Arriving in Irvine
Leg 10 - Final leg - LV, NV - brief stop in Primm, NV - finally in Irvine, CA!
We enjoyed our night in Vegas, but once more “played the elevators” as we checked out. Kris didn’t want to stop or go to the roller coasters, but I convinced him to stop in Primm so we could hit one of the three we would miss (also so we wouldn’t have to stop on another trip out to Vegas!). He was very negative when we arrived, both because originally we couldn’t find any info in the AAA books about Primm or the coaster (even though it wasn’t hard to stop even from the highway), but also because it didn’t seem to be running when we did get there.
We made sure to ask even before we entered the casino if the coaster was running (because we knew the entrance would be conveniently located at the very back of the casino!), and we were assured that it was. Apparently it was opening at 11 AM today, just 5 minutes after we arrived. So we had time to buy our tickets, take a quick potty break, and still be on the very first run of the morning!
Woo! Desperado was a great way to get an early morning adrenaline rush. It still stands as one of the world’s top 9 tallest coasters - as Kris informed me several days later. I wouldn’t have even known this great coaster existed - Thanks for the suggestion, Jenn!!! I’m really happy I was able to convince Kris to stop - and I know he didn’t mind it - the coaster was great, the price wasn’t too outrageous, and the timing was perfect. Check off another coaster on “Coaster Trip USA.” 
Moving on - out through the desert, and the Rockies. We were stuck in a brief bit of traffic, but it was nothing compared to what we saw going the other way. Bumper-to-bumper from Barstow to Vegas! Yikes. We made a note to head to Vegas either EARLY Friday morning, or on Thursday night if we go for a weekend. The GPS made a pretty good route for us except that it took us on a couple toll roads, which like everything else in California, were ridiculously expensive. Unfortunately we had to take an exit early (I was over hydrated), and decided to re-map ourselves. The road we stopped on was one I recognized from my trip to visit UCI, so I told Kris to take it towards the campus.
We made it to UCI no problem, but had a little trouble finding the housing office. Eventually we were able to pick up our keys and get our parking permit, but only after going in through the out door. We’ve arrived! I love our new apartment, I can’t wait to furnish and decorate! I really like that we have two floors, only neighbors on either side, nobody underneath or over us. It’s a little smaller than I imagined, but it’s very open, and we get a lot of light. I’m really excited about starting our new life living together, in a place that’s totally new for both of us.
In the meantime, we’re going to unpack the car, get some food and some rest. We’ll explore maybe a little tomorrow, and await the Door-to-Door containers arriving on Sunday.
