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Published: November 4th 2017
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Man Made and Natural Wonders
Driving between states in America quickly reminds you of the immense size of this country. In this blog I will cover our days in Vegas and the Grand Canyon as well as the road trip on the interstate back to Los Angeles for our flight to the second leg of our adventure.
Tuesday 31st of October - Las Vegas
Our day began early as we loaded up our car and headed for the interstate. To tell you the truth, I was ready to leave L.A., as cool as it was to be in L.A. I am and always will be a country boy and much prefer the open expanses and peace of such.
Our drive took us through the open planes and valleys of California and into the great state of Nevada. One thing that first grabbed my attention was just how dry and barren it seems out here, dont get me wrong, it is developed, and with the traffic on the interstate it definitely isn't remote, but it is a very bare land, save for a few scrubs and yucca trees.
After a few hours of driving we came across it,
a glittery metropolis of excess.. VEGAS BABY!!!
With our eyes lit up in awe and jaws sitting low in our laps we marvelled at the famous beauty as we drove down the strip and to our hotel. As we arrived we practically threw our credit card at the receptionist, our bags at the bell boy, then ran out towards the strip with our hands in the air and squeeling like teenage girls at a Justin Beiber concert.
Vegas, what can you say about Vegas that gives it its due. You can't really, the sheer size of the casinos and hotels, the luminescence of the lights at night, the glitter and glamour of the showgirls calling you to see a show, the promoters handing you brochures and coupons to amazing acts like Penn and Teller or Cirque Du Soleil.
It truly is a place that lives up to every expectation I had and more. And a place I would recommend to anyone who is planning to come to the USA.
After roaming the strip for the afternoon and sampling a yard long cocktail or two we grabbed a bite to eat, watched a couple of the Bellagio fountain shows, then returned
back to our hotel wondering if we should just skip the Canyon and spend another day in Vegas.
Wednesday 1st of November - The Grand Canyon
Another early rise and it was straight in the car, as we made our way further east and into Arizona, our destination today, the Grand Canyon, is another 4 hour drive.
Arizona is quite an amazing landscape, very mountainous and rocky, even though it is so dry and bare I really enjoyed taking in the endless peaks and valleys that we drove through the middle of.
Along the way we found the signs that lead to Hoover Dam, a bonus destination that just happened to be on the way, a quick stop and couple of photos before we drove on again, well aware of our timeline for today. If we are late we will miss our helicopter flight over the canyon.
After arriving in Tusayan, and grabbing a quick bite to eat at Macca's, we head out to Tusayan Airport where our helicopter flight is booked with Papillon tours. We check in for our flight, watch a quick safety video and then its out on the helipad and into the
chopper. As we take off and climb to our flying height we see it appear, a massive, winding crack in the earth, the Grand Canyon, we fly up to the south rim and gaze in true amazement at the beauty of the canyon, reds, oranges, yellows, light, shadow, all blend into one amazingly breathtaking scene. A flurry of photos later and our tour is over as we whip back to the airport. With our appetites for canyon views unsatiated we head to the south rim viewing point in Grand Canyon village, where we take in as much of the view as we can before the sun set.
We then headed back to town where dinner was at Big E steakhouse, enjoying some nice food and mediocre service, (by now we know whats up and tip low) then its off to bed for another early rise and drive back to L.A. tomorrow.
Thursday 2nd of November - Tusayan to L.A.
Early morning rise and a buffet breakfast starts our day then we load the car and plan our drive to L.A..
I want to make a side note here while I'm on the topic of breakfast. American coffee...
it SUCKS! Seriously, take out coffee here is terrible, watery, disgusting, muck. It really brings down your morning, even the instant coffee sucks, and for some reason everyone drinks dripstyle coffee, in every hotel or house we stay in has a drip coffee machine. I would seriously pay $50 for an espresso at this stage.. ok rant over.
So our plan is to break the driving up, 3 two and a half hour blocks, I start the day. Driving in the US is an experience, it isn't overly hard once you get going, but still makes you think. After my stretch we switch around and continue the rest of the way back to L.A..
So thats it from the West Coast. Next we head to Buffalo to see Niagara Falls.
Until then,
*Ray Wave*
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