We woke on Thursday refreshed after a reasonably good night's sleep. Laura is flying back to the UK today so we go out to do a final bit of shopping for her, grab some lunch at Souplantation (our favourite salad & soup buffet) and set off for Los Angeles airport. On this occasion we were not let down by the airport and airline so Laura left on time (although her bags did go missing – along with most other peoples in the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow).
Having dropped Laura off we had to travel 70 miles north-west out of Los Angeles to Ontario, CA to pick up our RV from the dealer who had been servicing it whilst we had been away. It was good to be “home” – it is amazing how we all now view our four wheeled friend so fondly. From here we are heading to Las Vegas but the journey is too long for one day so we take an overnight stop at the small town of Yermo, CA. The trip here takes up in altitude to the high deserts of California, providing a sharp contrast with the lush vegetation of Hawaii. Although if the rainfall here increased it might look so different! After struggling up hills for most of the way we finally reach our campsite for the night.
Yesterday we move on quickly from Yermo across the California-Nevada border, where we encounter our first sighting of a casino. A sign of things to come! Eventually we arrive at our campsite which is right next to the Circus Circus casino at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip. Most campsite we stay in are out in open spaces; either in woods or deserts. Here we find ourselves in something more like a parking lot – but such is the wonderful variety of our tour.
We have visited Las Vegas before so today rather than go wandering around hotels and touring the strip we decided to head out of town to see the Valley of Fire. This was the first state park in Nevada and is located some 40 miles outside of Las Vegas. The drive is very worthwhile, on this bright sunny day these red sandstone rocks stand out in contrast to the grey and browns of the desert. As we enter the park we discover there is an atlatl competition. The atlatl is an ancient tool for throwing darts, believed to be used as far back as 30000 BC. Dart casting instruments have been used throughout the world including Inuits in the Artic and the Australian Aborigines. Jack had tried using an Atlatl back in Florida in Stephen Foster State Park and loved it. When we got there we were surprised how many people were out participating in this event. We were lucky to meet up with a very kind lady called Bonnie who allowed us all to have a go with her atlatl and darts. We then toured the various view points and main sights of the park – which was absolutely stunning on this day.
From the Valley of Fire Park it is possible to return to Las Vegas by coming around the north shore of Lake Meade, which conveniently takes us close to the famous Hoover Dam. It is two years since we last went to the dam and it had changed quite a lot mainly due to the in -progress construction of a bridge that climbs high over the Colorado River. This will relieve the traffic that currently has to take the road over the top of the Hoover Dam. Although only two years have passed Jack and Emily can’t remember too much about their last visit so it is almost like a brand new experience for them to come here again. With the end of the day closing in we spend our time walking across the dam and looking down the several hundred feet down to the river below on one side and Lake Meade on the other. This is not a place for those who suffer from vertigo. Even today this is an impressive example of human endeavour and when it was completed in 1935 it was a marvel and the largest hydro-electric plant in the world (today it is the 34th largest plant).With night falling we head the short distance back to Las Vegas and take our time (there is not much option with the traffic) rolling down the Strip where we can see the bright light show that is free to all to see.
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