All our plans had changed due to the forest fires so we were unable to visit Yosemite National Park. We really enjoyed our time in Arizona and Utah but needed to make our way from Zion to San Francisco. It was a 10 hour drive so decided to put two overnight stops in, one in Las Vegas and the other in Bakersfield.

Day 13 continued – return to Vegas

We had booked to stay at a Hampton Inn off the Vegas strip but felt as we were only there for one night we would miss the ‘Vegas Experience’ – especially as on our last visit we stayed in an AirBnB outside the city. We looked on Booking.com and The Venetian had some really good rates so booked it.

When we arrived the walk from the carpark took ages and it took forever to check in as there was a massive queue – I don’t think we had appreciated how big the Vegas hotels were. However – we loved our room as it was huge and we had views over the pool deck.

^{Our room at The Venetian}

We went down to the pool for a couple of hours and it was so busy but Tom & Izzy had a brilliant time. Izzy noticed that there was a party pool for over 21’s and said that when she was older she would return!

We then headed to the Tournament of Kings show at the Excalibur which was actually really good. The food was simple – chicken and potatoes – but it was perfect for kids and us!

^{Tournament of Kings at the Excalibur hotel}

We walked back to our hotel via the Treasure Island Pirate Show. We were really pleased that we stayed on the Strip.

Day 14 – Drive to Bakersfield and a visit to Calico Ghost Town

We got up quite early to check out of the Venetian and find somewhere for breakfast. We found a crepe shop so Tom & Izzy had crepes with chocolate sauce!

It was a four hour drive to Bakersfield so we stopped at Calico Ghost Town on route to break up the journey. It was a fun stop for an hour or so but we paid to go in and then felt once inside you also had to pay for everything. It was also super hot!

^{Calico Ghost Town}

We then drove to our hotel in Bakersfield for the night. It was a Marriot Courtyard and it was a new build so everything felt new and shiny. We spent time in the outdoor pool. It was also really quiet so we ate at the bar in the evening and had pizzas – although Tom & Izzy didn’t want to sit with us so had their own table.