Lake Powell (July 16)

On the Utah-Arizona border lies one of the most amazing lakes we have ever visited.  The sandstone towers alone are enough to make the trip worthwhile, so it doesn’t hurt that the weather is usually outstanding and water temperatures in the high 70s.  As part of our road trip we stopped for a day to get out on the lake via a boat rental from Wahweap Marina.

We had a nice relaxing day on the lake and the kids probably set a record for the most time on a tube.  Jackson tried out a kneeboard for the first time and was able to get up on his first try.

Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon (July 14-15)

After a fun-filled weekend in Vegas, we set out to see the sights and wonders of the Colorado River (the big one in the West, not the one in Texas ).  Our venture began with a stop at the Hoover Dam.

 

Probably should have remembered from my previous visit that you can’t actually see the dam while you are standing on it, but the views were still amazing and looking straight down the hundreds of feet of concrete to the spillway below was pretty cool. Jackson enjoyed the view from one of the many lookout points Emily took some great pics Got a great family photo Of course we had to take the obligatory selfie

 

After a quick stop at the dam, we were off to the Grand Canyon.  This was one of the few stops on the trip that was a first for all of the Texas Batemans, Dad included.

It wasn’t long before we had our bearings and got used to Grand Canyon Village along the South Rim.  Kachina Lodge was our resting place and there were plenty of restaurants, gift shops and other areas of interest for us to check out on our first night at this amazing natural wonder.  We had a great time at the Maswik Lodge pizzeria.

Of course, the main attraction of Grand Canyon National Park is the Grand Canyon and it was truly impressive.  We did a 3 mile round-trip hike down into the canyon along the Bright Angel Trail that provided some outstanding views and a lot of fun along the way.

 

The next morning we were,as Willie says, on the road again.  A drive along the south rim afforded a few other opportunities for stops, then we headed east deeper into Arizona.  Along the way, I thought it would be fun for the kids to stretch their legs so we stopped at a random roadside sandstone formation – turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip so far!

Viva Las Vegas! (July 11-13)

This summer we embarked on a 17 day road trip across the great American West.  Our journey started in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of kid-friendly activities in Vegas.  This is especially true if you love to eat!  We went to the M&M store and the Coca-Cola store – both of which were on a Vegas scale and totally over the top.
Next stop was New York, New York for some fun and games.  Unfortunately the roller coaster was down, so Jackson and Mom tried out a virtual one!

We walked along the strip and saw the Bellagio water fountain show, but our favorite viewing of it was from atop the High Roller observation wheel.
Vegas is known for having great entertainment and restaurants, and while we skipped seeing any shows for a night in the room watching Austin Powers, we hit up some great restaurants including Guy Fieri’s Vegas and Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill.
There was consensus across the board that the most memorable day in Vegas was the one spent at Circus Circus.  All-day passes to the Adventuredome kept us engaged (aside from a a quick break to watch Germany edge out Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup).




3 nights in Vegas turned out to be not quite enough as we still had things on our list we were not able to get to.  Luckily Dad won about $500 on the poker table at the Mirage to help finance the trip so that we can come back soon!