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| - We went on the Grand Canyon Express Tour on a Groupon promotion. This is for the Grand Canyon West Rim, which is a shorter distance from the South Rim. Our guide was Jodie and our driver, Tom. This is a sense of our itinerary.
6:00 am - Pick up at Hotel
Since we were the only ones to join the tour from the Circus Circus pick-up point, they picked us up directly from our hotel next door.
7:15 am - Arrival at Boulder City Hotel for Breakfast
I have found it more economical to pay that $20 extra for breakfast and lunch. In Boulder City, the bus took us to the Boulder Dam Hotel, and stopped there, and we have 30 minutes to eat and use the restroom. The Starbucks was not as close as one may think and according to the phone's GPS, it's an 11 minute walk one-way. There were several options for breakfast and we found the bacon skillet to be a hearty meal.
8:00 am - Depart from Boulder City
The ride to the Canyon was comfortable. They played a documentary about the Skywalk, using it to promote and sell the Skywalk add-on. As we approached the canyon, Jodie gave the group pretty good advice about safety, food options available, and general tips for making the best of our time there.
10:45 am - Arrival at the central terminal in Grand Canyon.
We hopped onto a bus from the terminal and headed to Eagle Point, our first stop. We did the Skywalk add-on at Eagle Point, and then hopped onto a moved on to Guano Point, where we climbed to the peak for the 360 degree view of the canyon, and then had lunch. As Jodie said, lunch at Guano Point was definitely better than Eagle Point. You get shredded bbq beef & chicken along with sides and get to enjoy your hot meal on metal picnic tables outside with the majestic view of the canyon all around.
With only 3 hours or so in the Grand Canyon, and the time it takes to get around, there was no time to hit the third stop.
1:30 pm - Bus departs from Grand Canyon
A movie was put on, but I passed out.
3 pm ish - Bus arrived at the Boulder Dam Bypass Bridge.
4:30 pm - Bus rolled into Las Vegas, past a "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign swarmed with newly married couples. It's 11/11/11 after all!
We had wanted to drop by a different hotel, and Jodie gave us Vegas first-timers some tips on the shows, deals and how to get around.
All in all, it was a fun day trip. We got back in time to catch a show even!
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