Heading north out of Mexico and straight on to Vegas should take about oh…14 hours?Well that's how long it took us after needing 2 hours to cross the border in which time we turned down about a dozen offers to clean our car from Mexican bums and then being "selected" for secondary inspection by border patrol.This drive did however include a brief sidetrack through Joshua Tree National Park where we caught an amazing sunset behind the funny looking trees.What do backpackers do in a town designed to rid you of all your money?Have a walk down the strip? - not when the car thermometer is reading 113°F.Do some gambling? - this trip is meant to last a year, not 6 weeks.Well we made the most of our hostel pool during the day where we enjoyed a few cocktails and then went out for dinner at the luxurious Bellagio.By that time it had cooled off enough to hit the strip … what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.The next day we had a few errands to run in the morning before we drove on to the Grand Canyon, one of them being a quick oil change for our fine vehicle (7,500 miles driven already?).Two and half "quick" hours later, the Mighty Maxima was ready to roll with new rear break pads, freshly cut front rotors, a new serpentine belt, a new air filter, a plug in a front tire where a nail used to be and some fresh oil and new oil filter.I guess the Japanese didn't design cars to be driven in Mexico.

The Grand Canyon - that's a big freakin' hole.That's what we thought when we first laid eyes on it the morning of our three day journey down below the rim.We hit the trail at 7:30 in the a.m. and it was all downhill from there - literally.Seven miles down the "very strenuous" South Kaibab trail all the way down to the Colorado River to our first campsite, where the temperature when we arrived was a balmy 105°F (40°C) - in the shade. Luckily our campsite was directly beside a creek which we had a dip in about half a dozen times before the sun went down, including once in the pitch black right before we attempted to sleep (still 95°F at bedtime).The next morning was a bit earlier of a start at 6:30 and off we went, uphill this time and only about 4.5 miles and 2.5 hours to our next camp spot.What would you do if you arrive at your campsite in the middle of a desert at 9 a.m. and it's already 95°F again and your tent is in direct sunlight?We couldn't come up with a good answer either.Huddling in the shade most of the day and trying to pass the time by writing in our journals, soaking our shirts in water to stay cool and eating granola bars and waiting all day to cook dinner 'cause there wasn't much else to do.Once the sun goes down in the canyon, you see some of the most amazing stars you'd ever imagine.We got to enjoy them each time we woke up in the middle of the night due to excessive heat or to discharge the gallons of water we'd been drinking to remain hydrated.The final day was the most fun - 4:30 a.m. alarm clock and we were all packed up and on the trail by first light. Another 4.5 miles and about 50 switchbacks later we emerged back above the rim, 4,800 ft. above the river and 115°F (45°C) temperatures.Due to the 2 and a half gallons of water we were drinking a day, we had washed the salt completely out of our bodies, which led to some pretty bad cramps during the hike. From the top it still looks like a big freakin' hole - but now we know what it looks like from the bottom looking up!Next we're heading north to Bryce Canyon and further east to Arches National Park.