Southwest Tour I

I landed in Las Vegas last Friday and hopped on a shuttle to meet my friends Jacquie and Kate at a giant castle hotel named The Excalibur, which was on the strip next to other out of this world hotels and casinos. The city was a sight, with people gambling and drinking libations at all hours of the day and night, men on street corners handing out "business cards" with photos of naked women, a mini Elvis posing for photos with tourists, scantily clad women dancing on bars, LONG stretch Hummer limousines, and oh so much more. It was so interesting simply people-watching in this city.
I was probably not the type of tourist the city hopes for, as I did not contribute a cent to the slot machines, nor liquor, nor shows for that matter. But I did partake in the eating of overpriced foods and my slumber in the Excalibur was peaceful. Though winning big money would have been nice, I just didn't think it was in my cards, and most important to me was that I was with my good friends.

A number of people walked the streets with these large plastic vessels filled with sweet alcoholic drinks. This mini Eiffel Tower was given up on.

A sight like many in the city

Taking a break for beers. Well... though it appears I have a finished beer in front of me, I actually spent the evening watching the girls enjoy their cold beverages.

Note Jacquie is sporting her Bon Jovi t-shirt, gearing up for the night ahead. Jacquie went to see Jon perform on Saturday night and then we packed up the following morning and drove eastward to Flagstaff, Jacquie's hometown.

On our way out of town we stopped at a Chipotle, a favorite fast food place. Above I thought I'd offer my view of my beer-gut-like stomach with food in lap.

We had a long wait at the Hoover Dam, where they are constructing a new bridge (pictured above).

The following day we made the drive to the Grand Canyon from Jacquie's place in Flagstaff. Though it was my second time seeing the canyon, it was once again such a stirring sight. Over and over we could not help remarking on the beauty of this geological wonder.

We thought it might be good to show proof that this little babe had its first trip to the Grand Canyon, despite the fact it wasn't offered the same views that we had.







Way down below (this was taken with zoom), hikers make their way up a trail.