Day 18 - cycling and chillin' in Boulder

Boulder, Colarado claims to be the coolest town in the USA. From what we have seen so far, we agree. If anyone knows of a well paid job available in Boulder starting in say 3 months - please let me know!

We are here at a great time. It's Memorial Weekend - so America is in a happy, party mood. Boulder had the Bolder Boulder event today - 40,000 people running 10km. It's also the Boulder Creek Festival - music, food, markets all weekend. If that was not enought, the Ultimate Frisbee World Championships were here as well. It all means that Boulder is 'going off' and everyone is out having a great time.

This morning we hired bikes and headed off along Boulder Creek - through the 40,000 race contestants, through the market stalls and along the creek into Boulder Canyon. We did 18km in total and loved winding our way slowly up through the canyon - along the side of the river. We eventually ran out of puff and came back a lot quicker as it was all down hill.

Jack got to travel in a 'chariot' and slept most of the way.

James and Olivia did a great job.

This afternoon we enjoyed the Boulder Creek Festival - listening to live music, watching dancing and wandering around the market stalls.

James enjoyed some time in a medieval knight sword fighting area - fighting lots of other kids with foam filled swords. Olivia had a go but was way too violent!

They both loved the bucking bronco - but neither managed to stay on too long.

Another full day, lots of fun. We are spending another night in Boulder tomorrow and planning on exploring Denver (only 25 miles away) before heading North on Wednesday.

Ken

Day 17 - Ski resorts and Boulder, Colarado

We spent a relaxing night in a small town near a series of ski resorts - including Vail, Breckenridge, Copper Town and Keystone.

After breakfast we headed to Keystone - as we knew they were running lifts and had lots of snow.

We were one of the first groups up the lifts to 11,500 feet for a bit of Ski Tubing. Ski Tubing is simple, put a child or adult in an inflated tyre inner tube and push him (or her) down a ski slope.

James and I took part. It was great fun - we had the whole place to ourselves for the first 30 minutes!

While James and I 'tubed' the girls and Jack played in the snow and flirted with the chairlift guys - Olivia in particular!

We then enjoyed a hot chocolate as we watched snow boarders do their thing. It was quite sureal sitting at 11,500 feet in deep snow with glorious sunshine and blue sky. It was warm in the sun - but pretty chilly in the shade.

We spent most of today in Keystone just chilling - and then drove higher up the Mountain and over the Loveland Pass at some 11,990 feet. I jumped up so I think I just got to 12,000 feet. It was freezing but beautiful. The road was clear but the snow was piled up at the sides of the road, at times over 20 feet above us....and often leaning towards the road so that you almost drove under a snow over-hang as you went over the mountain.

Next we headed down to Boulder - our stop for 2-3 days. Boulder is a chilled out city - close to Denver but importantly close to the Mountains. It has a young, vibrant feel and we have just spent a very pleasant evening enjoying the Memorial weekened events and wandering the streets. We like Boulder and we REALLY like Colarado.

Ken

Day 16 - 80 degrees to 80 inches....and another injured child

We got up early to avoid the rush into Arches National Park.

It's Memorial Day weekend in the USA and the whole of America is kicking off summer by getting out in the countryside. We'd been warned that Arches parking was inadequate most days - and this weekend it would be terrible, so we had breakfast at 7am and entered the park at 8am.

Arches National Park is another stunning landscape - red sandstone has been formed into a series of arches, weird rock formations and at times gravity defying balancing acts.

Our first stop was North and South Windows. The picture below gives you the idea.

The people with their hands in the air are Ken (with Jack), James and Olivia.

One thing I've not commented on so far is that France must be empty at the moment - all the French people are in the USA. Everywhere we go there are busloads of French....today was no exception so we sped to the next site to get ahead of them.

Having got ahead of the French and sneaked into the last parking spot, we started the 1.5 hour hike up to Delicate Arch. A great hike up over the sandstone mountains.

The kids did great and we were rewarded with another stunning view.

Next onto Sand Dune Arch, a picnic lunch and lots of clambering on rocks.

Yes, that is James and Emma on top of the Arch. They got up OK - leaving Olivia half way....but getting down was not so easy...

And what of Jack. Well during lunch I had the great idea of sitting him in his back pack to feed him - "Who needs the pram!". It was going well until he tipped forward and smacked his face into the rocky ground....

Look closely for the scars...

Arches was impressive. On paper it's a lot like Monument Valley - but in reality it was much more fun. Great hiking, amazing rock formations. Good day.

After collecting another Junior Ranger Badge we jumped in the car around 2:30pm with no end destination in mind.

Due to lots of recent snow falls we are skipping Rocky Mountain National Park - most of it is still closed or snowbound. So we are heading towards Boulder - this afternoon I did a quick 300 miles East and we now in Frisco - just past Vail. We went from 82 degrees of desert landscape to pass through Vail Pass at 10,600 feet and at least 8 feet of snow around us.

Tomorrow we are heading to Keystone were 25 ski slopes are open for the weekend for skiing and snow-tubing. Should be fun.

It's been a long but good day.

Ken

Day 15 - Mountains to Desert

We enjoyed our two days in the mountain town of Ouray - great walks, great scenery - very refreshing.

We set off North heading slowly down from our 9,000 feet starting point, leaving the snow behind us and soon getting back to dry, scrub on the route to Moab and Arches National Park.

On our route we stopped at the Hole N Wall Zoo. The zoo was about the size of our garden but still contained - sheep, wallabies, 2 Bison, a Camel, a Zebra, an Ostrich, 2 Emu, some goats, a pig and lots of birds. It was good to stretch the legs for a while and get some sun but the animals all seemed a little miserable in their cramped cages.

Our stop for the night was in Moab - the gateway to Arches National Park and Canyon Lands. Basically Moab is an adventure playground for grown ups. If you like extreme mountain biking, white water rafting, serious off road driving and hiking - Moab is the place to go to.

We ended Friday with a drive to a view point and lots of shopping for t-shirts and baseball caps in Moab - and a good Mexican dinner.

The blue lakes in the pictures are Pot Ash ponds - the Pot Ash (which we use in fertilizer) is obtained from evaporating the water in these ponds. The water is dyed so that the locals know if any water leaks in the local rivers (which are generally brown).

Tomorrow - Arches National Park.

Ken

Day 14 - waterfalls, silver mines and sore bums

We are spending two nights at the Box Canyon Lodge in Ouray so today was a day to relax, no driving just walking and enjoying the mountains.

We started with a hike to Box Canyon Falls - not too far but did give us our first sight of Chipmunks!

Chipmunks were plentiful and cute. We initally thought there were some very fat Chipmunks until the Ranger pointed out the fat ones were Squirrels.

Box Canyon falls were impressive and worth the hike + $9 entry fee.

Next stop Cascade Falls. Another hike to some nice waterfalls with stunning views back over the valley.

After a morning of hiking it was lunch time - yet another burger....I think all the weight I lost at the start of this year may be back on....

This afternoon we went to an old Silver Mine. Emma, James and Olivia went into the mine for a 45 minute tour while I looked after Jack and chatted to the mine operator about how BHP have destroyed the industry!

The mining included some gold panning at the end - no matter how much I explained to James that it was a silver mine and he was not going to find a nugget of gold - he kept trying - so much so that he fell in the pond! Up to his knees in brown, cold water.

Next another hike - James now wearing thongs to Baby Bath Tubs - a series of small waterfalls that have formed the rocks into smooth 'bathtub' like holes. Very pretty.

The sore bum of the story came when Olivia wanted to jump across the stream but was worried it was too far. I kindly offered to throw her over. Three swings by the arms and a perfect throw....if only Olivia had not closed her eyes in fear and lifted her legs....and landed THUMP on her bottom on the rocks.

I thought she would at least thank me that she was on dry land...it was a great throw!

Anyway she is still sulking "Daddy - it felt like I was in the air for ages and ages. I was so scared I just closed my eyes."

If you look closely you can see Olivia gingerly walking over the rocks - one hand on her sore bototm and carefully holding on to Emma's hand - no longer trusting Daddy.

Tomorrow we move on - passing the scene of John Wayne's reins in teeth charge towards the baddies in True Grit and on to Mohab and Arches National Park.

Two weeks gone, four to go. Emma has organised one hell of a trip!

Ken

Day 13 - Zip Lining, high mountain passes and a snowman

Our day started with a babysitter for Olivia and Jack and a short drive to the Zip Lining venue for me, Emma and James.

A brief explanation of how to slow down and signal from tree to tree and we were off. Zip lining involves moving through the tree tops on cables. You whiz between each tree spinning around, pretending to be a bird, trying to be Superman and hope you make it to the next platform. At all times you are between 20-50 feet above ground. It was great fun.

James loved it. Emma whooped and hollered her way down the mountain. Not cheap, but a good two hours.

Next we set off to take on a series of mountain pass's that would take us from Derango to Ouray - via Silverton. We quickly climbed in perfect blue sky and sunshine. The snowline was above us but soon we were surrounded by snow as we drove through some stunning mountain scenery.

We topped out at well over 10,000 feet and had to stop for the obligatory snow ball fight and snow man making competition.

We continued to drive over this mountain range and were blown away by the mountain landscape - you kinda forget how inspiring mountains are when you live in Australia!

Lunch in Silverton was pleasant - Silverton is a quaint old mining town that sits at 9,000 feet. It once had 10,000 inhabitants - probably has a few hundred now and relies on tourism.

On over another mountain to Ouray. Another great mountain town with a backdop of huge snow covered peaks. We are still in the Box Canyon Lodge - which has hot springs..... after our zip lining and drive we needed to soak for a while.

A nice dinner in O'Briens Irish Pub with the NBA Conference Finals on TV....and a day 13 comes to an end.....

What a trip....

Ken

Day 12 - correction of an error

Sorry America, you are forgiven for putting cheese on every dish.

In the wonderful Durango we had dinner at "Ken & Sues" a lovely bistro on the main street.

Emma ordered the homemade meatloaf - which was great....but she missed out. I opted for the filet steak......which had cheese on top....but this time it was the most juicy steak, cooked to perfection with a blue cheese butter melting on top. It was the best steak I have had in many, many years - and was great value. Washed down with a local Pinot Noir and a Californian Zinfandell it was a great night!

So America...you can continue to put cheese on my steaks - if it is as good as last night!

Ken

Day 12 - Mesa Verde

Today was all about exploring the ancient ruins at Mesa Verde - a short 20 minute drive from Cortez.

Mesa Verde is a National Park that sits around 8,400 feet and was the home to many indian communities from around 550 AD to 1250 AD. What is unusual is that the indians, rather than being nomadic, built houses - initially on the high plains, but then into the sides of the cliffs.

There are numerous areas to visit where up to 100 small houses are crammed on to a ledge in the side of the cliffs. As they have been sheltered by the cliffs above them - they are very well preserved after almost 1,000 years.

The indians who lived in this area disappeared around 1,250AD. The best theory is that there was a 25 year drought around that time (based on tree ring analysis) and the indians moved South to find water.

The kids enjoyed short walks and lots of education - and got another (5th) Junior Ranger badge.

On our final walk the heavens opened, the thunder clashed and down came the hail stones. As we sheltered under a cliff the ground turned white as the hail started to look more like snow!

A quick coffee to warm up and we jumped into the car and drove out on roads that were white.

Now we expected snow on this trip - maybe in Yellowstone - but not yet. Admitedly we are at 8,000 feet and its cold but tomorrow we need to drive over an 11,000 foot pass. We could see the mountain where the pass is today and it looked very, very white.....could be a fun day tomorrow.

We are now in Durango for the night. Tomorrow morning is Zip Lining for Me, Emma and James. Jack and Olivia are being babysat by the young girl that works in the motel......

After 12 days in the USA we are forming 'views':

1. We love the friendly people
2. The National Parks are stunning
3. Free wi-fi in hotels is great

But, there are some issues:

1. Do we really need cheese on EVERY dish?
2. Does cheese need to be orange and often come out a tube?
3. American kids are fat. I worry about the future of the US having seen the kids.

Ken

Day 11 - Monument Valley and Cortez

Today was a big driving day - 260 miles. Fortunately a fair bit of the drive was through Monument Valley - think of the movies Stagecoach or The Searchers and you are in the right place.

You don't walk around Monument Valley - you drive. There is a 17 mile loop that we drove round to take in the amazing landscapes. It really is quite something to see these amazing rocks that have been formed by millions of years of erosion by water, wind and various sea level rises and declines.

After the drive the kids got yet another Junior Ranger Badge - making their total at least 5 already.

Our long drive to Cortez provided various changes in landscape - from red/dust to sandy to Aussie bush-like - finally ending in grean rolling hills with vineyards and for the first time fields growing crops.

We are heading into Durango and Messa Verde tomorrow - and we can see a LOT of snow on the hills - much of which is fresh - 5 feet fell three days ago.

Our stop for the night is in Cortez. A pleasant Colarado town. I think its a ski town so it's a little quiet now but the Micro Brewery was just what I needed after 6 hours in the car. Five pints later I feel a lot better now.....

Ken

Day 10 - Lake Powell - a bit of R&R

Today was a day to relax and refresh after nine full-on days so far. Two days of hiking in Sedona and Grand Canyon plus some hot walks yesterday meant we were feeling a little weary.

Lake Powell is the 2nd largest man-made lake in the USA. It's man-made due to the Glen Canyon Dam that provides hydro-electric power to the region. Like most things we are visiting it is HUGE. The lake covers some 658 SqKM.

We hired a power boat at Antelope Marina and headed off to explore the lake at high speed. We spent just over two hours exploring Navahoe Canyon. This was a 20 mile long canyon which was varied in width from about 50 metres to 10 metres. All along the canyon walls soar above you for, I'd guess, about 500 feet. The rock is bright red with yellow and grey patches and the water is a vivid green colour.

It was too cold to swim (water is only 10 degrees) but we enjoyed speeding along and enjoying the views.

Everyone took turns driving the boat.

After a brief shopping trip to re-stock on food for Jack we relaxed by the pool and prepared for the challenges of tomorrow - Monument Valley and a long, long drive.

I want to share another photo from Antelope Canyon (yesterday, Day 9). This photo shows the entrace to the Canyon - at this point I really was not sure I was going to make it through with Jack.

It looked impossible but we squeezed in!

More tomorrow from Monument Valley - the scene of many classic Western Movies and US Road movies.

Ken

Day 9 - it just keeps getting better

A slower start to the day with a 9am departure for the last look at the Canyon.

We drove along the Canyon rim stopping at various view points and 'sights of interest' which provided good photo opportunities and a chance to stretch the legs that were still a little tired from the hikes of the previous two days.

Our destination today was Lake Powell and once we left the Grand Canyon National Park there was little between us and the destination.

We were in Indian territory but unlike the old wagon trains we did not fear being attacked - however there were plenty of opportunities to spend money - with every few miles there was another series of 'stalls' selling genuine Indian artifacts, rugs, jewellery and such like. Olivia spent her pocket money at the first stop on a necklace.

We drove on through an amazing landscape. What really has surprised us is (A) the height - we are still well over 5,000 feet and (B) the colour of the rocks - the 'Painted desert' that we drove through really does look like a painting. Lots of reds, pinks, blues, greens - all mashed up together on the side of a mountain. Quite bizzare.

Lunch in Page and then our afternoon activities.

First - Horse Shoe Point - a short walk to an area where the Colarado river bends round and forms a horse shoe shape. I did not enjoy this. A 1,000 foot drop into the river....no barriers. I stayed well back and regularly shouted "James come back"; "Olivia, stop skipping over the rocks".

Next - Antelope Canyon. Now we are only on Day 9 of 45, but I think we experienced what will be the highlight of this trip. The Lower Antelope Canyon is the most amazing place I have ever been in my life.

You start walking over the flat desert, across a river bed. You see a small crack in the ground - no way can we go in there. I have Jack on my front in a carrier but somehow squeeze in and head into the Canyon. Antelope Canyon is cut into the ground. It is narrow - 2 feet to 6 feet maximum. We got about 140 feet deep and walked through it for about 500 yards.

The rocks are shaped by water that flows through when it rains. The sun sneaks into the canyon and the colours and shadows are simply amazing.

My photos will not do it justice. Do a google search to see what I really mean.

We are now at Lake Powell Resort - about to have dinner and plan tomorrow which I think will involve us hiring a speed boat for the day and zooming around the HUGE Lake Powell.

Ken

Day 8 - The GRAND Canyon

It really is Grand.

I need a list of new superlatives for this trip. Awsome, amazing, stunning just don't do it justice and get a little tiresome.

We started Day 8 at 6:00am, quick breakfast, drive into the visitor centre to catch a bus to the trail head for the start of the Kaibab Trail. The walk started at 8:00am, the temperature was about 0 degrees and the wind chill made it feel a lot worse. If you were in the sun it was bearable, but out of the sun it was bitter.

We started the descent to Cedar Ridge - some 1,140 feet beneath us. The trail was cut into the canyon walls - basically a series of switch backs that slowly descended into the Canyon. With Jack on my back and the trail only being 3 feet wide in places I needed to concentrate. My fear of heights was not good for this trek. Looking over the edge of the narrow path and seeing a 300 feet drop was not good for the nerves.

Regardless we marched on - in a group of about 15 and a Ranger who explained the geology as we descended. About 20 minutes in we stopped to find shells and fossilised sponges in the canyon wall - evidence that millions of years ago the Canyon was under an ocean. Now the South Rim where we started our hike is 7,400 feet above sea level.

The Ranger talk, while interesting, was a bit slow. The first part of the hike had no sun, so we quickly went on ahead and found the sun and about 1.5 hours later arrived at Cedar Ridge. At Cedar Ridge we were only about a quarter of the way down - to go all the way down to the river is a full day hike (you camp out and hike back up the next day).

The views at Cedar Ridge were stunning. The colours and layers of the rock are hard to believe. It is amazingly rugid and incredibly steep and high.

We started our ascent with the kids in fine form. The rule of thumb is it takes 1.5 to 2 times as long to ascend. James and Olivia made it back up in 1 hour - less time than it took to get down. They were amazing. Jack slept all the way in my pack.

Next stop was Blue Angel Lodge on the canyon rim for lunch - which was a welcome beef chili served in a scooped out bread loaf - perfect after a hike.

The day continued at a furious pace with a trip to the visitor centre so that James and Olivia could hand in their completed 'Junior Ranger Packs' and become Junior Rangers at their 2nd National Park (they get badges). We watched a 25 minute movie about the park and then dashed into town for our next adventure.

At 4:10 we boarded a helicopter for a 30 minute flight over the canyon. James and I up front had the best views and Jack sat on Emma's knees and screamed for a lot of the trip. Despite that it was another great experience. From the air you get a real sense of the size and scale of the canyon - 277 miles long, about 10 mile wide where we were.

A great experience.

This LONG day ended with sitting on the Canyon Rim watching the sunset.

A great day.

Day 7 - Sedona and snow

Not much driving today. We started with an excellent breakfast in a sunny Cottonwood. Cottonwood has one street full of old style shops - mostly cafes and antique shops. The rest of the town is terrible - but the one nice street makes it worth a visit.

Next the short drive to Sedona - another surprising location.

As you drive into Sedona the view is spectacular. Huge red cliffs and buttresses rise up in front of you. It is often described as being similar to the Grand Canyon and we could see why. It was really amazing.

We headed off road for a few miles to get to the start of the Devils Bridge Walk. In perfect sunshine and cool conditions we started our hike through this amazing landscape to the 'Devils Bridge' - a natural rock bridge - about 6 feet wide and 50 feet long.

Our walk allowed us to take in the colours of the rock in Sedona. This whole area (Death Valley, Sedona, Grand Canyon) has layers of coloured rock that have been exposed through erosion. The effect is that the mountains look like the layer cakes my mum used to make when I was a kid.

With Jack on my back we had a great walk - the kids did well and we made it to the Devils Bridge and back in good spirits.

We did a quick drive around the Red Rock State Park road - also pretty but by now we had seen so many amazing things.

Lunch was in the Red Planet diner - a diner with an 'alien' and 'space' theme. Food was OK.......and it started to rain.

We then headed along Oak Creek Canyon....and the rain got heavier and started to look like sleet. Quick stop at Sliding Rock Park (a pretty river where you can slide off rocks into the freezing water) and we started to climb towards Flagstaff - which is over 7,000 feet.

The rain was really sleet now (and heavy). The temperature was about 2 degrees and yes, it started to snow. As we got to the top of the Colarado Plateau there was a good inch of snow on the ground and the kids had a quick snow ball fight to celebrate the 2nd time they have ever seen snow!

Onwards through the snow towards Grand Canyon. We made it in time to get to the visitors centre and have a quick 'look' over the edge. We are at the South Rim which is around 7,200 feet. When you look into the Canyon it is over a mile down to the Colarado River.

The view into the Grand Canyon was yet another stunning experience.

More on that tomorrow.

Only 1 photo today as the Wi-Fi signal is rubbish.

Ken

Day 6 - part 2. Only in America

So, off we went to the M-Bar Ranch, in the cold rain...wondering if we would be the only people there. A quick stop at our new favourite shop - Walgreen - to buy umbrellas.

Much to our surprise we arrived to a nearly full car park.....and busloads of US pensioners heading into the 'ranch' to browse round the shops and experience how the 'old west' really was. By the looks of most of them this was more a 'reminder' than a learn from scratch experience.

To be fair, it was fun. James and Olivia learned about life in the 1800's in America.

BEST OF ALL, James got to shoot a gun.

Now in Australia this would be toy gun. But in America, it was a real old Cowboy's Colt Revolver, proper shells, gunpowder but fired wax bullets.

James got of six good shots - which all hit the target with 2 very close to perfect. The pressure was on - but I think I just managed to outshoot my 9 year old son. Emma has made me promise that it is the last time he gets to use a gun.

The night continued with Olivia learning how to lassoo a cow and the kids feeding goats. We then had a typical 'cowboy' dinner of ribs, chicken, beans and 'biscuit' (a scone for the Brits). This was followed by far too much country and western music for my liking. I did think of taking my life half way through one song - but Jacks very loud crying came to my rescue.

Despite the music, a fun night.

Tomorrow off to Sedona and the Grand Canyon.

Ken

Day 6 - part 1. "Sorry officer, I did not realise how fast I was going"

Day 6 started like day 5 - with me and Jack wandering the casino while everyone else got some sleep.

A quick pack of the car and we headed out of Vegas for the 260 mile drive to Cottonwood.

En-route I had my first US experience of a policeman. Annoyingly I had just slowed down - which is hard to do when your car has a 5.3l V8 engine and weights about 5 tonnes. I saw the policeman driving towards me - he also saw me. He turned and gave chase, tempting though it was to floor the 5.3l V8, I pulled over.

Emma kindly suggested "Get out of the car and talk to him - it helps." As I got out the policeman screamed "Get back in your car sir!". I obliged.

We then had a pleasant 10 minute chat about US speed limits "Yes, Sir the speed limit does change a lot from 55 to 65 mph."; "No Sir, you were doing over 70mph."; "You drove past two signs telling you the speed limit was 55mph in the last 500 yards."; "You've got cute kids, where are y'all going to?".

All ended well, nobody got shot and I received a written "Warning" - which I think means I need to go slow until I leave Arizona.

We had lunch in Jerome - a lovelly town that went from 15,000 population to 100 population in one week once they realised in the 1920's that the copper mine was empty. Now it's an arty/crafty town full of hippies and tourists. At almost 6,000 feet high it was freezing (about 3 degrees) but a great place for lunch.

We are now in Cottonwood and about to got to a "Ranch dinner" - where we get to eat in a barn and get entertained. It's still cold, raining (in fact more like sleet). I hope this barn has heating......

Part 2 to follow...

Day 5 - The good the bad and the ugly of Las Vegas

Day 5 started with a long lie in....for most people other than me and Jack. Jack is being a little bugger this week and waking up a lot...which means I spent from 6:30am to 8:30am wandering around the Venetian, drinking coffee and passing time.

Once everyone was up it was off to Circus Circus Hotel & Casino to visit their AdventureDome. The AdventureDome is an indoor theme park - with about 15 rides for the kids plus the usual fun fair type games/challenges. The kids had a ball and were kept amused for a few hours. James wimped out of the scary rollercoaster (thank God, as I did not fancy it either). We left loaded up with fluffy dice, stuffed toys and a fake flower. Jack seems to like the stuffed toy and James and Olivia LOVE throwing the dice at each other.

Circus Circus Hotel and Casino is at the North end of Las Vegas Boulevard - which, to us, seemed like the BAD end of town. The casino was run-down and everything about it screamed cheap & nasty. I hate to sound like a snob, but the people were fatter in Circus Circus.

There were two main 'free' shows we wanted to see in Vegas - the fountains at the Belagio Hotel and the Treasure Island Sirens show.

One of the challenges of getting to anything on time in Vegas is that you cannot walk straight there. Every few hundred metres when you want to cross the road you need to go over a walk way. The walk way cleverly takes you into a casino. One wrong turn and you can get lost for hours (if not days). As a consequence, even with perfect navigation, walking from one hotel to another can take 2-3 times as long as you think!

First, the fountains - we made it to the Belagio at 4pm just in time - after running for the last 100 metres. The fountain show was rather good - majestic fountains spraying water as an Elton John song played in the background. Emma liked it so much we decided to watch the next show (30 mins) but first walked through the Belagio "to get a coffee". Well, none of Dior, Dolce & Gabana, Tiffanys, Rolex, etc. sell coffee. Most of the shops in Vegas are very expensive - Emma was banned from shopping. Due to the lack of coffee shops we detoured into the main hotel - and as noted above, they cleverly get you lost. A frantic dash (without a coffee) to the fountains for 4:30pm, the whole family out of puff and slightly grumpy. Stood there for 10 minutes....no fountain show.....

Next the Treasure Island Sirens. On Monday night the Treasure Island show had been cancelled so we were hopefully of seeing it today. We left our room in plenty of time for the short distance but long walk (see above) to the 7:30pm show. We got prime spots for the show and waited....and waited.....and waited. "Due to high winds tonights show is cancelled."

So, Emma suggested we jump in a cab and head back to the Belagio for one last fountain show at 8pm. Another dash, eventually find a cab to take 5 of us at the Mirage, short cab ride, dash around the lake, take prime spot for fountain show (it's dark now so it should be really good)...and "Due to high winds tonights show is cancelled".

So, the free shows did not do much for us....

The GOOD in Vegas are the expensive shows. Last night Emma and I went to see Le Reve, in the Wynn Hotel. Le Reve was one of the best shows we have ever seen. A cast of about 50 ( who must have all been gymnasts and synchronised swimmers ) acted out a story of a girl who is proposed to and then has a dream where she works through all her doubts, dilemas before finally saying yes. The show is set in water. Most of the cast are swirling around on trapeze, diving/falling in and out of the water. At one point people are being lifted and dropped about 50 metres into - what seemed like shallow - water.

It was stunning. Well worth a visit. The kids had fun with their babysitter - Ally - a daughter of a friends, friend...we think.

Finally the UGLY. Whenever you walk down the street in Vegas there are hundreds of people trying to give you 'cards' with phone numbers of Prostitutes on them. In addition there are trucks driving by also advertising the same service. Somehow we managed to get through 2 1/2 days in Vegas with neither James or Olivia asking too many questions on this....

Overall, Vegas was a success. It's a fun place to spend a few days - but does need careful planning.

Off now to Sedona and the Grand Canyon!

Ken

Photos - sorted, kinda

It is proving too painful to put photos directly into the Blog, so I have uploaded them ALL to a Picasa Album. I'll add more every few days - but there is more than enough to keep you going already.

The link is.

US Road Trip 2011

Day 4: Las Vegas, a new car and a great show

We all had a restless night last night and were all awake around 6am - so I decided we should get up and get going.

Given the lack of a spare tire we also decided just to keep moving today to get to Las Vegas intact - we did not fancy waiting to be towed. We were sad to leave Death Valley - it was a truly magnificent place. Highlights would be 1. Mosaic Canyon; 2. Artists Palate. 3. Titus Canyon.

A quick breakfast stop at a diner in Pahrump and on to Vegas.

First action in Vegas was to swap our car for one that had 5 fully inflated tires. We are now driving a GMC Yukon - which as far as I can tell was made in the same factory with the same parts as the Chevy Suburban. It's black and looks quite mean - Men In Black style.

We checked into the Venetian and headed out to explore the Venice canals and St Marks Square....all rather bizarely contained within our hotel.

A walk along the strip allowed the kids to see The Eiffel Tower, The Statue of Liberty, The Sphinz and a Pyramid. They no longer need to travel to Paris, NY or Egypt.

A quick swim in the pool and we were out to see our first Vegas show - The Tournament of The Kings. This was a great family show. Dinner HAD to be eaten with your hands (so James was happy), knights jousted with swords and lances, damsels sang and danced, evil wizards shot flames from their staff and the good guys won in the end. A great way to spend 90 minutes.

The night ended with a mad rush to Treasure Island Casino to see their free pirate show - which was cancelled as we arrived all out of puff and sweaty.

Ice Cream seemed like the perfect treat to cool down with!

I'm off the tables now for a little 'flutter'.....

Ken

Day 3 - a little flat.....

We slept fairly late today, jetlag and day 2 activities. We eventually left Furnace Creek (189 feet below sea level) at 10:00am, in about 90 degree heat and headed up the Mountain to drive along a 29 mile one-way, four wheel drive track.

We started the track and after about 3 miles the car went BEEP, BEEP, BEEP to inform me that the right rear tyre was deflating quickly. I jumped out and could hear the air rushing out the tyre. My first thought was "My God it's cold!". We had climbed to over 6,000 feet and it was freezing....

Thankfully two other cars appeared fairly quickly and between the 7 grown men that were there we eventually managed to change the tyre - but it was not easy! In the process we discovered that all tyres on the Suburban were over-inflated, it helps to read ALL the instructions in a book and trying to change a tyre on a dirt road is not the easiest thing to do.

The people that helped us were amazing - I am sure if they had not appeared we would all still be sitting on that dirt track now.

Aprehensively we continued along the remaining 26 miles of dirt track with no spare tyre. It was worth it.

Red Pass and Titus Canyon were amazing. Death Valley just keeps getting better and better. Red Pass - more green with huge craggy mountains. Titus Canyon - narrow gorges, amazing colours in the rock. All a little scary to drive - my mother would not have liked it - and 4WD was essential.

We got out, had a picnic by the side of the car and tried to keep out of the wind - which was now gusting around 50 mph.

We headined into Stovepipe Wells - our stop for tonight and then on to Mosaic Canyon. Another 2-3 mile walk through possible the best canyon so far. Very narrow, very pretty and the kids had a great time climbing rocks and sliding down rock slides formed by years of rain and people making the rocks glass like.

Next stop Mequite Sand Dunes. James and Olivia made sleds out of a torn up nappy box and we marched about 1 mile into the dunes to find a dune steep enough to sled down. Yet again - they had a great time while Emma and I just marvelled at the views.

Quick swim, few beers and it's dinner time now.

We leave Death Valley tomorrow (assuming no more flat tyres) and we head to Las Vegas. I think Death Valley has been one of the most stunning places we have been on this planet - and we've seen a lot of outback Australia, the Red Centre and in Europe done the Alps and Pyrenees.

Death Valley should be on everyones list to visit.....possibly in Winter when it's a little cooler though.

Ken

Day 2 only lasted 24 hours but we packed a lot in

We woke in Tecopa to a hot, but dry 90 degrees. Quick breakfast and we headed to the local 'free' hot springs. 100 metres of the main road we found a few ponds (that were hot), a dog and a nude male sunbathing. The springs were really hot - and a quick dip would have been great, but the nude male put us off - so we kept moving.

We just got going again when we saw our first Coyote - wandering near the road. Lots of excitment and photos followed.

A quick fuel stop at Shoshone and we officially entered Death Valley National Park and drove along Salsberry Pass - climbing to 3,315 feet and seeing just a glimpse of what Death Valley has to offer. The views were stunning as we headed down into the valley.

First stop Badwater - salt flats. The mountains and blue sky made the salt flats look quite stunning. We walked out into the middle of the salt flat - bracing ourselves against a strong wind - it was stunning to see mile upon mile of salt flat streching out along the valley floor. We looked up at the mountain beside us and saw a small sign - 282 feet ABOVE us was a sign saying "Sea Level". We were at the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere - it was hot as well as low...about 103 degrees here.

Back in the car and off to Natural Bridge. This is a stunning walk of about 2 miles that takes you through a narrow gorge where half-way along there is a natural rock bridge that crosses the gorge. It was an amazing location (and very quiet). Flash flooding causes some amazing features in the rocks and even the kids really enjoyed walking in this area.

Death Valley was growing on us and the next drive through "Artists Palate" made us fully paid up fans of the "We love Death Valley" club. Artists Palate is hard to describe, and photos will just not do it justice. It's a short drive through the mountains where each mountain has layers of colour - blues, greens, pinks, blacks, yellows. It's like driving through a Disney Land feature called "layer cake". Simply stunning - a great drive.

After a very busy morning we checked into our room at Furnace Lake Ranch. A great place to spend a day or so. A swim in the pool heated by thermal springs was just what we needed. I am almost embarassed to say that as we got out of the pool into the very windy 103 degrees it actually felt quite chilly and we needed a towel quickly!

Next stop Golden Canyon. This was nice, but a tired Olivia -who fell and grazed her leg did not help.

Back in the car to do "Twenty Mule Team Canyon" - a car drive. This was a route that a team of 20 mules would haul Borax out off. Borax was mined in Death Valley and is used to make soap.

Final 'visit' was to the top of Zabriskie Point - thankfully you can drive. The views were stunning.

The first full day in Death Valley ended with us ordering way too much food in the bar and having another swim in the pool.

Great day - we love Death Valley.

I am struggling with a rubbish Wi-Fi signal so no photos yet...sorry.

Ken

Day 1 - was so good we had it twice!

It's kinda weird to leave Sydney on a Friday at 1:00pm, fly for 13.5 hours and arrive in Los Angeles 4 hours before you left. I felt like I was in an episode of Dr Who.

Despite the Harbour Bridge being closed, we made it to the airport on time, got through check-in and customs very quickly (Qantas Platinum helps). Our flight boarded and left on time...all going well so far.

The Boeing A380 is a great plane, but 13.5 hours in economy, when you are 6'5" and have Jack screaming is not a lot of fun. I was two rows behind Jack so should not really complain. Poor Emma was with Jack - and a grumpy Olivia and managed to vomit into a paper bag while holding Jack on her lap during some turblence - quite an achievement I think.

Hearing the spewing and screaming from two rows back - I did the right thing. Headphones on, movie selected....I was sooooo patient as I waited for the stewardess to come to Emma's rescue.

LAX was just as smooth as Sydney. Fastracked through immigration (Jack did the trick), bags off first, fasttracked through customs, bus to car hire pulls up just as we walk out....it all went perfectly.

I did the typical bloke thing at the car rental - "Buddy, you might want to think of something bigger, the Tahoe will be a squeeze. I can do you a great deal on the next SUV up." So we are now driving a Cheverolet Suburban for the next 44 days. IT IS HUGE. Emma was not happy, but I cannot stop grinning as we bounce along the highway in something about the same size as Blue Whale.

Flew through LA - traffic was busy but moving. First stop Hesperia and a visit to SuperTarget to stock up on nappies, baby food, wine, chips, an esky and an American Football....basically all the essentials.

We then drove on towards Death Valley. As soon as you get out of LA you are immediately into mountains and desert - with snow still visible on the peaks. The temperature was quickly into the high 80's as we headed North East following the road to Las Vegas.

100 miles short of Vegas we turned into Death Valley - first stop the most amazing sand dunes we have ever seen. These sand dunes (whose name I have forgotten) are huge - stretching for miles and reaching up to 1,200 feet in height. James and Olivia did the compulsory roll down the dunes and we all enjoyed some time walking and getting some air - even though it was about 103 degrees!!

We've now arrived at Cynthia's in Tecopa. To say it's basic would be a little too generous. For a first night though its great. We are the only people here, it's in the middle of knowhere and I think the sunset and stars are going to be stunning.

Day 1 has lasted for about 41 hours. It's been pretty full on and we are all ready for a sleep now!

Tomorrow is Death Valley and lots of walking.

Ken

Bags packed, almost ready to go....

We leave for our USA & UK trip in 36 hours. We are all rather excited now!

Our US leg involves 45 days, 8 states and approx. 3,500 miles. We'll be visiting numerous National Parks including Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Arches, Bryce, Zion, Monument Valley, Badlands, Mount Rushmore and The Rocky Mountains.

We will start in Death Valley - in 40 degree+ heat. James and I will try to fry an egg on the car bonnet for breakfast on Sunday morning. Within a few weeks we will be in the Rocky Mountains where the road we want to go along still has over 20 feet of snow....which they promise will be cleared by 25 May. Many of our stopping points still have night time temperatures well below freezing. We'll visit Las Vegas twice and enjoy the last week visiting theme parks in San Diego and Los Angeles.

For the Dr Who fans amongst you we are spending a day or so on Lake Powell - the lake from which the Austronaut emerged in the new series.

We are slightly worried about visiting Virgin - a town where it is illegal NOT to have a gun. We are excited about the Rodeo at Cody and seeing the Bison, Bears, Elk and Wolves in Yellowstone.

Olivia is CONVINCED all Americans have guns and is a little nervous about the babysitter we have arrnged in Las Vegas "Will she shoot me if I am naughty?".

Last minute hic-cups have involved credit card fraud - meaning we've had to cancel all credit cards yesterday - we are hoping the new ones arrive tomorrow and me remembering our tax returns are due this week!

I avoided injury in this weekends two soccer games. James survived his cross country race today (15th) and Olivia's front teeth have grown back just in time to start munching on hot-dogs, corn dogs and anything else America has to offer. Jack is sitting up - which means we don't need to hold him ALL the time and his two new teeth mean he will be on to bottled milk very soon. The boys visited the barber today for the holiday hair cuts. Emma and Olivia are having a manicure and pedicure to prepare themselves for a few hours by the pool of the Venetian in Las Vegas.

Emma has bought, worn, returned, bought, worn, returned, bought (repeat another 6 times) a new pair of trainers for the trip....I think she FINALLY has a pair that fit. She is ready.

The Reid Family are ready.

Next post will be from Death Valley on Friday evening!

Ken