Chris's grandparents, Johnny & Polly Bishop, better known to everyone as Johnny and Mama (maw-maw), invited us to join them in a 33 ft
Winnebago Journey, along with their 3
Pomeranians, as they travelled I-40 to
Las Vegas. The purpose of the trip was to attend the 2008
Winnebago Dealer Days, hosted at the Mirage Casino. This is the yearly showcase of the new products
Winnebago is offering, as well as awards and entertainment.
We all departed
Collierville Friday afternoon, May 9
th, 4 adults, 3 dogs, and a partridge in a pear tree headed westbound on I-40. This was my first RV road trip. Chris grew up on them, since this is the family business. I kept myself entertained by taking up knitting for this trip. Granted, I cheated and used the
Knifty Knitter, but by the end of the trip I had completed a baby blanket and pillow --- not bad for a novice! Also, for someone who is 6 months pregnant, having a restroom on board was very nice, not to mention the accessible kitchen and
refrigerator. It is a great way to travel!
By Sunday, we were in the middle of the desert. I noticed while I was still sleeping in the bed (another nice bonus), we had made a turn, which meant we were off the interstate, headed deep into the desert. Sunday was a day filled with sightseeing not only from the RV, but in person.
Our first visit was 4 Corners. This being the location where Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah all meet, literally in the middle of nowhere. There were a few other tourists there, but I wouldn't want to break down in a vehicle on the way, because there is no cell service, no sign of
civilization for miles.
4 Corners Marker
It's me (and Riley) in 4 states at once!
Next we were off to see Monument Valley. I'm told by the senior member of the trip, Johnny, this is where a many John Wayne westerns were filmed. It was very pretty and amazing to see these huge rock/dirt formations just jutting up from the flat desert.
Our final stop was the Grand Canyon, and wow, was it grand. I'm like everyone else who has seen all the pictures, but until you see this massive creation up close and in person, it's hard to conceptualize how large it really is. It was quite hazy when we visited,
hence the picture quality, but non the less, it was
spectacular.
Chris, me, mama, and Johnny. This picture was taken by a MSU alumni, who just happened to be from Memphis, and was driving across country with her mom, who was moving from Collierville to Arizona. Small world!!!
Sunday night we camped in
Laughin, AZ which is right on the Colorado River, and only a short drive to Bolder City, NV, better known as the location of the
Hoover Dam. We arrived around 10:30 local time, and Chris and I walked over the dam bridge, and signed up for a full tour of the dam. We were able to go inside the Nevada side
power plant, and then up into the dam, and look out one of the vents. I figured this vent would be only 2-3 feet from seeing it on the dam wall, but it's a good 5-6 feet when standing next to it. It still amazes me the engineering knowledge and construction that went into this.
The new bridge, which will divert traffic off of the Hoover Dam. Expected completion is 2010.
Lake Mead
Nevada power plant
Once we left Hoover Dam, we arrived at the
Circus Circus KOA campground, which is where Mama and Johnny camped with the dogs while we were there.
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