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| Rocks of Sedona |
Today we have a long day ahead of us driving almost 6 hours from Phoenix to Page where we plan to visit the Antelope Canyon where we made a reservation in advance. On the way we decide to stop for an hour or so to drive part of the Schnebly Road towards a view of Sedone and the famous red rocks surrounding it. The road is quiet as we pass an old dam and a lake before arriving at the vista.
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| On the Schnebly Road | The old Foxboro Lake Dam |
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| Lake close by | The ubiquitous Pink Jeep |
The views from the vista are great and we can see far in the distance but unfortunately a passing Pink Jeep throws a pebble at our car and creates a chip that will stress us the whole trip as it extends slowly while we drive.
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| Arriving at Schnebly Hill Vista | First view of Sedona Rocks |
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| So high up | Sedona is down there |
After returning to the main interstate we drive towards Page when bad luck strikes again - the road is closed and we have to go on a lengthly detour. Even so we arrive in Page with 5 minutes to spare and soon are on our way to the canyon in a truck that looks that it is gonna fall apart. It doesn't and we arrive safely to the canyon entrance after driving through a wash for some time and then the guide takes us inside.
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| Antelope Canyon entrance | Parking lot and guide car |
Antelope Canyon lies on Navajo land and can be visited only with a Native guide. Otherwise it is relatively late in the afternoon and we are the only visitors which makes our visit special. It is a very nice slot canyon - not that different from other ones that we have seen but for certain the most well known.
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| Impressive slot canyon | It is getting dark in here |
Looking up from inside you barely can make out where the canyon ends - it is very deep and steep and in fact multiple people died here during a flash flood when they didn't exit in time.
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| Looking up we cannot see the sky | Sand falling |
As we continue every new turn brings another great view with the walls closing in almost claustrophobically at times.
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| There is still sun outside | Close up of wall |
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| Very narrow passage | Opening up |
And then suddenly we are on the other side where if you would look at the photo you wouldn't even guess that such a narrow canyon is right behind us.
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| The other side | Here is where we are coming from |
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| Moon above the wall | Moon through the canyon |
On the return trip it is even darker which makes it quite otherworldly as we walk back through the narrow canyon.
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| Returning - still beautiful | Looking up - dangerous looking |
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| Outside there is light | But inside it is really dark |
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| Otherworldly | Intricate skylight |
It is quite surprising also how the same area can look quite different as the sun shifts and it looks darker - we are taking a photo in the same spot and it looks a completely different area.
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| Light from the skylight | Everything is very narrow |
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| How safe is this?! | Eerie |
And then abruptly we are outside and back at the truck and after the drive back to Page we are back at our own car. We are tired and hungry so we decide to eat at a nearby restaurant that was recommended by the guide. It is Italian and good enough for tired people.
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| Chicken marsala | Pasta fettuccine |
And then we drive to the nearby hotel where we soon fall asleep as tomorrow we have another long drive and interesting places to see.
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| Our hotel | Hotel room |
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| Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam |
Today we are driving towards Bryce Canyon with a few stops on the way. In fact the first stop is still in Page right below the Glen Canyon Dam where the Grand Canyon starts. It is breathtaking - the canyon is deep even here however the Colorado river can be easily seen which is not true from most points in Grand Canyon National Park.
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| Going down to the river | Striations in the rock |
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| Start of the Grand Canyon | The Glen Canyon Dam |
Next we stop near the Dam and walk on the bridge near the dam for a few pictures of the lake and canyon opposite to each other when compared to the bridge. The water level difference is surprising and we are reminded of the many movies where dams burst - this would be a disaster for certain.
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| Bridge from a distance | On the bridge |
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| Canyon on one side | Lake on the other |
We stop at the visitor center afterwards which explains to us why this will not happen and has some additional views of the dam and the lake and a short exhibit which is informative for us at least.
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| Visitor center | Dam from visitor center |
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| Glad they are not real | Inside the museum - replica of Powell Boat |
Next we drive out of Page and across the state border into Utah and stop for a short visit at the BLM Big Water Visitor Center. It has a few nice exhibits about fossils found in the area - the whole area is a hotbed for various fossils.
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| Big Water Visitor Center | Another dinosaur - still not real |
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| This is how you dig for bones | Replica of lots of dinosaur bones |
After this it is a short drive to the Toadstools trailhead where we have planned a short hike to the toadstools into the Grand Staircase Escalante NM.
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| Toadstools in Grand Staircase Escalante NM |
The trail itself is quite interesting passing through the red rock landscape past a now abandoned swallow colony (too early in the season) and carefully avoiding the cryptobiotic soil which is everywhere.
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| Trailhead for the toadstools | Canyon walls |
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| Trail looks easy enough..it isn't | Cryptobiotic crust |
Soon we arrive at the highlight of the trail a semicaldera with many different toadstools and interesting formations. They are quite interesting and we explore a few which are quite high when you get close to them. After this we return to the trailhead and drive towards Bryce our last goal for the day.
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| Otherworldy view | One of the toadstools |
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| The most famous one | And a weirder one |
Bryce Canyon is quite high compared to where we started and it is cold and there is even some snow as we do a short trail on the rim for our first view of Bryce Canyon during this trip.
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| Entering Bryce Canyon | Old signs in the park |
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| There is still some snow out there | Bryce Canyon View |
We walk along the Rim for a while and there are some great views in the late afternoon sun. No matter how many times we have been here it is still a very impressive view.
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| Thor Hammer | Bryce amphitheater |
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| Lonely tree | And a bush at the edge |
We take the car to a few more viewpoints and all of them are very impressive and the views are outstanding and usually quite different from viewpoint to viewpoint.
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| Red rocks of Bryce | Close up of rocks |
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| Formations at sunset | You can see far in the distance |
There is even a natural bridge farther up the road - you cannot walk on it but it is interesting to see it even from a distance.
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| Another viewpoint | Bryce - Natural Bridge |
There are also many animals from turkeys and birds to deers which are seemingly everywhere and we have to be quite careful especially during the sunset hours.
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| Turkey by the side of the road | Add caption |
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| Deer at night | Close up of deer |
As the darkness falls we drive to our hotel which is close by and good enough for a one night sleep as we pass through the area. And that we do soon as we are tired after the long day and tomorrow we are have a long hike and then a long drive ahead of us.
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| Our accomodation | Quite spacious |
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| Thor Hammer and Bryce View |
This morning after a short breakfast at the hotel we have planned to visit the Bryce Canyon on foot specifically to go down into the caldera using the Navajo Trail and then exit using the Queens Garden Trail. From the beginning the views are impressive and we stop repeatedly to take pictures.
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| Starting down - first view | The path down |
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| Very impressive | Thor Hammer far below |
We continue downwards on and on and soon we pass next to one of the most well known formations in the Bryce - the Thor Hammer - which looks like a .... hammer.
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| Long way down - still | But getting close to the hammer |
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| Stone wall on the way | Finally at the same level |
We continue then through the Wall Street section which is similar to a slot canyon and where the trail goes down serpentlike from one end of the canyon to the other. Here the views are more restrained but still there are interesting nooks to explore especially in the side canyons.
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| Way down through a canyon | Do we really have to climb all that back? |
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| Natural bridge | Down in the amphitheater |
At the bottom we stop to eat and meet the most courageous chipmunk that we have seen on this trip - he basically almost jumps on us while searching for food.
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| Chipmunk close to us | Even closer |
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| Found something to eat | Too close |
There are other surprises on the way like a garden of stones stacked on top of each other by passerbys - not sure exactly why but interesting.
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| What are those? | Very weird and unexpected |
The trail now follows the bottom of the caldera and is easy going with some trees even. There are few named formations here that we are aware off except Queen Victoria - which actually looks similar if you look from the right angle.
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| Trail follows the bottom for a while | Seeing the formations from below |
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| There are even trees here | Queen Victoria formation |
From here we start the climb back up - it is slow going both because it is tiring and because of the views, we are stopping quite frequently to enjoy the changing formations that we see. The trail passes even through a tunnel which is a magnet for tourists taking photos.
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| Such a weird formation | Very impressive |
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| Where is the trail? | Going through the tunnel |
The views change as we climb with less formations but still beautiful views of red and white soil combining for great effect.
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| Looks quite different here |
We enjoy the change in scenery for some time but as we get close to the rim the formations reappear with a vengeance, it is very exciting how fast the scenery can change from one bend to the other.
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| Nice colors but no formations | Climbing back up |
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| View from return trail | Last view of the valley |
At the top before leaving Bryce we eat a small lunch under the watchful eye of the a stellar jay before leaving towards Zion National Park.
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| Stellar Jay watching our lunch | Relaxing nearby |
However first we have to get there as the road is quite sinuous and therefore slow going. But the views are worth it especially as we approach Zion National Park and on the way we even see a few buffalo in a park near the road.
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| Interesting road tunnel | Buffalo near the road |
You cannot enter Zion Canyon anymore using a private car you have to park in an outside parking lot from which buses take you inside the canyon. During the bus ride we enjoy the views of the river and canyon before descending at the Weeping Rock Trailhead.
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| Zion National Park rock wall | People are climbing them |
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| There is a trail at the top | Zion River |
The trail is short and it goes to a curtain of water falling over a wall (a mini waterfall) that waters a nice moss garden and quite a few wildflowers. It is a quiet and nice place with no one around at least while we were there.
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| Trail to Weeping Rock | Stream coming from the rock |
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| Weeping Rock | Close up of Weeping Rock |
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| Lots of moss | And a few flowers |
Returning to the bus station we take the next bus to the end of the line where the trail into the Zion Narrows starts. We don't have time to do the whole trail but we intend to walk at least part of it. However first we have to avoid the deer that eat right next to the trail - we go slowly and somehow they move a bit farther but they don't look at all scared.
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| Bus that brought us here | Watching the entrance to the trail |
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| So attentive | Now is our chance |
The deer are not even the only wildlife with turkeys also present and also quite used to people.
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| Turkey in a tree | And one on the ground |
We walk for half an hour into the canyon for some great views - the canyon here is getting narrower and at the end of the trail the only way to proceed is to walk through the water into the canyon which we don't plan to do this time. In fact we soon return back toward the bus stop to ensure we do not lose the last one for the day. We take the bus back to the car after which after a long ride we arrive in Las Vegas where we plan to spend two nights exploring the city.
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| Trail into the narrows | It is quite impressive |
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| You can walk in the river into the narrows | Interesting color mix up |
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| Excalibur Fairytale Castle in Vegas |
Our hotel in Vegas is Excalibur which looks quite special from the outside even though the hotel part is very common looking. But it is still funny to live for a couple days in a palace type building.
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| Of course there is a casino inside | This is the real hotel |
Today our plan is to explore as much as we can of the Las Vegas strip and we start with the Luxor Hotel which is right next to Excalibur. The hotel is quite interestingly built also in the interior with the rooms taking full advantage of the pyramid like built.
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| Luxor Casino | Inside the pyramid |
We even decide to eat some breakfast in the pyramid - nothing really special but still it is good to be energized before a long day of walking.
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| Something to eat | From a small shop |
Next in the string of casino's is the New York-New York Hotel and Casino which besides being built to look like the skyline of Manhattan it also has a rollercoaster going around it - not sure the reason but all day we hear the yells from the rollercoaster from our room in Excalibur.
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| Las Vegas strip from hotel | New York casino nearby |
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| What is that around the casino? | A rollercoaster...really? |
The interior of the casinos is also lavishly decorated with gardens, statues and other embellishments almost everywhere.
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| Inside the casino | Small garden |
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| Art wall | Elegant chandelier |
Next we take a short free monorail ride from Monte Carlo to Bellagio - it gives us a bird eye view of the area and also keep us out of the sun at least for a short time period.
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| Taking a short ride | View from train |
We continue the exploration inside Bellagio enjoying the huge chocolate fountain and the Chihuly flowers in the lobby before arriving at the Conservatory.
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| Bellagio Chocolate Fountain | Chihuly flowers on the ceiling |
The Conservatory which is free to enter is basically a small interior botanical garden, very well landscaped with changing motives, which even has a small butterfly garden. It is quite impressive and a major attraction with lots of tourists at all times of the day.
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| Bellagio Conservatory | Flower sculpture |
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| Nicely landscaped | There is also a butterfly garden |
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| Soooo many flowers | Very beautiful |
We continue through the different casinos passing Bellagio with the well known musical water fountain (that is started only at certain hours in the evening) in front of it and then Paris Las Vegas with a French theme including a small Eiffel tower and a balloon reproduction as well as an indoor reproduction of a Parisian street with restaurant and bakeries.
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| Las Vegas Sphinx | Huge Coca Cola bottle |
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| Bellagio hotel | Caesar Palace from a distance |
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| Eiffel tower - the small one | Montpellier baloon |
Next is the Flamingo Hotel with its outdoor garden with small ponds with birds including the flamingoes for which the hotel is named, ducks and lots of fish.
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| Waterfall.... | ....near the flamingoes |
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| Black swan | There are even some fish in the lake |
Our turnaround point is Caesars Palace which is quite interesting also with lots of reproduction of statues from Rome and that epoch. After that we walk back to the hotel and relax for some time as the heat has gotten to us and wait for the evening to go out again to see the shows.
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| Caesar Palace statues | Glass atrium |
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| Should we buy something? | Hotel rooms |
But before leaving for the evening we go to the Luxor for dinner at a Chinese restaurant which is quite good. Filled we start our walk back up the strip the same way we went during the morning.
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| Chinese food | Cocktail |
The city looks different at night compared to the day with more sellers along the walkways and a lot more people it seems. The illuminated buildings are also quite mesmerizing as we pass our hotel and then the other casinos and landmarks along the strip.
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| Excalibur at night - impressive | New York Casino |
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| Hard Rock Cafe | Coke bottle at night |
One of the more interesting new places we observe is the Sigfried and Roy statue (with a lion) erected before Roy was actually mauled by a lion while we continue walking towards the Bellagio where we hope to see the show.
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| Siegfried and Roy statue | Near Caesar Palace |
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| Everything is beautifully lighted | Paris in Las Vegas |
And we are lucky as we catch the show just as it is beginning, it is quite fun and very popular as are all the free shows in Vegas. We learn this the hard way as it is quite difficult to get close to the volcano that is erupting regularly in front of the Mirage casino.
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| Bellagio water fountain | We can never get enough of this |
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| The music is also quite good | And now a volcano |
But nothing really prepares us for the multitude of people in front of the pirate show ner the Treasure Island casino. Even getting a glimpse of the show is difficult and it seems very popular which makes it surprising when we find out that they cancelled it just a few months after our Las Vegas visit.
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| Pirate show | Not sure they dressed like this |
Last casino of the evening before returning back to our hotel is the Venetian built to resemble to Venice including gondolas that take tourists on trips on canals both indoors and outdoors. We walk around enjoying the art and the sculptures before turning around and returning to the hotel for the night.
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| The Venetian | Built to look like Venice |
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| It feels you are in front of the Palazzo Ducale | Inside painting matches the exterior |
Today we start with a breakfast at Cinnabon as it is the only open one which is easily accesible to us. After breakfast we check out but decide to stay in Vegas a bit more and visit the downtown area where we stayed previously.
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| Breakfast before... | ...and after |
In fact we didn't just stay there we got married even so we pass the county building and the different marriage ceremonies with a bit of melancholy remembering the time way back when we were passing the same buildings after we got married.
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| County building - for marriage licences | And a marriage close by |
Fremont street, the downtown area, is both similar to what we remember and also quite different. It seems there are more casinos and fewer people (maybe because of the time of the day) and the biggest change is a zipline going down the length of the street which seems scary to walk below it which we have to do for most of the time.
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| Entering Fremont street | Big store at the entrance |
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| Fremont street view | Casinoes are everywhere |
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| But less well known | This is new and seems danngerous |
We also pass through the biggest of the casinos in the downtown area - the Golden Nugget - mostly because we parked in its parking lot but we also enjoy the landscaping and the multiple flowers on the way.
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| Golden Nugget Casino | Flower wall |
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| There are varied flowers | This is a nice one |
Now it is the time to drive back to Phoenix but we still want to stop on the way - the first stop is the town of Nothing. Well more like the abandoned town of Nothing (pop 4 but likely 0) which is interesting because of the name and abandoned buildings, wonder what the original builder thought when he named the place.
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| Where are we? | The huge town of Nothing |
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| Population 4 (more like 0) | Hasn't been lived in for some time |
We stop also to see the blooming cacti which are everywhere and give the desert some color which is unusual most of the year. Of course not only the cacti are blooming but flowers too and most of the bushes which makes for a nice stop.
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| Cacti are blooming | Beautiful cactus flower |
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| Mesquitoes are in flower too | Surprising how something can grow here |
Next we stop at the Burro Creek Canyon to enjoy the views for some time - water is rare here so seeing the permanent river is quite attractive. The moon is also high in the sky and we try hard to take some good pictures of the moon.
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| Nice canyon | Beautiful view from a rest stop |
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| The moon in quite big today | We can see it everywhere |
The last stop of the day is to see the Joshua trees that are quite abundant during a section of the road. It is already quite dark which makes it a bit eerie with the moon shining brightly above us. After this last stop it gets dark completely so we don't stop until we arrive in Phoenix tired but satisfied after this interesting trip.
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| Joshua tree in the sunset | Moon peeking from a Joshua tree |
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