Day 1

With bags packed, notes left on the counter for the dog sitter, and some Neil’s breakfast sandwiches in our bellies, we choked up saying goodbye to our girly (Phief) and headed off from the comfort and safety of our sweet home to explore a new place (!!) Our flight went smoothly until it wasn’t able to land due to high winds in Minnesota. You can see below what our pilot did to burn an extra half an hour in the meantime but this delay caused us to have only about 20 minutes from exiting the plane to the final boarding call of our connecting flight. Matt and I quite literally ran, backpacks and all, past leisurely travelers, quickly stopping to read signs and navigate a new airport and jog through the moving walkways until we reached our gate, sweating and out of breath. Our 5k prepared us for this so we knew what we had to do!! Hehe. Our first impressions of Vegas (well, my first impressions since Matt has seen it already oops) was that topographically it reminded me a lot of Denver! Now, I knowwwww, Vegas is a desert and Denver is in the mountains, but their vastness are similar and both give that *feeling* when you do a 360 and everywhere you look on the horizon is mountains. The colors are a soft pallete of light browns, soft reds, chalky pinks, and washed out greens. The air is super warm, but so dry that even with the sweatpants on that I wore on the plane it is not stifling hot (definitely changed into something lighter soon after this). Las Vegas just got past a stretch of super hot weather unseasonable for this time of year according to one of our shuttle drivers. They were part of what was called a heat dome last week which has since passed. We check into our hotel, walked the area and enjoyed dinner at Momofuku, which is owned by David Chang. We got the sprouted cauliflower, the pork buns, the sesame ginger noodle and spiced cucumbers. And oh my gawwwwd, it was so delish. We love Korean food as is but this was an elevated version from what we’re used to and so crave-able thinking back to it as I write. Afterwards we watched the Bellagio fountains dance their shapes high into the sky from an overpass made of marble. This whole place is so crazy! But as Matt stated so well as we were walking and taking it all in, there is not a stone is left unturned. Everything is embellished and made interesting to catch your attention. It can feel quite overwhelming as you can imagine but luckily we have a cushy hotel to retreat back (: Our room is furnished with eggplant colored velvet chairs and its matching couch, dark green accents and a tastefully done art gallery above the bed. The bathroom has a warm low lighting, small hexagonal floor tiling and came equipped with some fun little essentials. The whole hotel is gorg. Tons of intentional accents, warm and low lighting and the view from the 31st floor doesn’t hurt eitha’! We are three hours behind our regular schedule so as I write this at 11:30PM Vegas time, it’s really 2:30AM for me. Sooooo g’night queens!

Day 2

"I awoke from Matt quietly scuffling to find his essentials before heading out to find his morning coffee. I worked on our blog in bed as the people and buildings began buzzing below with movement and sound, the city is awake! We opted for some breakfast in the Arts District per a recommendation and enjoyed quality espresso and some sandwiches (mine egg, Matt’s turkey) while we sat in the hot sun by the window. The weird thing about the heat is it feels like it takes a long time before you’re actually uncomfortable. It’s hot, yes. But the dryness allows you to sort of adjust and adapt rather than fight it? I don’t know, but it’s surprisingly tolerable compared to the Northeast humid heat that we are accustomed. We walked the arts district, perusing past galleries and little art installments on the street amid the colorful murals surrounding us. By 10:30 we were on our way to Red Rock Canyon National Conservations Area, about 25 minutes west of the city. It didn’t take long before the neon signs and packed buildings were replaced with open desert, cactus and views of the mountains for miles. We listened to some classics on a roadtrip playlist and pulled off to admire the vast views, miles of desert flora and the way the road stretched straight into the distance. Red Rock was incredibleeee. It entails around 8 stop offs on a 13-mile scenic route throughout the conservation area. We stopped and hiked down the canyon to see and touch the colorful boulders that were formed after layers of softer sediments eroded from underground water currents that were pulling the desert sand dunes, causing these stripes, bubbly rock formations known as badlands. We climbed, traversed and marveled before continuing our ride, switching drivers halfway to allow both of us to be a passenger and take in the space. By 1 o’clock, we were now on our way to viewing the classic "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, followed by a playful stop at the Pinball Hall of Fame (so fun!!), followed by a stop at In-n-Out for that classic West Coast burger chain food (yum!). Next up was a quick drive - this time South of the city - to a sculptural art installation by Swedish artist Ugo Rondinone. "Seven Magic Mountains" are boulder stacks, each about 30 feet high with each boulder weighing between 10-25 tons, set in the middle of the desert and ugh it was so COOOOOOL. It felt like one of those stop offs on a cross country road trip that you’d see in a movie. Almost eerie as you see it start to appear in the distance, these beautifully colored stacks juxtaposed against the neutral browns, tans and pale reds of the desert. It ended up being the kind of day where there was nothing actually planned in our minds having woken up, knowing the whole day was open. It’s sort of just flowed. The proximity of our day trips and the warm sunny weather made it feel like time almost didn’t exist for five hours. It felt like we had endless time to check out all the places we wanted to see without worrying about the traditional time constraints that may exist due to modern daily life. Because we hadn’t expected much from the day, we were so appreciative of every little thing we were able to see and experience without any sort of notion of what it should’ve been. We took a break at the hotel in the early evening before taking the Monorail (a self driving railway that transports passengers above the city) to the other end where we had some tapas at Bazaar Meat by Jose Andres. The food was absolutely delicious and the quality was apparent but we couldn’t help but giggle a little bit at how fancy it all felt for us. We hadn’t gone in with any plans, or reservations! But we sat at the bar and ordered some traditional small Spanish plates. Their traditional Spanish steakhouse renders the fat of their steaks for 20 minutes and then slowly grills the steaks for another 40 minutes. It ​sounded amazing, but we didn’t have that sort of appetite at that moment to wait for it. We rode the monorail back to the area where we were staying and walked around until the evening got dark. The streets began to feel sort of like Times Square, so we opted for a quick bite at Momofuku again (so delicious and highly recommend) before calling it a night. It is so fun to walk into the hotel room late at night with only the outside city lights visible - it just reminds me of what it must be like to live in a big city apartment above all the chaos. Overall, such a really fun day that somehow didn’t feel exhausting or too much at any point. I think anytime nature or art is involved, it is going to be a good day (:

Day 3

​Day three in Vegas started with breakfast at a place called Weiss. It is a Jewish deli, bakery and restaurant that looked good for reviews and was far away from the strip (and was on our way to the Hoover Dam!!) Locals would enter, grab their own table and wait as one waitress comes over for their drink order, while another comes back for their food order. Their menu options included corned beef hash, matzo ball soup, fruit bowls (with fresh cuts of cantaloupe) and potato latkes. We opted for a more traditional pancake and French toast breakfast, plus a ‘lil hashhhh. 10/10, pancakes were fluffy and homemade, French toast was challah bread and stacked high and the hash was moist and crispy and perfectly salty. Our ride to the Hoover Dam felt free and open, nothing but desert and mountains in the distance. The Dam visit was not quite enjoyable, with the crowds and severe heat (98 at around 11AM by this point). We initially stopped at the Nevada side, then drove over the dam and ended at the Arizona side overlooking the waters of Lake Mead jut up against the Hoover Dam. That area was beautiful, far away from the crowds and giving you a perspective of the dam without all of the selfies, bathroom breaks, merchandise and tour buses (yikes). We didn’t have much else on the agenda, so we drove back toward town stopping in Boulder City to visit Hemenway Park known for the herd of bighorn sheep that casually graze the grass and kids play on nearby playgrounds and people picnic. When you’re roadtripping and you pass something and one person goes “ohhhh *blank*!” - you turn around and go to that. Matt saw an A&W restaurant (like the root beer) and we did a U-turn on the main road of Boulder City to hit up their drive-thru for some hot dogs and root beer. We stopped at Pinkbox Doughnuts later on and ended with a stop at the Little White Chapel, where we learned about their drive-thru nuptial options and walked their premise to see where over 600,000 people have married before. It felt special (: We laid low midday and headed to the Sphere for a Dead & Co concert. This was a main attraction for why we came to Vegas — the Sphere looked so intriguing and immersive and as music fans and live concert goers, we knew we wanted to experience this. We scored tickets as soon as they released months back and watched countless videos of what it might look like. But you have to experience it. The venue is in the shape of a sphere (duh) and its outside shell acts like a digital screen with any option available to show. It was tie-dye and had the lightning skull rotating as we approached - tomorrow morning, it could be an advertisement. The show was insane and so fun. Four hours of the band jamming, people dancing and the backdrop — a 366 foot screen wall adjacent to an IMAX theater — displaying trippy colorful designs and scenery that makes you feel like one moment you’re in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco and the next you’re outside the classic music venues that they have played including Cornell University’s Barton Hall. The audio was great, the set was fun and the crowd was so loving and chill. We left in a mass crowd, overtaking the nearby casino/hotel that they funnel you through before haphazardly finding an exit. The way this city confuses and forces you to walk through casinos to get from point A to point B is a little frustrating, overwhelming and off putting. But the show was sick and worth every step. Last night in Vegas was a late one, tomorrow we take off for the Grand Canyon!!

Day 4

Our last morning in Vegas started with a solid night's sleep, a coffee for Matt at a place inside the hotel and packing up, me while Matt grabbed his coffee and him while I blogged yesterday's adventures. After asking the front desk a question about our bill, they promptly provided us with food vouchers to use anywhere associated with our hotel. We were happily surprised and joked about how quickly they sweetened the situation at any instance of questioning or "disappointment", if you will. So we used those vouchers! Instead of getting breakfast at a spot nearby we opted for a few options from a breakfast spot at the casino to go, ate the goodies in peace and quiet in the car before taking off for the four hour drive to the Grand Canyon. We stopped for the same latte from the first morning from Vesta Coffee Roasters and we were off! The ride was enjoyable, with wide lanes and few vehicles and speed limits of 75. We stopped every hour or so either for a bathroom break, overlook or to get gas and switched drivers each time. One thing I wanted to note was the small sense of community we felt wearing our Grateful Dead shirts from the show the night before - a couple who had just arrived to Vegas saw us waiting for our breakfast to go order and it sparked a convo about the band, the show and the Sphere. It is like this little society of people that when you see one another wearing a Dead shirt, people would ask about the show and specifically the Sphere. We even ran into someone at a truck stop on the way to the Canyon who complimented our shirts which started a little convo. It was fun!!  We arrived to our hotel and checked-in with ease. It is quite literally and figuratively a breath of fresh air to be in this area. Our hotel works the way any hotel does with kind, genuine and helpful front desk employees and hallways that are labeled and have corners (apparently casino hotels don't have corners to confuse and keep you in there. It was getting ridiculous how many times we got lost and we didn't drink LOL). Anyways, we immediately wanted to see the Canyon so we opted to unload our bag and drive directly there, only a few minutes away. As we were trying to find parking to a recommended spot for dinner (at a place that has actually been there before the area was deemed a national park) we gasped as the canyon showed itself through the foreground and buildings. We parked and ran over to its edge to marvel at what we had been anticipating seeing all week. What a feeling that is, to walk up and see miles and miles of canyon and color and texture as golden hour approached. We ate our casual dinner, took photos as the sunset light hit the sharp and jagged edges of the many peaks of the canyon and colored the sky hues of orange and purple. Having learned that the park was hosting a moon rising event in honor of the full moon tonight (also the summer solstice + subsequent longest day of the year) we found the spot where crowds of people gathered and park rangers setup telescopes to watch the sunset to the west and the moon rise to the east. Though the cloud coverage prevented a fully viewable moon rising, we did catch it as we drove off. We hopped in our hotel jacuzzi for a bit before showering and calling it an early night. After the debauchery and chaos that exists all throughout any stay in Vegas, we are grateful for a cozy, chill and comfortable  place to stay for visiting a place of such natural beauty and grandeur. Cannot wait to hike, bike and explore and learn all about the Grand Canyon.

Day 5

It wouldn’t feel like a true Because We’re Young trip without a good old-fashioned 4AM wake up for an adventure! We caught the sunrise at Mather Point at the Grand Canyon and stood bundled up amongst quiet park goers. Today is the longest day of the year, which also happens to be my late grandmother‘s birthday <3 this means that the sun rises the earliest that it will all year and it sets the latest that it will all year, making it the longest day of the year! So catching the sunrise on June 21 means having to commit to a super early wake up. We also knew that after catching the sunrise in the park, we would likely want to go for a hike. Having done some research ahead of the trip regarding hikes, we opted for the South Kaibab (“ky-bob”) Trail. So at 6AM, we had made our way to the trail head and started our four hour hike into the canyon. Matt and I have hiked to the bottom of a canyon before, the second largest in the world! If you haven’t read that little adventure, I’d recommend checking out Day 5 of our Peru trip. Some things to keep in mind for hiking any canyon vs a mountain: Firstly, the hike down takes about a third of the time that it takes to hike back up. Secondly, the physical exertion to go down is much much less than what it takes to come back up, so choosing a point to stop cannot be based on when you start to get tired. Because thirdly, as Matt pointed out, by the time you decide to turn around and make your way back up the canyon you’ve already exerted so much energy having come down it can be a bit tricky to get back up properly. The trail takes you to a popular stop off that makes it a pretty simple in and out hike, but we knew we wanted to go further down beyond it. Unfortunately it is highly recommended not to go to the bottom of the canyon in one day due to its extremely strenuous nature, severe midday heat and the real risk of heat/altitude sickness. We hiked 1.5 miles traversing down steep switchbacks before leveling off. Halfway down to our destination is a point called Ooh Ahh Point. It is where a lot of people stop to take in the view and then turn around to hike back up. But we opted to continue to a spot called Cedar Point which is around 1,082ft below the trailhead starting point. We started the hike at the top of the Canyon at an elevation of 7,190ft and we descended to an altitude of 6,108ft. The whole hike was really enjoyable and strenuous but being so early in the morning yielded gorgeous warm light and fewer crowds. We chatted with some fellow hikers, one of which was from Connecticut! And took breaks along the way as we hiked up. We reached the top of the canyon a little before 10AM and felt so good and accomplished — this place is so beautiful, even the walk back to our vehicle was lined with a view of the canyon. It’s truly hard to fathom how large it really is. To help with understanding the enormity of this place, I am going to provide a some comparative facts. The Grand Canyon is about the equivalent size of the state of Rhode Island at 277 to river miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and over a mile deep. We watched an IMAX informational movie about the Grand Canyon in which we learned how it came to be over millions of years of erosion as the Colorado river cuts through it. The Colorado river doesn’t actually get any wider, with it being pretty much the same width that it was millions of years ago. What ends up happening is that the soft rock surrounding the river begins to erode and fall in more and more, making this huge gaping canyon in the landscape. And apparently it gets deeper by 1 foot every 200 years - so a very slow process! That means that when you are here, you were literally looking at millions of years of history untouched by humanity. Also last fun fact, the Colorado River was named after the Spanish word for “colored red.” K! Anyways! We spent most of the day resting and going into the Jacuzzi at our hotel before walking the park as all of the daytime visitors began to exit. We cannot believe that the park is open 24 hours! It is so cool to be able to drive a few minutes into the park and have it feel like we are almost the only ones there. We had a late dinner at a Mexican spot nearby before another quick Jacuzzi dip, showering and heading into bed. I started to develop what feels sort of like a exercise induced asthma cough from the poor air quality due to the the high ozone levels today - the kind that comes on suddenly as you breath deep or laugh. I have experienced a cough like this as a child after spending the whole day outside in the summer, but this feels a bit more intense. I remember seeing some people hiking with masks on and thinking that’s silly! But now who’s the silly one hehe. Tomorrow we make our way to the North Rim with a couple stop-offs planned. G’night!

Day 6

Woke up this morning with a cough as we packed up our room at the lodge. We are heading to the North Rim! We drove to a few stop-offs before heading North, with my cough worsening as the day went on. I definitely induced some sort of asthma or something from our hike yesterday. I dozed off for the first half of the drive as Matt graciously drove and checked in on me. We made a few stops to a jerky rest stop and such before arriving at our only pit stop before the North Rim - the Horseshoe Bend! It was in the middle of the Arizona desert, with our phones at SOS service for most of the ride there. And as my cough worsened and began to affect my throat and ears, I was suddenly less than enthused to see it. We paid the entrance fee, parked and made the 3/4 mile walk to its overlook. It was 98 degrees, sunny and dry and it was rough. We watched as people lazily pushed strollers and walked their furry dogs to this overlook, kids complaining and dogs panting. I barely looked up, keeping my eyes to my feet as to not get too excited about how close we started to get, only to hit another bend in the walkway. We saw it, took a few photos and immediately went back to the car. Our ride to the North Rim spanned temperatures from 103 degrees down to 54 as we hit an altitude of 8,890ft and began seeing trees, meadows and wild life. We felt at home! The higher elevation allowed for some cooler temperatures and at one point a quick rain storm. We stopped to admire a herd of bison, a country store, and a few animal crossing signs that are not typical for our area of the country. We checked in to our room, walked the area and grabbed a “dinner” — some grab and go items as the only restaurant on premise requires a reservation and we’re all booked. At this point I have lost my voice and can only talk at a whisper, but my cough seems to be improving. We snuggled on one of the many suede couches setup in a tall ceiling room that overlooks the canyon as we listened to a podcast. We plan to take it easy tomorrow and enjoy the relaxed environment as much as we can.

Day 7

After a good night’s sleep, I woke with a severe cough, shortness of breath and couldn’t laugh or breath deep without immediately coughing. My voice was still gone but my cough was starting to become more productive, feeling a bit of relief after a coughing fit. We tried for breakfast down at the lodge but after seeing the food decided to return to the country store outside of the park for some snacks instead. We spent our day quietly observing a herd of bison grazing, grooming and crossing the street back and forth to an area of water. We had to have said to each other five times how much we loved this moment and could do this all day — animals are just so beautiful and wholesome and it was special to watch their behaviors as a group or point out one in particular and observe its behavior separately. We admired the way the baby bison stayed attached to the mothers, nursing or walking hip to hip or head to tail as they moved as a group. Everytime they would pass over the road, they took their time walking super slow but once they’d hit the grass they would gallop for a few feet, it made us giggle. And to be observing this in miles of open meadows with the Kaibab National Forest lining its rim just added a layer of beauty. We had to have spent a couple hours between the time we stopped to watch them before our country store stop and after. This area of the North Rim is so vastly different from the South Rim. When you think of the Grand Canyon or see images of it, it is likely from the South Rim. The south is super dry, hot and desert like. The North Rim, at an elevation 1,000 feet higher, is much more temperate, allows for so much greenery and has a bit more moisture in the air (keyword: a bit, still very dry). The area only has one formal accommodation available with the rest being campgrounds. And the first night we arrived, we noticed how many people did not look like hikers or people who spent the day or night here. It is definitely a destination that people go to for the experience to say that they have gone, having dinner and consuming and buying until they return home. So once evening hits, the area thins out and leaves only the people staying the night. After driving through winding forested roads to Imperial Point for the best view we have seen of the Canyon, we spent almost our entire afternoon laying in our room listening to podcasts (shoutout Armchair Expert/Flightless Bird!) and napped on an off. We woke up feeling rested and seemed to have needed this break. I know for me it’s the difficulty breathing which isn’t helped by the lower amounts of oxygen at this altitude. But even Matt was needing the rest, so I felt less guilty hehe. I didn’t have much of an appetite all day until after our nap, my body was pretty wiped. But we took an early evening stroll, grabbed a snack and laid once more for a couple hours before our 8:30PM (!!) dinner reservation, the only one they had available. We knew we wanted to be rested to marvel at the night sky after, so our napping did us well. We had a satisfying meal, laughed a bunch with me having coughing fits in between which only added to us laughing and walked outside to see the best starry sky either of us have seen. We could see the Milky Way with our naked eye! It was nuts! We opted for a more private viewing spot down the stairs from the main deck and I taught Matt how to take a long exposure photo on his phone to capture the stars. We could see the South Rim having some lightning as we stared up and out above the Canyon. We used my star finding app on my phone to identify stars and commonly known constellations. It was the definition of magical, what a site!! We craned our necks at every chance we had walking back to our cozy room before calling it a night. With just a bar or cell service I was able to play the song “Two Buffaloes” by Rolf Harris that my dad first shared with my brother and I as kids. If you don’t know it, look it up! We were cackling. Tomorrow we take off for Vegas!

Day 8