Beautiful Ireland.

The one thing that strikes visitors to Ireland is the very real difference in the pace of life in the smaller villages, rather than the larger cities such as Belfast and Dublin - with one exception. The extremely narrow roads are mostly 100km/h, even though a large number of the houses are built right up to the very edge of the roadway, many with very very solid dry stone walls bordering the roadway. Despite these narrow winding roads (read laneways) the local drivers take the posted speed limits literally. We are amazed that vehicles pass each other with millimetres to spare either side at break neck speed. However as you enter each county they have large signs showing the number of road deaths in that particular county that have occured within the last 4 years. The numbers are frightening - ranging from 75 in the smallest county's to 243 in Galway, one of the larger county's. When you consider the relatively small geographic area of Ireland, add the dozens of county's, the!
annual road toll must be horrific when compared to somewhere like Australia. The majority of cars are small compact sedans or hatchbacks - any wonder considering the minor roads.
Having said all this, parts of Ireland are slowly moving into the 21st century with massive construction works taking place such as new multi-lane motorways, vast housing developments - all built in identical style.

Kevin & Gail.
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The Emerald Isle.

We finally were able to depart Philadelphia at 12:30am, 3-1/2 hours late, still the waiting time passed reasonably quickly due to a very funny and entertaining departure lounge hostess. This black lady had a wicked sense of humour and the delay announcements she made from time to time were definately not out of the procedure manual. As the flight got airborne, believe it or not, everyone was offered a full meal - at 12:55am. Obviously the inflight procedure calls for a meal to be served upon departure - irrespective of the time of day.
Gail and I declined the meal and settled down to get some sleep on the six hour flight across the Atlantic to Ireland. Sleep was disturbed by the arrival of daylight after about four hours and the increased activity this brought. The five hour time change meant that it was around 11:30am Sunday when we landed at Shannon. Ireland from the air is a perfect patchwork of small squares in all shades of green, seperated by dark green strips of hedges, a really beautiful sight. The Irish are very laid back when it comes to customs procedures, we simply passed through imigration, collected our luggage and walked free. Our rental car - a Chevrolet Kalos, 1.6 litre 4 door manual sedan. Although it seemed quite small after our Chev Impala in the States, it is quite adequate and certainly more suited to the very narrow country lanes of Ireland. We drove north to Galway where we had originally planned to stay overnight, but found a massive parade under way so decided to continue on to th!
e Connemara Peninsula and the township of Clifden. Located a nice B&B, then looked around the township. Monday we continued north through Westport and Castlebar to Sligo where we spent some time in a small church yard - the resting place of W.B.Yeats, the Irish poet. A little further on we booked into another B&B near Grange. Tuesday we passed through Donegal, Strabane, into Northern Ireland and on to Londonderry then Coleraine on the north eastern tip of Ireland, where we had lunch and a lovely walk around this very pretty town. Then south via Dungannon and Armagh to Newry. We elected to bypass Belfast as the size of this city and the lack of accurate signposting makes it difficult to find your way out. Besides we felt we had a good taste of Northern Ireland towns and cities from those mentioned above. Another lovely B&B on the outskirts of Newry, still in Northern Island is our overnight for Tuesday. Dinner at a nearby country pub, called Murphy's of course. The scenery t!
hroughout Northern Ireland is extremely pretty, set off by the lush gr
een fields and colourful flowerbeds and pots everywhere. A very confusing factor at present is the change in currency. Initially we were in the Republic Of Ireland where the currency is the Euro. then we crossed in Northern Ireland where because of the British presence, the currency is the Pound Sterling, then tomorrow back into IRA territory and Euro again. The notes are ok but the coins are very similar, therefore it's a case of Euro in the left pocket, Pounds in the right or whatever. Tomorrow we intend to visit the Wicklow Mountains and generally stick to minor back roads on our way to Dublin County, then onto Wexford on Thursday for a few days of mahem with our Irish friends, Florrie & Jack O'Leary and Renee & Thomas Cleary. We are really looking forward to catching up with them all.
Kevin & Gail.
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New York State.

Unwinding from the huge day in New York City was never going to be easy. Our plan was to do some tripping around in the car in the immediate Greenwich / Stamford area of Connecticut, maybe a visit to the beach or such. Well, the idea seemed great, the execution a different matter. Why you may well ask? Firstly we discovered that public beaches are non-existant in this very affluent area. They are all private beaches with guards in sentry boxes to ensure that their privacy is maintained. One guy kindly said we could drive into the parking area of one such private beach, if we paid $US40 for the privelege - no prize for guessing what we told him to do with his beach.. However we did see some magnificent homes set in lovely winding, tree lined streets that were almost compounds. Not surprising that the likes of Paul Newman, Barbara Streisand and friends have their East Coast hangouts in this neighbourhood. Silly us we forgot to ring ahead and let them know we were visiting from!
Down Under.
The weather continues to be very hot, high humidity and at times breathless, so a plunge in the ocean would have been nice.
Tuesday morning hit the road again for the drive to Niagara Falls in the north west corner of New York state, a distance of almost 500 miles. En route we passed through a number of lovely little villages and hamlets. New York state is quite a pretty state, greenery everwhere, window boxes and hanging baskets in the small towns adding a very colourful addition to the mainly weatherboard homes. Initially we had planned two full days for this trip, but by swapping drivers every two hours or so managed to knock it over comfortably in one day. We did have pre booked accomodation at a B&B within walking distance of the Falls, but due to our early arrival had to book into a nearby motel for that night. After settling in we walked to the American Falls (Wow), then across to Goat Island for a different perspective of both the American Falls and the much larger Horshoe Falls across the border in Canada. It is very hard to describe these Falls, the sheer volume of water racing down to !
the various faces is spectacular in itself, let alone the thunderous roar and the ever present mist rising from the crashing torrent. The entire area facing the falls is beautifully maintained parkland and gardens which adds to the spectacle. As it was nearing darkness we decided that would be enough for our first encounter with Niagara Falls, however we had already formulated plans for the next two full days here. Unfortunately a sleepless night as I seem to be suffering from flue symptoms, but dosed up the following morning ready to explore everything in sight.
Wednesday we decided to drive across into Ontario, Canada and take a look at the country towards Toronto, after all sitting in an air conditioned car appealed more than walking in the heat with aching limbs. We drove about 65 miles into Canada, stopping in the delightful town of Oakville. This is where our Suzuki 4WD friends, Chris & Donna Betcher and family are located during their 12 month teacher exchange program. Unfortunately we were unable to make contact as it is summer vacation for schools here at the moment, and the Betchers are understandably taking the opportunity to go on vacation themselves and see as much as possible during their 12 month stay. Still we did enjoy seeing their little town (150,000 approx) so that when next talking with them we will have a better understanding of their surroundings. We then returned to the Falls, this time the Canadian side for the most spectacular views of the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls from yet a different perspecti!
ve altogether. As we have been invited to a BBQ at the home of an American couple we met on the Alaska tour, we had to drag ourselves away and back across the border and through customs again. A quick check-in to our B&B, then head south for the 45 minute drive to Orchard Park and the home of Dennis & Jane Jewell. Upon arrival there we met up again with another American couple, Mike & Nancy who were also on the Alaska thingy and also met the next door neighbours of Dennis & Jane; Marsha & Garry. Over a few drinks and a delightful BBQ dinner, sitting outside on a very balmy evening we enjoyed a fabulous evening in the company of six very charming and hospitable people. The time just flew and before we knew it 11:30pm had come and gone, and as some had to front up for work in the morning, we reluctantly said our farewells and departed for the drive back to Niagara Falls and the historic "Park Place" B&B.
After a pleasant breakfast at Park Place, we went exploring again in the car, into Canada again seeking out the original "Ice Wine" winery, near the township of Niagara On The Lake. Finding "Inniskillin" was not that difficult so we arrived in time to join a conducted tour of the winery. A very interesting process right from the siteing of the vines to the picking crushing, ageing and bottling. This wine is so special they even have a glass especially designed to drink it from. Hand crafted bottles in various forms are also made especially and available for purchase - provided you have a spare $US500 per bottle.
Then back across the border again - sniffer dogs were getting a little suspicious with us by this time, to partake of our two "must do" activities in Niagara Falls. The "Maid Of The Mist" boat ride into the raging waters at the base of Horseshoe Falls and the "Cave Of The Winds" walk arond the bottom of the American Falls. I can't begin to describe the exhilerating rush the Maid Of The Mist brings to you as you enter the thunderous roar of the cascading water right in the middle of the mist and spray below the Horseshoe Falls. It is like standing in the heaviest downpour you can imagine. The sheer power needed by the boat to maintain its position must be massive. Having said all this, the Cave Of The Winds was just as, possibly even more exhilerating. You are fitted out with souvenir rubber booties and a plastic poncho, then descend 180 feet in an elevator to the base of the American Falls. A series of wooden and steel walkways allows you to walk right up to the base of the !
falls where cascading water and spray literally throws you around on the platform - especially the platform known as "Hurricane Deck". Be prepared to get wet was the understatement of the year - drowned rats would be more appropriate as you will eventually see from our photos. After these two incredible experiences we felt the need for some refreshment - so we tried "Dippin' Dots". Look them up on the Internet, I'm sure they must be there. If not, we have photos.
Kevin & Gail.
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Marching On.

Following a relaxing day where we were able to enjoy the facilities of Craft Inn, it was time to move on to our next adventure. Saturday morning we departed Wilmington, stopped briefly at one of the many covered bridges scattered throughout the New England area, (remember the "Bridges Of Madison" movie) then onto Greenwich in Connecticut, a distance of 190 miles. Miraculously we are stil managing to negotiate the maze of overpasses, underpasses, split dual roads etc. without getting lost or heading in the wrong direction - and without the assistance of a GPS.
I must say that the road and freeway signage is excellent, providing you have an understanding of exactly where you want to end up and in which direction of the compass you are travelling. It would be a nightmare if the traffic flow forced you onto a North entry ramp when you needed the South, as in many cases to correct the oversight could involve many extra miles plus a great deal of anguish.
Connecticut is still very much a lush green state, however increased traffic flow made it seem we were a million miles from Wilmington. Settled into the Howard Johnson Motel, then explored the surrounding homes along tree lined streets on foot. We chose this location because of its proximity to a station on the Metro Rail network and therefore within commute distance of New York City.
Sunday up early and departed on the 55 minute train trip into NYC and Grand Central station. Boy, what a building - vaulted & domed tiled ceilings, huge chandeliers, massive arches and heavens knows how many tracks terminating here. Our first stop naturally was the very helpful information desk, armed with our short list of things we wished to see within the space of one day.
From Grand Central we walked down 42nd street heading towards Times Square. About 5 blocks down we crossed Madison Avenue where there was a HUGE open air market which appeared to stretch about 6 city blocks. This was an unexpected surprise and one that we could not bypass. Stalls were set up on both sides of the closed off Madison Ave; selling a large variety of items including food, clothing, shoes, electronics, jewellry, handbags etc etc. Fortunately the tall buildings provided a shade haven for most stalls as the temperature is in the mid 90's F. Times Square was Times Square - busy, noisy, giant neon billboards and nine out of ten vehicles honking horns, and 80% of those yellow cabs. Still something to witness though. It's hard to come to grips with the fact that we are only 3 hours drive from the pure unspoiled serenity of Wilmington, Vermont.
Next stop was the Circle Line Ferry wharf on the Hudson River where we boarded a Ferry for a 3 hour narrated cruise circling Manhattan Island. The cruise sails south down the Hudson River, passing the mid-town high rise buildings, dominated by the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. Approaching the southern end of Manhattan Island we cruised past the Downtown business district, the NY Stock Exchange and HQ for most of the worlds largest companies as well as the ill fated World Trade Centre site - now being redeveloped as Freedom Park, with a massive spired column as the centre piece. Then up close to Ellis Island and the awesome spectacle of the Statue Of Liberty and Statten Island in the distance. The Ferry then moves into the East River, heading north passing Brooklyn & Queens, both located on the western end of Long Island and thousands of tall apartment buildings, under the three famous "BMW" bridges - the "B"rooklyn, "M"anhattan and "W"illiamsburgh. New Yor!
k City is made up of 5 boroughs - Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx with a total population of 8 million. The cruise continued into the Harlem River, passing the last of the 5 boroughs The Bronx, the only borough on the mainland. At the northern tip of Manhattan Island we passed through the Harlem Channel and returned to the Hudson River for the final lap of our 35 mile trip around Manhattan Island - Fantastic.
A very positive note re NYC. When I was last here in 1977 with IBM, the thing that hit you in the face was the filthy streets and graffiti everywhere except the main thoroughfares. The garbage collection seemed non-existant, even the windows on trains had graffiti covering them. Well today it is an entirely different story. Graffiti is non-existant, no garbage lying around, and this is the scene everwhere we saw. Apparently the key to this turn-around is their "zero tolerance" policy combined with a multi million dollar clean-up and repainting of all trains with a paint that prevents any type of paint from adhering to the surface permanently. The result is truly amazing. It is a pleasure to visit NYC. Our next stop was a bus ride to Ground Zero. This area is regarded as a place of special significance, consequently activities such as loitering, soliciting etc are prohibited by law. Their is a Police presence there at all times to ensure the serenity is maintained. Although a!
t present this is very much a construction site, there is enough evidence on the adjacent buildings to drive home the magnitude of this disaster. We visited the Precint 10 Fire Station which is adjoining the Site and spoke with several officers who were the first on the scene on that fateful day in September 2001.
343 Firemen lost their lives that day, 5 of them from this station.
Had dinner at an establishment in the downtown area then we did a bus trip around the city, ending up at the Empire State Building hoping to go to the upper viewing platform for a night view over NYC, but the wait was over an hour, meaning we would miss the last train back to Connecticut so we had to forego this view.
Trivia re the Empire State Building:
The 200 foot tower atop the ESB was intended to be a mooring mast for dirigibles, but updraughts made blimp docking impossible.
Kevin & Gail.
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Escape over the mountains.

Wednesday's travels took us north on Interstate 91, with the first stop being the small settlement of Quechee and the Quechee Gorge. We took a walk to the base of the rugged gorge. Locals refer to it as a little Grand Canyon, and although it is quite spectacular we feel that is drastically overstating the fact. We then diverted onto Interstate 89 North towards Burlington, near the border of New York state. En route we passed through Montpelier, the capital of Vermont, a relatively small town. This is the way all state capitals should be - slow paced, small enough that you can walk everywhere, and featuring lots of shops that sell the simple things like hand tools and wrapping tape. We continued on to our primary destination, the township of Stowe, Vermont. Apart from being a very popular winter ski resort, the nearby hills are home to the Trapp Family Lodge. You will all remember their story as portrayed in the musical "Sound Of Music".
In 1938, George Von Trapp, his wife Maria and their nine children fled their native Austria, leaving family, friends and all their belongings behind. The family made a life for themselves as the Trapp Family singers and toured the world. Initially they settled in Pennsylvania, but longed for the mountains of their Austrian homeland. So in 1942 they purchased a farm on a mountaintop property in Stowe, a location that was reminiscent of their native Austria and today the location of The Trapp Family Lodge. After they retired as the Trapp Family Singers, they began building up the lodge for friends and vacationers to stay during all seasons of the year. It now comprises the family lodge plus three or four similar lodges, all built in the Austrian style to house paying guests. The surrounding landscaped grounds combined with the picturesque view make this a very desirable place to stay - but not in our price bracket. We had lunch here, from the onsite bakery at a picnic table overlooking the valley below. It was not difficult to visualize how gorgeous this complex would look during winter.
Then on to Burlington, located on the shores of the immense Lake Champlain which creates a natural border to the west and the state of New York. We headed due south following Lake Champlain on route 7 all the way to Bennington, then east on route 9 back to Wilmington. A big day out, covering 369 miles, but well worth the effort. We have really come to love the lush green woods of Vermont which really set off the vivid white timber houses with their colourful hanging baskets and window boxes.
Thursday, time to catch up on laundry etc. in the morning then a relatively short drive (60 miles) to the south to soak up more of this stunning scenery. We took time to stop in Bennington for a look around - a very arty town.
Kevin & Gail.
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Wilmington - Vermont.

Our first of seven days at "Crafts Inn" started with a short drive to the nearest convenience store to buy some essentials for breakfast. This was a real eye opener in itself. Firstly bear in mind that this is essentially a winter ski playground, consequently there are few shops built with an external presence. The store I was directed to looked more like a barn from the outside, but once inside I discovered how well they were stocked with every imaginable item you may want if you were snowed in for up to 8 months a year. Snowmobiles and snow ploughs were stored for summer outside a large number of houses. Sunday was largely a day to look around the tiny community of Wilmington. The people at the information centre were very helpful, providing heaps of literature on trips around the area. We are certainly located in the heart of the New England area and we intend to visit places of interest in all four states comprising New England (Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachu!
setts) during our stay here. The local shopkeepers are all very friendly and helpful towards us - we have had some interesting conversations, ranging from politics to accents to differences between USA and Australia. For the most part we seem to be making ourselves understood and vice versa.
On Monday we drove approx. 190 miles to Portland, Maine via New Hampshire for the day. Portland is a very old town which burned to the ground in 1866 and was rebuilt with original architecture in mind but with the advantage of some town planning. The waterfront area is a real attraction and it was from here that we took a 90 minute narrated town trolley tour, which was exceedingly informative and interesting. On our return journey to Wilminton we stopped at the nearby township of Battleboro where there is a real supermarket, so we stocked up on supplies for the week ahead.
Took the opportunity for a slower day Tuesday, so after a late breakfast we went for a walk around town - about 2 blocks in total, then did a short drive to the local lake and ski run areas of Haystack and Mount Snow. Being summer there was very little sign of life at the ski resorts, however the scenery is just beautiful everywhere we go.
This morning we saw on the TV the aftermath of a roof collapse in a major arterial connecting tunnel in Boston. This tunnel is part of a massive reconstruction project known as "The Big Dig" which has been under construction since about 1995. Two large sections of the concrete and steel roof weighing about 5 tonne each collapsed about 11pm, crushing a passing car and killing one person. The huge impact this had on the following peak hour traffic was immense. We had actually driven through it on Friday night on our way from the airport and again on Saturday afternoon after visiting the Boston markets.
Boston area has also been hit by exceptionally high winds and huge hailstones in the last 12 hours, causing a weather alert warning - bordering on a tornado alert, so I think we timed our visit there perfectly.
Tomorrow we plan have another day of driving, this time to Northern Vermont and the many interesting and historical places of interest.
Kevin & Gail.
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One day in Massachusetts.

Having survived a 3 hour time change plus the interrogation techniques while captive audience to an eight year old during our 4-1/2 flight from Las Vegas to Boston, we felt the need for a completely mindless following day. Not so, we took off early Saturday morning for the 100+ mile drive to Cape Cod. After all, the lure of "Lobster Stew In Old Cape Cod", "Quaint Little Vilages" and "Sailboats on Cape Cod Bay" as the song "Cape Cod Bay" by Anne Murray points out, was beckoning us. A beautifull, vivid green area with shingled and clapboard (weatherboard) houses, straight out of a new england picture book. Many of the houses are completely shingled - walls and all. Everything so clean and crisp and the gardens so colourfull. Unfortunately time and the depth of our pockets prevented a ferry trip to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard islands. But we did eat lobster stew - chowder actually which was delicious.
On the return trip to Boston we went via Plymouth and saw the Mayflower tied up at the wharf. This was another cute town, some places looked as old as the Mayflower. A trip to the Boston Markets, much bigger than we anticipated and operating seven days a week was a real eye opener. After a walk around town we hit the road again around 5pm for the 160 mile drive to Willmington Vermont, our timeshare accomodation for the next seven nights and this time the opportuniy to relax a little. "Crafts Inn", a 3 storey shingled building was designed in 1898 and is now registered as a National Historic Landmark. It has lots of facilities similar to Boambee Bay. The Haystack and Mout Snow ski areas are within six miles. Average annual snowfall of 15 feet between mid November and early May. The small township reminds us of Kangaroo Valley, even all the motorcycles (Harleys of course) visiting for Sunday brunch.
One thing worthy of comment concerns the travel directions between Boston and Crafts Inn I got from the Internet prior to leaving home. These directions are extremely specific, to the extent they provide not only interstate route numbers, exit numbers, road and street names, when to turn left or right etc and distance between each instruction. Well the hillarious bit on the final 20 or so miles of this particular journey was that we were directed off the paved road onto a series of narrow, gravel roads with left and right turns in rapid succession until eventually we emerged "the forest" back onto the original road we had been on. It appears the directions give the most direct route, not neccessarily the most convenient. The nearest analogy we can draw is the "Red Hill / Forest Rd shortcut" between Kulnura and Yarramalong Valley near home. Still we saw parts of Vermont that only the locals would even know existed.
Kevin & Gail.
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Las Vegas in three days.

They say the only way to really experience Las Vegas is to put on your most comfortable shoes and hit the Strip. Thats exactly what we did
for three days despite the extremely hot weather. Our typical day started out around 9am with breakfast either at Circus Circus or one of the many inexpensive eateries nearby. Then a leisurely walk checking out the hotels and casinos, generally a late lunch (if at all) then dinner at a casino buffet, followed by another stroll taking in the night sights and lights. On Wednesday we took a break from the casinos and purchased a 24 hour bus pass for $5 which allowed us to get on and off at any one of about 30 stops. We chose to go to the newest factory outlet "city" known as Las Vegas Factory Outlets on the outskirts of Vegas. Very very interesting with fabulous bargains. The Strip has changed considerably since our last visit 11 years ago and in fact will continue to change as older hotels are torn down and bigger, better and more palatial hotels take their place. As an example, in 1995 we stayed at The Hacienda on the southern end of the Strip, which at that time was about 10!
years old. Today there is no sign of it - the opulent and sprawling Mandalay Bay stands on that site. Caesars Palace, an institution in Vegas has been upgraded and expanded to the extent that it now occupies an entire block and the blocks in Vegas are huge. The Sands, the former playground of Sinatra and the Rat Pack is currently no more than a massive construction site, with unbelievable steelwork covering the entire block, presumably a new "Sands" under construction. However, our favourite was without doubt the exquisite "Wynn", a simple ultra modern curved amber glass high rise dominating the skyline with its simplicity. No gaudy neons flashing, just very very impressive, both inside and out. The owner, a single guy named Steve Wynn originally worked for the Stardust hotel/casino. He subsequently bought it, sold it, then built and sold Treasure Island resort hotel, followed by the construction and sale of "The Mirrage", then the "Bellagio". Each subsequent resort hotel!
/casino being bigger and better than the previous one. His ultimate, i
n which he has incorporated all the best features in a tastefull manner gained from experience along the way is the "Wynn". Interestingly his prices for drinks and food are quite inexpensive, compared to most of the other so called "top notch" resorts.
Wedneday night we went to a live show, "Le Follies Bergere" which was fantastic. Thursday night we went into Fremont Street in downtown Vegas to the light spectacular show where they project video clips and a fantastic light show onto the concave roof which extends for a complete block over Fremont street mall.
As I write this we are in flight, bound for Boston on the east coast. The 4-1/2 hour flight loks like being extremely interesting and eductional for us as we are seated next to an American 8 year old girl, Shelby, who is traveling alone and has adopted Gail already. The conversations between the two of them are hillarious. Shelby is certainly an outgoing chatterbox with big blue eyes and is constantly correcting Gail on the US/English language. eg. Trash - not rubbish. Her parents are "parted" not seperated. She is not on a holiday - she's on vacation, and on and on it goes. I never thought I would see Gail learning the intricicies of Gameboy, especially when she had planned to catch up on some reading or sleep. We purchased an inflight Fun Pack containing chocolates and other fun things to share betwen the three of us, she is now in control of that and we are getting the odd hand-out of Twinkies from OUR box. We're now constantly readjusting her reading light and air flow -!
oh well, nice to be appreciated. Bye for now, Shelby has just jamed her earplugs into our ears.... stop laughing, it could happen to you one day.
Kevin & Gail.
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Slowdown in Flagstaff.

A relatively easy day Saturday, walked to a local art & craft festival, did some shopping at Walgreens Drugstore - more like a huge supermarket/department store
then relaxed beside the pool as we are currently experiencing temperatures between 100 and 107 F.
Why am I talking in miles and degrees Fahrenheit? Simply because that's how everything is expressed here in the USA and it saves me converting, ok.
Sunday morning we headed off quite early for the 200 mile drive to Monument Valley. For the most part the scenery en route was typically desert - very barren, dry and rugged outcrops in places. Kayenta is the small gateway town into Monument Valley, with homes and buildings being constructed very simply, in fact almmost slum like. The population is largely Native American - Navajo. We continued on about 20 miles through Kayenta to the Visitor's Centre which is almost on the border of Utah. Monument Valley is a place of great natural and cultural significance. Incredible sandstone spires solemnly rise to towering heights of 400 to 1,000 feet above the valley floor.Spectacular colours reflect off the surrounding mesas and buttes to highlight its beauty. We learned that this was 25 million years in the making, erosion from the early Rocky Mountains deposited many layers of sediment in this previously vast lowland basin. Volcanic pressure from below the earth's surface later upl!
ifted horizontal strata as much as 3 miles above sea level. Continued water and wind erosion eventually sculptured the majestic wonder of Monument Valley as@seen today. We had lunch in the visitors centre cafe with a window seat and the ultimate million dollar view from the rim of the valley. We then went on a self drive 17 mile loop drive through the valley where we looked up in awe at these magnificent towering sandstone
columns. From this you may gather that we were most impressed with our trip here. Definately worth the day and the 8 hours plus and the 400 or so miles. We returned to Flagstaff via the Navajo National monument and saw how the ancient people lived more than 900 years ago in beautifully preserved Anasazi ruins of cliff dwellings known as Betatakin and Kiet Seel.
Monday morning checked out from Flagstaff and drove to Las Vegas via the Grand Canyon - South rim. Even though we have visited Grand Canyon in the past, the sheer magnitude of this natural "7th wonder of the world" blew us away again and has to be experienced to be believed. We could have stayed here for days taking in the ever changing vista as the sun rose in the sky. We were extremely fortunate to see two Californian Condors nesting on a rock ledge quite closeby. The Californian Condor is almost extinct and a number of pairs have been placed in the Grand Canyon and appear to be surviving ok and in fact are now breeding. Those placed here have small GPS transmitters attached and a reference number painted on the leather pouch which contains the tracking gear. The pair we saw had the numbers 42 and 43. We took heaps of photos again, however as we still had about 240 miles to Las Vegas we dragged ourselves away 2pm. Our route took us via the Hoover Dam where extensive recons!
truction is taking place and the subsequent traffic delays. It took us over an hour at snails pace to wend our way the last mile or so to cross over the dam wall and up out of the valley. Arrived Vegas around 7pm and found our way (a feat in itself) to our pre-booked accomodation at Circus Circus Hotel/Casino. Las Vegas is currently the fastest growing city in the United States - we certainly saw this as we approached the city - freeways, flyovers and traffic confusion everywhere. We return our hire car to Avis tomorrow, walking would appear to be the sanest way of getting around for the next 3 days.
By the way - it's America's Birthday tomorrow, July 4th. God only knows how this insane town will react.
Kevin & Gail.
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