Las Vegas, NV, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon AZ, 280 Miles 2013

Leave Las Vegas, Stop off at Hoover Dam, arrive at the Grand Canyon.
After you get out of Las Vegas the roads to the Grand Canyon are not that interesting except for passing over Hoover Dam. We stopped once to take the tour of the dam. I would not do this again, they get your money, give you a hard hat, and then put you in a room to wait. To go into the dam you are put in an elevator and dropped down a long long ways, then you walk around in some wet tunnels, at one point you get to see the turbine room, the you wait again to get out. I liked the terrazzo floors, but you can see some of those in the towers on the dam without going for the tour. Parking and walking a bit of the dam is good fun.

There are some nice artistic touches at Hoover Dam, like these art deco angels.

Lots of power lines to take the electricity west.

Terrazzo floor based on Mimbres Pottery Indian design.

This storm cloud passed fast.

When you traveling from Kingman AZ to Williams on INT 40 you are also traveling the path of historic RT 66. If you get off the highway you will probably see references to this.

Bryce, Zion, Vegas: 275 Miles

Leave Bryce, stop at Zion, arive in Vegas
Bryce Canyon and Zion are like sister parks, just 50 miles apart. At Bryce you park in the woods and walkover the canyon, at Zion you drive right into the canyon. Unlike any park you have been to on this trip the park facilities at Zion National Park are all based in the valley where you look up at dramatic peaks. Being an intimate canyon the park can have problems with traffic and at times they restrict car travel into the full park. After visiting Zion we hopped on the Interstate and landed in Las Vegas for the night.



A long tunnel cut right through the rock gets you inside the canyon.

A walkway runs along the river's edge with lovely ferns and other plants that enjoy this pocket of damp.

Leaving the park, Zion to Las Vegas 170 Miles.

After driving through the hills you come out into the desert and there is Vegas.

The pool area at the Mirage is very cool.

On our family trip west in 1969 we had dinner at Caesars Palace, on Cleopatra's Barge, foating in a cannal, while playing keno. That was living in 1969. I have always had a soft spot for Caesear's but I have not stayed there.

I have stayed at both Treasure Island and Mirage, I like that they are at a fun area of the strip and easy to get to and park.

Brycye Canyon National Park

Spend the day exploring Bryce Canyon

Driving up to Bryce is similar to the approach to the Grand Canyon, for the most part it dose not look like much until you get there. There are a few red rocks poking out, but mostly it just nice pine forest till you get to the edge and then BOOM!  Bryce is a very intimate and approachable canyon, you can walk down to the bottom, wander around there, and pop back up at another point.

At this point the canyon is off in the distance.

Typical woods and meadow on the way from Tropic, UT

A tree perched on the edge of the canyon.

The trail that runs along the edge of the canyon.

Over view from the edge with trails below.

We did the 2-3 hour horse ride. It was the perfect size ride for me.

After the horse ride we hiked back down into the canyon. Many of the hiking trails are narrower than the horse trails.

Back up out of the canyon, the accomodations at the park are discrete and tasteful, if you can stay there being handy to the canyon is great but I did not see it as critical.

I placed a red arrow to point out the person standing on the edge. Clicking on any photo will enlarge it.

One last shot of Bryce.