A VERY GRAND CANYON

Well, finally the time has arrived to visit this Natural Wonder of the World, The Grand Canyon. When we were back in Australia planning this trip we basically just gave ourselves a brief outline of what we must see along our journey. We kept the plan very basic and have just followed our nose so to speak. For our USA part of the journey we have always said we must see New York, tick, Niagara Falls, another Natural Wonder of the World and another tick, and Grand Canyon. Over these past months we have seen so much incredible beauty it is with trepidation that we have been approaching the Grand Canyon. Will it live up to the hype that surrounds it?

Five million people from around the world visit this geologists’ dreams come true, and one of the few geological features of the world visible from space, every year. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide, though averages about 10 miles wide, and attains a depth of over a mile (6,000 feet or 1,800 meters). Recent studies have concluded that approximately 17 million years ago the Colorado river and its tributaries chose their pathways to begin carving through the nearly two billion years of geological layering that make up this part of the uplifted Colorado Plateau. For all these years this mighty river has channelled this spectacular landscape and will continue to do so forever more.

The canyon is contained within and managed by Grand Canyon National Park, The Hualapai Tribal Nation, the Havasupai Tribe and the Navajo Nation. Descendants of these Indian Peoples have inhabited the canyon since as far back as 500AD. They were largely left in peace until the mid 1500’s when the Spanish made some exploration in the area but quickly left them alone until the 1800’s when the West was invaded and new settlers arrived. Once ‘discovered’ the canyon has been a hive of activity ever since, including mining exploration. The first bill to create Grand Canyon National Park was introduced in 1882 by then-Senator Benjamin Harrison, which would have made Grand Canyon National Park the nation’s second, after Yellowstone National Park. Many times the bill was reintroduced to preserve this natural world for future generations but it was not successful until 1919 under the direction of President Theodore Roosevelt, and in 1979 UNESCO dedicated the park as a World Heritage Site.

This has saved the park from disasters such as mining and damming but it is a constant juggling act to save the park from the effects of projects going on outside its boundaries. This diverse eco system has taken some hits along the way and management are constantly working to minimize our impact. A seemingly successful project to date has been the long slow process of saving of the critically endangered Californian Condor. Air quality is another interesting factor facing the park, as is uranium mining outside the park, all things requiring much research and debate. Minimizing the impact of tourism is another issue on the agenda that park officials must handle on a day-to-day basis. All in all this is a Grand Challenge.

Over the years the Canyon has taken its revenge so to speak. About 600 deaths have occurred in the Grand Canyon since the 1870s. Some of these deaths occurred as the result of overly zealous photographic endeavours, some were the result of airplane collisions within the canyon, and some visitors have drowned in the Colorado River. Of the fatalities, 53 have resulted from falls; 65 deaths were attributable to environmental causes, including heat stroke, cardiac arrest, dehydration, and hypothermia; 7 were caught in flash floods; 79 were drowned in the Colorado River; 242 perished in airplane and helicopter crashes (128 of them in the 1956 disaster where two flights collided over the canyon); 25 died in freak errors and accidents, including lightning strikes and rock falls; and 23 were the victims of homicides. Our Park Ranger at the Black Canyon had warned us of the care required to visit this park. This is a harsh environment that must be respected, especially when the weather is hot.

Our visit begins as we approach from the East to take in our first view from Desert View Watchtower. The top of the tower is 7,522 feet (2,293 m) above sea level, the highest point on the South Rim. It offers one of the few full views of the bottom of the Canyon and the Colorado River. WOW, WOW, WOW. What a view to begin our experience. When we arrive our view is obstructed by low cloud, though spectacular to see its disappointing to think we will not get a clear view, but, as always our luck prevails and over the next hour that we spend here the cloud lifts before our eyes to unveil the whole splendid vista from this interesting tower.

It is jaw dropping amazing to look out over the magnitude of this creation. It takes time to soak in the sheer size of this wonder. The river below that looks like a slender ribbon at the base is actually at least 90ft wide and rushes along calm at times and churning rapids at others. That first view will be embedded on our memory forever as well as the feeling of the sheer size of what we are seeing.

Our day is a progression of vistas, each different from each other but still the same, absolutely amazing. Our favourites are decided, the first and the most eye opening, Desert View, closely followed by both Hopi and Pima outlooks. We are unable to walk down into the bottom of the canyon, as this is a two-day overnight experience and time does not permit (also snow is predicted tonight), so spend our day taking various trails along the rim. We are so glad we are here in winter when the tourist numbers are somewhat lower.

We spend time at the visitor’s centre taking in a wonderful movie, learning lots and particularly enjoy the footage of the Californian Condor, what an amazing bird this is. It is almost sunset when we take our last look into this abyss that is the Grand Canyon. It is aptly named, as it is the biggest and grandest of all the holes in the ground that we have visited. But is it our favourite? We all agree that even though it is spectacular and a must see in any ones lifetime that we have preferred other spots, and in direct comparison of vast drops down into this wonderful earth, we would put the Canyonlands and Black Canyon and Bighorn up the top of our list.

Is this unbelievable that we could not rank it Number 1? Don’t hold it against us! I think our preference has a lot to do with the fact that our favourites were experienced, for the most part, totally alone, when we could take in the grandeur in tranquil peace with time to reflect on the magnitude of that moment in time. Considering this we decide we would like to return to visit the North Rim, closed to us due to snow, and get a more lonely experience. We also have to come back to get to the canyon floor and we have decided the way to do this best is to take a ride down the amazing Colorado River, an adventure requiring a much higher temperature. More for the bucket list.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album ARIZONA.

CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK

A bright and early start is had again, to travel only a few miles into the North end of the contrasting Canyonlands National Park. With only about 25miles between them, Arches and Canyonlands in the Island in the Sky District, are so different to each other, it has to be seen to be believed. Our morning is punctuated by many WOW exclamations as we traverse this mesa of land with its white rim of sandstone below. One boggles at the land of deep canyons within canyons to the rivers 1000ft below. As we look deep into this landscape of changing hues we cannot help but be humbled by its splendor.

It has taken mother earth millions of years to create this masterpiece. After the lifting of the Colorado Plateau two major rivers, the Colorado and the Green, have carved their way through the unsuspecting rocks to create a masterpiece that one just has to see to believe. Described by author Edward Abbey, a frequent visitor and environmental advocate, as “the most weird, wonderful, magical place on earth – there is nothing else like it anywhere”. We read these words and wonder how it will compare to the Grand Canyon, as this area looks like how we imagine it.

As one stands and views the rim from the Grand View point there is evidence of the bygone days of Uranium mining, a pattern of tracks that even in 60 years nature has not managed to erase, stark evidence of the damage we can do. Remember every step we take has an impact. There is, however, one road in the park users are still allowed to take, the Shafer trail, a 4WD track that traverses 100miles around the lower rim. Not being in such a vehicle this visit, we decide this is another job for the bucket list, we shall return to adventure more, also allowing us to enter the less traveled district of the Maze, further south in the park.

We are not finished yet though, our day continuing on to the rim of Upheaval Dome. This extraordinary natural wonder has not been entirely deciphered, but thought to be a huge bowl of salt having pushed skyward. It has formed strange volcanic shaped domes, many petrified, pointy, light grey mounds. Have I confused you yet. Hard to describe but awesome to witness.

We continue on to see all sorts of wonderful shapes carved from this land. At this height above sea level the world is arid and harsh. We are in wonder at the wildlife that survives in such an extreme climate of freezing snow to blistering heat. One such tree of this rocky world, the Pinyon Pine, that has the audacity to thrive, makes a root system often as large as the tree is above the ground, spreading over the rock before it finds a niche to tunnel into to find it’s nutrients, often splitting rocks in two. Whilst we are standing on the edge of the world the wind is blasting through giving us the added bonus of listening to the Pinyon Pine, a song of nature that is haunting. The smaller Utah Juniper, sometimes the only companion to the pine adds its tune to the melody. What a wonderful world.

Behind any photo we have taken toward the East there is the added backdrop of La Sal Mountain. It beckons us to it, so after a quick visit into Moab, the very close gateway town to these parks, we head out on another scenic byway. This road takes us on about a 60mile circuit that starts by winding along the mighty Colorado River. Traversing this road at river level with huge buttes of rock each side is one of the loveliest drives we have experienced. The river is calm but fast moving and in parts rushes and babbles over the rocky base. It is a river of power that is to be respected, knowing how strong it is when the water is high. Just looking at the evidence its might and all it has created has provided us with a day of wonder. This area is easily as beautiful as the nearby national parks. Like with all our travels, what you can see just from your car is outstanding, you can’t beat a road trip.

The road snakes on into the La Sal mountains and the views are amazing. Snow is starting to build and the deer are found in the still clear areas nibbling away, knowing food will become scarcer soon. They stop briefly to watch us watch them, intrigued but not afraid. We are in envy of the few houses that we see in this highland world, their views are amongst the best you can imagine and the peace and tranquility divine. Our drive drops back down and into Moab where we are very glad to be heading to a hotel. Nice big beds and a shower to finish a spectacular day. Also an evening catching up on the washing, there are always some chores to do even on the road. Was that a winge, sorry, must be a little bit tired. Not a day goes by that we do not discuss how incredibly lucky we are to be witnessing such amazing natural beauty, no room for complaint.

The following day we set off to complete our time in the Canyonlands National Park by visiting the lower district of The Needles. This is a road that leads you to the white rim area, still looking down into canyons and gorges but also looking up to where we have been the day before, on the high mesa. There are once again all sorts of formations to delight us but one that is new to our view of huge rocks with the white rim capping looking like a world of overgrown, prehistoric mushrooms. We enjoy our picnic lunch in the car here as we are visited by some very determined ravens who jump on the car to get a closer look at us. Is this what it is like to live in a zoo? Georgia is loving this experience, or not! She just does not like up close and personal moments with birds, a constant source of amusement for Mikayla and I.

Our lunch break over we head back out of the park and have to say the drive out is almost better. At this level of the landscape we are surrounded by buttes of rock so splendid and so many. I can describe this area as natures junkyard as we pass by billions of massive rocks discarded by the sheer cliffs. They create a jumble of rocks of all sizes mounded up to form a sloping base to these towering edifices. Just fascinating and ruggedly beautiful. Our daylight hours are getting less and we have to turn towards the mountains, our time here at an end. Thank you Canyonlands, cannot understand why you have so few visitors each year in comparison to the bigger reputation parks, you are simply stunning and Mr Abbey had you down to a tee.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album NATIONAL PARKS OF UTAH.

ARID AND ORANGE, ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

The beauty of camping is a nice early start, most of the time, perfect for our 150 mile journey to our next destination, Arches National Park. This is once again a very unique geological wonder. It differs in its formation in that it was created essentially by salt. Around 300 million years ago a sea covered the area becoming cut off and eventually evaporating to leave a huge salt layer subsequently covered with different sand and minerals over the ages. The incredible weight eventually liquefied the salt that had to find a way to the surface and, having been pushed against a lifted rock fault pushed upward to fracture the essentially Entrada Sandstone surface. This along with the constant barrage of the wind, washing of water and cracking expansion of ice has created the parks unique density of arches, the most famous being Delicate Arch. The park is home to over 2000 arches, impossible to see all in a day.

Our visit to the information center sees us take in a film of the park and also chat with some very helpful Rangers who give us valuable information for further camping and also arm us with maps to take in Scenic Routes in this area and beyond into Colorado. From the visitors center we climb the zigzag road ascending approximately 1000ft upward into the park. It is a day of blue skies that accentuate the spectrum of reds and orange through to sand coloured structures that make this park so unique.

We see arches of all sizes, from a small double arch window to the dizzying heights of Delicate Arch or the football field expanse of Landscape Arch in the Devils Garden region. It is an ever changing world as the elements never stop eroding these structures, destroying some and beginning others, creating balancing acts of rocks atop a spire, huge buttes of orange splendor, cliffs of solid rock faces that can peal away to deliver boulders into the valley below, a field of petrified sand dunes to make your jaw drop. We walk ourselves ragged till sunset, thoroughly enjoying our visit, before heading off to the outskirts of our next destination to find ourselves a spot to camp. We have to be forever mindful of the local inhabitants of this arid scenery, the rattlesnake and the scorpion. Stepping from the car could be dangerous but so far so good. This area truly reminds us of Australia with its red billowing dust, so we keep our steps to a minimum.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album NATIONAL PARKS OF UTAH.

MOVING ON TO CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK

On the road again, we just can’t wait to be on the road again! The morning light treats us to spectacular scenery. We are traveling through some amazing high hills strewn at their base with the rock rubble shredded from the cliffs above. The cliffs are very white sandstone carved by the elements to create some amazing shapes and structures. Some parts are similar to the Badlands with mounds of grey silt looking rivulets streaming down the sides. These are actually petrified sand dunes. On the seemingly flat valley floor the ice capped river snakes its way across the landscape, its colour a lovely turquoise reflected by the white sediment washed down from above. In parts the naked deciduous trees, cottonwoods I believe, giving a ghostly atmosphere, surround the river. There are higher mountains with a tabletop plateau, their cliffs showing the changing colours in layers through the ages. Just spectacular and this is just while we are traveling along the road.

This drive leads us into the Grand Staircase Escalante area, also home to large ranches complete with their cattle and strong hardy looking horses. Although there are sunny blue skies the ice on the water belies the temperatures the stock around here would have to cope with. What more will this day divulge?

The landscape opens wide as we climb and descend a more gentle undulating area, with surprise gorges carved into the ground. We pass over a hill and around a bend and the landscape spreads a magnificent view before us of the Escalante River Basin. It is a huge area of limestone gulches and chasms that we are about to descend into and cross. It is surrounded with some of the mountains of the Henry Range and the Navajo mountains that help to feed this waterway that feeds to the mighty Colorado River. Every turn provides another vista of the most interesting limestone formations. As we take a deep descent we stop to view the gorgeous gorges, turning more red as we go deeper seeing the ribbon of the river snaking along the floor. This river provides a lifeline to all the wildlife that calls this arid landscape home, from mountain lions to otters and many species of birds.

How rugged this world was for the new pioneers to the area, a most inhospitable land that only the bravest must have explored. No snaking bitumen road winding an easy trail across this land back in those days.

We rise up to traverse along the very top of the ridge, a road with no safety rails, and a nasty end if you leave the road. We traverse Buffalo Mountain and as our altitude grows we start to see patches of snow and mighty Aspen and Ponderosa Pine trees dot the slopes. We come across what must be a Thanksgiving tradition for a group of about 8 cars that are choosing and chopping down their Christmas trees, not sure if this is legal or not.

Stopping for lunch atop the mountain is a reward of one of the most jaw dropping views of the plateau, the orange ridges with their tabletops and beyond the grey silted tabletop slopes. The plateau is doted with the odd body of water shinning a steel blue amongst the dark green Aspen. Words do not do this view justice, a body of land that was the last chartered in the USA late 1800’s. It is certainly a treat to see this world.

We finally reach our destination for this day and enter Capitol Reef National Park. This is another environment similar to what we’ve seen in Utah, yet unique to its immediate surrounds. It got its name as a Barrier Reef to the early settlers and became Capitol after a rock formation within the park was likened to the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. This park is known as a Waterpocket Fold or literally a wrinkle in the earth that stretches for over 100 miles, creating a long narrow park.

The formations are just incredible, in some places looking like coral sponges and others like Swiss cheese and all through with ever-changing colours. There is an ever-present “reef” of a yellow/grey colour that dominates throughout the rock formations, laid down many millions of years ago.

This reef caused much damage in the 1950’s and 1960’s when it was decided this could be rich in Uranium. This began a rush of mining throughout this National Monument, though damage was done it was lucky that there was not enough uranium to make a profit and mining was ceased. This is a spectacular park that has once again been kept very accessible with views of so many highlights that are just a short walk away from the road. We particularly enjoy a long drive through Cohab Canyon showing so much diversity and incredible beauty. Every corner you turn is just fantastic.

This is a park very rich in history, other than the infamous uranium. There are the Petroglyphs, for our Aussie friends – rock art, thought to date back to between 600 and 1300 AD and drawn by the Fremont Indians descendants of the Archaic Indians that have roamed this region for many thousands of years. More recently, in the 1800’s, the Mormons and the ranchers settled this land. Today there is still a flourishing orchard of over 3,000 trees preserved from these pioneering days along with an original homestead, Gifford House.

This park, like many others, has its very own flora and fauna. You can hike for miles should you choose out into the backcountry but for us today a few short hikes are enough. Our day is coming to a close, we head just outside the park to find a free camping spot for the night. We are very lucky to spot a road that takes us to the top of a gorge of sandstone, perfect. It is a chilly night so we expect those frosty windows again, but we are quite cozy under our sleeping bags and doona. This has been a day so jam packed with beauty and it doesn’t end with the setting sun but soon shines bright with the stars and half moon, our parking spot a spectacular sandstone backdrop to the magic of the night skies.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album NATIONAL PARKS OF UTAH.

ZION NATIONAL PARK AND A REST AT BRYCE CANYON

We head northeast out of Nevada and into Arizona, briefly, then into Utah, a semi arid landscape of rolling rugged hills. We are heading for Zion National Park, highly anticipated. The days are closing early and we have stopped at a gallery that we make more purchases at, not sure how these will pack, so are heading into the park as darkness descends. We head to the first come first serve South Campground to grab a spot and meet the very pleasant camp hosts who help us find one of the few sights left. It is perfectly flat and near to a very nicely kept toilet block, lucky. The sun sets over the mouth of a spectacular canyon of craggy mountains towering above us and the colours are amazing, one of the highlights of this park. We are full of anticipation for the next day.

Let me give you a background on Zion. We have spent a lot of time lately in the parks that showcase the mighty power of earth and all her forces. We have seen effects of the rupturing strength pushing the ancient layers skyward creating spectacular landscapes, some once the floor of huge oceans. We have experienced the power of glacial ice carving, cracking the earth apart. Now we are in a landscape that was essentially huge sand dunes deposited and then compressed into rock over the ages, through which a river system has carved a spectacular landscape.

In Zion one is at ground level with the mountain cliffs sheering upward, a vision of rocks, some smooth and rounded by the power of water and others craggy massive blocks that defy gravity. The Virgin River constantly flows through this landscape continuing to sculpt a wonderful world for all visitors to see, over 3 million a year, all craning their necks upward to experience this stupendous landscape.

This is an area largely developed by the Mormons who came west and populated and broke the land into viable fertile farms that provided a harsh but special life out west. The area surrounding the park is still ‘ranching’ land that we have loved driving through to get this far, with livestock roaming the huge expanse of acres. It is an area full of various gems and rocks of beauty which are displayed for sale at numerous outlets along our journey, rocks we would love to be able to return home with but alas this would be impossible.

We awake early but don’t rush to jump up, it is freezing. Eventually we walk down to the visitor’s center to start our explorations. The majority of this park runs off a road that snakes its way for 18 miles up the canyon. Because it is one way in and the same way out the park has devised a shuttle bus system to try to decongest the area. At this time of year the buses only run on the weekends, and it being Sunday we are obliged to take the shuttle. We spend the day jumping on and off and taking the small hikes to see the sights, along with many others.

It has all been gorgeous, but on reflection that evening we feel we have not done this park justice. There is a highly recommended 4/5 hour hike called Angels Landing, a switchback climb that takes you 1500 feet up the mountain at which point a challenging climb begins out to the top of a huge rocky buttress. We decide this is what we need to do and, after a good nights rest and securing our site for yet another night, we set off to greater heights.

We have spent our coldest night yet in Jetson, how do we know that, the ice on the inside of the car is a good guide. We are soon warming up though as the steep climb unfolds. We eventually reach the challenging part. It is time to get over the fact that it is a very long way down and grab onto a seemingly well attached substantial chain that is a small comfort as one edges their way over smooth sandstone sloping cliff edges traversing around the side of the cliff, eventually coming to a large flat area. This is the spot that decisions need to be made. Some say anyone who gets this far has done really well but from here one can see the real challenge. Angels Landing is actually a huge buttress across a narrow saddle that actually heads down from our present position and then ascends seemingly straight up for quite a climb. We take our time to decide along with many other hikers, taking advice from those on their way down on how tough it actually is. It seems it is more than doable, the general advice being just do it at your own pace. It is decided to head on to complete the challenge.

The chains once again aid the short distance downward and I decide if I can get back up this part I can probably do it all. Guess what, I could, so we continue. At first the edges seem very close and we move with trepidation but eventually it is all about the climb and not about the view, which comes later as a reward.

We eventually reach the top, about 3 hours from our starting point at the car. The view is amazing on the rocky outcrop, not the highest point in the canyon, but definitely one of the most scenic. We meet a very lovely local couple, he has been a wild beach bum Californian traveler in his early years and she is a woman apparently scared of heights, though you certainly wouldn’t guess that, who has completed her second climb to this point. They tell us about the pros and cons of other hikes in the park and yet more history of the area and are really interesting to talk to. We grab a bite to eat and take some amazing photos in glorious sunshine. After about an hour we decide it is time to take the challenge of the decent, something that is in the back of your mind all the way up, how the hell am I going to get down?

In 50 minutes we are back at the decision point, I have spent quite a lot of time on my backside feeling much more connected to earth this way. It has actually not been that bad and we are now the ones encouraging others to keep on going. The biggest trouble was the wind that sprung up just as we were starting our decent, a major danger as you can actually be blown off the mountain. Did I mention there is a sign reminding people to do this at their own risk, 6 having died trying. We have been so lucky again with the weather.

We return to the valley floor 5 hours from beginning and are pleased with our efforts and make our way to the general store just outside the park, ravenous. We have discovered their home made treats and their free to use microwave for campers like us, haha. We devour our hot treats back at our campsite as the sun sets again. We reluctantly endure our cold water washes to clean away the days dust before slipping into our comfortable PJ’s. Not going to be any trouble getting to sleep tonight, though we have rented a DVD, Cast Away, and enjoy watching Tom Hanks and Wilson battle the elements before we call it a night.

Not quite as cold, but still ice on the inside of the windscreen, when we wake to start a day moving on to yet another famous National Park, Bryce Canyon. It is with regret that we move on from Zion knowing now about some other lovely hikes we could have done. This is one of our favorite parks so far and think we should make another visit one day.

Sadly the cold I have started is taking it’s toll, picked up in Vegas somewhere, and energy levels are low. It is a beautiful 60 mile drive to Bryce, so close and yet we are in for a quite different landscape. There will be no long hikes today but we are very lucky in our destination. Bryce is a park that takes in the view from the rim of the Colorado Plateau, spectacular vistas laid before you over this dominantly orange world of hoodoos and windows and other wondrous sculptures. Once again this is a world carved by the elements of wind and water into the sandy stone that has been pushed skyward and is the Plateau. We are treated to easy walks to amazing views, just the trick for our failing energy levels. We are back in snow-covered landscape on the high plateau and it is pretty chilly, though sunny.

More motel time needed is the decision made and we leave the park and the touristy villages and find a very small, almost non-existent in fact, town that has a 3-story hotel with a vacancy sign, The Grand Staircase Inn in Cannonville. We book a very reasonable night and settle in and it is so good that we end up staying 3 nights and not even walking further than the front desk for all this time. Our last day is actually Thanksgiving and we are really thankful to have found this gem in the desert. The family run business is just fantastic. I think the thing that made it so good was the room having a very high vaulted ceiling and king size beds. This probably sounds really strange but it created so much space that we have obviously been missing in our subconscious. Thanks to the Grand Staircase Inn, we will recommend a stay to as many as possible.

The other bonus of downtime is that this blog sees us completely caught up to real time, WOW. We are very pleased with our efforts as we venture on, hopefully with renewed energy. We are sadly running very low on time now and still lots to see. This area is full of National Parks and we will try to see as many as possible with some that are a priority.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album NATIONAL PARKS OF UTAH.

LAS VEGAS MADNESS

As we have spoken to people along the way we have mentioned Las Vegas as one of our destinations and in general the comment has been “do not hold that against us”, haha. As our day of splendor in Death Valley ends we head out of the hills and before us lies a mass of light, out in the middle of nowhere, that sparkles and twinkles on the horizon. As we sink into its midst we are amazed at the brightness and grandeur of this unique city. We settle into our hotel that is very cheap, just off ‘the strip’, and crash, excited about what is to come over the next few days. Vegas is known as a pit of gambling and sin, bright lights and recreations of world icons, a must see that many will tell you to avoid.

Our first day we decide to go out to Hoover Dam. This is quite a feat of human excellence. It was built between 1931 and 1936 giving employment to 21,000 people during the Great Depression. Sadly it cost the lives of 100 men during this time. It is built in the Black Canyon on the Colorado River on the border, literally, of Arizona and Nevada. During our visit we lost an hour crossing the dam wall into Arizona and gained it back on our return to Nevada. The surrounding ground is made up of rock of volcanic origin making it hard and very durable. The structure of the dam is like a whole lot of concrete Lego blocks varying in size that are reinforced and joined together and grouted to give its smooth appearance. It is said that there is enough concrete within the structure to pave a road from San Francisco to New York, now that’s a lot of concrete.

In creating this dam and the hydroelectric power plant, still one of the largest in the country but once the largest in the world, a massive body of water was created, now known as the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. It provides over 9 million visitors a year with all sorts of water based sports and activities. All in all this is a tourist destination of National pride, being the largest dam of it’s time and still considered to be one of Americas’ Seven Civil Engineering Wonders. Needless to say we enjoyed our visit and also very much enjoyed just heading back to a motel to refresh before we made our first visit to ‘the strip’.

Bright lights and crazy images of grandeur and also some crazy people. This has to be the most interesting city we have been to, not in an architectural way or a learned way but in an out there kind of way. There are many shows you can go to from show girls to Cirque du Soleil to Santana and Rod Stewart, love him but saw him back in Perth only a couple of years ago, and many, many more but we have decided to save our pennies and just take in the show that is Las Vegas. The streets are lined with buskers of varying talents, singers, artists, show girls and musicians, some fantastic and others just bazaar. There are the homeless people down on their luck just begging, but not too many. There are some people just dressed up as movie characters or stars that have their photos taken. Then there are others that seem rather sad as they are dressed to attract attention baring all, their costumes grubby and lurid and their demeanor affected by substances. These people we feel sad for, is this what life intended for them, though they seem happy enough?

There are hundreds of hawkers selling tickets, women and bars. The general atmosphere is party town and the lights and grandeur of the many casinos show a world of fun and excitement. It is a town of stretch limousine’s, never seen so many in one street before. There seems to be loads of tourists just taking it all in like us. Lots of families out and about clutching many bags from the M&M store and other themed outlets, girls in higher than high heals that are more often than not in their hands. Young and old mix together to create a fantastic world for people watching.

We venture into quite a few of the casinos and hotels to just take a look at this colourful world and are amazed that Mikayla is allowed to walk through, at 16. The casinos are huge and all have quite a large clientele. We think about the one casino we have in Perth in comparison to the hundreds here and boggle at the thought of how many people are in this city of lights in the middle of the desert. How do they all make enough to survive?

Hotels range from the average to the spectacular, from a New York City skyline, Paris and the Eiffel Tower to the land of Fantasia to Hooters and Super 8, but there are some special spots you just have to see, one of them being the Bellagio. First we head inside to soak up the gorgeous richly decorated spacious interior, probably just a little more expensive than the motel we stay in just around the corner. This is a fantasy world decorated for fall with talking trees, a waterwheel, unicorns, pumpkins and flowers galore, just gorgeous. But all that spectacular extravagance is nothing compared to the water show that is played to music every half an hour at the front entrance. WOW. This is the best show we have seen anywhere, thousands of gallons of water pumped by the second into the air in time to all sorts of music from Singing in the Rain to Top 40 hits. Our first show is to a song that talks of footprints on the world, what could be more apt for us. We are amazed and liken it to fireworks but agree it is perhaps even better. We take in three full shows over our time on the first night before we decide our feet and minds have had enough for one day and crash back into our beds.

We decide we would like to stay yet another night and pop out to get in supplies for lunch, taking our time to just enjoy our own little space and then we head into the movies, this day being the first release of Mockingjay Part One, third movie in The Hunger Games series. Being huge movie fans we are excited to see this follow on and love it. We have timed our visit to end in darkness so we can begin our next night on the strip, heading for the other end of the strip to explore new territory. We stop in at the famous shopping complex, Fashion Show, and spend some time trying on clothes, each finding something nice at a bargain price to add to the ever stretching suitcase, in Macy’s.

We then set off back into the bright lights and head for the other absolute must see hotel of The Venetian and its gondolas. Outside there is yet another spectacular show to see, this time fire. Out of this world burning red hot orange plumes of fire and sparks dance into the night skies every half-hour, amazing. Fatigue is starting to set in again but we must have another couple of Bellagio water shows before we call it a night, our last night here having had our fill of the wondrous, many faced city that is Las Vegas.

It’s not all fantastic but it is unique. Some will visit over and over and some will just see it once because you just have to see it to believe it. Some will lose a fortune and decline to the streets, sadly, and others will just take in the sights and shows and wonder who on earth came up with the idea of this entertainment mecca. You can do it on a budget or go all out. It is a place for everyone yet is probably one of the most transient places in the country. Our time has been fantastic fun but we are now ready to head back to nature where the only lights are the stars in the sky and the spectacular sunset/sunrise vistas provided in this amazing neck of the woods, oh I forgot, we have left the trees behind, its all rocks now.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album LAS VEGAS AND HOOVER DAM – NEVADA.