Part Three: Las Vegas to Salt Lake City (and home again)
Las Vegas
Say what you like about Las Vegas - I know that I had personally wondered why we were even stopping in Vegas - I don't gamble, I don't drink, I'm not getting married, and I'm not interested in the seedy, artificial, party image that Vegas conjures. I was not really that excited about going there. But I have to say, I did completely change my mind!
When we were in San Diego, our couchsurfing friend asked us where we planned to stay in Vegas. We didn't have an answer because we had just planned to stay in the car. She then told us that in Vegas, hotels are extremely cheap to stay in. She gave us a few names of some hotels to look at that were very affordable.
It really was incredible advice for us because when I think of looking for a hotel in Vegas my eyes just glaze over - there are so many choices, where would I even begin? But she gave us a starting point, so we started researching and to our astonishment, the prices of even the most fancy of the hotels were what we would deem as affordable (and that's really saying something for me!).
We decided to splash out and book into The Venetian - a 4.5 star hotel, where we would have a beautiful suite and access to swimming pools and all sorts of facilities! After being on the road for a week, it suddenly seemed like the most appealing part of the entire trip! As we drove through the intense heat through the desert to get to Vegas, the only thing that kept us going was the lure of the refreshing swimming pool, the coolness of the air conditioning in our beautiful suite. We were fantasizing about watching movies with bags of chocolates and candy to munch on.
When we finally arrived in Vegas, both Nanci and I were feeling the effects of the heat - neither of us were thinking clearly, we lumbered around in a dazed and confused manner. But ahhh, we didn't care because we had reached our Oasis! The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas!
All the luxury that you could imagine
The canals of Venice in the convenience of our hotel
The famous sign! (I am convinced that most people who come to Vegas never find the location of this sign!)
Our blissful hotel suite, the oasis in the desert.
To us weary travellers, Vegas was pure rest, relaxation and enjoyment. I loved every minute of it. I loved the lavishness of it all. I loved the emphasis on comfort and all the attention to detail in every themed hotel. And walking through the themed hotels, I did not feel them tacky, on the contrary - they were incredible creative, very artistic. They showed a lot of thought, a lot of time and careful planning. It created a wonderful vibe in every different place. I have to say, I loved strolling along the Venetian's canals. It was spacious, airy, and relaxed. Trust me, I am not your typical hotel loving, luxury seeking girl. I am normally cagey about this type of thing. Of course, a casino is a casino - I did not enjoy walking passed rows and rows of smoke-smelling pokie machines; but there are lots of other things to enjoy in Vegas, especially if your goal is to rest and relax. I could have quite happily stayed in our hotel the entire time (I have never said that before in my life).
France!
New York!
The Bellagio
Rome!
We loved Vegas so much that we stayed a second night. It was then that we ventured out and walked the entire strip, stopping in at the most eye catching of hotels and casinos. It was very hot, and took several hours to get from one side to the other. By the time we got back to the Venetian we just wanted a pizza and a good movie, so we set up for the evening.
Pizza and a movie in our fabulous hotel suite!
We left our oasis and continued on to Hoover Dam. Along the way we saw a sign for $29 helicopter rides over Lake Powell, and so we leapt at the chance!
Woohoo helicopter!
We left and continued on, driving over the Hoover Dam
We got our kicks on Route 66!
Saw a gorgeous sunset
The Grand Canyon
Then we parked up at the Grand Canyon for the night, ready for the sunrise in the morning. We took a walk to the canyon at midnight in the pitch black and we saw the most amazing display of stars ever. You could see the stars so clearly they lit up the entire sky. We saw shooting stars and the milky way - it was incredible. And all the while, the Grand Canyon was just meters in front of us - a dark crater of black - like a wrapped present. We awoke for sunrise and WOW what a treat lay in store for us
Breathtaking
Zion National Park
We left the Grand Canyon and drove on to Zion National Park. At one stage we were thinking of leaving this off our rather packed itinerary, but I am so glad that we decided to make the trip - it was definitely a highlight for me. It was like stepping onto another planet.
Zion- huge red rocks like nothing I've ever seen
Zion
I fell in love with this river - My perfect life would be to have 100 children and live in a huge house by this river.
Bryce Canyon
We drove on, arrived at Bryce Canyon at 11.30pm. We slept in the car and went to Inspiration Point to see the sunrise. It was beyond words.
Salt Lake City
From Bryce Canyon we drove to Salt Lake City. We were exhausted. We found a beautiful park and just sat in it, snacking on sliced peaches straight from the can.
Salt Lake City
I had a lot of time to reflect on the last 18 months, and I felt so happy to end with a bang. It was the most amazing trip. I will remember it dearly all the days of my life.
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