Route 66

Christmas is over, New Years in done. Fun was had by all.

We did manage to achieve one of our goals for this trip to Edmonton - in spite of the shutdown of all of the flu clinics over the holidays, we found a grocery store where we were able to get our H1N1 shots while shopping for a frozen lasagna for dinner. It is a twisted world we live in.

On a similar note, some idiot tried to blow up an airliner travelling to the states, resulting an our experiencing a virtual strip-search at the airport before being allowed on the plane, minus any carry on luggage - another case of closing the barn door after the horses have left. Our flight left only an hour late, which is better than it could have been all things considered.

Fortunately all of our stuff arrived intact in Las Vegas and after a short 3-hour wait (while housekeeping got caught up after the New Years eve rush), our room was ready by 1 AM. Anywhere but Vegas, this would probably seem a little odd. They did give us an upgraded room to make up for the wait, so it was not all bad. And bonus, our car was right where we left it in the hotel parking lot.

We had one last kick at the cat, walking the strip from end to end on a beautiful warm day, taking in some of the sights that we missed during the colder weather a couple of weeks ago.

We found it all quite tiring as there were a lot more people in town over the New Year's weekend.

This morning, we checked out and were on the road by noon. A huge holdup at the Hover dam, where between the security checks and all the pedestrian crossings, it took over a 1/2 hour to go about 4 miles. They are working on a new bridge but is far from complete yet.

A few hours later, we are holed up in the quaint town of Williams, AZ (on historic route 66 and interstate 40). Tomorrow we hope to see the Grand Canyon. We have not been there in many years, and never during the winter.

One down note is that it is winter here, lots of snow on the ground and temperatures not much above freezing. But is still sunny and, compared to Edmonton, it feels a lot like Spring to us.

Had a great meal at Pancho McGillicuddys (your typical Irish Pub Mexican Cantina). You've got to love the ability of travel to broaden your life experiences.