Wednesday started with a trip to one of the nearby outlet centers. I think there were over 150 stores - huge, and all indoors which is nice since it gets warm quickly. Now anyone who knows us, also knows we like bargain shopping. A nice piece of art may require full price, but pretty much nothing else except some technical gear for outdoor activities. Mama's motto is if it ain't on sale, it isn't needed. Well we hit paydirt at the Izod store that had many racks at 60% off. Woohoo, my kind of shopping. We ate a food court lunch which sounds awful but after all the fancy food, it was a nice change, especially when I saw they had Rubios (upscale mexican food). They make the BEST fish tacos. Yum!!! I wish Rubios would come to Arkansas. The rest of the day we pretty much just lazed around until dinner and the Shania Twain show.

Dinner was at Gordon Ramsey's Pub & Grill restaurant in Caesars Palace. Very quirky place. High top tables with stools, low tables, almost coffee table height with long couch like seats and wing back chairs. The food was classic Irish pub style. We didn't see Gordon Ramsey :( or the recent winner of Hells Kitchen who is the executive chef but there was plenty of people watching to be had from our comfortable couch.

Shania's show was spectacular. She let slip that she's turning 50. WOW! She looks fantastic, and not just from the stage far away because we saw her closer as she walked through the audience several times during the show. 

I realized yesterday that I posted pics of the hotel suite but not the outside. You really can't get it all in with one shot so here are a few. 

This was the last night in Vegas and essentially the last day of vacation. Thank goodness we have three days to rest up from vacation. LOL! Big Daddy and I were discussing our trip and the things we enjoyed the most. I asked BD to rank the stops, and no kidding, we ranked them exactly the same.

#1 - Sedona - peaceful, restful, scenic views, galleries, incredible hiking, big hotel room with great free breakfast

#2 - Phoenix - great sightseeing, galleries, luxurious hotel

#3 - Vegas - luxurious hotel, incredible spa, great choice of (pricey) restaurants, vegas style shows, people watching

#4 - Mesquite - outrageously beautiful golf course, big suite/convenient hotel, Zion - jaw dropping beautiful park (can't wait to return and also see Bryce Canyon).

Now that order would changed dramatically if we stayed in Zion instead of Mesquite. Zion would be first or second for sure. If you recall, we stayed in Mesquite for the beautiful golf course and took a side trip to Zion. When we return (and for sure we will), we definitely will stay in Zion or the cool town just outside the park. 

This is the last vacation post. Thanks for following our travels. 

A Day at the Spa

Mama started Tuesday with a facial at the hotel spa. There are spas and then there is Canyon Ranch Spa (there are just a few of them around the country - check it out online). From the moment you enter, you know this is one classy place that knows how to provide high quality service. After checking in at the front desk, you check in again at the gender specific locker area. An attendant there takes you to your locker (complete with robe) demonstrates how to use the key and then proceeds with a tour of the facility. Down the hall from the locker area are rows of sink stations with lighting to put on makeup, hairdryers, and all the products to fix your hair. Across from this area is a row of private showers with shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. Further down the hall is a maze of therapeutic treatments, i.e., steam room, sauna, sauna with herbs, polar room, whirlpool and showers that simulate various rains. Last in the hall was the area you wait for your treatment or return to relax after. It was filled with a collection of comfy couches and chairs, some privately curtained and fruit, water, and coffee. It's hard to put into words the elegance of the facility.

I won't go into all the details of the facial but suffice to say, it was a wonderful experience. So good in fact that I talked Big Daddy into getting one later that afternoon. We ended the day with a tasty dinner on the patio overlooking the strip at Lavo, and a LONG walk up and down the strip.

Hot Rods, Pawn Stars, LOVE and an Atomic Blast

Pawn Stars
Monday morning when most people were headed to work, we were making a beeline to the renowned  Las Vegas Gold & Silver Pawn Store, the same that is featured in the show, Pawn Stars. Big Daddy is a faithful viewer of the show, even recording it to not miss an episode. I have to admit to catching a few episodes myself, enough to know that some of the featured "stars" are Chumley and the Old Man. So we head out for an older area of vegas and upon arrival find there is no line - woohoo. Since the shows popularity amongst other Big Daddy types, there is often long lines to get in. You know how they say the camera makes everything look larger, well it's definitely true with this store. Very small. Evens so, they had sketches from Salvadore Dali, a Picasso or two and signed electric guitars from various stars. Not at all your regular pawn shop. Of course the stars were not there, and we've heard rarely are except for the filming the show.

People Watching
I have to pause a moment to say if you like to watch people, this is the place do to it. It is definitely  anything goes as far as clothes are concerned. Packing tips for women.

• Bring the tallest shoes you can find, even if walking in them means hanging onto your spouse, date or friend.
• Bring several short clingy dresses at least 2 sizes too small that barely cover your butt, are mostly see through, and are cut to your navel. 
• Shorts should be just that, short, the shorter the better even if wearing them makes you walk funny due to thigh rub. 
• Although regular long pants are allowed, wearing  printed leggings is much better, especially animal prints that are the most attractive when stretched a little too thin. 

Count's Customs
Next stop after the pawn shop was Count's Kustoms, a one of a kind hot rod and chopper shop. The owner is a recurring guest on Pawn stars but is famous in his own right. We got there to find signs saying to be quiet as they were filming on premises. We also had to sign a waiver going into the showroom in case we ended up being on the show (wouldn't that be funny). The showroom was packed with some punked out vehicles. Below are just a few pics.

This next picture is the back side of a custom motorcycle helmet.

National Atomic Testing Museum

If you've ever casually said "just nuke them" you would probably think twice after visiting this museum. Through various exhibits, news clips and video interviews it tells the story of atomic testing. The testing center started on some pacific islands and eventually moved to the desert, where it still exists today, ready if needed. One of the movies was shown in a small concrete room, meant to depict being underground. The seats literally shook when the film showed the bombs exploding. Scary stuff.

We returned to the hotel to grab some lunch and take another walk around the Canal Shoppes. We tried to get into Carlos Bakery the previous night but there was a big line and only a few people were allowed in at a time. Although the goods looked great, we didn't get why there was such a line until a smart 9 year old told us it was the Cake Boss bakery. Oooohhhhh! Now we get it, so we too waited in line. we got a cream puff, a boston cream pie and 2 walnut brownie cookies. So delicious.

Dinner on a Rock
Because we had a show at 7:00 we didn't have time for a full dinner, so we grabbed appetizers at a cozy lounge in the Mirage called Stacked. We had the most delectable shrimp and thinly sliced steak that we cooked on a large hot rock at our table.

LOVE
We ended the night at the LOVE Cirque du Soleil. If you ever get an opportunity to see any of the Cirque shows, DO IT!! This was the second we've seen and we were not disappointed. Knowing all of the songs made it even more fun. As with all shows of this style, the acrobatics, costumes and theatrics were outrageous.

The Hills are Alive with Hazards

Sunday morning started with packing up the car and a quick trip to the Wolf Creek golf course. They say it is one of the most beautiful course and I would have to agree.  The course was extremely hilly, with lots of water hazards, large gorges, and massive sand traps. It was so hilly even the cart path had speed bumps to keep you from gaining too much speed on the way down. Here's the view from the first tee and a few more random shots.

After golf we headed to our last hotel on our southwest tour, the Venetian in Vegas. The hotel is beautiful and our suite is equally so.

Big Daddy and I got a real workout walking the golf course so the day ended early with a nice Italian dinner at a restaurant in St Mark's square and a little walkabout in the Canal Shoppes. We walked almost 19,000 steps!! Here are a few pics of St. Mark's square.

A Heavenly Place

We left out right after breakfast Saturday morning headed for Zion National Park, approximately 80 miles from Mesquite. The mountains around Mesquite have a completely different appearance. Most look like big piles of dirt from a distance. Pretty quickly after leaving Mesquite, we entered the Virgin River Gorge. WOW!!! I have to admit to sometimes falling asleep on road trips but not once on this trip. The landscape is too beautiful to miss. Here's a few pics of the gorge drive from the car.

The trip to Zion took us through three states, starting in Nevada, then Arizona for a few miles and ending in Utah. We even crossed into Mountain Time when entering Utah. Our phones and the car clock automaticaly adjusted which confused us for a few minutes (until we looked at time zones on the internet) 

There's no doubt you are in a very special place upon entering Zion. Mountains tower above the road on both sides. Each turn provides a new view. Traffic is strictly ontrolled in the park and most transportation is via a free shuttle bus system. Efficient way to get to each of the trailheads or vistas. Our plan was to hike two trails - the Emerald Pools (all three levels) and the Riverside (leads up to the Narrows hike where you wade in the river for over at least a mile - my brave sister did this one).  Once again mama told Big Daddy that the Emerald Pools trail would be pretty easy, only 300 foot elevation climb total. HA, HA! The beginning of the trail up to the lower pool was actually paved with iron railing most of the way. So deceiving. The rest of the way was vertical and rocky, with barefaced sections. Let me just say those rock steps woke up all those sore butt and leg muscles from our Sedona hikes. With that said, it was a glorious hike with great views (of course I think any hike is glorious). 

We decided not to do the second hike as it was already early afternoon and we didn't want to drive the gorge at night. Here are a series of pictures from our arrival and the hike.

On the Road to Mesquite

Why Mesquite? Simply put, because it has one of the prettiest golf courses in the US, Wolf Creek. Since we planned the long trip here from Sedona, it seemed a waste to not take a one day side trip to Zion National Park. We will head there early tomorrow for a couple of short hikes and some sightseeing.

Today should have been a quick 5.5 hour trip but it ended up taking close to 7 due to road construction. What we didn't know is the construction was to repair large sections of the interstate that were washed out during recent rains. One of the locals told us that the storms brought over 3 inches of rain in 7 hours, which apparently for here is a lot. It seemed pretty laughable since we can get 3 inches of rain in an hour.

Even though the drive was longer than expected, the views along the way were spectacular. There is a a section outside Williams AZ on I-40 that was particularly beautiful. Every hill or turn provided a unique view of rolling hills and tall rock studded mountains.

I'm going to end this post with the hats we wear hiking and funny story about them from Phoenix. We bought our Tilley hats over 10 years ago. Tilley's aren't cheap but they are guaranteed for life. The underside of the brim is dark which helps with glare. The inside has a special strap system that tightens the hat for a perfect fit that will withstand wind. So the funny story happened at a shopping center next to our hotel in Phoenix. We got pretty excited when we saw a Tillys sign, and on the last night we ventured inside. The music inside was loud and there were no hats or outdoor wear anywhere in sight. All around were jeans with torn  knees, tight t-shirts and short skirts. Finally it dawned on us we were in Tillys not Tilleys, which has clothes for a much younger customer than us. That's it for today. Heading out early for Zion.