Thursday, March 15

We arrived in Las Vegas on Monday night after spending 2 nights in Flagstaff, AZ.  On Sunday, we drove to the Grand Canyon National Park.  As we were driving, it occurred to me that this is the my 4th visit to the south rim and all have been in March.  The one time we visited the north rim it was August.  We took route 89 north out of Flagstaff and arrived at the Grand Canyon by the east entrance.  The last time we were at the Grand Canyon we drove this way but it was dark so we did not see the scenery.

The first stop was Desert View which overlooks the east side or the start of the Grand Canyon.  On the side of the canyon is the watch tower.  Inside is a gift shop and an observation area on the top floor.  Whenever I see this structure, I think about that Jimi Hendrix song, All along the watchtower.

We drove along the south rim drive and made a few stops and took pictures.

We left the Grand Canyon and on the way back to Flagstaff we stopped in Williams, AZ on old route 66.  In Williams you can take a train to the south rim of the Grand Canyon for the day.  Right after we parked, the train arrived and passengers we exiting the train.

The next day, Monday, we left Flagstaff to drive to Las Vegas.  We drove through Oak Creek canyon, Sedona, and the old mining town of Jerome.

We arrived in Las Vegas on Monday night.  Here is the view from our room on the 51st floor of the Aria Hotel and Casino.

On Tuesday, we left the hotel to walk the strip.  We first took the tram from Aria to Bellagio.  As we were walking into the Bellagio we could smell the scent of flowers in the air.  It was from the flower display in the Bellagio conservatory.  I think they said on the news that there are over 500,000 flowers planted for the Holland themed display.

We walked the strip to Caesar's forum shops and then back to Aria.

On Wednesday we went to the Hash House a Go Go, a restaurant known for its large portions, for breakfast.  Cheryl had eggs and one pancake.

I had the chicken and waffles.  A strip of bacon is cooked inside each waffle.  Despite sharing, we had a hard time eating half of the breakfasts.

After breakfast we went to the Angel Park golf course so I could hit some range balls.  On Friday I am playing golf with Pete Difranco and his son Tony.  After that we stopped at the outlet mall and then back to the hotel.  This morning we look forward to Pete, his wife Jackie and Tony arriving in Las Vegas for March Madness, St Patty's Day, gambling, golfing, good food, and good times.  Looks like there will be good weather for St Patty's day back home and I hear all next week.  We hope everyone enjoys their weekend.  Take care.