Samantha and Franciss Blog on RealTravel

Las Vegas journal: Day Five, Part 2 (12/6)

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 22:52:29 GMT

So, we decided to push on through to Vegas. It was a long drive with not much to see, but that was why there really wasn't much reason to stay. We thought about hitting Bryce Canyon or Zion, but we were decidedly rocked out. We got into Vegas at Dark... we're so f-ed up as far as time zones goes, we really have no idea what time it is. During the trip, we gained about 20 degrees, too.

Since we were exhausted, we crashed at the local Super 8 that's about two blocks from the strip. Tomorrow night, we may do something a bit fancier. We walked up to the strip (which was actually ...

Las Vegas journal: Day Six (12/7)

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 22:51:56 GMT

We spent the day in Vegas today, visiting M&M World and a whole bunch of casinos: Aladdin, New York New York, Excalibur, Luxor, Monte Carlo, MGM Grand, Mandelay Bay. Francis' boss' niece works here in Vegas and they were able to score us a really nice room at the MGM Grand for the night. It was modern and had an awesome bed. There was even a TV in the mirror in the bathroom!

At night, we ended up participating in a television screening where we had to watch a show and rate it, moment by moment, for interest level. It sucked and we told them so. We gambled a bit, not too much. ...

Phoenix journal: Day Eleven (12/12)

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 22:48:50 GMT

It is our last day of vacation. Thank you, loyal readers, for following our trip ramblings with us. Over our 11ish days here in the southwest, we have covered:

2500+ miles

6 states

65 degrees (from 9 in Flagstaff to 74 in Vegas)

8000+ feet elevation (from -282 in Death Valley to 8000+ in Colorado)

and 7 Super 8 Motels

Sorry there are no recent pics to update. Today has been pretty uneventful. We went on a search for pennies in Williams, AZ and after checking into our motel near the airport in Phoenix, we went to see Happy Feet at the IMAX here and got a tour of ...

Kingman journal: Day Ten (12/11)

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 09:05:30 GMT

We hit Route 66 today on our way back toward Phoenix. There was a fair amount of driving, but not too much. On the way, we got to see the biggest dinosaurs in the world (as seen in Pee Wee's Big Adventure). They were cool, but the brontosaurus doubled as a really creepy, uber-religious gift shop. Creepiest Gift Shop Ever.

We're spending the night in "historic" Kingston, AZ. We had steak for dinner. We like cow.

By the way, is anyone actually reading this?

Kingman journal: Good food, good service

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 09:00:56 GMT

Disneyland journal: Day Nine (12/10)

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 08:54:59 GMT

We spent most of the day today in California Adventure, the theme park right next to Disneyland. It was less crowded, but we're not sure if that's because it was a Sunday or because it was less popular. We didn't get as many pics today, but Francis did get to meet Mater (as in Tow Mater). It rained again in the evening which made the end of the day a bit wet, but it was fun, nonetheless. We also got to watch an interactive show with Crush, the turtle dude from Finding Nemo. We didn't get to talk to him, as he mostly spoke to the little kids, but it was very cool. Crush: "Hey, little ...

Kingman journal: Another Super 8

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 18:53:59 GMT

Disneyland journal: Less crowded than Disneyland, not bad

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 18:50:10 GMT

Disneyland journal: Day Seven, Part 2 (12/8)

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 23:17:45 GMT

And we decided to hit Disneyland for the weekend! Hooray for Disneyland!!

The drive in was long and uneventful. Driving through L.A. sucked. That's pretty much all there is to say about that.

We're going to hang out here for a couple of days, see the parks, have some fun. Hooray for Disneyland!

Death Valley National Park journal: Day Seven, Part 1 (12/8)

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 23:09:12 GMT

We slept in a little bit and hit the Hard Rock for lunch when it opened. Our time zones are still a bit screwed up so we were ready for lunch but it was only 10:30am PST. We usually hit Hard Rock Cafes whenever we can, but their food isn't always spectacular and today was no exception. It was all right, but we were there more for the atmosphere.

We left Vegas and hit Death Valley. Francis had once told Sam that Death Valley was the most "uncomfortable and disgusting place" he had ever been and that he "would like to share that experience" with Sam. Aww...? In any case, it was only ...

Death Valley National Park journal: Nice atmosphere, adequate food.

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 23:08:48 GMT

Death Valley National Park journal: Not as hot as usual.

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 23:08:46 GMT

Arches National Park journal: Day Five, Part 1 (12/6)

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:59:00 GMT

We started out the day driving about 2.5 hours up to Utah and Arches National Park. It was pretty neat, but we were pretty rocked-out by that point. Many of the neat rock structures had appropriate names, but by the end, we were making up our own names for things (see pictures). The day was awesome, but pretty chilly.

After Arches, we decided we had had our fill of rocks and what not and decided to continue across Utah for many hours. There were lots of horses and cows and not much else.

Cortez journal: Day Four (12/5)

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:58:33 GMT

This morning, we took the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad from Durango, CO to Canyon Creek. It was a really cool ride with awesome views. We had to limit the pictures we posted; Francis was a little camera-happy (he was around trains, after all!) The ride was about two hours and then we stopped at a spot that pretty much just had picnic tables. There was about an inch or two of snow on the ground (obviously a few days old) and we hiked a little bit to a neat footbridge to take more shots before having a picnic lunch. The train also has a neat Polar Express ride for kids. It ...

Durango journal: Day Three, Part 4 (12/4)

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:58:11 GMT

The town seems pretty nice, but it's all been dark since we've been here. Tomorrow, we'll catch the train and possibly Mesa Verde.

On the way in, we caught awesome views of the full moon as it rose across from another gorgeous sunset. It was hard to really capture either with the camera, but we tried.

Four Corners Area journal: Day Three, Part 3 (12/4)

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:57:54 GMT

Yee haw, Four Corners! It was a nice break from all the driving. Sam was in all four states at once! Now, how often can a person say that?

Monument Valley journal: Day Three, Part 2 (12/4)

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:57:42 GMT

On our way up to Colorado, we passed by Monument Valley. We pretty much just stuck our nose in, took a couple of pics, and kept going.

Grand Canyon National Park journal: Day Three, Part 1 (12/4)

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:57:29 GMT

We started out the day driving two hours from Flagstaff to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was really pretty neat, but once you see one part, you've pretty much seen it all. Check out the pics! (There are more pics than what is posted here, so just holler if you want to see more.)

For the record, I would just like to state that I did not see one part where I could go in my Hoveround.

Flagstaff journal: Day Two (12/3)

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:57:09 GMT

We went with Brendan and Jen to the Phoenix Zoo. It was a really nice zoo! The weather was great: high 60's with bright, blue skies. Most of the animals were out and about so we got some good pics. It was neat that a lot of the animal exhibits were really up close. For example, the monkey village let you walk into the monkey habitat. They didn't come up to the people, but they walked on ropes over our heads and what not. You had to be careful they didn't pee on you, though. They did that a lot. We also discovered that Francis has a great talent for photographing monkey asses. That ...

Phoenix journal: Day One (12/2)

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:55:55 GMT

Seeing as how we spent over 12 hours in airports or on airplanes, it wasn't the most thrilling of days. We got quite bored with the sitting and waiting part. The sunset was awesome coming into Phoenix, but it was hard to capture on camera. There was very little turbulence... a bit more on the first leg of the trip from Albany to Baltimore.

After finally getting to Phoenix, we got the rental car and met up with Brendan and his girlfriend, Jen. They took us to a great restaurant called Rustler's Rooste which sits up on a big hill overlooking the city. It was a themed ranch-type ...

Phoenix journal: Southwest Trip

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:55:55 GMT

Our trip to the Southwest, December 2 - 13, 2006: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California.

You'll have to ignore the dates that are listed below next to the entries. The system can't seem to handle going to more than one place on one day.

Las Vegas journal: Awesome.

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 22:39:00 GMT

Las Vegas journal: They don't take quarters!?

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 08:21:54 GMT

Las Vegas journal: Awesome sandwiches and atmosphere

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 08:19:13 GMT

Las Vegas journal: It's not the greatest, but it's what we got for tonight.

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 08:19:09 GMT

Arches National Park journal: Lots of big rocks.

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 07:59:40 GMT

Four Corners Area journal: Pretty uneventful for three bucks each.

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 20:16:54 GMT

Cortez journal: Really neat stuff!

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 20:14:18 GMT

Cortez journal: Really cool scenic train ride

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 20:14:16 GMT

Cortez journal: Same as the last two... nice and cheap!

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 20:14:13 GMT

Durango journal: It's all good.

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 19:24:08 GMT

Durango journal: Very cool brew pub.

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 19:24:06 GMT

Flagstaff journal: Yay for animals!

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 16:50:49 GMT

Flagstaff journal: So far, so good.

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 16:50:47 GMT

Phoenix journal: Great food, great atmosphere, awesome view

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 08:20:55 GMT