Have you ever been so big-headed as to not pack an extra shirt or pants?

Day three, September 20, 2015

Before I go into the final day, I should really tell you about the night before because the following events may not make a lot of sense if I didn’t.

On the night of day two, I fell asleep watching the Disney Channel. Yes, I am almost 24 and still watch kiddie sitcoms. What! I enjoy them. Anyway, I was happily asleep with all the lights on when my mom woke me. I was startled. “Eat,” she said pointing to the take-out container on the desk in the corner.

I glanced at the alarm clock beside me, 10:44 pm. Really? Eat now? “But I’m not really hungry.”

“You shouldn’t go to bed on an empty stomach.” She said. So I went to the table and gave the food a gander, the food looked incredibly appetizing, lobster fettuccine with lobster tofu and sticky rice. I grabbed the fork and took a bite. Mmm! Before I knew it, I had finished the sticky rice. She grabbed the container and said, “I think you should save the rest for tomorrow.”

I agreed and went to brush my teeth again since I brushed them not long before. “So my friend said they’re going to 火焰山 (flaming mountain) tomorrow, you wanna go?”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“It’s a state park.”

“Where is it?”

“They’re not sure.” She replied. So how are they supposed to go without knowing where it was. I woke my computer and took me several seconds to google. It turned out it was called “Valley of Fire State Park”. I told her the direction and where it was and she relayed the information back to her friend.

“So you wanna go?” She asked. Of course I want to go but I can’t act so eager in front of mom.

I shrugged. “Sure.”

At 6:15 am the next morning, I woke up to a ruckus. Mom was ironing, attempting to dry my shirt since I was so big-headed as to brought only two shirts, one for day and one for sleeping, for a three-day outing. I tried to go back to sleep but I was too late, mom had seen me open my eyes.

“Time to get up,” she ordered. I groaned. “We have to leave soon.” I groaned again before she came over and flipped the comforter over and attempted to dragged me out of bed. “Come on, I want to get some pictures before we leave to prove we’ve visited Nellis Air Force Base.”

So I forced myself up, got dressed, ate the remainder of my late-night snack, washed my face, and together with our suitcase packed and all my electronics back in my backpack and purse, we rode the elevator back down to the first floor of the Nellis Inn and exited the hotel. After loading the car one last time, we entered the lobby again and checked-out.

After that, we walked toward the giant sign. The morning was cool and comfortable, thank god.

After that, we walked back to the hotel parking lot where the car was parked. As we got into the car, I took one last picture of the hotel as a proof that I’ve stayed there.

Our next destination was the Walmart not far from us. We were to wait for mom’s friends there so they could have breakfast. I was so glad I brought my tablet with me because I hate waiting for people. So I was even more glad to learn there’s wi-fi which gave me the opportunity to check my blog and tweets.

Going to #valleyoffire today on the way #home. Yay #Roadtrip #travel #documentary #Nevada #Scenery

— Yinglan (@yinglangao2003) September 20, 2015

About 30 minutes later, after mom and her friends had a chat over breakfast, they decided that they’re going to follow us. Mom drove the lonely N. Las Vegas Blvd again to get back onto I-15, it was the quicker route.

We drove about 20 miles north and before long, we arrived on the hilly road outside of Valley of Fire State Park. On the way, mom went on and on about how it doesn’t translate to 火焰山 (flaming mountain) but it translates to 火焰谷 (Valley of Fire). I just rolled my eyes and tried to enjoy the scenery.

The roads were particularly hilly especially the beginning. It was like riding a roller coaster, up and down, up and down.

We have arrived. The scenery was breath-taking. Everywhere I looked were red rocks, formed in the most peculiar shapes possible.

There were several trails in the park that would lead to some more beautiful landscapes than the ones that could be seen from the road. Of course, the adults didn’t want to go and if it was twenty degrees cooler, I would’ve said I’d go by myself but I didn’t want to get heat stroke again. So we ended up just driving along the paved roads and taking pictures of the rocks.

Mom got bored very quickly. She said the rocks in Zion National Park and Utah are much more beautiful than these. So she spent most of the ride chatting with her friend instead of enjoying the view. Only two people really enjoyed the view, me and her other friend.

The beehive was our last stop before we went back to the parking lot next to the park entrance where mom parked her car. Then I followed the adults into the shade where we had a picnic, bananas and cakes we bought that morning in Walmart. After that, the adults began to say good bye and promise each other to call, blah blah blah while I stood next to the car in the blazing heat waiting for mom to unlock the door.

Some time later, we were finally on our way out of the park and on our way home. The ride was quick, I thought. Mainly because I was asleep for most of it.

Overall, I think this was a fun trip. One of the memorable moments is when I gambled for the first time in my whole life and won. I still can’t believe it. Another is to get to be in a room with so many people speaking my dialect. I’ve never had that happen, ever, not even when I was back in my hometown. Most people there spoke Cantonese and not my home dialect.

I will not be asking for birthday present this year for this has been the best birthday I’ve had in a very long time. Oh, my birthday hasn’t arrive yet, at least not for another day. 😉

Related posts:

• Hello From Las Vegas!
• Day One
• Day Two