Okay Warriors,
The Adventurous Dynamic Duo is back with more excitement for you. Today, the "Dynamic Duo Inspired Journey," is taking you from Las Vegas (the Strip) to the National Historic Landmark, the Hoover Dam in Lake Mead, NV, and then we're off to one of the world's greatest natural Wonders, the Grand Canyon (the Wonder). Here's part 2 from last week. Get ready! Get set! GOOOOOO! We are, now, in the white rental SUV heading through the desert to catch a cruise.
Warriors, here we go! We are just too, too, excited, and we're looking forward to experiencing the next couple days. As we mentioned last week, we jammed packed every day with exciting adventures, not wasting a minute of our trip. So here it is Friday morning, time to check out of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, but we will be back with you on Sunday evening, Las Vegas! Hey!!!!!!! 🙌🏾
We are heading South on I-15, then East on I-215 to get to Lake Mead, where the Hoover Dam resides. Yes! We are on our way to take a 90 minute cruise to see the Dam. It's a beautiful day, about 80 degrees or so. WOW!!! The sky is a perfectly pitch blue in color, and the sun is shining brightly. 🌞🌝Warriors, we couldn't ask for a better day. What a marvelous, hidden treasure amongst the long list of attractions offered in Las Vegas - a boat ride to see the Hoover Dam. The Dam is only about a hour drive from Vegas, so don't forget to get out of your comfort zone, like us, and explore the World around you. All it takes is a little planning and some $$$ (funds). 💸💰💵💴💶
We arrived to the home of the Desert Princess Boat, the Lake Mead Cruises. It's tucked away, but we got there about 30 minutes ahead of time. As we were walking towards the building, across the deck, we could clearly see huge fish swimming in the water. Ahhhh, so beautiful...so peaceful. We were, both, getting more and more excited! We took pictures of the swimming fish, proceeded to enter the building, check in and chillax, until it was time to board the boat. They sold souvenirs, drinks, and some snacks in the waiting area. It's, now, 12:00p.m. - time to get on the boat. As we entered through the gates, they took a few pictures of us, which we purchased while on board.
This delightful adventure down the shores of Lake Mead's blue tranquil waters and to the back of Hoover Dam, is a must-do for tourist. Yes! The Adventurous Dynamic Duo thinks so..... We were able to observe the wonders of the Hoover Dam, up close from the water. The Adventurous Dynamic Duo marveled at one of the greatest man-made engineering wonders of the modern world. It was so interesting to experience this Dam impounding Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States, located near Boulder City, Nevada. Here's a little history on the Dam from (Wikipedia), "It was constructed in the 1930s by 21,000 men who used supplies from every state. Hoover Dam is 726 feet tall and 660 feet thick at the bottom to hold back the water pressure of 45,000 pounds per square foot. There's enough concrete in Hoover Dam (4.5 Million cubic yards) to build a four-foot wide sidewalk around the Earth at the Equator. During peak electricity periods, enough water runs through the generators per second to fill 15 average-sized swimming pools." "Wow!" Now, we see why it attracts over seven million visitors a year. It's sooo amazing how one Dam can provide power for Nevada, Arizona and California. What a testament to human ingenuity and the power of nature. We are so thankful to God to be able to see His creation and how He works through man. This cruise was amazing, and it offered such a wonderful, enchanting view of the surrounding red and gold-colored mountains. During this cruise, we learned so much history about the Hoover Dam through narration (pre-recorded) on this boat. The boat was very clean, and it had three levels for us to enjoy and walk around. The middle level was enclosed with air conditioning, where we could purchase food and drinks.
After the cruise, we both grabbed some ice cream for the road. We headed to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We were too excited, as this is one of those once-in-a-life-time experiences; one, we will always remember. We stopped at a gas station to get a case of water and snacks, just in case we get stranded in the desert along the 3-4 hour trek. Our goal was to reach our hotel before it got dark outside.
We are, now, headed to Tusayan, Arizona where our hotel was only 5 minutes away from the South Rim entrance and 5 minutes away from their airport. Sidney was the designated driver for the entire trip. Way to go, Baby! YOU and your driving skills are appreciated! LOL. We took our time, as we were just enjoying the scenery. This was the first time for the both of us, to experience riding thru the desert. We were just riding and riding, go up higher and higher - constantly elevating; just trying to reach the Grand Canyon. We couldn't wait to see it. We were, now, on a two-way lane highway only 1 hour away, and we were starting to see unfamiliar signs - a particular animal sign. Sidney, says, "Baby, I have never seen those signs before, have you? " But, Miss Jackie thinks she knows and says, "Those are deer signs. They are male deer." Sidney, laughs at Jackie. Huh! Huh! Lol. Well, Warriors, Sidney was right, when he said, "They are Elk signs." The South Rim is very populated with these animals. Yes! They are a part of the deer family; but they are not deer. Lol. "They stand over 5 and a half feet at the shoulder and are nearly 1100 pounds. Elks are reddish brown in color, with a beautiful wedge-shaped head and large, expressive eyes and ears. Males grow a huge pair of antlers and have a mantle of dark fur around the neck." We wanted to see one during our trip, but we didn't want to see one to cross in front of us, while we were on the highway! SMH!!!! Although the signs were posted everywhere along the way, we didn't actually see an ELK, until the next day, inside the Grand Canyon area. Yee! Hew! So exciting!
Our hotel was okay, even though, we paid a decent amount of $$ for it - more than any of the hotels for our entire trip. Please be aware, there isn't a lot in this area; so the merchants increase their prices because there isn't a lot of lodging and dining choices. It’s what we and they call, the "Theory of Supply and Demand." Lol. After checking in, we got something to eat, taking it back to our room, and just chilled! We were tired, but excited for what the next two days were going to bring. Before retiring, we laid out our clothing, preparing for the weather in that area. Although, it was mid-September, the early mornings at the Canyon are usually 30-40 degrees, and the weather warms up in the 80s in the late morning. We were told to layer up, for our first adventure, scheduled for 8am Saturday morning; a helicopter ride, smack-dead over the Grand Canyon. Go Sidney! Go Jackie! Do your thang Adventurous Dynamic Duo! 🙌🏾🙌🏾
It was simply amazing to see the Grand Canyon from the air. The formation of the rocks and their different colors, looked like we were looking at a perfect-painted picture. Y'all, it is what we call, "Off the Chain,"...meaning, magnificent, amazing, awesomeness. Lol. Jackie, with her spoiled self, sat in the front with the pilot, while Sidney was in the back with a couple guys from Germany. Warriors, it was breathtaking, amazingly beautiful. Words just can not truly describe this experience. The tour lasted about 30 minutes. During this time, the pilot would just glide the helicopter over certain areas, while a recorded narrative, gave us history of each area, was playing inside the helicopter. We could see the North Rim, which is even at a higher elevation than the 6000 feet, South Rim. Due to several crashes occurring many years ago, planes in the South Rim, are banned from landing in the Canyon. However, in the West Rim, the helicopters land down, right by the Colorado River, where you can get out and walk for a little bit. We didn't know this until we got to the West Rim and saw it. Oh well! Maybe next time, y’all. "The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and attains a depth of over a mile." The Colorado River flows through the Grand Canyon. It was so interesting to us, that the Grand Canyon is really in the middle of a National Forest. Well, Warriors, we finally made it to the Grand Canyon!!! Bucklet List activity, done! We were happy and in total amazement of such a wonder. There’s no telling what we will do next. Lol.
We had a few hours to wait before our Hummer Jeep tour of the South Rim, so we got us a little breakfast, and took some of our layers of clothing back to the hotel. Warriors, we are fired 🔥🔥 up now, ready for more adventure. We had purchased a package deal including the helicopter ride and a 2 hour jeep ride. But, to show you how good God is, and how He shows up in all of our vacations, our tour guide wasn't in a hurry to return as she had time to spare, as well as, she wanted to take us to all of the hot spots. She ended up giving us, a 3 1/2 hour tour. Man alive, she was adventurous and she knew the lay of the land.!!! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
More adventures continues, as we entered into the gates of the Grand Canyon, South Rim. At first, we really didn't see much, just a lot of road ahead. Our tour guide wasn't playing, as she was really driving that jeep! We saw some cars pulled over on the side of the road, so she informed us when we see that, to look out for Elks, but we still didn't see any. She also, informed us of a Mountain Lion sign. She tells us, she hadn't seen any lions in her two years of doing this; but beware, y'all. Lol. Our first stop was one of the scenic views where the rocks' formation kinda looked like a duck. She also took us in the wooded area, where she informed us of what some of the plants and trees were there. She told us, when walking, to always look where we are stepping because the Grand Canyon has about 10 different types of snakes, even a pink rattle snake; but these creatures are mostly down in the Canyon, not up on the top, where we were. She was so much fun, and she had great ideas for posing for exciting pictures. Not only did we just stop at sights and look, our tour guide took us down inside the Canyon, where we hiked a little to take a few really neat pictures.
We still cannot believe we posed on several rocks that didn't have any rails around us. When looking over the side, it was over 5000 feet, so if we moved the wrong way, it would have been the end of us. It was so funny, 😂😂🤣🤣 because she took us to this one rock and she walked out on it and said it would be a really cool picture and everyone looked at her like, she was crazy. 🤪😳😱🥶 But, oh brave Jackie looks at Sidney and ask him, "Babe you want to go?" He says, "No," and Jackie says, "Just take my phone and take a few pictures of me." Sidney, breathes deeply and start walking behind Jackie. He wasn't going to let Jackie outdo him. Y'all, the man is competitive. 😬 Lol. So, I'm standing out on the rock, yes, I was a little nervous, but I'm waiting for Sidney to come, and the tour guide, lady, says to him, "Don't look down." Well, Warriors, y'all know what Jackie did, she looked down! It was so far down, it scared the mess out of her. So, when Sidney reached the rock, she couldn't move! So, the picture we took was a little odd, because our pose isn't great. But, we did it and we never thought we would and we are not sure if we will do it again. However, after this trip, we can certainly, tell you, God has put a boldness on us; that is undeniable.
Another cool stop was at the Desert View Watchtower. It was inspired by ancient pueblos and was built by a woman architect, Mary Jane Colter. This building offers spectacular views of the Grand Canyon and the "Painted Desert," as they call it. It was amazing, as this tower was built all with stones from the Canyon. What an amazing sight to see! We took lots of pictures there, because the views were, "Out of Sight," y'all. We climbed all the way to the top; the only two folks from our group, to do it!!! Oh ya, we were adventurous. We stayed at this tower for a while, because it was so much to see; it was fantastic!
The tour continued...there are lots of lookout areas to view the Canyon, along our drive. We were with great company. We met folks from Germany, Australia, Holland, and China. The tour guide and the Adventurous Dynamic Duo were the only Americans on this tour. It was so much fun getting to know these individuals. Most of them were scared to get adventurous on the tour. 😱 We were kinda leading the pack. Holler!!!😝
Jackie wanted to see the Elks, but we still hadn't seen any. She was praying 🙏🏾 🙏🏾🙏🏾 asking God, to let them come out for us, and sure enough, near the end of our tour, cars were pulled over on both sides of the road, which they aren't suppose to do, Look! We, now, are seeing Elks on both sides of the road. How neat was that? Thank You, Lord! Our tour guide showed us where we could go horse back riding, and where the mules were if we wanted to ride one down the Canyon; but guess what??? If we rode a mule down the Canyon, we would have to spend the night at the bottom of the Canyon, camping out to let the mules rest, before coming back up the next day. She informed us it was a one year wait, if we wanted to do it. Other things, we saw: the train, the Visitor Center, the Kolb Studio- exhibits, the Verkamp's Visitor Center- 100 years of community history, the Yavapa Geology Museum-3D maps and exhibits, the camping grounds, and the Lodging in the park area. They have bus tours, bike tours, and rentals. You can hike the Canyon. This hike takes about 12 hours to get to the bottom, not on our bucket-list. Lol. 🤣😂 You can do rafting adventures, River runners, and so much more to see and do.
Our Saturday was fantastic! The helicopter ride, then the Hummer tour...Warriors, we had a full, fun day. This was truly, another one of those moments; where it was memorable, adventurous, and amazing - all for this Adventurous Dynamic Duo.
Tips:
1. Make sure you visit Hoover Dam, either cruise or take an actual tour of it.
2. Get over your fear and take a Helicopter ride; either over the Canyon or down inside of it. Yep, you can do this!
3. Plan, plan, and plan.
4. If you plan your trip yourself, Google to see what is available and pay for your activities in advance.
5. Seek to pay off your trip prior to doing it. That's the way the Adventurous Dynamic Duo does it!
6. If you do not like to plan your travel, use a travel agency/group. Here are a few you can use. WWW.infornotravel.com, or Lifestylestravel.com. They will hook you up.
7. Again, use Travelzoo, Groupon, Expedia, Travelocity, Cheaptickets.com, Hotwire.com,
and more. Download apps on your phone to help you with the process.
8. Do your research prior to going. You want to see as much as you can, as this may be your only chance to go. Like us, once we go, we check it as done and move on to the next bucket-list item. There is so much to see and do in the USA and around the World.
Alright now Warriors...We've had an awesome visit with you, and we hope & pray, you feel the same way, too. Come back next week to finish the journey - part 3 of this trip. YOU won't want to miss this amazing leg of our journey. As the Adventurous Dynamic Duo travels, we know we are truly blessed by God. More of the reason, we just want, "More of You God." Consider getting your copy of the book written by Jackie Dotson, entitled, "More of You God", it will truly bless you.
Remember, Warriors, every day is a gift from God. Pease do not take one day, hour, or moment for granted. As you travel, adventure, experience life, learn and grow, keep God first in ALL that you do. Please, please, please join our Blog by signing in with your email and use the code: ZEJFNW. This way, you will be in the know with everything that's going on with your DUO!
We Love You, as Always!!!!
Adventurous Dynamic Duo
Jackie & Sidney ❤️❤️❤️
To Purchase the book “More of You God,” click on the link: