A day 'In the Mist'



Selling GS Cookies at the Pancake Breakfast

 Oakhurst is a small community at the southern entrance to Yosemite.  We spent the night at a lovely hotel and started our 'Yosemite' day out by going to a Pancake Breakfast that the Kiwanis club in Oakhurst holds 9 times a year as a fund raising effort.  As a bonus for me - the Girl Scouts were also there - selling their extra cookies and I did my best to help them out.  It has been years since I have had any girl scout cookies and I find it amazing that there are still so many that I use to sell myself - although I will admit that the prices have certainly changed (I remember that a box was $.35 when I was selling - not the $4 price that they are now...).  I got my Mints and Peanut Butter Sandwiches as well as a few others.  As an added good fortune - Karen isn't that interested in the cookies (except the peanut butter sandwiches) so looks like I will get my fill.  Karen found the idea of a Pancake Breakfast the most fascinating.  She truly enjoyed the atmosphere of sharing breakfast with locals and really enjoyed the experience.

After a very filling breakfast, we left for Yosemite.  Arriving at the park - we were told that all the normal winter closures were in effect but that the rest was open.  We wouldn't be able to go as far as the north entrance on Rte 120 as you need snow chains but could go out of the park through the centre entrance - so with that in mind - we were off.  The one thing that was unfortunate for us was the weather that day.  It was rainy and cloudy - so we were in mist most of the day.  I thought that it would put a damper on our visit - but found that even with low cloud cover the views were amazing.   The one memory we will take with us is the waterfalls that were happening all over with the snows melting in the spring thaw starting.  We will include some pictures just to give you an idea of the kind of day we experienced. 



The waterfalls were all over the park - some of them are there year round - others are brought about from the spring thaw - but either way - it was absolutely marvelous to see.  We also ran into some local park residents - who were out raking around for a meal.  This is but one of the pictures of mule deers who live in the park.  We found them all along the route - and frequently had to stop as they leisurely crossed the road.  They certainly aren't afraid of us...

On our way through the park - Karen and I decided to stop and take in the Bridalveil Falls - which is a short - but steep walk from the road.  On our way up to the falls - we realised that it probably wasn't our best decision as the walkway was covered in ice and trying to walk uphill on ice is not easy.  We ended up going off the walk way and trying to get up there 'cross country'.   This may sound like a good idea - but we found while it was hard but ok going up - coming back down was horrible.  We watched a gentleman run down the hill trying desperately to stay upright and realised we were never going to manage it.  So back to the cross country trekking - although it wasn't as easy as we lost site of the path (the path wasn't near as obvious as the falls were going up) and even got a bit lost.  We were stuck trying to get through the forest back to the car.  One would have thought my old girl scout training would have come in handy - obviously I forgot more than I realised.   The falls were breathtaking - but had we known how many more we were going to see as we drove through the park - perhaps we would have bypassed the opportunity.  Glad we didn't though... 

After our time in Yosemite - we were then left to decide what to do next.  The original hope was to find a route over the Sierra Nevada's so that we could return slowly to Vegas on the east side of the mountain range using the US 395 to go south.  We had booked the first two nights - but now were left to decide how best to return.  We travelled north from Yosemite - but found that we couldn't find any hotels/motels that looked appealing.  Finally Karen decided that she would use her best negotiating techniques and if we can't get a nice room - at least get a cheap room.  With that in mind - we ended up stopping at 3 or 4 places - with Karen checking out the rooms, trying to get the best price.  We finally decided on a small cabin - just north of Sonora on our way to Angel's Camp.  She did well as we got $40 off the normal price - which personally - I can't complain about. 

So on Monday morning - we start north -  hoping for a way across the mountain range.  We had been without any access to the Internet where we had stayed the evening before - so we stopped as soon as we got a signal and checked the Internet for road conditions.  Now - you may say - why didn't you do this sooner?  I agree it would have been a good idea - but we didn't.  Now that we do - we discover that there isn't a route across other than I 80 much further north - so rather than drive the extra miles/time - we decide to head back south the way we came.  Glad we did - as we got the call telling us that the motor home is ready and waiting for when we return.  We decide to make it a very long day and drive the full distance back to Vegas - which ended up to be around 530 miles.  We pulled into Vegas around 8:30 that night - checked into (where else but) Sam's Town - this time the hotel.  Tired - but glad that we would be back in the motor home tomorrow.

Spring is Sprung

Well as usual - we are behind on getting the blog up to date, so we will now fill you in on last weekend's touring of the national parks.  When last we left you - we had just arrived in Visalia after a very long drive.  So, after a night in a room that sounded like we were in the middle of the freeway; we woke up to find that the window had been left open.  Neither of us had slept much so it was up, grab a Danish and a coffee from the Continental Breakfast Buffet and get off on an early start so that we don't miss anything!
On the way to Visalia - we had underestimated...
1) how long of a trip it was going to be  
2) what our avg MPG would be on the rental Jeep  and
3) how hard it would be to find any gas - let alone reasonably priced gas. 

It was a shame but we had to give the scenic trip around Isabella Lake up to Visalia a miss because we were short on petrol and time so we decided that we weren't going to miss out on anything today.The trip to our next stop Oakhurst was about 2 hours by freeway but we had decided to go via the Sequoia National Park ... a round about route but far more beautiful.

When we first started we could see the white mountains in the distance but in the valley around the Fresno/Visalia area there were dozens of orange groves and vineyards and it was lovely and warm. The trees were the green you first see in spring , before they pick up any pollution ... bright green.

Lei and I had a conversation about pinching a bag of oranges... she said it wouldn't matter but I couldn't see myself doing it!!! Anyway we paid $3 in Walmart for a big bag.   I feel better for it - even though I would imagine that freshly picked oranges would be amazing.                               

The scenery in the valley was amazing.  The flowers are beautiful, orange and lemon grove trees fully laden with fruit and the water is beginning to flow down from the mountains, swelling the river so I decided to get out of the Jeep every 5 minutes and take yet another photo. This did cause a load of hassle so we developed a system... I would say, "Stop" and Lei would then slow down as much as she could, I would heave the window open and snap what I could. However, inevitably, by the time all that had occurred the vista was gone!  We then started another cunning plan... stopping at every turn in. I would fall out of the jeep, take my life in my hands on the narrow road and then Lei would haul me back in to lessen the effects of my weaker left side, which just was not fast enough to get back in.

 It was really weird going from the valley right up to the Sequoia Park; firstly the farms and then the wild flowers and then the scrub and shrubs and finally the Conifers and Sequoias. Meanwhile the scenery was getting more and more magnificent and the snow was getting deeper.However it was not getting colder. When we reached the south entrance visitor centre, we were told that there were roadworks halfway up to the top which would mean a long delay... actually the delay was long enough to have a power nap we discovered.  So, we got a rest going both to the top and back down and that was a bonus after our previous nights sleeplessness.

So, onwards and upwards snapping shot after shot and enjoying the vistas with mountains, gorges, streams trees but nothing could have prepared us for what we were about to see. I will leave you with a series of photos as we travelled from the Orange Groves to the top. 

Our destination



Spring blues



Spring River water

















Up the mountain...





Spot Ms Howell amongst the trees



Me and General Sherman









Finally we reached as far as we could go, still in awe of these mighty trees  to another visitors centre high up in the park. The biggest tree in the world is called the General Sherman tree and it is a resident of this park.  It is 2400 yrs old and weighs around 1300 tons. While not the tallest, widest or oldest tree in the world - it is the largest when you take into account volume of wood.  The oldest tree is about 3200 years - also a resident of this park - but we weren't able to get to it. When we reached the visitors centre at the top , the walls were pure snow! We watched a video about the bears there. I have included an excerpt for your entertainment.  

The rest of the day was just slowly going back down the mountain - and going on to our final destination for the day in Oakhurst, Ca.  Our next blog will cover Yosemite - and our day 'in the mist'.  

Would you take your friend's last Milk Dud???

Here we are - back in Vegas again.  Sometimes I think that all roads lead to Vegas - cause everytime I tried to get out of here - I am back again...This time - it is to see Liz off back to England.  Her 2 weeks here have come to a close - we made it back (limping almost; with no rear visibility for the motor home is missing both the rear view camera to a blown fuse and the passenger side mirror). We are staying again in Sam's Town.  This time - with a NASCAR race being held this weekend - the RV site is full - so we have had to settle for their other site - which is across Flamingo Blvd - slightly older and with less personality, but it is a site to rest our weary bones - so we take it. 

Monday night - Liz's last one here - we went to the Mirage - to see 'Love' with the Cirque de Soleil - fabulous show.  I thought that once you had seen one show like this (I had seen the Cirque de Soleil in London) - they were pretty much the same - but no - not the case.  I think since the music was all original Beatles songs - remastered and pumped through an amazing sound system that it simply made the night for me.  I could have closed my eyes and just listened to the music without the spectacular visuals - but glad that I didn't.  Putting both together was great.



Tuesday - we puttered around the site - did some laundry and then Liz and I took off for some ice cream from the Bellagio - before dropping her off at the airport. Karen has been  feeling ill, so we left her to rest..  With Liz's departure - Karen and I are now left to our own devices - except that before we can go anywhere we  need to fix the mirror and camera - so I contact a local Winnebago dealer - find out that they will have to order the mirror from the factory - so we won't be going anywhere for at least a week.  After much discussion - we decide that we can't possibly stay in Vegas for another week without going crazy - so we come up with a cunning plan.  We will rent a car for a week - drop the motor home off at the dealers - and go explore places we weren't able to explore the first time around like Yosemite and the Sequoia National Park.  We even manage to get a fairly good deal on an SUV for the week - so that is what we decide to do.  We need to organise a few things - but by Friday - we will be ready to go explore -



A Joshua Tree in the desert to the west of Las Vegas



Friday morning comes, we have packed and cleaned the motor home (don't want the mechanics to think badly of us for being messy so we even clean the mirrors!) and got ready to dropped it off at the dealership.  Karen follows me in the Jeep - and off we go - first to the RV service shop which is only a few hundred yards down the road.  How more convenient can they be - right?  WRONG - in order to get there you have to do a U turn or a 3 pt turn on a 3 lane busy highway.  I don't know about the rest of the world - but I know that the motor homes turning radius won't allow the U-turn to occur and I have never been very good at doing a 3 pt turn in a 34 foot motor home (usually works out to a 15 pt turn instead of the 3) so instead we took a 15 minute detour, found another casino parking lot to turn around in and then backtracked upon ourselves (with the rising cost of gas and 6 mpg with the home - that felt like another 2 or 3 gallons just to get there).  Driving out of Vegas - going west when your travel home is left behind is a very weird feeling.  I almost began missing it - although that said - there is no way that we could have taken it to the places that we wanted to see - so this is the best plan.  Much as I love driving it - motor homes and mountain passes don't go together well. 



For Friday night we have booked a hotel in Visalia (which actually turned out to be about 400+ miles from Vegas).  We didn't get on the road until after 12pm, decided to take the scenic route on the way out (not realising how far Visalia was) and definitely began regretting our decision to go that far the first night.  I bought a box of milk duds to tamper the hunger pangs I was experiencing.   Karen has never had a milk dud before and said she only wanted to taste them - so I gave her a dud to try.  She liked it well enough but allowed me to eat the majority of them - which I did over the course of the next hour or so.  Finally - I was down to the last of the milk duds when Karen asks for another one.  I look down and see that we have two left - so I hand her one and say - 'this is your last milk dud.'  Being the polite Brit - she says 'no - I can't take your last Milk Dud...'  I normally would have allowed her to sacrifice - but this time I decided to do the right thing and explain that no - this wasn't THE last milk dud - just HER last milk dud - as I had one last one for me as well.  I was kind of hoping that she would still stick by her British upbringing and offer me her last one - but I guess hunger changes a person's normal reactions -  cause she took it and ate it...who would have guessed!  More on our adventures in our next installment...





Its just a bunch of rocks....

Karen (the rock and tree hound of the two of us) has had a wonderful few days. After waking up in an amazing campsite that overlooked one of "The Mittens" and "The King on the Throne"; surrounded by fabulous rock formations.... (who wrote this)?  We started Friday morning in Monument Valley - on a guided tour of the Navajo Tribal Park - which is where John Ford shot a lot of those John Wayne westerns and as you drive around the area - they can point out to you all the backgrounds where scenes from such famous and diverse movies like 'Stage Coach' and 'Back to the Future III'  were shot.  It was quite the day.



Lei, Willie and Liz in Monument Valley Tribal Park

 We met our guide, Willie Blackwater, at the visitors center.  He is a native of the area, having grown up in the park - but now lives in town with his wife.  The park still has residents living within it - although they tend to be from the older generation.  There is no electricity nor running water in the park and that seems to keep the younger generations from wanting to live there.



Navajo - Hogan (both male and female type)

 Willie's people have lived in this area for centuries, but it wasn't until the 1920's when a sheep herder from Colorado names Harry Goulding with his wife Mike moved to this area to set up a trading post that the rocks were given names.  Harry was well liked and respected by the locals and was even given a Navajo name (although for the life of me - I couldn't pronounce or spell it for you...) and he spent time going around and seeing something in each Mesa or Butte which provoked a name in his mind.  Sometimes you have to really use your imagination - other times it is so obvious -

Willie took us around the path that is open to all to explore as well as some areas which were only accessible with a Guide.  He spent time conveying stories from his youth, talking about life in a 'hogan' - a dwelling traditionally used by the Navajo until the middle of this last century, as well as playing and singing for us some traditional instruments and traveling songs.  The picture above is of the two types of 'Hogan' - the larger round version is known as a female hogan - while the'teepee- like structure is a male hogan. It was interesting that he said modern homes were draughty unlike the cosy hogans. Traditionally within the Navajo culture - the male cannot gaze upon his mother-in-law's face so the only time he sees his wife is when his mother-in-law is away - made for some tense times according to Willie.

After spending the entire morning in a very small area, it was time again to hit the road.  We went south - so we could get back on track to set up for our next stop tomorrow - The Petrified Forest...(see what I mean about Karen the rock and tree hound - what could be better - she gets both of her most favourite things wrapped up in one...).  The remaining drive through the Navajo reservation was diverse and beautiful. 

We drove on through the day - the wind started to kick up a bit - but was generally a lovely day.  As you know, when things are going well, everyone is enjoying themselves, all is well with the world - that is the time you need to watch out.  I had just gotten on I 40 heading west - when I looked out my R/H mirror (when you're on a 2 lane highway, as I had been for the entire day, you don't tend to use your R/H mirror so I hadn't looked at it much that day) and saw that it was about to fall out of it's holder. (Remember our San Francisco adventure - when I 'bumped' another truck and lost the thing in the first place?) So I commented to Karen that I needed to pull over to see what I could do to try and save it.  Just like before - as if by magic - as soon as I said that I needed to pull over - the mirror fell off - this time crashing to the ground - well beyond saving, so now we are driving without any visual contact with the right side of the vehicle.  As long as I stay in the slow lane and don't pass anyone - I will be fine.  As they say in Murphy's law...or is it Sod's Law?   "What can go wrong will go wrong"....  Right about that time I looked at the monitor that  gives us a glimpse of the back  and ... it had gone off! So, only one mirror left but you have to get used to it. We decided that we'll get it done in Vegas. On Monday we are returning to Vegas to get Liz back to the airport - so we shall deal with it all then - I hope!

We made it to Holbrook, Az, where we put up for the night and Saturday morning - we were back on the road - heading for the Petrified Forest.  Prior to departing the campsite though - the wind again picked up only this time - it was really blowing.  Blowing so hard - that it actually picked up a camper off a truck and deposited on the ground.  I can't imagine why it wasn't tied down - but there you go. Meant to get a picture of the guys trying to manhandle it back onto the truck - made me appreciate the fact that I only have a mirror to repair. 

On our way into the National Park - we stopped at a lovely Museum/Store for rock lovers.  The amount of petrified wood was amazing.

 They had also imported some petrified wood from Indonesia - which was white - not the rainbow colouring of our native types.  After spending way too much time in the store - we came back out to the caravan - having to face into the wind to get to it.  Couldn't believe how strong it was. 

The Petrified Forest is actually located in the Painted Desert so the scenery was quite diverse.  You have the Petrified wood - lying all over the southern portion of the park - and once in the north - the scenery becomes more Painted Desert and remote.  I can't imagine people of old - coming across this area and what they thought that they had discovered. 

After the spending the afternoon in the National Park - it was time to hit the road again to try and beat a predicted snow storm coming in and get our campsite set for the night.  Much discussion, considerable debate and alot of checking on the Internet - and we finally decided to bypass Flagstaff campgrounds - and go further down into the Valley - towards Sedona.  Found a lovely campground - the managers were very helpful and we set up for the night - waiting on the impending 6 to 18".  As it turned out - we didn't get much more than rain - seems Flagstaff got alot more inches and when we started to pull out of the campsite - another camper stopped us - asked us our destination and told us that I 17 was closed going both North and South from the Cottonwood exit and I 40 was closed across most of state.  So we decided we would travel up to Sedona - check out the area (can't begin to describe how beautiful that area is...) and after we were done - try for Flagstaff and start back towards Vegas today - with the intention of making it back to Sin City by Monday so that we can take in the Cirque de Soleil show we have booked for Monday night. 

We were given a phone number for road status - and all morning it just kept saying that I 17 and I 40 were closed - yet we saw no snow on the road - so we decided to chance it - and by the time we got to the interstate - the traffic was flowing quickly.  So off we went - and glad we did.  While the road report said closed - we found no problem progressing.  The only thing we saw that suggested bad weather was a semi (HGV for our British readers) jackknifed on the other side of the freeway - with its trailer completely broken in half.  I just hope that the driver managed to walk away.  Well, as you know things come in 3s and true to form as Karen was driving she noticed a crack in the windscreen... all to do with glass ... some sort of sign or message eh? Maybe I need to change my glasses!

Now we are in Kingman Az, enjoying a bit of downtime - and knowing that we only have 120 miles to go tomorrow - can't ask for anything better than that.

Traveling the Southwest...Back in the Saddle again

Today - we traveled from Williams, Az - gateway to the Grand Canyon to Monument Valley in Utah.  Karen reminded me that I haven't updated the blog for a few days and if I wasn't careful - I would get a nasty email/comment from Logger about my tardiness.  So, when someone is right - you don't argue - just follow their advice and hence - another entry.

When I last updated you on our travels, we had spent the day touring the Valley of Fire and Lake Mead.  We rested on Saturday and Sunday - spent another marathon day touring the surrounding countryside around Vegas.  We first went to Mount Charleston, spent time in the upper altitudes and watched the citizens of Las Vegas while they sled in the snow.  We went up to the Ski resorts - although to be fair - most people don't come to Vegas for the skiing and there is a reason for that.  The resort seemed OK - but it would be more like the ski resorts of Michigan - not Vale or Tahoe. 

Then - back down the mountain and further north until we came to a small village called Beattie - which is the gateway to Death Valley.  We had starved Liz as our food options were fairly limited up till then, so we stopped in a small cafe prior to making the trek through Death Valley (didn't want to end up like the travelers of old in Wagon Trains trying to cross to the promised land.)  Then off for a tour of the Valley.  The variety of scenery that we experienced that day was amazing - and all within a couple hours drive of Vegas.

Monday - we stayed close to Vegas, went to the Venetian and decided to go ahead and book a show at the Mirage for when we return to Vegas next week.  That way - we will have something to look forward to.  All in all - a fun time in Sin City.

Tuesday morning we set out fairly early (although as Liz said - we haven't got a rush in us - so fairly early is really late to most others) for the Grand Canyon.  After Karen's trip earlier in the week - we thought that we would stay at the campsite up in Grand Canyon Village and use their shuttle buses for getting around the south rim.  I had mentioned to Karen that we ought to book - but neither of us took the initiative and so when it came time and we called - they were all filled up.  That meant that we would need to stay down in Williams and drive up to the Canyon in the morning.

We arrived in Williams in the late afternoon - and spent a fair amount of time going around to the different options of RV parks as Williams is far from flat and with the recent snow, we had to make sure that we were convenient to all of the necessary facilities and that the snow wouldn't hamper our progress.  Williams is a small community - the last town on the original Route 66 to be bypassed by the Interstate.  It makes its living off of tourism and does a good job of it.  After reviewing our options for the Canyon, we decided to leave the motor home in-situ on Wed and take the train up to the Canyon from Williams.  Made for a great day - starting with a very corny Wild West Show - (got talking to one of the 'cowboys' in the show and he was from Freeland, Mi - kind of takes the shine off the 'old west' myths), then the train departing for the canyon.  It is far from fast and takes 2 hours and a bit to cover the 65 miles.  We then hopped aboard our booked bus tour of the canyon and had the time to enjoy the most amazing sites.  Even managed to see a young Elk - crossing the road in front of our bus - not particularly bothered that there was a diesel bus filled with tourist taking pictures less than 10' away.  No matter how much you read about the Grand Canyon, or how many people tell you about it - your still not prepared for what you see and the grandeur of it all.

By the end of the day - we were worn out and ready to sleep on the train back to Williams.  Unfortunately - that wasn't to be - as the cowboys from the morning decided to rob the train - after the engineer kindly stopped the train for them to get on.  The kids were thrilled - their parents not so much since they were looking for tips - and those of us that were looking to get some sleep - had to accept that that was not to be.

Thursday - another day of travel - We got on the road around 10:30 - and planned on only driving about 200 miles - so I didn't think we would be pushing the daylight available.  But no - because no matter how short a drive we intend - we manage to use up all our time stopping for pictures, eating or shopping - there may even be a bit of time wasted pumping gas - which take my word for it - is usually a minimum of 30 min to complete.  We drove through some amazing country, finally ending up in Monument Valley, UT.  There we found a fantastic RV park with amazing scenery.  We are planning on taking a guided tour through the valley tomorrow - looking forward to that...We shall keep you posted...

It's a long,long road....

As Lei has asked me to write the blog on The Grand Canyon Tour, I can do nothing else but write it! She would have done it I am sure but as she didn't go would have just made it up. Basically, this is what happens....

You get up at 5 : 30 am and beg Lei to take you to Planet Hollywood in Vegas where the Tour begins. We had to be there at 6 : 30 am in order to get booked in and on the bus. Helen, Rob and myself were very grateful to Lei when she dropped us off just after 6 : 30am. We registered and picked up some doughnuts, got on the bus wondering how on earth we would survive the 5 hour journey to the Grand Canyon. Answer, we slept. Rob watched a film on Las Vegas and its history, followed by one on The Canyon... we were oblivious and slept well. The landscape is very much the same so I stopped thinking I was missing something and decided on a good kip!

That was the right thing to do as we had, had a late night seeing The Blue Men on Tuesday night. Lei and i thought it was very creative and enjoyable. It was at The Venetian Hotel... something to see if you ever get to Vegas as it has a ceiling that looks like real sky, so you are walking around as if you are really in Venice during the day. They have upmarket buskers who play opera and musicals. i sat for ages with an ice cream, listening to them. There are gondola rides around a canal... a bit too much for me in all ways! (Price and that it is a concrete canal!)

Anyway to continue, we met a couple from Castleford and the husband had worked at Kellingley Colliery with Bob and a friend of ours - John Evans-  its a small world!

I managed to find a great Camping Park for the motorhome - 2 nights in The Grand Canyon... so it will be good to see it with more time. In any case Rob, Helen and I went to two viewpoints.. and they were absolutely awe inspiring views and cannot be appreciated on photos as the views are panoramic and vast so I will leave you with a couple. The Grand Canyon is around 277 miles in length with The Colorado River running through the base. They do mule treks to bottom...which has a long term effect on the bottom I would imagine as they go 11 miles down and back!!!! Also there are river trips - white water rafting and camping from 3 days to 3 weeks. That sounded fun to Helen and Rob.

After a rest in the lodge we set off back and watched a film called 21... about a young  student who took Vegas for a lot of money. 5 hours back. Lei picked us up at 9 : 00pm and we went back to her famous spaghetti Bolognaise mmmmmmm....

The day had tired us all... especially Lei!! What had she been doing (obviously not watching 21 learning how to take Vegas for alot of money)?

Phase II over - Phase III begins...

It is Saturday - the 19th of Feb (Happy Birthday Felice).  Helen and Rob left yesterday for New Orleans and the final week of their amazing 3 months of travel.  I know this as the piles of Rob (and Helen to a much lesser degree) have disappeared.  I won't miss the piles - but will miss the kids.  They have been alot of fun - yesterday - we dropped them off at the airport - they caught a flight out to New Orleans where they will spend the weekend with Jessica and her boyfriend.  Helen and Jess have been friends for almost 15years - having met when they were both on holiday (vacation for the americans) in Hilton Head back in 96 or 97.  Long time to maintain a friendship via facebook and emails - but they manage.  After the weekend in Louisiana, they are back for the final 2 days in LA - They have booked a Lakers match as Helen has always loved basketball - so hopefully they will enjoy it. 

On Wednesday - Liz from Doncaster arrived.  Karen,  Helen and Rob went off to the Grand Canyon on a bus tour that day (More from Karen on that later - I will just include a picture to prove that the 3 were there) - I stayed back to pick up Liz at the airport - one would think - especially with Sat/Nav that I had an easy job.  Lounge about all day - play a little black jack and then drive 15 min to the airport (which I had already been by taxi to pick up the car) to pick up Liz.  But no - nothing is ever straight forward.  First of all - I was following the GPS - it was doing fine - going the way that the taxi driver had told me - until we got to Russell Road.  Then - it went haywire - kept 'RECALCULATING' which I hate - and had me going in all sorts of directions.  I finally turned it off figuring it was better to follow my instincts then to continue to 'recalculate'!  Got to some airport signs (Vegas with all it's lights and signage has the poorest excuse for airport signs that I have ever seen!!!) and finally thought that I had cracked it.  As I approach - I quickly realise that Vegas has 2 terminals (didn't know that) and no one mentioned in their emails which one they were coming into.  I eventually picked Terminal 1 (as I couldn't find Terminal 2 anyway - just a sign for it) and discovered it was the domestic flights - and Liz had already landed at Terminal 2.  So the kind information lady told me that my best option was to leave my car where it was and walk over to Terminal 2 - only a 5 to 10 min walk - and catch the shuttle back with Liz once she clears customs.  So that is what I did - although I will admit - for the length of time Customs and Immigration kept Liz - I could have gone into Vegas - taken in a show and still made it back to Terminal 2 in time to greet her.  Liz must have that 'look' about her or its just that it is an extremely small terminal and understaffed to handle a full plane. 

After I got Liz - I received a text from Helen asking that I pick them up at pm in a location different from where I originally dropped them off.  Now I don't know about you - but I think the most logical and SAFE option when in a strange city - is to always have your driver return to pick you up where they dropped you off - that way - you are at least guaranteeing that they have a good chance that they can find the spot again and thus - find you!  Another good thing to do is tell them a specific time...not just in the pm.  But sometimes Helen's mind works at a speed the rest of us mere mortals could only wish for...while her texting thumbs skip over the mundane details.  So I could only guess what pm meant (from previous texts and the tours information about the amount of time the trip would take).  So - complaining all the way - under protest if you will - I set off with Liz to find the 3 intrepid travelers - and while I didn't hit it spot on - we managed to find them and alls well that ends well.

Thursday was Helen and Rob's last full day in Vegas - so as usual - her schedule was full of all of the things she decided she was going to do.  We planned on meeting them for Lunch at the Olives restaurant terrace overlooking the Lake in front of the Bellagio.  Got a marvelous seat - right outside overlooking the fountains - and ready for a ringside view when the dancing waters started at 3.  The meal was lovely - too much food - but tasty.  Karen, Liz and I left the kids to continue their attempt to break the bank at the casinos - and returned to the campgrounds.  We always knew it would be an easy day to allow Liz to start to recover from the flight over - and the jet lag she was bound to feel.

Friday came - we shipped the kids off (last seen carrying their over packed backpacks into Terminal 1 of McCarron International Airport) - then the 3 of us took off to see some sites - Valley of Fire National Park, Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.  Took alot longer in the Valley of Fire National Park then we ever thought we would - the sights and feel of the place amazing...They have discovered 4000 year old rock carvings that are wonderful.  Karen (being the rock hound that she is) found the geological history of the valley fascinating - all in all a great day...Lake Mead was considerably down in the water level - but we think that has due with the time of year.  Still impressive - but as Helen would say - it is after all - just another lake...