We made extensive use of the park shuttle bus but also took three relatively easy hikes (Jeanine is still recovering from her foot surgery). Here, we pause at the upper Emerald Pool. 

In addition to the breathtaking vistas, there was plenty of interest on a macro level. Click on the photo for a closer view of this pair. 

Given our single day in the park, we were blessed with exquisite weather. 

The colors and texture of the rock formations are unbelievably varied and beautiful. 

My photographs, at this resolution, do not do justice to the grandeur of this park. 

After spending the night in Huricane, Utah, we got an early start on our one-day visit to Zion National Park. 

After we toured old Las Vegas, we wound up at the MGM where Jeanine again flirted with the one-arm bandits. Here we were treated by Kris and Rob to front row seats for an evening of magic with David Copperfield. The show was fantastic and many of the illusions simply defy explanation. 

Jeanine wanted to meet an Elvis impersonator at a drive-thru wedding chapel. In Vegas, this kind of wish is easily granted and with Rob’s expert guidance it took just a few minutes to find such an opportunity. 

Later in the afternoon, Jeanine was drawn to the slot machines, the bigger the better. She was able to net several dollars of profit while entertaining the rest of us with her down to the last bet luck. Although my understanding of probability theory generally dissuades me from gambling, I decided to throw caution to the wind. I netted a whopping 400% gain and decided to quit while I was ahead. It should be noted that this amazing feat was achieved with a single play on a nickel slot machine. 

Many of the other exhibits were just as fascinating and we enjoyed our brief visit under the ocean. 

Naturally, we encountered many sharks at very close range. 

The tour features an underwater transparent tube that takes you through the aquarium’s main holding tank. 

At the Mandalay Bay hotel we took the Shark Reef tour and met this rare aligator as we entered the exhibit. 

This morning we visited a number of the Las Vegas strip hotels including the Venitian pictured here.