Las Vegas

Friday morning we left for Las Vegas to visit daughter Heidi, husband Joseph, and twin sons Landon and Julian.  From Williams, AZ to the Vargas house in NW Vegas it is about 185 miles and four hours of driving.   Trip was uneventful.  Twins, of course, were thrilled to see their grandparents!

I never succeeded in uploading a video into blogger, but in separate e-mail I will send an excerpt - the twins dancing to the World Cup video.

Here are a few photos.  It is really hard to get a good picture - they're (almost) always on the move.

Watching a video in the castle.

New educational developmental puzzles from grandparents: when you fit the object into its cut-out position, you get the sound of the appropriate animal or vehicle, as the case may be: Mooo!

Landon is Susie's main buddy.  Julian latches on to me.  He's the one with curly hair and the yellow shirt.

I took my bike to Vegas and did a couple of early morning rides in the neighborhood.  This area was once rural, now it is becoming surrounded by new homes and businesses.  The old properties sort of remind me of the North Valley of Albuquerque.  There are large estates, horse stables and pastures, even an arena.  

I did a double-take as I rode by one fence and tree line and thought I saw a buffalo the other side of the trees.  I did!  Two of them.

And here's a horse picture.

We stayed for the World Cup Final, Sunday afternoon, then drove back to Williams.  Timing worked out so that we could stop in Kingman, AZ in late afternoon for Cracker Barrel's Sunday fried chicken special.  Very good.  Mountain showers as we returned to the high country en route to Williams.  Uneventful trip home the next day.  The dashboard A/C worked just fine.

W.r.t. road trips, I came across this article on how to eliminate boring road trips.  Number one: Leave the interstate.  We do this some of the time, but obviously not on this trip.   On earlier trips across this same terrain, we have traveled and enjoyed some stretches of historic Route 66.  Which reminds me: Williams advertizes itself as "the last Route 66 town bypassed by I-40."  Just taking Business 40 (old 66) through Williams and Seligman are worth your time occasionally.  For a longer diversion, take old 66 from Seligman to Kingman.  Did that once.

All told a very nice two weeks with friends and family.  We've got this week to do laundry, then it's off to Colorado for most of the next week with our granddaughters there.  Stay tuned.

Susie and Rob