Trek America - Grand Canyon to Las Vegas

It was a long hot drive out of Arizona and into Nevada for our destination, Las Vegas. However we sought temporary refuge by stopping at Delgadillo's Snow Cap, an American diner on what, before the interstate highway, was 'the mother road' through the U.S. - Route 66. Full of memorabilia from the 1950s on, including cars, music and photographs, this diner was originally set up the father of the family who now continue to run it. Forget McDonalds, Starbucks and other super chains, this is where it's at. We ordered classic hamburgers and Kim a butterscotch shake to eat them on the shaded patio as motorcycle gangs thundered down the simmering road. As if by some divine intervention, Free's 'Alright Now' came on over the radio and for 5 minutes the world felt perfect.

It was then back in the van to push onto Las Vegas. Time seemed to stand still in anticipation but we finally arrived hot and tired at our hotel, The Golden Nugget. However it wasn't anything a shower and some beers (we took a large cooler up to our rooms) couldn't sort out.

The best way we can describe Las Vegas is that it is a huge theme park where anything appears possible, but everything will cost you something. We sat in 40C heat by the hotel pool with its flume slide that runs through a shark tank. After dinner we watched a display projected from a tunnel of screens set above Fremont Street before taking a 'party bus' (think limo interior but with higher ceilings), complete with lap dancing pole and an array of alcohol, down the Strip to watch the water fountains at the Bellagio and the town lit up. We drank and danced in the balmy neon night before crashing to sleep in our comfy beds by early morning.Read more