September 8, 2011; Grand Canyon Village, Arizona to Pahrump, Nevada

Our T@B and the impressive new Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge. 2000 feet long and 900 feet above the Colorado River.

The Hoover Dam intake towers on the Lake Mead side .

  It's quite a sight looking over the edge.

The architecture is wonderful depression era art deco.

The Winged Figures of the Republic by artist Oskar J. W. Hanson.

Our tour guide advised us that the low hum and the vibrations inside the dam wasn't machinery or the generators, it was the water flowing through the tunnels to the generators.

A huge bank of generators, there is another set on the Arizona side of the river.

Panoramic view of the dam.

It's a beautiful view looking out over the dam.

Off we go into the desert.

We stopped for the night at Terrible's Casino R.V. Park in Pahrump, Nevada. An oasis in the middle of the desert.

September 7; Grand Canyon National Park

We enjoyed the sunrise from Mather Point along with a herd of elk.

A would-be Ansel Adams captures some images.

That squiggly line going down the canyon is the Bright Angel Trail. We are going to hike it today.

After loading up on Gatorade, water, trail mix and energy bars we set out. 

Walking down hill for three miles is very tiring on rocky trails,

We had to avoid mule trains, stay on the inside of the trail.

The canyon seems even bigger down here.

The Three Mile House shelter.

Time to head back up. The park service says going down is voluntary, coming back up is mandatory. You don't get rescued unless your dying.

 

Four hours down and two climbing out. It was easier climbing up.

After the long hot hike I was looking forward to a nap in our air conditioned camper. The battery was dead and the thermostat for the a/c runs on 12 volt. So it was a hot nap.

We put the battery in the truck box and hooked it up to a charger. We drove 25 miles to Desert View Watchtower.

We had another beautiful sunset over the Grand Canyon.

September 6 2011; Grand Canyon National Park

Elaine and I arrived late at night and set up camp in Trailer Village.

I was tired from the drive the day before and wanted to sleep in.

Elaine woke me up before sunrise and we drove to a beautiful sunrise on the Grand Canyon at Yavapai Point. It was worth it.

Walking up to the edge for the first time is breathtaking! I had never seen it before.

 Before exploring we had a great breakfast at the El Tovar Lodge.

Grand Canyon Village as viewed from the Trailview Overlook.

Our charging problems continued. The power to the fridge was running low. Even though we were plugged into shore power, we couldn't get 12 volt output and the battery wasn't charging.

Thats the Colorado River way down there.

She's not a hermit but Elaine found a good place to rest.

These little beggers were all over. They would try to steal food out of backpacks.

Shuttle busses in the park ran about every 15 minutes and were very convenient. You can travel to different points on the south rim easily.

After a day of sightseeing we enjoyed a wonderful sunset.

September 5 2011; Albuquerque, New Mexico to Grand Canyon Village, Arizona.

The Great Southwest

Yikes!

The Whitehorse Trading Post at the New Mexico- Arizona border.

The beautiful Painted Desert at Petrified Forest National Park.

The Painted Desert Inn on old Route 66 in the National Park

A thunderstorm blew across the desert and it was an awesome sight.

Elaine standing next to a petrified log.

The ever changing colors of the desert.

The famous Wigwam Hotel in Holbrook, Arizona

The Jack Rabbit Trading Post, another Route 66 icon.