Las Vegas

We said good-bye to Green Valley, AZ, and drove about 7 hours to Las Vegas, NV, to spend a couple days visiting Michelle, Momma's niece. We did lots of sight-seeing together...but I also spent lots of time in the truck...while everyone else went sight-seeing. 

 Everyone enjoyed the tour of Hoover Dam, which was originally called Boulder Dam. As we were approaching the dam, we had to go through a security check-point. We were a little nervous when our truck was pulled over so the officers could take a look in the back! They were not prepared for it being filled to the brim! Thank goodness they didn't make us unload it!!!

 Traffic used to drive over the top of the dam before this bridge was built fairly recently.

  Momma, Michelle, and Dad

The Colorado River behind the dam forms Lake Mead Recreation Area. The electricity made by the falling water is shared by NV, CA, and AZ. 

 I got to sleep in the truck in the shaded parking garages while everyone went walking through the hotels along "The Strip." The Bellagio had spring flowers and butterflies in a beautiful spring exhibit. This picture is made using plants.

 This lady bug was made from flowers also.

 That's a really big Venus fly-trap! I don't think our flowers back home will be blooming when we get back in another week!

 Chihuly glass on the ceiling....

 The Parisian Hotel

 The Venetian had the Grand Canal inside the hotel.

 We went hiking in Red Rock Canyon which isn't too far from Michelle's house.

See the clouds moving in.....

 That is hail on my fur.....

 We climbed up into a cave on the side of the canyon wall.

 Michelle made sure we were all safely up before she joined us.

 Looks like there was water on the lens....

After hiking, it was back to the strip for Cirque Du Soleil....while I slept in the truck!  We sure were busy for a couple days!

More Sites to See!

It's time to leave Green Valley....the weather has been so beautiful. Every day this month was sunny and warm. It has been the warmest winter in recent memory. We sure picked a good one!!!

 The cactus are starting to bloom and the roses and iris are also blooming.

 We took a trip to Tombstone, AZ. Here are the 7 Zins from Tobermory.....There is a wine that we like called The Seven Zins...so that has become our nickname. Maybe it should be 7 and a half because of me.....

 This is the same bar used by Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp in Tombstone.

Another day we went to Nogales, Mexico, just across from Nogales, AZ. We left the car on the US side and just walked across the border. We had a wonderful lunch at LaRoca.

This is part of the wall that separates the US from Mexico all along the border. 

On March 31st we leave Green Valley and head for Las Vegas to visit our niece, Michelle. Then we head to the National Parks of Utah, and then home via Denver, Nebraska, Iowa, Chicago, Detroit. We should be able to post more blogs....

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Here is another place I couldn't go. In fact, I couldn't even be left in the truck in the parking lot! Instead of being home alone the entire day, I went to MaryAnn and Joe's house. They took me on lots of walks, and I had a good day. 

This museum is just outside Tucson and had the flora and fauna of the southwest desert.

 There are many different kinds of hummingbirds in the desert. Some are much bigger than the ones we have at home. These are hummingbird eggs in their tiny nest.

Here are two baby hummingbirds!

This is a juvenile.

 This is the adult.

 We see these quails all the time in Green Valley.

 These two birds peck holes in the saguaro cactus and then other birds use the cavities for nests.

 Big-horn sheep

A wolf that doesn't look too active!

 This was a great demonstration on what makes the rattle sound.

 Diamond back rattlesnake

Our friend, Vera Peters, with a sculpture of a javelina.

Titan Missile Museum

My parents have been going to lots of places that I'm not allowed....

The Titan Missile Museum was one of them.

These underground missiles were on active duty from the 1960's until the 1980's, and the missile site is less than a ten minute drive from our house. There used to be 18 of them underground. Now there is only one left underground, part of the museum, and the warhead has been removed.

This picture shows the missile on the right. The command centre and the living quarters are on the left.

 This is the command centre where the launch command would be given. This was state-of-the-art back in the 60's, but one computer now could do all the work of the modules you see.

 No one could ever be alone in the command centre and each person had to remain visible to the other.

 The engineering was amazing. The floors and ceilings were concrete with reinforcement 5 feet thick. This is one of the doors used to seal the area off to the outside. If a nuclear attack occurred, the people inside would be protected for a long while.

 Just about everything was suspended on springs. If the ground shook outside from an attack, the springs would keep the buildings and the missiles stable so the gyros would work during launch.

 Even the lights were on springs....

Looking down you can see the metal ring that kept the missile in the right position for launch.

Those of us who remember the Cold War could really appreciate all the information available at this wonderful museum. Thank goodness all the deterrents on both sides kept the missiles from ever being launched.