‘Don’t underestimate the things that I will do’-Adele

The entire reason for this Christmas Road Trip was seeing Adele at Caesar’s Palace for Christmas! I was lucky enough to snag a ticket with the general sale for Christmas Eve and what better way to celebrate the holiday season then with one of the greatest vocalists! Since I was only able to get a spot in Death Valley for one night, I had an extra night to figure something out. I had spent a bit of time in Las Vegas as a kid and have been a couple of times as an adult, so did not feel the need to spend a lot of time there now. So what is a girl to do…car camp in Red Rock Canyon!

Made famous by free climber Alex Hannold, Red Rock Canyon is about 30 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip. If you want to visit, you have to get a reservation. I did mine for the last spot of the day and just made it. I did rush through the canyon as the park closes and I had to check into the campground. Even with a literal drive by (I probably spent less than an hour on the road loop), its was so pretty! The sunset was amazing and the weather wasn’t too cold. You can even see Vegas in the distance! I stayed at the Red Rock Canyon campground and, while it is not well marked-it is less then a mile on the main road, across the street, from where you entered the canyon-I was really impressed with the views from my campsite. They have an unusual checkin system as it is through the rangers who live there. They were very nice and showed me my spot. It was quite cold at night, I was warm in my car but the downside is you can’t hang outside for too long. It’s too blustery and gets dark early.

The following day, Christmas Eve, I had a day to kill before checking into my hotel and getting ready for the show. I first went to the Hoover Dam. I had been before but I was able to go across the new Pat Tillman Bridge and Overlook. It is both a freeway and a walkway. It provides stunning views of Hoover Dam (as well as the very low lake levels of Lake Mead but no dead bodies spotted…iykyk). You get to stand in two places at once and two time zones (Arizona doesn’t do daylight savings). I just meandered around. You can take a tour but I did not, no desire, but it might be cool if that’s your thing.

I then drove back to Vegas, ate at In-n-Out (obviously), saw the famous welcome sign, and where my parents eloped (and a bunch of famous people). Then checked out the Titanic Experience at the Luxor! I am a die hard Titanic buff. I used to watch the National Geographic video of Robert Ballard’s discovery over and over. I also saw the movie about a dozen times in theaters and hundreds of times since (it and Forrest Gump are my favorite films). The exhibit was very cool and a lot of artifacts, including pieces of the ship’s hull! This will be topped this Christmas when I go to Belfast but I had a blast. A bit pricey but take all my money lol.

I was then was able to check into my hotel. I picked Harrah’s on the Vegas Strip (there is another one in Vegas) due to the proximity to Caesar’s Palace and it was cheap. It’s also owned by Caesars. The room was clean and comfortable but the casino itself is pretty dated. I am not a gambler and the room was about $250 less than Caesar’s so worked for my needs (I paid about $50). I was able to park my car (for about $15) and walk everywhere that I needed. I ate at Caesar’s, however, at RPM, an Italian steakhouse. It was delicious! Essentially my Christmas dinner, I did splurge a bit. I ate a lot, a delicious cocktail, and as I sat at the bar, chatted with some really cool people. I did spend $40 playing the slots and won $250 so covered the cost of dinner and what I spent at Adele’s merch store, lol.

Then to the main event…ADELE!!! I am so grateful to have experienced this show. I love her voice, her music, and her personality. The show was incredible. There is not a bad seat in Caesar’s Coliseum. I was up in the rafters at the end and could see everything. Her voice was amazing and so funny! I kind of hoped she would sing a Christmas song but there was confetti that said ‘Merry Christmas.’ The venue was incredible and she was even better than I could have imagined. If you ever have the chance to see her, DO IT!!!!!!