We started the day with a flurry of activity to finish packing, clean up and get our washing done. We booked our flights on the same day as sister Lynda so we could get a lift with her as well as hang out at the airport.

Niece Jenn had arranged to pick us up at 12 noon. At 11am we were still mucking around sorting ourselves out when I had a panic moment. If Jenn is anything like Lynda she might be early. Then it was a mad panic to get everything done. Thankfully we did as Jenn was 10 mins early. But we were ready!

It was the first day of the airport layout change. They’ve made a larger drop off area, but it also meant a longer walk to departures.

We had tried to check in the night before, but for some reason it wouldn’t allow Mike to. But thankfully it was no problem at the airport kiosk.

We said a brief hello to Jodie and Craig who had arrived from Melbourne, then breezed through security, apart from Mike having his bag drug tested.

We hung out for 4 hours with sister Lynda, watching the planes come and go, many toilet breaks, and a feed of Vietnamese noodles.

When it came time to board, there was and extra security screening for USA flights. Once again Mike got taken aside while they checked him and all the contents of his bag. His boarding card had been marked as super serious special search. If you ever see SSSS on your boarding pass this is not a good thing. It means the TSA have flagged you a person on interest. So maybe there is someone with the same name or something, or it could just be random.

The flight was nice in premium economy, it’s so worth it if you can get tickets when they’re on special. But everyone seemed to be coughing or blowing noses, so I can’t imagine not catching something.

We’d done something a little stupid before we left home. When we found out Cirque de Soleil Beatles Love was playing in our hotel, we booked it, knowing we had only 2 hours to get from Vegas and get checked in. So, it depended on making our connecting flight at LAX (sometimes a two hour wait at US immigration), our connecting flight being on time (not uncommon to be late in US), trafffic from Vegas to hotel being reasonable, and queue to check in ok.

Arriving in lax can sometimes be an intimidating experience. But this time there were hardly any queues. Since they scrapped the Auckland-Chicago route, a lot of people on our flight were transiting to Chicago, so they went to a different queue. and the lady on the desk was very nice. And because we have a b2 visa they didn’t even fingerprint us.

Then came the fun part. Figuring out how to catch our next flight. It really was easy but when you’re jet lagged every thing is difficult.

We walked to terminal 2 then tried to check in. But Mike had the delta app and it seemed we had boarding passes already. But we hadn’t checked in. So we were very confused. It took a while to find someone to confirm they were boarding passes. Weird.

We made it to the gate in plenty of time, and thankfully our plane was on time. Amazing. It’s just a short 45 min flight to Vegas and we were on an A320, jammed packed. It felt a little claustrophobic with the dark interior and cramped seats, and I was thankful for the short flight.

We arrived in Vegas airport, walked past all the slot machines, had to get on a little train to take us to the taxi rank. They have fixed prices for taxis to the strip, so this was nice knowing we wouldn’t be ripped off.

More about our first day in Vegas in the next blog as I’m running out of time and we have to pick up our van this morning.

Hey there fellow germophobes. This is a light-hearted guide to surviving hotel stays with your sanity (and cleanliness) intact!

Baggage Etiquette:

Hold your horses there, luggage flinger! Before you treat your bed like a bouncy castle for your bags, consider this friendly warning: bedbugs don’t need a passport to hitch a ride. They’re like the sneaky stowaways of the hotel world, and trust me, you don’t want them infesting your van!

Now, if you’re the extra-paranoid type (and let’s face it, who isn’t when it comes to bedbugs?), you can take things up a notch with the classic “backpack-in-a-plastic-bag” manoeuvre. It’s like giving your bag its very own hazmat suit – stylish AND practical! 

2. Bedbug Bites:

It’s time for the mattress inspection! Time to play detective and hunt down those pesky uninvited guests hiding in the seams, corners, and crevices. Keep your eyes peeled for mysterious dark stains that could easily pass for ink splatters – their toilet habits are not fooling anyone! 

And don’t forget to check for bed bug shells – they’re like tiny ghost costumes left behind by the critters as they outgrow their old skins. If you spot blood spots on the mattress, don’t panic – it’s just the bed bugs getting a little too excited during their nightly feasts.

Now, about that musty odour… Let’s just say if your mattress smells like the pair of damp socks you left in your shoes last year, it might be time to leave. Immediately!

But remember, just because you can’t see those sneaky critters during the day doesn’t mean they’re not plotting their night time attack. Stay vigilant, my friends, and may your body be free of nocturnal blood sucking critters!

3. Sheet Sniffing:

Time for the classic sniff test! Give those sheets a whiff and make sure they smell fresh and clean. If they smell like yesterday’s gym socks, or there are any visible stains, hairs, or other debris on the sheets and pillowcases, it’s time to call in reinforcements (aka new sheets).

Top Tip: Bring your own pillowcase for peace of mind and a touch of home comfort!

4. Bathroom Bleach:

Grab those disinfectant wipes and prepare for battle! Wipe down everything in sight – from the taps to the toilet seat. And don’t forget to inspect those toiletries for any funny business.

5. Remote Control Shenanigans:

Give it a good wipe-down before settling in for some TV time. Who knows what kind of remote-controlled funny business happened before you arrived?

6. Blanket Toss:

Say goodbye to questionable blankets and pillows! Toss them into a corner and let them stew in their own filth. Because let’s be real here – those cosy companions don’t exactly hit the spa for a deep cleanse between guests.

They’re like the forgotten relics of past hotel stays, collecting mysteries and memories with each new visitor. 

7. Parting Wisdom:

As you bid adieu to your hotel room, pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Remember, a little laughter goes a long way – and so does a squirt of hand sanitiser!

There you have it, germaphobes of the world, a practical guide to checking into your hotel room like a boss. 

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As we count down the days till our epic American road trip, it seems like our to-do list is longer than the Alaska Highway itself!

First things first, we’ve got to find our passports. Last time we saw them, they were hiding under a pile of clothes in our floor-drobe. Time to play a game of ‘Hide and Seek: Passport Edition’!

Then there’s the matter of packing. Since we’re aiming for a minimalist approach and going carry-on only, every item needs to earn its spot in the bag. Do we really need to bring our chickens with us? It would be great to have fresh eggs on the road, but our campervan might get a bit crowded. Maybe we’ll just take the duck!

Of course, we can’t forget about Rodger, our campervan. He’s been chilling in a storage unit in Las Vegas for six months, probably plotting his revenge for abandoning him in the desert. We’re half expecting to open the door and find him transformed into a makeshift casino with blackjack tables and slot machines. Fingers crossed he still remembers how to start!

But there’s an undeniable sense of excitement bubbling up. We’ll be driving from Las Vegas all the way to the rugged landscapes of Alaska, traversing the legendary Alaskan Highway. Stay tuned!

Some interesting things happened today.

We started the day with a late checkout from our hotel. Just by chance I noticed I still had pepper spray in my bag. How that didn’t get picked up at Vegas security, I have no idea. I quickly chucked it in the bin. It could have been a disaster if I had’ve tried to bring that into NZ!

Then we wandered downstairs and sat by the pool and read our books. A couple of girls were vlogging there and we wondered if they were live streaming on YouTube. I asked them and they said they were so I told them about our YouTube channel too. Then they invited us on their livestream. We did a brief chat with them then sat backdown as we couldn’t imagine them being interested in us. Then I saw in the comments people were saying ‘bring back the van people’.

So they started looking at our vlog on our livestream and invited us over again and kind of interviewed us, which was really nerve wracking, knowing she had 86000 followers.

We had a good chat with them afterwards and they gave us some good tips on growing our channel, and live streaming is one of them. So we’ll give that a go sometime. They also seemed really interested in what we’re doing and thought others would be too because we are down to earth and have accents. Maybe we just need to find these people! Anyway, it was a good laugh and took our mind off things for a bit.

We had a little nap by the pool until it got really hot. Instead of going for a swim like normal people, we decided to head to the airport. When we got there we found we had two hours to wait before we could check in. Ugh. We could have been lazing by the pool, instead we’re stuck in a noisy, busy airport.

Once we’d checked in, we got through security, then headed for the Star Alliance lounge. This is where the next funny thing happened. We don’t have lounge membership, but you can pay to visit the lounge and it is $75 per person. We figured it was worth it, as we’d spent $100 having dinner at the airport the previous evening in Vegas. And we still had five hours to wait for our flight.

When we went to pay for the lounge, our payment was declined. We’d run out of money on our international card. Mike had another international card as well, but that only had $100 on it. He asked it he could pay over two credit cards. She said fine. She took one payment, and then said that would be fine, and she didn’t bother taking the second payment. Maybe she couldn’t be bothered or she felt sorry for us, but the two of us got into the lounge for only $75. We figured she must have felt sorry for us. Admittedly, we did feel a bit like hobos.

So we’re now, sitting in the outdoor area of the lounge, fire pit burning, waiting for our flight. See you soon.

There seemed to be a lot to do before we could fly home. I’d checked with the storage unit a couple of days ago and they said we could put our van in early so that was good.

It was still a 6 hour drive to Vegas and we weren’t entirely sure what time we’d be arriving, but we would be gaining an hour so that was a bonus. So we rang the storage unit to see if we could put it in a 4pm and they said no problem.

I then called AirNZ and was able to change our flights for Thursday night. (It’s currently Wednesday here).

There seemed to be so much to do before that could happen. We needed to get to Vegas, find some storage boxes and clean our van out. Then we needed to find our way to Los Angeles airport for our flight, and also book a hotel. One thing at a time, we decided.

We found a Walmart on the way in and bought two storage boxes to put food and smelly things into. Then we tried to find a car cleaning place, and this was harder than expected.

The traffic was so bad in Vegas, and the lights, for some reason, take so long to change. It was brutal sitting in 40 degree heat (No A/C) while trying to navigate. We found a car cleaning place, but it wasn’t self-wash. We gave up and headed straight for the storage unit.

We drove down Fremont street, which is not the nicest area, and found our place. There was a homeless camp set up across the road and the entire area seemed really sketchy.

There was no office door so I tried ringing them but they hung up on me. I thought, oh no, we can’t put our van in early, they’re ignoring me! I left a message for them to call.

While we waited, we started clearing our car out in the carpark in the 40 degree heat, but we were both stressed and hot. And the homeless people wandering by were making me a little nervous. Finally they called me back and let us inside to finished cleaning in the air conditioned warehouse.

We’d booked indoor storage in a large warehouse and there were a few other vans in there, all much flasher than ours, which made me feel better. There were also quite a few in the outdoor lot as well.

It took us a good 2 hours to clean the inside and we didn’t do as good a job as we would have liked but it would have to do. If the mouse gets in, we’ll just have to throw everything out and start again.

We had some fridge stuff we hadn’t even opened so I went looking for Caitlin, the girl that let us in, but she was nowhere to be found. It seemed like we were left alone in the warehouse. I rang the office number and another guy, Jason, answered. I asked him if he wanted our leftover fridge contents and he said yes please and that he’d be about half an hour.

An hour later he still hadn’t arrived, so we put the fridge stuff in front of the van for him, and loaded our bikes inside. We then booked an uber to take us to Las Vegas airport. We didn’t have a flight booked yet, but hoped we could book one at the airport. If not, we’d find a hotel nearby.

We went outside to wait for our Uber, and realised we were locked in the compound, big fences towering over us! A few homeless people were lurking in the carpark, and I decided we’d be safer to wait inside anyway.

The Uber turned up and I asked her to wait. At least I’d left the door to the warehouse ajar. We went back inside to see if there was a code written down somewhere. There wasn’t. But at least we had shelter and a toilet if need be.

We headed outside again to update the uber driver, and I said to Mike, ‘make sure you keep the door ajar’

Next thing I hear the door slam shut. Dammit, now we’re locked in the carpark in 40 degree heat with no shade!

I continued to ring the guy but it kept going to voicemail. I worried he’d had an accident or something, and we would be stuck in this carpark all night! And my phone was going flat! Jason said he’d be 30 minutes over an hour ago! I was getting agitated and after about 20 mins pacing backwards and forwards, I decided to call 911.

They put me through to the fire department and as I was explaining my situation, Jason showed up towing a caravan. So long story short, we didn’t get rescued by firemen.

It was such a relief to step into the air conditioned comfort of the uber, and the lady got us to Las Vegas airport in record time, taking all the back roads.

We walked up to the Southwest Airlines Helpdesk and asked if we could book our flights there and she said yes. (just like they do on TV). She booked us on the next available flight at 8:50pm, and it was only $74 each! We asked about seating, and she said it was open seating, so basically a free for all. Then she told us she would see what she could do. We didn’t know what that meant.

Check through was easy and we stopped at a restaurant for a burger and chips. Brother Paul rang while we were there. After dinner, we sat and waited, listening to the flight announcements, all of them made in an over-enthusiastic manner. Here was an example. “This is a call for passengers blah blah, your plane is now ready to depart from gate C-23 – that’s Chicken-23′

While we were waiting for our flight we booked a hotel, not really knowing which one to pick, so we picked the cheapest that was closest to the airport. The Sheraton gateway won, as it’s only 0.5 mile.

When it was time to board our flight, they called priority boarding. I checked my tickets and the lady at the counter had given us priority, so that was a surprise. So we got onboard early and managed to get good seats together,

It was just a short flight on a 737-800, which has a 3-3 configuration. It’s only a 42 minute flight time to LAX and the air steward was funny. She said “You can sit back and relax, or sit upright and be uptight, but it will still be the same 42 minute flight.’ And they even brought us snacks and a coke!

On arrival, we made our way to the free shuttles. Many came and many went, but nothing for the Sheraton Gateway. One turned up with “Sheraton Four Points” on it. We asked if he also went to Sheraton Gateway, and he said he would get us there. It all sounded a big suss, but we were so exhausted we hopped on board.

The airport traffic was crazy and this guy navigated his shuttle like a madman, I thought I might vomit. Mike said we’d be fine as he was playing with his rosary beads. It also started to fill up with people for the Sheraton Four Points, and I just hoped we’d be getting dropped off first (which is why I booked a close hotel).

It turned out okay in the end, we got dropped off first, and we got to our hotel room about 11.30pm. We were so exhausted we had a shower and fell into bed.

We were up at 6am to get an early start, knowing we still had about 2 days drive to Vegas.

The highway south goes right through Yellowstone, and the views were magnificent. About 10am it started getting really busy with tour buses and lots of cars so we’re glad we had an early start.

We exited Yellowstone and we’re thrown straight into the mountainous scenery of the grand Teton national park. The views of the mountains were amazing.

We drove for 12 hours today, and even though the scenery was beautiful it was hard to enjoy it.

We found a beautiful campsite in Utah, surrounded by hills and overlooking a lake, and it was right on our route!

A couple next to us brought their puppy over for some puppy love. They were really funny.

Should only be a 6 hour drive to Vegas tomorrow where we will need to clean out our van and put it into storage. Then we need to organise a flight from Vegas to lax, then a flight home. I still haven’t been able to get hold of air nz to change our flights, but I notice they still have flights available on their website, so here’s hoping.

We awoke to a miserable day. The temperature has dropped from 40 degrees to 11. It seemed weird we had our air conditioning running the previous night.

We were heading west for glacier national park in Montana when I got a call from lynda to say dad was quite sick.

We made the decision to head south, making our way to Vegas where we have prearranged storage.

We made it as far as Yellowstone np and free camped on the street. Thankfully nobody bothered us.

We woke up in the free parking lot at Medora the musical and we’re thankful to have had a quiet night sleep. There was one other campervan who stayed overnight too.

Today we explored the Theodore Roosevelt national park. It’s is two sections, the south and north. We started with the south and it was kinda like the badlands NP, but not as dramatic. It was 40 degrees again and way too hot to do any hikes, so we just did the scenic drive, seeing more bison and prairie dogs.

The sky was hazy due to Canadian wildfires, so the views weren’t as good as they could have been.

It was an hours drive outside of the park to get to the north unit, so we filled up first and got a gas station pizza. I’ve been blown away by how good pizza is over here, even the gas station ones are good, but they were freshly made , even on a Sunday.

The north unit of the national park was way more dramatic and we enjoyed the scenery here better. Again, it was too hot to walk so we did the scenic drive, stopping at overlooks.

The rest of the day was spent driving into the sun. I am just getting so sick of this heat, it never ends!

We are now heading towards glacier national park which borders Canada. It will be a lot cooler there, but it’s a 9 hour drive to get there.

At 6.30pm we stopped at the shady rv park. It was very expensive but we were tired and a storm was brewing. And we needed showers. Plus they had electric so we could run our air conditioner.

Just as we’d finished our showers the storm rolled in, pelting down with rain and thunder cracking overhead. We couldn’t have timed it better.

We had a great night sleep at our lakeside camp. This morning we went for a 1 hour hike alongside the lake to a dam. It was really hot already, another 40 degree day.

We left camp at midday and drove for most of the afternoon. The roads were very long and straight with the occasional nodding donkey.

We crossed from South Dakota to North Dakota and made our way to Medora which is on the south side of Theodore Roosevelt national park.

All the camping grounds were full being a Saturday night during a long weekend, so we weren’t surprised.

We made a last minute decision to go to an outdoor musical up on the hill. It was such a warm clear evening, it would have been rude not too. The show started at 8.30pm and we made it just in time.

It was about Theodore Roosevelt and had a cowboy set with modern music and dancing. It was amusing and a different way to spend the evening.

At the start of the show we all had to stand up while they sang the national anthem. They also asked all the ex-servicemen to stand up as they acknowledged them. They are local heroes who have fought for their freedom. Freedom from what? Anyone know?

It was 10.30 pm by the time it finished and there was a massive queue getting out, so we decided to sleep the night in the carpark. We just hoped we wouldn’t get “the knock” in the middle of the night asking us to leave.

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