Pics Of My 6 Week Long Trip In The Southwest

[shel90]

This is the first one when we were taking off for Vegas

 

[shel90]

We arrived at Las Vegas on July 4th and stayed until July 8th. We stayed at the Excalibur. On the first day of arrival (we arrived at 3PM), we were busy picking up the rental Jeep, going shopping at Walmart so we can save money on food and my GPS took us one hour outside of the city (FRUSTRATING) and then my phone kept shutting off due to high heat. So my roommate who traveled with me used hers and found a Walmart like 5 miles from our hotel. DUH!!! By 8PM, we were so tired so we went to bed. July 5th, we swam in our hotel's pool while waiting for our friends from CA to arrive. Then, we all went to Freemont Street that night for the opening night of Deaf Expo 2016. July 6th, swam in the pool again, my roommate got sick so she went back to the hotel to sleep all day, so I took the kids to New York New York hotel to ride on the rollercoaster, and then went to meet up with friends at Deaf Expo. I met Sequois and his girlfriend. Very nice people. Then we went browsing in the different hotels. July 7th, I went to Paris Hotel where Deaf Expo was held at but I got sick so I returned to my hotel and spent all day in bed. Woke up at 4 PM and my friends from CA wanted to go out partying in a club and I told them that I wasnt 100% and I need to go to bed early since I will have a whole day of driving the next day. Went dancing at Coyote Ugly bar until 10 pm. I left the group to go back to sleep. July 8th, we left at 6 am to drive to AZ. I will make several posts with a short summary of each place we went. My roommate came down with a nasty cold with runny nose, puffy eyes, and a deep cough. Me, my stomach got better so it must have been something I ate.

 

[shel90]

The drive from Vegas to Grand Canyon took 4 hours. I had problems with my phone because it kept shutting off due to high heat so I couldnt contact my dad to let him know that we were hitting the Grand Canyon first. Arrived there and it was so unbelievably HOT. Not normal. I know that it is hot at the bottom of the GC but on the top? Also, there was a forest fire nearby. We stayed for a few hours as I was getting really sleepy and had another 4 hours of driving to do so I told my roommate to take over driving until we reached the main freeway leading to my dad's. She wasnt supposed to drive because my name is the only one on the rental so I was nervous but I need to sleep. Cant afford to fall asleep while driving. My roommate had never been to the west coast was in awe of the beauty of the Grand Canyon.

 

[shel90]

We stayed at my dad's cabin in the mountains of Northern AZ in a small town near Payson. The drive there was scary because the roads were on high and steep cliffs and I have a fear of heights so it took all of my willpower to keep my anxiety levels down. I had forgotten about the mountains on the west coast. lol. We arrived at my dad's at 6:30 pm after leaving Vegas at 6 am. I was so exhausted from doing most of the driving but my dad and stepmom wanted to chat and catch up. *groan* so I did and then went to sleep at 8PM. July 9th, my dad and step mom took us to the Verde River where we hung out, fished, and swam. My roommate's daughter's nose started bleeding,dad was just recovering from a cold, and my roommate was having trouble breathing due to the high altitude. Later that night, my stepmom came down with a cold. CRAZY!!! July 10th, my roommate, the kids and I went to a lake that is 10,000 feet above sea level. My dad's cabin was at 7,000 feet. So the drive up there was definitely nerve racking for me but we got there. It was COLD and the water was COLD too. Was hard to swim due to being so cold both in and out of the water. Came back to the cabin. July 11th, we went ATVing with my dad. My roommate's daughter's face was all puffed up so she just rested on the chair in the shade. That area was so hot and dusty so while ATVing my son and I breathed in dust. Later that night, we ended up coughing too. My stepmom went back to Phx to their other home because she had to go to work. July 12th, we said by to my dad and drove to Sedona.

 

[shel90]

The drive from my dad's to Sedona/Slide Rock was 2 hours. We spent the day swimming at slide rock. The cold water helped us feel better. We enjoyed it so much. My roommate and her daughter were in awe of Arizona's beauty and how big the river was. She is from Puerto Rico and said the rivers are different there. Her daughter and I ended up with bruises on our butts from bouncing on the rocks while sliding. So much fun. By 4pm, we still wanted to stay but I said we needed to go as it was another 2 hour drive to Phoenix and I didnt want to drive in the dark. Makes me sleepy. One of the best days of our trip.

 

[shel90]

We stayed at my mom's in Phx for 10 days. My hubby flew out from MD and stayed for 4 days. During that time, we went tubing in the Salt River, went to Lake Pleasant with my mom and hubby, went to a waterpark in Phx, relaxed at my mom's house, had a party with family and friends at my mom's, and showed my roommate different parts of Phx. That's where I grew up. We arrived on July 11th and left July 22nd. After we got home from Lake Pleasant, I got sick with the flu and went to sleep at 6PM. Broke the fever but ended up with a sore throat and cough that lasted all the way to the end of my trip. Geez!

 

[shel90]

From Phx to Palm Springs, the drive took 4 hours. Our friends from California whom we got together in Las Vegas met us up in Palm Springs. We got a suite with a full kitchen and 2 bathrooms. We stayed there for 3 days and 2 nights. Basically, we swam in the pool at the hotel, went window shopping in downtown Palm Springs, and then us ladies, went out dancing at night time in the clubs. Growing up, my family and I always passed Palm Springs when we took trips to California from Phx. This was the first time I actually made an exit and got to see Palm Springs. It was not what I expected...on TV or in the movies, it looked bigger and more glamorous. It was more down to earth and humble but very very nice homes though. Very cool designs...I enjoyed looking at the different homes.

 

[shel90]

After Palm Springs, we followed our friends to their home in Riverside. We stayed for 10 days. We went to the beach, went up to Big Bear and stayed overnight there, went to Hollywood, went hiking, went to Lake Gregory to enjoy the moonbounces on the lake, and us ladies went out for dinner and dancing. We left CA August 2nd to Las Vegas which was a 4 hour drive.

 

[shel90]

On August 3rd, we arrived to Las Vegas and my roommate got sick again with puffy eyes, cough returned, and breathing difficulties. My sore throat had gone away by then but I was still coughing. We checked into a motel in a seedy area because there was a mess up with the reservations for the Luxor hotel so at last min, I had to change hotel reservations. But it had a nice pool so we checked in at 11am. Then, my roommate and I took the rental Jeep for a car wash and vacuum as it got really dirty from all that traveling for a month. We returned and spent the rest of the day in the pool. Then we went out for dinner at Hooters..lol. Went to bed early as we had to get up at 6 am to drop off the Jeep and arrive for our 9 am flight back to Baltimore. All went well and we arrived at Baltimore at 4PM. It was sooo weird being back in my house since my mom and my CA friends' homes were bigger so my house felt soooo small. Took us a week to adjust our sleeping pattern to East coast time. Hope you all enjoy this thread.

 

[AlleyCat]

What a full trip! Glad you got so many pictures and enjoyed yourself.

 

[Muse]

Beautiful. I love the photos!

 

[whatdidyousay!]

WOW ! That was an amazing trip you had ! Are you all better from your cold hope so.

 

[SilverRoxy]

You are a wonderful story teller! Nice pictures!

 

[Bottesini]

Those will make great memories.

 

[Jezie]

Awesome... looks like a lot of fun.

 

[Jane B.]

Really enjoyed these. I can't help but wonder if it was allergy that gave your roommate such a time. What makes me think that is it started bad in Las Vegas and then cleared only to be worse again when you went back there. Is there something growing there but not in the other areas?

 

[ambrosia]

Nice!!!!

 

[TXgolfer]

Looks like you had a great time! I love Arizona!

 

[~SG~]

Sounds like you had a great time. Nice pictures.

 

[shel90]

Thanks everyone!!! To answer to Jane...my roommate went to the dr two Fridays ago and found out that her heart is having problems. Plus her throat was bleeding and her cough also got worse. She went through a series of tests last Friday and needs to go back on Monday. While at the cabin, my dad and stepmom informed me that she stopped breathing several times through the nights and I informed her. The doctors have no idea why she got so sick on our trip. Poor her.