From San Diego Zoo to Vegas and the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam

Born and raised on the East Coast, I always fantasized about going out west to California. I finally got my chance, when me and a friend flew from New York to LAX. I had nightmares about what the West Coast airport experience would be like. I imagined it would take hours to get our luggage, and then another hour to escape the massive Los Angeles airport, but to my surprise, we were out of the airport without delay.

The drive to San Diego was beautiful, after we got out of LA. I will say, I couldn't drive in LA everyday. There is no such thing as rush hour in Los Angeles, there seemed to be heavy traffic every hour. Once out of LA, the ride became enjoyable. San Diego was much slower and relaxed, and the weather was as advertised, perfect.

Our first destination was, the San Diego Zoo. It quickly became clear that we should have gotten the two day pass instead of the one day. There is too much to see in one day, with 4,000 animals, spread out over 100 acres. I've been to many zoos, but the San Diego Zoo is my favorite to date. Some of my favorite animals, were the white Bengal tigers, polar bears, giraffes , and the entertaining apes. I definitely want to go back sometime soon, and this time I'll make sure to make it a two day event

From San Diego, we drove to Vegas, a beautiful drive. We stayed at the magnificent MGM Grand. The room was spacious and nice, and the staff were friendly. From Vegas, we scheduled a trip, on the Grand Canyon Air Tours. The plane ride was breathtaking. Seeing the Hoover Dam from high above it, was amazing. The dam is a symbol of what incredible feats man can accomplish. I took pictures, but it's hard to capture the experience in a photograph.

As we flew over, and into the Grand Canyon, I almost forgot to take photos, because I was hypnotized by vastness of the Canyon. I just kept saying, "This is a grand canyon." Flying through the Canyon, I was overwhelmed, by this magnificent sight that nature created for us all to enjoy. After the flight, was the ground tour. On the tour, you get to meet members of the, Hualapai Indian tribe. The west side of the Canyon is under the control of the Hualapai tribe and offers a more unobstructed experience. Walking around and through the Grand Canyon, is an experience you'll never forget. It was a little over 100 degrees out that day, but there was no humidity and it felt pleasant walking through the Canyon.

It's one thing to see something that leaves you in aw, but to be able to walk on it, touch it, be in it, that's a memory that'll last a lifetime. The drive from Southern California to Vegas is a scenic, beautiful one. Coming from a place where open land is few and far between, it was just nice to look at the scenery. I will never forget this trip, it was perfect, and everything was grand.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Zoo