Well, it looks like Nicolas Sarkozy is the new French president, and France is bracing for riots, just in case. I’m disappointed, but I’m not surprised.
Travel
Leaving Las Vegas, Zion, Lake Powell (days 4 and 5)
During our three days in Vegas, we didn’t do any gambling – other than, apparently, with our lives each time we left our car in a parking garage. According to the B+B owner, there have been some robberies and you should *never* park in a garage. We found them well-lit and full of people, so we “risked” it anyway.
Our next stop was Zion National Park where it was, unfortunately, cold and drizzly. We took the scenic bus and watched the movie at one of the stops, but we weren’t able to take any pictures or walk around at all. Then we drove to Page, AZ, where, the next day, we took the Rainbow Bridge Cruise on Lake Powell. It’s a scenic 7-hour trip, but I still think it was too expensive (well over $100 each).
Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon, Lance Burton (day 3)
With another picnic lunch in hand, we set off to Red Rock Canyon, located a mere 17 miles west of Las Vegas. We hiked about 2 miles, had a picnic, and played Scrabble.
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The B+B owner had told us about a really cool bar in Henderson, so we went over there for a drink. Continue reading
Las Vegas, Valley of Fire, O (day 2)
Around 9am, we packed a picnic lunch and headed out to Valley of Fire, which is less than an hour’s drive from Vegas. Just before the entrance to the park, we came upon a car parked haphazardly in the middle of the road. I admit that for a second I thought it might be some sort of a scam, but in fact the couple had spotted several bighorn sheep. We watched these rare creatures for a while before continuing into the park.
Continue reading
Las Vegas (day 1)
Our trip to the southwest started with a major hiccup: our flight was cancelled (see Adventures in air travel). So instead of flying to Phoenix on Monday, we flew directly to Las Vegas on Tuesday, which meant missing out on the Grand Canyon, but avoiding several hours driving. We got into Vegas around 2pm, picked up the car, and went straight to the bed and breakfast. Then we went down to the Strip to walk around a bit, have dinner, and see V: The Ultimate Variety Show. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but it was really fun – a bit of dancing, a hint of magic, amazing feats of strength and balancing, some neat juggling, and a lot of humor. I definitely recommend it.
Adventures in air travel
So we were supposed to leave for Phoenix today (Monday) at the crack of dawn. I got an email yesterday morning telling me that I could check in online, so I went to American Airlines. We had chosen seats when we made the reservations two months ago, but these had disappeared, and when I tried to choose new ones, it said that feature was unavailable. When I tried to check in anyway, it said I couldn’t without choosing seats. Perhaps I should have taken that as a sign, but I didn’t – we just planned to check in at the airport.