While up late working on the blog the night before, Robin tried to figure out how to squeeze in the the historic sites we had missed the day before along with the ones we had planned for the day's trip from Williams, AZ to St. George, UT. We hadn't made reservations for the Antelope Slot Canyon tour which was the reason we were headed the long way to St. George. When checking Google Maps to see the shortest route from Williams to St. George, it took us through Las Vegas, NV and then up to St. George.
When we woke up, we decided to make the spontaneous change of plans. We ate breakfast at the hotel and headed out. The weather was still cool, but the rain had stopped during the night. We made a quick photo stop at Seligman, AZ, which claims to be the birthplace of Route 66. Upon researching, we found that it is not the birthplace of Route 66, but because it is the birthplace of its rejuvenation as a historic highway in 1987.
State #8 - Nevada
We continued on until we got to the Hoover Dam area. We left Arizona and crossed into Nevada. Arizona's MST now changed to Nevada's PDT...therefore, the time remained the same, just the time zones changed. We have now passed through all time zones (EDT, CDT, MDT, MST, PDT).We crossed the Pat Tillman Bridge (Hoover Dam Bridge) and then turned off on the exit to the Hoover Dam. Traffic was really backed up. As we got closer, we realized it was a security check. Every car had to stop and be checked. They just checked to see that we were tourists visiting the dam and let us through. It went much faster than we had anticipated.
We tried to stop at the new bridge viewing area, but there were no parking spaces anywhere. So we drove over the Hoover Dam and back into Arizona. Since we had previously been to Hoover Dam and toured the inside back in the 90s, we didn't spend much time there. We did notice how low Lake Mead was this time. The engineering of the bridge was really amazing. It was really high and impressive to think how and where it was built.
National HIstoric Site #14 - Lake Mead Recreation Area
As we left Hoover Dam, we went a little further until we got to the Lake Mead Recreation Area Visitor Center. After getting our passports stamped and watching the movie, we watched a little boy and girl get their Junior Ranger badges and take their oaths. They were so cute and so excited about what they had accomplished. Interesting facts we learned about Lake Mead Recreation Area included that it is the oldest and largest recreation area. Lake Mead is the largest man-made lake in North America. The lake was so beautiful. Many people were enjoying not only its beauty, but also enjoying boating, picnicking, and swimming with their families. These recreation areas are part of the National Parks Service for just that purpose. It was great to see people taking advantage of these areas.
Our next destination was Las Vegas! Again, we had previously been there in the 90s so it really was just a drive through this time. The route did take us right through the outskirts of town, but close enough so we could see some of the main hotels and attractions we were familiar with from our previous experience. We saw lots of new buildings and changes, but those upclose explorations will have to wait until another trip.
State #9 - Utah
It wasn't long before we crossed into Utah. Guess what? We went into another time zone again. This time we were in Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) so we actually ended up gaining one hour! Good thing our cell phones change times automatically because it is easy to get confused.
We arrived at our Marriott Towne Place Suites in St. George, UT. We had never stayed at Town Place before and were pleasantly surprised. We had an efficiency with small kitchen area. It was very nice and we were glad we were staying two nights. The Internet connection was extremely fast and allowed me to catch up a few days.
We relaxed a little in the room before getting dinner. Dean watched a NASCAR race so we waited until it was over before leaving to going out. The city of St. George was quite large, especially from where we had been over the past few weeks. We ate dinner at Red Robin but it was not until 9:30 pm. On the way back to the hotel, Dean was able to find his Starbucks and was a happy camper. Our day had seen many changes - states, time zones, and new hotel, but weather was another change. When we left Williams, AZ, the temperature was 43 degrees. In Las Vegas, the temperature was 83 degrees. Upon arrival in St. George, it was 63 degrees. Thank goodness, we kept our jackets handy in the car.
Now, it was time to tuck ourselves into our warm bed and think about memories we would make in Zion National Park tomorrow.
