Arizona Hike day 0

It has been a long time since I have been on a vacation so off I go.  Not that this will be your average vacation but it is time away from home.  I am flying into Las Vegas to position myself for a super hike tomorrow morning.  The Las Vegas airport is a zoo . . . lots of people and noises and slot machines too!  Marilyn picked me up in the rental car and the air conditioner was blowing hot air so an hour later we have a cold air blowing air conditioner.  We set out to buy some supplies for our hiking/camping trip that we can't fly with on a plane.  We made a quick drive down the Vegas Strip with a stop at The Venetian.  We had a yummy lunch at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar . . .

. . . chicken biscuits and the best grits ever.  YUMMY!  And then since we had so much time, we spent a bit of time in the casino . . .

. . . I left with a whopping casino win of $.38 . . . yep, thirty eight cents!  Our drive will be about 3 hours today with an overnight in Peach Springs, Arizona . . .

The Las Vegas airport was about an hour closer than the Phoenix airport so is was an easy decision on where to fly for the hike.  It was on the road we went enjoying the drive on Route 66 . . .

. . . getting our kicks on Route 66 at a fun rest stop . . .

Our goal was to arrive before dark and that is exactly what we did.  We dropped our stuff in the room, and headed to the restaurant for dinner.  We met up with three other members of our group.  It was time to get serious about tomorrow so we repacked our duffel bag and backpacks for the big hike tomorrow.  We are literally staying in the middle of no where . . . actually Peach Springs, Arizona which some say this area was the inspiration for the movie Cars . . . who knows but it is a pretty cool area!  There hotels are limited.  After endless research, I picked Hualapai Lodge.  I will admit I was worried about the train noise but asked for a street side room so hopefully we can sleep.  You know the noise is an issue when you are given ear plugs when you check in!  I thought the hotel was very nice and clean . . . all we really wanted was a nice bed and hot water to shower before we head out.  It offered both so let's see how we sleep!  The big day starts tomorrow . . . here is what I will survive on the next 3 days . . .