Glitz, Glamour- So NOT Worth It.

I have always wanted to visit Las Vegas- not because of the casinos, gambling is not my thing, but because of the lights, the scenery, and the vibe. Well, I finally got my chance for a brief 36 hours stay on a flight back to Boston. It was enough! Driving into Las Vegas was relatively straightforward. Lots of stop and go traffic, but the city is rather easy to negotiate. After self-parking the car, we began the long trek (and I do mean LONG) to the entrance and then through the maze of casino floors to finally locate the long line at the Caesar’s Palace Reception Desk. Crowds and smoke- not off to a great start. The receptionist offered to upgrade our room for a nominal fee. We would move onto the 14th floor overlooking the fountains of the Bellagio- ok- the price was reasonable so upgrade I did. I was glad to have done it- the room was spacious, had a gorgeous view and we could watch the fountain show all night! Why did we choose Caesar’s? Well we do love Roman History, so that was appealing, but it largely came down to location and price. Despite what I heard for years, hotels in Vegas are NOT cheap. The room price might look great on the internet, but there are charges- taxes, resort fee, etc that take the cheap room and make it moderate-moderately expensive. So do your homework before choosing the hotel that works best for you. Did we like Caesar’s? Well the upgraded room was fabulous- not to mention a HUGE bathroom- but there was no ambiance. Much of the decor gets lost in flow of the crowd- giving it a “nothing special” atmosphere which I found disappointing- I expected more prominent, immersive theming.

Well after a long day of traveling- it was off to the pool- not. The pools, at least at Caesar’s, close at the ridiculous hour of 5:00 p.m. We knew this going in- it is common with the hotels- but we desperately hoped that the time published was not for June. Plan B- off to check out the “strip”. After an eternity, negotiating construction work, we reached the main street armed with a list of “free” things to do. Las Vegas is ridiculously overpriced- multiply that for a family of 5 and you will be bankrupt before you know it. The “free” activities- offered by most hotels to lure you into the casinos, restaurants and shops are poor quality- animatronics from the early 70’s, gaudy, poor sound- and jam packed so you could barely move is what you encounter- and that’s AFTER you weave through the endless maze of casino floors trying to find the attraction. After a few-the hassle just was not worth it. So- let’s grab a bite to eat- and let’s go with bite- because a meal would set you back quite a bit. Two of us went for Mexican and ended up getting a plate of Nachos to split at 30$ because the meals were too expensive. The rest of us opted for pizza- figuring that would be cheap- sure- if you think 50$ for a large pizza is reasonable. I don’t so we ended up with a box of garlic rolls. By this point we were all pretty disillusioned by Las Vegas and its offerings. Luckily we had a river tour near the Hoover Dam the next day that I had booked in advance because I was worried that walking up and down the strip in summer heat would be too much as we waited to take the red eye home. In retrospect, I am so glad we arranged to be out of the city- it was a relief to not be stuck wandering in the mazes that are the area hotels. Would I go back- well – here’s the thing- the one positive about Las Vegas is its location. It is a perfect base or airport for Death Valley, Zion, Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, The Hoover Dam, and so much more. I would opt to stay on the outskirts of the city, and just venture in to walk the “strip” and enjoy the lights. I’d rather have a hotel where I can use the pool in the evening, eat a meal after hiking, and avoid the mazes than stay in the center of the glitz and glamour.

All You Need To Know: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary: https://bestfriends.org/sanctuary

Address: 5001 Angel Canyon Road, is about five miles north of Kanab on the right side of Highway 89. https://bestfriends.org/sanctuary/plan-your-visit/getting-here

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is a hidden gem. It is a no-kill, nonprofit caring for all kinds of animals from the birds to bunnies to cats and dogs, even horses! The best part is the sanctuary welcomes visitors- and you can even lend a hand! The best way to see the sanctuary is to join a guided tour (free). Guided tours are offered on a regular basis- you must register and spaces are limited. Spaces go fast- so don’t delay. This link will take you to the Book Now page. https://bestfriends.org/sanctuary/plan-your-visit/book-tours-and-activities If the general tour is booked- don’t despair- you can book visits to various sections of the sanctuary

Sanctuary

• Dogtown
• Cat World
• Horse Haven
• Marshall’s Piggy Paradise
• Bunny House
• Parrot Garden
• Wild Friends

Each of these individual tours offers lot of opportunity to see animals and learn so much about their lives. Still not enough? They have programs to take dogs for a walk- or even on a sleepover! You can do hands on work shifts as well. Visit their website to learn all the details.

When you arrive you will need to check in at the Front Desk at the Visitor Center. Here there may be a dog for you to greet or some cats to pet. Tours leave promptly. Unfortunately, the full tours were booked, bu we were fortunate to get a visit to Wild Friends. Wild Friends, as you can probably guess, is birds. I had no idea that pigeons make good pets, especially when they are adopted in pairs! It was amazing how the birds knew their caretaker. She had such a loving bond with each of them-she knew their likes, dislikes and they were just delighted to engage with her- giving us a unique insight into their lives. One of the most beautiful areas is Angel’s Rest- a cemetery for sanctuary animals, pets of members, staff, etc. The cemetery has a beautiful overlook, and the tingles of wind chimes echo through gentle breezes. This is a place well worth a visit!

Bryce Canyon is one of my top 10 favorite National Parks! It is visually stunning, providing suitable hiking for all levels, and is more intimate in size than some of the other parks. It does get crowded here- so if you are looking for quiet, alone time- you are not likely to find that on Queen Victoria/Navajo Loop or other popular trails within the park. Use the shuttle bus when available – parking can be a nightmare. Be sure to pack sunscreen, and plenty of water- at least 2 L/person. There are no facilities on most trails. I recommend doing the Queen’s Garden trail first- the descent is fairly straight forward- a switch back down the descent. It is in the blazing sun during the morning hours- so climbing back up in the heat and constantly seeing how far you have to go would be a nightmare. By connecting to the Navajo Loop- the ascent is not visible- involves scrambling around rocks, is a bit more shady from tall rocks and has an awesome view from the top! Bryce is easily a one day park- you could even do it in a half day by doing the amphitheater and overlooks if you are pressed for time. It really should be on everyone’s must see list! The nearby town has hotels, lots of restaurants, souvenir shopping with an Old West vibe.

We decided to check out Goblin State Park on our drive from Arches/Canyonlands up to Capitol Reef. This was a great highlight to our trip. The rock formations are awesome- and we had great fun identifying their shapes and giving them names. We were able to climb up into some of the openings to enjoy a cool break from the relentless sun and the views overlooking the valley were exquisite. Beware the sun is strong- so be certain you have a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water. Picnic tables are under a large canopy near the porta potties in the parking lot and a nice breeze will occasionally waft by. The amount of time needed to cover the area depends on what you plan to do. I would allow 1-2 hours to explore the valley and structures and 2-3 hours if one is planning to hike. Whatever amount of time you choose to spend- it will be well spent. The park is just fun.

We had timed tickets to Arches for 6;00 am on two days. The ticket reservation system was not difficult to navigate but you need to be organized to make sure you are gathering your tickets on the day you are eligible. We chose 6:00 am to take advantage of the sunlight- however, I regret that we didn’t make one day a bit later to not have to be up and out the door in the 5:00 am hour. Arches is extremely close to Moab – about a 15 min drive. It’s closeness makes things easier in terms of gas, but going back to Moab for lunch may not work well. The roads in the park are narrow, winding, single lanes which are heavily travelled. Many of the sites are 15-16 miles from the Visitor Center- so commuting time adds up. Not to mention- even with the time ticket- the entrance lines can be pretty long. There is no outside food available. Wi-fi is sporadic at the Visitor Center and nonexistent elsewhere. The parking lot is ample in size and can easily be accessed on park entry or exit. If you want minimum crowds- than 6:00 am is a great arrival time. We had Devil’s Garden to ourselves for almost two hours- we were able to spend a lot of time observing a herd of mule deer and explore many of the arches without competition. That can not be said for Delicate Arch. The trail was congested at the early hour and remained so. We opted to do Delicate Arch first and do the petroglyph trail on the way back. The trek to Delicate Arch is enjoyable- it is largely on slickrock and there are some narrow ledges where you will have to move to one side. You can go down to the base of the Arch and grab a picture- there is generally a line of tourists waiting to do their picture. There are rock walls that you can sit on and relax. The area can be congested with people coming and going. Do stop at the petroglyphs on the way back- they are worth the stop. There is so much to see at Arches- you really do need 2 days and even then you won’t cover it all. There is no shuttle bus system so all hiking is out and back. Most sites are close to one another. The arches are amazing and it is mind boggling the millions of years that went into their creation.

Canyonlands is a beautiful park with several distinct areas: Island In The Sky, The Needles and The Maze. Unfortunately no single road connects these areas. The Maze area requires you have a 4×4 or an organized tour. The Needles- Chesler Park is questionable depending on your research about 50% of the time you read a 4×4 and the other half- a regular car- all agree that the road is in rough shape. Island In the Sky is where the majority of visitors elect to spend their time. Here the roads are paved. Parking lots can easily fill up and some can overflow onto the single lane road. We traveled up from Bluff, Utah and arrived in Canyonlands later than we had originally planned. By 10:00 am- there was no stopping at the Visitor Center which is shortly after the park entrance as the parking lot was full and no parking was available on the sides of the road. It was disappointing to not be able to start the day armed with the most up to date information. After the Visitor Center, we encountered Mesa Arch- the must see arch. The parking lot was full but we were able to slip into a slot that opened up on the side of the road. Mesa Arch was a bit of a madhouse. The viewing area is compact so you may have to wait to get the view. It was particularly distressing to watch people ignore the “Do Not Stand On Arch” signs and scramble up the arch. If you are wanting to have a crowd free option- you will need to come early in the morning. Canyonlands, like most National Parks, has no wi-fi access. Additionally, there is no food (nearest town is about 35 miles away) available. Picnic tables are present. Water can be found at the visitor’s center and occasionally at some trail heads- check your trail head for water access so that you can arrive prepared. From Mesa Arch, we headed to Upheaval Dome. Here there was adequate parking. We opted to hike to both overlooks. The views are stunning. The climb is moderate in places- largely on slickrock.Take the time to sit down on the rocks and just soak in the scenery. Lastly we headed to the Grand Point Overlook. Here we enjoyed views of the canyons- and walked the trail to the far end to get a feeling of the beauty and size of Canyonlands. While we enjoyed Island In The Sky, we did not plan our time at Canyonlands well. First, we had originally planned to do The Needles- Chesler Park, but a member of our party sprained an ankle several days ago and wasn’t up to that hike so we quickly subbed in Island In The Sky. I also regret not taking a 4×4 jeep tour in the maze. The tours are expensive and for a family of 5 often reach $500-1000 for 4 to 6 hours, it cuts into the budget too much.Yet, being from the East Coast, and having no idea if we will ever get back to Canyonlands- I might have been a bit short sighted. Regardless- Canyonlands is a park that is stunning. Ensure your day is the best by making sure you have enough water, food, sunscreen, an itinerary and gas- remember the nearest services are about 1 hour away.

DeadHorse State Park is located approximately 32 miles from Moab in the direction of Canyonlands. The road to the park is well paved and easy to navigate. Upon arriving at the park you will need to pay your fee or show your prepaid purchase. Remember there is little to no cell phone in the area so printing a copy can come in handy. Once in the park you simply follow the road to the main parking lot- which has a good amount of parking. Here you can visit the Visitor’s Center, use the restroom, and then stroll down to the Goosenecks Observation Platform which gives you a glorious scenic view. The sun will be setting to your right as you walk down to the observatory platform. People rave about the sunset from this location, but, to be completely honest- I really wasn’t impressed. The light certainly lit up the canyon walls and the Gooseneck areas but not in any way that was unique compared to other locations. It is true that you have an unimpeded view of the sun as it dips below the canyon walls casting a shadow of darkness over the valley. I am not disappointed that we went to the park. First, the Goosenecks are outstanding- and worth the view alone. Secondly, this was really the easiest way to see the sunset as opposed to the national parks. This way we were able to leave Arches, grab dinner, stroll Main street and relax before departing for the park. If we had chosen to do Arches- we would have had to leave the park, grab dinner (sunset is late in the summer!), drive back and then hike to some of the better spots. Although, I suspect every spot is good. Not sure how crazy people would be for another hike given that we had been hiking since 6:00 am- and Arches has no view of goosenecks. So – DeadHorse State Park was kind of the best answer- it was different, easily accessible and provided wide, expansive views. One thing to be careful- once the sun sets- it gets dark fairly quickly- so having a flashlight to find your footing is a great help. To maximize your experience you should arrive at least 30 min prior to sunset.

If one chooses to do the entire experience (meal+ boat tour) it is about a 3 hour time commitment, 2 hours if you elect to forego the cowboy dinner experience. We chose not to do the dinner since our visit was during the COVID pandemic and a member of our party was immune compromised. If you elect to skip the dinner you are able to deduct 10$ off the $89 adult ticket price. The boat has wooden seats (picture a bench) that are packed fairly close together- you can purchase premium seating in the first 2 rows- approximately 8 seats, for an additional fee. In all honesty- there is no significant viewing advantage, but if you like the unimpeded view with a wider angle than this is the spot for you. The office is located about 2 miles out of Moab on the main road towards Canyonlands and Arches- coming from Moab, it is on the left side. The area is well marked with ample parking. Go to the gift shop where you will find the check in desk to the right hand rear side of store. Here you will collect your boarding pass. When the sun goes down- it can get cold- you will be on the water for 2 hours- so bring a sweater or jacket- you will need it by the end. It can also get windy- so those with long hair might find it helpful to tie it back. As the boat travels into its position for the sound and light show, you will be entertained by facial images within the rocks, and stories of movies and commercials that have used the surrounding area for filming. Once in position, the canyon walls are illuminated and the story of their formation, and the early history of Utah’s settlers- Native Americans, pioneers and Mormons unfolds. The story is completed shortly before arriving back at the dock. This is not a high tech experience- so if you are looking for colored lights, lasers, modern music than this is not what you will experience. This is an attraction that remains largely unchanged since it was created in 1963. The attraction evokes memories of long ago family vacations, provides a rich history, a pleasurable time on the Colorado River, and funny stories. It is a nice way to pass the evening. The big negative drawback is the cost of the ticket- which is reasonable if one does the dinner, but a $10 discount on the no dinner option really doesn’t lower the ticket price to be a good value for the experience, especially when you are a family of 5 adults (3 teens, 2 parents). Would I do it again- if the dinner offered an outdoor dining option (immunocompromised people are at a significant disadvantage during these COVID times without the ability to dine outside) than – yes. If the boat only ticket price was more in line with a 2 hour tour than -yes. One word of advice- if you are going with kids who get squirmy or lose attention quickly- this may not be the best entertainment option- as one must remain seated while the boat is in motion (basically the whole journey).

The prices in Moab were a bit higher than we had anticipated. Moab is the main base for numerous recreational activities- hiking in the national parks of Canyonlands or Arches, visiting the goosenecks of Dead Horse State Park for sunset, enjoying 4×4 outings, rock climbing, and water activities. Moab primarily (at least for the tourist) is centered on Main Street. Here you will find supermarkets, restaurants, gas stations, souvenir shops with a picturesque backdrop that makes strolling in the evening or any time of the day a relaxing experience. Temperatures in Moab can run hot- and not every hotel offers a pool. We ultimately chose the Virginian Inn for a variety of reasons- it was located directly off Main Street so it was easily accessible, it was located towards the “end” of Main Street as one heads off to the National Parks so it was relatively traffic free. The Inn had ample parking, the front desk staff were pleasant. The rooms are motel like style with the building have 2 floors- all entrances are from the outside. The rooms are spacious, with good air conditioning. The bathrooms were large with adequate amounts of hot water. It was an easy walk to many restaurants, popping in and out of souvenir stores and even a stop for shaved ice. The hotel is pet friendly. It’s quiet side street location makes it an ideal place to stay.