Grand Canyon

Temperatures here have been anything between 26 & 33 degrees C, and clear skies every day since we have been here (including in the evening) and today was no different. It was a lovely clear day which was perfect for our flight over the Grand Canyon. We went shopping for while and then came back to our hotel and waited in the lobby for the “Stars and Stripes” bus to collect us and take us to Boulder Airport. They were on time (and that is the same with any form of transport so far) and once we were there we had to wait a short while and then met our pilot – Scotty (he had quite a sense of humour and was cracking jokes which some of the other passengers didn’t quite catch!!! We went in an 8 seater plane (this is certainly the smallest I have ever been in) and off we went.
The first place we flew over was Boulder City which is known as a clean, green oasis in the desert. Compared to everything else we could see, it certainly lives up to this reputation. This city was built for the people building the Hoover Dam, has a population of just over 15 000 people and is about 32km outside of Las Vegas.
The next place we flew over was Bonnelli Bay and Upper Lake Mead and even though they look like two separate lakes, all the water leading up to the Grand Canyon is part of Lake Mead. Lake Mead is the biggest man made reservoir in the United States. The white rock you see near the water is where the water level used to be. This was certainly quite impressive and the water had a lovely deep blue and green colour to it. You could also see how the rock outcrops actually went down in the water.
The next place we flew over that had any significance was a place called Temple Bar. It is one of seven resorts situated along Lake Mead. Across the river of this resort is a rock formation in the shape of a temple which is where it got its name from. We noticed a marina there and I am sure this would be a lovely sailing venue.
The next place we flew over was Iceberg Canyon. In these beautiful, clear Canyon waters the amazing rock forms burst from the surface resembling terracotta desert icebergs (it’s the only place where you will see lines vertical instead of horizontal). This is where Lake Mead turns back into the Colorado River (the red bit in the pictures).
Construction on the Hoover Dam began on 30 September 1930 and the last concrete was poured in 1935. Hoover Dam is 726.4 feet high, weighs 6.6 million tons and cost $49 000 000-00 to build. There are 96 000 000 pounds of steel and metal work used by the dam but none of it in the dam. 16 000 men and women worked on the project and there were 3 500 people employed at any one specific time. The Hoover Dam is a system providing water to over 25 million people in the southwest United States.
It was absolutely amazing to be flying over this Canyon and seeing the lakes. It was certainly a breathtaking experience and one we will certainly remember for a long time. The rock formations and their actual size was totally incredible.

Once we got back and landed, we waited for a while and were then taken to the “Strip” where we decided to get off at Ceasars Palace where we had lunch. We walked around the Forum Shops and then headed on to the Bellagio – this is where the film Oceans 11 took place, the one they robbed. They had beautiful Zen gardens created inside and it smelt lovely. We stayed and watched the water fountain display where the water “dances” to music – very impressive and I am sure even more impressive in the evening when the lights are on.From there we caught the bus back to our hotel. It was still so hot, so we went down to the pool and Dereck got into the spa pool with his beer and I sat and watched him with my Wild Berry Jack Daniels. We then went up to our room, had supper and then a well deserved early night (9pm!)

Flying high signing off ….