I’m off on a month long adventure in the US and the Caribbean. This trip couldn’t have come at a better time as it started snowing in Calgary just as I was leaving. The first part of my trip was a road trip to Phoenix. I drove through some beautiful countryside and some very boring countryside. It is almost a straight shot down from Lethbridge, Alberta along the I-15 to Vegas and then head about 5 hours further Southeast along Highway 93 to Phoenix.  Once I crossed the border into the US I passed through Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada and then finally entered into Arizona. If you ever do that drive, or just want to cross into Montana, I recommend timing your border crossing for early evening if you can, there was nobody there and I sailed through. Sadly going in the evening meant I missed some of the stunning Montana scenery but I did manage to see some of it in the morning.

For the first 2 days I drove through snow, rain, fog and a bit of sun once I got closer to Vegas. Fortunately the highway is pretty good and the snow didn’t accumulate. In spite of the weather I still managed to get a few nice pictures.

Salt Lake City is absolutely massive. It seemed like I drove for hours just to get through it. At least it is a large highway and when I was going through the traffic moved very well. If you ever need to drive through Salt Lake City, try and time it so you do not drive through during rush hour, it must be a nightmare!  I only caught a quick glimpse of the salt lake, surprising since it is huge, and I wasn’t quick enough to get my camera out, plus there is nowhere to stop on the 4+ lane highway.  Utah has some really beautiful spots, Salt Lake City is surrounded by mountains and of course that big lake. I see why the Olympics were held here, it is lovely and the mountains are really close.

After all of that driving I figured I deserved a nice break in Vegas. I booked 2 nights at the Mirage on the strip, it has a great pool area and is fairly central. Unfortunately I hit the worst weather day, still way better than Calgary as it was a sunny 18 degrees, but not great for the pool (although I still made it for an hour or so one afternoon, couldn’t resist!). So instead I spent my time wandering along the strip and through the hotels, then played a little poker on the machines, had a pan chocolat from a bakery at the Paris, a delicious meal at the steak house in the Mirage and went to the Terry Fator show which was great.

After Vegas I drove past Lake Mead and through some lovely scenery in the desert, which was hard to see as it was getting dark but the sunset over the desert was lovely. Also stopped for a delicious In and Out burger, I wish we had them in Canada, they are so good! Overall a great road trip and glad to have officially escaped the snow and cold to sunny Phoenix which was 29 degrees today. I’m so happy to be in shorts and sandals again!!

Next stop is Orlando and Disney where I will meet up with my family, including my adorable nieces, for 9 days of being a kid again and riding every ride I can. Can’t wait!