Death Valley to Yosemite

We took the 190 through Furnace Creek - another of America's most hottest.

Lunch and a game of pool in Stovepipe Wells

Wearing clothes for the desert in the snow of Yosemite.

Las Vegas: Cirque de Soleil, water sliding with sharks...stuffing our faces with M&Ms

Right: Inside Cesar's Palace underneath a subliminal "S-I-M-O-N" message. What's it all about Si?

A Vegian homage to M&Ms. All those ultra rare colours, you've never even dreamed about - like Teal and Cream. Tip: you start off by accidently dropping a few M&Ms into the grill underneath, then retrieve them - intending to put them into your bag - but casually chuck them into your mouth. Then you realise that the floating assistants don't care a jot about that chap lying underneath the dispenser over there, so you just hold out your hand, push the dispenser - Electric Green in my case - then cram then into your mouth - like a whole normal packet at a time. The kids thought it was a bit naughty - so it was actually only me doing it. Which was great because all that sugar made the next activity - water sliding inside a shark tank - even more fun.

The Golden Nugget: The water slide goes through the shark tank behind Digs.
It's super-fast!

Locals can set their watches by the volcano that goes off at The Mirage every hour in the evening.

Zion: canyons, rubber tubing and a solar eclipse

Watching the solar eclipse from a drystone wall high up on the edge of Zion National Park reminded me of the eclipse in 99 and being up on Dartmoor. Without the cloud cover!

Grand Canyon - down to Phantom Ranch and back again...

The Kolb Studio on the South Rim

Five toe-nails eventually came off as a result of our 10 mile trek down to Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand canyon and the 10 miles back up on the Bright Angel Trail. The children had grown since we trekked in Nepal, but their shoes hadn't! I can't blame my shoes. In my haste to get my feet in some cool water at Indian Gardens, coming back up to the rim, I managed to crow-bar off a toe-nail with a wobbly rock! I then walked the final 5 miles on the scorching path, barefoot with a couple of codines inside me. 

Raz and Magi in the Bright Angel Lodge

Bright Angel Trailhead

Raz and Magi at Indian Gardens, 5 miles down into the canyon, in the shade at 104 degrees F. You add on an extra 20 to get the direct sun temperature!

After Indian Gardens we followed a stream all the way to the Colorado River at the bottom. We stopped constantly to plunge our heads and to sit fully clothed in the water.

Silver Bridge on the Colorado

4.30am: Breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, crispy bacon and maple syrup.

5am: about to leave Phantom Ranch

5.45am: The Colorado before the sun hits it.