Grand Adventure Tour - Day 3

Up early today, to be collected at 6.20am for a tour of the Grand Canyon.  It takes a good few hours to drive there, so this is a big day.

After a drive through the suburbs of Las Vegas first stop for the day is Burger King for breakfast - another first and one I wouldn't choose to repeat, .  We came here with the belief that Las Vegas was only a few streets centred by 'The Strip".  Actually there's about 1.5 million people living there!

On  to Hoover Dam and this structure is amazing.  I've gone through all the photos we took and really can't find one to do it justice, so I googled it to come up with some.  Click on the link - it is a massive structure.  Not only is the Dam impressive, so is the Mike O'Halloran - Pat Tillman bridge built to divert traffic rom driving over the dam itself.

Next stop is Kingman Arizona for fuel and drinks - memorable because we were told that due to climate and terrain this is where Harley Davidson has a test track (important info for Kevin) it's also the home of a large aircraft boneyard.  The countryside, as in a large part of our trip is harsh - very dry and rocky.  Kingman advertises itself as the Turquoise capital of the world and this certainly peaked my interest, the other fun fact our tour guide shared was that Louis L'Amour spent a lot of time in this area (my father-in-law loved reading Louise L'Amour westerns).

We finally reached our destination - the southern rim of the Grand Canyon about 1.30.  I can't begin to describe it.  It is staggering, 277 miles long and an average of 4000 feet deep, the rock formation and colours are incredible.

We stayed until sunset - when it became very cold before heading back to Vegas to arrive back at our hotel about 10.30.  Despite the late hour after such a full day I couldn't relax so I convinced Kevin to take a walk down the strip with me to see the Bellagio fountains once more. Again, I found them entrancing.  My camera skills just can't do them justice, so check out this You Tube link.

Wandering home we had to go past Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, I had to stop.  I have a friend who loves Jimmy Buffett, so with thoughts of Kaz I ordered a Margarita a perfect end to a magical day.

 

I've Been Told This is the City That Never Sleeps - Day 2

What can I tell you?  I thought I didn't want to go there!  I was wrong.  I loved Las Vegas, what a great experience.  There's just so much happening I didn't know where to look.  Wonderful shows to see - we were enraptured by O - Cirque du Soleil at the Bellagio.  Shopping malls that just went on and on and if you got tired you could get a gondola ride to relax or take a seat to try your luck at the slot machines, or a drink from any of the numerous bars.  Day or night, there was always something happening.

There seems to be Casinos everywhere and this is the first time I've had to walk through one to get to the Hotel reception! I was really excited to walk into a shop (called Gap) and purchase a pair of jeans that fitted perfectly, no alteration required (another first) and a shirt and another shirt - do I need to say more? The Forum shops adjacent to Caesars Palace just take your breath away.  The statues, beautiful tiles, curved escalator, incredible decoration you just can't take it all in and it seems to just go on and on!

Needless to say, Las Vegas takes on a whole new vitality at night.  The beautiful fountains at the Bellagio, choreographed to music, the volcano at the Mirage that goes off every half hour or so this place is about excess!

 

 

Once again I've been BUSY with No Time to Post --- Until now...

Back in March last year Melanie (daughter) rang and said she’d like to go to Quiltcon and asked if I’d like to go with her?  Would I?  Those of you who know me, know I never miss a chance to get away, and I’ve never been to USA before so I wasn't going to be left at home!  With much excitement I purchased my flights way back in April 2014!  So once again this poor blog and my sewing got neglected while I took on extra shifts at work.

First up, we decided we wouldn’t just go for Quiltcon we’d make it a bit of a holiday,  Kevin (husband) wasn’t going to miss out either, he was coming too!

Early February finds us ensconsed enroute from Sydney to Dallas – 16 hours flight time and greatly amused that we landed in Dallas Fort Worth about an hour before we actually took off in Sydney!

This is the view from the Motel window at the airport.  A beautiful day.  With only a few hours to spend before our flight the next morning the concierge arranged a car and driver to take us to Fort Worth Stockyards.  Not your average taxi service, a beautiful, big shiny black Chev Suburban with all the bells and whistles, darkened windows so we could pretend we were a movie star or someone very important!  It’s a great way to travel.

 

To round out the day, we dined at the Stockyards Hotel and I had my first (and definitely not my last) Margarita.  Yummo!  Melanie & Kevin tried their first plate of Barbecued Texas ribs -

and weren't disappointed – pretty good huh.