The Grand Canyon West Rim

Our trip to the Grand Canyon involved 3 helicopters, 1 boat, 2 buses, and 2 vans.  The Grand Canyon is not an easy place to get to!

Our day began with a van pick up at the hotel that took us to Boulder City, Nevada to get to our first helicopter.  Our tour company was Papillon Grand Canyon Air Tours.

 We first flew over the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.  We continued our 30 minute flight to the Grand Canyon with lots to see out our window.

We landed near the bottom of the canyon and hiked the rest of the way down to the Colorado River to take a 20 minute boat trip.  It was a very different view point to see the canyon looking up from the middle of the river.



 



We boarded a different helicopter to 
take to the Skywalk glass bridge.  There were some great views on this trip to the rim of the canyon also.

After landing we got on a bus which took us to the Skywalk glass bridge.  There we received information for using the bridge. It really felt safe to be on the bridge and the view was amazing!

 
 
 I actually felt less safe taking the picture above from the edge of the canyon because there were no safety rails and lots of people trying to get close to the edge.  The picture on the right is the closest I got to looking down into the canyon from the edge. 



After taking all the  pictures we wanted we had a picnic lunch and shopped in the gift shop.  We returned to another helicopter and made a return trip to Boulder City.  There we got on a bus that took us back to Las Vegas and then boarded a van that took us to our hotel.

An experience never to be forgotten!

Las Vegas 2015

 On a trip to the Grand Canyon we stopped off for a few days in Las Vegas.  April was a great time to be there because the weather was so pleasant. 





We stayed at the Bellagio which was worth the trip in itself.  Everything inside and outside was elegant and beautiful.

The ceiling of the lobby was covered with 2,000 hand-blown  blossoms of  beautiful Chihuly glass and other of his glass sculptures are displayed.








The Conservatory and Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio during our visit looked like a spring Japanese garden with cherry blossom trees, gazebos, bridges, ponds, and endless flowers arranged beautifully.  The gardens are changed each season.

The Bellagio is famous for its dancing fountains.  People line the lake in front of the hotel to watch the different fountain shows that perform to music.  You can hear the music everywhere outside as well as on a channel of your television in your room as you watch the fountains from your window.  This picture was taken from our window on the 28 floor.  The best part of our trip!

The main reason for our going to Las Vegas was to see some great entertainment.  We chose the David Copperfield show at MGM and the O Cirque du Soleil show at the Bellagio.  They were both excellent and left me totally amazed.

Be sure to bring good walking shoes to Las Vegas.  We walked at least 6 or 7 miles each day just visiting the casinos nearby.  Each one offered something unique to do or see. 





We rode the gondola ride through the Grand Canal at the Venetian.

We visited the lobby of the ARIA with its with its hanging mobile of hundreds of origami birds in a beautiful park setting.






 

We walked through The Forum Shops mall at Caesars Palace with its beautiful sky ceilings and its Roman architecture.





Each morning we began our day with a stunning sunrise view from our window. With a view like that it was easy to get started on another day of adventure in Las Vegas.










 

Callaway Gardens in the Spring of 2015

My husband and I recently met up with my brother and sister-in-law for a visit to Callaway Gardens, Georgia in April.  I was expecting lots of blooming azaleas but a week of rainy weather left them looking a little drowned.  Even though everything was wet we still found lots to enjoy in this beautiful garden.


There were flowers to enjoy while driving through the five miles of roads throughout the park or on one of the nine walking trails as well as bike trails.

We enjoyed chasing down the butterflies with our cameras in the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center-a beautiful building that looked and felt like a rainforest inside.  

The Birds of Prey Show was really interesting and some excitement added when you could feel the wind from the wings of a hawk, falcon or owl barely missing the top of your head. 

 

We hiked to the peaceful chapel sitting in the woods beside a lake .






The John A Sibley Horticultural Center was amazing with its huge conservatory of beautiful flowers and exotic plants in a park like setting.  It looks like this all year round!

We enjoyed an outside lunch on the deck by the lake at the Discovery Cafe  and dinner at the Callaway Gardens Country Store and Restaurant that served muscadine jelly with delicious biscuits.  We also had some great barbecue and real Brunswick Stew at Three Lil  Pigs in nearby Pine Mountain.

We stayed at the Mountain Creek Villas which was the perfect setting under the trees by a pond for a spring visit to Callaway Gardens to relax and visit with family.

UPDATE:  December 2019

We returned to Callaway Gardens for the Fantasy in Lights event in December 2019.  Fifteen Christmas scenes of 8 million lights are spread throughout the wooded areas of the park.  You can take this trip in your car or on a open air trolley.  We experienced the lights show both ways and enjoyed it the most in our car.  It was much warmer and easier to take pictures.

This trip we stayed at The Lodge of Callaway Gardens instead of in a villa.  It was beautifully decorated for Christmas. 

A great way to start the Christmas season!

Broadway in New Orleans: 2014-2015 Season

My husband and I enjoyed another great season of Broadway in New Orleans.  The Saenger Theater is such a beautiful special place that I always look forward to anything on its stage.  This year was a year of variety beginning with great music and dancing in Chicago,  to the traditional elegance of The Phantom of the Opera, and to the excellent quality of the production of Once.

Play List 2014-2015

Chicago

The Phantom of the Opera

Dirty Dancing

Annie

Once

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamCoat