Las Vegas, Day 1

From Sedona, we headed to Las Vegas.  We got in Sunday evening and just looked around the hotel and casino where we were staying,  It was a few blocks off the strip, and felt a world away.  We got up the next morning, put on our walkin' shoes and headed out to see the sights.

 The last time we were in Vegas was 9 years ago, so it was fun to see what had changed and what had not.  The gardens and pool area at the Flamingo were still very pretty.  We both remember there being penguins there, but we just found flamingos.  It makes more sense that there were flamingos at the Flamingo than penguins.

We walked, and walked, and walked some more.  I forgot to take my Fitbit on the trip, and David left the hotel room without his, but we estimate that we walked close to 30,000 steps that day.  We took lots of breaks to watch people, and a lunch break to eat fast food lobster - that might not sound good, but the lobster roll and lobster cheese fries were delicious!

The Hershey's store at New York, New York was new to us, but shockingly....we didn't buy a thing.

 I rarely drink regular Coke, but I make an exception at the big Coke store.  It was as delicious as I remember!

 Margaritaville was fairly new the last time we were here.  We never pass up an opportunity to visit one, and this one really puts on a show, Vegas style.

 These guys on stilts were pretty impressive!

By the time we got back to our room twelve hours after leaving it, we were worn out!  It was a great day in Las Vegas though!

Red Rock Country

 Before heading to Las Vegas, we took a side trip down Schnebly Hill Road that starts just outside Flagstaff and ends in Sedona.  It's a much more interesting route than taking the highway.

 I think I've taken these exact pictures on a previous trip, but the red rocks are always so breathtaking, especially against the blue blue sky.

 Once in Sedona, we took some time to wander around the downtown tourist area, then had a delicious lunch with David's cousin Paula Jean and her husband Jess.  It's always so much fun to catch up with them, and it was nice to see the beautiful room they've had added on to their house for David's aunt.

The Long, Long Trailer

We just returned from a great vacation out west.  Our first big stop was the Flagstaff area to the Overland Expo at Mormon Lake.  The day before we arrived, they'd had a fair amount of snow.  It had mostly melted by our arrival on Saturday, creating a muddy sloppy mess. We secretly enjoyed watching some of the very off-road capable vehicles have to get towed after getting stuck in the parking lot.

 We still enjoyed walking around to look at all the booths - and trucks and campers.

 The highlight of our trip was staying in a 1950 Spartan trailer.  It was one of the most memorable places we've stayed!

 I loved the decor...very fitting of the time period of the trailer.

 There were even Arizona magazines from the 50's and 60's on the coffee table.

 The trailer was in a unique location with other old trailers, trucks, and equipment to look at.  The cold kept us from exploring outside too much, but thought this truck had just the perfect patina!

 Just like Lucy and Desi, here we are with our long, long trailer!

We moved on to warmer places, but no other place that we stayed had the personality of this sweet trailer!

A Camper Built for Two

Last weekend we camped at Alley Springs, which has become a favorite campground.  We'd planned for our usual camping crew to go also, but that didn't work out, so for most of the weekend it was just David and I.  It's the first time in 15 years that we've ever camped without our crew, and it turned out to be a fun weekend.

 Saturday morning, the clouds broke up and the sun appeared, so we decided to rent a canoe for a shot float.

 Another couple put in behind us, but we didn't see them again.  The only other people we saw on the river were a couple of park rangers.  It was a beautiful day for a little time on the river.  We saw lots of sunbathing turtles, and one sunbathing snake.  I know there are snakes at the river, but I'd really rather not see them!

 We spent a little time relaxing (and napping) and exploring Alley Spring Mill before Dale and the kids arrived.

 Seems like everything tastes better when cooked and eaten outside.  Camping food is one of the best parts of camping!

Our little camper makes camping much more comfortable.  It was a great weekend, and I'm looking forward to doing it again.