My Nevada/Arizona Adventure

aka The Longest Post Ever



Panoramic shot I took of the Grand Canyon (click to enlarge)

NOTE: I encourage you to click on any pictures you might like in this post to get a better detailed view of them.

PREFACE

This was a trip I planned years ago for Julian and myself. That trip fell through due to problems in our relationship and I lost the exchange fee which was non-refundable and some of the airfare as well. So, like a fool I planned another trip about a year ago. Once again, there were problems and we split for good. I was not about to lose my exchange fee and miss out on an adventure once again. The decision to take this trip on my own was not a difficult one. Even though I had just moved from Minnesota to Seattle, I was more than up for the challenge. You wouldn't believe the way people looked at me like I had three heads when they learned I was on vacation alone. But I didn't care, I was enjoying the freedom of doing whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. It was an amazing and poignant trip for me. It may sound corny, but being surrounded by nothing but God's creation made me feel closer to Him, or a higher power anyway. It definitely makes one feel very alive, whether they believe in a higher power or not.

I've realized that prior to starting this blog , I never really documented my adventures. Years later, I look back at the pictures I took and rack my brain over some of them. My memory of the trips gets more foggy with time and I wish I had journaled them. This is my first solo trip and therefore this is my attempt to preserve the experience for myself; kind of bottle it up so I can open it later and reminisce. Since this is primarily for my own benefit it will be very detailed and lengthy and may not always make sense to anyone who wasn't there (see: everyone). Feel free to skim the pics and be on your way, I won't be offended.
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DAY ONE

Saturday, April 26

I parked my car in the parking garage at work and my co-worker at Alaska Air, Karen, drove me the mile down the road to the airport. I was lucky enough to not only get a window seat, but to have the only empty seat on the entire plane right next to me. That's right, I had more room than first class. Muahaha. I only make note of this because of some horrible flying experiences I've had in the past (on other airlines of course). This was my first trip on Alaska and the plane was nice and the flight attendants were very friendly. I had a very relaxing flight listening to my iPod and digging into a book called Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. It's the true story of a man who goes out into the wilderness alone and never makes it out. I felt it was only fitting. Actually, in a way it was very applicable to my own situation and feelings as of late. I can relate to and empathize with his need to get away from the constrictions of modern society and commune with nature. But that's about where the comparison ends. It's a good book and I recommend it, to those of you who are still reading this post anyway. Seriously, read the book but only skim my blog; my story-telling and writing skills are nowhere near Mr. Krakauer's.

View of the evening sky from my much-cherished window seat:

I wish I could have taken pictures of Las Vegas from the air but I didn't want to risk getting into trouble for using an electronic device as we were descending. It was completely dark by the time we arrived, blackness everywhere looking out the plane window. Until we came up on the Las Vegas area and then suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a big square patch of bright lights on the ground. The lights were very pretty but it was the darkness that captured my fascination. That was mostly desert wilderness out there, with no people and only the stars for light and that is where I longed to go. I absolutely could not wait to go. Flash forward to the end of the trip and my mother wondering where I got the energy to do everything that I did. I wondered that myself because I am usually a low-energy, relatively inactive person. I think it was moments like that, looking out the plane window into a seemingly dark abyss and wondering what was out there. I was fueled entirely by excitement and curiosity of the unknown. In fact, I didn't eat much at all; I had no time to waste with so many things to do and see in so little time, I mostly just ate on the fly.

Getting the story back on track, I arrived in Las Vegas at about 9pm and went to pick up my rental car, which was supposed to be a compact economy car. Of course they were out of those, so they gave me a Dodge Caravan. How cool did I feel tooling around Vegas in a mini-van? Yeah Baby! I felt like a freaking soccer mom minus the kids. But it worked out for the best because it was a very comfortable ride and I ended up putting 780 miles on it. I nicknamed it "Cruizer" (cuz you know, I was like cruisin' for hot guys with it, duh!). It was a good little van and I was a little sad to leave it at the end.

Moving along.. I arrived at the resort a little after 10pm and was thrilled with my condo. I must say it felt a little odd staying alone in a condo that could accomodate an entire family and driving a vehicle that could comfortably carry 7 adults, but I got used to it and quickly came to love the space and the solitude. Here's some pics of my condo at the Wyndham Grand Desert.









(Above) Bathroom #1 with shower that never got used



(Below) Bathroom #2 with jacuzzi tub I lived in when I wasn't out sightseeing. Gawd, how I loved that tub!

(Below) View from the condo, which was on the 11th floor of the Primo Torre Tower.


Okay enough of the indoors, let's get to the reason for my being there - the Great Outdoors!

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DAY TWO
Sunday, April 27

This was the day I had planned to get up early and set out for the Grand Canyon, but as excited as I was to do that, I felt too rushed and not ready. I needed some me-time first. So I got up and made myself some breakfast and headed to the fitness center for a light workout. Then I swam and laid by the pool for a couple of hours. The sun was really intense but it felt good. Then at 3:30 I got a wonderful hour-long massage. aaaaahhhhhh. It was really great but unfortunately it incapacitated me for the rest of the day. I drank a lot of water but I still felt a little sick and out of sorts from the toxins it released. I managed to go grocery shopping and rest a little. I was very antsy though. I remember feeling like every moment spent inside the condo was time wasted. There were SO many things to do and I had very little time to work with. Even though I didn't feel very well and would get the chance to see the stars the following night, I couldn't wait any longer and impulsively took off. I drove for hours out into the desert with just a flashlight and a blanket. Once I got to as remote a place as possible, I pulled over and stepped out of the van. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face without the flashlight, but I could see gorgeous sparkling stars just about everywhere else I looked. It was like being in another world and it was a little disorienting and scary at first. I laid on the blanket and looked up at the stars briefly and then got back in the van and drove home because it was very late and I had to get up very early the next day. That little taste was enough to tide me over for the time being.

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DAY THREE
Monday, April 28


Monday was the best day! I got up early and headed out with "Cruizer" to the Hoover Dam. We got there at about 9am. I was tempted to take one of the tours but the clock was ticking and I was too anxious to see the Grand Canyon, so I did a self-tour of the dam and went on my merry way. Here's some pics taken at Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.






Meet "Cruizer"! We bonded over the open road.


The flag at Hoover Dam - one of my favorite shots


Taken while standing on top of the dam



I left Hoover Dam at about 10:00am and almost immediately entered Arizona. It was a beautiful 4 hour drive. Arizona was prettier than I thought it would be.







1:30pm:

YOU ARE NOW ENTERING GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK
The South Rim

















See the people? I was out there too. There are lots of rocky points and ledges where you are inches from death. Cool. See video below.









The spent the entire day at the canyon, walking the South Rim Trail and taking in the beauty. The trail ran right along the edge of the canyon and the views were spectacular! I must have walked about 10 miles by the end of the day. The sunset was especially beautiful. Once it was pitch dark, I headed back out to Mather Point with a flashlight. I sat out on the very edge and got a 360 view of stars. Awesome. I left at around 9:15pm and made the 4.5 hour drive back to the resort where I slept hard. It was quite a day.




Self Portrait




The South Rim Trail















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DAY FOUR
Tuesday, April 29


The sun also rises over Las Vegas











Panoramic Sunrise (click to enlarge)








Spaceship cloud.
Who says there's no UFO's in the desert?

All pictures of the Las Vegas skies above were taken from the condo.
The pictures below were taken from the Stratosphere.






(Above) The X-Scream thrill ride takes you off the side of the Stratosphere. I rode it with a woman I met there named Mary. She was pretty cool but her nickname "Jinx" didn't make me feel good about riding with her, lol. We had fun.





The Venetian Experience







The colorful bottom of the fountain at The Venetian







Human Statue



Murano Glass "candy" lights at a gelatto stand. I didn't have any gelatto but I did have a couple of Godiva hand-dipped chocolate strawberries - YUMMIES.





(Below) Hit "play" to hear a Gondolier crooning.

VEGAS AT NIGHT
More lights than Christmas in Minnesota!

The Fremont Experience
For those who haven't been, a few blocks of Fremont street are closed to traffic and display an overhead light show for pedestrians. It's pretty neat. I posed with Chippendale "dancers" there, hehe. I'm not posting the pics here, but they were some good lookin' guys. The pics below were also taken on Fremont.




A stand selling colorful twirly things

This was my last night in Vegas and although the Chippendale Dancers cheered me up a little, I was still pretty bummed to have to leave the next morning.

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DAY FIVE
Wednesday, April 30


My flight left at 9:20 and once again I got a window seat with the only other empty seat on the plane next to me. What are the odds? I knew I should have gambled more in Vegas. I just lost $10 in the penny slots. That was all I was willing to donate. I was feeling pretty down about having to leave, butI had fun taking pictures on the plane and that helped. It was very cool to see Seattle from the air. Check it out.

I believe this is Mt. St. Helens. This more than makes up for the time Julian and I drove down to it and couldn't see it.


Update: I now believe this to be Mount Rainer, but I'm no mountain expert!

(Above) Discovery Park




Bird's eye view of Safeco and Qwest Fields. I drive right past them on my way south every morning.

And that, my friends, is why I chose Seattle. Any questions? I didn't think so.

It was a beautiful day as you can see. The plane landed at noon and I spent the rest of the day unpacking and relaxing.

When all was said and done, I had driven 780 miles and taken 500 photos. I can hardly believe it but it's true. It was a wonderful vacation and one I won't soon forget. I can't wait to go back and explore Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon further when I have more time and don't have to rush.

Thanks for reading my blog (or skimming the pictures). I hope you enjoyed it!
I'm going to Snoqualmie Falls tomorrow so I should have even more pics to share. As if you haven't seen enough by now.