Day 8: Denver

We hit some pretty strong storms on our way into Denver. After a bit of a white knuckle drive we made it to the hotel. The hotel is gorgeous and we immediately took advantage of the shower and the balcony. We called it a night since we'd already been up for 20 hours.

Thursday morning we slept in and then headed out on foot to explore Denver a bit. Our first stop was a restaurant called Racines for lunch. The food was so good and we got more than enough. Tim ordered the cheese and onion enchilada plate and I had chicken stuffed with ham and fontina and covered in a jalapeno cream sauce. Then we walked through downtown to see the 16th Ave Mall and take a tour of Coors Field. The Field was awesome!

Afterwards we were going to check out the US Mint but missed the tours since they apparently close at 130 pm. So instead we stopped at the yard house for happy hour. The plan was to have a beer or two and then head back to the hotel. That plan was foiled by a powerful thunderstorm. So we stayed, had a few more beers, and some nachos and chicken wings instead. We made it back to the hotel around 630 pm and lounged around watching tv.

I fell asleep early but Tim stayed up a bit. We got up this morning, got breakfast and hit the road for Omaha.

Day 7: Leaving Grand Canyon

Waking up at 430 am to see the sunrise this morning was so worth it. Thankfully the tent held her own last night and we had no leaks. We walked about 45 minutes to the rim of the Canyon to find a good vantage point for the sunrise. There were few people around and the quiet was amazing. Unfortunately the clouds did not cooperate so much of the sunrise was blocked. But, to make up for this, mother nature let us run into 4 elk. 3 females (cows) we saw on the walk to the Canyon, just at the entrance to the campground. Then we saw a male (bull) on our way back. It was so cool! I've got pictures on my camera but not on my phone.

We packed up camp and got ready to hit the road, but not before a crow came along and ate our Franz bread right through the packaging! Bastard. And this wasn't any ordinary crow, oh no. This was a crow on steroids! He was huge!

On the road again we're making our way across Arizona to Four Corners Monument and then on to Denver tonight.

Day 6: To the Grand Canyon

We packed up and left the hotel by 8am this morning. Getting out of Vegas at that hour was fairly easy. We were excited to be heading over the Hoover Dam, but the new bridge is built such that you can't see the dam from a smaller vehicle. So that was a bust. And I was a little surprised to see that the water at Lake Mead is just as low as it was last time I was in Vegas. Hopefully the snow melt will keep helping that.

In Kingman, AZ we gassed up the car and grabbed breakfast at Sonic. Then decided to also get a Sonic Blast for the car ride. The weather in Kingman was really nice and cool compared to Vegas.

We were on the road towards the Grand Canyon by 10am again.
Once we got to the park we located our campsite. Unfortunately it started raining as soon as we parked. So we had to work fast to set up the tent and then ended up spending almost an hour in there with little to do. Finally the rain let up and we were able to make plans for the day. We grabbed the map and some water and headed for the visitors center and the rim trails.

The first views of the Canyon were spectacular. We walked along about 2 or 3 miles of trail near the edge of the Canyon. There are tons of educational markers too so we learned all about the rocks and the formation of the Canyon as we see it today.

For dinner we went to the Maswik Lodge which has a small pizza pub. There's a fire ban in the park and we wanted a hot meal, so a restaurant was our best bet. Plus we were both craving pizza. Then we stopped at the general store to get a few beers and went back to our campsite. We headed into the tent again because the rain had started back up.

And with that our day at the Grand Canyon came to a close. We had decided to get up at 430 am to see the sunrise so we fell asleep early.

Day 5: Viva Las Vegas!

Tim and I woke up a little later yesterday morning and got ready to hit the strip. A leisurely walk up to Paris rewarded us with crepes for breakfast. Then we kept moving up the strip checking out the various hotels. Tim's favorite is by far Caesar's and he's already vowed that we'll stay there next time.

We managed to catch the first fountain show at the Bellagio at noon. It was patriotic themed for the holiday. We also won a few bucks here and there on slots. I love the fishy games!!!

In pure Vegas fashion we each got drinks. Tim tackled 2 beers while I purchased an obnoxiously large glass of blueberry lemonade with double shot of vodka. After all that alcohol it was definitely time for lunch. We had noodles from an asian restaurant by the sports book in the Venetian.

A bit more walking and a bit more gambling and we headed off the strip a block for dinner at Battista's. It's a little hole in the wall place but it's good food, good atmosphere, and house wine is included. With our bellies full we practically ran (bad idea after all that food) to Treasure Island to see the Sirens show. Then back towards the Mirage to see the volcano erupt.

We had plans to meet up with Tim's aunt and uncle again but the pedestrian traffic on the strip was insane and it took us almost an hour to get back to the hotel. So we called it a night, did our last bit of gambling (and lost), packed up the room and went to sleep.

We're up early this morning to make our way to the Grand Canyon for our last camping night.

Day 4: To Las Vegas

We managed to get up at the crack of dawn, prepare a good breakfast and get on the road for the 7 hour trek to Las Vegas. First we hit Reno which was pretty much the only other city in Nevada until Vegas. We traveled along the border on US 95 all day. It was an extremely long and boring drive. The car registered 105 degrees at the hottest point. The entire drive was full of rocks and desert and ridiculous little mining towns.

We finally hit Vegas at about 4pm. Immediately we checked into the hotel and took the first showers we had had in more than 2 days. Then we got dressed in clothes that hadn't smelled a campfire and met up with Tim's aunt and uncle who took us down to Fremont Street. We had a great time checking out the sights including the light show, the bands, and the various performers. Overall not a bad first evening in Vegas.

Once we got back to the Luxor we were beat and hit the pillow. Today is going to be filled with walking the strip, seeing the fountains, the volcano, etc. And maybe we'll get lucky at the tables.

Day 3: Leaving Oregon

After we lost the battle with the mosquitoes and hit the hay early last night, we woke bright and early this morning to start the long drive out of Oregon. I managed to start a decent fire and get some coffee going before Tim got up. Then he took over the fire tending and we had toast, cream of wheat, and hard boiled eggs for breakfast. We broke down the campsite and we on the road by 8am.

We crossed the border in California and stopped in Susanville to grab a late lunch and gas up the car. Within an hour we had made it to Frenchman Lake and were setting up camp. The weather was a bright and sunny 91 degrees so we put on our swimsuits, slathered on the sunscreen and walked roughly a mile to the water. The water is a pristine blue and the sage brush and red rocks surrounding the shoreline make for a beautiful picture. We followed a small, winding trail and found a rocky inlet to the water. After a quick pep-talk we took the plunge into the icy water. It was well received by both of us since we were hot and sweaty from the walk. A bit later we headed back up the trail and towards camp. On the way we spotted a few lizards and what Tim identified as a ground squirrel (I named him Jacob). Back at the campsite we gathered wood and made a nice fire to cook dinner: hotdogs and toasted cheese sandwiches. It was delicious! Complete that with a few drinks, some chips, and puppy chow and s'mores for dessert. It's been one heck of a day.

We're off to bed early again to hit the road to Las Vegas in the morning!

Day 2: Crater Lake

We woke up this morning after a restful night sleep in a glorious bed. We had a nice hot meal at our hotel and ran to target for a few odds and ends including hot dogs, buns, and marshmallows. We got on the road a little after noon and made it to the campground at Diamond Lake right around 3pm. As we turned onto the road into the campground we were greeted by gorgeous views. A mountain rose up on the other side of the lake and was covered with snow. We settled into our campsite took a quick tour (had a celebratory drink) and got back on the trail to Crater Lake. If you've never been, you have to go! It's gorgeous and peaceful. The lake is a mirror of the sky and the colors of the water and the rocks are so intense. There's also a ton of snow this time of year that had Tim and I giggling like children. I'll leave you with the pictures to tell the rest of the story.

Back at the campsite we got a rip-roarin' fire going and roasted some hot dogs. Gourmet smores are on the menu for dessert. If we don't we get eaten by mosquitos first.