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Old 10 Jan 20, 05:13 PM  
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juliab
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The 260 Mile West Coast Wander - August 2019 - Day 3 - Early morning walks & rambles

Tuesday 6th August

INDEX

Our alarm was set for 4.20am I know that’s early but I figured we’d still be waking up at a ridiculous time so not too much of an inconvenience for us. I was right too as I first woke at 3am by somebody using the ice machine next to the room! The beds were super comfy too so I reckon I’d have slept so much longer.

We were all up and out at 4.45 we’d stocked our bag up with plenty of snacks and drinks. To make sure we could see where we were going I’d remembered to pack a couple of little torches away with us so we used these to find our way to the bus stop.

It was a big contrast from the previous night just 5 other people were waiting there. It was a lot cooler too but we were dressed appropriately for the early morning. I was just glad that it wasn’t raining although there was still a fair bit of cloud.

The bus came at 5am and this time we got off at Hopi Point. We choose this spot not just because we thought the views would be stunning but also because there are rest rooms located here!

The few people that were on the bus all got off at this stop too and when we walked down the path there were only a handful of others already there.

Talk about peaceful, it was perfect and yet again we were greeted with absolutely stunning views.






What a way to watch the sun come up truly unforgettable.





We also saw a double rainbow - what a magical morning!






The buses at that time in the morning only ran every 30 minutes. We didn’t wait long for 1 to arrive and we took it to the next stop called the Abyss. We were the only one’s at the view point and of course we had ½ hour to spend there.


Again the view point offered different views and this trail head seemed really close to the edge of the canyon. The kids were wandering around with not a care whilst I kept reminding and telling them to stay at least 3 metres away from the edge!





Kids said they were feeling a little peckish so we had some breakfast which consisted of cereal bars, muffins and bananas.

We enjoyed the peace and stillness of this spot and it truly felt like we had the Grand Canyon to ourselves.

Caught the bus to the next stop Monument Creek Vista where we took a few photo’s before setting off along the trail here.



Now this was a proper path which wasn’t close to the edge so I had no issue with us all walking along, it was good to stretch our legs.
It was also cloudy and still fairly cool – in fact we’d had some more rain so it was really pleasant to walk around. I thought at this time of year it would’ve been unbearably hot but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Again it felt ever so special as there wasn’t anyone else around - I kept pinching myself as I glanced to the side and saw the beauty of the canyon and thought I never imagined we’d be having morning walk in a place like this!

The walk was around 1.5 miles? So not too long at all and we spotted a few cliff chipmunks along the way.

We soon arrived at Pima Point with yet more stunning views.





After a little while we caught the bus to the final stop Hermits Rest. The café and shop didn’t open until 8am which was a bit of a shame for us as we would’ve liked to have looked around.

We were able to use the restrooms though which were in a reasonable condition for the style of toilet that they are.

We weren’t as overwhelmed with the views here but I think it was just because of all the breathtaking sights we’d seen that morning.
It was still very peaceful and quiet with just a couple of other walkers wandering around and of course very beautiful.


We heard a bus pulling up so we dashed over to catch it back to the start. Once there we had a little walk along the trail as I wanted to look out to the Bright Angel Trail.



We could see quite a few people heading down it as the weather seemed ideal. I knew there was no way I could walk on that path I think I would’ve freaked out at some point but I can imagine it to be a really awesome experience walking down into the canyon.

Once back at Maswik we got ourselves some breakfast from the food court which we decided to eat back at our room. Everyone had a hot meal apart from me who had some weetabix.


It was starting to feel a little warmer so we got changed and applied loads of sunscreen. It was strange we felt like we’d done a full day but it was only 9am.

We packed the car up then checked out but we left our car and caught the bus round to the visitors centre.

A lot more people were out and about now so the buses and the places like the visitor centre and shop was really busy. We got the orange bus next and continued with our journey around the rim.

More stunning views were to be had at three view points on this route and this particular route is shorter so maybe a better option if you’re only visiting for a few hours.



Whilst we were at the South Kaibab Trailhead we saw lots of walkers heading back from their trek into the canyon. A lot of them remarked on how favourable to weather had been and how they’d managed to do the walk in a matter of a few hours! Wow It would take me days!





The time was no 11am and we couldn’t believe how busy it was we were so glad to have come so early in the morning.




We took our last look at this beautiful place and left this truly beautiful awe inspiring place.



No Route 66 on our return journey we stuck with the freeways so a little dull but a little bit quicker. We stopped off halfway for a restroom break and to fill the car up, also had something to eat, then we set back off on our journey.

Somehow we couldn’t find Hoover Dam? We kept going round and round without finding the right entrance road in. Our SatNav was a little confused. Eventually we got on the right road and we arrive at Hoover Dam.

We parked in the free parking places, loads available. When we got out of the car wow the heat really hit us it was so hot and it felt almost difficult to breathe, it was also quite breezy too. We knew we couldn’t hang around here for too long as it felt too draining. Not sure if it was because it had been fairly cool at the Grand Canyon but we felt so hot in comparison. It was late afternoon so goodness knows what it would’ve been like earlier in the day!

We walked over the dam what a sight to see we really couldn’t believe the size of it! Also we drove back into the time zone I honestly which really through me out again. I think throughout this trip my body clock never really knew what time it was!




One foot in each State!


Back on the road again and we managed to get to Las Vegas with no issue. We checked into our hotel, New York New York, and we needed to book a rollaway bed at $30 per night and pay the resort and parking fees.

All sorted we took our bags up to our room. It was fine for what we needed as basically it’s just somewhere to sleep. The price was very reasonable and they said there was no issue with 5 of sleeping in the 1 room.

We were all feeling a little bit tired but we wanted to have a walk on the strip as it was just starting to all light up.

Also we needed some food we went into this big food court opposite our hotel which had all different types of fast food places. Between us all we had tacos, and chicken from Popeye’s a place that Hayden and Jamie were very excited to try! All quick and easy - just what we needed after a full day like we’d had.

Afterwards we went to or hotel gosh we couldn’t believe the size of the place it must have took us 10 minutes to walk down the corridor to our room.

Showered and changed for bed, thankfully the rollaway bed had been delivered and was already made up for Poppy.

We had a quick chat about the day and the kids said they really enjoyed the walk this morning. We were also so excited about Las Vegas and couldn’t wait to see more of this city.

Steps -23,518

Thanks for reading

Edited at 06:23 PM.
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Old 10 Jan 20, 05:43 PM  
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KayLouise
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Brilliant day, amazing photos again. Can't wait for my kids to be a bit older to do a similar trip, looking forward to reading more. 😊
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Old 10 Jan 20, 07:04 PM  
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Jessika
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Fantastic day, beautiful photos. I have booked the Maswick lodge for one night so nice to read about your experience. I’m currently looking into a vegas room for us struggling to find for 5 think I’m going to have to go with 2 rooms.
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Old 10 Jan 20, 09:58 PM  
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Well you definitely got a lot done that morning! Lots of great scenery and a lot of steps!
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Old 10 Jan 20, 11:03 PM  
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Can’t believe how much you squeezed in to one day. Glad it was cool enough to enjoy some walks.
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Old 12 Jan 20, 07:01 PM  
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juliab
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Originally Posted by KayLouise View Post
Brilliant day, amazing photos again. Can't wait for my kids to be a bit older to do a similar trip, looking forward to reading more. 😊
That will be so lovely for you all, something to look forward to.

Thank you for reading along
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Old 12 Jan 20, 07:05 PM  
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juliab
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Originally Posted by Jessika View Post
Fantastic day, beautiful photos. I have booked the Maswick lodge for one night so nice to read about your experience. I’m currently looking into a vegas room for us struggling to find for 5 think I’m going to have to go with 2 rooms.
That's great we really liked the Maswik it suited our needs. Hope you enjoy your time there.
I feel your pain it can be so difficult finding affordable rooms that sleep 5. We didn't mind sharing a room i know that's not for everyone though.
Thanks for reading
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Old 12 Jan 20, 07:07 PM  
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juliab
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Originally Posted by mrsdjh View Post
Well you definitely got a lot done that morning! Lots of great scenery and a lot of steps!
We made the most of the morning that's for sure

Stunning scenery all round, thank you
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Old 12 Jan 20, 07:09 PM  
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juliab
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Originally Posted by The A team View Post
Can’t believe how much you squeezed in to one day. Glad it was cool enough to enjoy some walks.
I think the weather really worked in our favour so we were able to do more walking and sightseeing.

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Old 15 Jan 20, 12:24 AM  
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Another great day Julia, love all your photographs.
Can't wait to read more!
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