*****
Hoover Dam
Did you know that the Hoover Dam was the first man-made structure to exceed the masonry mass of the Great Pyramid of Giza? The dam was built in interlocking blocks where the smallest blocks were about 25ft x 25ft and the largest blocks were about 25ft x 60ft. 😱. Of course today, there are other taller and bigger dams than Hoover Dam but given that this huge structure was built in 1935 in barren land, it's such a construction feat. No wonder it is one of America's Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders.
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| Hoover Dam |
Most fascinating thing I learned from my friends while we were at Hoover Dam - when crossing the dam, you'll change to a different time zone coz one side of the dam is Nevada and the other side is Arizona. There is a 1-hour time difference between the two (Nevada being 1 hour behind). How cool is that to experience two different time zones in one place? So if you want to delay or expedite time at least by an hour, you know where to go. 😆
The Grand Canyon has been a national park since 1919 and it is massive! It spans more than 1 million acres. 😱 There are various vantage points in the park where you can enjoy spectacular views. I can't remember anymore which vantage points we went to but here are some of the photos I took about an hour before sunset, during sunset and at dusk.
*****
Historic Highway 66
On our way to Grand Canyon, we passed by the Historic Highway 66. I didn't know we were passing through it and I almost missed seeing it because I was busy... busy sleeping...😴 And then I woke up and overheard the husbands of my friends talking about Highway 66.
What's special about Route 66? It's one of the original highways in the US established as far back as 1926. Wow.
Still groggy from sleep, I looked out the window and saw old-fashioned motels, restaurants, shops, a gas station, vintage cars. It's like being transported to another period. Once upon a time, those establishments were the most popular pit stops. But when the Interstate Highway System was established, Route 66 was eventually removed from the US highway system (I think sometime in 1985). But it's a good thing that some Route 66 establishments have been preserved and that section is being actively promoted and included in a lot of tours.
Apparently, Route 66 is also the place which served as an inspiration for the fictional town, Radiator Springs, in the movie "Cars". When my friend's husband mentioned this interesting trivia, I was able to relate better. 😅
*****
Grand Canyon
When I was preparing for the trip, the indicative temperatures of my target destinations were within my tolerable range and there was no indication of snow fall. By the time we got there, the coldest temperature was below 0 degree Celsius and there was snow.😩 The Arctic blast must have drastically changed everything.
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| My friends' kids having a blast playing in the snow😍 |
While at the Grand Canyon, I spotted 2 teenagers who astonished me. You know what they were wearing? Just T-shirt, shorts and flipflops! 😱 The only sign that showed they felt cold too was that their hands were tucked under their arms but it's crazy, they were not even shivering! Whereas, I was covered in thermal wear from head to toe and my body was still trembling. 🙈
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| Overview of the Grand Canyon at the Visitor's Center |
The views were just breathtaking.😍
How did such magnificent red rocks and ridges get formed? The canyon was carved by the flowing water of the Colorado River and it was the wind and rain which caused the surface of the rocks to become exposed and erode over time. It is estimated that it took 3 to 6 million years to form this beautiful canyon. 😱
*****
Las Vegas
It was my first time in Las Vegas and my knowledge about Las Vegas is limited to what I've seen in movies, tv and news. I didn't do any research prior to my trip either as I was relying on my friend to be my tour guide. 😌
What I learned from my friend was that there are two popular casino areas:
(1) The Strip which is what most of us probably know - where the biggest casinos and resort hotels in the world are located such as Caesar's Palace, Venetian, MGM Grand, Bellagio, etc. But apparently, The Strip isn't technically part of Las Vegas as it is located just outside the city limits. But everyone refers to The Strip as being in Las Vegas.
(2) Downtown Las Vegas which is where all the original casinos started (prior to The Strip's existence). And the most popular casino street in Downtown Las Vegas is Fremont Street.
Since I'm not a gambler, casinos don't really interest me but it's the food in the casinos that is very interesting to me. 😂 Because my friends know I love to eat, we ate in both areas. 😋
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| Caesar's Palace |
At The Strip, we tried the lunch buffet at Caesar's Palace. After the binge, we had to walk around to immediately burn some calories. 😂
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| Paris Las Vegas |
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| Bellagio |
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| Inside Bellagio - check out the beautiful glass ornaments |
How amazing is this chocolate fountain inside Bellagio? It's a floor-to-ceiling sculpture that circulates 3 kinds of chocolate - medium, dark, and white chocolate - through 500 feet of pipes, 24 hours a day. There's about 2 tons of chocolate circulating in that temperature-controlled, glass-encased cascading fountain. 😱
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| World’s Largest Chocolate Fountain |
At Downtown Las Vegas, we had dinner at the California Hotel and to burn calories after, we walked towards Freemont Street. I was expecting a more subdued area than The Strip coz after all, this was the old casino area but to my surprise, I thought it was more party mode at Fremont than The Strip. No wonder my friend who is based in Las Vegas said she prefers Fremont over The Strip.
Oh, I almost forgot - we tried another buffet while in Las Vegas - the Feast Buffet at the Red Rock Casino and Resort, one of my friend's favorite buffet places. 😋 No matter how much walking you do after a buffet though, it's psychologically hard to feel if you're burning calories if you are unable to sweat due to the cold weather. 😅
*****
I didn't really have anything planned in LA except to hang out with my friend and her family but we still ended up going to some nearby stores. After decades of friendship, you know what I realized? My childhood bff and I cannot shop together! At every push of our cart, aisle after aisle, she would pick up something and tell me "this is a good buy", "this is a great deal", "this tastes really good", "I'm not telling you to buy that but just saying it really looks good on you"... 😂 Whereas when it was her husband who accompanied me in one supermarket (while she looked for some ingredients), you know how much my bill was? It was only 1/3 versus when I shopped with her. 😂 So hilarious!
BTW, I just realized that I don't have any photos to share about LA. When I checked my phone, the only photos I found were baked goodies from Porto's and a burrito bowl from Chipotle.😅
Last but not the least - I experienced my first Thanksgiving on this trip. What was I thankful for? I was thankful for having had the chance to spend time with great friends, celebrate my birthday with them and enjoy their kids while they are still kids. Hope they don't grow up too fast so I could still hug, kiss and play with them the next time. 😊
Last but not the least - I experienced my first Thanksgiving on this trip. What was I thankful for? I was thankful for having had the chance to spend time with great friends, celebrate my birthday with them and enjoy their kids while they are still kids. Hope they don't grow up too fast so I could still hug, kiss and play with them the next time. 😊
