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We started our trek East and have eight to nine days to get home. We still have to get to the main destination this whole trip was planned around. When people asked "where are you going", I would respond we are going to the Grand Canyon. In reality we do not go to one place, it's more of a sightseeing tour, but it's easier to explain by picking one destination, and Grand Canyon was certainly one that we thought would be the highlight of the trip.
From Vegas to the Grand Canyon its 277 miles - by car that could be about 4 1/2 hr drive, but it will take us longer in the RV and I also had to account for our planned stop on the way - the Hoover Dam. I did my due diligence by researching the stop would be RV friendly - that means accessible roads and parking for it. The posts I read suggested the Nevada entrance leads to a parking ramp the RV cannot park and the Dam being closed to traffic, so we would have to drive across the bridge to the Arizona side to enter the Dam area and park in the open lots. I checked it out through Google earth and it all looked correct.
We crossed the bridge from Nevada to Arizona, took the exit and to our surprise we had to come to a halt at the stop sign where we have to make a right to get to the access road. The access road is closed, there are big bars blocking the entrance! - what do we do? We made a left, prayed that the overpass was high enough for our vehicle and realized that we were getting back on the highway. Soon we discovered there was no other exit and we were on our way to cross the bridge back into Nevada. We crossed the bridge and were discussing what to do. Gil was in disbelief that we had really gone the way we were supposed to, so we got out the first exit turned around and proceeded to cross the bridge again. We got out on the exit once again and proceeded to check - yup its closed! well I guess we have to skip the Dam because I do not know what we would do. We got back on the highway heading east towards Grand Canyon, but after coming all this way, we are going to miss this?! No way - we decided to get out in the first exit available, turned around and headed west back across the bridge. We got out in the first exit in Nevada and proceeded to follow the signs for Hoover Dam. The road took us to a security check point where the RV was lightly inspected - the nice security people informed us we would head up the road, drive across the Dam and then find a place to park in one of the many lots. This was the very same way all the posts said it led only to a parking ramp and we would have to turn around if we took it. Boy was that old information - sigh.
It was really hot outside. We walked from a far parking lot where we found room to park the RV all the way across the Dam to the Visitor Center and Gift shop. After sightseeing we headed back to the RV. We were on the Arizona side and the road where we got to the parking continued on, but we did not think we could get out that way to get back on the road. That road should have led directly to the blocked gate, so we decided not to take our chances and drove back over the Dam to get back on the highway and cross the bridge again into Arizona. I am not sure if you are counting, but when all was said and done we crossed the bridge 5 times and the Nevada/Arizona border 7 times!
We did not take the inside tour of the Dam - that would have to be another time. Around two o'clock we headed back out on the road to the Grand Canyon, we still had most of the driving left to get there. We arrived at the campground with enough time to set up and catch a late dinner. We will explore the park tomorrow.
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