Day 6

Main attraction: Las Vegas
Photo set

After a good hike along the South rim of the Grand Canyon, we headed West once again. This was one of the hottest stretches of the trip. The air was much dryer than what we’re used to in Eastern Nebraska, but the sheer heat of it more than made up for the drop in humidity. Along the way, we crossed the Hoover Dam. They are working on a new bypass that goes over the Dam, literally over, instead of just across. So traffic was pretty slow and there was nowhere to stop and get out to take a look. I got these pictures by just sticking the camera out the window and holding down the button. Not bad, eh?

Then we entered Vegas. Our first stop was Excalibur, our hotel.

After a little grumbling, Gladis was a bit confused about the exit numbers in Las Vegas, we found the strip and got settled in. Then we cleaned up a bit and headed out to see the strip. Now, I have a list of things I want to do in life. One of those things was to see the gardens at Bellagio. Check!

The Bellagio is quite the place. However, after that, we didn’t really have a lot that we wanted to see. So after wandering for awhile, we decided to have a couple of margaritas and head back to the hotel. Dinner specials started at 10, so we went down and played the slots. We are probably one of the few couples who can say they left with more money than they came in with. I won’t tell you how much we made, but Noah figured it to be about a 200% return ;o)

I visited Mr. Spongebob in the basement arcade of the hotel. We wandered the shops and found a shot glass that had the Anderson family crest on it. A must have indeed! Then, we headed to dinner. All in all Las Vegas seemed like an o.k. stop, but one that I felt was a bit disappointing. Warning, rant coming: The city can recreate the Eiffel tower, Ancient Egypt and Venice, but can’t put in a simple thing like a water fountain. WTF! Ok, rant over. Thanks for letting me get that out of my system. Las Vegas was an interesting place to visit, and I’m glad we got to see it.

Next we’re headed to Sequoia National Park…

Day 5

Main attraction: Grand Canyon National Park
Photo set

I apologize for not getting this next bit up faster. I went and got sick But now, I’m mostly better and back at it. So without further ado….

The Grand Canyon! I do believe this is my favorite “us” picture from the trip. We’ve already been asked if this was a green screen picture. No its not; its the real thing and the real thing is really big. So a lot of our pictures look very similar, even though they were taken miles apart.

We also got to see quite a bit of wildlife in the park, including elk and deer.

We did have a brief rain shower while camping here, but otherwise, it was a great experience.

Next stop, Las Vegas…

Days 3 & 4

Main attraction: Arches National Park
Photo set

After a delicious breakfast at Dave’s house, we headed West once again. This time our path took us into the mountains for an all together amazing drive. The interstate follows the Colorado River through the mountains, making for great scenery.

At the end of our drive, Arches National Park waited for us. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this park, but it ended up being one of my favorites. It doesn’t have a lodge or a restaurant or even showers. The hiking trails aren’t paved, but simply marked with little piles of stones. But wow! What trails they are. There are plenty of rocks and canyons to climb. I would say this was definitely our most adventurous stop and (for the sake of my poor wimpy legs) I’m glad it was one of our first. The night we arrived at the park we took the Devil’s Garden hiking trail, which is about 4 miles the way we did it and led us to 6 different big arches. The next morning we had a bit of an “off-trail adventure” on our climb up to the Delicate Arch, but all ended well and we ended up with some great pictures. Feel free to poke around the Flickr photoset; this mosaic is only a few of our pictures.

Next we head to the Grand Canyon…

We’re back!

Well, we’ve done it. We took off, just the 2 of us for a glorious 15 days of driving, hiking and sightseeing. Now we’re back and we’re back to work. So I thought I’d post about our adventure in little bits - giving me a chance to relive it a little and you a chance to come along with us this time. So I’ll try to get some new photos up every day or two.

Days 1 & 2: Grand Island to Denver
Main attraction: My Uncle Dave and Rocky Mountain National Park
Photo set

On July 4th, we headed out from Noah’s parents’ house in Grand Island and headed westward.

Our first stop was Longmont, Colorado to see Uncle Dave. It was great to see him. He has a great place and really played a great host. First thing, he took us out to see Rocky Mountain National Park. It had some truly spectacular views, including some local wildlife (meaning the Elk - not Noah :D).

Then Dave took us by the famous Stanley Hotel (setting for The Shining). Pretty cool place, but not nearly as frightening covered with 4th of July tourists.

Finally, we headed back to Longmont for a great dinner at a pub downtown. I had the Californian Panini (get it…it goes with the theme) Best sandwich of the trip! After dinner, we camped out in a parking lot to watch the city fireworks before calling it a night. The next morning, we got up and got around. Dave made us a great breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. As a side note, Dave made the bacon on his grill. This resulted in perfectly crisp and delicious bacon and no messy kitchen. Pure brilliance! I don’t think I’ll every make it any other way again. Between the great drive through the mountains, wonderful food and fireworks and good family, it was the perfect start to our vacation. Thanks Uncle Dave!

Next we head to Arches National Park…

Furniture revolution!

Well, now that another busy weekend has come and gone, I have a few project pictures to share. I did a lot of painting/sanding/staining this weekend, working on some furniture I picked up at various garage sales last summer. My first project was to paint a wooden folding chair that I’m calling my garden chair. It went from a sad peeling white to a bright, vibrant green that matches my mosaic table.

In other chair news, Noah and I bought a new recliner at the Berkshire Hathaway weekend extravaganza. It is here pictured in our family room. Note the glass of wine and book sitting directly to its left. This is the kind of activity I most enjoy in my new chair :o)

I also began work on an old victrola cabinet that has been sitting in our basement for almost a year now. I only paid $10 for the thing, so I figured I couldn’t mess it up too badly and therefore decided to try my hand at veneer. It came out ok, although there are a few bubbles. It seems no matter how many heavy computer books or how many times I went over it with a rolling pin, the bubbles remained. They’ll just have to add character. All in all, I think it will make a good entryway catch all.

Finally, I wanted to share 2 more pictures. One is of a spring wreath I put together over the weekend while waiting for the hardware stores to open so I could purchase the previously mentioned veneer The other is a picture of my parents standing in front of their latest project - the house they are building. Don’t they look obsessed happy!

As a last note, I’d like to wish my parents a happy anniversary, today. Also, I’d like to thank Noah for the 4 wonderful years we’ve been married. I love you, sweetie. Happy anniversary :o)