A Morning at the Grand Canyon and drive to Las Vegas

11th November 2014

Today we are driving to Las Vegas, but have the best part of the morning to see the western shuttle bus route, before we leave. We caught an early bus and went all the way out to the end of the route, Hermits Rest. There we managed to get a cup of coffee and a pastry for breakfast, and had a good look around. The wind had reduced a little, so it was a bit more pleasant than yesterday afternoon.

The El Tovar Hotel

On this end of the trails, the Colorado River is more visible, and the morning light  improved the views.

When we had seen enough, we caught a return bus and got off at Powell Point, which looked very interesting on the way out. The view here was very good, and nearby was the site of a uranium mine that had been closed down in 1969, and most of the remnants have been removed by National Parks.

Our bus got us back, just in time for us to pack up and checkout (checkout time was 11am), and head off to Las Vegas, a drive of around 4.5 hrs .

There was not a lot to see on the drive so we made good progress, only slowed by the occasional roadworks. Our first real stop, was at the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, not far from Las Vegas. We managed to stop at the Lake Mead viewing point, which gives excellent views of the lake, and then we drove down to the dam and across the top of the dam back into Arizona. (The river forms the border between Arizona and Nevada). Parking was at a premium, so a quick illegal park to get a few photos was in order, before moving on to Las Vegas. We were also grateful that we picked up an hour crossing into the Pacific Time Zone.

Lake Mead

                                                                The Hoover Dam

Time had flown, and we hadn’t had lunch, so we stopped at Henderson, just before LV, to refuel the car and the passengers.

We arrived at our Hotel, New York New York, at just after 3pm, checked in and set out exploring the surrounds.

                                                      New York New York Hotel

We really only had a look around the adjacent Hotels, Excalibur and MGM Grand, before settling in for dinner at the Chinese Restaurant at our hotel. The food was surprisingly good, if not a bit Americanised.

After dinner we went off to at Cirque du Soleil show, Zumanity, which was at our hotel. It was a bit risqué, and very entertaining.