Sedona and the Main Event!

The following day found us in Sedona, AZ, by way of the scenic Oak Creek Canyon road.  It was a beautiful drive, but there weren’t many places to pull out for photos, so for the most part we just enjoyed the ride.

We were walking around across the road from this sign, and two gentlemen suggested that we go elsewhere, as they thought they had just heard a rattlesnake.  Okay, we’re outta here!!

It was a quick trip, because we had to get back to Vegas to return our rental car.  Our final destination was Salt Lake City, and the cost to drive there and turn in our car was outrageous!!  So we took the car back to Vegas and flew to SLC for a small fraction of the cost. 

Salt Lake City was the location of my nephew’s wedding, and our ultimate destination!  The wedding was on Saturday and we had Friday to do some more sightseeing.  Fall is coming to the mountains.  There was even a little snow on a few of the peaks.

This guy crossed the parking lot in front of us, and even stopped to pose.

Saturday morning came early, and we headed to the campground where the wedding was to be held in a meadow.  We helped decorate the shelter, set up chairs, haul beverages.  It was a lovely ceremony, and after a couple of cool days, it was sunny and beautiful.

The flower girl is the bride’s daughter, and a much loved addition to the family.  I think she may be getting a quilt for Christmas.  We had a chance to spend time with family and friends, with good food, chatting around late night fire pits, and even a hot tub.  I hope we can all get together again soon!

The final shot is my five little nephews, and they actually asked to have their picture taken together!!

The Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon

The Grand Canyon was our next destination, and one of the two main reasons for our trip.  I’ve been to 47 states, but I’ve never before seen the Grand Canyon.  It truly was grand!  We weren’t there at the right time of day to get sensational photos, but I’m pleased with what I got.

There were a LOT of people here, but it’s big enough for everyone to get a view or two.  We saw a herd of elk when we first drove into the park, and I couldn’t believe how many people were walking around trying to get close to them.  We also saw more elk as we were leaving the park on another route later.  And then there was this guy, who crossed right in front of our Tour bus!

Obviously not too worried about humans. 
We got to Desert View tower just in time for sunset.

There were a lot of people scurrying to the edge to get their last view before the day’s light was gone.
After leaving the park, we drove for nearly 3 hours on a very dark, very lonely road.  We had a little scare with our tire pressure, but it turned out to be just a bad sensor.  Driving across wide open terrain is awesome, because we could see so far, and watched storms in the distance.  We safely reached our destination and settled in for the night.
Our activity for the following day was to visit one of the Slot canyons near Page Arizona.  Our tour took us to the very beautiful Upper Antelope Canyon. 
While the section of Nevada that we saw was very brown, this part of Arizona is very red.  We had some time to kill before our tour, so we took a short drive over to Glen Canyon Dam. 

Then on to Antelope Canyon.  we hadn’t made reservations in advance, and were very fortunate to get our hands on tickets for the 12:30 tour!
Our guide was Kay, a member of the Navajo Nation, on whose land the canyon is located.  She was very helpful and knowledgeable, helping everyone get the right settings on their cameras, and pointing out good shots.  I also learned a little about Navajo customs from her.

My pictures do not begin to do justice to the beauty of this canyon, but here is a small sample of what I took.

What a fantastic experience.  This canyon was very easy to walk through, and although I’m claustrophobic, I was not uncomfortable at any time. 
I’ll stop here for today so that I don’t blow up anyone’s computer.  Hope you’re enjoying our tour of the southwest.

~~~ Sunny ~~~

Back on the Grid

I guess it’s time to do a post since friends have reached out to see if I’m still here.  I am, and I have some vacation photos to share.  No stitching happened while we were away.

We flew into Vegas on Saturday afternoon, got settled into our hotel, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then drove up the Strip.  Most of these pictures were taken from the car, which is good because we never made it back! 

We made it up to Fremont Street, which was quite an experience.  As soon as we arrived there, we ran into a friend from home!  I knew she was in Vegas, but I certainly never thought we would see her there. 

We saw the overhead light show, zip liners, scantily clad women (and men) and many other street performers.  Walking around and gawking gave us a chance to get a taste of the city while getting in some steps.

The following day, we drove over to Hoover Dam, and it was HOT!!!  We’re not used to desert temperatures. 

After years of drought, I’m sure that Marina has had to be moved to still be in the water.  DH walked up to the bridge overlooking the dam and got some better pictures, but it was just too hot for me.  We saw this little guy near the Visitor’s Center.  We certainly don’t have critters like this in our area.

Our next stop was the Red Rock Canyon, just a few short miles from Vegas.  Most of what we had seen of Nevada up until this point was very brown.  Incredibly brown.

There is a loop road in Red Rock Canyon that opens to some beautiful vistas of the red rock formations of the area.

It’s very pretty country,in a different way.  Our plan was to return to Vegas for dinner on the strip, and seeing some of the highlights.  I really wanted to see the fountains at the Bellagio, and I had hoped to eat at “Giada”, but it just didn’t happen.  Instead, we walked through the large casino next to our hotel, and enjoyed a nice dinner there.  I’m sure we were the only people in town who didn’t gamble away even a dime!!

That should do it for today’s installment.  More to follow.

~~~~Sunny~~~