Part of our adventure was that our "home base" for the week was a hotel on the outskirts of Las Vegas, which of course meant a casino was attached. The hotel was very nice, but we did have to walk through the casino area to get to the restaurants and parking, so Micah got used to walking through a casino very quickly. Let's be honest, he just liked all the flashing lights and screens! And don't worry, he didn't try his hand at gambling ;)
Each day went roughly the same for us. Wake up, eat breakfast in our room (a shopping trip the first day there stocked us up with milk, cereal, yogurt, and bananas), drive to our hiking destination for the day outside the city, go on a longer hike until mid-afternoon, eat a late lunch, go on a short hike or let Micah lead us on a hike, go back to the hotel for dinner, and then get to bed. Each day we explored a different area. Day 1 we went to the outskirts of Red Rock Canyon and hiked Mountain Springs and Windy Peaks. Day 2 we drove to Death Valley to hike Manly Beacon and explore Badwater Basin (lowest elevation in the western hemisphere!). Day 3 was spent hiking Hamblin Mountain overlooking Lake Mead and driving over the Hoover Dam. Day 4 we went to Valley of Fire to hike in a canyon along the Prospect Trail and also hiked to a rock called the Fire Wave. On our way back to the hotel we drove back through the Lake Mead area and let Micah lead us on a hike along a stream bed. Day 5 we explored inside Red Rock Canyon and climbed to Calico Tanks and Turtlehead Mountain. We also found a short boardwalk around a meadow that Micah hiked later in the afternoon.
For most of our hikes, Micah rode on our backs and got to walk/explore during flatter sections of our hikes and on breaks. He often would just quietly observe all around him for the first part of our hikes, then would go into his singing/talking mode, before finally getting lulled to sleep. He fell in love with hiking on rocks, and would often attempt to climb small rock inclines using the techniques he witnessed Mom and Dad using during the hike. He is very good!
The change in routine didn't seem to affect him much, and he just went with the flow every day we were there. We're pretty sure he rather enjoyed having Mom and Dad to himself all week. Unfortunately, the week did have to come to an end. We took a red-eye flight home that Micah slept the whole time for, and we all slept in the next morning thanks to the time change back. It is nice to be back in our own beds, but we're going to miss being outdoors as a family all day!
For more pictures and information on each day of our trip, see our adventure blog at: https://mattandallison.wordpress.com/