Day 19 - Travelling the World

Las Vegas, Nevada to Kanab, Utah

The kids were both asleep in the car last night when we stopped here, so I brought them back for their obligatory "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign picture.  

Las Vegas

Apparently, the kids can't hang with the old people. We wore them out yesterday! They both fell asleep in the car before getting back to the hotel around midnight. Getting them out of bed this morning was a hard job!

We made a few extra stops today. They seem a bit out of the way, but we are efficient travelers. One of those stops was Ancient Egypt!

Another stop this morning was New York City!

We also drove by Paris but didn't have time to stop :-)

Everyone knows you go to Vegas to elope. There's not only drive through wedding chapels, but there is a drive through geocache at a wedding chapel. However, when we pulled up no one was at the window, so we had to walk in. The ammo can was painted white and decorated with lace. Also, the "log" was a Guest Book! Too cute :-) I added the rest of today's Vegas area photots to my Las Vegas Area album.

Random Utah Pictures

When you do a 10,000+ mile road trip, you have to get your car serviced along the way. So here we are waiting for our tire rotation in St. George, Utah. The kids partook in the free hot chocolate. We were 20 minutes late to our appointement because we got off the interstate for lunch. Then we went to get back on and the entrance ramp was closed. I rolled down my window and asked the officer how to get on the interstate. He said, "just go straight ahead. It will hit the interstate. In 36 miles, but it doesn't take any longer". He was wrong... it took longer! But we made it.

Our home for the next 4 nights! I think we are all ready for a little rest. The plan for tomorrow is to sleep in, start laundry, play at the pool, and go grocery shopping. So I might combine tomorrow's post with the next day. Oh... I almost forgot. We have swapped back to Mountain Time, so we are only two hours off from home now :)

So far, we have driven 5,300 miles on this trip!

Day 18 - Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas

Death Valley, California to Las Vegas, Nevada

We made it to Vegas this afternoon! 

Death Valley National Park

Let me start this section by saying the I am absolutely in love with Death Valley. This was one of the stops that I wasn't excited about, but it is so beautiful! It's nothing like the deserts of Arizona or New Mexico. I don't necessarily recommend going in summer, but I do recommend everyone putting Death Valley on their Bucket List. It's possibly my favorite park we've been to on this trip!

We went to Badwater Basin this morning. It's the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level. The red arrow is pointing to the sign that identifies sea level. If you look closely, you can see the kids.

It was 110 degrees at Furnace Creek Visitor Center. I haven't verified this, but I'm fairly certain that at 190 feet below sea level, it is the lowest elevation Visitor Center in the National Parks. Earlier in our trip, we were at Alpine Visitor Center in Rocky Mountain National Park, which is the highest National Park Visitor Center at over 12,000 feet. Thankfully, no one needed oxygen today :-)

Doesn't everyone picnic in 110 degree weather? It was certainly hot, but I'm starting to understand what people mean when they say it's a dry heat. 110 degrees in Death Valley feels like about 90 degrees in south Georgia. I want to come back in Fall. I added today's Death Valley pics to my Death Valley album from yesterday.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

This was a quick stop on the way to Hoover Dam.

Hoover Dam

So much bigger than it looks... truly an engineering marvel!

Las Vegas

Spiral escalator.

This is Isaiah's kind of vending machine... Pizza!

The volcano at the Mirage was such a good show. It's a shame they are tearing this down, but I'm glad we made it out to see it while it was still here. I've got videos posted in my Las Vegas Area album. I'll post more Vegas pics tomorrow.

So far, we have driven just over 5,000 miles on this trip. We have also visited 8 National Parks, 3 additional National Sites, 1 Presidential library, and been to 13 states. 

Day 17 - Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down That Wall!

Thousand Oaks, California to Death Valley National Park, California

Today did not go according to schedule at all. The plan was to just drive straight to Death Valley (with maybe a quick stop at a science museum along the way). Keep reading to see what happened. The above pic was taken at Father Crowley Point in Death Valley.

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

This was not a planned stop, but it was only about a mile off our route, so we stopped. Long story short, for about $5 more than admission, we purchased a membership. So we might stop at a couple other presidential libraries. Unfortunately, we already missed two we could have gone to. 

Isaiah practicing his oratory skills!

Hannah out for a ride with "The Gipper".

A piece of the Berlin wall. Since Isaiah learned about this in school this year, it was especially cool for him!

Air Force One... They also had a Marine One. You get to tour it, but can't take pics inside.

F-117 Nighthawk. You can check out the other pics in my Reagan Presidential Library album. I highly recommend a visit here if you are in Southern California. It's only an hour or so north of L.A. This was one of those unplanned stops that will be one of the best of the trip!

California Traveling

Interesting McDonald's we saw...

So glad we only had to get gas 1 time in California! 

There are aqua ducts all over in this part of California. I have other random California pictures in my California - Random album.

Death Valley National Park

So far, Death Valley is so much prettier than I expected. We are looking forward to exploring some more in the morning. On a side note, it was 100 degress when we pulled into the hotel for the night and we are currently at 190 feet BELOW sea level! At 10,000 feet above sea level, the chip bags looked like they were about to pop because they were so full of air. Here, they are almost completely deflated. It's crazy! To see more Death Valley pictures, check out my Death Valley album (which I will add more to tomorrow).

So far, we have driven 4800 miles on this trip. We have also visited 8 National Parks, 2 additional National Sites, 1 Presidential library, and been to 12 states. 

Day 16 - Los Angeles

San Bernardino, California to Thousand Oaks, California

We made it to the a Pacific Ocean. This picture was taken at Leo Carrillo State Park

Wigwam Hotel

You definately stay here for the experience and not for the amenities. It was very nice and they have done a good job of keeping it up, but it was obvious that it was built in the 1940s. The shower head came to about my nose! But it was still fun and certainly something different! If you're travelling Route 66, I would recommend staying here.

Sites Around L.A.

We ate lunch at Hard Rock Cafe. And yes, they did have my charm :) 

This sign identified the end of I-10, which starts in Jacksonville!

Natural History Museum 

So many dinosaurs!

California Science Center

This is the real Space Shuttle Endeavor!

The Natural History Museum was nice, but we enjoyed the California Science Center more. They are next door to each other. To see the rest of our pictures from Los Angeles, check out my Los Angeles album.

Pacific Ocean

I really wanted to see a Pacific Coast sunset. What I didn't realize is that the way the coast curves and where the sun sets pretty much eliminates the ability to see a sunset over the ocean. But we did play for a bit right before sunset. The water was COLD! To see more pics of us at the beach, check the California - Random album.

We have now driven 4,500 miles on this trip. We have been to 7 National Parks (plus 2 other National Sites), and been through 12 states so far.