Las Vegas Pre-trip

Pre-trip September 1st to 4th

I don’t usually travel a lot. I don’t like airplanes, and I’m something of a homebody. However, when I do get on a travel kick, I go on a *major* travel kick. That’s what happened in August & September of 2004.

But the last trip is really a last-minute addition to the itinerary, caused by my sister’s incredibly snarky move across the continent. She’s lived within half an hour of me for more than 14 years (except for those nine wretched months in 1991 when I lived in Illinois). However, her husband’s work took him west 5 years ago, and it was time for her to live in the same time zone as him. So the day I returned from Edisto Island, she took off for Las Vegas, leaving her parrots Noah and Kito with me.

I always birdsit for Amy when she goes out of town, and she always birdsits for me, but we really needed to get her parrots out west. Because of airline restrictions, we needed two humans traveling with the birds, and I chose Woodrow because he had never been on an airplane. Amy paid for the travel, because really, I was just a courier. Heck, Amy paid for everything. And I got to go to Las Vegas to see Amy’s gorgeous new house… and the rest of the town, too, insofar as it was permissible to do so with a 12-year-old in tow.

The plan: The flights would go from Knoxville to Dallas-Fort Worth to Las Vegas, and back again. I had one boy and two birds with me, and I boxed up the travel cages (really very large dog crates) for the birds and checked them through as luggage. During our three-hour layover in Dallas, a scrapbooking friend and her family were going to come meet me.

When we first started making these plans, I suggested going out there and coming straight back the next day, but then we started adding plans. Amy & her husband had tickets to see Kathleen Madigan in the middle of the trip, and I was (and am) a HUGE fan of hers. So Paul gave up his ticket and instead made plans to take Woodrow to a suitable show. We also discussed going to see Hoover Dam. We talked about the free things in Las Vegas – the fountains at Bellagio, Fremont Street, etc. – and soon we had a full itinerary for several days.

The only hiccup in the plans was the cold I caught the day I left Orlando. I was predominantly snotty for the entirety of the trip – colds and airplanes and deserts do not mix.

To say I was looking forward to this trip is a massive understatement. I adore Amy; she’s my best friend. I really wanted to meet Rebekah in Dallas. I really wanted to see Woodrow’s face as he took in the sights and sounds of Las Vegas. It turned out to exceed my expectations, and it was really mostly very cheap. And I didn’t even gamble the whole time I was there! Amazing.