The itinerary was planned in a hurry , and it only took a month from deciding to go to the United States to actually boarding the plane. The period also includes processing visas, booking air tickets, hotels, car rentals, and arranging 22-day itinerary routes and time. For me, who has never been to the United States and has never thought about going to the United States , it is really a test to get all these arrangements done within half a month.
Day1. Night in Las Vegas
Because I was tired after playing in Los Angeles for a few days , the plane to Las Vegas did not choose the morning flight, but set off at noon. Unfortunately, the plane was an hour late, so the arrival time was relatively late. Las Vegas McCarran Airport is very distinctive, and gambling facilities can be seen everywhere in the airport.
After getting off the plane, take the shuttle bus to the car rental building to pick up the car. To rent a car in Los Angeles , you need to take the corresponding company’s vehicle, but the car rental companies in Las Vegas are all gathered together, so the shuttle bus is also universal, and it runs every 2 minutes, which is very convenient.
This time we booked the Ford Maverick from Alamo, the price is 987 RMB for 3 days. Including vehicle collision insurance, vehicle theft and emergency rescue, and millions of third-party liability insurance. The process of picking up the car was very smooth, the staff was very patient, and they did not force insurance. There will also be a Chinese display screen to explain the additional insurance to us. Jingjing’s mother was worried about vehicle breakdowns on the road, so she added another three days of roadside assistance for $25.
When I picked up the car, I found that there were many models to choose from, including Land Rover, Mazda CX-5, Nissan X-Trail and so on. After choosing and choosing, I finally chose the Mazda CX-5. After a test drive, I found a JEEP. When I was about to change the car, four people got into the car and drove away… Gone…well…well, this is the one, the car is new with only a few thousand miles, and there is a lot of room in the car, and it feels like a big man.
Arriving at the periphery of the hotel, the hotel is very close to the airport, and you can see the planes taking off and landing. It is worth mentioning that the hotel parking is free.
It’s just getting dark, and we’re going to start tasting the night of Las again when we’re full. The MGM is just outside the hotel, and you need to take this overpass to cross the road.
Day2. Antelope Canyon + Horseshoe Bend
Depart from the hotel at around 7:00 in the morning and navigate directly to the tour group meeting point next to the Lower Antelope Canyon. Antelope Canyon is the private land of the Indians and must be led by them to enter, so the price is not an entrance fee, but a service fee.
I was busy driving and looking at the road along the way, and my mobile phone was navigating, and I didn’t have a chance to take pictures. There are only a few “precious” photos. . . . The roads in the first 2 hours were basically expressways and two-way 2-lane roads. In the second half of the road, there is a two-way single lane for about an hour. If there is a large car blocking the road, it is not so easy to overtake. Although it is a truck, it can drive to about 50-60mph (80-90km/h).
There simply aren’t too many RVs on the road these days. The son yelled that if he sold the house, he could live in a car, and he could go wherever he wanted.
This is the time to arrive, take a U-shaped turn downhill. We stop and go along the way, because we have children, we need to get off the car from time to time for activities. After five and a half hours, we finally arrived smoothly. Need to pay attention to the problem of time difference. Daylight Saving Time: There is no time difference between Nevada and Arizona . But on a trip into Utah , your phone will automatically be an hour late, as if you’re behind schedule and running late. But don’t worry, it’s here, Peggy The time will be corrected later.
This is the entrance to Lower Antelope Canyon. It is forbidden to take pictures on the stairs. Some tourists repeatedly refused to listen to dissuasion and insisted on taking pictures, and were eventually sent back to the ground by the tour guide. So everyone still respect the rules and pay attention to safety. The dust at the bottom of the valley is more obvious, you can prepare a mask yourself, otherwise you can only eat dirt .
From start to finish, the whole journey takes about an hour. This is the exit, we’re going to come out of the ground .
This is it, ten meters from the starting point. . . I never expected it to be so close.
At around 2:30, we headed for Horseshoe Bay. Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bay are very close, and it takes only ten minutes to drive there. Horseshoe Bay is free to visit, no tickets are required, and no parking fees are charged. It takes about 1.5km to walk from the parking lot to the scenic spot. When the weather is hot, bring plenty of water, apply more sunscreen, and pay attention to sunshade.
After trekking, I saw Horseshoe Bay, which really looks like a horseshoe. I am such a timid person, if it is not because of holding a selfie stick, it is impossible to take such a full picture.
I drove back to Page Town and ate Burger King. The price was lower than that of the first-tier cities, not the national uniform price. Next to the hotel there is a river (seems to be the Colorado River) that goes all the way to Lake Powell.
Overlooking the small town of Page. Pass the bridge below to the highlands overlooking Lake Powell. Tickets for Lake Powell are $25, but it was almost dark when we were going. Knowing that we don’t have a national park pass, the staff very kindly told us that it’s best to come back tomorrow, or we can watch it from a high place. Because the Grand Canyon is arranged tomorrow, there is no time to go deep into Lake Powell, so I took a look at the roadside viewing point. The mobile phone shot is a bit blurry, but the eyes can see it quite clearly.
Day3. Grand Canyon of Colorado (South Rim), Overnight in the cabin
From the small town of Page to the East Gate of the Grand Canyon, it takes about 2 and a half hours. The scenery along the way is basically similar to the scenery in the canyon.
There will be some parking and sightseeing spots on the road with a wide view. There are supporting facilities and small commodities for sale. Generally, after climbing over a mountain, a large plain suddenly appears, which makes people suddenly enlightened.
Follow the navigation all the way to the entrance of the Grand Canyon (East Gate). Ticket prices are as follows: $30 for a private car, and you can play for up to 7 days. It is very suitable for a family to camp and play slowly.
After entering the gate, we started to drive on the east line as planned, and then went to the visitor center to transfer to the blue line bus.
The observation tower of Desert View is the closest to our entrance, so the uncle who sold the ticket told us to go here first. From the tower, you can see the whole picture of the Grand Canyon very well. Each sightseeing spot has a parking lot, which is very convenient for self-driving tour. There is a gas station near the tower. Although the price is high, we still choose to fill it up to avoid worry on the road. We are already very skilled the way.
There are also small restaurants and supermarkets near the tower, and the ice cream here is very popular with children. Leaving the observation tower, there are still many scenic spots that you can stop and watch along the way. In fact, it‘s just a different angle, and you can still see the same canyon.
Because of time constraints, we didn’t stop at every scenic spot by self-driving on the east line. It feels similar but slightly different. Take a look at the official map of the Grand Canyon: Note that the scale here is different. The middle part is drawn very large, but in fact it is only 3.4 kilometers away, a very small area. But this area is a living area, large supermarkets, fast food restaurants, and many hotels are in this area. Visitors can drive there or take the blue line bus. Here we bought 4 hot dogs which were actually ok but just too much! salty! up! ! ! Laomei likes salty flavors when making bread and sausages, and they are the kind of throaty ones. The bread in Universal Studios Hollywood is also salty. Hagen Das is cheap, $1.75 for a small box, I bought one for each person at night, I feel like I finally bought a bargain .
Pay attention, all the buses themselves are green, but the electronic screen and the stop sign will prompt what color line it is. We parked the car at the visitor center at first, then took the blue line bus and planned to transfer to the red line bus. Later, I found that something was wrong, because when I came back at night, I was very tired, and it was dark, and I had to change to the blue line to pick up the car, and then drive to the cabin, which was too much trouble. It should be more convenient to park the car directly at the red bus departure station. Facts have proved that this is the right thing to do, but the navigation signal in the canyon village is very poor, and roads are still being repaired in some places. There was no place in the parking lot in the afternoon. Everyone went to the Red Line to visit in the afternoon and waited to watch the sunset, so they stopped at a place a little further away—the parking lot of the MASWIK LODGE Hotel, crossing a railway and walking for about five minutes. Note that there are many one-way lines here, which are obviously on the opposite side, but the navigation prompts need to go around, and it is more convenient to walk.
PowerPoint, I have to say that the ornamental value of this attraction is very high. Let’s not help but pat pat. Seeing the small rocky mountains standing there one after another in the canyon is like an unfinished game of chess.
In Pima, we made a very critical mistake, that is, we sat on the wrong side of the car and accidentally returned to Mohave Point, which directly caused us to face a very serious problem. Because the original plan was to watch the sunset at Mohave Point at the last stop, I didn‘t expect to come earlier, but the sun was still high, so I had to wait a long time, and I couldn‘t go to the last stop, Hermits; About half an hour, you have to be very precise to come back again. After a fierce ideological struggle, I still decided to go to the terminal. One less site always feels like a lifelong regret. Although I found out after I came here, there is actually nothing in this Gada. What about the promised museum and small shop? There is only a simple bathroom and a few vending machines.
I originally planned to get out of the car to take a look and then take the original car back. I didn‘t expect the driver to have no intention of driving at all, and started to have fun and entertainment… It seems that my wishful thinking was in vain. At 7 o‘clock, the bus stopped running and waited for the sunset. On the return trip , I was stranded properly. There’s no way, let’s settle down when you come, and you can watch the sunset right here.
An old couple, taking pictures and chatting leisurely and enthusiastically, cuddling together to appreciate the setting sun, the afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on them, quiet and peaceful, interpreting what it means to be quiet and beautiful… It’s not like I am jumping up and down here I jumped in a hurry because I couldn’t go to the best viewing spot.
When the last touch of ” sunlight ” also sank to the bottom of the valley, there were patches of sunset glow in the sky. The driver hopped in the car and we were on our way back. That’s right, now it’s boring, boring, and no suspense to stop until the starting station. There are too many people getting on the bus in the middle. There will be no seats at the first stop, and there will be no people at the next few stops! The dispatch center dispatched additional empty vehicles to pick them up. The return journey takes about half an hour, and standing still is quite hard. After getting off the red line, picking up the car, buying dinner at the supermarket, and tossing to the hotel, it was already past eight o’clock. The hotel parking spaces are all full, and finally found a vacant space, which is still reserved, which is extremely depressing.
When it comes to booking cabins in the Grand Canyon, it really depends on luck and perseverance. Because there are not many rooms, you need to clean the rooms from time to time.
I booked Kachina Lodge, $240 a night, twin room. Next to THUNDERBIRD LODGE, the house types and interior decoration of the two houses are basically the same, and the photos on the Internet are common. But Kachina Lodge needs to check in at the front desk of EL TOVAR HOTEL (pictured below).
After everything is packed, take the children out to watch the stars! It’s a pity, not even a single star can be photographed, it can only be printed in my mind! In the dark night, facing the sky full of stars, except for the Big Dipper, I always kept a strict look on my face. What about popular science and astronomical knowledge? I was shocked: facing the next generation, except for the lion’s roar, all my shortcomings. There are deer in the grass around the hotel. I dare not look forward to the presence of bears, but you can still watch the sights of deer. By law, no teasing, no touching, no feeding. In short, it can only be seen from a distance, not to be played with.
When I woke up the next day, I was about to set off and head back. If it goes well, you can go to the Hoover Dam to have a look. The navigation route for the return journey is the South Gate of the Grand Canyon, and there is no turning back.
The picture below is the outside of EL TOVAR HOTEL, these hotels are all next to each other.
On the way out of the Grand Canyon Park, the sky is blue, the trees are green, and a straight road leads to the distance. Although you linger, you must never forget to return (you have to return the car to catch the plane in the afternoon). The most beautiful scenery is always at the next stop, don’t be sad, let’s go!
After driving out of the canyon area, it began to become desolate, but the color of the surface was no longer red, but desert. It’s only May, why are there so many mourners? Could it be that the sprouts haven’t sprouted yet?
Day4. Hoover Dam + return the car to catch the plane
After driving for about 4 hours, we arrived at the Hoover Dam parking lot. The child wants to see this spectacular building, because he has seen the dam collapse many times in movies (“2012”, etc.), and now he is relieved to see that the dam is still safe. We are located opposite the Hoover Dam. The advantage is that you can see the panoramic view of the dam; the disadvantage is that you can’t get close and can’t get on the dam. Because of the relationship of time, it can only be like this.
Flying all the way back to Las Vegas , I went to the DoubleTree by Hilton first, because I was billed wrongly and received two bills. I am also really convinced by this hotel. Not only did it charge the wrong money, but it didn‘t give members points. I came back and communicated repeatedly before finally giving a few hundred points, saying it was because of outsourcing. There was another episode in returning the car, because the requirement was to return the car with full fuel, so I was thinking about finding a place to refuel along the way. Unfortunately, Chinese credit cards cannot be used at the three gas stations I went to. In fact, you can ask the staff to swipe the card if it doesn’t work, but I didn’t think it was a big deal at first, so I thought about going to the next one to have a look. In the end, I didn’t find a suitable gas station, so I just returned the car directly, and the big deal is that the money will be deducted.
Otherwise, it would be even more troublesome to miss the plane. Because I bought too much water and milk and couldn‘t take it away (both in gallons), I left them in the car. But in the panic, I also forgot some things, such as the mobile phone holder, which made it very, very inconvenient when I drove to San Diego later! So I remind everyone to be meticulous and meticulous. Sometimes although things are not big, it is really troublesome to lose them. In fact, after completing the check-in procedures, I found that the time was still very loose, and there was still an hour before take-off. To my surprise, Alamo didn’t charge me for returning the car with a less than full tank! Although there is still a lot of fuel in the car, it can still be seen that the tank is not full. Thank you Alamo for your kindness, you can choose this company with confidence!
