Western United States

We arrived in Las Vegas and acquainted ourselves with the strip by walking around and visiting all the different casinos with all of their different themes and attractions. We ate at Guy Fieri's restaurant and listened to the music that accompanied the fountain shows at the Bellagio Hotel. The Eiffel Tower was much smaller than the original, but still a really cool sight. One night, we went to the New York-New York hotel (which has the theme of New York City) and rode on a roller coaster that went through the casino and then outside and upside down. We ate dinner at 3 am and tried all types of drinks and games. We also ventured out of Vegas to visit the Hoover Dam. Just driving by the Hoover Dam was an amazing sight. We parked the car and walked around to see the massive dam and learn about its history. We went inside a small museum where they showed us the timeline for the dam and its history.

First, we drove through the park on a scary and narrow mountain road that displayed the most amazing views of the trees, rivers, and colorful mountains in Utah. We then walked around the park and climbed rocks and hills to see the different sights of the park. Angel's Landing is a famous part of the park where people can embark on a dangerous hike to see a spectacular view of nature at the top. However, the hike is not for everyone, as there are parts that are not safe and are more suited for more experienced hikers. I didn't personally hike Angel's Landing, but we heard about it from other tourists. The Narrows was a serene place within the park, where we saw the sun reflecting off of the streams and onto the walls of the mountains. In the time of year that we came to the park, there weren't too many tourists, and we were able to enjoy the peace and quiet of being in nature and exploring the land.

The Grand Canyon was a spectacular experience. The views are amazing, and you can look at them for hours as there is such a wide perimeter to walk around and watch how the sights change based on your angle. As we walked along the canyon and the view changed, we read small signs around the perimeter that explained the gradual formation of the canyon, along with large stones from each period of time. We took pictures and enjoyed the view, and then walked to a small restaurant nearby. On our way out of Arizona, we stopped at Horseshoe Bend also to see another type of natural canyon formation that was equally beautiful as the Grand Canyon. The edges of the Canyons are dangerous as there are no fences or limits to prevent people from falling over after looking out over the edge. The canyons are also more crowded around sunset, but it's probably worth the crowd because the view is wonderful.