Meteor Crater, Arizona

Approximately 50,000 years ago, on a continuous plain extending for miles in the high desert plateau of Northern Arizona, out of the northeastern sky, a pinpoint of light grew rapidly into a brilliant fireball. This body was probably broken off from an asteroid during an ancient collision in the main asteroid belt (between the planets, Mars and Jupiter) some half billion years ago. Hurtling about 26,000 miles per hour, it was on a rendezvous course with earth. In seconds, it passed through the earth's atmosphere with little loss of velocity or mass.

As a result of the impact, the crater floor was 700 feet deep; it is now approximately 550 feet deep. The crater is over 4,000 feet across and 2.4 miles in circumference.

Our Google Map Location

Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

Valley of Fire State Park is Nevada's oldest state park. It covers an area of 34,880 acres and was dedicated in 1935. It derives its name from red sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs. These features, which are the centerpiece of the park's attractions, often appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun's rays.

Elephant Rock

Petroglyphs are present throughout the entire park, Mouse's Tank and Atlatl Rock are two areas in particular which have many petroglyphs while being relatively easily accessible.

Arch Rock

Our Google Map Location

Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada

We camped here at Lake for a few days while visiting the Hoover Dam and Las Vegas. Very nice area, the water is so clear here. Wish it was warmer so we could go swimming.

Our Google Map Location

Hoover Dam, Nevada

Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the Arizona and Nevada. When completed in 1936, it was both the world's largest hydroelectric power generating station and the world's largest concrete structure. It was surpassed in both these respects by the Grand Coulee Dam in 1945. It is currently the world's 38th-largest hydroelectric generating station

We took the dam tour which went into the power house. It was awesome to see these huge turbines working. At one point inside the dam your standing over one of the intake tubes, which moves water to the turbines at 100,000 gallons a second, the floor rumbles and vibrates from the pressure.

This is the new bridge being built to bypass the dam, your running out of time if you want to drive across it. You will still be able to park and walk out, just not drive.

The white line around the lake “bath tub ring” is how high the water gets. When the water levels go down the minerals from the water deposit in the surrounding walls.

Here are some dam videos

Our Google Map Location

Las Vegas, Nevada

We ran into this ‘little’ oasis’s in the desert called Las Vegas! Dang.... This is one busy little street!

We hit the M&M store, never have we seen so many M&M’s!!

Elvis says hi Angela!

Anyone from our generation remembers being forced to watch Liberace as a kid, and here we are full circle.

Our Google Map Location

Scotty’s Castle, Death Valley

A man named Walter Scott, also known as “Death Valley Scotty”, convinced Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson to invest in his (fraudulent) gold mine in the Death Valley area. Johnson made many trips to the area, eventually bringing his wife, Bessie Johnson. Over the course of his visits Johnson came to terms with a disability that lingered from an 1894 accident. Bessie apparently became convinced that Death Valley was good for his health. She encouraged the idea of building something more comfortable than the rough shack Johnson had built earlier. Construction began on Scotty's Castle (Death Valley Ranch) in 1922, at a cost of $1.4 million dollars.
Johnson eventually forgave Scott for his fraudulent scheming, and the two became friends. Scott claimed that he had built the castle for himself, and it became known as "Scotty's Castle". Scott put in regular appearances at the castle to entertain Johnson's dinner guests with his stories, spinning unbelievable tales about his life and mine. Johnson did nothing to discourage Scott's tall tales, regarding it as merely amusement.

Our Google Map Location