29. Roadtrip (Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Area 51)

The road trip! 

Well this is going to be a hard one! Where to start.....the beginning I suppose! 

Day One

 

We checked out of the Luxor but not before checking we had all the soaps!

 

When we checked out we commented on how comfy the beds and pillows were and at $1200 each I don't think we will buy one soon! It's a shame that they couldn't fit in our rucksacks! Ha ha! 

We made our way with our bags into the heat outside. It was about 39•c and with our bags we thought walking to the car hire place would be too much. We decided to catch the bus. We didn't have enough for the fare but the bus driver gave pity on us and let us on which was so kind! We headed down the strip for the last time taking in all the sights and sounds as we went half way down. 

 

We got off and were glad we didn't have too far to walk, it was so hot! We got to the car hire place and thought 'Please be a nice small easy to drive car'! We had put down for an economy type but the lady informed us that we had been upgraded to a higher class. Instead of saying 'thank you' the first thing we said was 'oh god how big is it?!'. As you can tell we were pretty nervous! We sorted the paperwork out, hired a sat nav which was very much needed! Nat Nav was on holiday after all! :) 

It turned out it was a 3 week old car, only delivered to them the previous day with only 300 miles on the clock, we will soon clock up a few more miles on our road trip! We dumped our body bags into the trunk (going American on ya now!) and decided Rach would be first to hit the road. It was so strange sat on the opposite side of the car and not driving! We set off gently and headed off to the freeway. We waved goodbye once again to the the strip and put our foot down. Rach received her first beep, closely followed by another one! Oh dear!!

We were on our way to Area 51, Rachel and travelling on the extra-terrestrial highway!  It was totally in the other direction to where we were next heading, the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam, but hey ho we wanted to go visit a post box and a gate we couldn't even pass through!!

We armed ourselves ready for the drive, we had a full tank of gasoline and our desired location was entered in the satnav! We also bought ourselves a nodding sunflower to remind us of which side of the road we need to be on!

The roads were just as imagined......straight!! As you can see from the sat nav picture it didn't have even a curve on it!! It was really quite revealing as to how easy it could be to fall asleep! You don't have to think about which junction you need, just hover at the same speed and don't move the steering wheel, no wonder people can nod off.  Rach was fine though, we were singing along, bopping about to the radio.  It was a satellite radio and could pick up absolutely anything!

We were following directions we had off the internet and finally came to our first view point.....the sign!! It was so quiet and that's how we wanted it, just us and the open desert roads.  At least this sign didn't have someone wanting money to take your picture!  I cant imagine they would be too busy!

 

We decided to head off in the direction of a small town called Rachel.  Rach was so disappointed they don't have an A in the name!

 

 

Not too far to go!

 

Driving in the desert was amazing! The roads were so long and straight you could literally see a car coming and it probably would pass you after a good 3 minutes! It was lovely and quiet, a great opportunity to take some road pictures! I cant imagine doing this on the strip in Vegas!

 

No car......

 

Car!!

Only joking, we weren't harmed in the making of these pictures! :)

We were on a time schedule so we were soon on our way to Rachel again but when its scenic conditions like this, who isn't going to pose for pictures!!

We weren't too far from Area 51's mail box so kept our eyes out!  We parked up and couldn't really believe we were there!!

                                                     I thought I'd seen something!!

 

With our time constraints we headed off!

My concentration whilst driving face!

Time was ticking by and the temperature was rising!! Mid-day sun!

 

We made it!!

 

If only Rach!! 

 

We couldn't believe we were there really! It was so surreal after seeing it on many TV shows, we couldn't wait to get in! 

 

Above the bar were lots of $1 bills which had been signed by lots of guests. We wanted to leave our own dollar bill but weren't given the option, I think they maybe don't have enough room for more dollar bills!  

We were so ready for lunch!! We just had to order the burger called 'The Famous Alien Burger'.  Just to say we had had one at Area 51, Rachel! It was really yummy and it was lovely that the restaurant was quiet.

We signed a visitors book and bought some soveniers due to not thinking we would be out this way again in a while. Then we headed outside back into the heat. 

It was so nice of this fella to wave us off! 

Once Rach had stopped taking selfies we drove in the direction of Area 51, the back gate. 

They would be able to tell we were coming, we were kicking all the dust up and leaving a right trail!  

As you can see from the picture below the car was a state once we got there! We weren't allowed to take pictures of the gate, so sorry we certainly couldn't post anything on here! 

We got out and walked towards the gate. It was in the middle of nowhere and it was crazy. We were being watched so took our selfies and left. Once we were back in the car they drove off. 

We were laughing because on the way to Area 51 we were singing along to the radio and apparently, they have listening devices so sorry to the people who could have being listening to us singing! It would have brightened up their day though ha ha!! 

                                                     I had to make sure no one was coming! 

                                                            Safe to say we were clear! 

We couldn't see another car for ages so we pulled up and took advantage. More jumping pictures!!  

We moved on and drove past the Alien Research Center but sadly we didn't have time to call in. We were really pushing it to get to Grand Canyon tonight! Foot down.....abinding the speed limit of course! :)

We could see Vegas strip in the distance, we were still sad about leaving here! 

On the road again! Here are our driving conditions.Tarmac, straight roads and desert! 

 

Whilst driving we noticed a sign warning us of wild cattle. People had said they could be dangerous so when we saw them in a field we were very glad of the distance between us!! 

We moved on leaving Las Vegas behind us and headed towards Hoover Dam!  It was only a quick stop as time really was getting on and we still had far to drive! 

It was a very spectacular sight! You think you have an idea of just how big it is but it's nothing you can imagine! It's so much bigger than you think! 

We were leaving Nevada so this sign didn't apply to us. It was another reminder that we were moving on leaving Vegas behind. 

We were on the road again surounded by not much but dry desert but it was such pretty scenery. It was so surreal to think we were actually doing this! 

As we were getting closer we saw sunset. We were hoping to watch it whilst at the Grand Canyon but it was too late for that! Watching it set behind the hills whilst driving was special though! 

We were in for a long drive but we were making good progress! We drove on through the dark with our trusty sat nav directing us to the Grand Canyon Village. We were worried at one point wondering if we were going the correct way as their was no one else on the road. In pitch black, no lights apart from your own headlights, it's pretty scary! 

We should have trusted our sat nav though because we finally saw signs of life! We drove through the entrance of the park and to our lodge. At 10.30pm, we were so happy to be there! 

We parked up, collected our bags from the trunk (even more American now!) and checked in. We were soooo ready for bed! We asked what time sunrise was seen as we missed out on sunset. 5am was mentioned....our faces were a picture! We set our alarm for 4.30am and headed straight to bed! 

 

Day Two

The alarm went off and we really didn't want it too! We were so tired after the driving we could have done with a few more hours BUT when else can you see sunrise at the Grand Canyon! With this in mind we were up and at it! 

We had our bags ready, camera...check, torch....check oh and room key! We needed our torch as it was obviously dark! 

We had to walk to the bus stop which was, we were told 10 minutes away. We were worried about bumping into any bears or wolves on the walk! 

We set off with our torches lighting the way and we were surprised that it was only a few minutes away!! We were the first ones there but a couple of people joined us so that made it less scary. The animals may not want us all for dinner!

It wasn't too long till the bus came and we jumped on!  

                                                                   It was too early! 

We decided on this view point and hopefully it would be the best! 

We sat there for a little bit and were in awe of what was in front of us!! With arriving late last night this was the first time we had gotten a glimpse of the spectaular wonder of the world! 

We sat there and really should have brought a jacket! We should of known it would be cold without the sun out! We were silly but very lucky that a family lent us a blanket!  

As you'll see from the pictures each passing minute lit up the canyon revealing it's natural beauty! What a privilege just being able to be there, we really did have a moment of 'Wow! This is happening!!' 

                            

As the sun slowly rose, you could really see just how magnificent the view was! 

                                          The canyon just went on and on for miles! 

The sun was out now and we were just coming to terms with the view! Each passing moment made it come more and more alive with colour! 

We decided we would call it time and headed back to the bus stop. We had another long drive to do today so we really wanted to get back to the lodge and have a nap. 

We saw this little chap whilst walking to the bus stop. Lil Elvin the chipmunk! 

                                            Photo opportunity that couldn't be missed! 

We got on the bus but it went to all the stops first so at least we were heading towards the cabin and still got to check out the stops we could visit later on, deciding which one would be best. 

The bus driver had a few minutes at the stops so told us we could get off and take some pictures. We couldn't turn that down! 

This was Hermits Rest where the trail down to the bottom of the canyon starts. It's a popular spot for visitors plus it's where the visitor centre is! 

                                                                  What a view! 

                                                       Our bus.....take us to our bed! 

It was still early so we had time for some shut eye before checking out. 

What other bus could you catch with a outside view like that! 

On the way back we saw a wild boar cross the road! It was just too quick for a picture! 

We made it! We didn't really unpack which was good so we set our alarm 15 mins before check out and slept! 

We woke up a bit more refreshed ready for the drive which was good. We checked out, placed our luggage in the car and set off in the direction of the bus stop. 

Wow what a difference from this morning! We couldn't believe it! We had to wait for 2 buses before we could finally fit on and be on our way! 

We got off at Hermits Rest and were told that these were the remains of a house. It is now the gift shop. 

We bought our souvenirs (that's all that's in our bags!) and took in the view with the sun beaming down in full force now. No need for blankets now!! 

                            

After our sit down we made our way to the start of the trail. 

We weren't going to do it....we didn't have time and we weren't kitted out correctly! We walked down the trail for 10minutes and that did us fine! 

This was where Rach was sleeping tonight! 

Near the cafe area there were a family of squirrels...quite chunky ones!! Clearly people had being generous with their food! 

We sadly had to say goodbye. Time was getting on and we had to drive to St George! 

We topped up with gas (American!) and hit the road!

I drove as Rach wanted to sort out the pictures on the laptop. I was running out of memory space on my camera! With us having some time she decided now was a good time but she didn't want it to overheat so she held it close to the window for the breeze! 

                                              Along the way we spotted a deer. 

Cactus!! We really were in the desert now! 

                          

The road was lovely and quiet! 

We stopped off at a view point and took in another lovely view. 

We had to be careful though with this wildlife about!! 

We saw a few lizards but that's as wild as it got thank goodness!

It was only a quick stop as we really needed to be on our way making progress. We set off and these were the sights along the way. 

Our sat Nav was saying arrival time 9.33pm!! We were cutting it fine! We would be driving in the dark again! 

Luckily this road.....we didn't need to go down!! 

It came to sunset time again! It was a strange moment due to if you looked out of the windscreen you could see the sun but from behind we were driving away from the moon! 

These are all the tools we needed for this epic road trip, a sat nav, radio, good old fashioned road map and the open road!!!

Here is our route!! It was certainly a fabulous road trip full of bad singing, laughter and magical views! 

Thumbs up all round! 

We were crossing over into Utah! With this came a time difference, we were heading in to mountain time now so goodbye Nevada and goodbye pacific time! This wasn't good news though because time went forward a hour!!! So it was going to be 9.30pm when we got to our destination!!! Oh wow! 

We finally reached our destination....St George! 

It was here that we were going to experience our first couch surfing host family. For those who haven't heard of this, it's a website where travellers can find hosts who can let them sleep on their sofa, spare bedroom etc for free. But in exchange you meet some amazing new friends from around the globe and Deb and Gene, thank you so much!! <3

We were staying with a couple that we'd been in contact with for the last few months, and they seemed really outdoorsy, fit and adventurous. We were so excited to see Utah and do the odd hike or two!  They understood that we would be a hour late due to time difference so we were so relieved. 

Let's see what St George has to offer....

Lots of love Nat xxx