Wednesday 6th May – Grand Canyon National Park

We drove from Page, Arizona to Mather Campground in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Morning

We awoke somewhat rested and bought some baked sweet things from Walmart for breakfast. As with most things here, they looked delicious but tasted fairly bad.

After breakfast we stopped at a McDonald’s and used their Wi-Fi to book a room in Las Vegas, then drove to Grand Canyon National Park.

Driving to Grand Canyon National ParkNative American roadside stalls on the way to Grand Canyon National ParkNative American roadside stalls on the way to Grand Canyon National Park

Afternoon

We spent the afternoon driving, walking and shuttle bussing around the south rim of the Grand Canyon, before setting up our tent in the Mather Campground and paying $2 (entirely in quarters) for a hot shower. Speaking of the silly things Americans do with coins, we’ve been paying for things with $1 coins. So far no one has refused them, but they’ve also obviously never seen them before. How bizarre.

Arriving at the Grand Canyon. The Desert View Watchtower.Our first view of the Grand CanyonLooking upwards from the Desert View WatchtowerBronwen looking out from the Desert View WatchtowerLooking down into the canyon from the watchtowerThe Grand CanyonThe Grand CanyonThe Grand CanyonAncient ruins near the Grand CanyonThe Grand CanyonA warning sign at the Grand CanyonLooking into the Grand CanyonSome of Santa’s horses on holiday at the Grand CanyonNed looks down into the canyonBronwen doesn’t fall to her death in the Grand CanyonStorm clouds gathering over the Grand CanyonLooking into the Grand CanyonThe Grand CanyonStormy weather gathers over the Grand CanyonThe shadows lengthen in the Grand CanyonBronwen watches clouds travel into the Grand CanyonThe Grand CanyonThe Grand CanyonThe Grand CanyonBronwen at the Grand CanyonThe Grand CanyonThe Grand CanyonSunset over the Grand Canyon

Night

It was unpleasantly cold in the evening and at night. We’d assumed we’d be able to buy some cheap warm clothes at Walmart, but seeing as we couldn’t, we’ve just got to freeze instead.

Bronwen & Ned freezing as the sun sets over the Grand CanyonSunset over the Grand Canyon

Thursday 7th May – Las Vegas

Our tent at Grand Canyon National Park

4:30am

Bronwen and I got up at 4:30 AM. It was far too cold—3°C according to the car. I drove Bronwen to the start of the South Kaibab Trail and left her there to freeze, while I went and watched the sunrise and wandered around some of the canyon rim walks. Last night had been very cold, and I’d had a relatively unpleasant sleep because our airbed doesn’t have any insulation so the cold had come through and bit me while I was sleeping.

Bronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen arrives at “Cedar Ridge” on her walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen arrives at “Skeleton Point” on her walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonA mule train on Bronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen arrives at “Tip Off” on her walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen arrives at “Tonto West” on her walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen at “Skeleton Point” again on her walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen’s walk down into the Grand CanyonBronwen at “Ooh Aah Point” on her walk down into the Grand CanyonPlaying hopscotch on the walk down into the Grand Canyon

Midday

Bronwen got back around midday and we rushed around on the shuttle bus looking at the lookouts we hadn’t yet seen, before driving to Las Vegas.

Looking down into the Grand CanyonPart of the path Bronwen walked down into the Grand CanyonPart of the path Bronwen walked down into the Grand CanyonBronwen posing in front of the Grand CanyonThe Grand CanyonIt was quite smokey in Grand Canyon National ParkParts of the road were closed due to planned burning

See Thursday 7th May – Las Vegas for full details of our journey to Las Vegas.

Las Vegas

We arrived at the Artisan Boutique Hotel in Las Vegas just after dark, to find it was a lot fancier (or at least, unusual) than we had been expecting, and was also valet parking—which was a bit of a problem as the things we needed in our room were scattered messily all over the car. We found parking on a side street temporarily, packed the car up a bit, and took our stuff up into our room, before driving down to “The Strip”.

The Strip

It was cold and windy and we’d not brought our warm tops. Nevertheless, we walked up and down the length of “The Strip”, had a burger for dinner from Fatburger (which, continuing the trend of things in America not being bigger or cheaper than Australia, was much smaller than an Australian burger, and not any cheaper), looked inside a few casinos, and admired the pretty lights until it was quite late.

We got to bed around 2 AM.