16.6.-20.6.2023
On our first full day in Las Vegas, we slept in, and then we adults left the kids alone in our apartment for a while, and went to the grocery store, which we hadn’t had time to visit the night before. Since our apartment had a proper kitchen, we decided to buy some food that we could cook ourselves while we were here. Even though we didn’t buy a terrible amount of food, the cashier managed to pack our purchases into thirteen plastic bags. Nature thanks again!
After breakfast, we all went to test out one of the five swimming pools at the resort. The water was pleasantly refreshing in the almost 40 degree heat, and we enjoyed the pool until we adults had to leave to listen to sales pitches about the benefits of an IHG membership. The kids stayed at the apartment to hang out, as they were even less interested in the sales pitch than we adults were.
The resort had its own building for sales. At reception, our passports were checked, and we had to flash one of our bank cards to prove that we had one. We were then brought to table number one to talk to the salesman. First, we were asked about our travel habits and, of course, how much money we spend on travel each year. We were waiting to be presented with a comparison of how we could get a lot more for the same money if we joined IHG. However, we had to wait until the very end of the sales event for this comparison. By then it was clear to the salesman that we were not interested in a membership at all. This discussion took place at table number two. However, he had to call in his manager to try and change our minds about membership. This guy gave up pretty quickly also, and wished us a nice holiday. Next we moved to table number three, where a third salesman tried to market a seven-night luxury holiday for a thousand dollars. As we were not returning to America for the next two years, we did not take up this offer either. So we moved on to table four, where we were finally offered the tickets to the Cirque du Soleil Mystère show that we had been hoping for. We were quite surprised at how easily we got through the whole sales event.
In the evening, Marko went to the Treasure Island Hotel to see the show, and Jaana and the kids stayed behind to test out the next pool in the hotel grounds. This pool was smaller than the one we’d been in the morning, but in addition to the pool, it also had a hot tub. However, you couldn’t sit in this pool for very long as the temperature outside was still in the high thirties and the water in the pool must have been around 40 degrees.
On Tuesday morning, Ronja went to the activity centre to make bracelets at 9am, and a couple of hours later Risto joined Ronja for a painting session. This time, Jaana also had to stay with the children, as children under 13 were not allowed to be there without adult supervision. In the morning we had told a little white lie about Ronja’s age, as she would be 13 in a few months. Fortunately, the age was not verified from the passport.
After painting we went swimming again in a new swimming pool. The children found some company for themselves in the pool and we spent several hours there. It’s great to see that both children have the language skills to mingle with other English speaking kids.
After swimming, we cooked a meal at our apartment and went for a walk on the Strip to check out the local casinos and hotels. The kids were only allowed to walk through the actual gaming areas of the casinos though, no stopping allowed. Once Marko stopped to explain to Risto how the roulette table worked, but the boys were immediately reprimanded and had to move on. There were plenty of players in the casinos. Many were just using the slot machines to lose their money, but there were also plenty of players at the roulette and blackjack tables. The casinos also had different areas for people playing with higher stakes, but we didn’t go there.
On the Strip, our first stop was the Flamingo wild life habitat area of the casino hotel, where real flamingos, various geese and carp lived in a beautiful little park, blissfully unaware of the hustle and bustle outside.
Next, we went to visit Venice. The Venetian hotel was really beautiful with its external and internal canals. The main lobby also had stunning ceiling paintings, although it was quite difficult to take pictures of them due to the strong spotlights. A whole shopping mall had been built along the canal inside the building. We stopped in a few shops inside, but mainly just looked around and wondered what was going on. The children were particularly surprised that it looked as if we were still outside. The roof of the area had been very skillfully painted to look like a beautiful evening sky. After wandering around for a while, we ended up in St Mark’s Square, where we finally returned to the great outdoors.
We walked together to the Treasure Island Hotel, where Jaana was going to see the Cirque du Soleil Mystère show. Luckily Marko and the kids had come with us, because the voucher we got from the resort was not valid as it was, but had to be exchanged for the actual ticket at the ticket counter. Jaana could not have done it herself, as the paper we got from the resort had Marko’s name on it. Once Jaana’s actual ticket was sorted out, Marko and the children went back to the apartment. They were supposed to go back the way we had come, but somehow they managed to navigate a bit wrong in the labyrinthine alleys of Venice, and ended up back at the starting point at Treasure Island. At this point, Risto was getting a bit upset, as he had really had enough of walking. On the second try, Marko and the kids found their way back to the apartment, and Risto was already smiling a little. I think the Venetian Hotel mall has the same designer as Redi in Helsinki. Even there, it’s impossible to find the right place on the first try.
Mystère was great! Although the show has been running in Vegas for quite some time, it was almost sold out. Jaana was amazed at the number of young children (even lap babies) in the audience who came to see the show. Some of the younger spectators struggled to keep quiet during the show, which was a bit distracting. Fortunately, at least one mother finally left the auditorium with her crying baby. Apart from the kids, many others in the audience were quite restless. There was a “snack bar” at the back of the theatre hall by the entrances, where people went in the middle of the show to buy themselves more drinks, popcorn and other snacks. You’d think that grown-up people could get through an hour and a half with just one set of snacks, or even none at all.
After the show, Jaana walked slowly back along the Strip and admired Las Vegas at night. Along the way, Jaana stopped at the Mirage Hotel to watch the volcanic eruption in front of the hotel. Vegas sure is beautiful after dark!
The last full day in Las Vegas was a special day for Marko. The programme included a trip to the SpeedVegas racetrack, about 15 miles away, where it is possible to drive yourself or ride along in a supercar. There were 21 different very attractive cars available. Several Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and Corvette models, McLaren, Mercedes AMG GT R, Audi R8, Aston Martin Vantage, etc.
A 707 horse power Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat was used for drifting ridealongs.
I chose to test a Ferrari 488 GTB (640hp, 0-100km/h 3,0s) and a Lamborghini Huracan (580hp, 0-100km/h 3,4s).
Tourist drivers were given a twenty-minute briefing before entering the track. The majority of cars could be driven with automatic gears, but drivers were advised to use the paddle shifters attached to the steering wheel.
In addition to the in-class briefing, all drivers were seated in a Porshe Cayenne driven by a SpeedVegas team member for two laps. The first lap was taken slowly while the driver demonstrated the driving lines in practice on the track. The second lap was driven at a faster pace. The driver let one of the Audi R8’s pass first and started to tail it. The four-seater SUV easily kept up with the Audi driven by a tourist, so the difference between a tourist and an experienced driver became quite clear.
Orange poles had been placed along the track to let the drivers know when to start braking before the bends. Green poles showed which side of the track to be on at any given moment when taking the bends. Sounds helpful, but the reality was something quite different.
Fortunately, participants didn’t have to go out on the track alone, as the result would have been a guaranteed ‘epic fail’. Most of the inexperienced drivers (including me) would have driven slowly and carefully and spent their time just looking for the indicator poles. The other option would have been to go way too fast, especially coming into the bend after the main straight, and crash out.
In practice, the tourists got a SpeedVegas instructor to go with them. Similar to driving school, the instructor on the passenger seat also had a brake pedal. This may sound a bit lame, but the arrangement was absolutely brilliant. The instructor gave constant advice, including gear changes, acceleration, braking and driving lines. In this way, even an inexperienced driver could drive fast and safely and the experience didn’t turn into a complete afternoon cruise.
At the start of the drive, the instructor asked whether the driver wanted to use automatic gears or paddle shifters. In both cases, I chose to use the paddle shifters.
The cars were equipped with several cameras to cover the driver’s view out, the driver and the co-driver. The system also recorded speeds and lap times. In the following videos, you can see a part of my driving in both the Ferrari and the Lamborghini. As far as I know, the instructor never had to apply the brakes, but once he grabbed the steering wheel and corrected the driving line. You can see it in the latter video. The videos should be watched with sounds on so you can hear the instructors notes. Although I set no track records, there was enough speed to make the Lambo’s tyres squeal in the corners. According to the videos, the speed at the end of the main straight was 198 km/h. I think the car’s speedometer showed 129mph at best, which would be 208 km/h, so the video system was possibly based on GPS and showed the true speed. In absolute terms, it was not a speed record for me, because the BMW 730 on the A1 motorway in Germany with Jaana reached 246 km/h, but that was on an endless straight stretch. On a twisty track, driving was something else entirely, and not easy at all.
After our own rides, it was time for the ride-alongs. First a drift in a Dodge and then a ride in a Ferrari 488 GTB, the same car I had been driving. Surprisingly, the final speed on the main straight was 201 km/h according to the video, which was almost the same as mine. The main straight is basically driven with full throttle, so there is no difference in that respect for a similar car, but a good driver would have come out of a tight corner onto the main straight at a faster speed, so I would have expected a more significant difference in the final speed. But the pro driver handled the corner sections in quite a different style than I had, so the lap times were a lot better.
In the following videos you can see small samples of drifting and a white Lamborghini Huracan similar to the one I drove.
While the Ferrari 488 GTB and the Lamborghini Huracan are both fierce machines, there was one even fiercer option waiting for the next time. Driving the Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo required neck protectors familiar from Formula One.
While Marko was out driving, Jaana and the kids took full advantage of the activity centre’s services. First Jaana and Ronja competed for the domination of the Just Dance game (Ronja won, which came as no big surprise), then the kids went to dye their own t-shirts, and finally they took part in a table football tournament. They even had time for a swim before Marko returned.
We cooked our own meals again, and in the evening the whole family went to see Cirque du Soleil’s O show at the Bellagio. The show was truly amazing! Most of it took place in the water. Again, the stage structures were made so that they could be quickly changed. At the beginning, the stage was replaced by a large and deep pool of water, but a moment later, the performers were walking on the same spot with dry feet. For this show, they must have had to hire not only circus performers but also divers, cameramen and synchronized swimmers. But many of the jumps into the water were also performed by trapeze artists and acrobats. O was very different from Cirque du Soleil’s Mystère. This one was much more artistic, and perhaps even a little more slow in tempo. Great performances both.
After the show we went for a walk on the Strip. We wanted the kids to see the dancing fountains of Bellagio, and the erupting volcano at Mirage. We would have liked to walk all the way to the Luxor Pyramid, but it was another 1.5km from Bellagio, and the crowds made walking really slow. Even in Japan, the streets were not as crowded as they were on the Strip at night! We finally got home at around 11pm and went straight to bed, as there would be a relatively early wake-up call the next morning.
On Thursday, we packed up our gear and headed to the swimming pool to freshen up before the drive to Death Valley. This time the journey took exactly the time Google Maps estimated, 2h15min. This was for two reasons: a) There were no roadworks along the way. b) We didn’t have to stop to take any pictures along the way. We did make one photo stop just before Furnace Creek at a building that had seen its best days. The building was, at least according to the writing on the wall, the “Amargosa opera house”. The story doesn’t tell when an opera performance had last taken place there.
We arrived at The Ranch at Death Valley resort around half past three. At that point the thermometer showed a meagre +43C. Luckily, our room was well air-conditioned, so we were at least doing okay indoors. For once, the air conditioner was cleverly placed so that it didn’t blow from the floor level directly into either bed. Marko also developed a new experience-based piece of “Don’t eat yellow snow” style wisdom of the jungle regarding the air conditioner: “Don’t fart above an upward facing air conditioner.” Tested to be true.
The Ranch at the Death Valley has been known as the Greenland Ranch. Established in 1883, the ranch was then growing alfalfa and was named after the green alfalfa fields. In 1891, a weather station was established on the ranch, and since 1933 it has served as accommodation for travellers visiting Death Valley National Park. There are several restaurants, an ice cream and coffee bar, a grocery-souvenir shop, a swimming pool, and tennis and basketball courts. There was also a children’s playground with climbing frames, but unfortunately even at night the minimum temperatures hover around +28C, so apart from the swimming pool we certainly won’t be using any other outdoor facilities. The village of Furnace Creek, where our resort is located, has a permanent population of 136. Most of them are members of a Native American tribe who live on a reservation in the area.
As Furnace Creek’s restaurant offerings are a bit thin, we ended up eating a buffet dinner at our accommodation. The salad buffet in particular was good, and there was nothing wrong with the main course or desserts either. We also went to check out the grocery store in the area in the hope of buying some breakfast snacks for ourselves. Very quickly, however, it became clear that we would end up eating breakfast at our resort, even though it was a bit pricey. If one ready-made triangle sandwich costs more than $10 and a small jar of yoghurt costs more than $4, it makes more sense to go for the buffet breakfast, which cost $21 for adults and $10.50 for children. In the evening we went to the swimming pool to refresh ourselves in the water, which comes directly from a spring on the premises. You’d think the spring water would be cool, but here it was +30 degrees. Well, refreshing it was anyway, as even at 7pm the air temperature was still +40C.
