vegas...

since i last visited las vegas in 2015, i was hooked, not because of the hotels and gambling, which i'm no fan off, i just fell in love with the desert. who goes to the grand canyon and say yuck?? right?!?!?!

well this time the BF and i took a shorter trip, but planned ahead. on our first day we went up to Mt. Charleston/ Lee Canyon and what a beauty!!! and must note it was the first time my BF saw snow for real, too fun to watch, just like a kid :)

Lee Canyon was closed for reservations only, so we went to one of the recreational areas and had some fun in the snow

and we weren't the only ones, lucky we were there early because it got crowded quickly

we then did the scenic drive to Mt Charleston and made a few stops on our way

the next day bright and early we went to Red Rock Canyon

i chose to hike the calico tank trail to see las vegas 

we started with a well marked path, but i must admit there were times i had no clue where i was going, but thanks to the foot tracks i was able to continue and not get completely lost

yep, very excited!!

when we got to the end there was another family visiting from Michigan, and the kids had climbed higher and we went right up with them and what a treat

absolutely stunning!!! the photo doesn't give the view justice...

we hanged out for a bit, had a snack and headed back, which by the way, went way quicker

after, the BF was done with the hikes and we did the scenic drive and made stops along the spots, just beautiful.

that night we did dinner and a show, saw the fabulous human nature jukebox 

on the 31st we did the touristy stuff and visited the hotels we missed on our last trip. Bellagio's beautiful christmas garden

and fountain...

we had breakfast at Paris and, i LOVED that hotel, i mean LOOOOOVVVEEEDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

then we did the Mirage's dolphin habitat

yes i was that close

and the white tigers and lions, beautiful! but looked so sad and bored

of course had to do some gambling. had a $10 spending limit and won $5, yay!!!

as can imagine the place was massively packed

but once the countdown ended, wow!!

it has been a while since i've had such fun celebrating a new year, the rest stays in vegas, hahaha!!!!
the trip was a success and hope to return in a few years, there's more to explore.