Grand Canyon/Vegas

Wow- Pictures can not do this place justice. Even as I was taking the pictures I thought- there is no way this fully shows the magnitude and beauty of this place.
It was only a few weeks ago when Andy and I were researching some places to get-away for the weekend. We realized that with Baby #2 on the way, it would be much more challenging to get some US time in for awhile. Thankfully we have wonderful friends who willingly took A. in from Thur-Sun! She had a wonderful time and always feels like she is part of their family (they have 3 children of their own).



I took Thursday off of school and surprisingly we had Friday off anyway. We flew to Las Vegas on Thursday afternoon and had a wonderful weekend. While there we did a lot of walking, lots of eating, and were able to see quite a few shows (all free but one!). Many people ask if we won lots of money, and it may surprise people to find out we went to Vegas for the second time and still have not gambled there. We just feel there is too much else to do besides sit indoors and gamble away our money! We had a wonderful time- enjoyed the IN and OUT burger joint the first night we got there. We also ate at Burger Bar (Chef Hubert Keller who is on TOP CHEF or something), romantic dinner at DJT in Trump's new International Hotel, lunch at a picnic table overlooking the Grand Canyon, and cheap crab/steak buffet at downtown Plaza. Let's just say Baby had plenty to eat! We also attended the Criss Angel/Cirque de Soleil show. It was cool to see Criss Angel in person and though the show was different, we enjoyed ourselves.

There are two good stories of our trip-
1) Andy and I did a LOT of walking on Friday. We left the hotel around 9am and walked until 4pm. Though I had tennis shoes on, I was definitely feeling the extra strain from carrying a baby. I was getting tired and my feet and legs were hurting. I refused to ruin the fun for Andy though so I did not complain. Apparently, Andy, too was feeling the pain- but felt that if his pregnant wife could walk this much obviously he could too. Once we discovered we had both been ready to quit 2+ hours before, we laughed that we so politely tried to keep going. We hopefully learned to be honest and upfront before our feet get blisters!

2) I really wanted to see the Grand Canyon! When Andy mentioned that as an option I jumped at the chance! We added the rental car to our package before we looked up that it was a 4.5 hour drive from Vegas!!! (270 miles!) Saturday morning we left the hotel a decent time. We both dreaded the long drive (9 hours of driving in one day...) just to see a hole in the ground. Yet, I felt that if we got this far- how could we NOT see the Grand Canyon? So we kept driving. It was cool to stop and see the Hoover Dam. November was not a major tourist time so we had no problem with back-ups or traffic jams. It was a cool sight to see (though I found the bridge they are constructing to be just as cool!) We kept driving... Soon I noticed on the map something called the WEST RIM. I intended for us to go to the National Park's South Rim. It was just $25 per car- but 270 miles away. I called my brother-in-law to search out some info on the web. I called a number on a billboard and found the price to be quite high. They charged $43 per person. We chose to keep driving- until I realized we could save 300 miles round trip by just goign to the West Rim. It would cost more but it would save us time and gas. So, we turned around and headed to the West Rim. I was not prepared for the 9+ miles of AWFUL dirt, winding roads! I was doubting myself and hoping this trouble was worth it. Once we got there, saw the view, enjoyed our lunch (all you can eat buffet for a decent price) while overlooking the canyon, I found it was a good day! Seeing the Grand Canyon has always been on my list of places to visit and I am excited we had beautiful weather and did not have to worry about holding the hands of children who may fall off the edge. WIth no fences it was a little scary- but it allowed us to get awesome pics and really get a sense of its' greatness!

So- if you are in Vegas and are considering seeing the Grand Canyon- Call the West Rim to see if they have the buy one get one half off sale like we got. Consider how big your party is (3+ people would make the price jump quickly!), consider how much time you have and how much you want to devote to the Canyon, and then decide if you want the South Rim or the West Rim. It was a spectacular view, well organized, and nicely run (minus the road!) but the price was higher than I thought was necessary. If you are in the area- I recommend checking out the view!