Las Vegas to Zion Canyon ...

We drove roughly three hours from Vegas to arrive at Zion Canyon. We had a beautiful camp site, next to the creek and surrounded by a beautiful part of the canyon. It was lovely to experience the rain on the day we arrived.

We were camped next to a lovely family from Vegas who had to younger children roughly the same age and sex as ours and also three young adult children. We were like long lost friends very early on and we shared smores with them after dinner on the first night. A smore you might be thinking - the US  version of roasting marshmallows means putting the marshmallow and chocolate between two gram crackers. Yas and Max could not get enough!!!

We were treated to an amazing rainbow after the storm slightly before sunset. Wow!

The creek provided huge amounts of excitement for the kids, they found a spot they proudly named, "Frog Island". This small islet in the creek contained hundreds of baby frogs - Max was in heaven. Many trips were made to Frog Island during our four night stay. The creek also was famous for its mini rapids which people loved to ride on inflatable tubes. Yas was in heaven, riding the rapids with the big girls.

Our favorite hike was called, "The Narrows." This involved a mile walk along the river, where the canyon begins to narrow. This is where you enter the water and walk or wade through the canyon. This was tricky at times as Max could not touch the bottom, but really beautiful. I was really impressed with how Yas and Max handled the walk/swim. Overall we would have covered at least five miles and they were fantastic.

During the walk we were joined by a number of squirrels - looking for food. They were really game, coming right up close.

Zion was truly beautiful - red earth and giant canyons. My only disappointment was that after a big hike I was looking forward to a cold alcoholic drink or a glass of red. We drove into town and stopped at the bottle shop which was inside a larger store. I was quickly informed by the shop owner that, "You are in Utah dear! You can't buy any alcohol - its Sunday"! I was not happy.

(Note to Kay and Graham - be prepared with wine!)

The Golden Nugget.....

Yes, you would never have guessed, but we headed back to Vegas today. We simply had to escape the heat, and we were drawn back to Vegas because firstly because it was only a four hour drive away. Secondly, I booked us a room at The Golden Nugget for only $47 a night plus tax, (Nic you will be pleased to know that no resort fees are charged)! Finally, the kids will have a chance to swim in the pool with the waterside that goes through the shark tank.

We arrived, completely drained from the heat to discover Vegas was 48 degrees. I do believe this is the hottest I have ever been. But we were straight up to our surprisingly great hotel room and air conditioning. Garry even suggested that we stay at least two nights, so we extended our stay! After a week camping, mostly in dirt, two nights in beds with fresh white sheets and air conditioning is luxury.

The Golden Nugget is apparently famous for being the first Casino in Vegas? When I was researching on the web, I discovered the following image of a really old postcard from the hotel.

This is a very different side of Vegas to that when we visited a month ago. I guess there is a reason the rooms are so affordable. The centerpiece of the newest tower in The Golden Nugget is beautiful, but also very different to that of the Venetian.

The kids were happy to lay on the bed and watch television - even with that amazing swimming pool downstairs. But once we did go for a swim it was very difficult to get them out of the pool. The following pictures explain why.

The swimming pool is called, "The Tank" and cost 30 million dollars and includes a shark tank and three story water slide. It was really cool to be swimming in the pool with only glass between you and sharks! The promo video from You Tube below gives you an idea.

On the darker side we did witness quite a show on our first afternoon in the swimming pool. It involved several women in a brawl, which at one time included a child attacking a security guards from behind to defend his mother. In the end three women were handcuffed and removed. This was a very different atmosphere to that at the Venetian!

We braved the heat to check out the local Vegas action. We witnessed some unusual sights including the Heart Attack Grill. If you weigh 300 pounds or more you can eat for free! To check your weight you have the ability to weigh yourself on giant scales, with the weight lit up for all to see! We watched a number of men weigh in only to miss out by a few pounds - much to their obvious disappointment.

It was lovely to have a nice shower and sleep in beds again. With our batteries recharged we are ready for a new day on the road...

Waking with Elk...

We had just woken and were sitting next to our tent when we spotted our first Elk. Poor Yasemin was still sleeping and missed out, but she would have many more opportunities throughout the day.

We spent our time touring the park and in the afternoon we saw a family of Deer and an enormous male Elk.

We met people from many different countries and had some great conversations. Excluding the heat which is almost unbearable, this was a really great day.

Arriving at South Rim...

We were not lucky enough to have a booking for a site in the Grand Canyon National Park. We knew that their were a small number of sites available on a first arrival basis. We were up very early, fed, packed and on our way before nine thirty in the morning.

It was our lucky day, and we arrived in time to secure the last site for the next two days. Garry was a very happy man as he wanted to camp inside the National Park. Max and I left Garry and Yasemin  to put the tent up and we went in search of supplies.

It was really hot. Did I remember to say how hot it was? The park ranger reported that temperatures were between 43 - 45 degrees  in the sun.

Yasemin and Max were intrigued with the mother and baby bird in the tree next to our tent. We were hoping  for views other wildlife including Deer and Elk but did not want to see any rattlesnakes.

Before dinner we went for a drive and stopped at some of the lookout points. Wow again!

Thankfully as the sun set, the breeze picked up and the temperature dropped a little. We were exhausted but enjoyed a nice meal and a good glass of red.

Monument Valley is a photographers dream!

Day five was extremely hot! We crossed the boarder from Utah and drove a few miles into Arizona to visit the Navajo Indian museum and admire the amazing views.

With much encouragement from the back seat we stopped at an Indian Souvenir Store on the side of the road - with dirt floors - but amazing jewellery.

In the afternoon, I was lucky enough to spend four hours with a Navajo Indian guide on a tour of the Valley.

Wow! As if the view wasn't amazing enough - but a rainbow!!!

Our time was spent driving from amazing site to another amazing site, stopping for photos and the occasional spot of jewellery shopping. At many of the sites huge tables of jewellery and pottery were on display.

In the following rock formations you can clearly see firstly profile of an Indian head, with long black hair created by the natural flow of water through the hole in the rock. The second photo is famous because it looks like an Eagle's head.

One of my favorite parts of the tour was arriving at the overhang of rock where John Wayne sat on his horse looking for the lost little girl in the film, The Searchers. When we arrived at this spot, an Indian was waiting on a horse to provide a great photo opportunity. If you were inclined you could sit on the horse and had your photo taken in the same place for five dollars - you will be glad to know that I practiced restraint.

The tour was wonderful and I took over one thousand photographs. Below are some of my favorites that I have edited.

Our visit to Monument Valley was definitely a trip highlight. I returned back at the camp ground well after eight at night, exhausted but keen to check and edit photos. Tomorrow we will hit the Grand Canyon.

Durango to Monument Valley...

Day three involved a rest day - about time. We endured a huge thunder storm in our new tent and got organized for the drive into the desert. We woke on day five with a sick Yasemin, a very expensive $245 visit to the doctor for antibiotics followed and we said farewell to Lightening Creek Camp Ground.

We were headed for Monument valley, the Navajo Indian Reservation made famous by John Wayne. The weather started to heat up as we started driving and the landscape stated to become very dramatic. We stopped to take the following photo just before we crossed the border from Colorado into Utah.

We were captivated by the desert landscape and when we entered the reservation the ground and rocks changed to an intense red. This is truly a beautiful part of the world.

We arrived at the famous Goulding's Lodge - and continued onto the Campground further up the hill. The view was spectacular!

After setting up the tent in the red dirt, we were exhausted from the heat. I was looking forward to a red wine and enjoying the view watching the sun set. Not to be though as we did not come prepared and were expecting to buy alcohol. Bad luck for us as their is a full alcohol ban on the reservation - you can drink if you bring it with you, but their is nowhere to buy any. Bummer!