Our second drive-by was Hoover Dam as we left Las Vegas. Maneuvering the RV across the dam amidst the throngs of tourists was an adventure in and of itself. While an impressive feat of engineering, Todd had already enthralled us with the tales of all the men who died while pouring the concrete, and the most startling sight was the dramatic change in color on the rock walls of the reservoir behind the dam. But it was interesting, and not too far out of our way, so worth the minor detour to see this well-known accomplishment. From there we had a long drive to our ultimate destination for today, the Grand Canyon. Todd drove, while Marcia and the kids passed a lot of the time continuing the Rail Baron game. We found a cute lunch place ... read more

We made our way back into southern Yosemite today, headed for Mariposa Grove, home of the great Sequoia trees. Our tram ride was idyllic – an open air transport through the upper and lower groves with a narrated audio tour as we drove. It’s hard to describe the grove, comprised of many species of tree including oak, pine and dogwood, interspersed among the giants of the forest. The Sequoias are unique in many ways. They reach heights of 250-300 feet. They have trunks up to 38 feet in diameter. Their bark is reddish and furry. They loom large overhead, with branches and needles only appearing toward the very top. They are curiosities. Virtually immune to bug infestations, tree disease and root rot, they live until they topple over in storms, usually. And that can be for ... read more

We made it to Yosemite today. Todd’s early rise enabled us to cross the park entrance gate just after 10:00 am, so we had a lot of time to drive through the scenic roads and explore the visitor center. In a word, the biggest first impression the park made was rock. Massive, unyielding, monoliths dominate the landscape in ways not even the Grand Tetons did. These glacier-formed, almost white, sloping mounts border the eastern entrance to the park on almost every turn. The well-known El Capitan and Half Dome were visible almost our entire drive from the eastern entrance into the valley. A drive that Todd and I agreed was the most harrowing we have undertaken so far. I am not exaggerating when I say that we did not experience any stretch of straight road longer ... read more

We headed to California today, which luckily is only about 8 miles down the road from our campsite in Southern Lake Tahoe. A surprisingly well-developed, commercial resort town - a far cry from the places we've been hanging our hats lately. We skipped the casinos and chain restaurants, though. Instead, we took a Gondola ride up Heavenly Mountain. The views from the midpoint observation deck were astounding. If I hadn't known better, I would have sworn we were in the Caribbean, the water was so blue and teal and clear. We rose about 9,000 feet, marveling along the way at the feat of construction erecting this tourist treat must have been. We have no idea how anyone scaled the virtually vertical rockface we watched unroll beneath us to clear trees, erect poles and string cables. We ... read more

Our day began with Todd finally getting to do what he had envisioned doing the whole trip - waking before the rest of us, unhooking the RV and starting down the road as we continued sleeping. It went almost according to plan. :-) Turns out the back bed is quite bouncy when in motion. And Billy has been rising with the roosters most days of the trip, today no exception. So, half of us were up and awake when Todd pulled out of Salt Lake City heading west on I-80 for Reno. But we got on the road by 7:00 am, which set us up perfectly for a marathon driving day. Some of our first "sights" as we left town were the salt flats - vast expanses of white that look deceptively like snow fields, but ... read more