Volcanoes And The Jonas Brothers

Not necessarily in that order.

I've said recently when it's not a good idea to travel on an "ordinary" vacation. Primarily, one such post said not to travel anywhere on Thanksgiving weekend. This post is not so much when to travel, but when not to stay in Las Vegas.

Oh, we'd done the typical where to stay and what shows could we see bit before. But this is more for what shows or events are happening in Las Vegas and where NOT to stay.

Had we done our homework, we would have realized the MGM Grand was not the place to stay on the way to California. Too, had we done our homework, we would have realized the Mirage was not the place to stay on the way back to Utah.

I don't know who the Jonas Brothers are. Still don't. But every teenybopper this side of the Mississippi knew, and they knew they were going to be at the MGM Grand the DAY we checked in. For only one day. Two shows. One show was letting out as we checked in and one was just about to start. Unexpectedly, we were trying to find a parking space between shows. Yeah, good luck with that. And we hadn't yet figured out the whole "Do we really need to take ALL of our luggage to the room in one fell swoop" and "where the HELL is the entrance to the hotel" two-step.

By the time we were on the way back to Las Vegas, we'd figured out the bare essentials to put in only ONE suitcase. And that valet parking is the only way to go.

Before we left Santa Barbara, early-morning TV provided us with a scary scenario. One of KTLA's reporters was on-scene for what was to happen that afternoon. The Mirage (yes, THAT Mirage) was going to be unveiling their newly-remodeled Volcano. And when was it to be unveiled? Yes, you guessed it, at exactly the same time we were to be checking in.

In a scene from a poorly written "I Love Lucy" show, you've never seen two people move so fast. We couldn't move fast enough to get out and on the road. I barely had enough time to run down to the beach and get the photos I wanted since darkness had set in the previous evening just as the batteries died in the camera.

And we almost made it, but for a "quick" stop at the outlet stores in Barstow.

Arriving in Las Vegas, we heard the roar from the volcano, newly erupting, just as we realized the main entrance to the hotel was cordoned off!

An hour later, we were in our room. And fifteen minutes after that we were asleep.

Learn from our mistake. Check what is going on at the hotel you plan on staying at, even if you have no interest whatsoever in what that show or event is.