How to go geocaching in Las Vegas!

There is no other place on Earth where you can see a volcanoe erupting, a giant Egyptian pyramid, the Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, and even rollercoasters plunging of sky scraping buildings all within a mile of each other. There is no other place quite like Vegas!

Yes this week we’re living it up Viva Las Vegas style in order to celebrate the other half’s historic milestone...his 40th birthday.

With so much to see and do 24:7 in the city that never sleeps...and it really doesn’t, even at four in the morning you’ll find people wandering along it’s brightly lit streets as if it was the middle of the day, and others starring goggle eyed at brightly spinning slot machine wheels...you might ask who needs geocaching?

Well actually, I do. I can’t live without a regular caching fix no matter where I am. And to be honest I do enjoy finding them abroad in popular tourist hot spots as there tends to be a lot more virtuals and earthcaches and Vegas was no exception.

Upon arriving at Las Vegas airport, surrounded by miles of desert, the first thing that struck me was how surprisingly normal everything was. As we left the UK people were starting to go into a mad panic over Coronavirus, and were swarming supermarkets to snap up every last packet of bog roll and pasta. 

A couple of people had even questioned why on Earth we’d be setting off on an overseas holiday at such a time. I think my reply of ‘life goes on and enjoy it while you can’, surprised a few, but seriously, there’s always something going on. Icelandic volcanoes, terror attacks and other natural catastrophes are just a few that spring to mind. Hence if you really are one of life’s worriers you’ll always find something to justify not doing something. Fortunately, I’m not.

Arriving at our Paris themed hotel there was not an anti bac station or mask in sight. It really was quite refreshing.

It wasn’t long before we were setting off on our first stroll up the strip and I’d spotted a few caches on the map that just had to be grabbed.

First up, was the stunning Eiffel Tower virtual outside our hotel, which whilst not quite as big as the real thing, it is certainly quite a landmark on the Vegas strip skyline. After counting a few doors and snapping a rubbish selfie next to one of the iron legs, the virtual was in the bag. 

Next we headed for the sidewalk escalator to get across the road to the impressive and beautiful dancing fountains outside the infamous Bellagio hotel. 

We’d spent a long while entranced by the fountains on our last trip to the city, so decided not to linger as long this time. Posing for a quick selfie in front of them, to grab the Lake-Vegas virtual, we then entered the casino/hotel for a posh coffee and a bit of breakfast. 

With renewed energy we were soon winding our way through the pretty Greek archeology and gardens of another well known casino Caesar’s Palace. Again a brief stop was made in front of a statue which was missing its toga, to pick up the Toga Party virtual.

A couple of hours later after a good  wander around Caesars Palace and The Mirage, and a few goes on the slots, we arrived at another of Vegas’ great family themed hotels Treasure Island. 

Walking along the wooden board walk, past the giant ship, we could almost have been on the set of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. As we arrived in the vicinity of GZ for the mMm #52 cache I of course realised we needed to be down on the road level, not the boardwalk. Making a hasty retreat back along the boardwalk we spotted some steps and made our way to the right level. 

It was a little dicy walking along the narrow path, as large cars rushed past, but we made it in one piece to GZ and after poking around in a couple of holes under the boardwalk the small cache container was in hand.

After a brief visit to the casino, we decided to continue our walk up the strip, ultimately to visit one of the city’s highest landmarks - The Stratosphere casino and tower. 

On the way we were able to pick up another traditional cache - convention center drive. Always nice to actually find a physical container in busy built up areas. 

Following a few more casino stops, we arrived at the foot of Stratosphere or Strat as it also seems to be called. Towering countless storeys above us, I was really hoping there was a lift! 

Fortunately there was, although it was almost $30 dollars to go up, but slightly cheaper if you were a hotel guest. The lifts were quick and the views from the top just breathtaking! You could see the entire city in every direction and the desert beyond. Well worth a visit. 

The virtual was fun and easy and required another selfie, this time with a view from the top of the tower in the background.

The following day we hopped on the bus to take a trip to one of the big shopping centres. We always enjoy buying some new clothes on our trips to the US. This time we mixed a bit of retail therapy with some caching, as there were two traditionals located  just outside the centre. 

One was a brilliant little hide near what appeared to be a melting building. Fascinating to see and clearly designed by an incredibly creative architect. 

The hide itself was hidden in a little garden across the road and was craftily hidden under a drain cover. I was rather proud to suss out the hide before the other half did. He usually sees most before I do. But this time he was too busy telling me I’d probably get arrested as I pulled the lid up on the drain and reached in for the cache. 

The second cache was next to a very intriguing wall, and after a bit of back and forth, the other half pulled something up that he probably shouldn’t have and soon had the cache in hand. Clearly all his inhibitions and concerns about meeting the Vegas police had gone by this point. 

Next time, we’ll be taking a step back in time when we visit Downtown Las Vegas, and crossing the state line into Arizona to see one of the top geographical wonders of the world. Until then stay safe.  

Disclaimer: This caching trip took place before the Covid-19 lockdown in the UK.