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Viva Las Vegas

We had found and internet deal and treated ourselves to a couple of nights in the Monte Carlo hotel. We pulled up and didn’t have to worry about parking as the valets took it off our hands once we had taken everything we would need in the middle of the parking. We headed into our room which had AC and it was heaven after our sweaty nights in Death Valley. We went over to the Stratosphere hotel which stands 1149 feet tall and on top of the hotel is one of those rides that shoots you up into the air and back down. Well we bought our tickets down below, got in the elevator, got out above in the hot Vegas evening and went to the ride where we didn’t have to queue except for the people that were on the ride ready to be ‘fired off’. Off they went and we were both now apprehensive. We got on, waited for the countdown and were then fired off. This ride is terrifying. We have both done bungee jumping and sky diving but there is something about that ride that is just simply scary. After our fun on the rides we hit the casinos and made our way over to the Rio Grande. We had a small flutter there though were mainly playing the 1 and 5 cent video slots. Initially unimpressed, we were amazed we won the massive sum of $20 in one go. We carried on playing them with a couple more phenomenal wins of about $20 and after about an hour or two of playing them probably end up even, if not very slightly up. Just as we were finishing on the slots then a free stage show started with half-naked guys and gals singing and dancing. When all the fun was over the gals in the crowd got to take their photos with the Chippendales. Very Vegas!

The fun in Vegas didn’t last forever. On our way out we got the brakes checked out as they had been playing up. We left the van in there and got chatting to the guy at the service counter who was really interested in our travels. Once the guy in the back had finished inspecting the van our dude went off to talk to the guy who had taken the wheels off to look at the brakes. He came back with a solemn face and said, like a doctor telling someone they only have months to live, “come and look at this”. It turned out the front brakes had completely seized and needed the whole lot replacing. There were also problems with the suspension and the rear brakes. After asking the guy what jobs Rich could do himself - which was virtually none without forking out for expensive tools, finding out which work was only strictly necessary and trying to get the best price possible we were finally faced with an estimate that would come to $1300. We had little choice but to go ahead as without them the van was a disaster waiting to happen. To make matters worse, they wouldn’t be able to do the repairs till the next day. We told them we had nowhere to stay and they suggested a cheap hotel nearby. With all the money we were going to spend on the van we didn’t want to pay another penny or have the hassle of getting into another hotel so they said they could put the wheels back on and we could sleep in the car park behind the garage. Peeing in the concrete car park in the middle of the night knowing the next day we were going to part with $1300 was not one of our highlights. The next day we got up, washed in the toilets of the garage then left them the van and sat in the waiting room for most of the day until the work was done. In the late afternoon, all was done and we were off once again but with working brakes now.

Zion & Bryce National Parks

The main reason we headed for Bryce was Rich has seen a picture of Buttes Canyon which looked impressive. However it was north of the main route and would have been a huge detour for us. So we paid the $25 to drive through the park. Which of course is a huge rip off! As the $25 also gets you 7 days entrance and free shuttle service around the park. We pulled up at a nice spot to have lunch. Whilst getting our stuff out of the back of the van a coach load of French tourists spilled out. The guide of the group noticed we were having ‘President’ brie for lunch and she started chatting to us. We explained that we had bought the van in Alaska and planned to drive it to Panama. She asked if we would like some wine with our lunch which we declined explaining we had more driving to do that day. She insisted they had loads and that we could take it away. Expecting her to come back with a container or maybe even a small bottle she came back with a gallon-sized bottle of red wine. In the meantime she had also mentioned to the whole coach in a tour-guide type announcement about our trip so we had a stream of French tourists in a queue, lining up to see inside our van. After several ‘Tres Bon’s and lots of praise for Jess’ organisation of the back of the van they were on their way and we were having lunch, extremely chuffed with our gallon of red wine.

From Zion we headed towards Bryce Canyon, another $25 later we were camped up for the night. We took the drive around the park and stopped at all the view points. Both of the parks were something we had never seen before.

Killer Dogs

Wayne & Diane's Trailer

in Monument Valley

We arrived here after dark after a long days drive. The visitors centre was under construction, so there were loads of fences, construction vehicles and lights but not a soul in sight. We had heard there was a campsite but the barrier was down and we also had no idea where it was meant to be. We just parked up in an area near a porta cabin. We got our table and chairs out to have dinner. Whilst we were eating dinner Jess the fright of her life. Out of the darkness came this dog which looked like a wolf. Moments later there were a couple more dogs. After our dinner we settled into the van for the night in the middle of this strange car park. The dogs that met us for dinner were fierce. One was being bullied by the others and after we had gone do bed took refuge under our van but in the middle of the night the others came up to attack this dog. At first the noise was awful and impossible to sleep. After a while the dogs started to lunge at the one under our van and where hitting their heads on the van in the process and rocking our van all over the place. Rich opened the windows to shout and scare the dogs and banged the floor which did very little though they eventually went away in the early hours of the morning.

The next day we got up bleary eyed we people were now present and parked up around us and got out to check the views of Monument Valley. After some investigation we decided not to take the jeep tour around the Valley as it was too expensive. We could have driven the van around but the roads looked awful and after the amount of money we had just spent getting the van fixed we decided against it.

Campfires At The Grand Canyon

We found a great campground and we were both ready for a break after the distances we had recently covered. On our first day we met a lovely retired couple called Wayne & Diane. They were on a short break from there home in Yucca. We got chatting to them as they had a beautiful classic car and teardrop trailers from the 1940’s. They ended up being in the campsite opposite us. We spent our first two evenings going to their site and getting warm around their campfire. They invited us to stay at their 5th wheel in the desert. We of course jumped at the chance and planned to visit them after the Grand Canyon as they were leaving the day before us. We took a hike down into the Canyon as far as Cedar Ridge. We took lots of photos, but none of them really do the place justice - it’s so hard to capture the scale of the place in photos. We also got to see a Condor soaring above the Canyon. It is the biggest bird we have ever seen and even heard the ‘swoosh’ of air as it passed by.

Our Final Days In The US

Wayne and Diane live a few miles off Route 40 in Yucca. We had to reach their home before dark as they live in the middle of the desert. Whilst on our way to there home from the Grand Canyon we got to drive on a small section of Route 66. It wouldn’t have been a road trip in the US if we had missed it out! We arrived at their home before dark, and without getting lost, due to Wayne’s detailed map. We took the grand tour of their home and extensive garage. Rich got to have a look around Wayne’s various car restoration projects which were all great. Diane cooked us a lovely beef stir-fry which was super delicious. It was so nice of them to invite us and the hospitality was incredible. Jess was also fascinated to finally see the inside a trailers after seeing so many on the road in America.

The next day Wayne and Diane took us on a local tour Lake Havasu where we saw the original London Bridge that had been shipped out brick by brick about forty years ago. They also kindly took us to their friends where they put us up for lunch and where they shared RV stories and gave us some handy tips- like if we’re stuck for somewhere to stay head for a Walmart that’s open 24 hours so you can use their toilets! After a great lunch we headed over to San Diego where we got ourselves prepared for entering Mexico. That included spending $135 on a 6” long fuel pipe and arranging our insurance for Mexico.

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