Early Friday morning we left Las Vegas and began the second leg of our trip. The scenery changed dramatically as we headed to Boulder City. Big D remarked on the color of the soil, how much he loves palm trees, the juxtaposition between “Boot Barn” and “Foot Locker”, the sand dunes, how he’d love to climb the mountains, and more.

We had an excellent tour guide at the Hoover Dam (I didn’t take pics) and by 11:30 we were on the road again.

For an hour the scenery was beautiful – red rocks and desert. Cows baking in the sun and the occasional home or broken down vehicle. We stopped for brunch along Route 66 at Rutherford’s family diner in Kingston. If you are ever in the area, it’s worth a stop! (See pic of my huevos rancheros.)

After Kingston, the scenery changed as we went higher in elevation. Greenery dotted the mountains followed by dense pine trees. We took another pit stop in Williams (again Route 66) to stock up on snacks and gas before making our way to the South rim of the Grand Canyon.

Right before entering the park, we spotted a moose at the side of the road. We slowed to catch a closer look and the moose stood up and walked behind the car crossing the street. It was then followed by a second moose! (Or maybe they were elk?)

We entered the park and saw dozens of deer at the side of the road as well.

By 6pm we had checked into the hotel and made our way to the South rim to take in the beautiful view. Just seeing the view from the visitor center as the sun was beginning to set was breathtaking.

We then took the shuttle bus that travels along the rim to Hopi Point to watch the sunset which was beautiful.

Once it got dark, we hopped on the shuttle back to the lodge for a quick cafeteria style dinner and called it a night!