Tuesday, June 15th The Last Push Home Las Vegas, NV to Santa Clara, CA

Our road trip ends today.  It is 9 am - checkout time is 11.  I still have to get ready for the long 9 hour drive from Vegas to Santa Clara.  Greg still has $200 burning a hole in his wallet and is determined to lose it before we leave, but not if I can help it.

I’ve been told that the next 9 hours will be uninteresting - we aren’t driving through particularly nice parts of California.

Time to pack.

UPDATE:


The 9 hours of driving was completely uninteresting, and very hot.  Much of it was driving through the desert.  I must admit that I’m very glad to be here.  And I’m glad to be done with all the driving (although Greg did do most of the driving).

So, here ends another great trip.  We saw some really cool things and did some really cool things and made a lot of stops.

Until next time…

Monday, June 14th Vegas, Baby, Vegas! Las Vegas, NV

We didn’t gamble last night any, mostly because I was too tired to I guess.  We figured out that we probably walked something like 6 miles roundtrip.  I swear it didn’t look that far.

Greg was itching to lose some money today.  We started out in our own casino, walking from the elevator, across in front of the “dealertainers” (dealers dressed up like celebrities… but most only have a passing resemblance… with a nametag) and over to the blackjack table.  After winning about $30 (any amount of money on the table made me nervous because I think in terms of how long it took and what had to be done to earn that money) Greg told me the odds were unusually bad.  We moved on to craps where Greg won another $60 or $70 before he left the table.  (I kept thinking his luck would run out and a total of $100 won was good enough for me).

We moved to penny slots where we had a $5.00 credit as a bonus for signing up for something.  Over the next hour or so, we slowly, but surely lost it all (but it was fun and not our money).

Ready to get out of the casino, we ventured across the street to Caesar’s Palace where we waited in line for their lunch buffet (we were coming to the close of our 24 hour gorge).

Caesar's Palace

Most of the casinos had some sort of cool or fancy way to enter... but once you were in, you are more or less trapped (of course, that's the way they want it).  Often, the way in isn't the way out.  

While the deserts were fancy and the crème brulee tasty, there weren’t as many choices as we had had at the Flamingo or at Harrah’s.  So after our first lunch, we raced back across the street to the Imperial to partake in our last of 5 meals (in 24 hours).  After 2nd lunch and an afternoon rest, we left our casino again to walk in the opposite direction of last night.  We had not yet seen the Mirage, Treasure Island, or the Venetian.

We happened to be on time to see the volcano show in front of the Mirage (where a large “volcano” spits water and fire) and the Treasure Island Siren show (where pretty, skimpy girls try to seduce piratey boys).

Treasure Island Siren Show

After the show when the Treasure Island show crowd thinned out, we crossed the street and explored the Venetian, but it was late and we were tired and having trouble finding the casino area, so we gave up and walked back toward the Imperial Palace.

The Venetian - it's totally reminiscent of Venice isn't it?

Gondolas were everywhere!  That's my one regret about Venice, actually - I never rode on a gondola (nevermind that it costs something like 60 Euros)

On the way back, we passed a smaller casino called… Casino Royale.  While it didn’t look very James Bondish, we went in anyways.  Greg immediately found a craps table he wanted to play and somehow managed to win another hundred dollars before I couldn’t take it anymore.  I was done for the night.

I like Vegas (although… I wonder if my opinion would be vastly different had we lost money??)

Sunday, June 13th “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” Kingman, AZ to Las Vegas, NV

Today was supposed to be an easy day, but most definitely wasn’t.  Kingman, AZ turned out to be a great stopover point, only 2 hours away from Las Vegas.  The drive was easy; we stopped only once at the Hoover Dam.  We parked on both sides for photos, but didn’t actually walk on the dam (because we weren’t interested in paying for close parking and didn’t feel like walking down to the dam).  Actually, I think it’s closer to the truth to say that we didn’t feel like walking back up the hill after we walked down to the dam.

The "back" of the dam

The "front."  I guess I expected gushing water similar to Niagara Falls (by the way I haven't been there), but this is what I got.  From our vantage point, we weren't able to see any water on this side.

We soon arrived in Las Vegas and drove the entire length of the Strip before choosing a casino hotel to stay at.  While not the fanciest by any means, the Imperial was the cheapest ($25 a night) with the best location (tucked between Harrah’s and the Flamingo).

The Paris is visible in the background (the Eiffel Tower)

Paris! (our favorite as far as ambiance is concerned)

We immediately found a lunch buffet and gorged ourselves on meaty things (Greg) and waffles with hot fudge sauce (me).  Having purchased a buffet meal deal ($30 each unlimited food for 24 hours at any of 7 casino buffets), we positively delighted in the long binge that followed.

After our initial casino buffet meal, stomachs happy, we began walking down the strip.  We walked from the Imperial to a little past the MGM Grand, stopping in almost every casino along the way just to see what they were like inside.  We crossed Las Vegas Boulevard and meandered into the New York and the Excalibur before heading back towards our hotel.

The New York

The Excalibur

The King inside the Excalibur.  I had wanted to see Elvis... and I did.  I saw a couple of bad knockoffs, and then here, in the Exaclibur lobby, the real deal.  

We only made a couple of stops on the way back, including the Bellagio, but the damage was already done.  The feet were aching and sore and I for one was very tired.  

The Vegas lights

View of the Bellagio water fountain show in front of the Paris

The inside of the Bellagio was very cool.  Not only was there the blown glass flowers display on the ceiling of the lobby, but there was also a large garden display featuring both live plants and flowing water and giant flower and bee creations.

The Bellagio lobby

The Bellagio seasonal flower display

Much later than we had planned, we finally stumbled back into the Imperial. I am too tired to do anything but sleep.

The rest of what Sin City has to offer will be experienced tomorrow.

Saturday, June 12th Grand Canyon Here We Come! Canyon de Chelly, AZ to Grand Canyon, AZ to Kingman, AZ

Never having been to the Grand Canyon before, I wanted to go (even though it was a little bit out of our way).  Greg had gone as a child and wasn’t particularly interested in returning, but agreed anyway.

We got up very early to see the North Rim of the canyon.  Yesterday we saw the South Rim.  The South Rim offered fewer vista point stops, but as many pueblo village ruin sites.  We took a bunch of pictures and were off before the other tourists had arrived and before the Navajo craft sellers had made it (they stood near the vista points with their craft wares laid out carefully on blankets or in the beds of their trucks.

If I remember correctly, this was dubbed Mummy Rock because bodies were found either in or near the ruins

Closer up view of the pueblo village

The drive from Chinle, AZ to the Grand Canyon was uneventful, 4 or 5 more hours of playing trivia games on Greg’s iphone and discussing our previous adventures.

And then, finally.  We had made it.

To the east gate.  We still had another 20 or 30 miles left until we got to the park area.

Only a couple of miles into this last leg of the journey, it started raining.  Hard.  We were at the “can’t turn back now” stage and it was raining at the Grand Canyon.  We considered finding a place to stay for the night, but anything we could afford was at least an hour away from the Grand Canyon (and we weren’t interested in backtracking).  We had only one afternoon to see the Grand Canyon.

Despite the rain, we saw a good portion of the South Rim.  Essentially, we hopped in and out of the car all afternoon.  Raining and in the low 40s, visibility wasn’t great and comfort was almost nonexistent.

Struggling in the wind and the rain and the cold

We overheard one visitor talking about snow.  Snow!  In Arizona in June!  We had just come from the sunny heat of New Mexico and Northeastern Arizona.  Neither of us were prepared to see snow on the ground; neither of us brought appropriate cold weather clothes.

We stared into the deep foggy canyon and wondered what it might look like if the foggy cloak was lifted.  

The Grand Canyon under a cloak of fog

A bit further along the South Rim

We braved up enough to walk on the path alongside the South Rim.  When we began our 2 mile walk, the weather was cold and rainy.  Near the end of our walk, the clouds left and the sky and canyon both became sunny and bright.  The fog lifted, and it wasn’t quite so cold anymore.

"The sun will come out tomorrow!  Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun!"

3 or 4 shirts, 2 sweaters, and a scarf... after the clouds and rain left and the sun came out to play

Greg looks like he stepped into a postcard

Of course, all of this weather magic happened only shortly before we had to leave.

We had booked a place in Kingman, Arizona, a full 2 hours away from the Grand Canyon.

So at the end of our Canyon walk, we hopped on a shuttle back to the parking lot where we left my car.  And we set off once again, trying to inch a little more to the left on the map.

Friday, June 11th Santa Fe, NM to Albuquerque, NM to Canyon de Chelly, AZ

Once upon a time, Pueblo Indians lived in this Canyon through which the Colorado River flows.  There are two Colorado rivers by the way, the one in Texas and the one that snakes through Arizona through the Grand Canyon and Canyon de Chelly.  The Grand Canyon is on the agenda, but not until tomorrow.

These Ancient Peoples lived in pueblos built into the canyon walls and farmed the fertile land of the canyon floor.  And today, the Navajo care for the land in much the same way the ancestors did, although with a little help from technology.  

Canyon de Chelly is something like a 4 or 5 hour drive from Santa Fe (we don’t keep track of hours, although Garmin does).  We stopped for a few minutes to check out downtown Albuquerque and the sculpture park, but were back on the road shortly.

Sculpture park in Albuquerque, NM

Greg helping to push the cart

Cathedral downtown in the main square of Albuquerque

We had wanted to see ancient Pueblo Indian ruins, but had trouble deciding which ruins site to visit.  There are several sites near Santa Fe, but none in the direction we needed to drive (and so all would have been out of the way).  We decided to drive to Canyon de Chelly National Monument, a park kept up by both the US Government and the Navajo Nation.  Canyon de Chelly is near Chinle, Arizona, which was only slightly out of the way.

We arrived late in the afternoon and quickly found a place to stay in a hogan in a campground located in the park.  A hogan is a residence made of wood and clay/mud (see photos).  The hogan was furnished with a futon, a wood burning stove, an oil lamp, a desk, some shelves, and a couple of chairs.  Not bad for camping.

Our home sweet hogan

Our hogan's furnishings

After we got settled in our hogan, we went out to explore some of the vista points.  The first two stops offered beautiful views of the canyon and the farmland below.

At the third, we spotted two different pueblo villages perched up in the canyon walls.

Can you see the pueblo?

This is the same pueblo village only further away

We made several other stops at various vista points.

The canyon in the background

We should have had binoculars!  The pueblos were incredible.  I had the Canon and put the zoom lens to good use.  I spent much of the time looking at the pueblo villages through the LCD screen of the camera.  One view after another.  Each was better than the last.

We finally arrived at the White House Ruin vista point.

White House Ruins - Can you see the tiny horizontal gash in the canyon wall?

The White House Ruin is the only ruin that visitors are allowed to hike down to without a Navajo guide.  Of course there is a fence keeping the visitors at a distance, but seeing the pueblos up close is much better than trying desperately to view them from across a canyon.  The mile and a half hike down into the canyon was easy.

Greg resting on the hike down

Getting closer to the ruins...

It was the hike back that was difficult.  I’ll make excuses for myself being so easily winded by saying that we were at a much higher altitude than I’m used to.  Seeing the ruins were incredibly cool.

White House Ruins - stunning, aren't they?

It is hard to see from this angle, but at the very back of the pueblo village, there exists a whitewashed house after which this ruin site was named.

This photo shows the "white" house up close.  Notice the antique graffiti (J.W. Conway, Santa Fe, Sept. 24, 1873).  I did a little research to see if I could find out if the dates were real.  According to at least one website, the graffiti dated as far back as the Spanish Conquistadores.  

I’m not sure there are words to describe what it was like to be standing there looking at the homes of people a thousand years ago.

We finally huffed and puffed our way to the top and back to the car.  We drove back to the campground and ended our day with a light dinner by oil lamp light.

Thursday, June 10th Santa Fe All DaySanta Fe, NM

Santa Fe is a great city.  We talked briefly about moving there (but to be fair, we talk about moving everywhere, but don’t ever really mean it).  That's just something we say when we like a place.

We saw and experienced much of what the city had to offer.  In the morning, we ate breakfast at a local hotspot, The Pantry, where green chile abounded.  While I was nervous to try this spicy addition, Greg didn’t hesitate. 

From breakfast, we drove to the downtown area and parked almost in front of the cathedral.  We spent much of the day walking around downtown visiting the mission, the “oldest house in America,” the capitol building and of course, the cathedral.  We played on the elephants in a statue park (that was a bit random - I don’t think we figured out what the park was a part of).  We looked at the jewelry and trinkets the venders were selling in the main square (but didn’t buy any).  

        

The Cathedral    

The oldest house in America?

The New Mexico State Capitol Building

Although hot, the temperature was not unbearable (like it is in Texas).  New Mexico has a lot less humidity than Central Texas.  And just like every other person in Santa Fe, we stood in line for over half an hour to buy a snow cone before we headed back to the hotel to cool off in the pool (which as it happened was closed).  Instead, we rested and then went for dinner at a place called Tortilla Flats.  I love a good literary allusion.  I have never actually read Tortilla Flats by John Steinbeck, but Greg has the book on his desk and has attempted to read it at least a couple of times (if that counts for anything).  

We ended the day at the restaurant seated outside eating enchiladas drowned in green chile and tortilla chips with spicy salsa.  All in all, it was a pleasant, relaxing day.  

I absolutely love enormous elephant statues!  

Greg says it was really hot up there... we came upon this sculpture park completely by accident.  

Wednesday, June 9th The Aliens are Attacking Abilene, TX to Roswell, NM then Roswell, NM to Santa Fe, NM

Today was such a long day.  We drove something like 8 hours from Abilene to Santa Fe with a short stop in Roswell for lunch and a visit to the UFO museum.  

So I have to admit that I was completely disappointed by the lack of an alien face on my burger at lunch.  I was totally expecting aliens everywhere - alien-themed restaurants and shops all over the place.  Alien-mania is not nearly as wide spread as I expected it to be.  In reality, there were 4 or 5 alien souvenir shops and a UFO museum along the main business street and that was about it.  

The UFO museum was alright - and very informative.  I think I was expecting lots of pictures and videos.  Not that they didn’t display those kinds of things, but they also had numerous newspaper articles and attempted to be as scientific as possible.  I seriously tried to suspend my disbelief, but I’m not exactly sure how successful I was.  I walked out with a very uneasy feeling about crop circles and maybe one or two doubts about the inexistence of “life out there.”

        

UFO Museum - The truth is out there!

Petting the aliens in front of the museum.

Anyways, we have arrived in Santa Fe and are planning on seeing the sites tomorrow.  I’m too tired and it’s too late to do anything tonight.