the wiggles out.  Let me say, when our day started it wasn't very pretty and I thought maybe this was the day our pleasant road trip would come to an end.  BUt I was wrong, things definitely got a little harder, but it was still better than we expected.

So, the Wupatki Pueblo was our first stop.  We had been here before, and the last time I actually read the descriptions along the way, this time, not so much.  Our goal was to get out, walk around and get the kids ready for the next leg.  We had to do a lot of coaxing Macey to get her to walk the entire way, but we did it.

Our next stop was Las Vegas.  I know it is not a very good place for kids, but it was a good place for a last stop and we thought we'd give it a try.  Um, we won't try it again. :)  We found our hotel and by the time we drove to The Strip (we stayed off The Strip, it was cheaper) we had time for dinner, and that's it.  We had heard about a pirates show in front of Treasure Island, so we thought we would hang out around there.  We ate at Gilley's, which was right where the show was.  We sat on the far end of one of the ships and I'm glad we were not able to see the stage. It was a little more Vegas Showgirl than pirates, but I figured this would be the case.  The best part to the kids was the pirates jumping into the water and the big pirate ship that actually came toward the stage.  There were fireworks and explosions that Xander was scared of, and if you ask him he'll tell you "The fireworks made me SO MAD!"

 We settled in late and were ready for the next day when Bakersfield would be our final destination!  We woke up early and left by about 7:30am.  With about 4 1/2 hours ahead of us we knew it was going to be an easy day.  Well, Day 4 turned out to be what I thought the rest of the days were like.  My kids had been pretty self sufficient the entire road trip, playing with their stuff and each other, but this day they need my help.  I got into and out of the snack bag and activity bag more in the 4 1/2 hours to Bakersfield than maybe the first two days combined.  We knew it was the final stretch so it wasn't too bad.

We got Bakersfield around lunchtime and were greeted by our favorite Bakersfield-ians with balloons, party blowers and a big sign!  What a fun way to end our road trip.

Later that evening Great Grandpa Marvin and Great Grandma Nadene joined us for pizza and Great Grandma came bearing gifts.  I love any time that my kids can spend with their great grandparents, although they do not understand the significance of having them around, someday I can show them pictures and explain just how lucky they are!  Of course, I enjoy every minute I get to spend with them too!!!

And then the road trip was over!   We made it, and we enjoyed it!  Now instead of dreading the trip back to Texas I can hardly wait!!!!