Gypsy & The Navigator

Beary Up Close And Personal At Bearizona

Another reason that I wanted to spend some time in Williams, AZ was to go to Bearizona.

Bearizona is a drive through wildlife park.  It is privately owned and receives no tax dollars.

Even though it is named Bearizona there is a wide variety of animals at the Park.

You can drive through the 3 mile long drive as often as you want.

The rules are to keep your windows up and never feed any animals.

Even at his age Walt loves to break the rules.  His window was down.  Good thing the Big Kahuna was laying down.

The little lady at the check point chastised him saying "I saw you with your window down."  

I can't say the window up lasted very long.  Besides the animals look friendly don't they? 

 

But I don't think I'd like that curvy horn coming in the window.

The bears were pretty active.

They love their carrots.

They do look like cuddly teddy bears except for those long claws.  

It was pretty fun watching these two young bears play. 

Seems like bear wrestling is a pretty fun pastime. 

There are more noisy ravens here than any other place I have been.  They love to steal the bears food.

Fort Bearizona has a picnic area where we had our lunch and a walk through area filled with small animals as well as some free range ones.

Badgers are busy animals.  This one went non-stop......up, down, in, out, and through anything that had a hole in it.

Caught the red fox going potty.

Nap time for the javelinas. 

Gobble, Gobble.

Beautiful white peacock.  Reminded us of the many we saw when we were in St. Augustine, Florida.

The Birds of Prey Flight Show was fun.  The low flying birds actually ruffled my hair as they flew by.

The pretty American kestrel is the smallest and most common falcon in North America.

A master wood carver is on site.

This carving was a perfect place for Walt to have a little rest.

The Canyonlands Restaurant features soaring canyon walls and ancient ruins.

We brought a picnic lunch so we didn't try their food but you have to walk through the restaurant to get to the Jaguar exhibit.  They are doing renovations so that won't be necessary in the future.

I am not sure what was going on with this beautiful cat.  She was definitely unhappy........pacing and growling and acting aggressive up near the glass viewing area. 

Jaguars are the third largest feline on earth behind lions and tigers.  I know I don't want to get up close and personal with this one. 

It was a beary good day!

 

 

 

 

Spending A Week In Pine Country............Willams, AZ

Leaving the wonderful hospitality of Ginger and Frosty in Las Vegas we headed east and south toward Williams, AZ.  We had a quick view of blue, blue Lake Mead.

The road winds through the hills.

It was a beautiful day and all was going well.

Then this happened.  Poor GypsyII.  Things do not always go well but they sort themselves out without too much trouble. After a 90 minute wait for roadside assistance the tire was removed, the spare put on and we were on our way again.  The next morning a tire shop just down the road from our RV Park put a new one on the rim and came to the RV Park and put it on and Voila it is as if it never happened.  (Except for some damage to the wheel well trim......Oh well)

At an elevation of 6766 feet Williams is pine country.  That pretty white cloud unfortunately is not a cloud.  It is smoke from a wildfire.  Luckily this one was contained quite quickly but others are raging in Arizona.

There are many things to do and see near Williams.  This is Kaibab Lake.  A nice drive through the pines to get to it.  At this elevation the air is cool and has a great fragrance.

We booked a trip on the Grand Canyon Railway to go to the Grand Canyon.  Included in your ticket is a "Wild West Show."

Unlike most Wild West Shows this wasn't about a bank robbery or a fight over a girl.  It was trying to figure out how they were going to get their meals because "Ma" was in jail and couldn't cook for them.  Pretty funny.

 Soon we were boarded and on our way.

The train goes from Williams, AZ to the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

The scenery is pretty much desert with a little pine forest thrown in.

There was a little entertainment provided.  

Once at the Grand Canyon you have a few hours to explore.

If you choose you can hop on a bus that goes to other stops on the rim.

Since we have been at the Grand Canyon South Rim several times we decided to just stay in the Village area where you disembark from the train.

We had a wonderful lunch at the historic El Tovar Dining Room.   I imagine when Teddy Roosevelt dined there in 1906 what the diners were wearing then was a bit more sophisticated than the shorts and flip flops of today.

The Grand Canyon is always stunning.  No matter how many times I see it I still marvel at it's beauty.

As the bird flies it is a mile across.

And it is at least a mile deep.  Hard to believe the Colorado River has had the power to carve out this amazing spectacle.

Being there at mid day wasn't the best for photos but I still kept clicking away.  At any time of day the beauty comes through.

If you want to stay at the El Tovar Hotel right on the rim get your reservations early. 

Time to get back to the station to head back to Williams.

I am glad we went.  It gave Walt a day off from driving and the train experience is fun but I really wouldn't recommend it for anyone other than people who this is their first and only visit on a limited time vacation. And it does cut down on the number of cars that go into the park. Maybe we have been spoiled by the other incredible train trips we have been on.  Here the scenery isn't great, boarding and un-boarding take a very long time and the entertainment was only so so. So, if you are an experienced traveler drive yourself and take advantage of the free shuttle service that will take you all around the South Rim. 

My guess is you wouldn't be subject to a hold up on the highway if you drive. 

Uh oh, here comes the Great Train Robbery.  We came through unscathed.

 

Goodbye Las Vegas....Hello Reality

Our Las Vegas visit is winding down.

This city that never sleeps is over the top in so many things.

I wanted to take a stroll down the Las Vegas Strip.  Walt always agrees to the things I want to do.   Four miles later I am not sure that he was very happy that he had agreed.  We parked at Treasure Island to start our walk.

Though the pirate ship decor remains the free pirate shows have been discontinued.

D B Cooper lives on the Las Vegas Strip.  Every now and then he comes alive and scares the onlookers.

. 

Nice sculpture of Siegfried and Roy complete with lion, Montecore, who bit and dragged Roy in a 2003 show that ended their careers. 

Water is plentiful in this desert oasis along the Strip.

This volcano at the Mirage erupts 2 or 3 times a night.

Unlike our last walk along the strip this time it was clean and fresh and almost free from characters that make us uncomfortable.

There is something interesting with every step.

Caesars Palace is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks.

 

It may have more statues than the original in Rome.

 These are the fountains that Evel Knievel attempted to jump across and failed causing him to spend a month in the hospital.

The Caesars Palace complex is a Greco-Roman fantasyland.

  

Planet Hollywood is now owned by Caesars but like most Las Vegas Hotels it has undergone multiple owners and changes. The hotel rooms now each have movie themes that feature actual props and memorabilia from the films.

The Paris  Las Vegas is an entire Parisian complex that has a replica of the Eiffel Tower, the sign in the shape of the Montgolfier balloon, and a replica of the Arc de Triomphe.  The front of the hotel hints of the Paris Opera House and the Louvre.  

In front of Bally's is a large shopping area including several restaurants.

We found a spot to sit down by Margaritaville so I could listen to the music.  Jimmy Buffett's music always makes me smile and the crazy books he has written make me laugh.

If we hadn't already eaten we sure would have tried this.  We do like his TV show.

The Flamingo has been around since 1946 and is one of the few that remain that I remember from our Las Vegas stop in the early 80's.  We stayed at the Sands and it is long gone along with many others that have been absorbed into the mega hotel/casinos of today.  Bugsy Siegel originally opened the Flamingo and I read a book about him and the mob, ending with Siegel being shot and killed.  What I found interesting is that Del Web , of over 55 communities fame, was Siegel's construction foreman on the Flamingo. 

Harrah's Las Vegas has a Mardi Gras and Carnival theme.

If you are coming to Las Vegas to stay in a hotel how do you chose which one?  As we walked along I thought "wouldn't it be fun if we had the time to go in each one and explore their lobbies and all the interesting things they have?"


So without getting to go into each one I chose to wander around and through the Venetian a bit.

The Venetian was built where the Sands used to be.  The hotel used Venice, Italy as its design inspiration and features architectural replicas of various Venetian landmarks.

You can take a gondola ride floating around the hotel, under bridges and they say you even get a live serenade.

 

The interior is gorgeous.  Not having seen all the hotels this is my second favorite.  The Bellagio is the winner in my book.

 

Soothingly elegant.

 The marble floor was hand-fitted and modeled after the floor of the Church of Santa Maria del Rosario in Venice.  

The Palazzo is part of the Venetian Complex.

Here we are back at Treasure Island and our car.  A little weary from our long walk but for me a very fun day.  Check with Walt and get his opinion.

Glimpsed on our way back to GypsyII.

Ginger and I went to a painting event.  It was so very fun even if I do not have any artistic talent.  We laughed and painted to our own inner selves completely ignoring what our instructor said.  Ginger really went astray using totally different color and style and I feathered everything instead of blending but we had a great time.  

On our last day in Las Vegas we were excited to go to granddaughter Lyndsee's volleyball tournament.  What a happy coincidence that they were in Las Vegas and we got to see her and Mom Cynthia.

These girls were on fire.  Not a loss on the day.

It is hard to believe that just two weeks after this Lyndsee was terribly ill, admitted to Phoenix Children's Hospital and diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  It has really thrown me for a loop.  I spent the first night after we found out awake most of the night going over and over in my mind trying to make sense of why??????  Why this beautiful, athletic, smart, funny girl should have this bump in her road of life.  I wondered if it was somewhere in my family.  My mother told me that my grandmother had diabetes. But I am sure it was type 2 and she was only ill just before she died and she died at 74.  But that really doesn't matter.  What matters is that Lyndsee is strong and has an amazing support group of family, friends, teammates, coaches, church members not to mention two loving puppies that will be there for her and she will find her new normal in due time.  

A Japanese Spring At The Bellagio

Leaving Frosty and Walt to watch baseball Ginger whisked me off to the Bellagio.

Each season, the enormously talented horticulturalists and designers who make up the Bellagio Conservatory team transform this 14,000-square-foot garden into a showcase of the distinctive sights and colors of spring, summer, fall and winter and a special display for Chinese New Year.

 

We enjoyed the Japanese Spring exhibit.

I think the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden is one of the best free attractions in Las Vegas.

This is an absolutely dazzling sensory stimulation.

Not only are the blooming flowers gorgeous to the eye the aroma of their perfume comes in waves.

This display is centered by a radiant garden sculpted female character that is about 26’ in height and about 48’ in length.

Her floral hair is cascading downward edged by lotus blossoms.   I will admit that it took a complete walk around for Ginger and I to see what they were trying convey in this display. 

She holds a giant pearl in her moss covered hands.

 

One of the informational signs says that there are over 65,000 flowers.

The maintenance to keep those petals fresh that cover this vase must be a lot of work.

 Look at the detail.  I understand those individual petals have to be replaced frequently. 

Above the garden are birds covered with seeds. 

 The beauty and detail in this one is beyond words.

But of course my favorite is the turtle.

I do love turtles.  They have always been one of my favorite animals.  I think they were an influence on me.  They take their houses everywhere they go and now so do I. 

He has such a pretty place to spend his days.

You enter and leave the garden under a canopy of cherry blossoms.

Spring has sprung in all its glory at the Bellagio.

The garden theme continued on in the hotel lobby.

Elegant floral arrangements beneath that world famous Bellagio ceiling.

This awe inspiring glass sculpture on the ceiling is called "Fiori di Como."

Fiori di Como, sculpted by Dale Chihuly, (one of my favorite artists.)  was commissioned by Steve Wynn for the Bellagio in 1998, for $10 million.

The sculpture consists of 2,000 hand-blown glass blossoms that weigh about 40,000 pounds.   I have seen this piece of art several times but it is always like a new experience each time.

No wonder this was on Travel and Leisure's list of The World's Coolest Ceilings.

So many thanks to Ginger for such a delightful afternoon.  

 

The Las Vegas Adventure Continues

Our next outing was to Spring Mountain Ranch. 

It is a historic ranch in the Cottonwood Valley.

It began in 1876 when James Wilson homesteaded the location with George Anderson.  Anderson later left leaving behind his sons who were adopted by Wilson.  Wilson died in 1906 and the ranch was inherited by the adopted sons.  After falling into financial difficulties after World War 1, the Wilsons were forced to mortgage the ranch for $13,523.  

In 1929, William George, a successful California furrier, rescued his boyhood friend and paid off this mortgage. Mr. George placed a covenant on the land which allowed Jim Jr. and Tweed to remain on the property for the reminder of their lives. Mr. George built a small home for his family, a chinchilla shed, a foreman’s house and enlarged the orchard. He lived at the ranch for two years, however, his business kept him away from the ranch most of the time. 

In 1948 Mr. George sold the ranch to Chester Lauck.  Checster Lauck, with his boyhood friend Norris Goff, created the radio characters of Lum and Abner whose radio show ran five nights a week until 1954.

In 1955, the Laucks sold the ranch to German actress Vera Krupp.  She was very wealthy most likely due to her 4 marriages to rich men.  The docent in the house said that she lived a very lavish life.  A famous story from this period involved the theft of the Krupp Diamond. On April 10, 1959, as Vera and ranch employee Harold Brotherson ate dinner, three men forced their way into the main house, stole the 33.6 carat blue-white diamond and fled. It was recovered six weeks later in New Jersey.

Mrs. Krupp lived at the ranch until 1964, when she moved to Bel Air due to poor health.  In 1967 she sold the ranch to Howard Hughes for a reputed $625,000. At this time, Hughes was living in the Desert Sands Hotel which he acquired shortly before buying the ranch. 

Spring Mountain Ranch, as far as it is known, never hosted Hughes himself. It was mainly used by Hughes’ employees.  The 528-acre property sold in 1972 to business partners Fletcher Jones and William Murphy for $1.5 million. 

They wanted to build a large equestrian-oriented residential neighborhood that would support up to 2,000 people. A public outcry encouraged the Clark County Planning Commission to stall their application for rezoning. When stiff opposition to the plans formed, Jones announced his intention to auction the property.

The end result was Spring Mountain Ranch becoming a state park in 1973.

Each owner made improvements to the house, outbuildings and land but the exquisite location under those rugged cliffs could never be improved upon.  What a beautiful place. 

Very grateful to Frosty and Ginger for taking us to this hidden gem.  

As we left Spring Mountain Ranch we came upon some wild burros.  They are always a highlight for Walt and me.  Not sure why we like them but we do. 

Then it was on to Bonnie Springs Ranch for some exploring and lunch. 

Bonnie Springs Ranch is a mini western themed amusement park.

Looks like most folks have to pay to get in.

We had a great lunch of things like chili and hamburgers.  

Fun rustic western decor. 

After lunch we strolled around the property.  The facility includes horseback riding, a zoo, the "Old Nevada" western town, a miniature train, a 46-room motel, and the restaurant.

Peacocks freely roam the property.

This guy put on quite a show for us. The females were quite a ways away so it must have been for us. Right?

Aren't peacock feathers beauty perfection?

It's quite a pretty place, in a funky, ramshackle kind of way.  

Another great day in our Las Vegas adventure.  Thanks Ginger and Frosty for showing us "what's just down the road apiece from Las Vegas."

Keep Calm We Are Going To Las Vegas

Leaving Lake Havasu the desert continues.  Las Vegas is a huge oasis in that desert.

That oasis is dazzling at night.  

There is so much to do and see in Las Vegas..............there is no need for gambling.

The aliens miscalculated when they landed at Area 51.  They would have been permanent residents if they had landed in Las Vegas.  All those bright lights and excitement were what they were looking for.  Walt and I are but lowly humans but Frosty and Ginger led us on a great 2 week tour of Las Vegas and the surrounding area.  

 Our first outing was to the Sonny Turner show at the Suncoast Casino.  All the Platters hits that we knew all the words to and much more.  At 78 years old his voice is still vibrant and his dance moves are timeless. 

A small room that feels up close and personal.  The female singer, Michelle Johnson, was amazing.  What a range. All in all a very entertaining evening.  

Valley Of Fire State Park

Our next outing was to Valley of Fire State Park.

Frosty graciously offered to drive us to the park and what a great day it was. Only about an hour from Las Vegas and we were in a different world.

Valley of Fire State Park is Nevada's oldest state park. 

It gets it's name from the red Aztec Sandstone.  It does appear to be on fire in the sun.

 The park was established in 1935 and visitors are treated to spectacular scenery.

Absolutely breathtaking sights around every corner.

 We had such a good time finding faces in the rock formations. 

 The valley floor was green with creosote bush, burro bush and brittle bush. 

Geological uplifting, faulting, and erosion caused these almost alien like formations.

Love love those holes in the rocks. 

Ginger and Frosty made the day such a fun time. 

We climbed in caves but only after checking for snakes.

The day started out absolutely gorgeous.

The bright blue skies and warm sunshine continued but the wind picked up.

At first it was like the fine red grains of sand were doing a dance.

But it soon turned into a full blown assault.

 That did not stop our exploring.

A turtle I see a turtle. 

The spray of sand continued and our laughing and talking allowed the sand to accumulate in our hair, in our ears, down our clothes and even on our teeth.

We had packed a picnic lunch so were on the look out for a sheltered place to eat.

Walt climbed up and found a picnic table on the other side of these rocks but it was in the open.

Then we found some picnic tables nestled up against a cliff that offered some shelter and enjoyed our lunch still in some wind but tolerable.

These sandstone cabins were built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930's as shelter for passing travelers. 

Our day was filled with caves and archways, peaks and crevices and a magnificent views.  We even saw several big horn sheep.

A day spent with friends is a day well spent. 

Consistency makes the rain drops to create holes in the rock.” 
Israelmore Ayivor