There is so much to update now, should have done before we left Vegas, but, but, there was an outlet mall calling me & then we had no internet connection for days. So, here goes...

Wed. 29th - Relaxing day, out for a walk, hung out at apt. - a break from gambling, get ready for a late night. Walked to Bellagio in search of dinner, found "Sensi" at the end of the hall of restaurants, cute unique place with the kitchen in glass in the middle. No tables available, had sushi, satays & salads at the bar. Amazing presentation & tastes! Met a young couple from Australia, he was happy that we could understand what he was saying! A bit of gambling before our Cirque du Soleil show "O" started at 10:30. Gerry was blown away by Cirque, his first time seeing, awesome show, in, on, over & under water, WOW! After this we gamble some more on the slots at Bellagio & we do OK, as long as we stick with "The Gambler", Kenny Rogers' rules - "you got to know when to walk away, know when to run!..."....Find a great band playing "Michael Grimm", a bit of people watching, then home by 3:00 am, oh, we are getting so wild!!

Thurs. Nov 30th - Another sunny day, out for a run & walk down Flamingo Road. Hung around apt for awhile, then long walk to take pictures of the night lights on the strip. Ready for the evening, take free resort bus to Freemont St downtown, the old part of Vegas. Find an awesome buffet at the Golden Nugget. The street is transformed from earlier days with an overhead canopy, live band & the music & video on the canopy, quite a sight. The National Rodeo starts today, so lots of real cowboys around! Tonight we have tickets to Randy Travis at the Golden Nugget, just for our country fix! Comfortable small theatre "Showroom", he puts on a great show, has lots of hits, very personable, he hugs all the ladies in the front row at the end, one who has seen him 313 times!

Fri. Dec 1st - Had to be out of our unit at 10 am, the keys automatically expire at that time, they are serious about check out time! Not wanting to waste valuable Las Vegas time on laundry, we do it after check out, propping open the door, how desperate is that? Off to that Outlet Center I mentioned earlier, lunch, then start at one end of the 130 stores. The driver gives me till 3 pm, 1.5 hrs, have mercy, it's Christmas! That's enough anyway, then we are off as we want to get to Kingman, down Route 66 before dark. Road is winding thru the Hoover Dam, with some switchbacks, eek I have to close my eyes, but luckily the driver doesn't! Stop for groceries, Bachars, the liquor section is huge, more cheap wine! Get settled in Zuni Village RV Park & cook some chicken, Steamfresh peas inside. A chance to read tonight, both reading Dan Brown.

Sat. Dec 2nd - ***Chantel's 27th birthday*** Happy Birthday to you, ....
Off to the Route 66 Museum, very cool & quite a history of the route across the old mid-west. Here we go to the Grand Canyon, wow, what a sight. We get settled at the RV park in the GC National Park, they are all gravel in these parts with some small trees, most parks have no showers. Take a walk to the Yavapai Observation Station & along a section of the South Rim & watch the sunset. It is windy & freezing here! Cook steaks & corn on the cob inside where it is toasty warm. The air up here makes us tired & we sleep well & long.

Sun. Dec 3 - Dressed up warmer for a walk to the South Rim. Headed west, many amazing views, every turn is a new sight, the trail is fantastic, not too many people this time of year. Nice shops & lodges along the way to warm up in. Back to the mh for lunch, then drive the 7 mile route to Hermits Rest, lots of great lookouts. On to Tusayan, to Nat Geographic Visitor Centre where there is an IMAX theatre about the GC, as if you are in a helicopter & boat on the water. Shows the early explorers, etc. Fantastic show. We purchase a "mascot" for our trip, Kokopelli, "the humpbacked flute player". Native American folklore says he is a mythical character among the Navajo, Zuni, Hopi & Pueblo Indians. Often referred to as the Don Juan of the Southwest, he played his flute to announce his friendly intentions as a trader & to woo the maidens he encountered with his music of love. He represents the eternal prayer, music & dance of the universe. He brings good luck, good health & good times to all who meet him. See pic above.

Next we drove the east road of the GC out to Desert View, many more great lookouts & now the sun is setting again, so we get that nice light on the red & white rocks. It's freezing again as the sun goes down. We head to Cameron, find an RV park with a view of the San Francisco mountains. It is a gravel field, but next to a great Navajo Trading Post, with excellent diningroom where we enjoy nachos & tacos enough to feed an army. The gift shop is huge with lots of neat native crafts, very reasonably priced.