Viva Las Vegas

As you know you'all..."All the happens in Vegas, stay in Vegas!" But because it's you I will share a few of our adventures during this leg of our journey. You saw the resort we are staying in and I must say we will miss it here as it has been the perfect place to be as we are only 10 minutes from the strip and there is a great casino & hotel just down the road a ways of which we managed to stay away from until the past 4 or 5 days during the weekend and after Debra got off work. We always had good intentions of just playing our 20 dollars and most of the time it worked until we got closer to leaving here and then it was if we had to hurry up and win big. When you are not in the casino you know that the house always wins but when you are there you just know the next card or the next spin will bring big bucks!! I must say we did alright and most of all we had a lot of fun and met some nice people in the process.

We went to see two shows...one at Caeser's Palace with Cher which was great as there were great costumes by her old desighner Bob Mackie and innovative staging along with music hits from across the decades. She puts on a great show but we decided we didn't like her personality. When she opens the show she just comes down from the ceiling and then just talks for awhile before the real show begins. She is very narcistic and was trying to be funny/smart but it came out very poorly. She has also been in the Botox and has had a face lift of sorts. I liked her as she looked when she was with Sonny, now she just looks weird. I make it sound like we didn't enjoy it. We did, I'm just being a critic. We met our friends Shelton and his wife Carol for lunch at PF Changs and sat and talked trash until the dinner crowd started coming in. Had a chance to do some people watching and boy are there some wild looking folk walking these streets and a lot of fat people too...made me look skinny and cute! :-) Also saw the Dancing Waters at the Bellagio. Tried to take some pictures with my cell phone but they didn't come out too well as you will see maybe since we are not sure how to get them on the computer. The next show was the best and I would highly recommend it to everyone if you are out this way. It is at the Bellagio and is called "O". It is one of the Cirque du Soleil productions and uses a 25 foot-deep pool of water as its stage.1.5 million gallons of it, and features high divers, synchronized swimmers, acrobats, fire dancers and contortonists, along with Celtic Woman type music, which we both like. It was just amazing and we had just great seats for both shows. Before the show we went and had dinner at Mon Ami Gabi a French resturant at at the Paris Hotel and Casino and even had escargo and my favorite desert Perfitilios. ok..so I can't spell it but I sure can eat it!

Next stop is Zion & Bryce for two days where it is currently snowing and very cold...should be fun. Oh well just another adventure for us!!!

In Las Vegas!

Latest Google shows us at the Las Vegas Motor Coach Resort. You win, if you can figure out how to get down to the tennis courts and see the RVs facing them and the clubhouse. That's our site! What a nice place! Gated community with REAL 24 hour security and upscale RVs and sites that probably cost as much as the RVs themselves...posh patio furniture, entertainment centers and grills to die for with built in fireplaces and streets lined with lights that make the streets look like runways. Never seen anything like it nor so many palm trees of just about every variety imagineable. Will get out and about for pics of Sin City...just haven't had a chance yet...too busy enjoying the serenity of this place versus the commercialism of the strip...which is just a mere 5 miles from here!

Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam

Okay try to imagine getting on a vintage train during the days of Gunsmoke and Marshall Dillon, Fetus, Doc & Miss Kitty. We arrived at the depot at 9:00 am for the Wild West show before boarding complete with the bad guys, horses, the sheriff and gunshots. You will see some of the authentic cowboys in the photos. They are all members of the Cataract Creek Gang and you can see them throughout the town of Williams…we even had breakfast with someone that looked like Wild Bill Hickcok. The sheriff gets the horse thieves and then of course they get shot resisting arrest in front of the saloon. The train travels through scenic landscapes leading to one of the world’s greatest natural wonders…the Grand Canyon National Park. Coming back on the train you look out the window and see cowboys riding alongside the train with masks on and then they board and rob us and of course the sheriff gets these guys as well. Lots of fun and laughs as they are all quite the comedians. We even had an accordion/harmonica singing cowboy….!!! They also have a Polar Express complete with Santa for the kids during the winter season which is very popular. The train ride didn’t seem to take that long even if it was about 65 miles in 2 ½ hours and the whole time we were envisioning what it must have been like coming across the plains and high desert in a wagon train!! Especially for women in all those long dresses etc. Even though it didn’t seem like we were climbing we arrived at the canyon at over seven thousand feet. The walk up the steps to our accommodations literally took our breath away and we found we had to stop ever so often to catch our breath. Our friends and we got settled in our rooms and then had our first glimpse of the canyon which was steps away from our room. I cannot even begin to tell you the feeling at walking to the edge, looking over and seeing this beautiful rugged scenic canyon that goes on for miles and miles; a total of 277 miles of walls varying in distance from less than a half mile to more than 18 miles apart, and through depths of reaching nearly 8,000 feet. At the Canyon floor, the Colorado River endlessly carves and shapes the Canyon deeper and deeper averaging 300 ft in width and 100 ft in depth and flows at an average speed of 4 miles per hour. There is two billion years of geological history of the earth’s past exposed in the walls of the canyon. I just don’t have the words to describe my feelings and amazement at what I (we) were viewing. I am sure that all the millions of visitors from all over the world must have felt the same way. We heard all different languages as we rode the shuttle from place to place. I can only hope that that once again some of our photos can give you a glimpse at the beauty…even though the photos just don’t do it justice since they are only frames of a small portion of what we were seeing.
On our departure Sunday from Williams to Las Vegas, we passed by the Hoover Dam and took some photos from the RV windows which were through the screens so they may not look quite so good but you can at least get a view of it and Lake Meade. We had to go through a security check before driving through…they are on high alert for a terrorist attack there. We had fully intended to do a tour later in the week but after viewing the 10 mile traffic backup coming from Las Vegas we decided we saw as much as we wanted. They have almost completed the bridge across and away from the dam which is quite awesome in itself. Next blog will be about Las Vegas!!!

Williams & Sedona AZ

Greetings from Williams, AZ Williams is referred to as the Gateway to the Grand Canyon and is located at the base of the Bill Williams Mountain amid the world’s largest stand of Ponderosa pines, which we can see from our windows. The old Route 66 runs through town…remember that old TV show?? It really was quite a site this past Monday night when a snow storm came roaring through dumping about two inches of fresh snow. It was blowing so hard that the snow was almost coming down horizontally…it was so beautiful and what was really nice was that it was almost all gone here at the RV park by noon the next morning but still visible on the mountain peaks. Williams is a neat little quaint town having the charm of a late 19 century Western town and has a rich diversity of cultural influences. It was originally a mountain town and logging center, and once a home to gambling, opium dens and brothels. The old 19th century store fronts are still here and we listen to the nostalgic sounds of the train whistle as it goes by the depot in the center of town and passes the campground. We will be getting on the Grand Canyon Railroad this Friday with our Texas friends, Zee and Charlie, traveling on a century-old rail line to the heart of the Grand Canyon and spend the night at one of the lodges so as to see the sunset and the sunrise over the canyon along with taking a grand bus tour. We will fill you in on that experience latter.
In addition to enjoying each evening playing various card and dice games with Zee and Charlie, we have also traveled to Flagstaff several times but the best of those trips has been traveling on to the canyon town of Sedona!! It is a work of art in itself and a area of majestic beauty which even our photographs cannot capture its true beauty! A long time ago the ancient water and the winds blew in creating rose-colored sand grains into magnificent mesas of crimson and creating pinnacles that we must have stopped twenty times along the way to view and take photos. They are indeed monuments of timeless beauty….it is like looking at a canvas of Mother Nature’s panoramic wonders. The rocks are painted by the light into breathtaking hues of red and gold with sometimes having etchings of ancient Indian tribes which are considered timeless art forms. There are over 47 art galleries and more than 400 artists living in Sedona along with some authors and actors. Our favorite place was Tlaquepaque, which is a landmark in the town of Sedona itself. It is a wonderful collection of galleries, shops and fine restaurants but you feel as if you have left the commercialism that lies just outside its walls. There a four different courtyards within the masonry walls with giant sycamores and stately cottonwoods. There are wonderful flowers and greenery everywhere in the tranquil plazas, graceful arches, lots of fountains, and shady verandas that make you just want to sit and be quiet and listen to the sound of peace. We hope that our photos will give you a glimpse of what our eyes beheld along the way. And yes, that IS a pig you saw! Our next door neighbors have a pot bellied pig, Frank, weighing in at a whopping 158 lbs! In addition to walking on a lead, he will do an occasional trick like “sit” or “circle” for a special cookie. What a surprise it was seeing what the dogs were barking at this morning! Enjoy!!

Williams, AZ "Gateway to the Grand Canyon"

Just a quick jot to let you know what the current Google Earth map is (Williams, AZ). We arrived at the Grand Canyon RV and Resort in Williams, AZ on Friday, 9 Apr where we met up with our friends Zee and Charlie from Big Spring, TX. Myrt will update you all on our wonderful weekend in Sedona as soon as we're able to extend the slideouts again and can move about more freely...we're pretty "hunkered down" due to very strong winds and bitter cold (we even expect some snow tonight and tomorrow!) Thank goodness it is supposed to warm up for our train trip and overnighter to the Grand Canyon on Friday and Saturday!

Remember, you can enlarge the Google Earth image, click on "more" and see pictures among other things...a great little tool for those of you so inclined.

Thanks for the Suggestion

We got a suggestion from one of you (thanks Dr. B), to try and input our trip into Google Earth. Haven't made the time to research how to do this precisely as he suggested but did come up with an interim solution that may be fun for some of you out there. You'll notice a satellite pic or map on the left of the blogs. Click on "enlarge" and at top of pic will be options for map, satellite, terrain and "more". Click on "more" and click on photos and as you zoom out, you'll see numerous photos of the nearby area posted from folks as you scroll your mouse across the picture. Gives you an opportunity to view more than our pics and go on your own tours! This one is the address of our RV Campground in Sante Fe, NM. I'll change it each move. Have fun exploring and experimenting with this new functionality of our blog and thanks again for the suggestion(s)!

Santa Fe, NM

Okay..here we are again!!  This time We ended up leaving OK City early Thursday afternoon around five, when I the weatherphile, learned that there was a big storm coming in to the area with high damaging winds, rain and the possibility of large hail.  Drove 3 hrs to Shamrock, TX to get out of harms way and shorten our driving time to Santa Fe the next day which worked out great!!  Arrived in Santa Fe at the Santa Fe Skies RV Park in snow showers, blowing wind and boy was it ever cold!!  They were still sking up in the moutains. Anyway, it has warmed up and we are really enjoying Santa Fe and our RV Site. I can sit here and look out the windows and see a panoramic view of the snow covered moutains and the high plains. I expect to see Clint Eastwood riding up any minute. We are on a mesa overlooking Santa Fe and its communities and at night it's like looking out of a plane window at the sparking lights below us. The facilities here are just great....they even have a long dog walk around the outside perimeter that is probably about a half mile or so which we, the dogs and the jack rabbits walk on at least once a day. We will hate to leave here.   We spent Debra's three days off exploring with days of wandering around the city at all the shops and galleries. Never seen so much beautiful gold and turquoise!   We will go down to the plaza area a few more times in the evenings. Santa Fe is one of the top three largest art markets in the world and the numbers are impressive...apart from the galleries downtown, it is home to more than 250 galleries and hundreds of artists, architects and craftspeople.  Canyon Rd alone is home to over 100 or more galleries.  We of course visited the Geogria O'Keeffe Museum viewing some of her permanent collection and learning a great deal more about her and her life here,  Very interesting person...one of her many Quotes that I especially liked was and most notable was " I wish people were all trees and I think I could enjoy them then".  Her paintings of the areas around her home are beautiful and so much more so in person than in an art book. Also drove north to Taos about an hours drive from here and decided it was probably more inpressive in the winter since it is a big ski area.  Easter morning we went downtown and had brunch at this beaurtiful spanish hotel where they had this great ice sculture of an easter egg and flower vases (see photos)...the food was great too. :-) The first night here we ate at the Bobcat Bite's... a family owned local favorite since 1953 and about the size of a boxcar...known for their green chili burgers which I kid you not...there is no way anyone was able to get their mouths around these huge burgers!!  The name comes from that fact that bobcats would come down from the moutains for a hand out and now there are photo and paintings all over the walls of some of their visitors.  A fun place.  We also had lunch one day overlooking the Plaza sampling some of the local cuisine...of course we loved that too!! Ok...I did..being the one who lives to eat :-)...Our last dining out will be at a noted India resturant...can't wait.  We are on to Williams, AZ and the Grand Canyon Friday....and we will be back to share some more experiences and photos. As for these photos...think they are self explanatory except for a couple...the river scenes are on our way to Taos...yep, it's the Rio Grand and you might be able to make out the Rio Grand Gorge in the mountain shot.  Can you just picture the cattle drive across the river and the Indians lurking in the hills?And yes, that IS a camel look alike called guess what?!  Camel Rock! :-) in front of one of the SEVEN various Indian Nation Casinos one passes on the way to Taos. Well, that's it for now...as you can see, Fletcher all set for the next stop and further adventures!