June 13-21 Side trip to Las Vegas

(Screwed up the blog: this picture was supposed to be further down the page)
Roughing it in Las Vegas; having crabcake eggs benedict at the Cafe Bellagio; right next to the conservatory, great food, great service. I think I could live in this place.




Oops, electrical problem; had to go to Vegas early.



Well, everything was going along on schedule (well, close). We had left Kanab and Zion and were headed to Bryce Canyon (and looking forward to it). We camped overnight just outside of Bryce and discovered we had lost our 110 a/c (alternating current). Could not find any circuit breakers or fuses malfunctioning; called Monaco (they made our RV). "Sounds like an inverter problem, see if you can get someone to check elec input/output". We have an electric inverter that does a lot of things, and has to be working to get 110 a/c. Got an electrician who confirmed our inverter was shot; our options: 245 miles north to Salt Lake City or 245 miles south to Vegas. Viva Las Vegas; we'll just go there earlier than we planned, enjoy the city, get back on track.



Got to Vegas that night, very warm; went to the rv dealer in the morning; they have to order the inverter; will take till next Wednesday (that day was Friday, and too late to send it out that day); so we checked into a motel for a week.



We must have gotten soft, but the heat was killing us (105 +); we did not do a lot of our outdoor exploring and decided we will do Arizona (supposed to be later in the trip) at another time. So most of what we did was inside (visit casinos, museums and hotels), which are very interesting here.



Here is our take on Vegas: the city is constantly re-inventing itself, with each new project more elaborate than previous; they must be making money, or they wouldn't keep doing this. With a background in high end retail, we enjoyed evaluating the designs, customer service and the ambiance of the different places. Frankly, we didn't enjoy most of the casinos (too smoky or too dark, or too noisy). Two major exceptions: both built by Steve Wynn; The Bellagio and Wynn. The man may be an egomaniac, but he sure can build a pleasant environment. I didn't want to leave the Bellagio; very creative/not imitative, music/sound system very pleasant, casino area, wide aisles, not smoky, chairs in front of the slots very comfortable, special feature rooms (conservatory in the Bellagio, delightful), heating/air conditioning well controlled (this is not all that common), casino people everywhere and very helpful (can't imagine their operating budget), great restaurants w/wonderful food and service, wonderful interior design (ceilings, floors, light fixtures, centerpieces, etc.) everywhere. We did visit the Four Seasons and the Ritz Carlton; very nice, but I'll take the Bellagio.



Other notes of interest; did you know that 85% of Nevada is owned by the Federal Government? Sen. Harry Reid has been changing that and with each new land change has been appropriating more water for the Vegas area from ranchers upstate. There was so much overbuilding of homes/condos here that realtors/banks have actual foreclosure busses taking people around showing them houses. May '08 real estate sales up somewhat from last year; 50% of the sales were foreclosures; yikes.



Bellagio was sold to Kurt Kerkorian (MGM Grand) a few years ago. MGM Grand, in partnership with Dubai is currently developing a massive complex right next to the Bellagio (wonder what they tore down to do this). Complex is on 76 acres, has several condominium buildings, 500,000 sq ft retail, casino and a hotel. Build out price? a measly $8 billion; on schedule to be completed by Dec '09. Wow! What kind of money comes into this city?



Saw a few museums (Liberace, sculptur named MacDonald) and went to the Red Rock Canyon on the West side of the city (nice, but after Zion and others, nothing spectacular).



Unfortunately, it was too freakin hot to enjoy anything outdoors. As soon as we got fixed, we headed for St. George, Utah.



Oh, our big gambling effort. Blackjack at the Ritz Carlton; came out ahead $20, whoopee.

Pictures of the conservatory in the Bellagio; big area, model trains running around the perimeter; change the displays often; the clothing on the bears above are all flowers; great music, intermittent arcs of water on the green planted area in the first picture; thought I was looking at Rose Bowl parade exhibits; lots of people there, in spite of it being low season for Vegas.

Bellagio lake right on the strip; dancing fountains w/great music entertain you in the afternoon and in the evening; our favorite restaurant, Olives, in the background; even in the heat of the day, you can sit outside in the shade w/water misters to keep you cool; had some wonderful meals there; great waiters/waitresses.

Reception area, check in desk at the Bellagio. See the check in area in the top picture? Wonderful lit up backdrop behind the desk. Probably can't see it well, but the ceiling in the background of the bottom picture is a fantastic mix of beautiful colored glass protruding from the ceiling; very artistic.

Another ho-hum ceiling treatment, this one over at the Wynn casino; couldn't do justice to these places. He's (Wynn) currently building another one next door called Encore, should be great.

Light fixtures at Wynn that Marlene fell in love with. "John, we could get some big clay pots and do this lighting in our dining room".

June 8-10 Zion Natl Park, Coral Sands State Park

First, Zion National Park, another masterpiece. First some more geology. Bryce Canyon, Zion Natl Park and Grand Canyon are all part of the Colorado plateau which, through uplifting, has formed what is now known as the Grand Staircase, with Bryce at the top, Zion in the middle and Grand Canyon at the bottom. Zion was a relatively flat basin 275 million years ago; then sand, mud and gravel accumulated to a depth of some 10,000 feet, the sheer weight of the material pushing the sediment down. Mineral laden waters produce cementing type action, and different colored strata, red from iron oxide, white from calcium carbonate among others. Then the uplifting began, still continues and is now as high as 10,000 feet above sea level. The Virgin River cuts through Zion and has produced the erosion that has produced this beautiful canyon. Volcano's, earthquakes, landslides and erosion continue to this day.

The park is wonderfully set up for any outdoor enthusiasts, from wheelchair to avid hiker. Great for families. Park rangers, as usual, are great. Because of traffic jams, since 1999 they have only allowed big shuttle busses to travel the main route through the park. Result is excellent; busses run every couple of minutes; busses have 1/4 of the pollution of a car (run on propane); doesn't feel crowded like the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Marlene and I did some of the hikes; and then I went after Angel's Landing, a 5 mile hike up 1400 feet (very exciting for an amateur like me); last 1/2 mile is very vertical with chains to help you up. Not for the faint of heart.

Definitely a must see.
Coming into the park; interesting formation; they are all so different.

Below, the beginning of John's excellent adventure.

On the way up; those are shuttle busses in white down there.

View from the top; many were called few were chosen.

Me, with a view of the park behind me. Everybody was calling people on their cell phones; pretending to order pizza, etc. Everybody up there thought they were big cheeses for making it.

View from the top.

Another view

Guy going down using the chain; going down was cake compared to going up.

This zigzag series of switchbacks I call a zwizzle; very strenuous coming up; and then you have another 1/2 mile.

Marlene liked this shot with the sun's rays showing in the picture.

As Marlene and I were following a path along the Virgin River towards the narrows, came across a young family having fun in the water with their young son (butt naked, but with a blue denim hat on)

Toward the north end of the park, the canyon walls narrow; people walk the last mile in the river to a point called the Narrows, where the walls are only 20 feet wide and the canyon walls shoot straight up. Riverbed is deeper now than later this summer, but people were gamely going for it.

End of Zion section. Don't miss it.

Coral Sands state park; a red Sahara due to the peculiar way the winds whip through a gap in the mountains. Utah allows off-terrain vehicles (dune buggies) to do their thing here. Who would think you would find this type of terrain here?

Kanab, UT June 8-10

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

Marlene discovered a rather remarkable place in this little town, just south of Zion Natl Park, named the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. This place is an amazing non-profit that came here in 1986, with the purpose of saving abandoned, abused and lost animals. They purchased 3,000 acres here, among the beautiful red rocks, and leased another 30,000 acres from the govt. They have been successful, continue to raise large amounts of money each year and have a potpourri of animals, usually some 2,000 in attendance. They place enough in adoption to keep their population constant, and have an extended outreach program to other sanctuaries. Many of their animals are dogs and cats, but they have goats, horses, all kinds of birds, rabbits (immediately neutered) among others. They took 22 of Michael Vick's most abused dogs; they took many animals lost in Hurricane Katrina; they take great care of these animals. Some of the facilities are wonderful. Maybe we should send our cat there. Would you believe they have an annual budget of $27 million? Major Los Angeles/Hollywood benefactors! Wonderful place; animals don't know how good they have it; but they probably deserve it. Have a special place for cats w/incontinence called the Hotel Incontinental. They do a good job of placing animals you wouldn't think they could; wonderful place. Even have a very dignified and respectful cemetery w/wind chimes; hard to describe but very nice. No animal here is euthanized. If you ever get out this way, you should stop by and take a tour of the place, it's free. Entry billboard; apparently one of the principals of the foundation does most of the sign work.

One of the cat areas; they have it great. All they are missing is a loving family home.
Another section for cats is furnished like a room in a house. In the above area there is a tree that allows them to climb up in the rafters.

One of the dog areas; they play classical music for them; seem to love it.
This is a central area off of which are several outside dog runs. Each run houses two to four dogs. The dogs are walked each day. Certain dogs are considered trustees which means they can run outside on their own and just return at night. The facility is air conditioned for them.

Antelope Canyon June 5

Antelope Canyon (we visited the Upper Antelope Canyon) is what is termed a "slot canyon"; it is one of the most professionally photographed spots in the southwest. This magnificent series of formations have been formed by the seasonal Antelope creek, thunderstorms and wind eroding a cave like area with many holes at the top that let light through. It is on Navajo land, and only accessible with a Navajo guide. We were fortunate to have a guide with a company called Chief Tsosie; probably the best Native American guide group we have encountered; they run an impressive business, with top notch customer service. It was a pleasure to encounter them. Many years ago herds of pronghorn antelope roamed through here. To the Navajo coming into this space is almost like a cathedral; to us it was peaceful, almost spiritual. At the right time of day, on a clear day, this spot is a favorite for people to have their picture taken.

So many formations where the shadows, light and curves in the rocks produce this.

What can you say?

Marlene enjoyed the canyon.

Some professionals doing their thing.

Trip to Rainbow Bridge June 4

Took a day trip to Rainbow Bridge National Monument via Lake Powell. One of the largest natural arches in the world, a sacred Navajo site, it spans 274 feet, is 42 feet thick at the top and is 290 feet high. After a long boat ride through some pretty narrow passageways, we had to hike about a mile to the bridge. Beautiful boat ride, quite spectacular formation. Good shot of the bridge. See the people at the bottom of the picture for perspective.

Narrow passageways to get to the bridge.

Note the water line showing Lake Powell below normal heights; fortunately it is rising 1 foot/day now.

Buttes everywhere along the boat ride. Pictures don't do them justice.

Interesting effect from weather, ice

Page, AZ Lake Powell June 3-7

Stayed at Lake Powell, AZ. Borders AZ and UT; lake is the 2nd largest man made lake in US, over 2000 miles of shoreline; created when the Glen Canyon Dam was built in 1963. Now a national park and major recreational area, it is beautiful w/ red rock buttes everywhere. Due to dry conditions past 8 years, water has been up to 100 feet below traditional levels. However, good snows past two winters have the water rising again, currently an additional 1 ft/day, should finish this spring/summer about 50 feet higher than it is now. RV park was right at the lake; beautiful sunsets. Wahweap marina.

Speed boats, million dollar houseboats, fishing boats; they all come.

Some rocks, huh?

Our RV site

GOD's Big Dig, Grand Canyon June 1, June 5

Ok, first some stats. Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world; averages 10 miles across from South Rim to North Rim. Averages 1 mile to the bottom (Colorado River). 277 miles long. When Indians brought the Spainish to it in the 1500's, they never made it to the bottom; too far. Went back and reported this area should be avoided at all costs. Became a place to visit for its beauty and views in early 1900's; that's when Mary Jane Coulter (architect) started designing her 5 buildings on the South Rim.

Geology/formation: This area is part of the Colorado Plateau, the surface of which was once underwater (marine fossils found). The whole area was subject to a massive uplift several hundred million years ago. The roaring Colorado river started the water erosion we see today about 6-10 million years ago. Other water and weather/wind erosion contributed to big dig we see today. Study of the age of the earth can be observed in the layers of rock down to the bottom. Layers of rock at the top 250 million years old; rocks at the bottom date to early ages of the earth's formation, up to 2.3 billion years ago.

The South Rim is where most people go; it is more developed w/lodging, ranger tours and shops. However, Marlene and I felt it was too developed; and we were there when it was supposedly not very busy; not very peaceful to us. North Rim has a lodge right on the edge of the canyon, less busy, better views for my money; much less developed, much more peaceful; I could easily spend a day or two at the North Rim.

Pictures cannot do justice to the massiveness of the Canyon; it's just too big. We were happy we went there, but have seen other sights and views we enjoyed more. Nothing, however, anything close to the scale of the Big Dig.

North Rim. Can you see the people at the edge of the white rock in the upper right? That's the view point; short walk down from the lodge, which is perched right on the edge of the canyon.

North Rim, about 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim

Marlene at the South Rim

Me in front of the South Rim

Hopi house at the south rim, one of 5 buildings designed by Mary Jane Coulter, famous architect (one of first female architects). Designed in 1905 to blend in with the Indian culture.

Me duct taping a bottom flap under my car until I can get to a garage. Too many rough dirt roads.

Blanding UT May 30

Went to Blanding, Utah on last day. Edge of the Cedars State Park has an Indian pueblo ruin, plus a nice archaelogical museum, including some items discovered by hikers in the local area. Further down the road, a nice dinosaur museum, pet project of paleontologist Stephen Czerkas, who with his wife is generally is travelling. Utah has a number of dinosaur fossil finds. At the Indian museum, on display is a discovery by a hiker in the local area; perfectly preserved sandals, from 500AD ! Can you believe it?

Again, at the Indian museum, Marlene in front of sculpture of Kokopelli, "The Flute Player", famous Indian symbol of fertility, among other things.

Another flowering cactus; couldn't pass this one up