Vegas, Canyon, Route 66

It's been a very hectic last week or so! After the shambles surrounding OATC it was really nice to jump in the minivan and hit the road. We had a really pleasant drive from Phoenix to Las Vegas, stopping half way for a spot of lunch, and taking in the awesome sight at Hoover Dam on the Arizona/Nevada border. We unfortunately didn't have the opportunity to stop, which was a bit of a shame.


Once we arrived in Vegas we took a drive along the strip before heading to The Mirage, where I had booked us a couple of nights. When we checked in however, we were told we could have a complementary upgrade to the Penthouse Suite if we wanted - all 2000 sq ft of it, complete with living room, bar, bedroom with motorised TV built into the bed, bathroom the size of our house.... utterly awesome, and what a result!

We had a great time charging around the suite for a while, before heading out for a look around. My dad headed into the Casino to try his hand at Blackjack (he won loads, the jammy bugger) - while Clare, Georgia and I went to get some refreshments. We all met up again a while later and headed out for a wander outside to watch the Volcano outside the Mirage, before calling into the Venetian for a wander along the canal - ending up in a mock-up of St Marks square where we treated ourselves to nice italian sorbet. We then took a stroll along the strip, taking in the awesome sights along the way - The Wynn Hotel, Treasure Island etc.
The next day we had a lazy morning in the suite before all heading out down the strip the other way, past Caesars Palace, Bellagio, New York New York. Clare and I had a ride on the rollercoaster that takes you around the Manhattan skyline - a really good trip that even I enjoyed, and I normally find rollercoasters duller than dishwater.
At least now I can say I've seen the Statue of Liberty etc, and save myself an expensive trip to the real big apple. :-)
That night Clare and I went to watch the Phantom of the Opera at The Venetian, leaving Grandad on babysitting duties. We had an incredibly time - it was an utterly amazing show that really took our breath away. We both agreed the trip to Vegas was worth it just to see that show, let alone anything else.
The next day we packed up and headed back out of Vegas and onto Route 66, for a long drive along the famous highway for 100 miles from Kingman to Ash Fork, via Peach Springs. Another 'thing to do in life' ticked off.
We arrived at the Grand Hotel, just south of the Grand Canyon - checked in then jumped back in the car to drive up to the rim, just in time to catch the sunset. I won't even try to explain it, but hopefully some of the pictures I took will save me a few hundred words of (more) waffle. Here's a picture of the three of us on the south rim, just as the sun was setting.


That night we stayed in the Grand Hotel, which true enough did look pretty grand from the outside, but wasn't really anything special inside - especially after a couple of nights in Vegas...



The following morning I set my alarm for daft-o'clock, dragged my dad out of bed and the two of us headed up to the canyon for sunrise. We found ourselves a really nice spot, and hung around for a while watching the sun rise majestically over the Canyon.
Dad and I headed back to the hotel, grabbing an early morning coffee then sat around chilling out (I whupped him at chess) - waiting for Clare and Georgia to wake up. Once everyone was up, and Georgia was dressed in her new Grand Canyon clothes that her Grandad had bought her, we all had a nice buffet breakfast before checking out and heading back up the Canyon. All four of us had a nice wander around the main sights at the south rim, thankful that the weather was perfect - and had warmed up a little from the 3 degrees it had been at 6am.
We then headed down to the Grand Canyon Airport, where we checked ourselves in for a helicopter ride with Maverick Helicopters. We were obviously all a bit concerned with how Georgia would handle the flight, but as it turned out she absolutely loved it! It was an incredible trip - so much better than just standing at the edge, and we got to see so much more of the canyon. We also got a DVD of the entire trip - multiple camera angles and sound from the headsets (Georgia making airplane noises and saying 'weeeeeeee' a lot)
Here's Georgia with her David Clark headset on, looking cool as a cucumber:


And here's a shot of the Canyon from overhead the Colorado River, 1 mile up:



More pictures to be uploaded to my website in the next day or two.
Georgia actually fell asleep in the helicopter for the last ten minutes, which bodes well for me taking her flying next year when back in the UK. My dad loved it too, and I really can't wait to be able to take him flying as well - I'm under orders to teach him how to fly once I'm qualified!

We left the Canyon at about 15:30 - heading along the top road via Desert View, then back home to Goodyear via Flagstaff and Sedona. I drove all the way back, a mere 260 miles and 4.5 hours - I guess I was still on a high from the whole trip.
One note is how Georgia took everything in her stride so much better than we all expected. She was brilliant for the long car journeys, loved seeing all the bright lights in Vegas, had a great helicopter flight, and most importantly got on amazingly well with her Grandad. All in all it was a fantastic trip, and although it was nice to get back to Goodyear and chill out by the pool, it was also quite sad to leave all that good stuff behind.

Back to reality and I had a solo navigation flight yesterday and my PT1 today. Unfortunately my dad was also due to go back today too, and thanks to crappy scheduling I couldn't take him to Sky Harbor and say goodbye there. After waiting 3 weeks for my PT1, and despite officially still being on leave, I couldn't take the risk and cancel it in case it was another 3 weeks before I got another one. As it turned out, I wish I had - but that's another story.

Dad: I hope you had a good flight home. Thank you for everything you did for us while you were here - we all had an amazing time and will miss you. See you in November.

Love

Simon, Clare, Georgia

x x x