travel across America

So this past week, we went on our annual family vacation. This time, it was to see my brother who lives in Las Vegas. We had never been West of Texas, only East. So this was a chance to adventure to something new. My dad does not fly, so we drove from Texas to Las Vegas. Another reason we drove, was to see countryside we had never seen before.

First impressions: Northern New Mexico is a barren wasteland. It's mainly flat, with no towns along I-40. Arizona is a bit more scenic along I-40. As you get closer to Nevada, the landscape changes, but not much. I didn't take many pictures of the drive, because the scenery didn't warrant usage of the memory card ;)

However, as we neared Hoover Dam, we crossed over the new bypass bridge (see below). It was massively high in the air, and much higher up than the old dam. You can cross over the dam, but it's mainly a road used for tourists.












Once we arrived, we crossed through the scenic city of Boulder City. It is a wonderful city with great views of Lake Mead and a wonderful view of Las Vegas. Boulder City sits above Las Vegas and just is a great town.





Once in Las Vegas, my brother took us to see the Strip (Las Vegas Blvd.). It is so impressive at night. The lights are spectacular. It is a wonderful city to see at night. All of the lights, the music, the big building, all of it is awe-inspiring. This is just one view of city.


The next day while we were there, we went on a tour of Hoover Dam. It is one of the seven wonders of the world. As mentioned earlier, the new bypass bridge is a new four lane bridge designed to carry traffic better. The road on the Hoover Dam is now mainly a tourist road, where you can park and walk across the dam. The lake level has dropped in recent years because of a drought and increased usage.

The following day was spent doing a monorail tour through the city and then hitting the casinos. The casinos are everywhere. They are all about low light because they don't want you to see how much you are spending. The sounds of the machines, the bells and whistles, the cigarette smoke pretty much sums up casinos. We watched game one of the World Series at one of the "sports books" location inside of a casino. I must say, I've never done that before.

After my brother had to go back to work, we left out Thursday to head home. This time, since we were so close to the Grand Canyon, we had to go. I must say, pictures do not do it justice. If you've never been, you should go. It's so worth the trip. The view and the depth of the canyon make you feel like an inch tall. I took many pictures, but again, it's hard to get the full experience.

It was a great trip overall, and I'd love to go explore New Mexico and Arizona because I know there are some great things there. However, I love Texas, and after a few a week, I was ready to get back home.