Vegas, Baby!

Ahhh, the entertainment capital of the world. We certainly were entertained. They call Las Vegas "The Strip" and I half wonder if it's not actually in reference to the amount of um, shall we call them 'clubs' where partially-clad women remove the rest of their um, clad-ness? There are sooooo many strip joints, er sorry, clubs here in this city. There's risque billboards everywhere and everything seems to have an underlying sexual innuendo. It's kinda funny, actually. And it's so bright. I can only imagine how much energy is used to keep the lights bright in Vegas. And the casinos. There are a LOT. I don't even know how many; didn't bother counting. But you can gamble one cent, one hundred dollars, whatever is your pleasure. There is a minimum and a maximum though. And I'm proud to say (or not really proud exactly but excited because it was a first) that Josh and I went to a casino and gambled! Whoa. It was actually rather fun. We went to the Venetian Hotel and Casino for about two hours this afternoon to try our luck in the casino.

This is the Venetian. When I was out here in '99 with my family, I took a picture of this hotel and I remember thinking it was the most beautiful hotel that I'd ever seen. I was pretty excited to actually go into it this time around!

They had slot machines that still had the arms you could pull!!!! I won  50 cents here. 

)

I won $14!!!!

Now, I have to admit the casino wasn't quite as exciting as I thought. Apparently casinos are the one place where you can still smoke indoors (um, ewww). It was also a strange sight to behold; the ceilings of this beautiful building were so elegant and ornate but the room was filled with the twangy zinging and tinging and the garish lights of the slot machines. The dichotomy didn't quite compute in my head. We also played a couple of hands of Blackjack and Roulette. Roulette was a lot of fun. I actually won there too. Although, my strategy made the other people at the table and the dealer laugh. I put only one chip on each number. In my head, that maximized my chances of winning. It seems that that's not how most people choose to play. But we were just there to have fun, so whatever. In the end, we walked out $6.00 richer than we started. And two hours was plenty of time for us. Smoking is not our favorite so we got out of there!

The Venetian is not just a hotel. It's also a mall. Yes, a mall. And inside it has it's own river. With gondolas. And gondoliers who sing. That blue sky you see? It's not real but it certainly looks awesome!

The shops inside the Venetian Mall are really high end and swanky and there's also lots of bars. Here's one that's a bit different than anything we've ever come across as far as bars go. This one is called Breathe. It's an Oxygen bar. I blew up this picture so that you could see that the people at this bar aren't drinking their shots. Nope, they have nasal cannulas that deliver their shot of oxygen into their bodies. It's about the oddest thing I've ever seen, but we went by it twice and both times it was packed. There are even different flavors you can get. I don't even like sharing straws with people let alone cannulas (although, no one's ever asked).

We drove by the Gold and Silver Pawn, which you might recognize as the shop from the Discovery Channel show, Pawn Stars. Can you tell from the picture that the line to get inside is an entire block long? On second thought, we decided not to go in.

A few other exciting Vegas-y things to behold:

Why yes, that IS an Elvis impersonator. 

That tall skinny thing is called The Stratosphere. It costs  $20 just to go up in it and there's a rotating restaurant at the top that is uber fine dining (i.e. it had four dollar signs next to its name in the Dining guide at the hotel and that's as high as it goes.) And did I mention that you can free fall from the top? At night?

After our stint at the casino, we met up with my grandparents, which was our whole purpose for visiting Vegas. And it was so very wonderful to see them again. I haven't gotten to interact with them a whole lot in life because they live so far away but when we do get together, it just makes it that much sweeter. And boy did they have some stories about my parents! I'm excited to use that ammo when I get home!  I'm glad that Josh finally got to meet them too. I think they're really neat people. They're a snarky couple and I just love the humor and biting wit that they exude with each sentence delivered.

This is Bobbi Ann, my cousin and mother to Cat.

This is Cat, my cousin's daughter. She is 7 years old and is reading at a third or fourth grade level. She's a smart little cookie who likes ravioli and is going to be a marine biologist when she grows up.

And my grandmother, Barb and her husband, Cal. Two of the coolest grandparents ever. Cal is a self-proclaimed "dirty old man", but don't let him fool you. He actually has a heart of gold. The two of them are great. They have two of the best laughs I've ever heard.

I'm so glad we continued on our trip, if only to have gotten here to Vegas and spending time with family. It was awesome.

The Grand Canyon

I couldn't get the silly blogger to work yesterday, so I'm a day behind. We spent the day at the Grand Canyon yesterday! It was awesome. And cold. There was snow on the ground! But thankfully, we found an REI in Tucson and got ourselves some new winter coats. And on the plus side, when you have to get coats in February, at least they're all on clearance!

So the Grand Canyon. I had been there once before on a family vacation out West 12 years ago and i really only remember two things. One, I was wearing a 'Yo Quiero Taco Bell' shirt (complete with a chihuahua....lapse in fashion judgment?) and two, my brother pretended to fall off the Canyon to scare the daylights out of our mother. And it worked. Quite well.

But it was pretty cool to see it again with Josh this time. We had lunch at a lodge and right outside the windows, you could see the Canyon.

Pretty view from outside the restaurant/lodge

And then we decided to stop in the restroom before heading out into the rest of the national park. And i'm telling you this so that I don't just spring this next picture on you. As a little more of a preface, some of the hotels and restaurants in Arizona have been using something called 'reclaimed water' in their sprinklers and other water sources. They are also accompanied by a sign telling you to avoid contact with the reclaimed water. Reclaimed water as you might imagine, is former wastewater that has the impurities removed and then used in other water systems to promote water conservation and so that treated water isn't just funneled into the ocean or rivers. Which is an awesome idea. And the signs warning of potential dangers are really thoughtful, but really.....

CAUTION: Reclaimed water DO NOT DRINK. In case we were really that tempted, the sign surely warned us away from drinking out of that particular bowl of fecal ambrosia. 

It's crazy how flat the Canyon is at the top. There is no one point that is taller than the rest. It all just plateaus across and dips sooo far down.  And soooo far across.  We scoped out a good spot for sunset too and just basked in all the colors rippling across the sky.  It was spectacular to watch the blue fade into black and the orange bleed into fuschia.  Sadly, it was impossible to get it to translate photographically. BUt it was gorgeous.  And now I'll simply regale you with a smattering of Canyon shots because it really is a beautiful piece of Creation...



 






We had an excellent time checking out the Canyon. Next time we're here, we're going to paddle the Colorado River THROUGH the Canyon. Oh, heck yes.

We got back on the road today to head to Vegas, which we are here now. But on the way, we decided to stop in at the Hoover Dam. When we were visiting Mary in St. Augustine, she told us we have to see it and so we did! And it is crazy! It's so freaking big and man-made.

We had to cross into Nevada to get across the bridge to the Dam.

And then once we were through the security check-point we  had to park in Arizona.

Then, we went around some crazy intense switchbacks. Note the insane curvature on this sign. Looks kind of uncomfortable.

Here's the Hoover Dam! It's not the best picture but it is pretty intense.

The bridge that goes right over the Dam. I think it's a really cool bridge and it's HUGE (not that you can tell in  a picture. No good way to get perspective on its hugeness though)

And now we're in Las Vegas and three hours behind home time. So it's not really 2:30am as I type this even though it's going to say it is. We're going to go see my grandparents tomorrow and I'm really excited! Josh was in the hospital when they were here for my graduation a few years ago and they weren't able to come out to our wedding in October, so I'm stoked to have Josh meet them finally! Should be a good day :)

Close Encounters of the Furry Kind

Today was another driving day. We're doing surprisingly well with this whole drive one day, sight-see next, drive again, etc. It's kind of like a non-exercising, non-strenuous backpacking trip. We've been getting up early and everything, which if you know us (and you probably do, otherwise it'd be way less exciting to read this) is impressive.

Meet Kenny. He's been our driving companion from day one. He's very happy about it.

But anyway, today was only a six hour drive to the Grand Canyon. We've discovered a few things about Arizonians (Arizonanites? Those who live in the state of Arizona). They drive a little not awesome. They're not mean or vindictive or anything but they will tailgate you. Everyone in this state either drives 20 mph over the speed limit or 15 mph under. It's an odd dichotomy here. Kinda like our observations in Rhode Island, just with tailgating instead of pulling out in front of you.

Another thing we discovered is everyone has tinted windows! It makes sense if you live in a desert, but it's an odd sight looking over in the next lane and not being able to see into any of the cars. We have no idea what anyone actually looks like in AZ, ha.  The school buses have air conditioning too! I have never seen a big yellow school bus with air conditioners but one passed us with four individual units. Again, it makes sense when you live in 111 degree heat.  Also, they have super colorful bus stops. Ones my mother would enjoy immensely.

Purple bus stops! Cooler than boring gray, that's for sure.

Our drive was fairly uneventful, but we did pull off for Starbucks this afternoon and just happened upon another of the World's Largest somethings. See the picture below.  We also had a very, very close encounter with a very large rabbit. They must grow bigger desert bunnies here with backwards ears because this bunny was a big one. And somehow we avoided actually crushing the thing but I'm pretty sure his ears are not as large as they used to be.

World's Largest Kokopelli!

Can you tell I really didn't want my picture taken? We got a new lens to replace the one that was taken and it takes some really awesome angles. It has a really wide angle so it distorts things a little bit. We're having fun exploring with it.

Tomorrow, we go see the Grand Canyon! We had plans to do the Sky Walk where they built a glass floor going out into the Canyon, very similar to the platform in the Sears Tower. However, it's actually on the other side entirely which is about 4 1/2 hours away. And they don't let you take pictures! You can pay $30 (on top of the entrance free) for someone to take your picture though....boo. That's okay though. I think the grandeur of the Canyon itself will suffice!

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Arizona is absolutely breathtaking! The vistas and landscapes are incredible. I find them almost other-worldly (but maybe that's because we just left Roswell...).  The mountains are so extreme and the land everywhere else is so flat. There are cacti lining every bit of land, whether it's on the mountain or just alongside the road. I decided that it looks like the cacti are all trying to walk up the mountain. Each one is just a little further ahead than the last one and it looks like they're all journeying to the top. Like a prickly version of the game 'Mother May I'.

The museum was pretty stellar. It's in the Saguaro National Park and it is quite simply, gorgeous. There really isn't anything like it. It's not a museum as much as it is a wildlife preserve and educational center. They had all sorts of different cacti, birds, mammals, reptiles, creepy tarantulas, rats, bees, fish, otters, beavers....so many animals! I'm torn between being super excited that I can see them up close and sad that I can see them up close. The big jungle cats just kind of pace back and forth like they wish more than anything to be free of the man-made habitats. And other animals just look so 'ho-hum'. But regardless, they were awesome to see and learn about.

So many different shapes, sizes and varieties of cacti!

Almost all of the museum was outside in the wonderfully sunny 80 degree weather. It had winding paths that led you all around the different animal exhibits and plant life. 

Hummingbird! For the record, those things zoom at you kamakazi style. And they sound like a Harley when they fly passed your ear.

Turtle, turtle.

Big Horns. That's actually their name, not a reference to the size of their horns.

Beaver

Meet the Coatis. Kind of like a raccoon with a more pronounced and prolonged snout and a longer tail without the ringed pattern of most 'coons. For some unknown reason, the Coatis likes to rub fragrant trees and materials on his tail.

Bobcats. They have such similar mannerisms to my cats. I could have one as a pet then, right?

This is an Ocelot. Also another gorgeous cat. I also want this one as a pet.

Prairie dogs! This guy looks a little dopey in the picture. Did you know these are the only other animals that kiss besides humans? We caught some of them in the act this afternoon.

Mexican Wolf

Black Bear. But he's not so black is he? Apparently there are about 15 different shades of black bears.

Annnd, the mountain lion. I don't want him as a pet. He could kick my butt.

Tomorrow is another driving day. We're headed to the Grand Canyon!

The World's Largest........

Today was just a driving day but it was a pretty exciting ten hours on the road. Let me tell you why...

After an extremely flat Texas, we found hills and mountains!

Wishful thinking?

We found a cop with PINK handcuffs!

We got a recommendation from the cashier at a travel plaza to go this little pistachio grove and winery. There were four friendly dogs there to greet us. Guess where the fourth was.....peeing on our trailer. Nice.

They had all sorts of different types of pistachios to try: garlic, red chili, lemon-lime....all sorts

This place was also home to the WORLD'S LARGEST PISTACHIO!!!!!!!! How can that not make your day?

This vegetation looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. Like a pineapple wearing a grass skirt with a brown peacock feather sticking out of it. Maybe if you squint.

We crossed the Continental Divide! Now the water flows a different direction. Sweet.

Southwestern sunsets are spectacular.

My husband.

Seriously though, I think that the sky is bigger in the Southwest. 

We're in Arizona!

So it was a long day in the car but we hit some pretty awesome sights along the way. And the pistachio? Oh yeah. Now we're in Tucson and we're headed to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum on the recommendation of someone we met way back in Maine. We met someone at a hotel bar who was from Canada, living in Arizona but working in Maine and he told us this place rocks. So we're excited to find out. And we've finally found an REI which means replacing our winter coats! Yay! It seems we've permanently left the warm portion of the country. But that's okay. We're enjoying the new desert landscapes of the Southwest!