Bryn and Luke got such a kick out of all the amenities that the Four Seasons offered, including a TV built into the bathroom mirror. They both took baths while watching Major League Baseball!
Our first morning in Vegas we drove 30 minutes to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area where we had arranged for a professional climber to guide us through the park and belay Bryn and Luke. We'd like to thank Ken's older sister Kristin for sharing her pictures of Sam's climbing here last September; Kristin's the one who had told us of this park and its proximity to Las Vegas. The scenery was spectacular, and Bryn and Luke impressed all of us with their persistence and ability to reach the top of 80-foot climbs! So many great photos from this outing -- I don't know how to pick and choose which to put on the blog. Scroll down through 19 pictures to resume the recounting of our trip.
After six hours of climbing, it was time to enjoy the hotel's pools.
That evening Nichole had an opportunity to try something new -- she went to an ice bar while Ken babysat. The temperature of the ice bar is maintained at minus 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and everything in the bar aside from the floor and ceiling is made of ice -- the tables, benches and chairs, which had animal pelts lying across them, the chandeliers, and even the glass from which you drank. Before entering, patrons were issued a pair of boots, parka and gloves. Wish Ken could have been there, too, but it was still neat.
Our last morning in Vegas we didn't go to the Children's Museum as I had originally planned but instead spent more time at the pool, and we went to a long-running Titanic exhibit at the neighboring Luxor Hotel. We ended our time in Vegas by having lunch poolside at the Four Seasons where staff approach you with complimentary ice pops.
The next day we went to Sequoia National Park, the second oldest national park in the country. We began our time there by visiting Moro Rock, which is a granite face that resembles Yosemite's Half Dome.
From Moro Rock we went to see the park's showstoppers -- the sequoias, which are the largest trees -- and therefore the largest living organisms -- on the planet. Redwoods can get taller than Sequoias, but given the size of their base, sequoias are handedly larger.
The specimen below, named Sentinel, is considered an "average" sequoia, but even at that, it weighs more than two jumbo jets!
Then it was on to see the 2,200-year-old General Sherman, the largest tree in the world!
It's difficult to capture the scale of the sequoias, but in this next picture of a typical, unnamed sequoia in the park, look for a tiny blue dot to the right of the trunk -- that's Ken. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.)
As we walked along a trail to see another giant of a tree, the President, we stumbled upon this fallen tree that functioned as a slide.
And finally, The President, which is taller than General Sherman (but not as wide in diameter):
We had originally planned to spend two nights at Sequoia National Park, but one afternoon of witnessing the gigantic trees was enough for Bryn and Luke, so we decided to drive home a day early. We would definitely go back to Vegas and use it as a springboard for seeing other sites such as the Hoover Dam or Zion National Park, which is 2.5 hours from the Strip. And on a second trip to Vegas, we might make it to the indoor amusement park, a Cirque du Soleil show, a magic show, M&M world, the fountain show at the Bellagio Hotel, the famous "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, the new children's museum, or we might just spend our time at the lazy river at Mandalay Bay!
1 comment:
Looks like a fabulous trip!
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