We then headed off to Las Vegas which was a relatively short drive. Long straight roads with not much around. It reminded us of some of the roads in outback WA. Only difference is that there are hundreds of other cars doing the same and you are on dual lane freeway.
Arrived in Las Vegas and found the hotel to be great. 2 rooms with the works for $140 was a bargain. Leisa’s research paid off. We were straight across the road from the MGM Grand which is where the US Open Supercross was being held. The MGM is huge, largest in the world apparently. There is enough pokies to cover 3 football fields in here and plenty of punters. Theses guys certainly know how to put on a show. Our seats were excellent and it was hard to believe that they could fit a track into such a small space. Bubba Stewart won but it was good to see Dan Reardon and Michael Byrne go well. So we had some Aussies to cheer for anyway. Reardon came 3rd overall. We tried to walk the strip for a little bit after the show but this place on a Saturday night is just mayhem. Thousands of people and some of them not travelling so well. Hamish also took great interest in the guys handing out the cards with girls on them. Lots of questions asked and many Dad didn’t want to answer. We didn’t last long and headed back home pretty quickly.
Next morning we took the monorail to the end of the strip. It is a lot quieter on a Sunday morning and the walk back was a lot more enjoyable. This place is just bizarre. They have replicas of New York, Paris, Rome, Egypt, etc. and the kids gave up counting the limos. Still it was an eye opener although I could think of better places to be.
New York New York in Las Vegas
We left and headed to Zion National Park which was a short drive fro Las Vegas. We drove through what seemed like pretty barren country only to come across major towns with big infrastructure, shopping, casinos etc. You wonder what supports these people. There appears to be no agriculture here or any industry to speak of apart from the casinos. Impressive golf courses for a place that looks like it hasn’t seen rain for a long time and no obvious source of water.
Zion is a large canyon with sandstone walls that rise sharply from the valley floor. The walls glow a orange and red colour which is very beautiful. Another great spot.
Zion National Park - River Walk
We set up camp and then caught a shuttle bus, the only way to travel in the park, up to the end of the canyon. Took a walk along the river until near dark before returning to camp. Some great mexican for dinner before hitting the sack. A great nights sleep with cool conditions and no bears to worry about. We were warned about aggressive squirrels though. Keep your nuts close.
Started today with a walk to some pools about half way up the valley before driving up to Bryce Canyon.
Zion Canyon
The road to Bryce takes you through a 1.6km tunnel built in 1930. It is carved through the sandstone and certainly made the trip interesting along with the rock formations that surround you as you drive.
Tunnel Entrance
