You Gotta Know When To Hold Em', Know When to Fold Em', Know When To Walk Away, & Know When To Run...

Viva Las Vegas!!!

So it was finally time to start our journey home... but there was NO WAY we were coming back the same way we came.  There was certainly more adventure to be had.  Lauren & I headed North East out of California and into Nevada.

Our first stop was the Hoover Dam.  Now that the bypass bridge is complete, it provides an excellent vantage point to view the Dam.  It was definitely something worth seeing... very impressive.

The Bypass from Nevada to Arizona

Next it was finally time to head to Las Vegas!!  This has been one of the greatest highlights of our trip so far.  After checking into the Paris Hotel & Casino, Lauren and I first walked around our hotel (which we soon realized was like a small city).  Next we decided to walk the strip.  There are so many awesome street performers and things to see!  We then decided to try our hand at some gambling... I'll just say "We won a little... we lost a little... Lets just leave it at that."  It was not long into the night though, that Lauren & I realized that we already couldn't wait to come back!

Paris Hotel & Casino

The World Famous Bellagio Fountains

Sean Trying to Figure Out How to Play Slots

Crazy Flexible Person

Human Statue

The Strip

Seeing the city lit up at night was by far the best part of our stay.

Bellagio Water Show!

Now we are off to Moab, UT to hike and camp in Arches National Park!

Welcome to the Hotel California...

It was difficult to leave the Grand Canyon, however Lauren & I knew that we would soon be putting our toes in the waters of the Pacific Ocean!  After surviving all of the traffic in L.A. and getting to our hotel in Hollywood, we headed down towards the water!  On our way we made a quick detour to drive through Beverly Hills... Lauren was secretly hoping to see a REAL Housewife of Beverly Hills ... I was NOT!  Anyway, after that we finally made it down to the Santa Monica Pier where we were able to see, smell, and touch the Pacific Ocean for the first time!  We had done it... we had finished our drive from Coast to Coast... PURE SATISFACTION!  We spent that evening eating dinner on the Pier and watching the sunset.  After dinner we took a ride up Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu... Watching the sun's final light fade away over the water as we drove along the coastline was priceless.   I must say however, Lauren & I were both ready by the next day to leave the hustle & bustle of the second largest city in our country... Even though Lauren was totally bummed she didn't get to see any Kardashians!

Beverly Hills

This one is for the Baywatch lovers! 

We Made It!!

The Sun Sets on the West Coast...

He Works In The Saddle & He Sleeps In The Canyons...

Finally!  We made it to the Grand Canyon!!!

It was a long journey out west but it was totally worth it!  Lauren & I got to camp for not just one, but two nights in the Grand Canyon!  We had both seen pictures of the canyon before but let me just tell you that the way we felt when we saw the it for the first time is something we will never forget.  During our stay we were able to walk the Canyon Rim Trail, do a 5 mile hike down into the canyon, drive to Desert View to see where the Colorado River enters the canyon, and view two sunsets and a sunrise.  This has been our favorite part of the trip yet!  

Camp Duffy

First View of the Canyon

Pit Stop on our Hike Down Into the Canyon!

Sun Setting Over the Canyon

Amarillo By Morning...

Day 3 was an 11 hour excursion across the monotonous flattness that is Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

As we passed Little Rock, AR - Oklahoma City, OK - and on to Amarillo, TX the land got flatter and flatter and the sky got bigger and bigger.  I can honestly say that the Texas sky is the biggest I have ever seen.



We pulled into Amarillo and decided that since we were in Texas... a Steak Dinner was a MUST!

SaltGrass Steak House

Spiked Sweet Tea

Tomorrow it's off to the Grand Canyon to camp for two nights!!  More to follow....

It's A Crazy Town Full of Neon Dreams...

The next leg of our trip took us all the way through Tennessee.  Lauren and I were so pumped that we would finally get to see Nashville, TN!  We both have LOVED country music for a long time now and this has always been something we have wanted to do.

The Nashville skyline!

Our first stop was Nashville's Centennial Park.  This beautiful park in the middle of Nashville is home to a large green lawn as well as a number of fountains and water features.  The coolest thing in the park though is the FULL SCALE REPLICA of the Parthenon!!!!   Make sure you look at how big Lauren and I are compared to the actual building... this thing was gigantic!!!!

Downtown Nashville is littered with evidence of the cities musical heritage:

We toured the Country Music Hall of Fame

Broadway Street in Downtown Nashville

Last but not least we got to check out Riverfront Park which had a great view of LP Field where NFL's Tennessee Titans play!

The rest of the trip brought us through Memphis, TN and into Arkansas.