The Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Las Vegas… all in one day!

We spent the morning exploring Desert View, hiking along the rim of the canyon and climbing the Desert View tower. The views were spectacular, though a bit of haze continued to hang in the air, obscuring the visibility. I can’t imagine why more people don’t camp up at Desert View – it is not nearly as crowded as the Mather Campground. We were able to walk along the canyon without bumping into tons of other people, and the views of the Colorado River snaking through the valley below, and the painted desert in the distance, were so much more impressive than what we saw at the Grand Canyon Village.

After taking in as much of the Grand Canyon as we could without spending time hiking down into the canyon, we got back onto the highway and made our way to the Hoover Dam. The landscape leading up to the dam made me think we had been transported to Mars. Brown and red craggy mountains rose up all around us, with not even a speck of green. I have never seen a desert before – it was not the flat, barren land I had pictured.

I was so excited to see the Hoover Dam – I have seen so many documentaries about it, and I couldn’t wait to see it in person. However, I quickly realized that visiting the dam during the summer is NOT a good idea. Aside from the massive crowds, it is hot; too hot to really walk around and enjoy the structure. Though I would have loved to have taken a tour through the dam, we just couldn’t justify dragging Addison through that heat for over an hour. Instead, we took a quick walk around the top of the dam, snapped some pictures, and headed back to the car.

Our final stop of the day was Las Vegas. Once again, we pricelined our hotel, and got the MGM Grand. At first I was excited, but once we got there, I was quickly disappointed. I am not sure what bothered me the most… the long line to check in, the rude desk clerk, the gross, cigarette smoke-filled casino, the empty Vitamin Water bottle on the floor of our room, the hair in the sink, or the hunk of unidentifiable, old food that Addison found on the floor and delighted in chewing before we realized what she had done.

Las Vegas didn’t do much for me either. The last time I went, it seemed a bit more light and fun. I think having a one year old with you makes you notice the seedier aspects of Sin City. I was totally turned off by the vast numbers of men and women handing out fliers with promises of having women to my door in less than 20 minutes, the litter strewn about the strip, and the large volume of drunk, worn looking people stumbling through the casinos. The gambling has changed too. I have fond memories of walking around a casino with a bucket of quarters, slowly plunking them into the slot machines, and catching them as they poured out when I won. Nowadays, everything is done through paper tickets, and there is no thrill in pulling the lever to set the wheels spinning. We quickly blew through $33 dollars and called it a night for gambling.

On the plus side, we enjoyed some of the other casinos. Kendra liked the Cosmopolitan, and we had fun watching the Bellagio fountains. It would have been awesome to catch a show, such a Cirque du Soleil. Alas, Vegas is NOT the place to visit when you have a young kid (not that we were the only ones there with a little one). It was a good stopping point, and I got some fun night shots, but otherwise, Vegas was a wash.