Thursday, August 1, 2013

10 Days Traveling Cross-Country: Day 1

In the days leading up to leaving Las Vegas we gave away almost all our furniture and were left with an air mattress and Vante's cat furniture.

We spent 2 nights in a hotel in Las Vegas and my mother and sister flew into town to help up do our final packing.  They helped us drive and took a mini vacation with us.  Vante helped us pack!

Then on July 17th we drove away from Las Vegas!  We enjoyed living there for 5 years (Vante 4) but it was time to move on. 
 
Vante had a hard time getting settled that morning.  We had not been able to make any room for her in the back of my car, so she had to stay up front with us.  She got creative in her napping positions.  
After about 4 hours we finally reached Best Friends Animal Society. 
I had arranged with Bob, her former caretaker to meet him at her old home, Colonel's Barracks. 
Vante & Bob
There was a welcoming party waiting for her & it was awesome!  Mike worked at Colonel's Barracks when I adopted Vante & gave me lots of advice and good information about her background. 
Vante & Mike
Vante & Mike
 Cathy even came out on her day off, and her birthday, to say hello to Vante!
Cathy & Vante
There is a great painting of Vante up in her old room, Sammy's Room. It looks like it is signed "Mona '05"--If anybody knows Mona, I would love to get a copy of this painting.
We hit up the Best Friends gift shop, grabbed some lunch in town, then hit the road.  I decided to have some fun & try to take a photo of Vante at every state line sign we passed.  A few were too dangerous to stop at or the sign was in the middle of a bridge & we couldn't stop.  However, we did pass through 16 states & 4 National Parks driving from Las Vegas to SC.
 
We spent the night near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon & I highly recommend it as a must see.  It's very different from the South Rim: less tourists, forested, and populated by wild elk, deer & bison.  There aren't as many driving or hiking trails, but the view is just as magnificent and it's cooler than the South Rim. 

Look for Day 2's photos tomorrow!

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