Grand Canyon and Lake Mead and Las Vegas

Glad to be back on line again as we were without internet connection in the Grand Canyon National Park and Lake Mead.

From Mesa Verde we stopped off at the Four Corners where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah meet. The landscape there looked like Mars as there were no trees or even weeds as far as you could see. Just rock and sand.
It is actually located on Indian Reservation property, and they also sold jewelry. Maddy and Chris each bought some bracelets with their own money.


We saw the painted desert along the way, as well as a pink sand desert with dark green sage bushes which really didn't look real. It reminded me more of an over exaggerated painting of a desert scene.

The Grand Canyon was completely spectacular. We toured the South Rim and visited the east rim on the way to our campground and the next day toured the west rim, which was most breathtaking.
I also skipped out at sunrise on the third day and captured some great pictures.




The wildlife was plentiful with mule deer, elk, ground squirrels and steller's jay. The stellers jay is a member of the bluejay family but only lives at high altitude. They are mostly blue with a black crested head.



One morning we were driving out to sight see and there was an elk the size of a horse. We were in the truck and it was starring down at us from 10 feet, and he was not running away! That was a close call. I later saw another one about as big as that one, an took a picture.





On our way to Lake Mead, there were lots on Navaho homes in the deserts of Arizona. You would see a small wood frame house or maybe an old mobile home, but they would always have a circular adobe style hut at each home. I think this is for worship and ceremonial use, because these circular structures were used by the Mesa Verde indians in the 1000 year old cliff dwellings. Much of the lifestyle of the Mesa Verde people is learned from the Navaho of today, because many of their traditions have not changed.


Friday we camped at Lake Mead National Recreational Area.
It was about 30 miles off the main road and as we traveled farther out in the desert, the temperature began to climb rapidly. From the main road, it was 100 degrees, and by the time we reached the park it was 116 degrees.
You will see the bright blue lake in the middle of the desert. Well, when we got to the campground, it was beautiful with palm trees and blooming shrubs. However, there was no electricity and it was 116 degrees. So we quickly set up the camper and took the girls to the lake for swimming. We took some gravel off roads to look for a nice beach. The sand was thick and the rocks were large. I used four wheel drive for climbing up the steep sandy hills around the lake, but we had trouble finding a beach that was not muddy. So we traveled back to the marina and just swam there. The water was ice cold, which worked our great! Check out the picture of the roadrunner bird.
They were plentiful in the area. We also saw some type of quail which was bluish gray and had some funny feathers on its head that stick up. Needless to say, we only stayed one night. I had opened up the tent bunk end on the camper to allow air to circulate. Maddy sleep on the dinette, with Chris in the back bunk, and Ginny and I in the bunk end with screened canvas. By morning we were chilly and needed a blanket. We left there for Vegas, and it was already 89 degrees at 8:00am.

The Las Vegas Oasis Resort was an excellent facility with all the perks.
Concrete RV pads with grass and a well manicured landscape. They had two pools (one family, one adult) and a hot tub. They had slot machines in the main building. The first night, we hit the strip and took in the free side walk shows and eat dinner at Paris.
This is the best buffet I have ever been to. Ginny slipped away and hit a few slots and one ten dollars in about 5 minutes.
I think she cashed out too early, however. I lost 5 dollars on some slots in New York. so that was the extent of our gambling.


Tomorrow, Monday, we head out for Zion National Park. We look forward to it because it is still 100 degrees plus here in Vegas. So we just shop, swim, or eat. All things that don't involve being in the heat. I may not have an update until Bryce Canyon until Wednesday as we will be in a secluded area.