Day 35 - California, here we come!

After recovering from our evening on the Vegas strip, we got back on the road for our last long journey - this time, to California! We had one more desert to cross, and managed to drive through during the hottest part of the day. That's what we get for sleeping in!

The drive going into San Diego was uneventful, which we were grateful for. Our house was not move-in ready yet so we had reservations at the local Marriott where we could set up shop for a few days and get adjusted. We got checked in and decided to head out for dinner at a nearby pizza place - an important litmus test for Kevin. I think the final score was a B on the pizza, but we were just grateful to have made it across the country without (much) incident. It was hard to believe we were finally here. It has been a long, long, long, long, long road!

Day 34 - Vegas, baby!

Thursday we were excited to have a good time - Vegas style! Due to serendipitous timing, our good friends, Kathleen and Charlie, just happened to be in town for a medical conference the same day. They were staying at the famous Bellagio Hotel, (memorialized forever by Brad Pitt and George Clooney in Oceans Eleven) so we decided to take advantage of their mammoth football-field sized pool during the day. It was great people watching until the clouds rolled in which signaled our opportunity to retreat back to our rooms to get ready for the evening.

Kevin did some research and found several recommendations for an Italian restaurant just off the strip called Capo's. On their website they have notably dubbed themselves, "The Original Las Vegas Mob Speakeasy." Apparently their original location was literally an old speakeasy during the prohibition, and the owners have strived over the years to keep the facade and decor true to its original design. The entrance is the first, most noticeable hint that this place isn't joking around. You literally have to ring a doorbell and then some guy who looks like he came straight out of the cast of The Sopranos opens a little door about the size of his giant head to ask what your business is there. When we mention that we have a reservation and he verifies our name, he sounds the buzzer which in turn unlocks the front door. Kat decided to give it a whirl herself. (See picture below). There is also a live singer who walks around the room serenades you in old rat pack tunes while you dine. Despite all the distraction, the food was actually amazing. Even Kevin, who considers himself an Italian food snob, gives it two thumbs up! We highly recommend you check it out next time you are in Vegas. It is a very unique and fun dining experience!

After dinner we decided to do our part to contribute to the local economy. We headed to the strip and checked out some of the new fancy hotels and casinos that have popped up since our last visit. We started out at the Wynn and quickly learned that none of us were going to be hitting the jackpot there. We decided to take it down a notch (or two) and hit some of the lesser known casinos on the strip including the once popular Flamingo, and the more culturally entertaining O'Sheas Casino. (Never heard of it? I can give you directions). It immediately won us over with the rock band in the middle of the casino floor, cheap drinks and the beer pong contest taking place by the flip cup tables - a sight not to be missed. We finished off the night there and headed back to our hotel at a very reasonable hour :)

You know what they say.....What happens in Vegas..........

Day 33 - Zion, Day 2

We woke up Wednesday eager to get some more time in the canyon before heading further West on our journey. We decided to get up early and hit at least one more trail. We settled on one of the more scenic routes, called the Riverside Trail that takes you to the area where the edges of the canyon meet at the mouth of the river called, the Narrows. The trail was pretty flat and easy, which means it was also crowded. Since you are walking along the canyon floor by the riverbed, it is also a much cooler walk. We made our way quickly to the end of the trail where some brave folks in waterproof waders continue on down the river.

After our hike, we packed up and started heading towards Las Vegas! It was my turn to drive, so we loaded up the A-train and started down the mountains. As we were driving through town though, we noticed some elk just hanging out by the road in someones backyard. We decided that was a good enough excuse to stop and take a picture, so we did! Those suckers are huge!

We got in some serious traffic (the worst of the trip) once we got closer to Vegas, so it took us longer than we expected to get to our hotel. By the time we checked in we were beat and decided to take it easy. We had big plans for the next night. :)

Day 32 - Zion Canyon, UT

We woke up Tuesday surrounded by giant red sandstone canyon walls that barely let in the light from the clear blue sky. (Picture above) Springdale, the town we stayed in, is nestled in a narrow opening along bottom of Zion Canyon next to the Virgin River. The small mountain village is trendy but quaint and looks something like a cross between Aspen, CO and Lawrence, Kansas. The main streets are crowded with upscale photography galleries and seedy souvenir shops, but the local charm wins you over. As for the canyons, they are strikingly beautiful. It is like a more beautiful, colorful canyon that you can actually drive down into. The landscape is much greener and the colors are more vibrant. There are a handful of distinct peaks that characterize Zion that make it more beautiful than its bigger sister, the Grand Canyon. The views were breathtaking.

We took a local bus to the area where the hiking trails begin and decided to start off with the scenic route on a trail called, Emerald Pools. Round trip we hiked about 4 miles and saw picturesque pools fed by waterfalls seeping through the sandstone face. It was easy, but really crowded with other hikers.

After a quick snack, we headed over to the local favorite hiking trail, Angel's Landing. The 5 mile round-trip hike is described as "Strenuous" and "not for those afraid of heights." The trails edge up to cliffs with 1500 foot drops and can be as narrow as 4 feet across at many places. In the picture above you can see Kevin holding on to one of the chains that have been installed for the climb up the rock. For the last half mile you have to use them to climb up the steep slope because of the treacherous terrain. It was very steep, but the view from the top was amazing. When you get to the top of the 6,000 foot peak, you can see across the canyon for several miles. It was absolutely gorgeous.

After the hike, we went into town for dinner at a local legend called the Bit and Spur. We were both exhausted and almost fell asleep on the table, but we made it back to the lodge for the night safe and sound.

Day 31 - That canyon is very.......grand!

After a day of rest, we packed up the car on Monday morning and drove north towards the Grand Canyon in the mighty A-Train (our affectionate nickname for the Audi). It was only 4 hours north of Phoenix, but it barely even looked like we were in the same state! As we got just outside the city limits, the mighty A-Train climbed up and down hills blanketed with large trees and cactus. We passed through Flagstaff where we discovered that the town was founded on logging, which is still the main industry there now. (Your nerdy fact for the day).

Approaching the Grand Canyon, you would never even know it was there. Driving onto the National Park property you think you are doing just that, entering a National Park littered with campsites and RV hookups. We briefly stopped at a Visitor's Center to buy a pass and had to maneuver through a maze of tour buses, Winnebago's and Harley's to even get through the parking lot. Everywhere you looked there were tourists with fanny packs and a thick row of trees - no sign of a canyon in sight.

After our lackluster entrance, we drove into the park and approached the first overlook by car. We parked and walked up to the "Rim" of the canyon - and I think the first words out of both of our mouths was, "Wow." All the cliches and descriptions you have ever heard are true - there really are no words to express how vast and beautiful it is. Pictures won't do it justice either. The sheer size and severity of the landscape is intimidating to even the most traveled visitor. It was a wonderfully clear day and we could see across the canyon which we are told is 10 miles across the bottom. Truly a gorgeous sight!

We drove down farther to an area where we could actually walk down a trail into the canyon a little way. There is a steep trail called the Bright Angel Trail that starts at the top and winds down 6 miles to get to the bottom of the canyon. It all sounded great in theory, but then you have to climb back up! Had we planned on hiking that day and dressed and packed for an excursion, this would have been a much better idea, but of course we had not. We started off down the trail, amazed at the views and the beauty of the canyon, only planning to walk down about a mile or so before heading back up. What we didn't notice were the people passing us on the way back up who WERE dressed and packed appropriately for a strenuous hike, yet still panting, sweating and generally sweltering in the heat. After about the 6th person stopped to ask us how much farther it was to the top because they were about to DIE, we started to get concerned. A nice park ranger stopped to talk to us and after noticing we only had half a bottle of water between the two of us left, she recommended we go back. Turns out, it was a VERY steep climb back up to the top - but we made it okay.

We drove by a few more overlooks on our way out of the park, said farewell to the Grand Canyon and then headed even farther north towards Zion National Park, Utah. It was a gorgeous drive through Lake Powell, the Painted Desert and Indian Reservations before we hit Zion Canyon right at dusk. It started to rain as the mighty A-Train navigated through steep drops, switch backs and sharp turns while the sun was setting. A beautiful drive, but a little scary. We made it to our lodge for the night and were pleased to find out that we had been upgraded to a suite, yet again, when they heard it was our anniversary. A nice surprise indeed!

Oh, and the best part were the swans made out of towels on the bed :)

Miles traveled: 475

Stops: Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Zion

Day 30 - 365 days ago....

Sunday was our one-year wedding anniversary! Its hard to believe it has already been a year since our big day. Time has really flown by!

We spent the day in Phoenix resting up and getting a little down time after two big days of driving. We were both beat and needed some R&R. We worked out and hit the pool for a little bit to cool off in the scorching heat. We were actually staying in Scottsdale, so Kevin decided to play a round of golf at the nearby Grayhawk Country Club and I found a spa close by and got a facial. For dinner we went to a local resort called The Phoenician. Their restaurant, J&G Steakhouse has a great view looking over the valley to the mountains and is a perfect setting for watching the sunset.

Day 29 - Texas to Phoenix, AZ

Saturday morning we said farewell to our ranch house in the mountains, waved to the horses and buffalo and set off west towards Phoenix. Here is a pic at the barn by the road that leads to the interstate.

Also on our way out of Fort Davis, we drove by a modest building claiming to be "Home to the Largest Live Rattlesnake Exhibit in the World." We are not sure that is something they should be bragging about. Needless to say, we didn't stop.

We took a little shortcut through the Davis Mountains, some of the most beautiful countryside either of us have ever seen. I have personally never been to that part of the state before (yes, its that big) and was amazed at the seemingly endless green rolling hills and big sky. The most beautiful part of our drive so far. We did encounter one animal on the side of the road that we are unsure about. Any thoughts?

As we crossed the border into New Mexico, I was reminded of what it was like when I moved to D.C. and everyone asked me what Texas was like.....did I ride to school on a horse? did I live in the desert? were there cacti in my yard? did I have a tumbleweed as a pet? These were serious questions from some pretty serious people. The answer of course was NO, I grew up in Dallas which looks like New York City compared to ANY of the cities and towns we encountered in New Mexico and most of Arizona. I have never seen so many cacti in my life. And these were the BIG tall ones, not the ones you see in Texas that resemble something similar to weeds. These guys grew up to 20-30 feet high and were thicker than a man. But we will get back to that later....

We stopped in Las Cruces, NM for lunch which is only home to around 4,000 souls, God Bless them. It was hot, desolate and sand was blowing in the wind. There wasn't much around except for New Mexico State University. We drove around the campus looking for a good local place, but came up empty and had to make do with McDonalds. Yuck. While we were filling up with gas I took this pic of the Audi with all of our stuff in the back. Packed to the gills!

From there it was on to Arizona. Our first stop was in Tucson, the site of the Pima Air and Space Museum. Kevin was looking forward to hitting the airplane graveyard on the nearby Air Force Base, but unfortunately it was closed for the weekend. We raced to the museum thinking that it was closing at 5:00pm and that we would be arriving at 4:00pm, but when we raced into the front door, the teeny-bopper selling the tickets let us know that it was actually 3:00pm. Arizona doesn't recognize Daylight Savings Time. Great.

The Air and Space Museum was very cool though featuring many retired aircraft including a B-29 SuperFortress, the Air Force One used by President Nixon, a Clipper plane and old NASA Space Shuttles. Of course, the helicopter display was a big hit as was the kids area where we could take lots of obnoxious pictures while drawing sneers from moms with kids waiting their turn.

We even found an old HMX helicopter!

After melting outside in the 100+ degree heat, we headed north out of town towards Phoenix. Just outside the city limit was a National Park completely dedicated to the famous aforementioned cactus, the Saguaro. We decided it was worth a look. We had to drive about 13 miles off the interstate to get to the park which was partially located on an Indian Reservation. It was a pretty amazing sight. The giant cactus dominated the skyline as far as the eye could see. They thick and taller than we had ever seen. It looked like a giant cactus forest. We tried to blend in.

They even had pink cactus!

After we got back to the interstate, we drove another 2 hours north to Phoenix. We were staying at my Aunt and Uncle's place in Scottsdale, just north of town. It is their winter home, so we had the place all to ourselves. It was about 7:00pm, but still over 100 degrees so we jumped into the pool to cool off. After a quick dinner, we passed out from heat and exhaustion!

Miles traveled: 700

Strangest sight: Pink Cactus

Stops: Fort Davis, Las Cruces, Tucson, Phoenix