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We had the pleasure of the Company of Megan (7), Phoebe [Hannah] (4) & Michelle (would be too rude to state her age !!) for the second week of our holiday.
This certainly signified the end of our relaxing Florida vacation !! The girls' apetite for fun (mischief) & adventure and their energy seemed limitless !
During the week we played in the pool, visited Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Sea World, Blizzard Beach & Clearwater Beach and played mini golf a number of times.
Unfortunately the fun had to end (the girls are due back at school today !) - and we sent them home on Saturday night.
It finaly dawned on both Rachael and myself that we are now all on our own - we only have each other for company & it is unlikely that we will see a familiar face for the next 5 weeks !
We left the Villa at 5am on Sunday morning to travel to Orlando Airport for our flight to Vegas. We had to factor in a little additional time to explain to the nice Hire Car People about the 'cosmetic enhancements' which had been made to the front bumper of the car following Rachael's collision with some German Tourists in the Blizzard Beach Parking Lot.
Fortunately these travels went without 'incident' (unless that is you count me forgetting that I had emptied my loose change, phone & sweets into my hat at security and proceeding to put my hat back on [without emptying it first] resulting in all my loose possessions being scattered all over the airport as an 'incident') and we were delighted to find that our luggage had decided to accompany us on the same plane this time !
Vegas is a very cool place ! It is truly a "Party City" and I was absolutely amazed by the size & the extravagance of it all. We hit the strip and visited a number of bars & casino's, however we couldn't do the City justice on our first night as we were both jaded after our early start & long flight (not to mention a further 3-hour adjustment to take into account the time zones which had been crossed during our flight !).
We certainly now have a taste of what to expect on our return from our hiking tour around the National Parks & Canyons - I intend to return a very wealthy man...
This morning we checked out of Planet Hollywood and hit the road for our 3-hour drive to Zion National Park. It is an absolutely awesome place. Words can not begin to describe the beauty and tranquility of the entire area and it is difficult to comprehend the vastness of the Canyons.
We took an 'exploratory trek' to lower, middle & upper Emerald Pools - yes we did manage to get slightly lost on route. This led to an extended 4-mile hike and we returned at dusk, only a matter of minutes before the area was submerged into complete darkness. The sun appears to set really dramatically & suddenly in these parts, as once it is below the canyon walls all heat & light immediately vanishes.
Before returning to our Lodge (which is a fabulous log cabin situated on the 1st floor with a balcony offering views of the Canyon Walls) we booked ourselves in for Dinner at Zion Grill House at 7:15pm.
After a brief rest, scrub up & change of clothes - we headed over to the Restuarant. We were slightly concerned to note the "Restuarant Closed" sign being displayed on our arrival. Following a brief discussion with the Restuarant Manager, it became clear that we had transversed another time zone during our drive from Vegas & were now an hour late for Dinner. He kindly offered us soup & salad, however I declined this offer as I was ravenous after a hard day's hiking.
I headed out of the National Park in seach of "Man Food" !
Upon driving into Springdale, I soon regretted this decision as it became aparent that the entire Village closes at 8pm (we are now 'out of season') ! Bar after bar, restuarant after restuarant and cafe after cafe was closed. Just when I was considering suggesting to Rachael that she head back to collect the "Road Kill" we saw on our way to Zion we happened upon the Spotty Dog Restuarant & Bar - an establishment I can fully recommend should you ever find yourselves in this neck of the woods (or Canyons).
Our plans are to start early tomorrow for a strenuous 5-hour (we are allowing ourselves 8-hours !) hike to "Angels Landing". This involves a total climb of 1,500 feet and as we were both "worse for wear" after our 150 foot climb today, this could prove to be a little ambitious !
I have uploaded some recent photos on the following web-site :-
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/tonytobin33
follow this link, or paste this into your browser for some updates. I was experiencing some difficulties in editing & downloading photos onto this site.
Apologies if I am boring you with pictures of rocks, but I am a little in awe of the surroundings, it is a fabulous location with spectacular views. It is hard to imagine a greater contrast over the last 24 hours from the bright lights and "Extravagance" of Vegas to the natural beauty & tranquility of the Canyons
Hope you are all keeping well - I look forward to checking your messages & I will keep you posted (depending, of course on internet / wifi availability).
Tony & Rachael.
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