Road Trip! Arches with Fernando.

Hola!!  Nice to be back home after my road trip out to Las Vegas with my Navy buddy Russ.  Went went back out to one of the best air shows there is, Aviation Nation.  It is outside of Las Vegas at Nellis air force base, and Russ and I were there in 2008 if you want the old trip report.

We missed 2009 because Russ had just been hired at a new company and didn't have any vacation time.  This time instead of staying in the outskirts of town, we stayed in the Stratosphere hotel and casino on the strip.  Russ did a little research and got a killer deal.  At least we thought it was killer until we got there.  The room charge was low, the sound level, smoke level, and extra charges for every other thing were quite high.  I told Russ that this time I wanted to do the zip line at the Stratosphere, so that was his reason for trying to get in there.


Turns out that it costs a minimum of 99 bucks to do it, and goes up to 130 if you want a DVD.  Of course if you are going to do it, who wouldn't want it on DVD?  So we go to check it out, and they want an additional 25 bucks to ride the elevator to the top!  What. The. Hell?  How else do you get to the top?


So I politely told them they could pack their zip line up their over priced ass and we went in search of beers.


But I am getting ahead of myself.  First off, the trip out.  We drove because we have a good time bullshitting and listening to comedy DVDs on our way.  Last time out we stopped at the San Rafeal swell, a huge ridge that rose up in the earth a long time ago.  This time we made a side trip to arches national monument and hiked around there for a couple of hours.  We both geek out on geological sites and parks and stuff like that.


So this will be the first of a few road trip reports, and including information on all things Fernando!


Yes, our porky friend made the road trip with us, and was always trying to get us in trouble!


Arches National Park photos.  As usual, clicky for biggy...

Coming down off of the continental divide towards Frisco Colorado, the sun was rising on Buffalo Mountain.

Heading into Arches

The La Salle mountains

Balancing Rock

There are lots of shots of really old wood

Some park personnel were climbing into this hole through the formation

More of the climbers

Russ

Double arch

More of the double arch

But how did Fernando feel about all of this walking around?  Hell, he didn't care.  I was carrying him!

Fernando propped on the car as we unpacked for a hike

Russ going all close up on our boy

Peeking out from the valley called garden of eden

Holding up a rock

At balancing rock

He is nearly as big as balancing rock

get out of my shot you over dressed tourist!

He liked the double arch the best.  He said it reminded him of McDonald's...