Las Vegas

Hi all,

This morning we headed off to Boulder City Airport for our scenic flight over the Grand Canyon. We did one of these in 2005 when I was a kid, and I remembered it being spectacular. It was once again!

Rob and I were in the front row with a window each to look through. We had magnificent views of Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon covers an area of nearly 5000 square kilometres and is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It has been shaped by the Colorado River, wind, rain and snow over time. We were unsurprised when the narration on the plane spoke of how impenetrable and dangerous the canyon was to early settlers and pioneers. We will be driving to the Grand Canyon in Arizona next week so I’ll have more about it then. I hope you enjoy my photos.

Once we returned to the airport, we drove to Hoover Dam to look at it in person. The dam was built between 1931 and 1935 and was completed two years ahead of schedule. That is amazing for the time it was built in. Boulder City (where the airport was) was originally built to house the workers for the construction of the dam. The dam has more reinforced steel within its structure than the Empire State Building, and has a larger volume of material than the Great Pyramid. The amount of concrete poured for its construction could build a two lane highway stretching coast to coast in the USA. So basically - it’s massive and very heavy! And it has to be, it needs to withstand pressure of 45,000 pounds of water per square foot of its structure.

We were subject to a pretty chilled out security check - “any drones or guns?” “No” “drive through”. Nearby we stopped at the bridge facing the dam for a great view. This is now the main thoroughfare for the highway between Arizona and Nevada. The beauty of everyone here speaking so loudly is I overhear interesting facts sometimes. I heard a woman saying they built the bridge after 9/11 so that those heading to the dam were subject to security inspections and it was no longer the main highway as it was too accessible.

We walked over the dam and had a look around. The scale of it was huge. Rob found an interesting map of the dam in the gift shop that showed all the underground tunnels and passageways built in as well.

We then headed to a supermarket to get some groceries before heading to a shopping outlet for Rob to try and find a particular pair of shoes he wanted. Unfortunately we had no luck, so we headed back to our room to grab our hats and sunscreen and head out again. We went to another shopping centre in Vegas and Rob had no luck again re shoes!

Afterwards we walked down the Strip taking in all the hotels. I find this city very overwhelming. It’s like a giant fun park, everything is loud and flashing and there are people everywhere, all the time. But I can appreciate it for what it is. The name ‘Las Vegas’ means ‘The Meadows’, as once upon a time the site of the city was a welcomed green oasis in the desert. It was a popular overnight rest stop for gold prospectors. In 1931 gambling was legalised here, and the first resort was built in 1941. The rest is history, as today the city has 20 million visitors per year and is full of lots of crazy resorts - from the Italian themed Venetian to the Egyptian themed Luxor.

We went inside the Venetian and got lost, but managed to find the Grand Canal with the gondola rides and St Mark’s Square. The place was huge, and as with any casino it was hard to find the exit!!

Back on the Strip, we had a margarita each at a bar. Then we continued down and looked at many other hotels including Treasure Island, Caesar’s Palace, Paris etc. We eventually stopped to watch the Bellagio water show which played to the tune of ‘Luck Be A Lady’ by Frank Sinatra. We enjoyed it. We then walked past New York, New York and finally finished up at our hotel, Excalibur, which is a giant castle.

We had an early start today followed by a tiring walk through the city, so we came back and had a nap and a shower and are now getting ready to go out for dinner tonight. We are then going to a show, Rob chose ‘The Blue Man Group’. Tomorrow we are driving to Zion National Park in Utah. We've enjoyed our time here in Vegas, but are looking forward to some more walks out in the wilderness.

Love to all
Claire
Xoxox