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The Famous Vegas Sign !
We just couldn't leave without seeing the sign ! Ahhhhhhhh !! The air conditioning started working sometime during the day yesterday so Tim was able to get a cool good nights sleep. He was going to need it because we were planning on making the trip all the way to the Grand Canyon today without stopping. We packed up everything and headed towards the elevators only to find that three of the six were not working this morning. I thought to myself, what else is going to happen ?? We had to stand there while the elevator stopped nine times before we could squeeze into one. Oh well, I guess Kayla would say that all these things are what memories are made of ! We eventually got checked out and made a b-line for the motor home. It was so weird when we arrived at the motor home and opened the door. We both just looked at each other and said "I missed this !" Although we enjoyed our time in Las Vegas, we were ready to hit the road again and experience some more new stuff. But before we could leave we had to find the "Welcome to Vegas" sign because we had not seen it yet. We drove
"Old Vegas"
We went sightseeing in the older part of Vegas before heading out. around some of the older parts of Vegas checking out all the casinos and wedding chapels and eventually we found the sign. We took a few pictures and headed over to Highway I-515 which took us over to Highway 93 and we were off to the Grand Canyon. On the way, we pulled over for a minute to look at Lake Mead and get some pictures of the beautiful landscaping surrounding the blue waters. Our next stop would be The Hoover Dam inspection area. We had to pull over to the side for a complete inspection before we could cross the Dam. It just so happened that one of the inspectors, who came into the motor home, had family living in College Park, GA so he was quick to update us on the local weather and current events. As we were crossing The Hoover Dam, we also hit another milestone. We crossed into the 16th state of the trip. We were officially in Arizona and it was a smoldering 111 degrees !! According to Tim's calculations, as we passed the Dam, the traffic was backed up for 3 1/2 miles. Can you imagine sitting in traffic 3 1/2 miles long
Circus Circus in Vegas !
Tim went to Circus Circus 30 years ago when he and his parents were in Vegas ! in the 111 degrees heat ?? We were not sure why it was so backed up coming from Arizona, because other than stopping for security, we came straight through from Nevada. About two hours or so later we started getting some heavy rains so we pulled over to fill up with gas and wait it out. The rain eventually slowed to a light drizzle and we soon found out that we were in Williams, Arizona. The streets began to fill with the towns people, their children and their trusty umbrellas. The old saying goes, " The Show Must Go On" and it did today in the quaint little town of Williams. It was a grand 4th of July parade and it began with the sound of the the towns police cars. The red and blue lights began flashing as the local ROTC band fell into line. Closely following them was the local mayor on a float and then the Army Band. Next came a truck pulling a trailer full of kids who played ball for the recreation department. All the kids on the float were throwing candy to all the little children lining the streets. A ton of childhood memories
Harley Davidson in Vegas !
This one's for all you Harley guys and girls !! came flashing back to me as I watched the kids scramble for a piece of chewing gum on the curb. Rain or shine, we used to have parades like this every year in Hampton where I grew up. We would make floats covered with balloons and ride in trailers pulled by trucks lined with crete paper and posters, while the locals would drive old cars and ride horses through town. It was so awesome to see that small town living was still alive in America !! Now Tim grew up in Forest Park so he wasn't that familiar with these types of parades, he almost fell out when he saw people walking their billy goats in the middle of the street right behind the farmers on their tractors ! I just LOVED it !! We finished watching the parade and it was time to get back on Route 66 and drive that last 52 miles to the Grand Canyon. Well, we made it, we're 2 miles outside of the Grand Canyon in the parking lot of the welcome center in Tusayan, Arizona. It was almost 9:00 and we were starving so we went across the street to the local steakhouse
Old Main Street Vegas
This was on our sightseeing tour ! where Tim enjoyed a basket of fried rattlesnake !! (Gross !) We finished up dinner and hit the sack so we could head out early in the morning to see the Grand Canyon !
We hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July and we would like to wish our dear friend Ginger a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!
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