July 2014: Finally Back!!! So Excited to Show the West to the Kids!

After nearly 2 years of waiting (yeah, like many of you, we wanted to hit the road again as soon as we got back to France... but first, we had to fill up the piggy bank!), here we are at last—July, the month we’ve been waiting for! We’ve got 30 days of exploring new places ahead of us, as well as revisiting some spots we loved back in 2012.

Here’s the plan: - Joshua Tree NP - Las Vegas - Valley of Fire SP - Yant Flat - Zion NP (Angel’s Landing) - Bryce Canyon NP (Fairyland Loop trail) - Devils Garden on the HITTR - Capitol Reef NP - Grand Teton NP - Yellowstone NP: Old Faithful - Yellowstone NP: Norris Geyser Basin and Mammoth Hot Springs - Yellowstone NP: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone - West Thumb and Grand Teton NP - Flaming Gorge - Colorado NM and Fisher Towers - Moab: Arches - Moab: Canyonlands and Corona Arch - Moab: Canyonlands - Moab: rafting and Dead Horse Point SP - Natural Bridges NM and Valley of the Gods - Monument Valley and Horseshoe Bend - Coyote Buttes South - Grand Canyon NP (North Rim) - Grand Canyon NP (North Rim) and Navajo Bridge - Sedona - From Sedona to Tucson - Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Saguaro NP - Tombstone

Practical details:

- I’d read that it was better to book flight tickets directly on an airline’s website rather than through a comparison site. So, I spent months searching for reasonably priced tickets for two adults and two kids from Paris to Las Vegas for the outbound trip and from Tucson to Paris for the return. I mostly checked Air France, KLM, and British Airways, but prices were always around 4600 €. Not finding anything, we eventually went through a comparison site: Ebookers. We bought our tickets in mid-December: Paris/Atlanta with Air France, then Atlanta/Los Angeles with Delta for the outbound trip, and Tucson/Atlanta with Delta, then Atlanta/Paris with Air France for the return. Total cost: 4300 €. The layover on the outbound trip made me a little nervous because it was only 2 hours and 15 minutes. A month later, we got an email from Ebookers saying the layover had been reduced to 1 hour and 40 minutes! And a few months after that, it was down to just 1 hour and 30 minutes... So, we called Air France directly (we didn’t go through Ebookers, and it wasn’t a problem), and they put us on different flights. The new layover was 2 hours and 10 minutes—still not a ton of time, but I felt better than with 1 hour and 30 minutes. And anyway, we figured we’d see how it went!

- For the car, we tried several comparison sites, and in the end, AutoEurope won this year: 808 € for a 30-day rental of a Chevrolet Impala through Thrifty. The second driver was free for the entire trip since we picked up the car in California.

- We didn’t rent a GPS or buy one—we just downloaded Sygic on our two phones and bought the US map. I don’t remember the exact amount, but it cost us around 30 €.

- For hotels, I either booked directly on the sites (Xanterra, Grand Canyon Lodge, etc.) or used Hotels.com (to earn nights through their Welcome Rewards program) or Booking.com (when hotels weren’t available on Hotels.com). I always compared the price on Hotels.com with the hotel’s direct rate, but they were usually the same. So, for the same price, I’d rather earn a night with Welcome Rewards! We’d set a budget of 100 € per night on average, and we stuck to it pretty well—the final average came out to 101.20 € when including everything (nights + taxes + any nightly fees + parking fees + bank fees).

- As for luggage, we didn’t want to overpack! So, we left with one medium suitcase for Calista, one for me, one large suitcase for Hugo and Yannick, and a sports bag with Calista’s booster seat (we could’ve taken it on the plane with us, but I didn’t want to lug it around the airport during the layover). That sports bag came in handy on the way back, too—because, as everyone knows, you always come back with more than you left with! Each of us also had a backpack as a carry-on.

Before wrapping up this intro and getting into the real details, I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to my discussions and helped me improve our itinerary!

Quick intro for those who don’t know us: Yannick (36), Peggy (36), Hugo (11), and Calista (8).

Day 1 Monday, July 7

Our suitcases are packed and ready to be loaded into the car, the keys are given to the neighbor and a friend who will take care of the rabbit, we all have our passports… we’re bursting with impatience!! Actually, we don’t really have time to pace around because we’ve arranged to meet up at 7:00 AM with the friend who’s driving us to the airport. Our flight is at 10:45 AM, and since we live 40 minutes from Charles de Gaulle, I thought we’d leave the house at 8:00 AM… but two days before, they announced increased security checks at airports, and I was afraid we wouldn’t make it on time. So we moved up our departure a bit, but it turned out to be an unnecessary precaution. By 8:30 AM, we have our tickets, our bags are checked in, and we take the time to grab breakfast before going through security.

Everything goes smoothly until boarding. But at 10:45 AM, when we’re supposed to take off, nothing happens… and we wait, and wait… Finally, it’s a 40-minute delay. Minutes we’ll never make up, so I already know that with only 1.5 hours in Atlanta, it’s a lost cause! Oh well, let’s stay zen during this flight and look on the bright side: we’re going on vacation!!!

It’s great having the kids with us this time, but it’s also a bit more tiring: between them touching all the buttons on their screens, lowering and raising their tray tables 20 times, and squirming like worms, you’d think we have hyperactive kids even though they’re usually pretty calm… luckily for us, it doesn’t last!

The flight with Air France goes very well. Upon arrival in Atlanta, we have to endure a 1.5-hour line before we can go through immigration. Even though we have nothing to hide, there’s always a little apprehension before our passports get stamped and we’re admitted into the United States. But that’s it, the vacation can really begin now!

Once that formality is done, we head to the Delta counter since our next flight is with them and we missed our connection… It goes really well; it’s 4:30 PM, and we’re rebooked on the next flight at 5:37 PM. Baggage drop-off is right across from the counter, so we just have to take the train to get to our terminal! Even though Atlanta’s airport is the largest in the U.S., it’s really easy to navigate!

The second flight with Delta is always less pleasant than the transatlantic one with Air France (no individual screens, no meal—just a small snack, it’s hot, and we’re starting to get tired…), but I don’t have bad memories of it like I did two years ago between NY and Las Vegas… Upon arrival in Los Angeles, we quickly retrieve one suitcase… then nothing! We stay until the end, watching the carousel spin and hoping more bags will come, but after a while, we have to face the facts: we’re missing three suitcases!! We go ask for information, and they tell us, as if it’s normal: “Your bags are coming on the next flight; they’ll be here in 45 minutes!” So our reactions: “Phew! They’re not lost!” “But how did they manage to put one suitcase on one plane and three on another when we checked them all at the same time?” “What a mess… we don’t have time for this! We have to pick up our car and then drive for another hour!”

Finally, since we still have 45 minutes to wait, we decide to take the shuttle to pick up the car from Thrifty (about 7 or 8 cars in our price range on the lot; we leave with a dark gray Impala), then we go back to the airport to get our bags. What an adventure! And long live the GPS! Yannick parks haphazardly, I run to the baggage carousel, and oh joy! The plane has apparently just arrived, and our suitcases are among the first to come out. We grab them with Hugo, run to the car, and hurry to leave because Yannick already got a comment from a policeman telling him he can’t park there…

This year, Los Angeles was just an arrival airport for us, and we’re eager to leave all this traffic behind as soon as possible. We head toward Corona, an hour from the airport, and check in around 10:00 PM at a Best Western hotel. We’re exhausted and can’t wait to collapse into a cozy bed… which we do half an hour later, even though it’s 7:30 AM for our internal clocks!

Hotel: BW in Corona 61.20 € with breakfast Day’s summary: So many emotions today—between the long-awaited departure, the missed connection, our lost luggage, and the immense joy of being back on American soil, especially with the kids this time! The night will be short but restful.

Hi Peggy

Looks like the worst is over 😉 but connections are still stressful, not to mention wondering if the luggage made it ...

Now I’m guessing the rest will be pure fun. Famous spots, some less so, a huge variety of landscapes—basically an amazing trip, and I’ll be following your adventures with a ton of interest.

See you soon!

What an adventure!

Can’t wait to see what’s next! :)

Itinerary for the first 10 days Day 2 - Tuesday, July 8 I woke up at 4:40 AM, and the rest of the group at 5:00 AM. We got ready calmly and were the first to open the breakfast room. But we weren’t the only ones! The other people there were mostly early-rising workers rather than vacationers.

We all loved the little details that made us feel like we were back in the USA: bagels, paper cups, and the California weather on TV… It’s so awesome! Though I might get tired of plastic and paper plates and cups after a while! lol

After check-out, we left for Joshua Tree NP at 6:45 AM. Traffic was smooth in our direction, but heading toward LA, it was already completely jammed. We’re so happy to be getting away from the city! We drove through desert landscapes, then fields of wind turbines.

The road stretched on, climbing up hills… We’d already seen these wind turbines and hills from the plane yesterday! It’s so cool to be in the scenery now! We drove to the sound of Outlaw Country and were… HAPPY!

We arrived at the Joshua Tree entrance signs:



We got to the Visitor Center at 8:30 AM. It felt like it was going to be really hot, but for now, it was still manageable. We were eager to get into the park and start hiking, so we planned a quick stop at the VC to buy the America the Beautiful pass—but we didn’t count on the Ranger who spent ages explaining how the pass worked to a German couple who arrived 30 seconds before us!

Finally, we got our pass! The Ranger gave us a park map, Junior Ranger booklets, and a map of the Mojave National Preserve since we planned to stop there this afternoon on our way to Las Vegas.

We made a few stops along the road, already amazed by the landscapes.

Our first "hike" stop was Barker Dam. The reservoir itself wasn’t particularly appealing—there was hardly any water left. But the landscapes on the way there were amazing, and we had the place to ourselves.

Hello Peggy,

Awesome, amazing, just what I’ve been waiting for—30 whole days of travel to brighten up those long autumn evenings 😉.

First time seeing the whole little family together, and... oh, a mini Peggy ! I love the start—landing in LA and off to the great outdoors. Joshua Tree looks so cool. I thought it’d be duller and dustier in the middle of summer, but your photos are stunning. And now I’ve got that itch for the US West again (okay, fine, it never really left me ).

See you soon, and thanks for sharing—30 days of road trip stories is no small feat! Laure

Hi Peggy,

Your itinerary is awesome 😎—I would’ve loved to include some of those spots (Joshua Tree and Yant Flat). You must’ve had a blast.

Can’t wait for the next part, Pascale

Continuation of Day 2, Tuesday, July 8

The next "walk" stop is Hidden Valley. Another amazing spot—the kids keep saying, "Wow, this is so beautiful!" It’s a bit more crowded here, and we run into some groups, but it doesn’t bother us. It’s starting to get really hot.

Next, we’d planned to go up to Keys View, but it’s a detour, and time’s running out. So we stick to the main road and stop at Jumbo Rocks instead.

The kids are climbing, but it’s way too hot for me! So I wait patiently in the shade until a dozen bees start chasing me. No matter how far I move, they follow, and I start to panic. Yannick teases me—he didn’t see them, so he thinks I’m making it up… but as we leave the parking lot, I spot a sign that says "Caution! Swarming Bees." I wasn’t imagining it!

Final quick stop at Skull Rock, then we leave the park around noon.

We don’t stop at the visitor center since the kids didn’t fill out their Junior Ranger booklets. Hugo isn’t thrilled—he doesn’t want to do "homework" on vacation—and Calista would’ve done it if it had been in French. Anyway, we don’t have time to schedule a ranger activity, so we skip the program (and the badge) without a second thought!

In Twentynine Palms, we grab our first Jack in the Box of the trip (already tried it two years ago in SF), and we still love it! Then we head to a small grocery store to pick up a few things, including a cooler. We need to buy a bag of ice on this first day, but after that, we’ll always manage with the ice dispensers at hotels.

We hit the road again around 1:00 PM, thinking we’d take Mojave and it’d be about a 3-hour drive. But the GPS can’t get a signal, and—of course, as usual in the U.S.—there are no signs! So we rely on paper maps and miss the turn. After a while on Route 62, we realize we must’ve gone too far, but we don’t feel like backtracking for no reason. We keep going and stop when we see a house. Yannick asks for directions: the nice lady must not get out much because she looks shocked that someone’s at her door, and she says, "Yes, you’re on the right road to the Mojave Desert." Yeah, right! We end up seeing some countryside and take over 4 hours to reach Las Vegas.

We arrive in view of Las Vegas in the rain.

Check-in at the Hilton Grand Vacation hotel is super quick—no line. Our room is perfect: the kids sleep in the living room, and we have a separate bedroom. It’s 67 m², with a fully equipped kitchenette, a dining table, and even a washer and dryer!



After settling in, it’s already time for me to leave. Yannick drops me off at the Wynn—tonight, I’m seeing *The Dream*, a show my mom gifted me for my birthday! I booked the 7:00 PM show because we’re still dealing with jet lag—I never would’ve made it to the later one! I’d looked for discounts for this show for a while and only found Premium Seating at almost the price of the Splash Zone, which made me hesitate. But you don’t choose your row when booking, and I was worried I’d end up too high up, so I finally went for the Splash Zone. A choice I didn’t regret at all: I was alone in row A, so I felt like I could jump into the pool and that the show was performed just for me! It was truly a dreamlike moment—magical. I had sweet dreams that night.

Hotel: Hilton Grand Vacation Suites in Las Vegas: 85.40 € with breakfast + 9.80 € for valet parking. Show: 93.20 € in the Splash Zone (seat A3). Day’s recap: Even though we messed up our route a bit and were really happy to arrive after 4 hours of driving, this first full day in the U.S. was amazing! First, Joshua Tree under a gorgeous blue sky, then the incredible *The Dream* for me. And the kids loved the room and tested out the pool with their dad while I was gone. Great end to the day for them too!

About the GPS: it lost signal several times after that. We fixed the problem in 2 minutes each time—just had to restart the phone! Too bad we didn’t think of that today…

Thanks for following me, Thibaud! My thanks were of course for you among others! :)

Thanks for following along, Lucie! I’ll try to post a bit every day (or every other day), but man, uploading these photos takes forever!

Hey Laure!

Awesome, amazing, perfect—finally the travel journal I’ve been waiting for! 30 extra days of travel to brighten up those long autumn evenings 😉.

Yeah, we should have enough to last until early winter !😉

First time seeing the whole little family, and... oh, a mini Peggy 😏😇!

We tell her all the time she’s a mini Peggy !😎

Joshua Tree really looks great.

Yes, like I told you before, we loved it ++! Was it because it was the first trip after 2 years of waiting? Either way, we weren’t disappointed choosing it over Barstow!

And now the urge to return to the US West is back (well, truth be told, it never really left me 😊).

lol

Thanks for following along, Pascale! Yant Flat is in just a few days...😉

What a dream, such a great memory too! A magnificent show.

Love your travel journal, thanks!

Hello Peggy,

I’m joining in to follow your travel journal—it looks really promising! I already loved your first one a few months ago... This July, we’re also heading out to explore that part of the world with our 5 kids. Looks like I booked the same hotel as you in Las Vegas ;) ;).

See you soon, and good luck with the rest of your trip report. I can’t wait to read more!

Catherine

Really interesting to read about your trip, and the photos are gorgeous too.

Thanks for sharing! 🙂

Hi Peggy,

Your report is super detailed! 😎 Are you gonna keep up the pace until the end of the week? 😉

Thanks Aurélie! The Dream... amazing!

Thanks for following, Catherine (and for reading the first one!)!

Next July, we’re heading out to discover this part of the world with our 5 kids. Looks like I booked the same hotel as you in Las Vegas 😉 😉.

You’re going to love it! If you’re looking for a quiet hotel, no casino, with plenty of space dans and autour around the pool, this is exactly the one you need! We’ve booked another Hilton Grand Vacation for next July, but this time it’ll be =2&departureDate=27/07/2015&destination=Hilton%20Grand%20Vacations%20Suites-Las%20Vegas%20%28Convention%20Center%29, %20Las%20Vegas, %20Nevada, %20%C9tats-Unis%20d%27Am%E9rique&destinationId=169991&destinationName=Hilton%20Grand%20Vacations%20Suites-Las%20Vegas%20%28Convention%20Center%29, %20Las%20Vegas, %20Nevada, %20%C9tats-Unis%20d%27Am%E9rique&did=169991&dn=Hilton%20Grand%20Vacations%20Suites-Las%20Vegas%20%28Convention%20Center%29, %20Las%20Vegas, %20Nevada, %20United%20States%20of%20America&hotelId=169991&rooms[0].childrenAges[0]=12&rooms[0].childrenAges[1]=9&rooms[0].numberOfAdults=2&search_rooms=1&srsReport=Landing|AutoS|HOTEL|la%20vegas%20hilton|0|0|1|5|4|6|169991&srsr=Landing|AutoS|HOTEL|la%20vegas%20hilton|0|0|1|5|4|6|169991"]this one instead (it’s a bit cheaper and parking is free. On the downside, it’s a little farther from the Strip).

Thanks Louis! :)

Hi Jean-Philippe!

Your report is super detailed! 😎 Are you gonna keep up the pace until the end of the week? 😉

Yeah, I should be able to keep up this week! 😉 It’s starting next Monday that it’ll get a bit tougher... but I’ve gotten ahead since I’m already on Day 22 in Word! 😎

Day 3 Wednesday, July 9

I woke up at 6:00 AM, had time to scroll through Facebook and reply to my messages on Voyage Forum before the others showed up around 7:00 AM. It’s a relaxed day in Las Vegas ahead of us. To put things in perspective, we didn’t really click with this city in 2012—we found it too noisy, too crowded, too much of everything, really! But that was probably because we were tired and only spent one evening here. This time, we decided to take it easy and avoid the tourist crowds as much as possible. That’s partly why we chose this hotel.

When we opened the curtains, we saw the sun wasn’t really out, so it shouldn’t be as hot as in 2012. It wasn’t the Vegas we’d described to the kids, but no big deal—Calista was even happy because she was worried she wouldn’t handle the heat. We headed to the hotel café for breakfast (included in the room price): it wasn’t exactly a full breakfast—just one drink and one food item per person. But it was better than nothing!

Then off to the pool, which we had almost all to ourselves.

After changing, we walked to Circus Circus next door. I wanted to be at the Tix4Tonight booth by 10:00 AM to see if we could get tickets for a show tonight. Out of what they offered, only *Kà* interested us. We hesitated because the price was pretty high—I even wondered if I’d have gotten a better deal booking by phone from France and asking for child rates for Hugo and Calista… because here at Tix4Tonight, there’s no child discount! Oh well, we figured we’re not in Vegas every day, so we went for it! We also bought two tickets for the Titanic exhibit because Hugo’s a huge fan of anything related to it. On the way back, we stopped at a souvenir shop and a grocery store for some snacks.

Then came the "annoying" part of the day. Since yesterday afternoon, the "Oil Life Remaining" warning had popped up on the dashboard, dropping from 15% to 10%. Now that we’re in Las Vegas, it’s down to 7%... Knowing how many miles we still have to drive, we decided to take advantage of being in a big city to swap cars. We headed to the Thrifty agency at the airport—even though the swap was approved without issue, it took over an hour! We left with a white Impala, and its "Oil Life Remaining" was at 65%!

After that, we still played tourist a little at the M&M’s store and the "Grand Canyon" souvenir shop—it was *huge*!

It was high time for lunch, and my two guys were *very* excited for it: the Wynn buffet! We got there at 2:00 PM, which was great because we didn’t have to wait in line. So good!

By the time we left, it was already 3:00 PM—even when you’re not doing much, the day flies by! Yannick took Calista and me back to the hotel so we could enjoy the pool while he and Hugo visited the Titanic exhibit. They weren’t gone too long—the exhibit was interesting, with pieces of the wreckage brought up from the ocean floor and a recreation of the Grand Staircase on Deck A, but my guys expected more. Good thing, because they got to enjoy the pool until 6:00 PM—and even caught a ray of sunshine!



After that, we couldn’t dawdle—we had to get back to the room, change, and drive to the MGM for *Kà*. We’re not great at this—we couldn’t find the MGM parking lot, so we ended up parking across the street near the Tropicana. No big deal, once we crossed the boulevard, we found the theater quickly!

As for the show, the entrance was spectacular, and the costumes and makeup were amazing, but I liked it way less than the night before. For one, I felt like I was sitting too far away (compared to being right by the pool the night before!), so it felt more like watching a movie than being part of the show. Also, I’d read there was a story and a plot, but I didn’t get it at all! Though to be fair, I did doze off around 8:00 PM—that probably didn’t help. lol I still really enjoyed some acts, but I didn’t leave with butterflies in my stomach like I did for *The Dream*.

After that, a quick meal in the room and bedtime for everyone by 10:00 PM. We were all wiped out!

Hotel: Hilton Grand Vacation Suites in Las Vegas: 85.40 € with breakfast + 9.80 € for valet parking. Show: 297.25 € for 4 people (section 201, row EE, seats 14–17). Titanic Exhibit: 33.15 € for 2 people. Day’s Recap: A little disappointed by tonight’s show, but the kids seemed to like it, and that’s what matters! Otherwise, this more relaxed day—enjoying the pool and Vegas without too many crowds—made us like the city again. We’d happily come back!

So glad you (finally) enjoyed Vegas! Personally, I'm a huge fan.

We also saw Ka—I have great memories of it. Totally different from *O*, though.

Next time, check out *O* at the Bellagio, it’s in the same vein as *O* even if I rank *O* as #1.

I loved the Dream too! Okay, it’s the only one I’ve seen, so it’s hard to compare 😛. Your approach to LV is so refreshing and fun, especially with kids. You really didn’t get swept up in all the over-the-top craziness and kept things in perspective. Goes to show, even if you’re not a huge fan, you’ve gotta go back 😛 !

Hi Peggy, This itinerary sounds amazing! I’m trying to plan a trip for July—three weeks in the West with my husband and three teens. I was thinking of this route: Las Vegas-Zion-Bryce-Capitol Reef-Moab (Arches, Canyonlands)-Monument Valley-Page-Grand Canyon-Las Vegas for about 18 days, then a domestic flight to Chicago for 3-4 days because my kids don’t want *just* natural wonders... But actually, I see there are a bunch of other places you visited that I don’t know about in your itinerary. Could you help me out, especially with where to stop and how many nights to stay at each place? I’m struggling to visualize how much time to spend at each site—whether we’re just passing through because it’s on the driving route and that’s enough to be amazed, or if we really need to stop and explore. Also, I’m really struggling with flight tickets—I think I’ll do like you and wait until December... Thanks so much in advance for your help!

Next time, check out "O" at the Bellagio—it’s in the same vein as *Le Rêve*, though I still rank *Le Rêve* as #1.

That’s definitely something to think about… but not for our next trip, haha! ;) We’re actually heading back next year instead of 2016, so the budget’s a bit tighter. No shows in Vegas for us this time, but I think we’ll check out Fremont Street—we haven’t seen it yet.

Hi Peggy,

So happy to hear from you! Did your husband like that Chevrolet Impala (you even had two of them 😛)?

Looking forward to reading the rest... and following the prep for 2015 🙂

I’m loving following your discussions.

Regarding stopover times: Moab and Page: at least 2 nights Bryce, Monument Valley, and the Grand Canyon: at least 1 night

That’s my take!

Gilles

Your approach to LV is unusual and fun, especially with kids.

Yeah, and as a result, they loved Las Vegas: a big hotel room, the pool, dinner at the Wynn, the show, the hotel lights seen from the car... They want to go back!

Hi Nathalie! Thanks for following me! I’ll answer your questions in a PM—it’ll be easier that way.

Hi Frédérique, Thanks for stopping by to read!

So, that Chevrolet Impala (you even had two of them 😛)—did your husband like it?

Oh yes!!! He found it comfortable, spacious, the trunk was huge, and the sound system was great. It was fun to drive (peppy). He loved it so much that he’s disappointed he’ll have to get an SUV next year !😉

Hi Peggy, What a great start to a travel journal! After the near-traffic jam in September, this’ll be a nice way to extend summer a bit. I’m really looking forward to discovering some of the places you’ve visited too—like Yant Flat, for example, or Natural Bridges NM, which I had to cut from my itinerary because it was getting too packed. And of course, the "southern" parks (Joshua Tree NP, Saguaro NP, Sedona). Good luck with the writing—it seems to be flowing really well—and thanks for taking the time to share this with us! 😉

Violaine

It’s such a pleasure reading your posts—your adventure is amazing and it makes us want to head back out west... Plus, your photos are gorgeous!!! Can’t wait to read more... hehe... Thanks for sharing all this :)

Hi Peggy!

I’m on board now too 😎. Between prepping for 2015 and the travel journal, I know how your evenings are gonna be spent 😉...

Thanks for the travel journal and see you soon!

Laure

Thanks for the precious time you’re giving us! 😉

Thanks to you too for your travel journal! 😉 It was such a pleasant read. Just 2 more days and you’ll be there! 😉

Thanks for the compliments and for following along! More to come very soon!

Hi Laure! Thanks for following me!

Between the 2015 prep and the travel journal, I know how your evenings are gonna be spent 😉...

Yeah, and on top of that, there's the photo album I still haven't started...😉 I did two quickly in August (one for Hugo and one for Calista), but I really need to get down to the real one now!

Hi Peggy,

Oh, finally the travel journal🙂🙂 You took advantage of my two days away to start it😉

Okay, I just caught up on my backlog.

It was a bit of a hectic start😕, but the main thing is arriving safe and sound for a fantastic stay.😏

Joshua Tree Park is really pretty—it makes me want to go back to the States😇

Lovely family photo 😎

I see that, unlike two years ago, you enjoyed Vegas. Great that you got to see a show.

Can’t wait for the rest!

Hélène

and then you add to that the photo album I still haven’t started...

Yeah, and then you forget the video montage... it’s also nice, that little film we watch again as a family during those looong winter evenings 😉😏 !

Hi there,

I’m such a photo fanatic, and I haven’t even finished last year’s album from our 3-week trip 🏴‍☠️—so you’re actually on time! 😉

Hélène

Day 4 Thursday, July 10 Woke up again at 5:40 AM—I still haven’t adjusted to the American time zone! This morning, after a quiet wake-up, we had to pack up the room, and there was a lot to do since we’d already started making a mess everywhere! Breakfast at the café, just like the day before.

Today’s plan was to visit Valley of Fire, but since we were worried it’d be too hot during the day, we’d decided to hit the outlets first and head to the park in the mid-afternoon.

This morning, we took advantage of the pool until check-out time. It’s raining!

Then we headed to the South Outlets stores, where we stayed from 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM. I’d planned accordingly and hadn’t done any shopping in France before leaving! Lunch was at Subway.

After that, we set off for Valley of Fire! Well… the weather wasn’t exactly what I’d expected! When we stopped at the entrance to put our payment in the envelope, it was pouring rain!

We kept driving and made our first stop at the Beehives: on top of the rain, it was windy and cold—I pulled out the windbreakers! Luckily, the rain stopped, but the sky was still really gray in the photos. No matter, the kids had fun climbing everywhere!

Our next stop was Rainbow Vista: there are no words—it’s just breathtaking!

We walked a little near the Rainbow Vista parking lot but didn’t linger too long because we had other plans after...😉

Then we parked at the Fire Wave parking lot and pulled out the GPS with the points we’d entered: Fire Cave, Thunderstorm Arch, Crazy Hill, and Fire Wave. Off we went for a looong time without seeing anyone—just the four of us and nature.

Unbelievable to be cold in the middle of July at Valley Of Fire 😮

Continuing from J4 Thursday, July 10

We can’t find Fire Cave—even though the GPS says we’re right next to it. But Thunderstorm Arch and Crazy Hill? Piece of cake!

After seeing how late it’s getting, we take a shortcut to reach Fire Wave before everything’s in shadow.

Continuation and end of Day 4, Thursday, July 10

It’s only at Fire Wave that we run into people again, but it’s not crowded either!

We can really enjoy it—some blue sky for photos (though not everywhere, you’ve got to angle the camera just right!)

And the sun even makes a comeback!

We hit the road again toward Overton, with a quick stop at Elephant Rock.

Quick meal at McDonald’s—it’s really not the best fast food in the U.S., but for $15 for the four of us, we’re not complaining! There’s not a soul around; it feels like a ghost town. After that, we keep going to Mesquite, where we arrive at 9:20 PM. The kids would’ve loved to take a quick dip in the pool, but it closes at 9:00 PM. So, it’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning because there’s no way we’re leaving the hotel without going—it looks amazing!

Hotel: Casablanca Hotel & Casino in Mesquite 36.70 € Day’s recap: Despite the early rain and overcast sky, Valley of Fire was a real highlight for all of us! I even think the weather worked in our favor because I’m not sure we could’ve spent as much time walking if it had been 104 or 113°F!

I see you share the same love for rocks as we do. I’m looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip.

Even in places we’ve already seen and done, there’s always a new perspective.

Gilles

Valley of Fire with windbreakers in the middle of summer! Are you kidding me?! And Las Vegas in the rain—I thought that was super rare, that we’d gotten some (un)lucky treatment 😉 during our 2013 trip, but apparently not.

End of Day 4, Thursday, July 10

I’m counting on it 😛 and I’m sure I’m not the only one! @+

To be continued... or the end? ?? Oh no, you can't leave us hanging like that!!! :D

Awesome travel journal! It makes me want to go so badly.

I can't wait for the next part!

Hi Peggy... so happy to follow your trip updates!

Hi Peggy,

Your photos are absolutely stunning—a real treat, I want more!!!😉 Thanks again🙂

Hi Peggy, I’m traveling right now (on this forum, nothing very original...😉) and I almost missed your travel journal! Luckily, tonight it was in first place (well deserved)! I really liked your family photo in front of MV at the very beginning—it turned out great! 🙂 Kudos for the organization that shines through in how the days unfolded... Vof F in the rain—now that’s what I call a unique travel journal! 😎 😏

No way Vegas and VOF in the rain!!🏴‍☠️ The world upside down😮

What a shame and so rare😠

Some really nice photos despite everything.

See you soon for the rest

Hélène