So this morning was an early one. I was woken up by my friend the bird a little earlier today at 4am instead of 4:30. It actually was a good thing, because as I lay there and saw the sky getting a bit brighter, I decided to go ahead and wake up the rest of the crew so we could make it to Mather Point in time to see the sunrise. On our way from the parking lot to the point we ran upon a family of Mule Deer. They were huge and unimpressed by our existence. We got to the point and staked out a great location for the sunrise. Truly amazing. The play of light against the walls of the canyon were breathtaking. All too soon, it was done and time to go back to the room to pack it all up.
The girls have been awesome for the whole trip, but they have been especially awesome at the packing of the car and being ready to go. By 6am we were heading towards Vegas. A few hours and many, many uneventful miles later. We arrived at the Hoover Dam. We decided to opt for the Powerplant Tour which for us, was exactly the right amount of dam activity. We saw the normal things and the girls were impressed by the scope an size of the project. All in all, it was a decent stop. I’m glad we arrived early (9:30) because when we left the crowds were getting unwieldy. After that we drove the short distance to Henderson, NV and our hotel of the day. We made a quick stop at Target, had some Chipotle, and rested for a bit. Then we headed to the Strip.
It should be noted from the start that the Las Vegas Strip is not the kid-friendly destination that the tourist board once haves us to believe. From the half-naked men/women, the “flyers” on the street, and the guys wearing shirts advertising themselves as the Orgasm Police this is truly no place for me, um I mean the kids. To say that the girls were overwhelmed by the sights would not clearly emphasize just how unnerved they were. The best thing we were able to do was to get them off of the street and into the Shops at the Venetian, the Forum Shops, and to take a look at the flower display in the Bellagio. Other than that Vegas was, well in a word, unnatural. Also, inappropriate I am being told.
But then, dinner saved the day. When it was decided that we would be in Vegas on our anniversary I made reservations at Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris Hotel. I had been looking forward to this meal for a good while and it did not disappoint. Our server was spot-on having gluten free bread brought to the table from the start. Ethel decided to go with a kids meal (a good choice as there was a ton of food on the plate), Lucy went with the scallops with a fennel salad with tomatoes and mashed potatoes. The boss had a half-chicken with the potatoes, and I killed a steak with fries. The nice bottle of red we had complemented the meal perfectly and out evening in Vegas had been salvaged. Until dinner, I think it is safe to say that the girls did not find the town to be their thing. In fact, I was worried that the trip may be lost in our few hours here. Truly, it would not be the first trip to be lost to Vegas. But then dinner saved the day.
We picked up our car from the valet, drove back to our hotel, and enjoyed the pool for a bit. Now, we call it a day. A day that has taken us from the indescribable splendor of a Grand Canyon sunrise to the indescribable phoniness of the Las Vegas Strip. I have enjoyed sharing each moment however disconcerting with my girls and I look forward to introducing them to California tomorrow. 
