What I did on my summer vacation - Day 1 cont.

Rebecca was a little nervous about take off and landing on her first flight at an aware age, but other than that, she took it all in stride. She loved the peanuts and soft drinks as well as the fold down tray and "reclining" seats. Southwest has new leather ones with improved lumbar and neck supports. There was a comedian on the ship that made fun of the reclining seats that only go back two inches and he demonstrated in small shifts of posture as if he were one of those dolls whose eyes close when they are supine, "awake", "asleep", "awake", "asleep". I forgot to recline one time and noticed no change in comfort. I guess it's supposed to make you think you are in more control of your environment than you actually are.

We got such a good deal on our flights because we had one touch down in El Paso and a lay over in Phoenix on our way to Las Vegas. On both flights, the touch downs caused a delay in arrival because they also use them to let on passengers whose flight delays made them miss their previous connections. I guess it increases their options and lets them fly more people cheaper. So since we got in Phoenix late, we thought that we only had 5 minutes to get to our next plane which was across the airport from where we landed. Not good news for George who gets symptoms in his chest upon exertion. Nevertheless we powerwalked down the treadmill, which Rebecca thought was way cool, to get to our gate. This indeed caused George to feel pressure and dizziness and made him take NTG - his nitro pill. Then we discover that Phoenix is two hours back from Dallas time, not just one! During these episodes the kids got a little quiet, but they seemed relaxed and enjoyed the new surroundings anyway, and thankfully they were short lived.

So we made it to Las Vegas, drug our luggage to our rental van, and checked in to our cool hotel,
if you can hold your breath as you pass through the smokey casino. The people at the slot machines made us all feel sad, but the rooms were nice. Then after dropping off our luggage we stopped at a drive through MacDonalds - $2 more expensive a meal than in Texas! - and headed to Hoover Dam.
























We got there just before sunset.
The glowing chasm was beautiful though I'm not sure how I feel about all the damming of once mighty rivers. (to get a bigger view, click on the pics. To get an even higher res view, click on it again on the next screen.)

Whirlwind Tour

We have seen a lot these last 3 days. After checking into our hotel in Las Vegas, we ordered to go at McDonalds and headed to Hoover Dam around sunset. A cool front accompanied our arrival, which George thinks is just for him. Please pray for his health. He's having to take it pretty easy.

Next morning we headed up to Zion National Park and were amazed by the beautiful drive, before, during, and after we got there. We took Father Stephen's recommended 1.1 mile tunnel, and it was oh so cool. You can see one of the windows as you make the switchback up the mountain to get to the entrance. Like, I hope that's not the end of the tunnel! 
















Since we're two hours behind Texas time, we were able to get up early enough to also make it to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I was surprised that it's about 1000 ft. higher than the South Rim, and more forested with Ponderosa Pines and Aspens at the top. Altitudes change quite quickly out in these parts.

Today we went through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, which was more treacherous than I remembered. I don't think our van would have made it. Luckily we're in a rental van. Tonight we're sleeping in Visalia which is 45 minutes away from the entrance to Sequoia National Park where the giant Redwood Trees are. I just wish George were able to do more.

Well I'm going to turn in now as we have an early start. Good night.