October 10, 2014 Friday  Miss Arrives in Vegas!

We met Missie at the airport and her flight was ahead of schedule.  No problems; luggage came through and we're off!

We stopped by Whole Foods to get some provisions (including large quantities of wine).  They do have a deal at six bottles so we had to be economical and take advantage of the deal.

Back to Cream Puff.  We clean up and get ready for seeing The Strip.  We have to open one of those bottles of wine before we go!

This is a step down for Miss from last week's New York Times photo but she still has her shoes off!

This is Missie's first encounter with Vegas so The Strip is a must.  Lib and I came here several times when we lived in Arizona. Lost money every time but that's The Strip.  We were here seven years ago for our anniversary to see Celine and couldn't believe the change.  But, now we see there is even more change.  We had never heard of City Center!

We start out at Bellagio where Lib and Miss hit it big on the slots.  They started out with $20.00 and built it to $105.00.  Then we hit Roulette where we quickly lost $100.00 and that's always been our limit.  So for a total of $20.00 we spent 2 hours gambling and got 6 free drinks.  What a deal?

Missie and Lib: High Rollers!

One thing about Vegas; the food is good.  We had dinner in Bellagio's and then we took off for Ceasar's Palace and The Venetian.

After dinner we watched the water show at Bellagio

Paris Las Vegas

Inside the Venetian at Little Venice

Back to Cream Puff, a Maggie walk and to bed.

October 11, Saturday  Drive to Zion, Utah

We had a nice ride to Zion with so many beautiful views including riding through a mountain on I-15.

Interstate 15 from Las Vegas to Zion, Utah via a corner of Arizona

Soon we began to see sights that were a hint of things to come in Zion

It was only about a  two and a half hour drive from Las Vegas to Zion.

We arrived at our RV park and found it to be nice place with trees and grass areas for Maggie.  Lib and Missie went for a walk on the Virgin River and Ron met other RVers in the hot tub!  More pics to come as soon as we get cell service.  We watched some of the ball games.  Mississippi State and Ole Miss look tough.  Auburn lost their first game and Bama barely got by the Hawgs.  Interesting and different season in the SEC.  Dinner salad at home and to bed.

October 12, 2014  Sunday

Up early, showers, Maggie walk and we are off to Zion National Park.  We had been told to get there before 10:00am or the parking lots would be full.  We were there at 9:30 and got a place but there were large crowds all day.

Our "elderly card" works its magic again and we bypass the $25.00 per car charge and enter the park. First visit is the Visitor Center where we get advice from the Rangers on what to do and where to go to do it!  Our first hike is The Riverside Walk, a 2.2 mile walk.  This is a reasonable hike that takes you down to The Narrows.  The Narrows is a place where the Virgin River made a vertical cut through the canyon, 2000 ft. and the walls are only 20 yards across.  But to get to this section, you have to either have waders or take off your shoes and wade through mid-thigh, cold water.  We stopped just before doing this.  

We are in a canyon and we caught this view of the moon going down just as we started our hike.

The Canyon walls are a salmon color

Millions of years ago this area was covered by a shallow sea; the same one that covered the central U.S. from the Gulf coast to Canada.  As the sea would build and recede it would leave layers of sediment that built up.  Afterwards, the rains and winds brought erosion that formed the canyon.  The river that runs through the canyon is the Virgin River.  It is a small stream for us southerners but it has razor teeth over  thousands of years. 

Lib and Miss on the walk to The Narrows pass under a rock overhang

Miss taking photo of water markings on the rocks

Elderly couple still asking if there are any coupons

You gotta stop and smell them flowers

Animal life; No bears!  I can handle these critters.

Dancing and singing on the river.

We finally make it to the start of the Narrows; from here you have to start walking IN the river.  We decide lunch at The Lodge sounds better.

The Lodge; a Nice Place to stay but reservations are a year in advance.

A nice lunch in the sunshine.

And a Mule Deer walked right by us at lunch!

After lunch we take another hike to the Emerald Pool, a waterfall

Best Friends!

Lib and Miss take another hike, Pa'rus Trail,while Ron runs some errands.  This is a hike from Canyon Junction back to the Visitors Center.  Ron runs back to Cream Puff to retrieve Maggie and off to the one grocery/hardware store, SOL, in Springdale, Utah to buy firewood for a campfire and an axe to make the kindling!  We are "off" tonight...gotta cook dinner, get up early and off to Bryce Canyon.  We will update this post with more pics from Missie's "professional" camera later.

"Off."