Kitty Deschanel | Food, Wine, and Travel Adventures Across the USA

Leaving Las Vegas, we drove over the Hoover Dam. About 5 years ago, SN and I paid to take the tour of the dam. We will never do that again and recommend avoiding the tour at all costs! What a waste of time. Hey! You're not in Vegas anymore. Get back in your car! If you don't stay inside your vehicle, I'm guessing that this guy might have something to say about it: We found Brandy's Restaurant Bakery in Flagstaff, AZ on the site for Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives. It never would have crossed our minds to stop here otherwise. It was delicious! This employee didn't seem too keen on us taking photos of our food. Looking back, I guess it was a little weird.

We start our day by checking into the Imperial Palace casino/hotel. It was less than $40 a night and included tickets to see their auto collection and 2 tickets to Nathan Burton's comedy magic show. Not too shabby. Ah, Vegas! If it weren't for the heat, the crime, the crowds, and the general sleaziness, I could see us living here. Even Sexy Nerd enjoys shopping when it's on a fake Paris street. We shared a plate of nachos at Margaritaville. Usually, it is one of our favorite Vegas stops, but this time didn't go very well. Not only did they never play the Margaritaville song and sacrifice the girl to the volcano (awesome), they ripped us off. When we ordered the nachos, the waitress casually asked if we want salsa. They're nachos. Sure we want salsa! That's a standard nacho ingredient, right? Surprise, surprise when we saw the additional $2 charge for salsa on our bill. Normally, it is just me who gets irked by things like this, but even Sexy Nerd thought the $2 ...

It's time for our first trip ever to Ikea. I assumed it would be a large store, but I was expecting large to be like Bed Bath & Beyond. It was more like an amusement park for shopaholic decorating adults! We knew it was going to be awesome when we walked through the door and heard "we hope you enjoy your day at Ikea". Ikea is insanely huge! If we had wanted to just run in and buy one specific item, we still would have been there forever, lost in the maze that is Ikea. Whenever we thought we were nearing the exit from our little adventure, we'd find ourselves in another section of the store. First, you go upstairs, where you wander from room to room, like in a model home. Next, you're in some sort of crazy cafeteria, which is surprisingly jam packed with people. If only Sexy Nerd and I hadn't eaten before we got there! After the cafeteria, you travel back downstairs where all of the items you saw upstairs, (ALL of the items - from bedding and rugs to counte...

Coffee in hand, I'm ready to start another long day of driving. Or at least another long day of napping in the passenger seat. But first, Sexy Nerd has a clever travel tip. Not enough counter space in your hotel room? Use the ironing board! We stopped at my aunt and uncle's house for breakfast. They have the cutest dog ever! Seriously, this dog was even cuter than Biscuit! Here is Sexy Nerd, charming my grandma. How many little old ladies are computer-savvy? Go Grandma! ;) Sexy Nerd's coffee hasn't quite kicked in yet. Cute photo though. So many Neals!