Las Vegas Strip on Tuesday 9/27/2011

We decided to spend the day on the strip and check out all the Hotels and Casinos.  We parked at the MGM, that in itself is a chore. You better remember where you park as you are at the back of the Hotel. It is a block walk just to get back to the strip. We walked out on to Las Vegas Blvd. and just said "WOW"  The strip is really a cool place to see and visit. If you haven't seen the Las Vegas strip, make sure you do!! There are so many places to shop and see that you are looking all over the place. We got down to the Paris Casino and went in and checked out the shops. The have built a little town inside the hotel and it it even has a blue sky, to make you feel like you are outside. Really a cool place to visit and there are several other Hotel/casinos that have the same type of theme. We wanted to stay till dark so we could see the light show at the Bellagio. It was worth the wait as the light show is really neat. We ended up eating at New York, New York, just pizza, but it was good and the prices aren't bad at all. What a great day we had.
Again, make sure you get to Las Vegas!!

New York, New York

Crystals

Venetian

Las Vegas 9/25 and 9/26

We made the short 150 mile trip to Las Vegas on Sunday 9/25. The traffic wasn't to bad being a Sunday. The scenery is limited to miles and miles of nothing but the desert and then in the middle of nowhere is a Casino. One that stood out was a casino with a roller coaster around the motel. We are staying at the Oasis RV Resort just 5 miles from the strip. It is a big resort with almost 700 sites, but it is nice and they have 2 pools. the temperature has been close to 100 each day and our AC has been working double time.
We took a drive down the strip and the views are really cool. There are lots of tourists walking around and there is so much to see. We need to get busy! It is going to take some time to really see the cool casinos.
We had a nice dinner with Toby and Steve, Joe's parents Monday night. It was the first time we had met them and we really enjoyed talking to them about the kids, Nicole and Joe.
Tuesday we will spend most of the day and night looking at the different casinos and walking and walking!

Heading to Las Vegas 9/23

It is time to head toward Las Vegas. We are stopping off at the Barstow Calico Koa in Yermo. The drive over took us over some very long steep grades. It was the first time that the duramax started to get hot. Could it have been the temperature for the day? it reached 104.  But the cooling fans kicked in and all was fine. We saw hundreds of windmills and lots of fruit trees. A lot of oranges must come from this area. Almost forgot that the borax for "20 Mule Borax" also comes from this part of the country.

We arrived at the KOA, got settled in and made it to the pool. This is a very nice campground with full hookps and fast wifi. Went to the Peggy Sue's Diner, a tourist spot along Hwy 15, for dinner. It has been in operation since the 50's and has lots of movie memorabilia. It was a fun spot to eat!!

One of the major tourist attractions in the area is Ghost Town in Calico.  So we decided to go and see this Old West Mining town, started in 1881. When Ghost Town was in full operation in 1887 it had a population of 1200 people and 22 saloons. Between the years 1881 and 1907 it produced 86 million dollars in silver, 45 million in dollars in borax and had 500 mines in the area.  This restored town is a neat little attraction for people to see if in the area.

Leaving Sunday for Las Vegas and some fun!! We also are planning to meet our daughter's fiance's parents who live in Vegas. Should be a great week!!

Going back to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park 9/21/2011

We decided to drive back to Sequoia National Park and see a couple of things we missed the previous day.
I wanted to stop off for a photo-op at the Tunnel Log, where you drive your truck through this big Sequoia. The Sequoia fell in 1937 and is 275 feet long, is 8 ft high and 17 ft wide, much bigger than the redwood we drove thru earlier this month. There is also another tree where you used to drive out on and take pictures but that was stopped a few years ago. That tree fell in 1917, hard to believe that was 94 years ago!
We even got to see them fall a tree. Boy when it hit the ground it made a very big thud!! I even yelled "Timber"
Then it was on to Kings Canyon National Park which is connected by the same road. To do both parks it takes 8 hours of which alot of the time is driving. But we wanted to see our 6th National Park in 5 weeks. Mt Rainier, Redwoods, Crater Lake, Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. To say we have been busy is an understatement:)
We saw General Grant Tree, one of the world's largest living trees. President Coolidge proclaimed it the Nation's Christmas Tree in 1926 and it is a National Shrine. The only living memorial to those who died in war. This is one big tree!! Since time was running out, it takes a long time to get anywhere since the roads are very curvy, we went to Junction View. Junction View gives you a beautiful look into Kings Canyon and the surrounding areas.
Our last day in the area was spent relaxing and going to Reimer's. A store that has been making chocolate candy for over 50 years. They now make ice cream and I had to have a scoop of Peach and one of Strawberry. Boy was it good!! So if you in the area of Three Rivers, make sure you stop by for some delicious treats.
Well Friday came and it was time to move on towards LAS VEGAS! We will be there Sunday and hope to win enough $$$ to pay for Nicole's wedding!!

Pictures of the Bears and the Largest Tree in Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park on 9/20/2011

We made it to Sequoia RV Resort in Three Rivers, Ca. A very nice campground, but we are paying the highest price for a camping spot so far on our trip. It is only 6 miles from the entrance to Sequoia National Park so they are able to charge the higher prices.

The Sequoia National Park is very large. It is having the only road into the park widened and you must get to the repair area at the beginning of the hour or you will end up waiting. It is a big repair and will not be finished until 2013. They have been at it for years and even work 24/7.

Since it takes so long to get from one place to another you have to plan your day. There is a free shuttle that takes you to most places in the park. It is the way to go. We decided to climb Moro Rock, a large granite dome that gives you some fascinating views of the park. It is only a ¼ hike but up over 300 steps. It is a 300 elevation gain in that short quarter mile so it is a “Free Stress Test”. The hike to the top is not hard after climbing the 600 plus steps to Vernal Fall in Yosemite. Moro Rock is worth the short hike and is a must when in the park.

After lunch it was time to see the General Sherman Tree. The largest tree on earth! The tree is 275 feet tall, whose trunk weighs an estimated 1,385 tons and whose circumference at the ground is nearly 103 feet. It is one large Sequoia!!

This is were we got very close to a black bear. The bear was sleeping just off the hiking trail when he decided to wake up and start walking toward the hiking trail. Everyone was scrambling to get out of the bears way. But the bear wasn't interested in any of us as he just went along the trail and didn't look twice at all the people taking his picture. The bear really looked cute and you almost want to reach out and touch him. But we didn't see anyone try that:) They are so cool to watch and you can tell they are used to all the attention.

Groveland 9/18/2011

We had a great time seeing Yosemite National Park. It was our last day in the Yosemite area and we decided to visit the town of Groveland, an old gold rush town. The have a jail that was built in 1895 and a saloon in 1892. We had lunch at the Iron Door Saloon the oldest operating saloon in California. It reminded me of Froggy's on Main Street in Daytona Beach. They even had dollar bills stuck to the ceiling. Groveland is a small town with not much to do, but it does have some history.

Monday took us to on a very curvy road to Three Rivers. We had to go back out on Hwy 120, which has lots of curves and steep grades over to Hwy 49 which has steeper grades and more curves than Hwy 120. This area of California has made the duramax and allison to earn their keep:) There is a lot of farm land, with corn fields, almonds, pistachios, oranges and other fruits and vegetables. This area of California produces a lot of crops consumed in the US.