After two weeks of visiting family in Florida and New York we landed in Los Angeles to start our Western States tour. During our visit east, our Xtrerra took a cruise with Horizon Lines from Honolulu to Long Beach. We reunited with our vehicle on July 15th and prepared for our trip.
That evening we stayed with Maybelle and had dinner with cousin Sara and Steve.
Bright and early the next morning we hit the road to our first stop: Las Vegas. We stopped at a Best Buy and got a Garmin to guide us and a Sirius radio to keep us entertained on the open road. On the way tempartures rose and the humidity plunged. We arrived in Las Vegas in the afternoon and we were amazed to get out of the car at 110 degrees and 5% humidity. It was a sauna!
We checked into the Excaliber and then explored the strip. We weaved in an out between crowds, slot machines, tables and more crowds. The heat forced us to take a few stops to soak up some A/C. It was exhausting! We stopped to watch the water dance shows at Bellagio and the pirates at Treasure Island. Aunt Lucille and Uncle Carl had recently moved to Las Vegas so we met up with them for lunch one day too.
Our favorite of the resorts was the Venetian. We rode the gondala and had dinner at a cute little indoor street cafe. The interior lighting was perfect for making you feel like it's still daytime. Then we took a cab up to Fremont Steet. I think I got whiplash by watching the show on the overhead screen, but it was worth it!
We bid farewell to Las Vegas and continued our trek. Next stop: The Grand Canyon. But before we arrived we made a checked out the Hoover Dam. It is way bigger than I expected.
That evening we set up camp and planned our hike for the next morning into the Grand Canyon.
We woke up to a gorgeous sunrise over the Canyon. Then we began our hike early enough to make sure we finish before the hottest part of the day. Naturally it was easy hiking into the Canyon. The morning air was still cool and the views were expanisve. Almost too much to take in. We stopped after 3 miles in and took a break. We felt great and even tempted with the idea of continuing down, but we played it smart and started back up. It turned out perfect since we finished around 11am, just as the sun was steaming up the Canyon. We relaxed a bit when we got back to camp and then began planning our route for the next day.
Up next, the Slot Conyons in Page, Arizona. We had not originally decided to go here, but after talking with Lucille and Carl it sounded pretty awesome. So we arrived around noon or 11am (their time change is weird) and got a hotel room. You can only see these slot canyons by hiring a guide to get onto the Indian Reservation so we booked a tour with Antelope Slot Canyon Tours. We felt like cattle being hearded in the back of a truck and the ride was super bumpy. A storm was brewing in the distance and it made us a little anxious. They said that flash flooding is common when storms enter the area. Where we were headed was one of the worst spots to be in for them. We wandered through a naturally carved path through the canyon. The features were so beautiful and when the light hit it right it looked like those Peter Lik peices. Our pictures didn't come out quite like his, but it was still beautiful. We were rushed out of therre as the rain started falling and we just braced ourselves till we got back to the main road. The heavy rain lingered the rest of the day and we were happy we choose to stay in a hotel instead of camp.
Up next: Utah!
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