We embarked to Las Vegas for the ACS 2022 National Championships. My last trip to the BCA Nationals in 2020 was rudely interrupted by the initial outbreak of covid.

Grand Canyon

In all my trips to Las Vegas, I never visited the Grand Canyon. We rented a car on the strip and drove out to the Skywalk located on the Western rim.

Fantastic views on the drive out and back. Many scenic look offs including the hoover dam.

The Skywalk facility itself was a bit disappointing. To get to the three look off points at the Grand Canyon you needed to pay an admission and wait for shuttle buses. It was quite busy and we spent a lot of time waiting for the shuttles between stops.

Guano Point made it all worthwhile.

The Strip

We covered most of the strip on foot over several days. We saw most of the Bellagio fountain shows and caught what might be the final days of the volcano. We rode the gondolas at The Venetian.

I was surprised at the overall cost of everything. Alcohol and food have almost tripled in cost since my first trip in 2014.

The Tropicana was also in a sad state, especially being surrounded by shiny MGM properties. Recently acquired by Ballys, rumors indicate the Tropicana will be demolished and replaced with a new baseball stadium for the Oakland A’s. The casino was limited, the majority of shops and eateries were all empty. The cost of the rooms did not reflect. I assume this will be my final stay at the Tropicana.

ACS 2022 Nationals

We had a good bunch from Nova Scotia for the tournament. The overall turnout was good, my brackets had ~130 entries in each.