On Tuesday we left shortly after 8 a.m. We took the 98 towards Kayenta to Lower Antelope Canyon ($15 fee) which is on the road to Antelope Point. Both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon are on Navajo land meaning a usage fee of $6 has to be paid in addition. Upper Antelope Canyon is famous for its sun beams at midday, however we chose Lower Antelope Canyon because you can just park there and climb right into it and it's less busy. For the upper canyon you have to make an appointment with the Navajos for a tour and there's a time limit. Apart from the beams the lower canyon is even said to be more spectacular. We brought a tripod all the way from Germany to be able to take pictures inside the narrow canyon as it gets pretty dark down there. We spent a couple of hours and left the site at 10:30 a.m. On my birthday in 1997 11 tourists died in the canyon when they were surprised by a flash flood.

After our visit we drove to the 89 and parked at the trailhead to Horseshoe Bend Overlook. It wasn't far to walk but the path was rather sandy and it was hot. All in all we spent 30 minutes. Horeshoe Bend is best photographed in the morning. Our next destination was Kanab and we travelled the Vermillion Cliffs Scenic Highway (Alt 89) with at stop at the historic Navajo Bridge that spans across Marble Canyon, and the Cliff Dwellers, before the road climbed up from 4000 to 8000 feet. In Jacob Lake the road turns off to the Grand Canyon's north rim. More and more dark clouds appeared and there was lightning in the distance.

At 2:15 p.m. Arizona time (3:15 p.m. Utah time) we arrived in Kanab. We got a room at the Bob Bon Inn. It was fairly large with 2 beds, fridge and microwave for $66 including tax. Only the small pool seemed to need some cleaning. After checking in we took off again towards Johnson Canyon, 10 miles east on the 89. We turned left and after another 5 miles we saw the Johnson Canyon Movie Set on the right hand side. Unfortunately there was a fence and the gate was locked, so we could only look at it from a distance. But it looked like a real old west town. Apparently "Gunsmoke" was filmed here. We continued on the road, which turned into a well-maintained dirt track after a while, and followed the signs to Glendale. The map of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument from the BLM office was really useful here as it gave us a sense of direction.

Eventually we hit the 89 again, turned south and not long afterwards we turned off right to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park which was another 12 miles. When we got there at 4:30 p.m. (Arizona time - we stuck to this as we would be back in Nevada the following day which observes the same time) the sun had disappeared behind a cloud. So we didn't pay the $5 day fee at the entrance station, but had a quick look from the access road. Then we returned to Kanab. We got there at 5:15 p.m. and had an early dinner at Houston's Trail's End Restaurant where the waitresses are carrying colts! When we were finished, shortly after 6 p.m., the sun was shining again and we went right back to the sand dunes! It's just 18 miles to the south entrance. This time the light was much better but the dunes glowed orange rather than pink... An hour later we were back in Kanab.

Wednesday was sunny and warm. We left Kanab shortly after 9 a.m. and took the route via Zion NP, instead of Route 59. The distance is about the same. In Hurricane we had a quick milk shake at Dairy Queen. There was a lot of traffic around Las Vegas. At 2 p.m. we checked into our pre-booked hotel, the Aladdin Resort & Casino. We had made the reservation at a special promotion rate for $49 plus tax per night (the 2nd cheapest hotel of our entire trip!). During the week you can easily get some great offers, while prices double or triple at the weekends. The room at the Aladdin was large with 2 beds, a large bathroom and a safe. W-LAN was charged at $12 per day, so we did without. A room with a view of the Bellagio Fountains costs $30 extra. In 1998 the old Aladdin was torn down but the new 2600 rooms complex is currently being redesigned as Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. However, we did not get inconvenienced in any way by the reconstruction activities. The pool area on the 6th floor has a view of the Eiffel Tower which is neat. In 1998 we stayed at the Stratoshere Tower Hotel. It was fine, but quite a way from the main part of the Strip. From top of the Stratoshere Tower you can also get a good view of Las Vegas.

In the afternoon we strolled along the Strip and had a look into some of the casino hotels (Paris, Flamingo, Venetian, Mirage) as well as the Forum Shops. On the street the air was like in a baking oven: 39 °C! We admired the artificial skies in some of the hotels and the hourly Rainstorm in the Aladdin shopping mall as well as the singing gondoliers in front of and inside The Venetian. At the Mirage you can see the white tigers (no charge) or visit its Secret Garden with dolphin habitat ($15). The MGM presents a lion habitat that's also free of charge. For $9 you can go to the top of the Eiffel Tower and look at Las Vegas from above.

For dinner we went to the Flamingo buffet which was good ($18 with drinks, excl. tax and tip). Here we met Carsten from the USA Stammtisch travel community and afterwards we had a drink at a bar with still another guy from the travel community, Uwe, and his mum.

The next morning we had breakfast at the Aladdin buffet. The regular price is $13 per person including drinks but we got a 2 for 1 voucher with our reservation. The buffet was really good. Afterwards we did some shopping at the Las Vegas Outlet Center south of the airport. The sky was full of dark clouds but the air was still hot. In the afternoon we repacked our luggage for the flight the next day, then we went for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory in the Forum Shops at the Caesars Palace Hotel. The ceiling in the Forum shops changes slowly from day to night and back again. The restaurant was already busy at 6 p.m. and we had to wait 25 minutes to be seated. Those that came after us had to expect a 40-minutes wait. But the food was worth the wait. We paid $46 incl. tip for 2 chicken dishes, table water and a lovely cheesecake which I absolutely had to try though I was already full... While we waited the hourly 10-min. Atlantis Water Show went off in front of the Cheesecake Factory next to the saltwater aquarium. After dinner we went to see the Volcano at the Mirage which erupts every hour after sunset and the Sirens of TI Show at the Treasure Island Hotel. The latter is scheduled every 90 minutes from 7 p.m. and lasts 20 minutes. It replaces the Treasure Islands Pirates Battle and features music, dancing, acrobatics and swordplay with a lot of pyrotechnics and a sinking ship!

The 19th was the day of departure. As the flight was rescheduled for 7 a.m. we had to get up early. We returned the rental car and by 5 a.m. we were queuing at the check-in. This took 30 minutes, followed by the security scan. Then we took the shuttle to the domestic terminal. 40 minutes later we were at the gate. The flight to Atlanta took 3.5 hours. Here we had to change to the international terminal but we didn't have to go through another security scan nor pick up our luggage. Thus it took just 30 minutes to get to the gate. After a 1.5 hours wait the flight left in time and we arrived in Düsseldorf even an hour earlier than scheduled, at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday morning. This was the end of a great trip.