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You can easily rent a car or motor home in town to take the trip at your own speed, to see the sights you want to see along the way. Just get on the US-93 highway headed...and follow the signs. One of the first stops you might like to make along the way is in Boulder, Nevada – a total anomaly if there ever was one. Begun as a city to house workers building the Hoover Dam, Boulder outlawed gambling and alcohol from it’s inception. It’s still the only city in Nevada that does not allow gambling in any form, although in 1969, a law allowing the sale of alcohol was passed. Places of interest in and around Boulder include the Lake Mead National Recreational Area http://www.nps.gov/lame/ , where three of the desert environments in the United States meet, exhibited a wide range of flora and fauna, some of which are not found anywhere else in the world.

A bit farther along US-93 lies Hoover Dam, a definite must-see along the route. Construction on the dam, itself, was begun in 1933, but prior to that, workers had to eliminate loose rock from the walls of the Black Canyon where the dam would be built, and the waters of the Colorado River http://www.kaibab.org/misc/gc_coriv.htm had to be diverted from the construction site. Details and pictures describing the “high-scalers,” who hung from ropes and used dynamite to loosen the rock, can be found at the Visitors’ Center at the south end of the Dam. You can also learn about the four tunnels constructed to divert the River, four tunnels with a combined length of over three miles with a concrete lining three feet thick.

After turning east from US-93 onto the I40 freeway, you’ll pass through Kingman, Arizona, famed for being one of the original towns along Route 66, the path traveled by easterners to escape the dustbowl conditions and depression economy of the 1930s, in order to take agricultural jobs in California. For a fun side trip along the way, turn off at Kingman, and take Historic Route 66 through small towns such Hackberry and Peach Springs, Arizona, where some of the original buildings along the route – hotels http://www.hoteldetective.net/Town/EN/Las_Vegas-Hotels.htm , stores, and shops – still stand, today. You might even decide to take a tour of the Grand Canyon Caverns, where an inland sea formed caves lined with limestone walls, during prehistoric times. Fossils and bones of ancient creatures have been found in the Caverns, and new finds are made each year.

Return to I40 at Seligman, Arizona and continue along it until it merges with the freeway once again, just before Pinaveta, Arizona. Head east to the exit (Exit 165) for the Grand Canyon, one of the seven natural wonders of the world! Once at the National Park, you will find so many adventures, you won’t know which to try first. You might choose to wander the rim and wait to snap photos as the sunset shows the shadows creeping up the east wall. Or you might stay overnight and the next day; take a donkey ride down to floor of the Canyon – 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and as deep as a mile in some places. Be aware, although the donkeys are sure-footed and have been making the trip for years, sometimes the trails are narrow and can be a harrowing experience for anyone afraid of heights.

For a more comfortable trip to the floor of the Canyon – although not necessarily less disconcerting – consider one of the guided tours by helicopter, where you can land at a real western, working ranch and take a covered wagon ride to an old-fashioned barbeque lunch. Horseback riding trips are an optional addition at the ranch, and you’ll find your foot starts tapping along with the beat of the songs shared by the real cowboys as they tell of western myths and legends and share their cowboy poetry.

If the two-day trip sounds a bit overwhelming, you can do all of it – except Route 66 – in just one day, with guided tours straight from Las Vegas. Tour companies will pick you at your hotel and take you via helicopter past the scenic routes of Hoover Dam. You’ll even get to fly at rim level through the Grand Canyon before stopping at the ranch for lunch and entertainment. If the price of the helicopter adventure is a bit too much for your wallet, similar day trips can be made by bus from Las Vegas for a much less expensive price.

Las Vegas, Nevada really is a remarkable accomplishment if you think about it. This fabulous vacation location was literally created from nothing right out of the middle of the desert. But it has become such a notorious place whose reputation for fun and excitement is legendary.

To say it isn’t a historic site would be a mistake. Many of our great cultural icons had important times in Las Vegas. And some really great movies were filmed with Las Vegas as their backdrop. Consider the exciting song we used for the title of this article, Viva Las Vegas. Elvis Presley, one of the great figures of pop culture, loved this town and extolled the excitement that could be found there in song. Many other great movie and music stars made Las Vegas the site of some of their greatest performances. One such striking entertainment moment was when Frank Sinatra and hit “rat pack” made the wonderful movie Oceans Eleven in Last Vegas, a movie that has spawned a whole series of movies in modern times staring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and a host of other big stars.

To say that big stars are commonplace in Las Vegas would be an understatement. And if we are looking for great sites to see, the availability of shows by some of the brightest and the best of Hollywood, Rock and Roll and Broadway are all available in Las Vegas. For very reasonable prices, you can take time away from your whirlwind schedule of fun and excitement to see some of the best performances you will ever see right there in the casinos along the Las Vegas strip.

Las Vegas has also become synonymous with fast living and “adult” type entertainment. It’s an outstanding location for a honeymoon or that little get away with your spouse where you might want to enjoy some grown up entertainment without the little ones along. Don’t feel guilty as you pack the kids off to grandma’s house and you treat you and your wife to a few fun filled days of casino action, luxurious rooms, great food and a nightlife that cannot be beat. This is the kind of grown up excitement that Las Vegas is known for and you deserve the fun you will have in this town that some have called in jest, “Sin City”.

This is not to say that your stay in Las Vegas won’t be fun or that you have to leave the kids home. There is plenty to do even if it is just lounging around the pool and relaxing in the Jacuzzi. The casinos know that many of us want our families to enjoy vacation as much as we do so there is plenty for the kids to do and things you can do as a family together. Some of the shows like the amazing animal and circus acts can amaze and entertain young and old alike.

You can also take a day and get a tour of this wonderful town and some of the surrounding attractions. The desert itself can be of great interest to the kids and maybe mom and dad too if you have never visited this kind of natural setting. There are plenty of tours to surrounding sites but one of the most enjoyable is a tour of the Hoover Dam not far from town. You can see one of the wonders of modern engineering in how this dam is used to create energy and control the mighty Colorado River.

Las Vegas is just one of so many great sightseeing and vacation sites that are available in this country of such rich diversity. If the adults enjoy some gambling, the casinos offer many games and entertaining diversions to give you that fun. And it isn’t true that you will always lose or come out of there a pauper. It is entirely possible to have great fun at the tables of Las Vegas and still have your vacation travel budget in good shape. And who knows, you might win a round of Black Jack and be able to treat the family to a steak dinner from your winnings.

So, whether you decide to take a self-guided tour or depend on a local tour company to do the driving -- or flying – for you, a trip to Las Vegas doesn’t need to be only neon lights, dark casinos, and big name shows. Las Vegas is perfectly placed to let you see some amazing outdoor attractions and bring home pictures of your Las Vegas outdoor adventures.

Bio: Mikhail Doubinski is a frequent traveler and a writer of many travel articles. He now writes for several travel websites including Hotels Detective. Log into our website for more information related to hotels, travel, Las Vegas, etc www.hoteldetective.net

Las Vegas Outdoor Adventures!

Las Vegas
Outdoor Adventures!