Nevada/Arizona Getaway

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We had 2 saved timeshare weeks just begging to be used so opted for this trip. Marlene had never been to Vegas, I was there briefly in 1968 ....the part I remembered is now the Historic District of Fremont Street!

We also share a strong connection with a visit to Phoenix and the Grand Canyon, 25 years ago. So a week in Arizona seemed to be a perfect choice for the second week. Sedona is hard to beat for a natural setting for a town.



The rotating panoramas above are of:

Lake Mead Marina, home of the Desert Princess

Sedona

Sinagua Indian village ruins (1150AD)

Grand Canyon

Lots of pics here; it was tough to edit them down to this many as we certainly had lots of great choices.

Coming next month, a cruise to the southern Caribbean.

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Photos

The South West
Sedona is a little south west of Flagstaff, about a 5 hour drive from Las Vegas.

Vegas timeshare
The attractive pool & bbq area. We seemed to be out and about most of the time but did get to enjoy this facility a couple of times.

Las Vegas Strip
Walking the mile long Strip is a head swiveling experience. We can understand how some Vegas visitors rarely step outside their hotel as each one is loaded with gambling, entertainment and restaurants.

Cirque du Soleil’s “Mystere.”
This group which was formed in Montreal has 3 shows running here. We Really enjoyed this spectacular performance!

Hot Wheels!
We needed a car to get around...what better place to rent a convertible?!

“Desert Princess.”
We took a cruise on Lake Mead aboard this stern wheeler to get a look at Hoover Dam from the upstream side.

Hoover museum
Built over 4 years in the 1930s it is quite an engineering marvel. This model showed how enormous bricks of cement were fitted together while the time lapse movie above showed how the dam grew.

The business side of Hoover
Impossible to capture the full magnitude of this massive dam that provides electricity to much of the Southwest USA and valuable water for irrigation.

Valley of Fire State Park
Spectacular views wherever we looked in this Mojave Desert park...great top-down drive!

“Mouse Hole”
Where an outlaw nicknamed Mouse holed up to avoid the Sheriff.

In Valley of Fire
Some great rock formations.

Fremont Street
Now the Historic District, the part of Vegas I remember from 1968, but not covered then. These hologram spiders scampered across the ceiling.

Only in Vegas!
A large industrial scale at the entrance weighs contenders. Food to die for!

Golden Nugget
One of the few remaining original casinos....I remember playing roulette on a miserly budget here in 1968.

Sedona Pines
Our second week spent here. These cleverly converted trailers are comfortable for 2...the resort has numerous amenities that we used.

Sedona
An artsy little town, swarming with tourists, in a spectacular setting.

Cathedral Rock
Just one of many beautiful formations in and around Sedona.

old Jerome
Literally an old mining ghost town near Sedona.
One of my favourite pics.
Glad it is still open for business.

What is it?
Our best guess is a steam driven movie projector!
How about some suggestions!?

Comments

[Tim Wilson]

Great potos and commentary as usual
someplace I would like to visit, did you see cousin Ed in flagstaff ?

[imras]

Ed
Yes! Had a very enjoyable dinner with he and Margie in Flagstaff.

[Nancy Gansser]

Enjoy every moment!
Great to see your pictures ...... woke up to see everything covered in snow this morning so you clearly picked a perfect time to be away. That being said, we were in Arizona last February / March and woke up on our first morning to see the biggest snowflakes ever - everything was shut down in Flagstaff and we were able to take pictures in Sedona and Jerome with snow ! Also got a speeding ticket but that wasn't one of our better Kodak moments! Have fun - safe travels!

[imras]

Snow
Thanks for the response Nancy. Always good to get feedback. Apparently there had been snow at The Canyon the week before & we saw some on the peaks near Flagstaff.

[Lorraine Runstedler]

Tracking the IMRAS
Hey - there you are - Great Pictures - unreal where you guys end up - and of course next month on a Cruise - beating the first snow flake are you! - looking forward to those pictures - take good care you two Lorraine

[imras]

Hi Lorraine!
Hope you are keeping well! Good to hear from you...at least this is one way we can keep in touch!

[Anne Robinson]

I love your blog entries Marlene and Ian. I took to Vegas some years and was blown away, not literally. Wonderful pics and captions.

[Steve Cole]

I have been very jealous of the pictures and the account of your latest tour. You seem to havw done justice to the main spots. I loved Sidona and your pics brought back happy memmories but that goes for most of your venues, Loved the wheels.

[imras]

Beemer
biggest issue was getting in and out...!

[Lin]

Great pics
Thanks for sharing