Three states.
Two national parks.
One Ferris wheel/observation wheel.
I flew out Friday afternoon, arriving in Las Vegas about 315PM (Vegas time, gained 2 hours!). Note to other hostel dwellers: certain airport shuttles will not deliver you to the hostels in Vegas. So I wound up riding the shuttle that I had already paid for to the Stratosphere, which was nearest the hostel. The Deuce bus took me the rest of the way.
After finally getting situated in my bunk, and locking away my stuff in the locker, I set out for the Strip. The High Roller was my main objective. I had to skip it last year, but promised myself I would get to it on a return trip. Always vacation as though you will come back, but also as if you don't need to sleep. It's a fine balance between going full bore for what you want and letting go of things you can't control.
The High Roller. The cars don't stop moving, The wheel moves slowly enough that passengers can simply walk on as they glide by. You then watch the Vegas scenery as the car rises, reaches its apex, then comes back around to the dock. The view is pretty great, and it's a good way to take a moment and gather your bearings before heading back out onto the chaos of the Boulevard.
Saturday had a bit of a rough start. My tour guide had called me the night before to confirm pickup at the Golden Nugget. No problem. I had to be at the hotel (because they didn't do hostel pickups) by 530 to catch the bus. I had arranged for a cab to pick me up and get me there, but they didn't show up. The hostel was fortunately near the bus stop, so I walked around the corner hoping it wouldn't be too long of a wait. The clock was ticking though, so I called the phone number I had received the night before to let my guide know that I was having logistical issues. A few minutes later, he called back and told me he could drop by the hostel to get me. Wonderful, wonderful!
Death Valley National Park is incredible. It is a place I'd wanted to visit for a long time, and I wanted to experience desert. Our guide was very knowledgeable and liked to make frequent stops along the way to point out plants and flowers. He also pointed out features of the Red Rock Canyon as we passed it, made several stops at ghost towns, and gave us many opportunities for photos.
Hard, rocky. Like coral. don't slip and fall! You'll need stitches!
Walking on the hardened slat/mud rocks.
Our guide told us it hadn't rained for 4 months, and yet there was still water in these puddles in the salt flats. I tasted it. It is indeed salty.
Volcanic rock.
The sand dunes. We saw dust devils around here.
Fine, powdery sand.
Out bus was small, so we could stop in lots of places. on the return ride back to Las Vegas, out guide took us to Rhyolite, a ghost town near Beatty, NV.
The "ghosts" of the ghost town.
surprisingly comfy couch.
House made of glass bottles. Tom Kelly's Bottle House.
On Sunday, I boarded a much larger bus for a tour to the Grand Canyon. We also saw the Hoover Dam along the way.
Stunning. :-O
Photo op!
this is incredible!
Gotta stay hydrated! Fill'er up!
Will definitely plan a return trip to have more time to walk the trails and take a float down the Colorado River.
A long bus ride back to Vegas, then a plane ride back home on Monday. It was a whirlwind trip, and I didn't get much sleep, but that's my vacation style. I am already planning my next trip!
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