Joshua Tree National Park....

Joshua Tree NP is an eclogical melting pot, two great deserts the Mojave & Colorado blend together in a vibrant landscape featuring plants and animals represetative of both.

29 Palms, CA

29 Palms is known as the city of murals. Above shows William & Elizabeth Campbell, who homesteaded the area in the 1920's. The Campbell's donated the land for the first school in 29 Palms.

Minerva Hoyt persuaded President Roosevelt to establish Joshua Tree National Monument in August 1936. In 1994 the Monument became Joshua Tree National Park during the term of President Clinton.

Local Spanish style church

29 Palms is at the main entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.

Rio Del Sol RV Park, Big River, CA

Located right on the shores of the Colorado River on the California side. Great spot for boating & 4 wheeling

Luckily didn't see any of these neighbors.

On the Road to Big River, CA

We left Las Vegas Tuesday AM after finally getting our main
AC unit on the RV repaired.
Good thing as the weather is getting continually warmer.

Big River, CA is located on the Colorado River with in 7 miles of Parker, AZ. The town has been developed by the local Indian tribes & has some very nice homes & RV Parks located along the river.

Las Vegas Sign

 

The WELCOME TO FABULOUS LAS VEGAS sign is a Las Vegas Strip landmark funded in May 1959 and erected soon after by Western Neon. The sign was designed by Betty Willis. Willis embarked on developing a sign that was unique in its shape, style and content. The sign is a 25 ft tall classic roadside pole design, mounted offset on two flat poles. In a nod to Nevada's nickname "the silver state" across the top of the sign are white neon circles, designed to represent silver dollars.
The sign is currently located in the median at 5100 Las Vegas Boulevard South. The sign, like most of the strip, sits in the town of Paradise and is located about four miles south of the actual city limits of Las Vegas.
The sign is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places...a must see and a photo op for any Las Vegas visitor.

The Family

 
One more photo inside Planet Hollywood, Miracle Mile of Shops. Sort of like being at a middle eastern market place with lots of shops. The extremely high sky scape really catches your attention when you're there.

Planet Hollywood Las Vegas

 

We met up with Cameron & his USMMA buddies at Planet Hollywood for lunch. Colin, Cameron and PJ had a good time meeting young ladies at Cheese Burger, a restaurant inside Planet Hollywood.

 

 

Hoover Dam

 

 

 

Hoover Dam was built during the Great Depression in the 1930's. The hard work of all involved had the Dam completed under budget & ahead of schedule. The Dam was original called Boulder Dam, but the name was later changed to honor President Hoover.

 

Boulder City, Nevada

 
This photo is of Jan in front of the Boulder Dam Hotel in Boulder City. The hotel is a historic jewel and houses the very well done Hoover Dam Museum
 
Inside the Hoover Dam Museum a depiction of the immense scale & complexity of the project.
 
View of Lake Mead created on the Colorado River by the construction of Hoover Dam

Zion National Park 1909-2009

 

 

 

 

Zion Canyon is millions of years old. Zion NP is 100 years old in 2009. Within the park is 229 sq miles of dramatic landscape, sculptured canyons and soaring cliffs. Zion is located in southern Utah at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert provinces. The photos do not do the landscape justice...the large rock formation worn away by water, wind and volcanic action look like giant cathedrals against the blue sky. At the base of the formations winds the Virgin River, which gives life to the otherwise dry terrain.
Along the road open to auto traffic there are several tunnels...one of which is over a mile long. It was built in the late 1920s when vehicles were much smaller. If you are traveling through this area in an RV be aware there are length & height restrictions & at best you will have to be escorted through the narrow tunnel.